No Fret Vet and Pet

10/09/2026

Let's embrace pausing and observing this Spring. Read all about my Spring Reset: Renewing Your Relationship With Your Pet 🐶🐱

When something about our pet’s behaviour changes, our instinct is often to start fixing.

More exercise.
A new toy.
Different enrichment.
A stricter routine.
A different training approach.

Behaviour consultant Ilse Fourie of No Fret Vet and Pet suggests starting somewhere simpler:

✅ Observe.
✅ Spend some time noticing your pet before deciding what needs to change.
✅ Where do they choose to rest?
✅ When do they look most relaxed?
✅ What makes them brighten?
✅ What do they hesitate around or avoid?
✅ Are they moving as comfortably as they used to?
✅ Are they asking for more contact or perhaps less?

Dogs and cats communicate constantly through posture, movement, sleep, play, appetite and social choices. Sometimes subtle changes become so familiar that we stop seeing them.

The goal of Ilse’s Spring Reset isn’t to give pet parents another long list of things they should be doing.

It’s almost the opposite. Pause first. Notice more.

Because before we can decide what our pet needs, we need to pay attention to the animal in front of us today.

📖 Read Ilse Fourie’s full article Spring Reset: Renewing Your Relationship With Your Pet via the link in the first comment.
https://welovepetssa.co.za/renew-relationship-with-your-pet/

If you watched your pet for ten minutes without asking anything of them, what do you think you’d notice?

03/09/2026

New article up! We Love Pets SA

THE SPRING RESET 🌱
Who is your pet now and what do they need from you today?

Spring has a way of making us look at things with fresh eyes. We clear cupboards, tidy forgotten corners and notice what has been neglected over winter. But what if we did the same with our relationship with our pets?

Not by buying more things.
Not by trying to become the “perfect” pet parent.

Simply by looking again. Our pets are not static.

The puppy becomes an adolescent.
The adult becomes a senior.
A confident dog may become less tolerant when something hurts.
A relaxed cat may become more sensitive after illness or changes in the home.

Sometimes the kindest thing we can do is stop assuming we already know exactly what our pet needs.

Behaviourist Ilse Fourie of suggests starting with observation.

Ask yourself:
🌱Where does my pet choose to rest?
🌱When do they seem most relaxed?
🌱What makes them brighten?
🌱What do they avoid?
🌱Are they moving comfortably?
🌱Are they seeking more contact or less?
🌱Has anything changed that I may have stopped noticing?

Good welfare is about more than food, shelter and veterinary care. It also includes emotional safety, choice, rest, predictable routines and opportunities to behave like the species they are. So this spring, perhaps the goal isn’t to do more. Perhaps it’s simply to notice better.

📖 Read Ilse Fourie’s full article, Spring Reset: Renewing Your Relationship With Your Pet, via the link in the first comment.

If you looked at your pet with completely fresh eyes today, what do you think you might notice?

12/08/2026

Check out my latest blog post for We Love Pets SA
While you're at it, give them some love and support and follow them.

Is your friendly, playful dog actually as relaxed as they seem around a new pet?

It's one of the most common introduction mistakes: assuming an outgoing, well-meaning dog is automatically safe to give free access to. In reality, dogs who chase, fixate, block pathways or crowd a new companion aren't being "over-excited", they're telling us they need more structure.

The fix isn't punishment, it's management.

Gates, leashes, separate rooms and short calm sessions give dogs the framework they need to succeed, while everyone else in the home gets to feel safe too.

Has your dog ever needed more structure than you expected during an introduction? Tell us what helped.

Read the full article by Ilse Fourie of No Fret Vet and Pet from the comments.

28/07/2026

Leaving earlier in the dark or having different weekend patterns disrupts household predictability, which can cause anxiety or clinginess in sensitive pets. Small, consistent routines, like predictable feeding times and calm resting spaces, help them feel secure.

Winter asks us to look a little closer, move from judgment to curiosity and remember that behaviour is communication.

Read No Fret Vet and Pet Ilse Fourie's guide on listening to your pet this season from the link in the comments.

21/07/2026

Blog article alert!! Go check it out over at We Love Pets SA! And even better, subscribe to their monthly digital magazine 🐶🐱🐾🐾

Our dogs and cats are masters at masking discomfort and colder months can heavily highlight chronic conditions like arthritis or previous injuries. Pain doesn't always look like a dramatic limp; it can show up as hesitating before jumping, avoiding stairs or becoming irritable when touched.

Whenever behaviour changes suddenly, health should always be part of the conversation. Learn the subtle signs to look out for in our Ilse Fourie of No Fret Vet and Pet expert guide.

Link in the comments.

07/07/2026

Go on over and read my latest blog post over at We Love Pets SA

Has your dog become more restless in the evenings or your cat a little less tolerant of being touched? It might not be a training issue at all, it could be winter.

Cold weather changes more than just our routines. Less movement, more time indoors and colder joints can all quietly affect how our pets feel and behave. For older pets or those with arthritis, this time of year can be especially uncomfortable, even when there's no obvious limp or cry of pain, since dogs and cats are remarkably good at masking discomfort.

The latest article by Ilse Fourie of No Fret Vet and Pet explores why winter can shift your pet's behaviour, how to tell the difference between a "naughty" moment and an unmet need and simple, low-effort enrichment ideas to help your dog or cat feel more settled indoors.

Have you noticed any behaviour changes in your pet since the weather turned colder?

Read the full article from the link in the comments.

02/07/2026

A better understanding of emotion changes everything.

How we handle.
How we treat.
How we interpret behaviour.
How we advocate for welfare.

My SAVC-approved CPD webinar, The Science of Emotions, explores the emotional systems that shape the lives of cats and dogs.

Now available at 20% off with code FAS20 until 31 July 2026.

A science-led, compassionate look at behaviour and wellbeing.

30/06/2026

One simple skill. So many uses.

Hand targets can help with:
• loose leash walking
• moving through unfamiliar spaces
• stepping onto scales
• veterinary handling

Practical, effective, and low-stress.

Foundation skills matter.

29/06/2026

Fear, anxiety, and stress affect far more than behaviour.

They influence:
• physiology
• learning
• memory
• pain perception
• recovery

This is why emotional wellbeing is not separate from medicine.

It is part of it.

My SAVC-approved CPD webinar, The Science of Emotions: The Emotional Lives of Cats and Dogs, takes a deeper look at how emotional states influence behaviour, welfare, and clinical care.

For veterinary and pet care professionals wanting to improve the way they support animals.

Use code FAS20 at check out and receive 20% off until 31 July 2026.

https://paystack.com/buy/webinar-the-science-of-feeling-the-emotional-lives-of-pets