Canine Consent

10/16/2026

Yes!

Yeah, yeah. Trigger stacking 🥱
I know. We harp on about it.

But it's fundamental to understanding and helping a dog.

And those triggers?
They can be pretty insignificant when looked at individually.
A sniff that went wrong, a rattling trailer driving past or even a barking dog behind a fence.

That's why we always need to keep trigger stacking tucked away in the back of our minds.

It's often easy to recognise when a dog has reached complete emotional overload.
Clear as day.

All those other stages?
Sometimes not so clear.

And when things aren't quite so obvious, it's easy to make decisions to stay at the park a little longer, meet that next dog, or greet that person.
When maybe we should have recognised what our dog was already telling us.

And those stages?
They're not really a reliable, fixed scale.
Dogs won't necessarily work their way neatly or clearly through each one.
The stages can overlap, those changes can be really subtle, and recovery?
Yup, pretty individual too.

So maybe it's time to stifle that yawn and give trigger stacking the attention it deserves.
Because those seemingly small, insignificant experiences can add up.

And what a dog could cope with an hour ago might be something they simply can't cope with now.

Even your dog.

10/04/2026

Can we please just let dogs eat?

We take the bowl away so they learn we won't take it away.
Huh?

We don't build trust by repeatedly interfering, all just to prove they'll tolerate us doing it.
Yet around a dog's food, that's exactly what we've been told to do.

Put your hand in the bowl.
Take the bowl away.
Give it back.
Touch the food.
Pat the dog.
Move things around.

All supposedly so they learn to trust us.

But what if they're learning the opposite?

What if they're learning that a person approaching their food means something is about to happen?

That a hand near the bowl matters?
That maybe they need to keep an eye on us while they're eating?

We wanted our presence around food to mean nothing.
Then we made sure it meant something.

And while we're at it.

Can we please not ask a dog to earn every single bite of food through training?
They deserve to have full meals too.

No strings attached.

Imagine having expectations attached to every morsel.

Do this.
Wait for that.
Look at me.
Work for the next bit too.

Not every mouthful needs to achieve something.

Sometimes we can just put the food down.

And leave them alone.

09/18/2026

😂

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1EytRFB3T8/?mibextid=wwXIfr

05/25/2026

“Not every struggling dog is loud.”

These dogs can “give in” instead of growl.
And because of that, there’s no obvious conflict, but there can be discomfort.
“They’re OK together.”
“Let them work it out.”
“They’ll get used to each other.”

Tolerating something happening is not always the same as feeling safe with it.

Some dogs become very good at avoiding conflict instead of resolving it or escalating.
Some will just simply endure social pressure.

Being aloof can work for them too.

A quieter dog, that doesn’t move too much or isn’t vocal around others has sometimes worked out how to “fly under the radar”
Now there really isn’t anything wrong with that, but we need to be mindful.
Some freeze as a dog approaches.
Some repeatedly roll over and just stay there until the other dog loses interest.

But sometimes they can escalate only after ‘tolerating’ things for too long.

Unfortunately, these quieter dogs are often the ones people can miss completely.
They can also be put into social situations they don’t want to be in at all.

That quietness is mistaken for calmness, acceptance.

Not every struggling dog is loud.

05/03/2026

Fear can take many forms, not all of it easily recognizable. Understanding the emotional state of the dog, which informs their behavioral choices, helps us better understand how to help them cope with their Big Feelings.

04/15/2026

Learn to hear your dog when they whisper, before they resort to shouting.

Trust that ‘huh’ moment.🤔
You know the one.

You’re out with your dog and something just makes you pause for a second.
Not a big reaction. Nothing obvious at all really.
Just enough to make you think, “why did they just do that?”

Maybe it was a quick lip lick.
A few blinks in a row.
A weird little grin.

To someone else, your dog looks completely fine.

But to you?
Something felt different. It was a little bit “odd” and maybe you are starting to connect the dots some more.
Maybe you noticed that scratch always happens when a certain visitor arrives, perhaps a nibble on the paws too?

Those teeny tiny moments are often your dog trying to say,
“I’m not so sure about this.”

They ARE communicating with us.
It’s small, it’s often a bit “odd” too, but they are speaking clearly.

The least we can do is listen.

04/11/2026

Agree 💯!!!

If a stranger walked up and asked to touch your child, what would you do? Would you smile and say sure, my daughter is friendly! Go ahead and pet her hair!

Uh, no. I would momma bear the crap out of that situation. No way, a stranger is touching my kid.

Why is it different for dogs?

From a veterinary behavior standpoint, an unfamiliar person reaching toward a dog is not a neutral interaction. It is a social and physical intrusion that the dog must interpret in real time.

Some might like it.

Many dogs will tolerate it.

Many will try to avoid it.

Others—especially those with fear, anxiety, pain, or a history of threat—may escalate.

Aggression is not unpredictable. It is a distance-increasing behavior that occurs when a dog perceives a loss of safety and control.

When we assume access—without consent—we remove choice.

When we remove choice, we increase stress.

And when stress rises, risk follows.

This is why “friendly” is not a sufficient assessment.

This is why bites often occur during routine interactions.

This is why prevention starts before contact is made.

The standard should be simple:

Dogs just like kids are not public property. No one has the right to pet your dog no matter how much they profess that dogs love them.

Not because dogs are dangerous—

but because they are sentient beings with thresholds, histories, and limits.

Respecting that boundary protects the dog, the handler, and the public.

And that is good behavioral medicine.

04/08/2026

It doesn’t mean playing.
It never did.
“Socialisation” has a lot to answer for.

It has a far more important meaning, and it’s often missed because of that one word.

It’s not all about interactions with other puppies or dogs. That’s a very small part of it.
Yet we get stuck thinking socialisation = play.

That’s the issue.

Socialisation is the whole world around them.
The one we’re used to. They’re not.

And if we reduce it to just play with other dogs?
Problems are on the way.

Socialisation is about teaching safety.
Creating safety.
Letting your puppy feel safe.

Even if they’ve never seen a plane or heard a crowd, the goal is the same.
Slow, careful exposure so they can take it in without overwhelming them.

We forget, or maybe don’t fully appreciate, how much they need to get used to in our world.

Socialisation is careful, positive exposure.
Acclimation.
And yes, a level of "neutrality".

Wet grass.
Stairs.
Rain on their head.
A cat passing by.
A scooter moving past.

The goal was never just play.

03/10/2026

A thousand times, yes!!

03/08/2026

Let your dog be a little more dog!