Enjoyable Walks: More Than Just Dog Training – a Holistic Approach
This is the story of a new client I went to the other day with two three-year-old re-homed German Shepherds: Princess and Duke. I was called because walks are a nightmare for the whole family, the lady in particular. First a bit of background. The five family members are very conscientious dog owners. The dogs are fed raw food which the lady has thoroughly researched. They have been taught many training tricks and much time is lavished on them. The last of Princess’ eight puppies went to a carefully checked… Continued
Gun Dogs: Just a Commodity?
The other day I visited Rufus, a beautiful four-year-old chocolate Labrador. He had, until a year ago, been gun dog trained. Whilst harsh training methods may well work in the moment, there is usually future fallout of some sort. In my opinion, gun dogs ‘used’ by people solely for hunting are regarded as a commodity and nothing more. By this I mean that the dogs are trained and owned specifically to do a job and that’s it. There’s nothing wrong with that in itself but they are often kept alone… Continued
Why is Colin Growling?
Understandably we don’t like our dogs to growl and it can be embarrassing, but growling is GOOD. Growling tells us what our dog is feeling. Growling gives us the key to open the door to the dog’s emotions. When we know what he is feeling, we then know what to do about it. Colin is a four-year-old collie-terrier cross looking like a very small Border Collie. He lives with his lady owner and a 16-year-old shih tzu called Barney, who is very slow moving, blind and deaf. Whenever Barney approaches Colin, he growls. The… Continued
Heading for the Dog Park? Remember the Parable of the Gorilla and the Human in the Lion Park
Gaining some insight into how their dog might be feeling can be a big motivator for people who implement methods of force with their dog-reactive dogs, and can potentially make all the difference. People may commonly label their dog ‘aggressive’ and resort to using force, which makes matters even worse. Without realizing it they may be forcing their dog into having no other options but to behave aggressively and he may even be pushed to redirect his frustration/fear/anger onto them. It is very damaging to their relationship. A dog should be able… Continued
Reality Check for Carers/Owners of Dogs with ‘Issues’
LOSING HEART Why do so many clients with fearful or reactive dogs, who often have started off so well, lose heart? The reason is because they just don’t fully accept the time and work that changing fear-based or guarding behaviors in particular can take. Teaching people is the easy bit. A large part of my job is about keeping people on track. REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS We live in an age of devices and gimmicks which make things work quickly or instantly; extra fast broadband, instant online ordering of goods, instant communication… Continued
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