“He’s never chased anything before.”

There’s a sentence I hear often…

“He’s never chased anything before.”

And I believe people when they say it.

Instinctive!

Because most dogs don’t wake up one morning deciding to cause harm.

They simply follow instinct in a moment where instinct becomes louder than us.

💔 What people don’t see

A dog doesn’t need to bite to cause damage.

A chase…

A burst of excitement…

A moment of adrenaline…

That alone can send sheep running in panic.

And in that panic:

animals can be injured

unborn lambs can be lost

entire groups can be traumatised

It’s quiet suffering.

Often unseen.

But very real.

⚖️ The law has now changed

Under the updated Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953 Amendment 2025, things have become much clearer — and much stricter.

Unlimited fines can now be given

Dogs can be seized by police

Chasing alone is an offence — no contact needed

It applies on footpaths and land near livestock, not just fields

This isn’t about punishment for the sake of it…

It’s about recognising how serious the consequences can be.

🐕 This is not about “bad dogs”

This is where I want you to pause for a moment…

Your dog is not being defiant.

They are not “choosing to ignore you.”

They are responding to:

movement

energy

instinct

And when that instinct switches on…

recall that works in the park often disappears.

🌿 The truth about recall

I see this time and time again.

Owners feel frustrated:

“He knows his recall.”

But what the dog actually knows is:

👉 recall in low distraction

👉 recall when nothing more important is happening

Livestock changes everything.

This is not disobedience.

This is biology.

🤍 What responsible really looks like

It’s not about being perfect.

It’s about being aware.

It looks like:

putting your dog on a lead before you reach livestock

not waiting to “see what happens”

understanding your dog’s limits, not hoping for the best

quietly choosing prevention over risk

Because once it starts…

you are already too late.

🌾 A different way to think about walks

So many people walk with the belief:

“It’s the dog’s walk.”

But when the dog leads everything —

direction, pace, decisions —

we create a dog who feels free to act on every impulse.

And for some dogs, that becomes overwhelming.

For others, it becomes… a little wild.

When the walk becomes a conversation instead,

you become relevant again.

And relevance is what keeps a dog with you

when instinct calls them away.

🐾 A quiet responsibility

This new law isn’t there to catch people out.

It’s there to remind us of something deeper:

👉 Our dogs live in a human world

👉 Other animals share that world

👉 And we are responsible for how our dogs move through it

Not with fear.

Not with force.

But with calm…

awareness…

and leadership they can trust.

🌿 If this resonates…

If your dog:

switches off around distractions

pulls you towards movement

feels “fine”… until suddenly they’re not

Then this is exactly the work we do.

Calm dogs.

Confident humans.

Real connection.

Follow for more guidance like this or explore the online puppy masterclass or join our recall sessions held monthly — where it all begins. 🐾

Avril thedogcalmer

+447505277374