roz pooley with a group of dogs

My name is Roz Pooley, and my primary role is a Clinical Animal Behaviourist, focusing on dogs. This means that I work alongside veterinarians via veterinary referral to address behaviour problems in dogs. I have a Master’s Degree in Clinical Animal Behaviour and I am a full CAB member of The APBC and a registered CAB with The ABTC.

I started off as a dog walker in 2010 and soon started to learn more about training and behaviour, taking on clients in 2012 onwards. I opened my small pet shop in Bristol in 2013, because I was frustrated at the broad spectrum of quality existing pet shops offered- especially when it came to nutrition, which I had grown to become quite passionate about.

Clinical Animal Behaviourists are trained to recognise the behavioural and physical symptoms of pain and disease in dogs as well as having an in-depth understanding of how a variety of medications work, including psychoactive medication. Alongside a clinical approach, I take an ethology focused and somewhat holistic approach to canine behaviour, first and foremost. I look at all aspects of a dog’s life and focus on fulfilling species-specific behaviour.

Whilst behaviourists and trainers are not allowed, by law, to advise clients to change their dog’s diet, we can note any observations of an existing diet being a potential factor in behaviour change. We can then provide recommendations, if asked, and if the dog’s existing diet is not part of an existing veterinary treatment plan.


I have four dogs of my own (who are all fed Nutriment, of course). Two are Border Collies (Roo aged 12.5 and Mohawk who is 17 months). I have a spanish rescue dog called Tooey and a Thai Street Dog called Kanita. Follow us on facebook and Instagram and you’ll get to see their silly antics!

To keep my dog’s behaviour on track, I apply these general principles:

DIET

My dogs have a varied, fresh diet that supports a healthy digestive system. We are getting more research that highlights the importance of a health gut microbiome, as it is in the gut where neurotransmitters associated with positive wellbeing are produced, but also where most of the immune system is based.
Additional research shows that dogs will generally favour a meat based diet that is lower in carbohydrate- which makes sense when you look at their teeth.

CHEWING

Chewing is a species-specific behaviour, with research showing that free ranging dogs chew for up to 1 hour a day. One research study found an increase in GABA (the calming/inhibitory neurotransmitter) in the faeces of dogs fed raw meaty bones, and chewing increases dopamine and serotonin levels.
My dogs chew something every day, and twice a week have a raw knuckle bone or raw marrow bone.

ACTIVITIES

I aim to give my dogs 3-4 mental stimulation activities a day, which include walks (usually two), chewing, foraging for treats or training.

REST

Dogs as a species require a lot of rest and sleep. Research shows free ranging dogs favour a bi-modal activity pattern and additional research demonstrates that dogs, most notably youngsters, are most active in the early morning and late afternoon/early evening. However, they are polyphasic sleepers, which means they have a short-duration sleep cycle in contrast to us.
I try to support my dogs’ species-specific sleeping patterns by providing an environment that promotes quality rest and sleep, where they are not easily disturbed by external noises or human activity.

SNIFFING

Oh, to know what the dog’s nose knows! Their sense of smell is difficult for us to comprehend, but we should aim to respect it and support their need to use their nose in order to make sense of their world.
My dogs are encouraged to sniff by me slowing down on walks and not pulling or encouraging them onwards. I let them sniff other dog’s wee and poo, because that is normal dog behaviour after all.

POSITIVE REIENFORMENT TRAINING

My dogs are trained using positive reinforcement. This means I use enjoyable things (food, play, praise, affection) to motivate their behaviour. I use these reinforcers to train desired behaviours, setting them up to succeed by gradually building up the difficulty rating.

When my dogs do something I like, I let them know by reinforcing them.
If my dogs do something I don’t like, I either ignore it, interrupt, distract them, redirect them or cue an alternative behaviour. For example, I will recall my dogs to me instead of shouting at them for rolling in poo!

By using positive reinforcement training, my dogs are very keen to listen to me and exhibit high levels of confidence and eagerness to problem solve.

AVOIDING CORRECTIONS

I do not correct my dogs for getting it wrong! I may gently interrupt them, but I do not behave in a way that may scare or hurt my dogs. This means I do not tug on their leads, I do not say “no” or “ahhh ahhh”, I don’t point my finger or tap their nose.

Research shows that punitive dog training methods, such as physical corrections and uncomfortable or painful equipment, are linked to an increase in anxiety and/or aggressive behaviours.

There are no exceptions to this, I do not change my principles depending on the breed I am working with. A dog is an animal and their primary thoughts are “am I safe?” and “does this support my survival?”. I want my dogs to associate me with safety and as the main provider of everything they need. The last thing I want is for my dogs to fear me or associate me with pain, and it’s for this reason I consider it safer and more ethical to use positive reinforcement training.

To learn more about me, you can read my blogs or access my videos on our facebook page or our website, where we have an online shop too.

You can of course continue to follow Nutriment closely for my next features, that will cover dog training and behaviour.

 

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