(Featured in Vet Nurse Times, October 2018) Fear responses to noises are a common problem and represent a serious welfare issue for dogs. It is customary for veterinary practices to produce displays outlining advice to owners for the firework period sometime close to the season. At this stage, advice typically includes building a den, plugging in an Adaptil diffuser and ignoring the dog if it seeks attention. But how useful are these tips just a few weeks before fireworks usually begin? How can these standard instructions be adjusted to maximise success in reducing fear responses and improving coping strategies in […]

(Written for the International Association for the Protection & Welfare of Animals http://iapwa.org ) The initial introduction between a rescue dog or puppy to a household with an existing dog (or dogs) is so important yet is often overlooked, with the new addition being taken straight into the home to meet its new housemate(s). Everyone tends to assume all of the dogs involved will just sort themselves out. However, the reality is that the newcomer has a) just been taken away from everything familiar, b) experienced a journey of variable length, c) met new people, d) encountered an unfamiliar environment – and […]