On March 13th every year we celebrate K9 Veterans Day. I have been doing a lot of personal work around small changes making a huge difference and the history of how this all came about was a great example of how just one person can start something that becomes so significant!
In January 1942 an organization called Dogs for Defense was founded, by Arlene Erlanger, to train dogs to be sentries for supply depots. Arlene was a breeder and she pitched her idea to the American Kennel club who quickly jumped on board. The program was approved by the U.S. Army, and the U.S. Army K9 Corps was founded on March 13, 1942. It does seem however, that dogs have been taken to war long before then, the ancient Egyptians in 4000BC took their dogs into battle with them. But this was the first time, as far as I can see, that they were specifically trained and recognised. Back in 1942 the US Army only had about 100 dogs in service, mostly sled dogs in Alaska, and they needed many more to serve as a means for message delivery, tracking and rescuing wounded soldiers, as well as being guard dogs. Approximately 25000 dogs were donated by their owners for training to support the war effort. Puppies that were deemed too young, and dogs that didn’t quite make the cut were encouraged, or rather their owners were encouraged, to donate money to the War Dog Fund, and they were given a special certificate and service tags in recognition of their contribution! Children's books were written, encouraging children to enlist their doggie companions too, in an effort to make every child feel that they too had contributed to the war effort and served their country. Since then we have continued to train dogs for service, not just in the military but things like mountain rescue, police work, search and rescue in the fire service and other emergency services. Sniffer dogs, drug and bomb detection. We have dogs to act as eyes for the blind, dogs to help people who have seizures, dogs that support people with mental health issues … quite honestly there isn’t much a well trained dog can’t do! So this March 13th join me in celebrating K9 Veteran’s day as a way of thanking all those dogs that have served and continue to serve humans without question or agenda. Here's how you can celebrate along with me: Bake some special cookies. You may not know a K9 veteran to give them to, but make them anyway and give them to your dog to honor the spirit of the holiday. Here’s a selection of three to choose from, all on one blog page! Teach your dog a new trick – Service Dogs all across the board are highly trained and your dog has the exact same potential. Teach him something like a Hand Target, which is super easy. If your dog already knows how to sit on a verbal cue, impress your friends and teach him to read – I can show you how here! Why not donate some money to organizations such as: National Service Dogs Canada Canine Opportunity, People Empowerment Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind Got any more ideas how you could celebrate with your pup? Let me know in the comments. And, if you have a go at teaching your dog a new trick why not hop across and join our Facebook Group, Superior Dogs Help & Support, and post a video of all the fun! I love to hear from you!
0 Comments
In September I did a Facebook post about the importance of maintaining a healthy weight for our dog’s health for Animal Pain Awareness month, and it seemed to spark a few different conversations! I realized that I hadn’t taken the time to share all the information and tips that had helped us, or rather Lucky, shed 20lbs and how much difference it had made to him. So, here I am about to kiss and tell! First of all I want to say that I felt totally like a bad doggie momma letting my boy get so darn heavy! So, if you are sitting there feeling a little uncomfortable or guilty … just know that I get that! The truth is we are with our dog twenty-four seven for the most part and quite honestly we often don’t see those insidious little one pound increases gradually piling on until our dog is a good deal overweight! Our other little handicap is denial. I told myself for the longest time that Lucky, being part Rottie, was bound to be on the heavy side. I Googled average weight for a male Rottie and comforted myself that the figures were between 95lb-135lb. He was 126lb. So hey, he wasn’t exactly at the top end right? I even told myself he was solid muscle … I feel quite ashamed that I was so blinkered! So, yes, I get it. The tipping point came last winter. Lucky no longer really wanted to play much. He didn’t want to get on the couch and snuggle or sleep on the bed. He would actively leave the couch or bed if either of us went to sit with him. On walks I noticed he was slow and waddled along like it was all a huge effort. Getting up after a nap, or trying to settle and find a comfy spot, suddenly