Well Balanced Animals

28/01/2026

✨ FREE Facebook Live – POSTPONED- new date 9th February ✨

Prehabilitation, not rehabilitation – the TTouch® way

We often meet animals after something has gone wrong.
After the injury.
After the tension, reactivity, or loss of confidence.
After the body has already started to compensate.

But Tellington TTouch® invites us to ask a different question 💭
How can we support our animals before they struggle?

On Monday evening, I’m teaming up with Tina Constance again, to give a free Facebook Live exploring prehabilitation. Using gentle, thoughtful TTouch® principles to help animals stay balanced, physically and emotionally, resilient and comfortable, rather than needing rehabilitation later on.

We’ll be talking about:
• Supporting the nervous system, not just the body
• Improving body awareness, balance and coordination
• How small TTouch inputs can support long-term wellbeing
• Practical, kind techniques you can use at home
• Helping animals feel safer and more confident in their bodies

This live is suitable for animals of all ages, from youngsters still developing to seniors needing extra support, and for guardians who want a proactive, compassionate approach to care 💜

🗓 Monday, 9th February 2026
📍 Live here on Well Balanced Animals page
🎟 Free

We can't wait to have you join us again

01/01/2026

As a new year begins, there’s often a quiet (or not-so-quiet!) pressure to make resolutions and change things.
New habits. New routines. New goals.
And while intentions are usually kind, this time of year can feel heavy rather than hopeful.

For many of us – and our dogs – December has already been a lot.
Christmas can be stressful for dogs:
🎄 visitors coming and going
🎁 new objects, noises and smells
🍗 tempting (and sometimes dangerous) foods
⏰ disrupted routines and later nights

So when January arrives and everything suddenly expects to “snap back to normal”, that can feel unsettling rather than comforting.
Instead of asking “What should I do differently?” What if we gently asked: “How can I make life easier – for both of us?”

Here are some compassionate, low-pressure ideas you might like to focus on as the year begins:
✨ Return to predictability
Simple, familiar routines can be deeply reassuring for dogs (and humans). Regular walk times, meals, rest and quiet moments help the nervous system to settle.

✨ Create space for rest
Sleep and downtime are often overlooked. Allow extra rest after the stimulation of the festive period, a super comfy bed, in a quiet spot - especially for senior dogs or those living with pain.

✨ Soften, don’t strive
Rather than adding more in, like more training, more exercise, more expectations – consider slowing things down. Gentle, slow movement, connection and observation are often more supportive than “doing”. Sniffy walks, TTouch groundwork, and always observing can help up help our dogs more appropriately.

✨ Spend time together
Just sit with your dog and slow your breathing, use the Heart Hug on yourself and feel the tension drift away. Then explore your dog's body, if that is okay for them, use the back of your hand to make contact all over their body. Then start with a few TTouches, always observing their responses and make that special connection with them.

✨ Notice, without judging
Changes in behaviour, sensitivity or energy after Christmas aren’t failures, nor should they be surprising – they’re communication, to be observed and understood. Curiosity from us is the kind option, not judgement.

✨ Support yourself too
Your dog feels your pace, your breath, your stress levels. Many dogs struggle to relax if we are always on the go. Small acts of kindness towards yourself ripple outwards more than any new resolution ever could.

At Well Balanced Animals, my focus is never about pushing dogs (or people) to be more, do more, or cope harder. It’s about helping you both find physical, emotional and behavioural balance – gently, realistically, and with compassion.

This January, it’s okay if your only intention is ease.
That’s more than enough. Sending Heart Hugs 💜

01/01/2026

Wishing all my lovely clients a wonderful 2026. May it being you everything you wish for.
Thank you for entrusting your fabulous dogs, cats, rabbits and horses to me. Each one teaches me something new, we are always learning and each animal is a unique and special individual, as are all of you, their human guardians ❤️❤️❤️

25/12/2025

I want to wish all my wonderful clients whether Tellington TTouch and /or Veterinary Physiotherapy, 2, 3 and 4 legged the best of Christmas's ever.

Thank you for trusting me with your animals, I love working with each and every one of you, and them. Every one teaches me something new and I love helping each one.

I hope you have a restful time together and I look forward to seeing you all in 2026!

04/11/2025

I love these coats! Not only do they have such a cute fleece, but they keep bums and hips warm and necks as well as chests.

On top of that, they cover a lot of the body without any need to handle or flex any limbs. While some dogs are comfortable with limbs being put into leg holes of coats, some dogs aren't. Not only that if they have elbow dysplasia or arthritis for example, each flexion or extension can be painful.

With winter approaching and you bring out your dogs' coats again, please reevaluate them for fit, shape and any manoeverability needed to put it on. Is now time to replace their coat?

LAST CHANCE!

