AnimalWise Training

Understanding dog body language is about far more than recognising behaviour. It is a critical skill for improving safety, welfare and decision-making in shared dog spaces.

While the environment and design matter, outcomes in shared dog spaces are ultimately shaped by human decision-making.

Many dog-related incidents are not the result of inherently “aggressive” dogs, but rather a combination of:
• missed early warning signals
• rising arousal levels during interactions
• delayed or absent human intervention
• mismatches between dogs’ social preferences

Read the full blog: https://animalwisetraining.com.au/preventing-dog-related-incidents-the-role-of-community-education-in-council-areas/

INTRO RangerSAFE (IRS) Online Course

Designed for Animal Management Officers, Rangers and Shelter Staff looking to strengthen their skills in animal behaviour, risk recognition and safer handling practices.

📅 Tuesday 7 & Wednesday 8 July
⏰ 8.45am – 1.00pm (AEST)
💻 Live Online via Zoom
🎓 Certificate Provided

Topics include:
• Reducing bite risk
• Animal behaviour and welfare fundamentals
• Reading dog and cat body language
• Behaviour-based risk assessment
• Managing stressed, fearful and aggressive dogs and cats
• Capture fundamentals
• Safe loading and unloading of animals
• Equipment selection and usage
• Dog attack fundamentals

Places are limited: https://learn.animalwisetraining.com.au/products/courses/intro-rangersafe-training-7-8th-jul-2026

For bookings or enquiries:
📞 (03) 9061 9108
📧 [email protected]

New on the AnimalWise Training blog: Cat bites are underestimated occupational injuries.

For many people working with animals, cat bites can become viewed as "part of the job".
~ A worker finishes their shift.
~ A bite isn't reported.
~ Medical review is delayed because the wound looks small.

The problem is that the appearance of a cat bite does not necessarily reflect the level of risk.

In this first article of a three-part series, we discuss:
• why cat bites often become normalised within animal professions
• how workplace culture can influence risk perception
• why early recognition, reporting and treatment matter

Whether you work in veterinary practice, animal management, rescue or sheltering, this is an important workplace safety conversation.

Read the full post here: https://animalwisetraining.com.au/cat-bites-are-underestimated-occupational-injuries/

My Passion for Safer Animal Handling

How it all started...
For over 20 years, I've dedicated my life to veterinary medicine, much of it in the busy world of animal shelters. From early on, I was drawn to one powerful question: How can we make handling animals safer, more confident, and less stressful—for both people and pets?

Throughout my career, I’ve designed and delivered programs that teach staff to handle animals with both skill and compassion. I’ve trained thousands of shelter employees, volunteers, and Animal Management Officers, vets and nurses, as well as taught Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing at Victoria University.

Working with both stray and owned animals, and collaborating with fantastic animal behaviour experts, sparked a deep curiosity about dog and cat body language. I became passionate about helping others spot and interpret those signals that make the difference between a safe, positive interaction and a stressful or dangerous one.

Reviewing countless animal-related staff injuries alongside Workplace Health and Safety teams made it clear: we must do better.

That realization inspired me to found AnimalWise Training, where my mission is empowering people by sharing up-to-date, welfare-focused handling practices.

Because when people know how to handle animals safely and with empathy, everyone wins - humans and animals alike.

Call me if you'd like to discuss how I can help your business on (03) 9061 9108 or email me [email protected]

Visit our website: https://animalwisetraining.com.au/

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀.

Give your new team members the skills, support, and confidence to succeed.

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁: 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗼𝗴 𝗕𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗷𝘂𝗿𝘆 — 𝗘𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 https://animalwisetraining.com.au/why-new-hires-are-at-greater-risk-of-dog-bite-injury-especially-in-the-animal-care-industry/

𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗪𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗼𝗴 𝗕𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 & 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽𝘀: https://animalwisetraining.com.au/cat-and-dog-body-language-courses/

𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗴 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴.