seemed so hard for him. That was when I stumbled across Canine Arthritis Management (CAM) Facebook Page (CAM) CAM is a veterinary lead group, run by Hannah Capon, MA Vet MB MRCVS, where I found a wealth of information, and joined her support group, Holly’s Army. Later I enrolled on a course to be a Canine Arthritis Advocate to help others, and to raise awareness not only of how common Canine Arthritis is, but also how much we can do to help our dogs for FREE. So, to cut a long story short I joined up and asked for help. One of the things I learned on the course was that it is very common to not see the weight issue … Hannah is repeatedly saying that we need to look at our dogs with new eyes! That made me feel so much better! They also invited me to send them a photo of Lucky from the side and from above and said they would get one of the team to give me a Body Score. Hannah sent me a lovely email, apologising profusely and saying she didn’t want to seem overly harsh, but that Lucky was scoring 8/9! Healthy is 5/9! I had put him at 6/9 and told myself he was only a little chubby … and of course that old solid muscle thing. So right here, right now, I want you to take a good look at your dog … with new eyes. How are they moving about these days? How does their body shape compare with the chart above? If you’re uncertain, then I really urge you to follow the CAM page and ask for someone with fresh eyes to take a look. And join Holly’s Army if only to introduce yourself and share a photo like I did for some honest feedback. If, like us, you got a high score make it your mission to help your pup shed some pounds. A study in 2008 by Runge et al, found that dogs whose food intake was regulated and therefore were kept within a healthy weight range suffered far less health issues and lived on average 2 years longer! They took a group of 48 Labrador dogs; half were free fed – food not measured or weighed, and the bowl was full and available all the time. The other half had their food weighed; portions were measured to deliver the correct number of calories required. But, just go back and read that statement again … dogs whose weight was kept within a healthy range not only had less health issues (and your bank balance will be healthier too from less vet bills), but they are also likely to live a whole 2 years longer than if they were carrying too much weight! Who doesn’t want that for their dog? How can you help your dog? At first it may seem daunting. My concerns were mostly around how do I know how much food is the right amount? Along with, how am I going to deal with a dog on a diet if my dieting history is anything to go by … insert constantly thinking about food, and always starving! My first port of call was Holly’s Army. I posted the question; how do I know how many calories my dog needs each day? Very quickly I was directed to a couple of websites and even given a formula to work from by a Canine Nutritionist in the group! I personally used her calculations, but to be honest if you’re not too confident doing the math check out this link. Super quick and easy, scroll down to Your Dog's Daily Energy Requirement, pop in your dog’s target weight and their activity level and Hey Presto! It tells you in seconds how many calories a day your dog needs. Next, we headed off to check the bag of kibble to see how many calories per 100g the food contained. BIG FLAG here guys … most bags tell you how much to give in cups. This is a huge problem! Due to the nature of kibble, it is nigh on impossible to accurately gauge the correct amount. Trust me I stood at the kitchen counter scooping kibble in my measuring cup, carefully leveling it out and each time it weighed different … by as much as 50 grams! At 455 calories per 100g that’s an extra 200+ calories per cup, multiply that by 3 cups a day and already I was feeding around 150 calories more than he needed! Second BIG FLAG – The guidelines on the food bag are average. They do not account for your dog’s gender, age, activity level or neuter status (the formula given to me by a Canine Nutritionist takes all of this into account). So, again we can well be giving more calories than our individual dog actually needs. However, if you search around, somewhere on the packet, perhaps near the nutritional info rather than the feeding guidelines it should say, “*** Kcal per ***g cup” and that is where you get out your calculator and work out how many grams your dog needs to make up that daily calorie allowance and WEIGH your food! Throw that darn cup in the bin! Now we simply weigh out the food in the morning into a bowl or tub and use that throughout the day for meals, training, treats and so on. Did I say treats? Yup, they have calories too. So, my next task was to check all the regular treats for their calorie count. It sounds oh so time consuming and tedious I know but … here’s what