behaviour

WINNER: The Pet Parent Pledge – initiative

Great news Back in April ’21, a group initiative called the #petparentpledge was announced between The Modern Dog Trainer, the IAABC Foundation, the CCPDT, and the APDT to highlight just how much our TWO-legged clients matter.  This worldwide initiative encouraged trainers & behaviourists to demonstrate their commitment by recording a 20 second video with what […]

Read the full article β†’

New Certification – Protocol to Overcome Fear of Dogs in Kids

Thumbnail image for New Certification – Protocol to Overcome Fear of Dogs in Kids

GOOD NEWS! Good news from founder of KAD Kids Around Dogs Debby Lucken.  Following my final assessment, Hanne is certified to implement the Protocol to Overcome the Fear of Dogs in Kids. What does this mean?  This new certification means Hanne is qualified to work professionally with children who are scared of dogs and need […]

Read the full article β†’

WINNER: Dog Trainer of the Year – 2021 to 2022

π—¦π—’π— π—˜ π—šπ—₯π—˜π—”π—§ π—‘π—˜π—ͺ𝗦 I was nominated in the category Dog Trainer of the Year – Oxfordshire in the Prestige Awards earlier this year…and have won!   The judging panel base their decisions upon areas such as service excellence, quality of the service provided, innovative practices, value, ethical or sustainable methods of working, as well as […]

Read the full article β†’

Living with behavioural problems – owners’ experiences

Thumbnail image for Living with behavioural problems – owners’ experiences

Over the years I’ve seen the emotional and financial impact on owners who live with a pet that exhibits undesirable behaviours. Whilst there is plenty of data relating to the welfare of pets with problems, there is little on the effect such problems may have on human-half of the relationship.  However, a recent paper by […]

Read the full article β†’

The impact of pre-adolescent dog training on behaviour

Thumbnail image for The impact of pre-adolescent dog training on behaviour

A new study by Dinwoodie et al. (2021) has looked the age at which dogs were trained as puppies and whether there were advantages of training puppies before 4 months of age, or between 5 and 6 months.   This is the first time a study has specifically investigated whether early puppy training (<3 months […]

Read the full article β†’

Maternal stress & puppies

I worked out the other week that since the pandemic started, I’ve trained with well over 200 puppies with this figure rising daily. Maternal stress Whilst there’s always been a steady stream of puppies across a typical year, never before has the demand for four-legged companionship been so high.    However, an increasing number of […]

Read the full article β†’

Cat stress, health & behaviour

Data suggests even stoic cats can have elevated levels of adrenaline, noradrenaline, dopamine, and other stress hormones, and that chronically stressed cats often feign sleep.  So until the cat exhibits obvious signs that attracts the owner’s attention, such as going off their food or reduced movement, the cat may be internalising his or her anxiety. […]

Read the full article β†’

Watching baby animals is good for you!

Thumbnail image for Watching baby animals is good for you!

It would take a hardened heart or perhaps an aversion to pets to not feel some sort of warm feeling when a photo of a puppy or kitten pops up on social media.  In fact, one food manufacturer recently found 73% of us would rather see a cute photo of a young pet than someone’s […]

Read the full article β†’

Pet grief – it hurts

Thumbnail image for Pet grief – it hurts

Pet-keeping is one of the closest forms of human-animal interaction in Western society.  Although owner-pet relationships may stem from genetically based inclinations that attract humans to other living beings, other reasons for pet ownership include providing stability (Brickel, 1986), reciprocal love, affection (Bradshaw, 2017) and a sense of self (Belk, 1988).  In other words, research […]

Read the full article β†’

PODCAST: Hanne’s interview on babies and dog-owner relationships

Thumbnail image for PODCAST: Hanne’s interview on babies and dog-owner relationships

I was delighted to recently speak with friend & trainer Oli Juste from Channel 4’s Puppy School.  Oli has a podcast series called A Dog’s Best Friend.  This interview was all about my research on whether having a baby alters the dog-owner relationship.  I also share advice for expectant and new parents. The podcast is […]

Read the full article β†’

← Previous Entries