Luchi & Mutton's Dog Behaviour & Nutrition

I’m beyond excited and delighted to announce SCENTSCAPE, Gurugram’s first sensory garden for dogs 🥳 Sensory gardens and enriched environments are such a fabulous way for dogs to: Slow down Use all of their senses in a safe and calm environment Engage in natural behaviours and, Just be a dog! At Scentscape, your dog gets to do exactly that! Here’s what you need to know: The space is designed from the dog’s point of view and is set up and laden with objects that have a rich scent history All sessions are SOLO sessions - your dog will not be sharing space with any other dog, this is completely their me time Dog parents are encouraged to sit, relax and watch their dog be a dog for the duration of the experience You have the option of ending the session with a short sniffari with me Spots open 29th March onwards! The first 4 bookings are absolutely free 💃 To book a Scentscape session: https://lnkd.in/gjk6ZKRB Know more about Scentscape: https://lnkd.in/guArUP5f

A note on dog friendly workspaces: Studies have shown that having dogs at the workplace can be beneficial. While a lot of people assume their presence could be a disruption or distraction, that isn’t what data tells us. Data shows us that: - Dogs in the workplace reduced stress and increased job satisfaction - Their presence increased cohesion and team satisfaction - In fact, a 2002 study showed that the presence of dogs lowered blood pressure in stressful situations - Dog friendly policies have shown to enhance recruitment - They have also shown to improve employee retention! Having worked at a dog friendly organization, I resonate with these. As a primary caregiver to my dogs, having the flexibility to take them to work on days when I was in domestic distress was a gift and relief. So I do align with the fact that there is a case to be made for being a dog friendly workspace. But. It’s not that simple. In fact, most of the current set ups do not take into account the dog’s needs and requirements at all. Like almost everything with dogs, current policies are human centric and not dog centered at all. And this poses a huge problem! Because ignoring these needs and failing to meet them leads to a stressed dog, a potentially stressful work situation. As a certified canine behaviour consultant, here’s my expert take - not all dogs are suitable for an office environment; not all office environments are suitable for dogs. It sounds so obvious but is challenging to execute. When designing dogs at the workplace, policies, organisations have to: - Consider the needs of the dogs as much as the benefits to employee productivity - Work with a certified canine behaviour consultant to lay the critical groundwork - Set up mechanisms to support and coach employees who are dog parents on making office days less stressful for their dogs and them - Equip employees on basics of canine communication, body language, handling stressful situations and more By bringing dogs into the workspace, we can improve employee welfare and well being. But we can do it in ways that do not compromise dog welfare and well being too. If you are a pet friendly workspace or are thinking of transition to one and want to discuss how to lay the foundation for this, drop me a DM and let’s chat! (Photo description: Luchi and I at my workplace 4 years ago)

New podcast episode is out! And can I just say that this is by far, my favourite episode because our chemistry in this one is. @anushreethammanna is a fellow BHARCS graduate, a co-founder of @pugsquadindia, an independent rescuer and a dog mom to 5 dogs. We caught up to talk about the joys and complexities of living in multi dog households and what we have had to learn and unlearn along the way. So if you are a multi dog home or are planning to become on, this episode is a must listen for you. This is also the first time I talk about life after Mutton and share vulnerable reflections I became aware of after we became a single dog household. Wouldn’t have been able to do this without all the safety that @anushreethammanna offered in this conversation. Anushree has also very generously offered a freebie that you can access to help you start your multi dog journey on a strong note. Comment FREEBIE and I will send you the link to download it. Find @theluchiandmuttonspodcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube. Check out the new episode at: https://lnkd.in/g_zzCxRs

Four years ago, when we became a multi dog household, I was looking for help to figure out how to support this new transition and help both my dogs adjust, but also help Mutton very specifically. I happened to come across the @bharcs_education page on Instagram and browsed through some of their stuff and felt like I was “home” - finally, I was seeing content that resonated with me - seeing dogs as sentient beings who deserved loving, respectful relationships from us. And so I signed up for their foundation course, the Canine Essential 101 and was mind blown! Everything made so much sense. At the end of the course, I knew I wanted to do the advanced diploma. And so a few months later, I signed up for the BACBED. And man oh man, did my life change! BACBED is intense. It’s not a course to just become a dog behaviour professional - it’s a course that pushes you to be your most authentic & aware self. It took me 2.5 years (or something like that) to finish the course because like the BHARCS way, this journey requires patience, nuance and lots of reflection. It is the single most challenging, inspiring, stretch, overwhelming thing I have done and I’m sure the other 3 graduates will attest to this too. I’m extremely proud to wear the BHARCS graduate badge because it has come with a lot of effort, patience (and some tears along the way). And it’s an ongoing journey to continue to earn this keep - adherence to a code of conduct, focus on continued professional and more. And what a fulfilling journey it is. Grateful to be doing what I love and doing it with the support of BHARCS!