I did. I spent an hour or so checking out all these little things and wrote myself a little list that I stuck on the inside of the cupboard where I keep all the treats. Once I had done all that, each day thereafter was a breeze. Every morning I counted out the treats I wanted to use for training and for ‘treats’, put them in a pot on the counter and noted their total calorie content. This was then subtracted from the daily allowance and then the remaining calories came from the regular food which I weighed a popped in a separate pot on the counter. As a general rule of thumb treats should not account for more than 10% of the total daily allowance to ensure that your dog gets the correct nutritional balance. TIP FOR SUCCESS – look for low calorie training treats in the stores or try out some low cal, healthy natural food (I hate the term ‘human food’ – food is food!) that are dog safe. Blueberries, steamed carrot (actually lower in calories than raw AND easier for dogs to digest) and remember tiny size tid bits for training are totally fine! One young Cocker Spaniel I know would turn cartwheels for raw zucchini! Next, I had to solve the problem of Lucky not realising he was on a diet. This was actually much easier than I imagined! At regular mealtimes I would grab a handful of the weighed-out food and pop it in his bowl. Between meals I would grab small amounts and use them to play a quick training game, or I would pop some in a puzzle feeder. I strategically kept a bully stick, still accounted for calorie-wise, for the witching hour when I knew he would need something to soothe him – usually around 7 p.m. To be perfectly honest this worked like a charm as I didn’t have to worry about whether I was over feeding him having weighed it all out ready AND he felt like he was constantly getting food! No sad, pleading puppy eyes and no whimpering pitifully! We started in January 2021 at 126lb. By April 2021 we reached our initial goal weight of 114lb, 10% of his body weight gone! The difference in his health was amazing:
Just before we sign off for this post, I just want to give another link to a wonderful support group led by Caroline Taylor, Veterinary Consultant and Senior Veterinary Surgeon, called Slimline Canine. This is another great group to join for reliable information around diet and nutrition, get support from Dr Caroline and her team, and to share your struggles and successes in regard to your dog’s weight loss journey. You can find Dr. Caroline at Slimline Canine on Facebook, or check out her website, The Slim Pet Vet, if you would like a more detailed program.
So that’s it for me today! Do check out the next blog post coming to a laptop near you soon, where I will be answering another popular question that got raised in the Facebook post - What are the signs my dog may have pain? - and looking at what we can do if we think they have! A few weeks ago I was contacted by someone with a fairly young puppy for basic puppy training and, of course, I was more than happy to oblige. We scheduled a Discovery Call and talked about some options and the call ended with the person saying they would probably start training in September. This isn’t the first time that I’ve come across guardians that have a future date in mind for training. We’ll start after the holidays/after Christmas/when the kids go back. I get it! So many of us feel overwhelmed with stuff. Not enough hours in a day. Juggling kids/work/homemaking. Who’s got time to train the dog with all that going on? BUT! Here’s the thing … your puppy, or dog of any age, is learning ALL the time, whether you are involved or not. And the fact is Practice Makes Permanent! Yup, read that again … Practice Makes Permanent, not Perfect! Our dogs learn stuff by association. They will respond to any stimulus or situation with a particular behaviour according to how they are feeling about it. If that behaviour works for them, makes them feel better, has a desired outcome then that’s what they will repeat next time when faced with that particular stimulus or situation. Also our dogs just want to feel safe. So a classic example of this might be the mail man coming to the house. Our dog may feel that his home/safety is under threat … I know daft right? But, just because we know the mail man is no threat doesn’t mean the dog does! So, he barks, he may even throw himself at the door. The mail man goes away – he would have gone anyway, we know that but our dog doesn’t – our dog relaxes a little as his home and personal safety are now secure. Guess what happens next time the mail man comes? What worked last time? You got it – barking, launching himself like a missile at the door. Is he being bad? No! He’s just being a normal dog, protecting himself and his home, using normal dog behaviours that he has proven works. And he is practicing them every single day the mail man (or any other