Balance Behaviour

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Balance Behaviour I offer one to one consultations to help owners with canine behavioural issues. I do occasionally have dogs available for rehome.
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I am not a trainer, trainers teach dogs to 'speak human', whereas I attempt to teach owners how to 'speak dog'. I have been working with dogs for most of my adult life and am a qualified canine behaviour practitioner and owner trainer and member of the CFBA. In the past I have worked in the animal welfare sector as a fosterer, home checker, transporter and assessor. I have rehabilitated many dogs

from stray kennels and re-homed them with loving families. I now try to assist owners in keeping their dog in the home through rehabilitation - and thus help avoid the dog being relinquished to welfare in the first instance. I can help with behaviour issues no matter how small or overwhelming through advice and demonstration and through teaching the psychology of the dog. My ethos is one of holistic intervention, by this I mean that I always look at the dog as a whole - body, mind and spirit - I try to fulfil the physical and psychological needs of the dog and provide the owner with the tools to decrease and eliminate unwanted behaviour - many of the behaviours that we find unacceptable are often in part an expression of frustration so a whole lifestyle view is essential. I endeavour to empower owners to take charge of their dog's behaviour and I teach how the owner can remove unwanted behaviours and prevent future issues. Please check the 'Langlands Rescue' page on the website for details of available dogs.

Pardon the swear - but the sentiment is worth applying to our dogs...Lots of time spent in shady beer gardens means lots...
23/06/2025

Pardon the swear - but the sentiment is worth applying to our dogs...

Lots of time spent in shady beer gardens means lots of slightly inebriated, uninhibited people staring at your dog (this is usually interpreted as threatening or exciting depending on your dog), trying to stick their uninvited hands into our dogs faces (unacceptable).

Our job is to keep our dogs safe, secure, calm and happy - this means no unsolicited contact from strangers - ever.
If the dog knows the person, a friend or family member then great, but where strangers are concerned, it's OK to say it's not OK to stare at or touch your dog.
In fact it's best practise! 'Can I stroke your dog?' should usually be met with - 'No, sorry, I'd rather you didn't.' Or maybe if you have a giddy kipper; 'Yes, OK, but can you help me with her training first? We'll wait until she's calm and relaxed and then I'll give her permission - so just ignore her for now please. [insert small talk]'

For excitable dogs - you will spend a long time on self-control, calmness protocol, and want to be able to have a drink at your local with a relaxed content dog - not have your hard work undone when their impulse to seek affection and attention is rewarded.

For nervous dogs, you want them to feel safe and protected - able to relax in public places safe in the knowledge that you simply won't allow anything bad to happen. You certainly don't want them trapped on a lead feeling vulnerable whilst strangers paw at them and stare into their face!

So please know that's it's OK TO SAY NO - your first priority is your lovely dog that relies on you for contentment and relaxation, not a complete stranger that you just met. You can be polite without compromising your dog's wellbeing or your training plan.

Think Behaviour. Think Biology. Think Balance!Behaviour work is so much more than 'training'.When we talk about behaviou...
21/06/2025

Think Behaviour. Think Biology. Think Balance!

Behaviour work is so much more than 'training'.
When we talk about behaviour, we also talk about the dog’s health, pain, hormones, sleep, diet, enrichment, and social needs.
We have to.
Because behaviour doesn’t happen in a vacuum...
Your dog’s brain and body are in constant conversation and our job is to listen in, interpret, explain and deliver the solution! Then we support you until you reach your goals.
Whether it’s aggression, barking, guarding, pulling, or freezing, we’ll work out why—together.
Drop us a line for a background questionnaire to make a start on the path to balance [email protected]

It’s Not Just About Obedience. It’s About Trust. Behaviour work isn’t just a list of training commands. It’s a relations...
20/06/2025

It’s Not Just About Obedience. It’s About Trust.

