Time for Pooch Canine Massage

28/08/2026

I hope everyone weathered the storm last night it was quite impressive! I am pleased to say Toffee was not in the least bit bothered by thunder and lightening. ⛈️⚡

For those of you who had scared, upset dogs last night I feel for you. Rhia wasn't keen on loud noises and would have been most anxious last night so I know how distressing it is to watch your furry friends suffer. 😭

I highly recommend you train your dog to relax with the Somatic Relaxation Technique, this simple technique encourages your dog’s parasympathetic nervous system to take over, switching off their ‘fight or flight’ response.

😬For hyper stressed, nervous, over alert dogs this will take a few sessions, so get some practice in now and train'' your dog to relax. The more you do it the quicker your dog will respond each time.

🐾Just 10 minutes every day will make a difference next time there is thunder or fireworks. The idea is to train the technique before the stressor happens, thereby making the dog more responsive when in a stressful situation.

Check out the reel below.

27/08/2026

Did you know Hydro Hounds - Mobile Dog Grooming now have a salon in Cropwell Bishop offering the same first class groom as their mobile service?

To celebrate the opening of their new salon they are running a little competition to win one full de-shed groom.

If you know a hairy hound that would benefit from the experience go to the original post and add a photo.

🐾 🐾COMPETITION TIME 🐾🐾

We couldn’t possibly tell you where we find loose hairs after our popular three stage deshed.

Bailey however can tell you that there aren’t any loose hairs on him afterwards!

To celebrate the opening of our new salon we thought we’d run a little competition to win one full de-shed groom.

If you know a hairy hound that would like to experience…

Stage 1 - bush out complete with a massage with Peanut & Pickle deshedding mud bath mask treatment
Stage 2 - invigorating bath with Peanut & Pickle ‘Shed it Baby’ shampoo.
Stage 3 - blast dry and brush out.

….then tag the hairy hounds hooman and share photos.

Hound with the most likes by 5pm on Friday 29th August will win a well deserved groom at our new salon 🥳🥳

(In the event of a tie we will pull names from a hat!)

24/08/2026

🧠 Canine Body Fact

Your dog's nails can give you clues about how they move. 🐾

Dogs don't necessarily wear all of their nails evenly. But changes in which nails are wearing down — or which aren't — can sometimes give us useful clues about how a dog is placing and loading their feet.

Long nails aren't just a cosmetic issue either. When nails become too long, they can affect how the toes and paws meet the ground. This may alter foot placement and posture and potentially change the forces travelling through the legs and further up the body.

🐾 So what should you look out for?

🔹 Some nails growing much quicker than others
If one foot or limb isn't being loaded or used in quite the same way as another, its nails may receive less natural wear. This can sometimes happen when a dog is shifting weight away from an uncomfortable limb.

🔹 Nails that are unusually worn or scuffed
Some dogs drag or scuff their toes as they walk. Just like a child can wear away the toes of their school shoes, repeated toe dragging can gradually wear down the ends or tops of a dog's nails.

Occasional scuffing isn't necessarily a concern, but new, persistent or uneven scuffing is worth paying attention to, particularly if you have also noticed changes in your dog's gait, posture or activity.

🔹 Nails becoming too long
When nails are allowed to grow excessively long, they can alter the way the paw sits on the ground and may make standing and walking uncomfortable.

In extreme cases, nails can curl around and eventually grow into the paw pad, which can be very painful.

🔹 Don't forget the dew claws!
Because dew claws often don't make contact with the ground, they may receive very little natural wear. They can easily become overgrown or curl around if they're not checked regularly.

💗 Nails may seem like a tiny part of the body, but they're well worth keeping an eye on.

When you're trimming your dog's nails, don't just look at how long they are. Look at the pattern:

🐾 Are the same nails longer every time?
🐾 Is one paw wearing differently from the other?
🐾 Are the tips smooth, or are some being scuffed?
🐾 Has the pattern changed recently?

One uneven nail doesn't give us the whole picture. But, just like other subtle changes in posture and movement, it can be another piece of the jigsaw.

Know what's normal for your dog. Notice what's changed. 💙🩷

23/08/2026

All set up at Build A Bond Dog Training and Walking charity dog walk and dog show here at Rushcliffe Country Park.

I love meeting dogs so if you here with your pooch come and say hi.

