Animal Haus Behaviour and Training

16/06/2026

✴️Common Misconceptions About Reactive Behaviour #2

One of the most common pieces of advice reactive dog guardians hear is:

"Keep your dog under threshold at all times."

Keeping dogs below threshold is important. We want them to feel safe and we want to avoid overwhelming experiences.

But this can accidentally turn into:

"My dog should never experience arousal."

Arousal itself isn't the enemy.

In fact, learning depends on it. Dogs that are completely switched off, sleepy or emotionally flat often have lower motivation, less focus and reduced mental acuity. Just like people, dogs need an appropriate level of arousal to perform and learn effectively.

We shouldn't be aiming for 'no arousal', instead the goal is appropriate arousal.

Life is exciting. Dogs will experience frustration, excitement, anticipation and big emotions. Rather than trying to avoid these emotions completely, we need to teach dogs how to function when they occur.

Can they disengage?
Can they reorient back to us?
Can they recover quickly?

Those skills matter.

Additionally, for some dogs, as mentioned in my previous post, arousal itself may actually be reinforcing. If the emotional "rush" is part of what maintains the behaviour, avoiding arousal completely may mean avoiding one of the most valuable reinforcement opportunities we have.

We cannot teach dogs how to think and make better choices when they experience big emotions without giving them opportunities to practise those skills under those conditions.

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11/06/2026

Common Misconceptions About Reactive Behaviour #1

One of the biggest mistakes I see is assuming all reactive behaviour is motivated by external reinforcement.

Behaviour is more complex than this.

Some dogs are seeking distance. Some are seeking access. Some are conflicted. And some dogs can find the emotional rush itself reinforcing.

This is why cookie-cutter advice can be so frustrating, and may not work for your dog whilst working perfectly for another. Two dogs can engage in identical behaviour while being motivated by completely different things.

There is no recipe for resolving reactivity. It's about understanding what consequences are driving the behaviour and developing a plan for that individual.

If you aren't having success with the usual advice, and you want help understanding what is driving your dog's behaviour...send me a message 📧

07/06/2026

💚 Professional Appreciation Post 💚

This is Ingrid from (and Kermit the Greyhound!)

I wanted to take a moment to give a huge shout out to Ingrid! She has had a huge impact on both Eevee's journey and my own over the last several months. I feel so lucky that when we moved, Ingrid was suddenly right around the corner!

Every week, Ingrid has generously given up her time to help Eevee and I work on her reactive behaviour. Not only has she shared her knowledge and experience, but she has also loaded up her own dogs and brought them along so we could create training set-ups that are designed to be what Eevee needs.

Anyone who has worked through behavioural challenges with their dog knows that progress doesn't happen in isolation. It takes good people, special dogs, and a lot of time. Ingrid has been incredibly generous with all three.

What makes me appreciate her support even more is that it extends far beyond helping with Eevee. Ingrid has been consistent support to my business; attending workshops and classes with her own dogs, sharing posts, recommending me to clients, and generally being someone who actively supports other professionals in our industry.

In an industry where gaslighting, personal and professional attacks and generally toxic behaviour is rife, it is important to celebrate the professionals who show up, contribute, and help make the people around them better. Ingrid does that!

Thank you for your time, your friendship, your dogs, your knowledge, and for always being willing to help when you really don't have to. Eevee and I are incredibly grateful to have you in our corner. 💚

I'd love to follow more businesses and individuals who embody this in our industry!

If there's a business owner, trainer, veterinarian, groomer, behaviour consultant, rescue volunteer, breeder, or another professional who has supported you along the way, give them a shout out below or make your own appreciation post and tag them!

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31/05/2026

Tickets for the 2026 conference are now on sale!

The speaker lineup looks fabulous! Everything from dogs to cats and parrots are topics at this year's conference. So whatever species you work or live with there will be presentations of interest.

Tickets are on sale at the PPGA website!

27/05/2026

🖐️5 Reasons you SHOULD be playing tug with Your Bully type dog... 💪

Tug is still often misunderstood. People are frequently told it will make dogs “dominant”, “aggressive”, or harder to control… but when done thoughtfully, tug can actually be one of the BEST games for our bully type dogs.

Here’s why 👇

1️⃣Biological Fulfilment
Most bully breeds were bred to bite, grab, hold, and use their mouth. Tug gives them a safe, appropriate outlet for those natural instincts instead of expecting them to suppress them constantly (⚠️spoiler alert this doesn't work!)

2️⃣ Fantastic Physical Exercise
Tug is HARD work. Short sessions can provide incredible physical and mental exercise while engaging the body AND brain at the same time.

3️⃣ Tug is a Relationship builder
Play builds connection. When you become the source of fun, interaction, and fulfilment, your dog starts actively choosing YOU. Tug creates teamwork, communication, and engagement.

4️⃣ High Value Reinforcement
For many bully type dog, tug is more valuable than food. That makes it an incredible reinforcer for recall, engagement, confidence building, and choosing you over distractions.

5️⃣ It helps to teach self regulation
Structured tug teaches dogs how to start and stop play appropriately, how to regulate and think under arousal, to release items on cue, and switch between excitement and thinking.

The goal isn’t a dog who never gets excited.
The goal is a dog who can experience excitement AND still stay connected and responsive.

Fulfilment. Connection. Exercise. Training. Self regulation.

