Steffani Jones - Student Canine Behaviour Practitioner

24/09/2026

🐾 Fun behavioural fact about German Shepherds!

Did you know German Shepherds were selectively bred for their ability to work closely with people and respond to environmental changes? 🐕‍🦺

That means behaviours such as watching, scanning, alert barking and staying close to their handler can be particularly noticeable in some individuals.

💡 Behaviour tip: Giving them appropriate opportunities to use their brain, sniff, explore and work with you can help provide an outlet for those natural behaviours.

Do you have a German Shepherd? What behaviour do they show that makes you think, “Yep, that’s definitely a GSD!”? 🐾💙

24/09/2026

This Beautiful Leeloo enjoyed a loverly afternoon rehabilitation walk with me and my daughter. Light exposure on the streets around her home then we headed off to the field for a run around and some fun. She played catch & find the treat, she didn’t want to play fetch which was perfectly fine. Then she enjoyed lots of fusses from me and my daughter ❤️ she’s come along so well being a Rescue from another country, both me and her owner have worked very hard she doing so well. Now not reacting to most things, walks are a lot more calmer for her and she is able to enjoy social life when taken out with her owner. Any progress is a win and she’s smashing it miss big sassy personality 🐕

24/09/2026

This beautiful boy Finn enjoyed a morning full of sunshine with me this week doing light training, games and fusses and to finish off his favourite having a big sniff and tangling us both in the bushes 😅 before we headed to his home to dry up ❤️

23/09/2026

🐾 Fun fact about rescue dogs!

Did you know rescue dogs don’t all have a “rescue dog personality”? 🐶

Some may be confident and outgoing, while others may need more time to feel safe in new situations. Their behaviour is influenced by their individual experiences, genetics, learning history and environment.

💙 Behaviour tip: Give a rescue dog time, choice and space to settle into their new life. Building trust doesn’t happen overnight, and that’s okay.

Have you ever helped a rescue dog come out of their shell? 🐾

23/09/2026

🐾 Fun fact about working Spaniels!

Did you know that working Spaniels were bred to search for and flush game, so their natural behaviours include using their noses, moving through dense cover and working closely with their handler? 🐶🌿

That’s one reason sniffing, searching and having a job to do can be so rewarding for them, it taps into behaviours they were selectively bred for.

💡 Behaviour tip: A walk that allows a working Spaniel to sniff, explore and use their brain can be just as valuable as simply covering lots of distance.

Do you have a working Spaniel? What’s their favourite thing to search for? 🐾

20/09/2026

❤️

💜 PLEASE KNOW WHO IS BEHIND YOUR PURPLE POPPY💜

The Purple Poppy is more than something to wear. It is a symbol of remembrance for the countless animals who served, suffered and, for so many, never came home.

Murphy’s Army Purple Poppy Campaign is the genuine charity behind our Purple Poppies. We are run by volunteers, many of us giving up our evenings, before work at 5 am, weekends and spare rooms because we passionately believe that the animals who served deserve to be remembered. 💜

When you support us, your money isn’t being used to build someone’s business or create private profit. After our costs, the funds we raise go back into helping animals who have served, or who are still serving today

This year, your support helps us continue our work alongside Bransby Horses – Rescue and Welfare, WAGs Retired Police Dogs and the They Also Served Memorial Fund

🐎 For the horses who carried, pulled and endured.
🐕 For the dogs who protected, searched and stayed faithfully beside us.
💜 For every animal whose service should never be forgotten.

Sadly, more and more Purple Poppy products appear every year. Before you buy, please take a moment to check who is behind them and where the money actually goes

When you buy from Murphy’s Army, you are supporting a genuine charity, run by volunteers, with one purpose at its heart:

Remembering animals in conflict and supporting service animals in need.

💜 They Also Served. We Will Remember Them.
💜 For every hoofprint. Every pawprint. Every life that served.

🛒 Support the official Murphy’s Army Purple Poppy Campaign here:

💜 eBay:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/198476732590

💜 Online Shop:
https://murphysarmypurplepoppycampaignonlinestore.company.site/

Please share this far and wide and help us make our 10th year of remembering our biggest yet. 💜🐾🐎

18/09/2026

🐾 How do you know when your dog doesn’t like someone?

Have you ever noticed your dog behaves differently around a particular person?

They might:

🐶 Avoid eye contact or move away
🐶 Keep their distance or hide
🐶 Become tense or freeze
🐶 Lip lick, yawn or show other subtle signs of discomfort
🐶 Bark or growl
🐶 Become more watchful or alert
🐶 Seem completely fine with everyone else, but different around that one person

Dogs communicate in lots of ways, and sometimes the signs that they’re uncomfortable can be really subtle.

So what can we do?

Rather than forcing interaction, we can listen to what our dogs are telling us, give them space and allow them to choose whether they want to approach. 🐾

Understanding why your dog is responding this way is an important part of helping them feel safe and comfortable.

Have you noticed your dog behaves differently around certain people? What does it look like? 👇🐶💙

18/09/2026

Day 2 of placement 🐕

15/09/2026

🐾 Does your dog have the right lead?

Not every lead is suitable for every dog — and sometimes it’s not about finding the strongest lead, but finding the one that works best for that individual dog and situation.

Length, weight, material, handling and what you’re doing on the walk can all make a difference.

So… what type of lead do you use, and why? 👇