Bright Paws

14/06/2026

There are so many reasons the answer might be no to a person wanting to engage in physical contact. And an explanation isn’t always necessary.

Only the handler knows what’s right for them and their dog at that time.

14/06/2026

🐾 IBS vs. Colitis vs. IBD: Is Your Dog’s Gut Stressed, Inflamed, or Damaged? 🐾

​If your dog suffers from chronic diarrhea, gas, vomiting, or a sensitive stomach, you have likely heard one (or all) of these terms from your vet. But they are not the same thing.

​When your dog gets the wrong diagnosis, they get the wrong treatment. Let’s break down the science so you can advocate for your dog's gut health. 👇

​🔍 1️⃣ Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

▪️​What it is: A functional disorder. This means if a vet looks at the intestinal tissue under a microscope, it looks completely normal. There is no structural damage or chronic inflammation.

▪️​The Cause: IBS is heavily linked to the gut-brain axis. It is often triggered by stress, anxiety, or sudden dietary changes that cause the muscles of the intestines to spasm or move too quickly.

▪️​Key Symptom: Sudden, stress-induced bouts of watery diarrhea or mucus-covered stool, often accompanied by cramping.

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​🔍 2️⃣ Colitis

▪️​What it is: An acute or chronic inflammation specifically located in the large intestine (colon).

▪️​The Cause: It can be a standalone event triggered by dietary indiscretion (eating something rotten or a high-fat table scrap), parasites (like Giardia), or bacterial overgrowth. It can also be a symptom of a deeper underlying disease.

▪️​Key Symptom: Straining to defecate, frequent small amounts of stool, fresh bright red blood, and heavy mucus.

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​🔍 3️⃣ Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

▪️​What it is: A chronic, immune-mediated disease. Unlike IBS, IBD involves physical structural damage. The gut lining becomes continuously infiltrated by inflammatory cells, causing thickening of the bowel wall and a failure to absorb nutrients properly.

▪️​The Cause: A complex malfunction where the immune system attacks the gut lining, often triggered by a dysregulated microbiome and long-term exposure to dietary allergens or poor-quality, highly processed ingredients.

▪️​Key Symptom: Chronic, unexplained weight loss, intermittent or persistent vomiting, chronic diarrhea, and lethargy. True IBD can only be officially diagnosed via intestinal biopsy.

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🏥 The Vet Approach: Medications & The "Hydrolyzed" Paradox

​Standard veterinary medicine typically relies on a combination of:

▪️​Symptomatic meds: Metronidazole (antibiotic/anti-inflammatory), Tylosin, or steroids (Prednisone / Prednisolone) to suppress the immune response in IBD.

▪️​Prescription Kibble: Most frequently, a hydrolyzed protein diet.

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​Why Hydrolyzed, Plant-Based Kibbles Can Be Counter-Productive 🛑

​Hydrolyzed diets work on a basic premise: animal proteins (like chicken or beef) are chemically or enzymatically broken down into fragments so tiny that the immune system fails to recognize them as allergens.

​While this can temporarily stop an immediate allergic flare, look closely at the ingredients of these formulas. They are almost universally plant-based, carbohydrate-heavy diets utilizing starch bases like corn starch, soy isolate, or cellulose.

​Here is why this is counter-productive for long-term gut healing:

✔️ ​Species-Inappropriate Formulation:
Dogs have zero biological requirement for high-glycemic carbohydrates. A carnivore’s short, simple digestive tract is designed to process highly digestible animal proteins and fats—not complex plant structures.

✔️ ​Starving the Microbiome:
High-heat, ultra-processed kibble creates Advanced Glycation End-products (AGEs) which promote systemic inflammation. Furthermore, these synthetic diets lack the live, active enzymes and diverse fibrous prebiotics required to rebuild a damaged microbiome.

✔️ ​Managing Symptoms vs. Healing the Gut: Hydrolyzed diets act like a permanent band-aid. They avoid the allergen but do nothing to repair the tight junctions of a "leaky gut" or restore mucosal integrity. Your dog remains trapped on a highly processed, synthetic food for life.

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​🌱🥩 The Holistic Path: Species-Appropriate, Individualized Nutrition

​Real gut healing requires fresh, species-appropriate food, but it is never a one-size-fits-all approach. A raw or gently cooked diet works wonders, but must be introduced with extreme precision based on the specific diagnosis:

✅️ ​For IBS: Focus on stress reduction, gut-brain axis support (like adaptogenic herbs or calming targeted nutraceuticals), and highly digestible, soothing proteins.

