Oxfordshire Animal Behaviour and Training

10/06/2026

Sometimes, the smallest environmental changes can make the biggest difference.

As Benji, my dog, has got older, I’ve become increasingly aware of how ageing changes the way he experiences the world.

We know that pain (e.g. arthritis) and noise sensitivity can interact. In older dogs, hearing loss can also create new challenges.

Interestingly, my dog initially seemed less bothered by noises as his hearing declined, but recently he has become more startled and unsettled again. My suspicion is that pain and hearing loss may be interacting together. Living in near-silence means that the only sounds he now hears are the louder ones, which can be startling. Startling whilst already in physical discomfort makes things even more emotionally charged. We’re investigating possible pain and he is already attending hydrotherapy.

But it has also made me wonder about something else: what about feeling socially connected (loneliness)?

As dogs lose their hearing, they also lose access to the constant stream of information that tells them where their family members are. Footsteps, conversations, doors opening, and the general hustle and bustle of the home all help dogs keep track of their social world. I wouldn’t be surprised if losing some of these cues can leave some dogs feeling less connected and more uncertain about where everyone is.

I’ve certainly noticed this with my own dog. He spends much more time searching the house for me. Yet once he finds me, he simply goes off to bed, curls up and goes to sleep. And while it always makes me smile, I’ve become very familiar with the awkward creak of the bathroom door slowly opening, followed by a little beagle’s nose poking around the edge whilst I’m showering, just to check I’m there. Cute as it is, I suspect there may be a slightly sad undertone to this. As dogs lose access to sounds that tell them where we are, perhaps they need more reassurance that we’re still nearby.

The challenge is that repeatedly checking where I am means more wandering around the house. For an older dog who may be coping with pain, reduced mobility, or general age-related changes, all that searching can be tiring and uncomfortable.

So, rather than teaching anything new, I made one small environmental change.

I moved his bed in my office around 30–40 cm closer to the doorway. From that position, he now has a view of the upstairs landing and can easily see me move around from room to room without having to get up, follow me, or wonder if I’ve disappeared downstairs.

The result? He’s noticeably more relaxed, spends far less time wandering around looking for me, and settles more readily throughout the day.

Behaviour isn’t always about training. Sometimes it’s about asking:

“What information does my dog need to feel safe, comfortable, and settled?”

Often, the answer is surprisingly simple.

04/06/2026

Topical post for a session we had today with a lovely dog and his owners, discussing consent-based interactions to help dogs cope with the pressures of social life.

Yes, of course we should ask the dog! Except when we shouldn’t...

I was at the airport the other day and there was a gorgous "therapy" dog there. The man had his leash wrapped tightly around his hand and he went around from person to person, physically positioning the dog while hands groped his body. The dog looked as though he had completely shut down.

He came over to me and I simply smiled, had a short conversation, and kept my hands to myself. There was clearly no reason for me to even ask this dog.

When it comes to touching a dog, especially for "petting" purposes, I almost always prefer to let the dog ask me, rather than the other way around. This is especially true if they are unfamiliar to me, eating, chewing, sniffing, exploring, resting, sleeping, watching something interesting, or already engaged in another activity.

Asking is important, but asking is not always neutral. Sometimes the question itself creates social pressure. It asks the dog to respond to us, manage our proximity, and make a choice in a moment when they may have preferred not to be included in the interaction at all. That is why “ask the dog” should not mean interrupting whatever they are doing to offer touch.

Sometimes the more respectful question is the one we don't ask. Their body is not an open invitation just because they are nearby.

So, first: Don’t ask. Wait!

Notice what the dog is already doing. Notice whether they are awake, relaxed, and available for interaction. Notice whether they are choosing to come closer, stay nearby, orient toward you, soften, nudge, lean, or re-engage.

When there is some indication that the dog may be asking us, or is at least fully awake and engaged with us, then yes, ask before assuming. When we do ask, it needs to be an actual question, not a polite announcement before we do what we wanted to do anyway. We can ask by inviting them into our space. By turning slightly sideways instead of looming. Soft eye contact without staring. By inviting interaction without closing the distance.

The most important part is whether “no” was easy, safe, and respected.

A dog who turns away, ducks, freezes, licks their lips, goes still, moves off, exposes their belly, or simply does not re-engage has answered.

But better yet, LET THEM ASK YOU!

Dogs ask us in quiet and not so quiet ways. They come closer, sometimes guns blazing with tail wagging widely and a loose, wriggly body. They choose to stay. They make soft eye contact in conjunction with these other asks. They press into us. They nudge a hand. They lean a shoulder or hip against us. They paw our hand, they rest a chin on us give us a soft look. They return after we stop. They make the interaction mutual.

And even then, it is still a conversation, not a contract!

The dog who wanted touch thirty seconds ago may be done now. The dog who leaned in for a chest scratch may not want a hand over their head. The dog who enjoys affection on the sofa may not want it while chewing a bone.

So yes, ask the dog and never assume! But first, ask whether this is even a moment in which the dog should have to negotiate an answer.

16/05/2026

A lovely meet-up with the team!

Team night out with the OABT crew yesterday.
I’m very lucky to get to work with and learn from these guys who know so much about dog behaviour!

02/05/2026

Lovely ‘reactive’ dog session this morning, supporting dogs with overcoming fears, coping with frustrations, and building independence.

14/12/2025

🎄 Christmas Break Notice 🎄
We’re now on our Christmas break and will be closed until 9th January.

We’ll be checking emails occasionally during this time and will respond to any urgent or emergency enquiries as soon as we can.

