Pain, what it is and how it affects behaviour.

Pain is a very common factor in many behaviour struggles, as pain can increase the tendency for certain behaviours. Pain is often over-looked because it is not always an initial consideration and is also hard to diagnose, especially chronic pain as dogs are very stoic! Pain can be due to many physical reasons, including muscular skeletal issues, health problems, gut imbalances, dental issues, physical changes as our dogs grow and mature. Even once pain has been addressed, there can be continued postural and gait compensations, affecting muscle tone, skeletal comfort and comfort with contact to their body. The hypersensitivity that pain can create within the body can mean that our dogs continue to be anxious of contact, impacting on their well being, health and behaviour. Within this webinar Rachel will discuss types of pain and how this may affect a dog’s behaviour. Some of the physical and postural signs you may see in dogs that are in pain and what their guardians can do for them.