✅️ ​For Colitis: Soluble fibers (like psyllium husk or slippery elm bark) help soothe the large intestine lining, while low-fat, easily absorbable novel proteins reduce digestive strain.

✅️ ​For IBD: This requires meticulous, step-by-step restoration. Often starting with a single-source, gently cooked novel protein (like venison, rabbit, or beaver) paired with specific mucosal healers (like targeted amino acids and high-potency, gut-specific probiotics) before transitioning to raw.

📌
​You cannot heal a deeply damaged biological system by feeding it highly processed, synthetic food. True gut health starts with real, fresh, biologically appropriate nutrients.

​💬 Has your dog been diagnosed with one of these three conditions? What are you currently feeding to manage it? Let's chat in the comments below!

— The Holistic Canine 🐾 theholisticcanine.us

NRC balanced meals at home:
👉 Fresh feeding explained—finally.
"Fresh-Food Feeding Explained" eBook
Available on our website❗️
https://theholisticcanine.us/ebook/

​

14/06/2026

FULL disclosure required

I was chatting with a colleague yesterday who'd been bitten when she arrived at a new client's house. She'd already done all the paperwork, intake forms and a zoom call. At no point had they said their dog had bitten people in the past. They just wanted a little help with his behaviour around grooming and care.

It's one of the reasons I rarely do house calls these days. Territorial behaviour and handling are two of the situations where people are most likely to get bitten. If people haven't disclosed their dog's history, it can be catastrophic.

It reminded me of a conversation I had a few months back with a client I'd been working with for a couple of months - in person! As we were chatting about restorative socialisation, they told me that their dog had bitten three other dogs. At no point had this come up in the last six hours of discussion we'd had. Not only that, they were quite insistent that there had to be improvement for their dog otherwise they would be euthanising him. It was imperative he was social at least with a small number of dogs.

It changes everything when there's undisclosed history. It alters potential outcomes. It changes the work we might need to do. It affects the safety of everyone around us.

There are reasons dog trainers & behaviourists ask so many nosey questions. It's not just because we're nosey.

It's because history is important and if there are reasons you're thinking of not telling us, then those reasons can really get in the way of any potential progress that might be made.

You'd think it'd go without saying that the big stuff needs disclosing. That means bites, snaps and nips. It also means any history of aversive training methods you've tried in the past or you're currently using.

But it's often the undisclosed stuff - whether that's done accidentally or purposefully - that holds the key to everything.

There's no such thing as an overshare when it comes to working with a trainer or behaviourist!

14/06/2026

CAN WE GET REAL ABOUT 'FRIENDLY' DOGS FOR A MINUTE?

From time to time, I get to see a different world of dogs. Whenever I get to see another family dog, Harry, I get a reminder of how life was with my social, friendly dogs I could take anywhere.

The unicorn dogs.

The ones who aren't frustrated about greetings, but enjoy meeting new canine friends.

The ones who aren't fussed about frantic or over-energetic new friends, even the occasional hump or snap.

The ones who are happy to leave another dog alone.

The ones who can be called away if need be.

The ones I often put out a plea for, to help with restorative socialisation.

You know, the bombproof dogs.

Harry is like that. He's happy to say hello. He has friends. He tolerates the occasional hu***ng or snap. He bounces back. He's an energetic little spaniel who has a lot of pizzaz. I also appreciate that he's not got the best social skills when he's excited, and sometimes he's a bit too spaniel, so he's not a dog for all dogs.

My dog Lidy, for instance, might struggle with him at first. His fizz would set off all her desire to impose her iron will that he CaLm the EFF down.

While I could muzzle her and do some careful introductions, the size difference is also problematic: she is over three times his size and weight.

Harry sees a lot of dogs on his walks. He has his regular friends and the occasional stranger. He's always on a lead and he knows that it takes a while for the humans to decide whether saying hello would be appropriate or not.

I'd 100% use Harry as a stooge dog on exposure walks because he's so chill if he can't greet up close and personal.

I probably wouldn't use him in an early restorative socialisation encounter because some dogs simply can't handle the spaniel fizz. Harry can't calm it down a notch very easily and he's not always very good at reading other dogs' discomfort and disengaging.

He's a good dog for fearful or frustrated dogs to SEE, in other words, but not maybe one to interact with unless they don't mind small, busy, friendly dogs.

