- Behaviour and Training advice
- Other Animal Charities
- Cat Care
- Neutering
- Wildlife Advice
- Welfare Assistance
- Mental Health, Pets and People
- Small Furries
Here you will find a range of resources on dog behaviour to help you better understand and enhance your relationship with your dog. All information in the Dog Behaviour Library was written by our very own onsite behaviourist Jade and is freely available for you to download in PDF format, arranged by section so you can easily find what you’re looking for.
Behaviour Advice and Training Guides
Other Useful Resources
Information from rspca.org.uk
Keeping children safe around dogs:
Keeping Children Safe and Dogs Happy | RSPCA
Canine body language:
Understanding Your Dog’s Body Language | RSPCA
If you are still struggling please contact a qualified behaviourist or trainer. Follow the links below to find out how.
Find a Behaviourist
Find a Clinical Animal Behaviourist | RSPCA
Find a Trainer
The Branch does not have any influence over any websites which are linked from this site and is not responsible for their contents. The mere inclusion of such links does not imply any endorsement of the material on those websites or any association with their operators. We cannot guarantee that these links will work all the time and the Branch has no control over the availability of the linked pages.
Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare
Wadars Animal Rescue Charity – Worthing – Wadars
Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund (RWAF)
Kit Wilson Trust for Animal Welfare
Cat & Rabbit Rescue Center (crrc.co.uk)
Cats can sometimes appear to be mysterious creatures, but everything becomes a lot clearer when we start to understand what makes them tick…
Here are some links from recommended sources, with plenty of useful information:
Guide to Settling in a Rescue Cat
Guide to Cat toilet training & litter tray
Advice on cat behaviour and welfare advice from the RSPCA national website: Cat Care Tips
Caring for cats in high rise accommodation: High Rise Cats
Securing your garden/installing outdoor enclosures for cats: Fencing and Enclosures
RSPCA Spaying and neutering guidelines
Dogs:
Guidelines for dogs in our care. This is based on the RSPCA policy to prevent unnecessary breeding, but also taking into account the latest studies on the effects of neutering and spaying on health and behaviour.
- Six months in bitches who are likely to be over 20kg when full grown
- Four months in bitches under 20kg when full grown
- Seven months in male dogs.
For owned animals (animals already in the care of an owner) It is important to discuss with your vet and a qualified behaviourist, when the most appropriate time for neutering would be for each individual.
There is also evidence to suggest that for anxious or fearful male dogs neutering may make their behaviour worse. For these dogs it may be more appropriate for them to be rehomed before being neutered. This would only take place after a discussion with a behaviourist and/or vet.
Cats:
The RSPCA spends considerable time and funds dealing with the welfare consequences of unintended or irresponsible breeding. Every summer we deal with a serious crisis of kitten and cat overpopulation and serious related welfare concerns. Neutering is therefore a crucial activity for the Society. Cats will be rehomed neutered in all but exceptional circumstances.
Follow this link for more guidance: Kitten Neutering Database (cat-kind.org.uk)
Assuming there are no contraindications due to health, cats should be neutered from:
- Eight weeks old for cats in RSPCA care.
- Four months old for owned cats.
Rabbits:
Rabbit Neutering is vital to counteract the overpopulation of unwanted rabbits and to safeguard health and welfare in individual rabbits. Female rabbits, in particular, have major health risks associated with not being neutered.
- Males can be castrated from approximately 10 weeks of age, once their testicles are descended.
- Females are usually spayed from four months.
Guinea pigs:
Neutering is vital to counteract the overpopulation of unwanted Guinea pigs. Neutering allows guinea pigs, which are social animals, to be kept in friendly pairs or groups.
It is expected that all Male guinea pigs over the age of four months should be castrated before being rehomed unless there is a documented medical reason. There is not an expectation that female guinea pigs should be neutered unless there is a medical indication (for example, ovarian cysts).
Ferrets:
Neutering is important in many species to prevent unwanted pregnancy and to protect against certain medical conditions as well as some behavioural issues. This is also the case in ferrets, but the situation is more complicated than in other species such as cats and dogs. A vet should always be consulted to go over options for ferret spaying and neutering.
Neutering Assistance
RSPCA Sussex North and Brighton Branch offers some heavily subsidised neutering for dogs, cats and rabbits for owners on named benefits or low incomes. Neutering is essential for a happy healthy life for your pet and prevents unwanted litters and animals ending up in rescue. We ask owners to contribute to neutering costs:
£75 for a dog spay, £55 for a dog castration
£25 for a cat spay, £20 for a cat castration
£5 for a rabbit spay/castration
Please contact us for help with neutering, by phone on: 01273 554218 – from 10.30am – 4pm daily.
As a charity we need to make our resources go as far as possible and the help we give is means tested.