We are down to the very last of our sale Houndsies

Grey Foxes

Only now available in size small to fit 26" - 28"

£21 each plus £3.75 postage per order

https://www.gagah.co.uk/product-page/houndsies-grey-foxes

31/10/2025

I was going to write a post about dogs and costumes, but The Dog Witch has written it perfectly, so instead, I share❤️

Cute Isn’t Always Kind: A Seasonal Reflection on Dogs, Dress-Up, and Misunderstanding
I worry sometimes that when I speak up about things like this, I sound like the Grinch at Christmas. I know people love their dogs. I know they find joy in dressing them up, sharing festive photos, and celebrating the season with their companions. And I know it’s coming from a place of affection.
But I also know what misunderstanding looks like. I’ve seen it in shelters, in homes, and in the aftermath of well-meaning choices. I’ve spent a decade helping people, many of whom have had dogs all their lives, learn how to truly listen to them. And I’ve seen the cost when we don’t.

As Halloween and Christmas approach, I see more dogs in outfits. More social media posts. More normalisation of something that, for many dogs, is deeply uncomfortable. And before you dismiss this as overprotective, I ask you to consider a few things.

Children Don’t Understand Dog Body Language
Many adults don’t either. Children often mistake a growl for a smile. They copy what they see. When we normalise dressing dogs or other animals up, we teach children that dogs are props for our amusement. We teach them that dogs tolerate anything we do to them. And we miss the subtle signs that say otherwise. Sadly this see's a large proportion of bites happen every year. And dogs lose their lives when they are misunderstood. And children are put n dangerous situations. We need to set the example.

Listening Isn’t Easy
A head turn. A shift in weight. A flick of the tongue. These are signs of discomfort. Stillness, often mistaken for calmness, is frequently a dog’s last resort, a quiet surrender after trying to say no and being ignored. We grow up being told we “get” dogs. But understanding them takes humility, not ownership. We often get it wrong and there really is no need for the sake of a funny picture of them.

Who Is This Really For?
When we dress dogs or other animals up, who benefits? Is it them, or is it us? Are we honouring their species, or humanising them into something they’re not? If your dog genuinely enjoys it, perhaps keep it private. Because your dog doesn’t care about their photo being shared. That part is about you.

Coats Are Different
Some dogs need coats. That’s about their wellbeing, not our obsession with cuteness. There’s a difference between functional care and aesthetic indulgence. One respects the dog. The other risks turning them into fun with a risk to their wellbeing.

I know this isn’t easy to hear. I know it challenges something that makes people smile. But I believe we can love dogs and still be brave enough to look in the mirror. To ask: what about us needs animals dressed in human clothes? What are we missing when we treat dogs like little humans?
Let them be dogs. Let them communicate. Let them say no. And let’s be the kind of people who listen.
They deserve that.

30/10/2025

With Bonfire Night being mid week this year, we are going to have displays this weekend (if you haven't heard fireworks already), during the week and then next weekend, sadly.

So I thought I would list here the events I know of in this area to help local people have a better chance of avoiding them, when you can let your dog our for a wee, let alone go our for a walk - and remember, if your dog misses a walk or two at this time of year, it is not a big deal, to have them safe and inside rather than petrified by the noise outside.

Please add any others you are aware of below.

You could help other local animal guardians by starting a list of events in your own area on your page. The more people we can help the better.

30/10/2025

An appointment has come free tomorrow at 4.20pm. If you are a current physiotherapy client or a Tellington TTouch client already or new, please go to my booking page (link in first post) or message me :-)

30/10/2025

Have you ever noticed when you teach things to your dog that they learn better if you use play?
This may also depend on your dog and how they feel about play and how they like to play too, remember each dog is an individual!
Many rescue greyhounds don't understand play with toys, at least initially, so trying to play with them is finding that balance where they don't see it as pressure.

How can this information help you and your dog, learn with fun and interaction, with no pressure, their choice - this is what TTouch does, no pressure, all at the dogs pace and is fun to work as a team. What a win-win😊

27/10/2025

Happy new week!
I have spent this morning so far, emailing out tips and further help to the lovely people I met on Saturday at Dutton's in I Love Bramhall.

The main area that were concerning those who attended was firework fears. Some of you will have already had to help your own dogs with this problem. I know we have had fireworks going off around here already. We should be starting sooner rather than later with our preparations, for both us and our dogs to be as prepared as we can be!

So if you would like further help, please drop me a message or post below and I will send you my free handout which includes some of the very effective ways TTouch can help you and your dog at this difficult time of year. (No strings attached!)

If you would prefer to receive more individualised help for your dog, then you can book a Tellington TTouch appointment with me, either in person or via Zoom, I have a few appointments available this week to give you effective techniques to help your dog.

I will be focussing on other tips to help you with fireworks over the next few days, so please do revisit my page.

Call now to connect with business.