What amazes me though is just how many people assume their dog is friendly when they aren't. At all.

I'm astonished by the sheer number of people who ask if their dog can 'come say hi' when their dog is likely to snap or turn or get upset.

It's perfectly understandable when we look at their dogs' body language that their dog did not, in fact, want to 'come say hi'.

They're stiff and awkward and hesitant.

They're doing their best to avoid looking at him.

There's all kinds of displacement behaviour or attempts to ignore him.

They'd be perfectly happy if their humans simply waved at us from across the field or path, or if they walked on by without a word.

They'd be happy, even if they had to cross paths with less than a metre between them.

My mum's really good at knowing when people need her to keep Harry away from them and give them space. On narrow paths, she reads their dog. She asks Harry to move out to the other side of the path, and she keeps him busy on a short lead so people can get past. She's really astute at reading what other folk need.

As someone with a dog who struggles around other dogs, I wish the world was full of dog folk like my mum.

But in that short ten-day period, there were at least three times when people didn't read their own dog's behaviour or insisted that their dog was fine...
.. only for their dog NOT to be fine.

Not at all.

Now Harry is robust enough to cope with another dog shouting at him or even snapping. He shakes it off and doesn't let it alter how he feels about dogs in general.

Even so, it was a catalogue of horror stories that nearly ended really badly...

People insisting their dog is friendly when they're not.

People saying their dog NEVER snaps at other dogs, as if Harry is the issue.

People who think that their dog will miraculously come to love dogs if they're forced to get up close and personal with a friendly fluff-ball.

People whose dogs really ought to be muzzled, on lead or on a shorter lead.

I can't believe how lucky a lot of people are.

This really hits home to me this week as yesterday, one of my former clients' dogs was attacked by two off-lead unmuzzled 'friendly' dogs whose guardians had absolutely no control over them. He was bitten repeatedly and had seventeen stitches to his ears and neck. Worse, we'd worked for months on exposure and restorative socialisation because he wasn't confident around dogs in the first place. Now, his guardian worries whether we're back to square one - or even worse. Despite the impending legal action and police intervention, it doesn't change the fact that she'd spent a lot of money to help her dog learn to cope with other dogs in the first place and now we're going to have to do even more work to help him remember that it's not all dogs.

Hopefully, it will be easy to pick up the training and help him remember there are many friendly dogs out there. Even so, it's tiresome. Irresponsible guardians do so much damage and can be so blasé about the impact of their dogs' behaviour.

What I wouldn't give for an ounce of education and thoughtfulness in the wider canine community!

14/06/2026

🐾 Why Positive Reinforcement Works So Well 🐾

One of the biggest reasons positive reinforcement is so effective is because it follows a simple but incredibly important principle:

👉 A behaviour must happen first before it can be reinforced.

👀This might sound obvious, but it’s a concept that many dog owners struggle with.

〰️When we use positive reinforcement, we identify a behaviour we want to see more of, and then we reward it. Over time, that behaviour becomes stronger, happens more often, and eventually becomes a habit.

〰️Want your dog to sit politely? Reward the sit.

〰️Want your dog to walk nicely on a loose lead? Reward the loose lead walking.

〰️Want your dog to look at you instead of another dog? Reward the check-in.

The dog learns exactly which behaviour earns good things.

💡 It’s clear.
💡 It’s fair.
💡 It’s easy for the dog to understand.

Now compare that to telling a dog:

❌ “No.”

The problem is that “no” isn’t a behaviour.

➡️A dog cannot physically do “no.”

It doesn’t tell them what behaviour you would like instead.

🤔Should they sit?
🤔Should they lie down?
🤔Should they move away?
🤔Should they look at you?
🤔Should they stop and stand still?

🤔 Should they simply repeat the last thing they did?

The dog is left guessing.

And training works best when there is no guessing involved. When guidance is clear - results are better and predictable.

🐕 Another common mistake is accidentally rewarding the wrong behaviour.

Let’s say your dog jumps up at you.

➖They jump.
➖You wait.
➖They stop jumping.
➖You immediately give them a treat.

Most people believe they’re rewarding the dog for stopping.

But from the dog’s perspective, things may not be that simple.

Dogs learn through associations and consequences.

They’re constantly asking:

“What did I just do that earned me that reward?”

If the timing isn’t clear enough, the dog may connect the reward with the entire sequence:

Jump up ➡️ Stop ➡️ Get treat

Very quickly this can become:

Jump up ➡️ Stop ➡️ Get treat
Jump up ➡️ Stop ➡️ Get treat
Jump up ➡️ Stop ➡️ Get treat

The jumping becomes part of the process that leads to reinforcement.

