Dogmestix

18/10/2026

Another great year on the working team at the PACT conference. We had some great talks and I got to see so many friends and colleagues. Love this organisation and everything they stand for ❤️

18/10/2026

Another great year on the working team at the PACT conference. There were some great talks and it was so lovely to catch up with so many colleagues and friends. Love this organisation and everything they stand for! ❤️

19/09/2026

Morning all! I need your help, if possible, please! I'm preparing a training session on dogs in clinical practice settings, which will include body language and, of course, different responses such as being ok to biting, hiding or fooling around, and I need some more videos. I know I take lots of videos when we are in sessions together, but I don't use these for this purpose because they are so personal to you all, and not everyone wants others to see them.

However, if you do have anything you are happy for me to share, examples are dogs in vet practises (even if they are happy), and dogs being handled, such as grooming, stroking (this can be at home). If you have videos where your dog has snapped or bitten that you are happy to share, I'd also appreciate these, but of course please don't try to get any just for me! Please send them on WhatsApp - the usual number - 07834 215 993. Thank you so much!

01/09/2026

Hi all, I'm now away until the 11th September and will reply on my return! Thanks!

17/08/2026

https://lnkd.in/p/egMDgMjs

We now have over 1,200 people booked onto our FREE webinar which is on Thursday evening: "Protecting Your Reactive Dog: What Every Owner Needs to Know About the Law". Have you registered yet? I've persuaded Jack Sullivan to co-present with me. During this one-hour live webinar we'll aim to cover var...

04/08/2026

28/07/2026

I keep saying I'll upload something on consent-based handling, and now I have a guest dog staying, I thought this was a good opportunity! Consent-based handling is so important for dogs to understand that they don't need to escalate their behaviour when they are worried. It stops them losing resilience when experiencing different grooming & care needs, keeps arousal levels low and is just wonderful for relationship building and something to engage their brain with on a hot day like today!

First, I'm just letting little Bernie (spaniel) watch my Nova (Goldador) playing this game. If you look closely, you will see from Nova's body language cues that she's not a huge fan of nail clipping, but she can opt out at any time and chooses to stay because I pay generously, take it slow, and we have built this up over time!

- Bernie shows interest, and so I show him the clippers, mark (with a marker word 'yep') and follow up with a treat
- Then I need to start capturing calm. I ask for known calm behaviours such as sit and down, then mark and treat so he understands he needs to be still for the exercise and not wriggle about like a typical working cocker spaniel :-)
- Once he has seen Nova is ok with the clippers, and I've drummed up enough interest from him, I swap dogs. This time I start with very easy, short approximations towards clipping and mark and treat.
- Nova still gets rewarded for calm behaviour when Bernie is playing the game
- On the last rep, you can see I've gone too fast for Bernie, and he politely says he isn't comfortable. He doesn't need to panic or growl because the game is clear, all of this is voluntary and at his pace.
- Next time we will use this information to make it even easier for him.

It's amazing how quickly conditioning can be done using this method, not just for clipping but grooming, tick pulling, harness application, ear checking etc. Separately, I'm working on conditioning Nova to an Emni pet toothbrush, but this is more of a challenge due to the duration needed and the flavour of the special toothpaste that comes with it; she hates it! If anyone else has had success conditioning one with full consent and not restraint, please do share your tips with us :-)

23/06/2026

Heat Stroke Truths!

We are headed into a hot week, which means the usual posts containing dangerous myths about heat stroke are going to appear; so here is the truth;

💦 Cold water is FINE

It is fine for them to play in and it is absolutely fine to cool them down if you are worried they are too hot.

It does NOT need to be 'tepid' and it will NOT send them into shock.

If a dog is overheating, they need to be cooled down as fast as possible, especially if their body temperature is rising into the danger zone.

Cold water is the best way to do this. Any temperature lower than the dog will help but the colder the better for a fast reduction.

💦 Get them as wet as possible!

Always remember the phrase 'Wet then Vet' if you are worried they have heat stroke.

Soak them to the skin with the coldest water you can find and keep them in a breeze (roll down the car windows) while you travel to veterinary care.

You should NOT only wet their paws and bellies, soak the whole dog.

🧊 Ice cubes and iced treats are a great idea!

They have the same effect on dogs as they do on us! They are a lovely, cooling treat on a sunny day and giving frozen treats on a Kong or Lick-e-mat will help keep your pet entertained but quiet.

🐕 Thick double coats do NOT keep them cool

If you have a thick coated dog, their fur does not have a cooling quality. The undercoat traps their body heat and makes it harder for it to escape, doubly so when the outside temperatures rise and triply so if they start to exercise.

If you have a thick coated dog, you need to be extra careful in this warmer weather and put every measure in place to keep them safe, especially if they are elderly, flat faced or overweight.

For more great information and the latest evidence and science of heat stroke, I can recommend the following pages;

Hot Dogs - canine heatstroke education for dog owners

Veterinary Tactical Group

Dr David Marlin

06/06/2026

Wow, 780 followers now, that is amazing, especially considering how terrible I am at putting content on here (I am trying to get better at that).

It was a huge decision to leave full-time dog employment 3 years ago to go self-employed, but I have never looked back. I am so lucky to spend my days with people who absolutely adore their dogs and put so much into them. It is such a privilege to be trusted by you all and be a part of your journeys.

Thank you so much for the support!

04/06/2026

One of the most damaging myths in modern dog training and animal behaviour is the idea that every animal can be fully rehabilitated with enough love, enough training, enough consistency, or enough positive reinforcement. They cannot. And the same is true in humans.

Some individuals recover remarkably from trauma, instability, neglect, pain, or chronic stress. Others do not, despite excellent intervention, safe environments, medication, therapy, behaviour modification, and years of support. This is because behaviour is not created by one single thing.

Behaviour is the result of genetics, early development, nervous system sensitivity, prenatal stress, pain, learning history, environment, social experiences, health, neurochemistry, resilience, and ongoing stress load all interacting together. There is no scientifically credible model of behaviour that says environment alone determines outcome.

Research in both humans and animals consistently shows strong heritability for anxiety, fearfulness, impulsivity, emotional reactivity, aggression, stress sensitivity, and resilience. Studies in behavioural genetics repeatedly demonstrate inherited differences in stress responsiveness and emotional regulation. Selective breeding absolutely influences behaviour.

Chronic stress and trauma alter the brain. Animals exposed to chronic fear, instability, harsh punishment, pain, chaotic environments, or repeated stress during sensitive developmental periods may never process the world normally afterwards.

Some individuals experience severe adversity and recover relatively well. Others experience comparatively mild adversity and struggle profoundly. This is true in dogs, humans, horses, primates, laboratory animals, and virtually every species studied.

Resilience is influenced by:
- genetics
- maternal stress
- prenatal environment
- early socialisation
- neurodevelopment
- attachment security
- pain
- chronic stress exposure
- learning history
- health

Two dogs can live through the exact same experience and emerge completely differently. A deeply traumatised, genetically vulnerable, pain-affected nervous system may improve dramatically and still never become “normal”.