Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors - APBC

This session will explore a collaborative holistic care model that brings together veterinary professionals, canine professionals and caregivers to improve long-term outcomes and quality of life for dogs living with OA.

Join the APBC and Hannah Capon on 4th August!

https://bit.ly/4tVkV94

GROOMING HELPS YOUR DOG STAY COOL 🪮

I was only away in Prague for two nights but when I got back yesterday evening Mohawk was a little itchy!

He needed a good brush and despite me grooming him right before I left - this was the amount of dead coat that came out in just twenty minutes.

Mohawks itchiness was likely the dead coat sitting close to his skin - potentially even pulling on it. Imagine all of this dead coat being on his body and how much hotter that might make him.

Removing dead coat and ensuring a thick coat is well groomed can help dogs stay cool. Grooming helps maintains spacing between hairs, improving air circulation through the coat and supporting temperature regulation- something that’s really important in these hotter temperatures!

The current heatwave is impacting many of us, including our Parrots. You need to ensure your feathered friend stays cool. We've got useful advice on keeping your Parrot the right temperature here. https://www.northernparrots.com/blog/how-to-keep-your-parrot-the-right-temperature/

Your dog is probably going to struggle today, but not for the reason you think…

It’s hot today, that much is a given. You’ve probably already seen tons of posts about keeping your dog cool, not walking them, how to entertain them instead… well this isn’t one of those posts ⤵️

Last night most of Kent felt apocalyptic. The acoustics were enough to rival an AC/DC concert and lasted longer than a dad on the dance floor at a family get together ⛈️

For a lot of us, it meant little sleep and some seriously freaked out dogs. If you’re anything like me, you’re probably feeling pretty zombie-like today (which only makes that dreaded heat feel worse too).

But we’re not the only ones suffering the after effects… your dog probably is too.

It was loud, it was relentless, and it was stressful 🫩

And after an event like that, stress sticks around in the body, influencing behaviour and making everything more sensitive.

So today (and maybe even tomorrow) you might find that your dog:

- Is sleeping more, or maybe even sleeping less and struggling to settle

- Reacts easier or more frequently to triggers (think doorbells, someone moving their bin, a door slamming)

- Has a smaller appetite than usual

- Is pulling more on their walk, or not listening as well as they usually would

- Has a lower tolerance towards other dogs or new people

- Feels like they’ve gone backwards with what you’ve been working on

To name just a few things!

Combine this with the hot weather and it’s highly likely that we’re going to see some grumpier, less tolerant dogs today.

But remember, it’s not something they’re doing on purpose.

Give them grace, lower your expectations and set them up for some smaller successes by asking a lot less of them. Prioritise the calm stuff with more sniffing, licking and chewing. Maximise sleep and minimise exposure to other things they might find stressful.

And less stress for them, will mean less stress for you too 😉

So how did the night look for you? And how are you feeling after? Comment with a gif that best represents your mood today ⬇️

(Photo: Kyber today showing some stressed body language, after a couple of deliveries and a barkathon)

What Is My Dog Barking At? A Guide to Decoding Your Dog’s Woofs — Pet Peeves What Is My Dog Barking At? A Guide to Decoding Your Dog’s Woofs It’s 11 p.m. You’re cosy in bed. Suddenly—BARK! BARK! Your heart jumps, your dog loses their mind, and you’re left wondering: Is there an intruder… or just a leaf outside? If you’ve ever wished your dog came with subtitles...

☀️ Preventing heat-related illness in our pets

With amber and red weather warnings for heat covering much of the UK this week, it’s important to keep our pets as cool as possible.

- Never leave pets in a car or hot room
- Make sure pets have access to a cool, shaded, and well-ventilated area, both indoors and outdoors
- Always provide fresh drinking water
- Walk dogs during cooler times of the day, avoiding walks altogether on very hot days.

Remember - Get your pet wet, then call a vet! Check out our top tips below 👇

PAIN: THE USUAL SUSPECT

I think many people believe behaviourists go on and on about pain.

I do understand why. But I’ve been doing this a very long time and I cannot tell you how many times I’ve strongly suspected pain and then, sometimes years later, discovered that dog had been in pain all along.

I completely understand why people don’t always want to do a pain trial. Often they don’t think their dog “looks like they’re in pain”.

The problem is that dogs in pain often don’t look how we expect them to. They still run, they still play and they still want to go for walks. What we often see instead is behavioural change.

There are certain behavioural changes that make me immediately wonder about pain. This isn’t an exhaustive list but examples include:

• Sudden onset noise sensitivities or phobias�• Reluctance to continue on walks or wanting to turn back�• Increased sensitivity to being touched, especially when resting�• Anxiety spreading to more and more situations�• “Guarding” of space, beds or their own body�• Anxiety about car travel�• Sudden difficulties with dog interactions when there is a history of previously good social behaviour

This is especially important when nothing else has changed. There hasn’t been a frightening incident, there aren’t obvious new stressors and yet the dog’s behaviour has changed significantly.

Of course these issues are not always caused by pain. But pain is a very common contributor and one that is easy to underestimate.

Many people understandably feel reassured if their dog has had a veterinary examination. I work with some amazing vets and this isn’t a criticism of veterinary care at all. The reality is that it can be extremely difficult, often impossible, to completely rule out pain from a physical examination alone.

Pain trials can be incredibly useful but they aren’t always straightforward either.
I regularly see dogs who have already had a short pain trial before I meet them.

Sometimes that trial has only lasted a week or so. In many cases behavioural change takes much longer. We may need several weeks before we see meaningful improvement.

We also need to quantity what is happening. It’s not enough to simply ask whether the dog seems better. We need to score behaviours before, during and after the trial. We need detailed notes so we can look objectively at whether things have changed.
Sometimes we also need to explore different pain medications as part of the process.

Alongside this, imaging, physiotherapy and other investigations can all be hugely helpful.

Most of my work comes through personal recommendation, which means I often meet friends and relatives of clients I worked with years ago. It also means I hear updates about many dogs long after our work together has finished.

I cannot tell you how many times I hear that a dog I saw years earlier, where I strongly suspected pain but it was discounted at the time, was later found to have a significant pain issue.

None of us have a crystal ball and unfortunately we can’t ask dogs what hurts.

What we can do is listen carefully to what their behaviour is telling us.

Very often, pain is the usual suspect.

Laura McAuliffe, 2026, Dog Communication

☀️ Hot weather rather ruins the dog diary.

Walks need to be earlier, shorter, shaded, or skipped altogether when it is unsafe, so rather than thinking “how do I tire out my dog?” consider “how do I meet their needs safely?”

Food searches, scatter feeding, cardboard box puzzles, scent trails, calm chewing and gentle training games can give dogs something to do without adding heat stress or turning the day into a behavioural pressure cooker!

𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙑𝙖𝙪𝙡𝙩: see my article on Exercise & enrichment: boredom busters
https://www.hannegrice.com/behaviour-advice/exercise-enrichment-boredom-busters/