Rebecca Grauwiler Canine Behaviourist

05/10/2026

28/09/2026

It’s easy to assume that a bitey puppy with the zoomies has energy to burn, but this is often the opposite of what is going on 🚩

When puppies are overtired:
🐊 They bite more
🌪️ They zoom around like lunatics
💥They can’t settle
💩They forget their toilet training
⬆️And they seem totally unhinged and may appear to have “loads of energy”

Sound familiar? What your overstimulated puppy does *not* need is more. Not more exercise, not more play, not more training.

Sleep is everything for your puppy.
💤 It’s when growth and physical repair happen
🧠 Their brains process everything they’ve learned
🗂️ It helps turn short-term memory into long-term habits
⚖️ It keeps hormones balance
😌 It helps develop emotional regulation
🌱It’s absolutely essential for proper development

Puppies need 18–20+ hours of sleep a day. Even adult dogs need around ~16 hours. If they’re not getting that? Oh dear.

Rest is just as important as food, love and training, so before you grab the tug toy again or head out on the second walk of the day, ask yourself: is a tired brain struggling to regulate?

More rest, less walks, more sleep, less training.

📚 Kis, A., Szakadát, S., Kovács, E., Gácsi, M., Simor, P., & Topál, J. (2017). The interspecific effect of sleep loss on memory consolidation in dogs. Scientific Reports, 7, 41831. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep41831

📚 Kis, A., Gácsi, M., & Topál, J. (2017). Sleep and sleep-related behaviours in dogs. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 18, 1–6.

26/09/2026

HUMAN DIRECTED AGGRESSION AND THE USE OF AVERSIVES

I’ve had several dogs come to me in the last year who have aggression issues around people that either started or became much worse after they’d had aversive training. By aversives we mean the use of slip lead corrections, body jabs, rattle cans, prong and Ecollars etc. Some dogs went for general loose lead/recall/obedience training but became so scared after the use of aversives that they are now lunging at or even biting people who approach them or try to handle them. Some were already worried about people (growling or barking etc) and are now lunging or attempting to bite people. Some have bitten their owners since this training.

These dogs didn’t have these issues beforehand and they’ve become so scared of what people may do to them now that they are showing aggression. Some of them are now misinterpreting normal human interactions with them and see people as a threat to their safety and are using aggression to try and keep people away. By normal human interactions I mean people taking collars and leads off, reaching out to touch them, walking past then when they are resting etc. These dogs are traumatised by what’s happened to them, there is no other way of describing it.

I used to see dogs like this (who’ve shown aggression after aversive training) once or twice a year and now it’s something I see several times a month and it’s really concerning. There are some really unskilled trainers out there using aversives which is extremely worrying; if an unskilled trainer gets it wrong using reward the worse that happens is the dog gets fat, if you are an unskilled trainer using a shock collar there’s a huge risk of fallout.

Aversives are sold as a ‘quick fix’ they make dogs stop behaviours that people don’t like (running off/barking/stealing things) but there is always a huge risk of a fall out. It’s no surprise really that doing or using something that causes fear or pain may make an anxious dog worse.

None of this is the owners fault either, all have incredibly kind and loving families who weren’t aware these methods would be used or who didn’t realise the implications. They’ve done nothing wrong and are now left to try and repair the damage that’s been done. I feel so sad for the lovely families and their dogs as they’ve been really let down.

There’s no quick fixes to changing emotions, it takes time and patience and who often we are trying to rebuild confidence that’s been lost and help dogs recover from previous trauma (of all sorts). There’s a huge risk with quick fixes and it’s like playing roulette- you may have an incredibly robust dog and get ‘lucky’ and have no negative consequences from using aversives but it may break another dog and leave you with a terrible fall out. Just not worth the risk when we have alternatives

Laura McAuliffe, 2025, Dog Communication

26/09/2026

I want to talk about head halters.

I am seeing more and more dogs wearing them, and I think we need to look much more closely at what we are asking of the dog when we put this kind of equipment on their face and head.

The graphic I am sharing is not meant to be an all-inclusive anatomy lesson. It is simply a visual reminder that the muzzle, face, area behind the ears, and upper neck are not empty spaces. They contain delicate tissues, nerves, muscles, joints, and structures that matter.

And then there is the dog’s experience.

If a tool works because it creates enough pressure, discomfort, or physical control to stop a dog from doing something, I think we need to ask whether that is really how we want to build a relationship with an animal we love.

Pain and discomfort can change behavior.

But changing behavior is not the same thing as helping a dog feel safe, understand, learn, or trust us.

A dog may stop pulling.
A dog may stop lunging.
A dog may become quieter.

But what happened emotionally?

What did the dog learn about the environment?
What did the dog learn about the person holding the leash?
What happened to their sense of choice and safety?

This matters even more to me when I see head halters used on dogs who are already fearful, reactive, uncertain, or displaying aggressive behavior.

If the dog is already struggling, adding pressure and control around the face and head can create even more discomfort and confusion.

And please watch the dog.

Pawing at the face.
Rubbing.
Freezing.
Lowering the head.
Refusing to move.
Fighting the equipment.
Trying desperately to remove it.

That is behavior.

That is information.

Before we put something on a dog because we need more control, I want us to ask a different question:

**Is there a way to support this dog without using pain or discomfort?

Can we create more distance?
Can we change the environment?
Can we slow things down?
Can we give the dog more choice?
Can we use equipment that supports the body rather than controlling the head?
Can we work on the reason the behavior is happening instead of simply suppressing it?

The relationship matters.

Trust matters.

How the dog feels with us matters.

We should not have to hurt an animal in order to live successfully with them.

Welfare before expectation.
Clarity before correction.
Behavior is information.

23/09/2026

14/09/2026

10/09/2026

I’m so excited and honoured to have been selected to participate in the Animal Welfare Scholarship to learn about The Physiological Patterning Process at thepsychologyschool.co

The relationship between animal welfare and human welfare is very real and so important. It is something I have to consider with every case I take on and will change how I go about a consult or implementing a behaviour plan!

31/08/2026

When a rescue dog first comes home, they’re often pretty quiet.

They might be cautious, unsure, keep themselves to themselves and generally not cause too much fuss.

And then a few weeks or months down the line, you suddenly think…

Hang on. Where did THIS dog come from?

They start barking at things they ignored before.
They might decide they don’t actually want you touching them in certain ways.
They may start guarding their bed, their food or their favourite things.
They might become more vocal, more opinionated and much more confident about telling you when they’re not comfortable.

And this is the point where I often hear, “But they never used to do this!”

No. Because they didn’t feel safe enough to.

That quiet, seemingly easy dog you brought home was still figuring everything out. New house, new people, new routines, new expectations. They didn’t know what was safe yet or whether anyone would actually listen if they said no.

Now they’re starting to realise this is home.

And sometimes feeling safer means finding their voice.

Rescue dog progress isn’t always the lovely stuff. It isn’t just more cuddles, waggy tails and watching their personality come out.

Sometimes progress looks like a dog saying, “Actually, I don’t like that.”

And our job isn’t to punish that confidence back out of them.

It’s to listen, work out what they’re telling us and help them feel safe enough that they don’t need to shout quite so loudly next time.

Your rescue dog hasn’t suddenly turned into a different dog.

They’re just finally comfortable enough to show you who they are.