The same thing can happen with barking.

🐶 Bark bark bark!
🦴 Dog stops.
🦴 Treat appears.

The dog will not think:

“I got rewarded for being quiet.”

Instead they may think:

“Every time I bark, treats eventually appear!”

And suddenly you’ve created a dog who barks more, not less.

💢Remember - you CANNOT reward absence of behaviour. There has to be a physical behaviour, which CAN be rewarded. 💢

🎯 This is why skilled positive reinforcement training doesn’t focus on rewarding the absence of behaviour.

Instead, it focuses on teaching and reinforcing an alternative behaviour.

Rather than:

❌ Don’t jump.

Teach:

✅ Four paws on the floor.

Rather than:

❌ Don’t bark.

Teach:

✅ Go to your bed.
✅ Look at me.
✅ Settle on a mat.

Rather than:

❌ Stop pulling.

Teach:

✅ Walk beside me on a loose lead.

Because behaviours can be reinforced.

Behaviours can be practised.

Behaviours can become habits.

“Don’t do that” is not a behaviour.

“Do this instead” is.

And that’s one of the biggest reasons positive reinforcement remains the most successful, humane and scientifically supported way of training dogs. ❤️

14/06/2026

There's an uncomfortable part to this.

We like certainty.

See the signal.
Name the signal.
Understand the dog.

A lip lick.
A yawn.
Looking away.

Most people want one meaning for each.

One signal.
One answer.
One reason.
Done and dusted.

Dogs rarely offer us that luxury.

The same behaviour can be a calming signal, an appeasement gesture or a displacement behaviour.

The signal may be identical.
The meaning may not be.

Certainty is so tempting.

But to read dogs well, we need to stay curious.
We need to look at the context.

We need to question our first conclusion and even our second and third.

And sometimes we need to admit that what we're seeing doesn't fit neatly into what we thought we knew at all.

That's the uncomfortable part.

14/06/2026

30/05/2026

We can’t always be expected to give our dogs what we don’t even give ourselves. Every opportunity that we stop, becomes an opportunity to consume more information, but we rarely take time to process it.

Just like us our dogs need time, to figure things out, think about what’s been asked, understand new things. And they are better at it than us if we just give them the time.
So let their processing time, be yours too.

Find exercises on the membership to help you both find time and quiet in your mind to really connect.

30/05/2026

THE LINK BETWEEN PAIN AND BEHAVIOUR

In approximately 90% of the aggression and reactivity cases I encounter involving both cats and dogs, pain is identified as the underlying cause. Guardians often report either a sudden change in behaviour or a noticeable escalation of existing behaviours over a relatively short period. Pain can significantly reduce an animal's tolerance threshold, resulting in increased sensitivity to sounds, touch, handling, or environmental stimuli that were previously well tolerated. It may also lead to behavioural changes such as social withdrawal, reduced appetite, decreased activity levels, and a diminished interest in play, exercise, or walks. In many instances, these changes represent coping mechanisms through which animals attempt to manage or conceal pain and discomfort.

For this reason, I always recommend that guardians arrange a veterinary examination as a first step to rule out any underlying medical conditions. I also advise against reactive training interventions, including intensive training programmes or board-and-train solutions, particularly for dogs. Pain cannot be trained out of an animal, and inappropriate interventions may inadvertently increase stress and contribute to an escalation of the presenting behaviours. Furthermore, if pain or another medical condition is not immediately apparent and remains undiagnosed, the animal's condition may deteriorate over time.

Cats, in particular, are highly adept at masking pain and often display subtle signs of discomfort. Guardians should therefore pay close attention to even minor changes in behaviour, daily routines, activity levels, grooming habits, appetite, or social interactions, as these may indicate an underlying medical issue. Behavioural changes are sometimes attributed solely to the ageing process; however, while age-related changes can occur, a veterinary assessment remains essential. Conditions such as arthritis and other painful disorders are common in older animals and, when identified and treated appropriately, can significantly improve their quality of life and overall wellbeing.

Understanding the relationship between pain and behaviour is fundamental to safeguarding an animal's welfare and wellbeing. When behavioural changes arise, a veterinary consultation should always be the first step. Once medical causes have been identified, addressed, or ruled out, a qualified behaviourist can then provide appropriate support where necessary.