Behaviour work isn’t just a list of training commands. It’s a relationship.
We show you how to build trust by showing your dogs that you see them, hear them, and meet their needs as a dog, we find exercises that get the behaviour you want and the emotional balance the dog needs, then we put that on a cue - so no we don't just 'fix' behaviours. When dogs feel safe and understood, real progress can happen!
If your dog’s not ‘listening’, ask first: Have you listened to your dog? Do they feel safe? Do they understand? Are they well? Are they capable of doing what we are asking? If not why not?
This is how we roll —because topology is never the whole story.

Balance Isn’t About Perfection. It’s About Understanding.Dogs don't need to be fixed, most just need to be listened to.T...
19/06/2025

Balance Isn’t About Perfection. It’s About Understanding.

Dogs don't need to be fixed, most just need to be listened to.
That barking, pulling, lunging, or hiding? It’s communication.
At Balance Behaviour, we take time to understand what’s underneath—the emotions, the history, the unmet needs. We support dogs and their people in finding a way forward, with empathy and real-life strategies that work.
If your dog is struggling, you’re not alone. Let’s talk.
balancebehaviour.org [email protected]

Just been quoted £311 for a titre test - this is waaaaay more than I paid last time. For any titre testers among you, wh...
19/06/2025

Just been quoted £311 for a titre test - this is waaaaay more than I paid last time. For any titre testers among you, what are you guys paying? I'm interested in the massive hike in costs, and the difference between in-house vs out-of-house testing costs.
My daughter was quoted over £800 for her cat 🤣🤣🤣🤣I'm hoping that was a mistake...
There's something very wrong here!

The Vaccicheck Lab Fees are £24.48, and a reasonable charge for blood draw and interpretation £75, Consultation fee? Okay - £50 on top for the appointment slot.
I make that about £150 so what am I missing?
Not being stingy, I just don't like being herded down the vaccination chute like I'm blindly going to slaughter. They are using aversion therapy on me, and I don't like it.
I hate that I don't completely trust vets anymore and always have to second guess. It makes me so sad :(

My (hilarious) question is this; if I go to Dragon Lab independently, and get a kit, how much do you think my vet will charge me for a simple 2ml blood draw? I'll even give them a labelled tube to put it in! Will they even agree to do it or will they say they have a 'policy'?
Place your bets...

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18/06/2025

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Ways to Improve your energy when working with your difficult dog!If you can’t have us to help in person then check out t...
18/06/2025

Ways to Improve your energy when working with your difficult dog!

If you can’t have us to help in person then check out the advice below. Our energy is often the source of our dogs bad habits…

Providing the right mood and energy to see results when working with stressful behaviour issues is both the easiest and the most difficult thing about behaviour modification training! Easy in that you have the power to revolutionise your relationship with your dog, but difficult because our mood is driven by hormones that we feel we have little control over...
SO! Top tips for bringing the calm relaxation and firmness needed to be heard by your dog.

1/ Self care - get enough sleep and take care of YOU

2/ Have a routine and stick to it - this provides scaffolding and structure for both yourself and your dog. It takes three weeks for a routine to become automatic and three months for it to be really difficult to break, so if you have trouble getting out for the walk mark a date on your calendar for three weeks time and commit to putting on metaphorical blinkers and JUST DO IT - commit for three weeks and it gets a lot easier after that.

3/ Walk for longer - if you are a bag of nerves then it is tempting do do a perfunctory walk and dash home. But this way you experience only the worse that the walk has to offer and this is what you will remember - and your dog too; initial excitement, bad behaviour and a lack of control and focus on training. Walk further and as your dog tires you will relax, see better behaviour and more manageable training. Ending on a good note is always a better idea.

4/ Method acting. Channel a strong confident and calm person in your life or on TV. We have the advantage of imagination! If we imagine, we experience hormones related to the thought, so think about being Lara Croft from Tomb Raider, or Oprah Winfrey, or another strong role model and then 'Do them' with conviction

5/ Sing an uplifting and empowering song in your head! This is the soundtrack to your walk. Trust me it's a great way to become assertive and confident.

6/ Your body language is HUGELY influential. Crouching down, darting eyes around, and generally showing weak posture negatively affects your stress and confidence hormones, and a strong tall, shoulders back stance positively affects them. So walk tall and confident - and use tools to help your dog do the same - harnesses don't help here.