Many dog-related incidents are not the result of inherently “aggressive” dogs, but rather a combination of:
• missed early warning signals
• rising arousal levels during interactions
• delayed or absent human intervention
• mismatches between dogs’ social preferences

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗴 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 - 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗼𝗴-𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀
https://animalwisetraining.com.au/preventing-dog-related-incidents-the-role-of-community-education-in-council-areas/

🐾 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹𝘀 - 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗮 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲!

When people get bitten, it’s rarely “out of the blue.”

This fast-tracked behaviour course focuses on recognising risk early — before situations escalate with dogs or cats.

With only a few places remaining, registrations will close once the session is full.

📅 Wednesday 20 May
⏰ 9am–12:30pm
💻 Online (Zoom)

🔗 Book now: https://learn.animalwisetraining.com.au/products/courses/fast-tracked-behaviour-course-20th-may-2026

📧 [email protected]

𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀.

We believe that training only works if it can be applied in real-world situations.

So our focus is on helping teams recognise risk earlier in animal interactions, read body language more clearly, and feel more confident in the decisions they’re making day to day.

𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲: 🌐 𝗵𝘁𝘁𝗽𝘀://𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴.𝗰𝗼𝗺.𝗮𝘂/
📧 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲@𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴.𝗰𝗼𝗺.𝗮𝘂

𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗪𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗴: 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗼𝗴-𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀

As explored in previous articles, understanding dog behaviour and the environments in which dogs interact are both critical components of managing risk in shared public spaces.

Many dog-related incidents are not the result of inherently “aggressive” dogs, but rather a combination of:
• missed early warning signals
• rising arousal levels during interactions
• delayed or absent human intervention
• mismatches between dogs’ social preferences

While environment and design matter, outcomes in shared dog spaces are ultimately shaped by human decision-making.

This post explores where risk actually sits, the limits of infrastructure and signage, and why community education is a critical — and often underutilised — component in preventing incidents.

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: 𝗵𝘁𝘁𝗽𝘀://𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴.𝗰𝗼𝗺.𝗮𝘂/𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴-𝗱𝗼𝗴-𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱-𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀-𝘁𝗵𝗲-𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲-𝗼𝗳-𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆-𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗶𝗻-𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹-𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀/

This is a great visual from ABC Dogs NZ — it captures something we see often in practice, but don’t always recognise early enough.

Reactivity — barking, lunging, growling — rarely appears “out of nowhere”.
It is usually the final stage of a process that has been building well before the behaviour becomes obvious.

What sits underneath is often less visible:

frustration when access is restricted
confusion or lack of clarity
repeated exposure without the skills to cope
increasing arousal that hasn’t had an opportunity to settle

By the time we see the overt response, we are no longer looking at the cause — we are looking at the outcome.

From a behaviour and safety perspective, this is why early recognition matters.

Subtle signs of tension, frustration, and rising arousal are not insignificant — they are the first indicators that a dog is moving away from a state where they can respond calmly and predictably.

Intervening earlier in that sequence is where the greatest impact sits.

Not once the behaviour escalates.
But when the build-up begins.

There IS a missing link here ➡️Frustration

Yet we’re still so laser focused on the actual reaction.
The barks, the lunges, the spins.
The behaviour that makes us wish the earth would just open and swallow us up when others are around.

Frustrated dogs can tumble into reacting very, very quickly.
Frustration IS a major driver of unwanted behaviour.

Imagine it for a minute.

You want to get somewhere and you’re prevented.
You want to get closer to something interesting, but can’t.
You’re trying to have some fun, and you’re stopped.

Look, I do get it.
Some dogs are an absolute challenge, especially reactive dogs.

But what if that frustration is the actual starting point?

Can you trust them more in certain areas?
Give them more choice and agency?

Frustration is often reduced by giving them more appropriate choices.
Yet we hold on tighter because we feel we have to.

Living with a reactive dog can be scary.
So we add safety. We add rules.
But are we taking away too much and causing more of what tips them into reacting?

What if that behaviour is, at least in part, shaped by how much control we’re actually trying to grasp onto?