Wild-In-Kind Pet Care

18/06/2026

NOT ALL LICKS = LOVE

It’s understandable to assume that when a dog licks a person or gives them “kisses”, that it’s an obvious sign of affection.

While licking is certainly associated with affection, social bonding, investigation, excitement, or a positive interaction, it can also serve a very different purpose.

There is a term called "Kiss to Dismiss" - credited to Jennifer Shryock of Family Paws®, who developed it to educate families about dog-child interactions.

She uses it to describe situations where a dog's licking is not affectionate, but is an attempt to create distance, reduce social pressure, or attempt to end an interaction.

It's about a dog trying to navigate an uncomfortable social situation in a polite way without having to resort to stronger forms of communication.

Context matters, the situation matters, body language matters!

A relaxed dog with soft eyes, loose muscles, a wiggly body, and voluntary engagement is sending a very different message to a dog that is showing the body language of stress when feeling trapped or restrained by an interaction.

It’s so important to notice and respond to a dog’s subtle communication to prevent a situation from escalating.

Not all licks mean love, some licks mean - please leave me alone.

18/06/2026

So happy I could lend a hand to and meet this special lady—an absolute sweatheart and a pleasure to be in her company🤝🥰🐶🐾😍

Ruby 💚

28/05/2026

I STILL NEEDED MY MOM

The early weeks of a puppy’s life play a crucial part in laying a foundation for a well-adjusted adult dog.

This foundation influences future behaviour and how well they go on to cope and interact with the world.

Unfortunately, there are still breeders who allow puppies to leave their moms and littermates at only 6 weeks old, often with no regard for the long-term impact this can have on development.

Many new owners blindly trust that breeders must know best and never question this. But while a puppy may no longer rely on mom for food at this age, they are still deeply dependent on their family unit for learning vital life skills, social skills, building emotional security and resilience.

Between 6 and 8 weeks, puppies are in the process of learning:

• Bite inhibition
• Appropriate play behaviour
• Frustration tolerance
• Impulse control
• Communication and social skills
• Confidence and emotional resilience

These are skills that we as people, can never fully replicate in the same way that a pups family unit can.

While 8 weeks is generally considered the minimum age for puppies to leave, many ethical breeders prefer to keep puppies until 10 to 12 weeks, while also providing positive, age-appropriate socialisation and habituation experiences.

Habituation means gently introducing puppies to the world around them in positive, developmentally appropriate ways — different sounds, surfaces, objects, environments, people, smells, and everyday experiences — so they learn that new things are safe rather than frightening.

However, we don’t live an in ideal world and having to care for or rescue pups much younger than 8 weeks is often unavoidable due to different circumstances.

This post is not aimed at those situations - it’s about education, awareness and encouraging people not to support irresponsible breeding practices that place profit and convenience above the wellbeing and healthy development of puppies.

16/05/2026

LISTEN TO THE WHISPERS

“Whispers” are soft, subtle and so easy to miss, but paying attention can prevent them turning into “shouts” and prevent situations from escalating.

I believe dogs would be so grateful if we made the effort to learn their language. So many dogs spend their lives trying to communicate through “whispers” - subtle signals that are overlooked, misunderstood, or corrected. When we learn to notice those signals, we create a world that feels safer and more predictable for them.

Body language is one of the only ways that dogs can let us know how they are feeling. When we know how they’re feeling, we can intervene, help them feel safe and prevent emotions from boiling over.

Body language can be subtle and fleeting, but with careful observation and knowing what to look for most of us can learn to recognize and understand what our dogs are saying.

It’s always important to look at the context, the situation and especially what the rest of the body is doing when understanding their language.

Being able to understand a dog’s emotional state through their body language helps us to predict behaviour, prevent potential problems or simply allows us to just enjoy observing what they are feeling.

Although dogs each have their own unique personalities and distinct way of communicating, there are many common signs that can provide valuable insight. We just need to take the time to learn and notice.

We owe it to dogs to really understand them. They spend their lives learning our words, our routines, our expectations and living by our rules. Making the effort to learn their language is one of the most meaningful ways we can improve their wellbeing.

Here are some links for more information about body language –

Preventative Vet:
https://www.preventivevet.com/dog-training-recommended-resources-dog-body-language-decoders

Rescued by Training - Introduction to Dog Body Language and Communication:
https://rescuedbytraining.com/product/intro-dog-communication/

Doggie Language by Lili Chin:
https://academics.lmu.edu/media/lmuacademics/cures/urbanecolab/module09/Dog%20Body%20Language.pdf

Canine communication: recognizing stress in your dog
https://bit.ly/4309ykr

Eileen Anderson
https://eileenanddogs.com/dog-body-language/

14/05/2026