16/08/2025
🐾 How Your Dog’s Gut Shapes Their Behaviour (And What You Can Do About It!)
https://a-ok9.com/collections/gut-health
👀 Ever wondered why your dog sometimes seems anxious, hyper, or struggles to focus—no matter how much training you do?
Here’s the shocking truth: your dog’s gut health directly influences their behaviour.
🚨 The Big Problem
Most dog owners think behaviour is just about training.
But here’s the kicker: if the gut microbiome (the community of bacteria living in your dog’s digestive system) is out of balance, it can send stress signals to the brain.
👉 That means instead of calm, focused learning… your dog gets reactive, distracted, or downright naughty.
😱 Why This Matters
🔥 Gut imbalance = inflammation and stress hormones flooding the system
😴 Stress hormones = poor sleep, over-arousal, short fuse
🐕 That “always on edge” dog? Often a gut issue, not just training
And the sad part? Even the BEST training games can feel like pushing water uphill if the gut isn’t happy.
💡 The Solution
The gut and brain are connected through the gut-brain axis (yes, it’s real science).
When the gut is thriving:
✅ Serotonin and dopamine stabilise, boosting focus and calm
✅ Inflammation reduces, so the brain can think instead of react
✅ Your dog learns faster, listens better, and feels calmer
🎯 Training + gut support = the magic combo.
🔑 The 3 Secrets You Need to Know
1️⃣ Probiotics aren’t all created equal - multi-strain blends work best for behaviour and digestion
2️⃣ Prebiotics are the fuel - without them, good bacteria can’t thrive
3️⃣ Gut care is daily care - no quick fix, but the transformation is huge
🎯 Your Next Step
If you’re serious about transforming your dog’s behaviour, don’t stop at training alone.
➡️ Support the gut, and you’ll see a calmer, more focused, happier learner.
https://a-ok9.com/collections/gut-health
📚 Resources & Further Reading
📖 Mayer EA, Tillisch K, Gupta A. “Gut/brain axis and the microbiota.” J Clin Invest. 2015
📖 Dinan TG, Cryan JF. “Gut microbiota: a missing link in psychiatry.” World Psychiatry. 2020
📖 Vuong HE, Yano JM, Fung TC, Hsiao EY. “The microbiome and host behavior.” Annu Rev Neurosci. 2017
🌐 A-OK9 Blog: How Your Dog’s Brain Wellbeing, Gut Wellness and Training All Work Together
https://a-ok9.com/blogs/blog/brain-gut-training
