Forrest Animal Behaviour | Animal Behaviourist based in Market Drayton and covering Shropshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire borders

Scent work for dogs

Reasons why you should look at scent work for your dog: Sniffing helps release dopamine from their brain, providing a happy good feeling Provides calm mental activity (Brain workout!) Keeps your dog in a lower emotional state Helps your dog learn and refine their nose power Provides the opportunity of independence Helps build up confidence…

What are the puppy blues? Puppy blues refers to an emotional state of feeling overwhelmed, sadness, anxiety, or regret after bringing home a new dog. Before bringing your new dog home, you may have felt anticipation and formed an idea in your mind of how it would be - long walks, games of fetch, and…

Using secure dog walking fields help to: Provide security while off lead Outdoor low distraction envrioment Avoid any triggers for your dog New experiences for your dog Sometimes agility equipment, woodland or ponds to play in! This means you can: Practice training Provide more freedom Meet dog friends to have group play Have one-one time…

There can be many reasons such as: Fear Pain Social play Toy Play Frustration What it does NOT mean: They are the boss They are naughty They are grumpy They are dominant What is important to know, is that is part of a dog's normal communication. Therefore it must be listened to, especially if due…

Help, My dog eats poo!

Your not alone! Coprophagia (eatting of feaces) affects up to 23% of the dog population. This can be from farm animal feaces, their own feaces or other household animal feaces. This is not only is it an unpleasant habit for you to have to deal with, but it can increase the spread of infectious diseases…

Did you know that cats' resources such as their litter tray, water bowls, resting areas and food bowls should all be in separate locations in the house? Often as owners, we like to place all the cat 'things' all together in one place within the house. This can mean that the litter trays are near…

Reasons why we recommend you use fixed leads for your dog: They stay the same length during the walk This means the lead is predictable length, thus your dog can learn loose lead work faster. Therfore if teaching loose lead walking, if they know where the boundaries are and the pulling will reduce. They wont…

Dogs can shake off to remove water from their coats. However, why do they shake off when they are dry? Shaking off when their coat is dry, is a type of stress response. Have you ever been in a stressful event or been unsure of your surroundings, then when it's finished you notice all your…

Scent glands are important to cats for communication and self comfort. The scent given from each scent gland on a cat is individual to them, providing them with self-identification. This is important to each cat and within their family units. Family units will mix scents within the surrounding area and on each other via allogrooming.…

Did you know that the direction of a tail wag can indicate the feelings of your dog? A tail wag more to the right is an indication of happiness and relaxation. A tail wag more to the left is an indication of uncertainty or even fear. But why does this happen? This has been shown…