Paws for Thought - Canine & Equine Coach

15/12/2025

😂

14/12/2025

🚫 Why “Ignoring the Behaviour” (Extinction) Often Backfires 🐾

It’s common advice: “Just ignore it and the behaviour will stop.”
In learning theory, this is called 'extinction' removing the outcome that previously reinforced a behaviour.

But in real dogs, extinction often causes more problems than it solves.

Here’s a few reasons why

🔺 1. Behaviour gets worse before it gets better

When reinforcement is suddenly removed, we see an extinction burst the behaviour escalates in intensity, frequency, or persistence.
Think about pressing a vending machine button harder when nothing comes out. This is messy, frustrating, and sets dogs up to fail.

🔀 2. New (often worse) behaviours can appear
During extinction, dogs don’t just “stop” they experiment. Jumping may turn into mouthing, barking, pawing, or body slamming.
You’re no longer shaping learning you’re rolling the dice.

😞 3. Extinction creates emotional fallout
From the dog’s perspective, something they expected suddenly disappears.

This creates high negative contrast a sharp gap between expectation and reality which research shows increases stress hormones (like cortisol).

Worse still, that stress can become anticipatory, meaning the dog is already stressed before the situation even happens next time.

🚪 4. Emotional behaviours don’t disappear they intensify

Many “naughty” behaviours (like jumping up) aren’t just habits they’re coping strategies driven by excitement, fear, or conflict.
Extinction doesn’t resolve the emotion. It often amplifies it, making the behaviour stronger and the dog more distressed.

⚠️ 5. Frustration and aggression risk

Extinction requires frustration to work.
Studies across species show that increased frustration during extinction can lead to aggressive behaviour, especially in social settings.

That’s a serious welfare and safety concern.

🔁 6. Habits don’t rely on outcomes anyway

Once a behaviour becomes a habit, it’s triggered by context not consequences.
So removing reinforcement can take a very long time… with prolonged stress and repeated extinction bursts along the way.

✅ So what works better?

✔️ Reinforce an incompatible behaviour -this gives dogs a clear, successful alternative
✔️ Reinforce the absence of the unwanted behaviour) builds robustness without emotional fallout
✔️ Counter-conditioning changes how the dog feels, not just what they do

💡 Bottom line:

Extinction isn’t efficient, kind, or emotionally neutral.
Teaching dogs what to do instead is faster, clearer, and far better for learning and welfare.

Because good training doesn’t just suppress or punish behaviour it builds skills, confidence, and emotional safety.

10/12/2025

06/12/2025

03/12/2025

Body language opens up a conversation, sometimes an invitation from one dog can be a request for space from another.

Some tactics work well for avoidance, jumping up stops people leaning over, licking moves children away and showing a belly might mean you can’t do something else, such as putting on a harness.

We aren’t supposed to be experts, but we can gather information, stay informed, open our minds and conversations.

Did you know I have free body language videos on the App? Find the links to Android and IOS in my bio.

02/12/2025

*warning bad language* 😂

Had another complaint. Someone emailed us saying that this billboard upset them because they themselves didn’t like dogs. We emailed back “well you know what to do then” 😂

30/11/2025

It won’t be long until Christmas and the New Year, make sure you order your snoods in plenty of time to help your dog over the festive period. Not only fireworks but noisy parties th snood will help your dogs stay calm.

29/11/2025

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DNHMXhVomgf/?igsh=MWZlZGFsaHB4Zm8ybA==

28/11/2025

Imagine if you were walking down the road and a stranger ran up to you and you just had to let them do whatever they wanted without sticking up for yourself?

It's a bit unthinkable isn't it?

That's often the position we are asking dogs to be in when we try to silence their "reactive" behaviours that are actually not reactive at all, they're boundary setting.

Dogs are allowed to set boundaries. Some dogs have stricter boundaries than others. Some dogs get overtly cross when their boundaries are crossed, others get fearful. But expecting dogs to NOT have boundaries and allow absolutely everything anyone wants to do with them without push back is unrealistic.

🐾 If play gets too rough and rude, dogs are allowed to say so
🐾 If a greeting is far too fast and impolite, dogs are allowed to say so
🐾 If a human is touching a dog in a way that's making them feel threatened, dogs are allowed to say so.

The thing is, if we try to punish these boundary setting behaviours, we run the risk of making them worse. Boundary setting behaviours are controlled and appropriate to the situation. But if we try to silence them the dog may just react with more aggressive behaviour responses in a way that becomes inappropriate to the situation. For example, much more exaggerated a response, unable to control themselves, unable to have their say and move on.

Any cross words from our dogs and we immediately feel we need to apologise, they're in the wrong. But are they? Lily is one of the most gentle and friendly dogs I know. Certainly the most sociable I've ever parented! But even Lily gets cross. Even Lily has boundaries. A short sharp collection of woofs towards dogs jumping in her face too often and she moves on. That's boundary setting. That's normal.

Picture: we give our dogs boundary setting behaviours ALL THE TIME. Telling dogs to get off things, telling dogs to sit and wait, teaching a dog to walk nicely.... These are all boundary setting behaviours. We need to allow our dogs to have their own boundaries too. Boundaries aren't aggression 🐾💜

28/11/2025

Who is the one animal that has changed your life?

I have so so many!

27/11/2025