Debbie Busby Canine Behaviour - Clinical Animal Behaviourist

24/11/2025

Quick reminder and a "please share" with anyone you know who works as part of a vet team: vet, nurse, receptionist, practice manager....

On Wednesday 26 November at 7pm I’ll be delivering a one hour CPD webinar with Northumberland College:
From First Visits to Lifelong Care – Making Vet Visits Positive for Everyone.

This session is all about creating calmer, kinder experiences for the animals we look after, and supporting the people who care for them. It’s grounded in ethics, welfare, and behavioural science, translated into real-world practice: what we can do, right now, with the time and resources we actually have, to help animals feel safer and understood.

We’ll explore how to make those first puppy visits a foundation for lifelong confidence, how to support animals with chronic or repeat-visit conditions, and how to recognise and reduce stress during handling and procedures. We’ll also look at how the whole practice team can work together to create a consistent, compassionate experience for every patient.

Places are limited to 50 and a recording will be available to everyone who registers.

If you work in a veterinary team and would like to join us, you can reserve your free place here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/from-first-visits-to-lifelong-care-making-vet-visits-positive-for-everyone-tickets-1964839549986?aff=oddtdtcreator

I’d love to see you there!

Photo: Claire Mcknespiey

21/11/2025

I’m really looking forward to teaching this one.

On Wednesday 26 November at 7pm I’ll be delivering a one hour CPD webinar with Northumberland College:
From First Visits to Lifelong Care – Making Vet Visits Positive for Everyone.

This session is all about creating calmer, kinder experiences for the animals we look after, and supporting the people who care for them. It’s grounded in ethics, welfare, and behavioural science, translated into real-world practice: what we can do, right now, with the time and resources we actually have, to help animals feel safer and understood.

We’ll explore how to make those first puppy visits a foundation for lifelong confidence, how to support animals with chronic or repeat-visit conditions, and how to recognise and reduce stress during handling and procedures. We’ll also look at how the whole practice team can work together to create a consistent, compassionate experience for every patient.

Places are limited to 50 and a recording will be available to everyone who registers.

If you work in a veterinary team and would like to join us, you can reserve your free place here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/from-first-visits-to-lifelong-care-making-vet-visits-positive-for-everyone-tickets-1964839549986?aff=oddtdtcreator

I’d love to see you there!

Photo: Claire Mcknespiey

11/11/2025

Find out more about the APBC's Assessment process to Full Clinical Animal Behaviourist (CAB) membership here: https://bit.ly/47YgBMe

27/10/2025

If the Facebook algorithm has caught your interest in canine behaviour, you might have gained an impression that behaviourists just go at all those "problematic animals" with Skinnerian consequences. Not those of us who have taken a UK clinical route any time in the last 25 years, I'm glad to say. And especially not those who have the good fortune to have been educated by Dr Anne McBride.

In this talk Anne introduces us to three inter-related factors which can affect interspecies belongingness and self-esteem, namely the concepts of attachment, empathy, and parenting styles. These have profound effects on our adult relationships, with people and animals, and on our resilience to the vagaries of life and flexibility to change attitudes and behaviour.

Join the APBC for this inspiring talk which facilitates further understanding of why we see differences between clients when supporting them in developing and maintaining new ways of interacting with their animals.

TOMORROW AT 8PM!

In this talk Anne will give a brief introduction to three other inter-related factors which can affect belongingness and self-esteem, namely the concepts of attachment, empathy, and parenting styles. These have profound effects on our adult relationships, with people and animals, and our resilience to the vagaries of life and flexibility to change attitudes and behaviour.

Book now: https://bit.ly/48UBnih

11/10/2025

New UK Dog Behaviour Survey Launched

The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has just launched a nationwide survey (part funded by Battersea) called “Living With Dogs” to better understand how dog behaviour affects everyday life for owners and families.

What I like about this one is that it isn’t only for people who think their dog has “behaviour problems.” They also want to hear from owners who don’t see their dog’s behaviour as an issue – because the same behaviour can feel fine in one home, but really difficult in another. (As we all know, context is everything!)

