behaviour

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 […]

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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. […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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The Big Picture – tackling unwanted behaviour positively & successfully

This week my summer puppies course kicked off and the usual issues were raised, such as tackling play biting and jumping up. Something I like my clients to think about is how the undesirable behaviour is being reinforced? Obviously as behaviour consultants it is our job to identify these things but it can really help […]

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Older dogs – ageing and promoting longevity

Humans, dogs, cats, rodents, and horses all share similar ageing processes, with arthritis, loss of hearing or sight and organs becoming less efficient. Ageing can also affect our pets mentally as the structure of the nerve cells in the brain start to break down and connections from one cell to another may start to break, […]

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Bird ringing with Gary Beckett & Paul Watts

As part of National Volunteers’ Week, I wanted to highlight the great work done by many volunteers in conservation. That’s why I spent time with Gary Beckett the Conservation Officer at Bicester Garrison and Paul Watts, an ornithologist and conservation volunteer at the 2,000+ acre site. The area which crosses the Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire borders […]

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New website can help with all your breed questions

Breed Advisor is a new website designed to help owners when it comes to choosing the right breed for them. The website has a wealth of information, including a dive into: breed personalities trainability ratings health & exercise needs diet plus lots more This really is a one-stop destination for owners and potential pet parents […]

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Create a sensory pet garden (inside or out)

Ever heard of a sensory garden? It’s a self-contained garden that is designed to stimulate the senses not just with lovely looking and nice smelling plants and flowers but also by having items that can be interacted with, such as fuzzy plants to touch or giant instruments like a xylophone, strung up that people can […]

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