Fuzzy Kids

05/29/2026

Dogs have a way of turning ordinary walks into the best part of the day. 🐕

05/29/2026

What if your dog is already trying to communicate?
Just not in a way most people recognise.

Heard of whale eye before?
Excellent if you have.

But we need to be careful that it isn't misread simply because a dog is looking sideways.
Same, same, but different.

Whale eye tends to involve more than just the visible white. There’s often tension too.

Tighter skin.
Tighter muscles.
Wider looking eyes.

Dilated pupils are another tricky one.

Not all dilated pupils are negative.

Have you ever played a game your dog loved or watched them lock onto a ball you're about to throw?

Those glossy dark circles can literally expand in front of your eyes.
Pretty cool to see.

On the other hand, if you've ever been faced with a dog that is about to tell someone to "back off", you may recognise that exact same change.

Context matters.

Then there’s blinking.

It doesn't need to be dramatically increased, although sometimes it is.

Even a subtle increase can be worth noting.

A cue to pause.
Look around.
Look at your dog.
Check out the situation.

Eyes are a gift.

Both in the sight they give.
And most definitely the insight.

05/29/2026

Have you ever seen the cats at Disneyland?

05/29/2026

05/29/2026

Your dog’s nose knows more than you think!

05/29/2026

May 28, 2026 🐌

05/28/2026

🐈‍⬛🤍

05/28/2026

It is and ISN’T the dog.
“Yeah, but he reacted TO the dog.”

Yes.
He absolutely did.
But there is a much bigger picture here.

“I just want him to stop.
How do I stop the reaction?”

I know you’re trying your hardest.
I know how exhausting this can feel.
And I know sometimes it feels like you’re constantly scanning and waiting for the next reaction.

But sometimes we need to widen the scope.

Trigger stacking is not just seeing three stressful things in a row.
It is the slow and sometimes chronic accumulation of stress.

“He’s only stressed when he sees a dog.”
No.
He really isn’t.

Biology doesn’t work that way.

Think about yourself for a moment.
How do YOU feel after an argument with someone?
That stress can stay with you for hours.
Sometimes days.

Then perhaps the next morning you miss the bus.
You’re late for work.
That night you still relax and you can forget about a good nights sleep, that's not happening.

Stress lingers.

And dogs are no different.

With dogs, people sometimes only look at the last 3 seconds of behaviour while completely missing the previous 12, 24 or even 72 hours.

Poor sleep.
Neighbourhood noise.
Pain or discomfort.
Frustration.
Repeated arousal.

It ALL compounds.

Trigger stacking matters because stress can accumulate.
Dogs don’t always start every situation from the same emotional baseline.

There is no zero on that dial to keep returning to.

Some days their coping ability is already reduced long before the visible reaction happens.

Not every reaction starts in “that” moment.
With “that” dog.

05/28/2026

It’s just basic physics

05/28/2026

"Take time to better understand how to speak dog, because dogs are communicating with us all the time." That's radio host Steve Dale talking about how to keep children safe around dogs and prevent bites. This is one of the messages of his delightful new children's book, Ask The Dog. Listen to the full conversation--which is about cats as well as dogs--on The Pawsitive Post wherever you get your podcasts, watch on Youtube, or listen/watch and read a transcript on my blog (link in bio).