Takes "about" 30 minutes (add a buffer, I always find surveys take longer than the writers think)
For dogs aged 12 months and over
Closes 9th November

The goal is to identify which behaviours cause the most stress and why some households find the same behaviour either stressful or problem-free, so that support and advice for owners can actually improve.

For example, I can tune out to any amount and duration of barking, but most people I know want it to stop after just a few seconds!

A good opportunity for everyday dog owners to shape future understanding and resources, if you'd like to take part.

Here's the link:

This survey aims to find out how UK owners feel about behaviours which their dogs display. The UK is recognised as a nation of dog lovers, with around 1 in 3 UK households owning a dog. Dogs bring great joy to many of us but sometimes our dogs behave in ways that we find unwanted, annoying or even d...

28/09/2025

Rethinking Canine Minds

I'm running a canine behaviour workshop at Northumberland College on Tuesday 7th October, exploring the world of dogs and what it means for them to share our lives, through a fresh, welfare-focused lens. Grounded in the understanding that our dogs are sentient beings with unique emotional lives, we’ll delve into how every interaction between us, no matter how small, can shape their experience, behaviour, and wellbeing.

This session is designed for anyone who works with, or cares for, dogs in any capacity and who wants to explore fresh ways of thinking about the canine–human relationship and what it means for wellbeing — for both species.

📅 Tuesday 7th October, 1pm–4pm
📍 Kirkley Hall Equestrian Centre, NE20 0AQ
🍪 Light refreshments included

✨ Tickets and details: http://bit.ly/4nu92nA

Please feel free to share with anyone who might be interested.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/rethinking-canine-minds-understanding-dog-behaviour-tickets-1492295178049

Every interaction matters. This workshop offers fresh, welfare-led insights into canine behaviour.

27/09/2025

The secret superpower of street dogs

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1MTPBWXqt6/

19/09/2025

Between dog and wolf...

From their wolf ancestors to today’s sweet, loyal companions, dogs’ social intelligence has been shaped over millennia, uniquely attuned to humans compared to other domesticated or wild species.

25/08/2025

I had the great pleasure of delivering a talk recently at Northumberland College on behaviour-led practice in canine care.

We explored how putting behavioural and emotional needs at the centre of practice benefits not only our canine companions, but also staff, students, and the wider community. It was fantastic to see the lively discussion that followed and to hear how these insights and ideas are already being understood and applied in kennels, dog walking, grooming, and therapy settings at the college.

A huge thank you to Naomi Ainley and your team for the invitation and for such an engaged audience; it’s exciting to see the next generation of canine care professionals embedding behaviour-led practice into their work.

Next up: Animal Sentience and Ethics - a cross-college approach to putting these principles into practice and preparing the animal care professionals of the future, across all sectors.

Image: Claire Mcknespiey

29/07/2025

I posted this in one of my local Facebook groups today...

🐕Give Them Room to Settle: A Gentle Reminder for Dog-Loving Café Goers

I saw a little dog in a café today, sitting and held tightly on a lead next to a chair.
The lead was held so short that they couldn’t even lie down.
They were panting, not from heat, but from stress.
Their humans were chatting and smiling, completely unaware.

And it made me think…
How often do we take our dogs into busy places with good intentions, but without realising the small things that could make a big difference?

Dogs in cafés have a lot to deal with:
👥 People everywhere
🍽️ Clattering plates
🐕 Other dogs
👶 Curious children
🥴 Unexpected noises

All they want is to feel safe (and a little treat doesn’t go amiss)
And one of the kindest things we can do for them?
✨ Give them enough slack on the lead so they can lie down and settle.
🐶Bonus: bring a comfy blanket out with you for them to settle on.

When their bodies can soften, their minds can too.
It’s such a simple kindness, and it’s easy to overlook.

It’s about noticing.
It’s about empathy.
And it’s about learning together.

Next time you’re out with your dog, maybe just check:
☑️ Can they lie down comfortably?
☑️ Is their lead gently slack, not tight?
☑️ Are they panting from heat… or from anxiety?

Your dog doesn’t need to be perfectly behaved.
They just need to feel safe.
And that starts with giving them space ....physically and emotionally.... to rest. 💛

Photo credit: Ylanite Koppens