Thank you so much for your continued support this year — we hope you and your pets have a lovely, enjoyable Christmas! 🐾✨

26/11/2025

Benji isn’t the biggest fan of tooth brushing, so we’ve been working on some “co-operative care” to make the process easier and less stressful for everyone. In a nutshell, cooperative care teaches a dog to opt in to a procedure—like brushing—by offering and maintaining a specific behaviour.

For Benji, that behaviour is a chin rest on a towel. As long as he keeps his chin in place, I continue the handling. If he lifts his head, I pause immediately. This gives him real choice and control; if it becomes too much, he has a clear way to communicate that.

I reward him generously for participating, and I make sure not to push past his comfort level—introducing each step gradually so he knows what to expect.

Here’s a little snippet of how far he’s come. His vet is going to be thrilled! 🐾🦷

13/09/2025

What might be the consequences if we ignore the medical signs (and ill health is present)? Longer treatment, more demand placed on owner, higher risk of relapse, lack of progress, poor or limited outcomes, frustration, and above all, ongoing poor welfare.

24/08/2025

Since when did we equate sitting with "politeness" ?
Is it time to reassess the "Sit"?
It's a reflex of ours to always ask for it.
It becomes a "default" cue....whether it's "needed" or not.

A change of position does not change their emotions.
It can be incredibly frustrating for them.
Is there anything wrong with just standing near us?

Do we insist on a sit when they are clearly showing us they are feeling anxious?
Is it always the most asked for position?

Does it really help?....or is it a habit that we have and it's difficult to break?

03/06/2025

Underpinning principles of how and why we train the way we do. Focus on them as sentient beings, and not them as robots 😊

02/06/2025

"You'd Rather Put Dogs In Chemical Shutdown Than Train Them".

This is such a common throwaway comment at the moment. One that needs examination.

When I first started this work I was anti meds. I used to very naively believe it was just another way of controlling a dog/restraining them.

Boy has my opinion changed over the last few years.

There's a few cases on my books at the moment that 100% NEED the medication they're on. 100%. It wasn't a "this will make it easier". It wasn't a "this will mean we need to do less training". It wasn't a "do this then your problem will be fixed".

It was a "for your dog to respond to any/more behaviour modification we need to give them a little help in managing how much overwhelm they are feeling".

And it was a tough decision, not taken lightly.

I ALWAYS want to give the dog a chance to battle through their struggles without being medicated first and foremost.

I think back to my history and how my GP put me on medication immediately as a young teenager. Without any forewarning about any difficulties it can present with. Without any hesitancy and offering any other type of help first. I presented with (albeit severe) anxiety and the medication was the answer for him. The whole answer.

I don't want to be *that* practitioner.

Medication isn't the answer. Mainly because medication isn't about chemical shut down. That isn't the type of meds we reach for. Anyone who perpetuates that myth just isn't taking the time to really see how some dogs genuinely need some extra input in order to ease their struggles.

It's about EXTRA INPUT. It isn't a chemical restraint. In fact it isn't a restraint at all.

One case I'm referring to- after months of behaviour modification where the dog was responding WELL, the next stage was feeling like too big a jump from where we were. Unfortunately real life isn't organised in a way dogs need it to be. This dog was still far too overwhelmed with some basic real life experiences we had to consider meds to help him bridge the gap between what he can now do, and what we need to expose him to next. The result has been absolutely monumental. This dog is now coping with things we literally could only ever dream of. He's not shut down, not by any stretch. But the gap between stimulus and response for this dog has grown so substantially that some old triggers (like change) have seemingly melted away. His ability to think instead of just feel has been a marked change. He's able to participate in behaviour modification and training in ways he couldn't before.

Another case - until you've seen genuine hyperkinesis you won't really appreciate what you are looking for. It became clear right from very early doors that JUST behaviour modification wasn't going to touch this dog. In fact, it had been tried. Aversives had been tried. As had positive reinforcement methods. Nothing worked. Thankfully the family knew just using increasingly severe aversives was a slippery slope to misery. We've been working together with a vet on a genuine diagnosis and progress is still being monitored. Part of the diagnosis was giving sedatives. It worsened the behaviour (a hallmark of hyperkinesis). Nothing about this case is trying to achieve chemical shut down. It's about trying to genuinely help the dog with an actual chemical problem.

Another case - extreme fear of a genetic origin AS WELL AS life history. Fear based behaviour mod is not about shutting a dog down. It's the opposite. It's about lifting them up. It's about giving them more of a chance to be able to even process the world around them without immediately panicking. We know you can't train a dog out of genuine fear. The goal isn't shutting them down so they can tolerate the world better. It's about building them up so they can ENGAGE with the world better.

None of these cases have been about putting them on medication and hey presto, sedated/shut down dog there for you to work with. None of these dogs are being treated with sedatives.

Medication can make a MASSIVE difference in some really severe/complex/rare cases. It's really naive to think you can spend years and years and years working with these marvellous creatures and you'd never come across a dog whose brain chemistry just isn't as it should be. Think of the number of dogs with physical disabilities. Deafness, blindness, epilepsy, structural issues. These things happen and the brain is also susceptible to things being a little bit topsy turvy making life more difficult to cope with.

Medication isn't going to fix anything. But it can make the dog a LOT more open to thinking/feeling a bit differently. That's where behaviour modification comes in.

I wish, for our dogs' sake, we'd stop just blindly sharing these myths without fact checking them. It simply isn't true that we look to meds to achieve chemical shut down. Meds CAN BE part of the work in many ways. But NONE of those ways are about sedating a dog so they stop behaving in a way we don't want them to.