7/ Leave enough time for the walk so that you are not rushing. Start in the house and get yourself and your dog relaxed and focussing on training before you leave. If you both have a plan of training for sticky situations (watch me, leave it etc) then practice before you open the door, when you open the door before you go through it, and again on the driveway. This puts you both into 'Work mode' and thinking brain is engaged - which supresses instinctive brain! The instinctive brain is what is responsible for fight or flight and so engaging work mode supresses the feelings of anxiety, excitement, and fear, aggression, prey drive and the rest. This confident decision making vibe is what you need to share with your dog.

8/ If you are a quivering jelly because you feel the dog is out of control then enlist advice from us or another behaviourist so that they can coach you in confident and safe walking. They can help check that your tools (leads, muzzles, headcollars etc) empower you, give you a great stance and allow you to have proper control physically. Consider hiring a secure field to use as practice for confident walking and lead control (an off lead run in the middle of the session is a nice idea but you need to start with structured walking and training drills).

As a naturally very 'busy brained' person I can tell you that these tips work if you work them. Dogs have an amazing capacity to make us better, and as I always say - you don't always get the dog you want but you almost always get the dog you need. If you become the thing that they need you will change for the better - from a hormonal perspective, from a personal perspective and the feelings of achievement are immense. What is your dog trying to teach you today?

Get a cuppa and WATCH THIS it could revolutionise your life. This is about people, but the premise applies to dogs too - and even more because they can literally smell a mood and will respond hormonally without any decision making.

https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_may_shape_who_you_are/transcript

Big shout out to my newest top fan!💎Nicky Forder
18/06/2025

Big shout out to my newest top fan!💎

Nicky Forder

This is Tetley, it is hard to tell without video footage, but this is his 'I want you to love me' face - and a lovely ex...
18/06/2025

This is Tetley, it is hard to tell without video footage, but this is his 'I want you to love me' face - and a lovely example of a submissive grimace shown in the context of active submission.
A submissive grin/grimace is a communication of submission and shows a very clear wish to avoid conflict. This is considered a type of passive submission as a rule (please leave me alone, I don't want any trouble), but also frequently seen when excitement and insecurity meet!
It can be seen in dogs as a way to show deference or to appease in order to 'fit in' and promote harmony, and in Tetley's case it clearly says 'I'm coming in for a cuddle, I'm REALLY happy to see you and I don't want to have an argument' - so is more active than passive in this case (inviting interaction).
Tetley was an absolute darling and I fell a little bit in love...
He has some separation issues to work on but when his confidence is boosted and his excitement toned down he will feel a lot more content. He's definitely one of the lucky ones - having fallen on his feet being rescued by a lovely family that will help to him find his calm place! Lucky boy Tetley (Y)

Diet matters!
17/06/2025

Diet matters!

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We offer one to one consultations to help owners with canine behaviour issues. We are more than trainers, trainers teach dogs to 'speak human', whereas we attempt to teach owners how to 'speak dog' as well! I have been working with dogs for most of my adult life and am a qualified canine behaviour practitioner and owner trainer and member of the CFBA. In the past I have worked in the animal welfare sector as a fosterer, home checker, transporter and assessor. I have rehabilitated many dogs from stray kennels and re-homed them with loving families. I now try to assist owners in keeping their dog in the home through rehabilitation - and thus help avoid the dog being relinquished to welfare in the first instance. I can help with behaviour issues no matter how small or overwhelming through advice and demonstration and through teaching the psychology of the dog. Our ethos is one of holistic intervention, by this I mean that we always look at the dog as a whole - body, mind and spirit - and try to fulfil the physical and psychological needs of the dog and provide the owner with the tools to decrease and eliminate unwanted behaviour - many of the behaviours that we find unacceptable are often in part an expression of frustration or imbalance so a whole lifestyle view is essential. We endeavour to empower owners to take charge of their dog's behaviour and teach how the owner can remove unwanted behaviours and prevent future issues. We do occasionally have dogs available for rehome. Please check the 'Langlands Rescue' page on the website for details of available dogs.