Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors - APBC

Earlier this year we applied to Companies House to convert the APBC from a Limited Company to a Community Interest Company (CIC).

We are delighted to announce that this has been approved, and we will now be known as: The Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors CIC, or in short: APBC CIC.

As a CIC we declare that our activities provide benefit to our community which includes:

a. As a professional member organisation, we provide a support network to Animal Behaviour Technicians and Clinical Animal Behaviourists and to those currently studying in the field of applied animal behaviour and human-animal interactions.

b. Animal owners and caretakers who are in charge of animal welfare and wellbeing, regardless of the reason why that animal is kept. E.g. pet owners, animal rescue organisations, pet traders, zoos, laboratories, charitable and other providers of animal assisted services, veterinary practices and other co-professionals such as animal groomers, physiotherapists, hydrotherapists and osteopaths.

c. Advisory services to the legal profession, NGOs and government advisory committees as related to animal welfare and wellbeing and human-animal interactions and thus human welfare and wellbeing.

All the above is important and the CIC status clearly announces what we are and what we do, all for the greater good.

WHEN IS THE RIGHT TIME TO GET ANOTHER DOG? ❤️

It’s such a personal thing, isn’t it, deciding when to get another dog after you’ve lost one?

I completely understand people who feel they can’t ever do it again. I feel like that most of the time. The heartbreak is so horrific that it feels slightly mad to willingly put yourself through it again.

There’s also the knowledge that the love you’ve lost is completely irreplaceable and that anyone new could feel like a very poor substitute.

But at the same time, I feel like there is so much love here that it needs somewhere to go and there are so many dogs in rescue who desperately need a good home.

I would never judge anyone for looking for another dog very soon after a loss. There is no right amount of time. Loving another dog doesn’t replace the one you’ve lost and it doesn’t diminish that love in any way.

I also have tiny Twig, who is barely coping without another dog and really needs a friend… despite not actually understanding other dogs 😂

So we’ve been looking.

I’ve had two Northern Inuits from puppies and I always thought Sylvi would be my last. My personal choice now is to rescue and Northern Inuits almost never seem to come up in rescue.

And then, ten days ago, I saw the sweetest boy at Dogs Trust.

Three meets later, approximately 480 miles of the M25 later 😂 and he’s ours.

He’ll be coming home very soon and I know Sylvi would absolutely have loved him ❤️

Watch this space. I’ll introduce him properly in a week or so…

Signs Your Dog Might Have Separation Anxiety and How to Help — Pet P*eves Many people feel guilty or frustrated when their dog barks, destroys things, or panics when left alone—but it’s important to remember that separation anxiety is not “bad behaviour” or spite. It’s a genuine emotional response linked to fear, stress, and panic around being separated from att...

APBC Associate CAB Member - Laura Blackledge Smith is featured in Dogs Today Magazine: Meet the animal behaviour expert helping families with children navigate the ‘Wild West’ of canine advice

Meet the animal behaviour expert helping families with children navigate the ‘Wild West’ of canine advice - Dogs Today Magazine A highly qualified animal behaviourist is offering expert guidance to dog owners through Pet Remedy’s Ask The Professional service.

Welcome to the APBC Louise George! Louise joins us as an Associate CAB member.

Associate membership is open to those who have had their Knowledge and Understanding (theoretical understanding) assessed against the ABTC Standards for ABT or CAB.

This can be demonstrated via the ABTC APEL process or by completing an ABTC recognised course to the relevant role standard.

Associate members are able to conduct behaviour consultations but have not yet achieved the requisite experience to become Full members.

https://bit.ly/4xJmc4F

APBC Associate Member - Nikki McLeod, an RVN will be speaking at this event :-)

2 day in-person CPD for veterinary nurses in Aberdeen - 11 hours of CPD!

"Vet nurse vitality: A theoretical and practical CPD weekend"
📆 Saturday 22nd August 2026, 09:00 - 16:30
📆 Sunday 23rd August 2026, 09:30 - 16:30
📍 Aberdeen Douglas Hotel, 43-45 Market Street, Aberdeen, AB11 5EL
👉 Register and find out more here; https://loom.ly/lgWwYrk

Kindly sponsored by: Hills Pet Nutrition, Ceva, Zoetis, Nutravet, B Braun, Veterinary Instrumentation and Serenity 💚

Saturday 22nd August - Day 1:
✅ Wrap, Assess, Repeat: Practical Bandaging and Clinical Case Discussions for Veterinary Nurses - Leona Anderson
✅ Eat, Sleep, P*e, Repeat: Nursing the Feline Renal Patient - Lewis Knox
✅ Transforming Nurse-Led Cytopoint Rechecks: Clinical Impact & Communication Excellence - Isabel Macpherson
✅ Moving Forward: How the RVN can support pets with mobility problems - Fi Marjoram
✅ Advancing Nursing Clinical Skills: VN Utilisation within Schedule 3 - Flick Caldwell

Sunday 23rd August - Day 2:
✅ Be Behaviourally Aware: Do*******le - Nikki McLeod
✅ Be Behaviourally Aware: Purr-fectly - Nikki McLeod
✅ No Pain, All Gain: Analgesia Essentials for Anaesthesia Nurses - Lewis Knox
✅ Practical Session: Advanced Clinical Skills Workshop - Flick Caldwell
✅ Optimising Recovery: The Veterinary Nurse's Role in Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy - Leona Anderson

If you should have any questions, please contact [email protected]

DO THE THING ❤️

This photo is one of my absolute favourites.

I did the typical late-40s thing of deciding I should swim in open water at every possible opportunity 😂 Among the car snacks, spare socks and hats, I always have a swimsuit and towel in my car because you never know when you might find somewhere amazing that you just have to swim.

This photo is me and Sylvi exactly a year ago today, swimming in an icy cold pool in the mountains in Wales ❤️

I’d always wanted to swim with her and I was determined we were going to do it last summer.

Sylvi wasn’t great with some other dogs, so we needed to choose somewhere quiet and think a little more carefully about where and when we went.

But it was absolutely doable.

She LOVED swimming with me and it is one of the very best memories I have of my life with her ❤️

Life doesn’t need to become small or dull because you have a dog who needs space.

Sometimes you just need to take the focus away from ‘normal’ dog things like busy park walks and saying hello to other dogs and start thinking about everything else you CAN do together.

There is so much life outside the traditional idea of what having a dog is supposed to look like.

If you spend all your time focusing on the things your dog can’t do, it is very easy to miss the almost infinite number of things they CAN do.

So, do the thing ❤️

Is there something you’ve always wanted to do with your anxious or reactive dog?

There is nearly always a way. It might need a bit of adaptation, a quieter location or a little more thought, but needing space doesn’t mean missing out on a big, brilliant life together.

Laura McAuliffe, 2026, Dog Communication