None of that means you have done anything wrong, and none of it means your dog is a bad dog.
I work with nervous, anxious and reactive dogs across Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Rutland — Bingham, Radcliffe on Trent, Saxondale, Bottesford, Newark, Grantham, Melton Mowbray and Oakham. See how it works.
Gatsby is the reason Flo4Paws exists. He took me on the journey of working out how to support a sensitive dog, and that journey turned into a practice.
I’ve worked as a behaviourist in local dog shelters, which meant observing a lot of dogs with complex histories, including Romanian street dogs, at their most vulnerable. I also have a background in human psychology, which matters more than it sounds. This work is as much about you as it is about your dog.
I’m a member of the National Institute of Canine Ethics and I hold the British College of Canine Studies Advanced Level 4 Canine Behaviour Diploma.
Both of you should feel listened to, safe, and never judged.
I won’t start behaviour work on a dog who might be in pain. It isn’t fair on them and it doesn’t work.
Dogs are experts at hiding discomfort. In the wild, showing weakness is dangerous. A significant proportion of the cases I see have a physical component: subtle joint pain, gut trouble, a body quietly compensating for something.
Training laid on top of untreated pain does not hold. So the first job is usually to find out.
I’ll review your dog’s veterinary records, work alongside your vet, and refer to a canine physiotherapist where the picture calls for it. If it helps, I’ll come to the vet appointment with you and I won’t charge you for it.
Most behaviour assessments are a conversation and an observation. Mine includes video. Slowed down and watched by the right person, that footage shows things that are invisible in the room — a shortened stride, a hip that swings wide, weight quietly shifted off one side.
Short clips recorded at your consultation, at home and out on a walk.
A canine physiotherapist assesses movement, flexion and weight-bearing, and writes back with what she sees. See who I work with.
Those findings go into your plan as their own section, so you can hand it straight over. I’ll come to the appointment with you at no charge.
I’m a behaviourist, not a vet. I can’t diagnose anything and I won’t try. What I can do is make sure the right person is looking at the right evidence.
Without working with Flo we never would have known she was in pain.
Lyn Kent, on Trustpilot — after Flo raised concerns about her rescue collie’s gait, the vet found hip dysplasia and a fractured tooth
Flo4Paws has its own app, on iPhone and Android. It is where the work between sessions lives: a short diary entry most days, photos and video when something is worth showing, and my comments coming back the other way.
Twenty to thirty minutes. If your case sits outside what I do, I’ll tell you and point you somewhere better. That costs you nothing.
You’ll get a written Target Action Plan showing which stage you are in, what we are working on, and what has to happen next.
Months in, we compare video against our first day. Day to day you cannot feel progress happening. Side by side, you can.
