Pet Connections Behaviour Services

03/05/2026

Any new or worsening behaviour in an adult brain (>2-4yrs old) needs a medical work up and pain relief trial!
I've seen worsening reactivity, aloofness, clingyness, restlessness at night and new growling or snapping that responded to pain relief
https://www.facebook.com/share/1Ejc1HYVfo/

🐾 Can We Really Recognise Pain in Dogs?

This new study by Gardeweg et al. (2026) confirms something many of us working in canine therapy see regularly—pain is often recognised when a dog limps, but much less when it shows through behaviour.

In the study, 647 people were asked to identify signs of pain in dogs.

Most people easily recognised movement-related pain such as limping, stiffness, or reluctance to move.

But behavioural signs were far less likely to be recognised, including:

• changes in sleep
• reduced play
• clinginess or shadowing
• reduced sociability
• lower tolerance
• difficulty settling
• restlessness at night
• grooming changes
• personality changes
• mood changes

Even experienced dog owners were no better at spotting these subtle signs than non-dog owners.

This is important because chronic pain rarely starts with obvious lameness.

Often, the first signs are small changes in behaviour.

Things like:

❗ “He seems grumpier lately”
❗ “She doesn’t want to play as much”
❗ “He follows me everywhere now”
❗ “She struggles to settle at night”
❗ “He seems less tolerant than usual”

These are often dismissed as behaviour problems, ageing, or just “slowing down.”

But sometimes, they are early signs of pain.

By the time obvious lameness appears, compensation patterns, muscle tension, and long-term discomfort may already be well established.

Pain doesn’t always look like limping.

Sometimes it shows up in the quiet changes first.

Recognising those signs earlier means earlier support, better welfare, and better long-term outcomes.

📚 Reference:Gardeweg, S.M.A., Picard, D.E. and van Herwijnen, I.R. (2026) The abilities in dog pain sign recognition as assessed by presenting seventeen listed dog behavioural signs and three case descriptions to dog owners and non-dog owners. PLOS ONE, 21(4), e0344512.

02/02/2026

The last few weeks have been a new challenge for me, with a foster dog for the first time. Now anyone who knows me knows I love a paper, so what does the data say about adjusting to a new home?
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HgakUiQYb/

20/01/2026

Ever suspected your dog has doggy ADHD? When I met the gorgeous Delilah, she just couldn't stop, barely slept, couldn't relax. She met the criteria for Hypersensitivity Hyperactivity syndrome in this article (https://dogbehavior.it/dogbehavior/article/view/79/60). After starting medication, Delilah is like a new dog, still her delightful self, but able to rest, snuggle and calm down.

18/12/2025

Teaching your cat to have their teeth brushed sounds hard right? It doesn't have to be. Start with a piece of gauze on your finger, and some yummy treats. The key is to keep your finger still and they approach for the treat. Jet has never had his teeth brushed but happily obliged for this demonstration.

17/09/2025

This weekend I saw the gorgeous Sunny, who was having some trouble calming down when guests visit or he sees people and dogs on the street (they're just so exciting!!). Sunny has some medication to trial and some calming practice to do and we're looking forward to seeing how he goes!

07/09/2025

14/07/2025

Like a lot of dogs, Lucy is more worried about the restraint than the actual procedure. Since she needs regular blood tests, we worked towards a restraint free blood draw

08/07/2025

Destruction/dissection is a core need. Rather than another innocent stuffy losing its insides, cardboard boxes with breakfast can help meet that need.

29/04/2025

One of the best ways to keep nails short and dogs having fun!

05/01/2025

RIP Karen Pryor. She took positive reinforcement with bridging markers and took it to the world in the form of clicker training. Her work allowed so many people to communicate better with their animals and get more positive outcomes for everyone.

https://karenpryoracademy.com/