Lara’s Blog

Common Dog Behaviour Problems: Causes and Practical Solutions Common dog behaviour problems such as toileting inside, destructive chewing, excessive barking, jumping, digging and reacting aggressively towards people or other dogs can be frustrating and distressing for owners. However, these behaviours rarely happen without a reason. They may be linked to anxiety, fear, pain, boredom, frustration, insufficient socialisation or a dog’s needs not being adequately met....

Choosing the Right Dog Breed for Your Lifestyle Bringing a dog into your family is incredibly exciting, but choosing the right dog breed, or rescue dog, for your lifestyle is one of the most important decisions you will make as a pet owner. The best match depends on much more than a dog’s appearance. You need to consider their likely temperament, energy levels, size, training...

How to Find a Pet Sitter: What You Need to Know Knowing how to find a pet sitter you can trust is essential when leaving your dog or cat in someone else’s care. The right pet sitter can help your pet remain safe, comfortable and settled while you’re working or away. In-home pet sitting, dog walking and home-based daycare have become popular alternatives to boarding...

Helping a Rescue Dog Settle In: The 3-3-3 Rule Bringing a rescue dog home is incredibly rewarding, but it can also be a major adjustment for your new pet. Helping a rescue dog settle in requires patience, consistency and an understanding that they may initially feel overwhelmed or unsure. The 3-3-3 rule for rescue dogs is a simple guide to what you might expect during...

Calming Supplements for Dogs and Cats: What Pet Owners Need to Know As more pet parents seek out natural calming supplements for dogs and cats, there are some important safety considerations—particularly when a pet is already taking veterinary-prescribed anxiety medication. Some supplements may help pets with mild or situational anxiety, while others can support a broader treatment plan involving medication, environmental management and behaviour modification....

Adopting a Dog changes lives There’s no better feeling than adopting a dog but it’s important to remember it can take a few weeks, or even months, for them to fully adjust to their new surroundings and family members. Adopting a dog is a lifelong commitment and you will need to dedicate time to help them settle in and train them. It can be quite...

Independence training is important at all stages of a dog’s life to help build their confidence and comfort in being left alone. As a dog behaviourist, I am seeing many owners that are having problems with their puppies and even older dogs due to anxiety and a lack of proper socialisation, or even too much and inappropriate socialisation. Unfortunately, many puppies missed out on puppy...

New Year’s Eve is a time of celebration with millions of people across the country enjoying the many fireworks displays that will light up our skies. Unfortunately for the hundreds and thousands of pets that are exposed to fireworks during the Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations,  and again over Australia Day, this is the most terrorising time of the year that results in a...

With many friends and families preparing to get together over the festive season, here's my top tips for keeping pets safe at Christmas. With some people finding this time stressful, which our pets pick up, along with more people gathering in the home, noisy events, thunderstorms and extreme heat, the festive season really can be a time that we see frustration and even aggression emerge...

Having your pet go missing is a very traumatic experience, and it can be hard to know what to do if you have a lost dog or cat. The importance of microchipping your dog and cat Even though the microchipping of dogs and cats is compulsory across most of Australia, far too many of them end up lost and in shelters due to contact details...