I am offering FREE movement MOT’s for dogs today checking they are not holding any pain and tension in the soft tissues.

Make sure your dog is moving freely and living comfortably.

21/08/2026

🧠 Canine Body Fact #4

The front legs carry around 60% of a dog's body weight.

Unlike us, dogs naturally carry more of their weight through the front of their body. Their front legs, shoulders, chest and neck are doing a huge amount of work every time they stand, walk, run, jump or change direction. And when something isn't quite right elsewhere in the body, that workload can increase even further. 🏋️

🐾 If a dog has sore hips, knees or hind legs, they may shift more weight forwards to take pressure away from the uncomfortable area. My previous dog Rhia did exactly that, she had hip dysplasia and arthritis causing pain in her hind quarters and over the years her neck and chest became very muscular as she preferred using her front to hind quarters. Initially this was fine but as time went on this resulted in muscle tension across the neck and shoulders.

Over time, this compensation can place additional strain through the:
🐾 Shoulders and muscles around the shoulder blades
🐾 Neck
🐾 Chest and pectoral muscles
🐾 Front legs and paws
🐾 Fascia surrounding these areas

This is why the place where you notice tension isn't necessarily where the original problem started.

🧩But remember — one change on its own is only one piece of the puzzle.

It's when we start putting several pieces together — posture, movement, weight loading, muscle balance, fascial tension and behaviour — that we begin to see the bigger picture.

This is one of the reasons I look at the whole dog, rather than simply focusing on the area that appears tight or uncomfortable.

💗 Know what's normal. Notice what's changed.

Move freely. Live comfortably.

AI generated image

20/08/2026

If you have ever wondered why your dog is reactive then this is the webinar for you. Alice Education4Paws is amazing and knows so much about dog behaviour.

Why does your dog react?

If your dog barks, lunges, pulls, stares, growls or completely loses it when they see another dog, person, cyclist or other trigger, you've probably spent a lot of time asking:

"How do I stop my dog doing this?"

But there's a more important question to ask first:

"Why is my dog doing this?"

Because barking and lunging are behaviours. They don't tell us what your dog is actually experiencing underneath.

I'm running a live 90 minute webinar:

🐾 Why Your Dog Reacts: Understanding Reactivity and What to Do Differently

We'll look at:

• What reactivity actually is
• Why dogs react for different reasons
• How to recognise when your dog is approaching their threshold
• What happens before the reaction
• How predictability can help
• Practical things you can start doing straight away
• What to do differently on your next walk

This isn't about giving you another list of tricks to try.

It's about helping you understand your dog so you can make better decisions when you're out together.

Tickets are just £9.

If you've ever thought "I know my dog isn't being naughty, but I don't know what I'm supposed to do", this webinar is for you.

Link to book in the comments

18/08/2026

🧠 Canine Body Fact 3

A wagging tail doesn't always mean a pain-free dog. 🤕

We often associate a wagging tail with a happy, healthy dog. But a wag is simply one form of communication 📞— and dogs wag their tails for many reasons, including excitement, uncertainty, frustration and stress.

And yes, dogs can still wag their tails when they're in pain or discomfort.

🐕Dogs might be domesticated, but they still have strong instincts that can make signs of vulnerability surprisingly difficult to spot. They don't always show pain in the obvious ways we might expect. Many will continue to play, eat, greet us enthusiastically and wag their tails, while quietly changing the way they use their body.

Instead of an obvious limp, the clues can be much more subtle. You might notice that your dog:
🐾takes a slightly shorter step with one leg
🐾shifts more weight onto one side
🐾sits differently or regularly puts one leg out to the side
🐾hesitates before jumping into the car or onto the sofa

But here's the important bit, one piece doesn't give us the whole picture.

It's when we start putting several pieces together — movement, posture, weight loading, muscle balance, fascial mobility, behaviour and what you are noticing at home — that a clearer picture can begin to emerge.

🗒️Notice what's normal for your dog, because several small changes from their normal may tell us far more than one obvious sign in isolation.

👁️ Have you noticed one or more of these changes in your dog?

Book them in with me for a Healthy Movement MOT. Together, we can start putting those individual pieces of the puzzle together, look at the bigger picture and decide whether there are changes worth monitoring or concerns that would benefit from veterinary assessment.

Know what's normal. Notice what's changed.