Tug is so much more than “just a game”, it’s an outlet, relationship builder, a powerful training tool and a way to meet biological needs!🔥

24/05/2026

I am thrilled to have been asked to present at the Pet Professional Guild Australia Conference 2026 in Sydney this September!

I will be presenting on topics related to parrot behaviour and training but also on how my work with parrots has also changed, shaped and improved how I work with dogs.

The Speaker lineup is just being released now and I am really excited to see both Dr Tom Mitchell (Behavet) and Simone Mueller (Predation Substitute Training) on the list!

I am looking forward to the opportunity to catch up with friends and meet new people!

21/05/2026

One of the best things about the internet is the opportunity to collaborate with professionals from all over the world!

Em from Train & Nourish in the UK is a fellow Scurry Dog Instructor but also a highly skilled Behaviour Consultant, with a wealth of knowledge in the area of nutrition and gut microbiome. I am super lucky to have been able to connect with her to discuss Eevee's microbiome results and to just chat all things gut health, physical health and behaviour.

I cannot stress how important your dogs gut microbiome is. Not just to their physical health but also their mental / behavioural health. Even if your dog produces fairly normal stools this isn't always an indicator of good biome diversity.

If you are struggling with your dogs behaviour then this is an area you should investigate!

Thanks to Em for making time for me and Eevee in her busy schedule!

Just got to love the power of the internet!

This evening we had a great zoom with the amazing Lee from Animal Haus Behaviour and Training based out in Australia!

Lee has recently carried out a microbiome test on her dog Eevee. We jumped on zoom to discuss the results, how they could be influencing Eevee's behaviour and to create a plan moving forwards.

One of the things I find most fascinating is the connection between the gut and the brain. The gut-brain axis is a two-way communication system, meaning what is happening in the gut can influence behaviour, emotions, stress responses, and overall wellbeing. While behaviour is never as simple as “fix the gut, fix the dog”, the gut can be an incredibly important piece of the puzzle that deserves consideration.

I absolutely love being able to connect with fellow professionals from across the world to geek out over behaviour, nutrition, science, and all things dogs. There is always something new to learn, and conversations like this remind me just how exciting this field is.

A huge thank you to Lee for such a great discussion!

22/11/2025

💭In the pursuit of where you are aiming to be.... don't forget where you started...

When working with our dogs to overcome challenges it can be easy as the weeks, months or years pass to forget the extent of the challenges we experienced when we first began working with them. We will often lament the ongoing issues, forgetting exactly how much improvement has been achieved.

Your dog may still bark when they see other dogs, but they don't lunge or spin, they disengage more easily and recover faster. They can engage with you on a walk, rather than frantically scanning the environment for the next trigger. They can walk past the kangaroos, cattle and humans they see on a walk now, rather than fixating on them.

Behaviour change is measured in approximations! Don't forget to celebrate the small wins you have made to get to where you are today, they pave the path to your goals! 🎯

14/11/2025

✨ 4 Things You Can Start Today to Help Your Reactive Dog ✨

1️⃣ Reduce Stress at Home
Reactivity doesn’t start on the walk, it starts with your dog’s overall stress load. Noises, neighbouring dogs, busy households, and constant alertness all contribute to chronic stress. Creating a calmer home environment is often the first step: management, quiet zones, predictable routines, and reducing exposure to known triggers can make a huge difference.

2️⃣ Hit Pause on the Street Walks
If your dog is reacting every time you step out the front door, they’re not learning. Street environments are full of unpredictable triggers: dogs behind fences, people popping out of cars, fast-moving bikes… the list goes on. Giving the dog a break from this constant stress helps their nervous system reset and allows foundational training to actually stick. Replace street walks with walks in large fields or forests, decompression activities or safe, controlled environments such as Sniff Spots / Private Dog parks.

3️⃣ Give Your Dog a Job
Dogs need an outlet for their species and breed specific behaviours they were bred for. When those needs aren’t met, stress builds and problems arise! Nosework, mantrailing, gun-dog games, chewing, scent-based enrichment, herding games, or even simple “find it” searches in the backyard help fulfil those innate drives and build confidence.

4️⃣ Teach Life Skills
Reactively isn’t solved by simply working on addressing the dogs triggers. It’s about giving them a toolkit of behaviours they can do instead. Skills like disengagement, coming away from stimuli, settling, checking in, recalling on cue and walking nicely on lead empower your dog to make better choices in real-life situations.

Ready to get support for you and your spicy dog? We would love to help! Reach out.

08/11/2025

You have asked for it so here it is! Spicy Scurry 🌶️ Taster Workshops!

Interested in Scurry Dog but your dog is Spicy and needs space? We are now planning our first Spicy Scurry Dog Taster Workshops!

ℹ️ These will be run differently to our usual workshops. Dogs will arrive in 30 minute blocks, two dogs per block. The two dogs will rotate through the 3 activities and then be free to head off. This minimises waiting time for sensitive dogs and also means less triggers in the environment.

You will still get the same amount of workshop and activities with your dog as you would in a normal taster but rather than rotating with 5-7 other dogs, it'll just be one other dog and then you can go.

There will also be a 20 minute Online component before the session (live but will also be recorded) where we will run you through some basic information about Scurry Dog and you can ask questions.

📆 Friday evening, either 21st Nov or 5th December
⏰ Blocks starting around 4:30pm, a new block every 30 minutes and will run as many blocks as possible (potentially as late as 8:30pm)
💵 $99 / dog

If you are interested for your dog/s let us know below and tell us what date works best for you!