We are delighted to announce our brand new Canine Nutrition Service! This service will be led by our in-house canine nutrition consultant, Sam. We have worked incredibly hard to be able to offer an integrative canine care health and behaviour approach, where we will look at all aspects of the dog’s health, behaviour and welfare needs. Sam will work closely with owners, vets, as well as other experts our own team; Rick our Behaviourist and Alice our Veterinary Physiotherapist.
Currently, we are the only Behaviour & Training Centre in the UK able to offer such an integrative canine care approach with the dogs we work with
Meet our in-house Canine Nutritionist, Sam
Sam has worked in the pet food industry for over 15 years and during that time has seen a huge link between health & behaviour and what our dogs eat. So, she decided to dig into the topic, learning all she could about canine nutrition and through this journey has completed the Ofqual qualification Level 3 in Canine Nutrition, and undergone a mentorship with the Association of Pet Nutrition Consultants (APNC), which led to her becoming a fully fledged Canine Nutrition Consultant.
"It is so important to look at diet when we are dealing with behaviour cases, we all have heard that saying ‘you are what you eat’, and this is also true for our dogs."
But Sam didn't stop there, as she went on to complete formulation and nutrition courses by Dr Charlotte Gray, Canine nutrition courses by Dr Amber Batson as well as Dr Connor Brady, continues to attend nutrition conferences each year and undertakes extensive research to ensure her knowledge is up to date and relevant to todays pet food market.
After becoming a full professional member of the Raw Feeding Veterinary Society (RFVS), Sam had the honour of presenting at their recent conference at Aberystwyth University this year, discussing the interplay between protein carbohydrates and behaviour in dogs.
We are now very excited to launch this brand new nutrition service led by Sam, who will not only be working with our local behaviour clients, but casting the net nationally, as this is an online service to help as many dogs and their owners as we can!
One size does NOT fit all!
It is important to recognise firstly that diets are not a one size fits all and individual dogs can be affected differently by the same diet. Over the last two decades of working with dogs, the team have seen an increase in dogs biting, jumping up, failing to focus, suffering from anxiety and, most worryingly, displaying aggression. With these behaviours, diet can play a huge part.
Sounds far fetched? Here's an insight to the science behind it...
Internal gut issues can occur due to sensitivities to ingredients or the form of the food, which can lead to discomfort, increased irritability and even impact on neurotransmitters that play an important role in behaviour. This can lead to a dog that has a seemingly shorter fuse and is 'grumpy'.
You can't blame them - as humans, we've all eaten something that didn't sit well with us and felt absolutely rotten afterwards and just wanted to crawl into bed and be left alone and would likely appear short tempered. We also know the blue Smartie effect on kids, which sends them bouncing off the walls. It's the same for our dogs...
Finding a diet that suit each dog's individual needs (making for a happier dog) that is also a realistic and practical option that suits the canine family too is at the heart of the service
The role of the microbiome As research continues to develop, we are constantly discovering more about the microbiome and its link to behaviour. Our dog's microbiome is made up of lots of different types of bacteria. These bacteria are amazing and help our dogs complete digestion of nutrients and assist in lots of different functions; they also produce neurotransmitters and these then affect how our dog is behaving. The whole microbiome can also be affected by diet. The microbiota of dogs fed biologically appropriate raw food- fresh food diet (BARF) diet has been found to be significantly richer and more diverse than dogs fed on a commercial diet. This suggests that feeding a fresh diet likely results in a higher diversity of bacteria in the gut, which in turn can be beneficial for the production of neurotransmitters [ref Sergio et al (2023)]. Dogrisk research carried out at Helsinki University has also shown that fresh food additions can decrease likely hood of skin and gut issues later in life.
So we know that diet can either help or hinder health and behaviour issues.
What does the new Canine Nutrition Service include?
We have 3 options to choose from in our Canine Nutrition Service... Kickstarter Package
The Kickstarter is perfect for owners of healthy dogs who want advice and guidance on dog food branding and want to improve their dog's diet. We know it can be a minefield trying to decipher brands, labelling and advertising jargon and aim to demystify food options. This package includes:
X1 60 minute consultation (via video call)
X1 recording of consultation
Premium Package The Premium Package is ideal for owners who want to amend and/or improve their dog's diet and can help support dogs with underlying behaviour and/or health issues who are already following a veterinary and/or behaviour plan. This package also equips you with the know-how to make informed dietary adjustments for your dog in the future. Diets and recipes can be formulated to FEDIAF guidelines if required. This package includes:
X1 60 minute consultation (via video call)
X1 recording of consultation
X1 Gut Repair Plan
X1 Recipe & Diet Plan
X8 weekly live Q&A group sessions (Live Q&A sessions are held on Thursdays at 8pm via Google Meet)
8 weeks access to a private Facebook group (where you can find helpful tips, industry updates, weekly session links and other like-minded owners!)
Top Up Consultation
The Top Up Consultation is for Kickstarter Consultation clients who have follow up questions or want to make further changes and improvements to their dog's diet. A link with the option to book this service will be sent to clients following their Kickstarter Consultation. This includes:
X1 30 minute consultation (via video call)
X1 recording of consultation
Want to review and improve your dog's diet and behaviour?
Head to our Canine Nutrition page here where you can find full details on the service.
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