RSPCA Sussex North and Brighton Branch offers some financial assistance for pets in crisis whose owners cannot afford their vet bills. We assess requests on a case by case basis and we have limited funds. As a charity we need to make our resources go as far as possible and the help we give is means tested.
We do not have our own vets so any financial help we are able to give would be paid directly to the vet administering the treatment. Please fill in the following form (Vet Assist Form) to capture some basic information and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
For our full welfare assistance policy please follow this link, however please note:
- We do not cover routine treatments, e.g. flea, wormer, vaccinations
- You must live within our branch area
- We cannot pay for anything retrospectively
- We need to see an estimate and vet notes before we can agree to any financial help
*Please note, this is not an emergency service and we cannot guarantee a time scale for a response so if your pet is suffering, sick or injured please take it to your vet.
Mental health, pets and people
It has been shown in scientific studies that pets can improve our mental health. An RSPCA poll by YouGov last year found that 45% of pet owners said their pets had helped their mental health during lockdown and studies have found a range of benefits that pets bring for our mental wellbeing:
- Vital companionship for those who live alone or spend time working from home
- A reason to get out of the house, exercise daily and keep to a routine
- Encouraging us to be sociable and chat to others on walks
- Calming and relaxing to stroke or groom. This releases oxytocin – a hormone that brings us closer together with the people around us and can make us feel more confident
- Build confidence in new situations and give us something to talk about
- Responsibility for another being’s life, health and happiness
- An ongoing project to focus on – training and teaching tricks
- Encourage regular breaks from screens
In the case of dogs, just looking into their eyes releases oxytocin – the hormone that brings about bonding between individuals. It can also help us feel more optimistic and lower blood pressure.
Our mental health affects our pets
While pets provide a range of benefits and positive effects on our well-being, their mental health can be affected by whether we are feeling happy or sad, depressed or angry. Pets can sense how we’re feeling and can even mirror our stress.
As a nation of animal lovers, we want our pets to be happy and to live a good life. By learning to recognise and understand our pets’ body language we can take action when their mental health might need improving or protecting.
How we can protect the mental health of our pets
Becoming familiar with the different signs that our pets use can really help us to know when they’re feeling sad, happy or anxious.
If our pets are feeling worried or anxious, there are lots of things we can do to help them feel happier, including setting aside regular time for play, exercise, rest and training. Just being with us can help our pets feel relaxed and happy!
Here at the RSPCA, we emphasise the importance of good diet and plenty of hay as fundamental elements of a healthy rabbit’s lifestyle. Details are covered in a convenient, printable format for you here:
RSPCA Sussex North and Brighton Branch offers some financial assistance for pets in crisis whose owners cannot afford their vet bills. We assess requests on a case by case basis and we have limited funds. As a charity we need to make our resources go as far as possible and the help we give is means tested.
We do not have our own vets so any financial help we are able to give would be paid directly to the vet administering the treatment. Please fill in the form below to capture some basic information and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
*Please note, this is not an emergency service and we cannot guarantee a time scale for a response so if your pet is suffering, sick or injured please take it to your vet.
Mental health, pets and people
Pets can improve our mental well-being. An RSPCA poll by YouGov last year found that 45% of pet owners said their pets had helped their mental health during lockdown and studies have found a range of benefits that pets bring to our mental health and wellbeing:
– Vital companionship for those who live alone or are spending time working from home alone
– A reason to get out of the house, to exercise daily and keep to a routine
– They encourage us to be sociable and chat to others we meet on walks
– They are calming and relaxing to stroke or groom, which releases oxytocin, a hormone that brings us closer together with the people around us and can make us feel more confident
– They can build confidence in new situations and provide a great talking point
– They make us responsible for another’s life, health and wellbeing
– They give us an ongoing project to focus on – training and teaching them tricks
– Pets encourage regular breaks from screens, which can help our wellbeing
In the case of dogs, even when we just look into their eyes – our bodies release oxytocin, a hormone that brings about bonding between individuals as well as helping us feel more optimistic and lowering blood pressure
Our mental health affects our pets
While pets provide a range of benefits and positive effects on our well-being, their mental health can be affected by whether we are feeling happy or sad, depressed or angry. Pets can sense how we’re feeling and can even mirror our stress.
As a nation of animal lovers, we want our pets to be happy and to live a good life. By learning to recognise and understand our pets’ body language we can take action when their mental health might need improving or protecting.
How we can protect the mental health of our pets
Becoming familiar with the different signs that our pets use can really help us to know when they’re feeling sad, happy or anxious.
If our pets are feeling worried or anxious, there are lots of things we can do to help them feel happier, including setting aside regular time for play, exercise, rest and training. Just being with us can help our pets feel relaxed and happy!