A small and lovely milestone! Woke up to the news that we’d hit 500+ plays on The Luchi & Mutton’s Podcast. The podcast has been a slow but steady endeavour to put out top notch (there’s no better way to describe it) dog content. There’s so much misinformation out there about dogs, their needs and behaviours and how we must act towards them - the podcast became my little ‘rebelliion’ to challenge those ideas and put out content that was grounded in BOTH science and empathy. While it started with mostly me talking about things I really wanted to voice, I’m now enjoying bringing guests into this space and having conversations with them that are enriching and meaningful. These include professionals from India and globally who are passionate about dog centred care. If you are a dog parent, might I recommend adding this resource to your learning journey? Find the podcast on Spotify, YouTube and Apple Podcasts. https://lnkd.in/gVqPjsQw

Episode 14 of The Luchi & Mutton’s Podcast is out. I chat with the lovely Andrew Hale about why care based approaches in our relationships with dogs is critical, and how we can show up for them and ourselves with a lot more empathy and kindness. Give it a listen and let me know what resonates with you. https://lnkd.in/gRvAhy2f

Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt a little alone or overwhelmed with your dog’s behaviours. You and almost every single other dog parent out there! Having a successful relationship with your dog and overcoming difficulties together comes down to 3 main things: 1 A level of trust and connection between you and your dog (and this doesn’t appear overnight!) 2 Supporting your dog at your dog’s pace, regardless of how quickly or slowly others might be moving & understanding WHY you are teaching certain skills 3 Accessing good quality support from professionals with the emotional wellbeing of your dog at the forefront of everything they recommend to you If you aren’t seeing the progress that you might like, it’s likely that one (or more) of these is missing...or the different pieces just aren’t quite put together right just yet. If you’d like some help to figure it all out and start moving forward with your dog and your relationship together, then register for this free online event. Here’s what I’m going to be talking about: 1. Dog reactivity 2. My journey with Mutton and, 3. The Luchi & Mutton’s SAFETY approach to dog reactivity Best part is that all of this FREE! So go ahead and sign up soon! I can’t wait to see you in there: https://lnkd.in/gf6kNHb7

This is the season for a lot of speaker events and conferences and, I’m so excited about the upcoming opportunities. Kick starting the season with this one - building emotional regulation in puppies. Puppyhood can be such a beautiful but also challenging journey and a lot of conventional/mainstream advice can actually be more detrimental than helpful. In this talk, I simplify it and help you think about lifelong skills that will not only serve your puppy now but also serve them as an adult dog. The event is absolutely free and you can catch the talk for 24 hours from the time you sign up. https://lnkd.in/d8pfHkSj PS there are also details of a FREE gift at the end of the talk that you can avail.

Welcome! I’m Surabhi and I’m a canine behaviour & nutrition consultant. I work with pet parents & caregivers across the world to help them lead more connectedness and knowing lives with their dogs. I particularly support them with challenges related to dog behaviour and nutrition. My own two dogs, Luchi and Mutton, inspired my journey. Everything I have learnt about dogs has come from them & BHARCS. You will find lots of interesting content - some unconventional, some familiar, some thought provoking - here. I try and post a variety as regularly as possible so do engage with them and let me know which pieces you enjoy (& also don’t enjoy). The 1:1 nutrition & behaviour consults are virtual and accessible to anyone across the globe; If you are based out of India, I also make and deliver natural, preservative free, baked and dehydrated treats and chews - do check them out! We have few customer favourites and bestsellers too; If you are based out of Delhi-NCR, I also customise fresh meals and deliver them for your dog in case you need extra support/you are traveling/your dog needs a change You can check out all the available offerings at www.luchiandmuttons.com If you are looking to access some good dog-content, check out @luchiandmuttons on Instagram and, The Luchi & Mutton’s Podcast on Spotify! Thank you for being here and hope you have a great time reading, watching and tuning into everything I have to say 🩶