person) comes up the driveway, which takes me to the next bit. Every time our dog practices a behaviour neurons fire in the brain. Each time the same ones fire they create a stronger pathway so that behaviour becomes more automatic. So, bark every day at the mail man for a week, neural pathway to barking gets stronger, dog just automatically barks at mailman, and probably any other movement outside near the driveway! Practice makes Permanent (or at least harder to change). Going back to the idea that we can put off training until some given date in the near future it’s easy to see how this presents a problem. Our dog is going to learn stuff between now and then … and it might not be the stuff we want them to learn. And, they are going to practice what they learned until it becomes their default, their automatic behaviour or response. The thing is training doesn’t have to be hard. You don’t have to carve out thirty or even twenty minutes every day to train your dog in a day that is already crammed with too many things to do. All the training games I teach are designed to take no more than 3 minutes each, even if you play three games, they don’t have to be played one after the other. 2 or 3 minutes, three times a day … you can do this while the kettle boils, while supper is cooking, heck you can even do it while you’re on hold on the phone! Management is a huge part of training in the beginning and often requires little time. Take the barking at the mail man. Investing in a few containers to hold treats and popping them in handy to reach places and buying a baby gate to restrict access to the front door take no time at all. Grabbing those treats and throwing them down on the floor when the mail man approaches, creating a new, pleasant association with that event takes seconds and our dog quickly learns that the approaching mailman isn't a threat but a predictor of good things. We change his emotional response, the mailman is no longer a threat in the dog's mind and therefore doesn't need to be barked at! Sometimes we put things off simply because we think it’s going to be hard or it’s going to take more time than we feel we have. Sometimes we don’t do the simple stuff like management because it seems so simple it can’t possibly be useful; we may not even realize it’s part of training! Occasionally we are under the misguided notion that we should have to manage a situation and that our dog's should know not to chew our shoe, or steal from the coffee table! Trust me on this, if our dog doesn't get the opportunity to self reward then he's less likely to do it - that's a whole other blog post! Or maybe the struggle our dog has seems so huge we think it may take weeks and huge amounts of $$$$’s to put right. I had one client who moved to a new house and suddenly her dog was barking at everyone who passed by the house. They used to live in a quite area and their new house was situated in quite a busy spot. Add to that the windows were much lower, and he could see outside more easily. When I arrived, I noticed that his favorite chair where he spent most of his time snoozing albeit it with one eye open keeping watch on the street below. My first suggestion as that the chair might be moved and when the dog could not be supervised, the blinds closed so that he could not see out so easily and practice the unwanted behaviour. We also talked about some of the games we could use to help with general calmness, but it was this one simple management suggestion that did it! Within a few days I got a call to say the barking at the window had ceased and that the client really preferred the new layout of the room having swapped the chair with a small dresser that looked very nice in front of the window and prevented the dog from popping his paws on the window ledge to get a better view of the street below! One session, a few minutes of reorganizing the furniture, one problem solved. Here's another really quick thing. Buy those containers, better still look in your cupboard. Everyone has orphaned Tupperware that lost their lids! Get three or four, pop some of your dog’s daily food allowance in each and put them where you (but not the dog) can easily get them. As you go about your day doing all the stuff on your to-do list, notice when your dog is doing something you like, that might just be lying on the couch quietly, and drop a treat by his nose. You don’t even have to say anything! What he learns is that when he’s lying quietly on the couch good things happen and he’ll do that more often. If you notice he’s sitting nicely on the kitchen floor while you’re preparing supper rather than jumping up to see what’s on the counter … drop a treat on the floor. He learns that when his butt is on the floor and he’s calm good things happen. That sit will happen more often! Keep one of those pots near the kettle. A full kettle takes about 2 minutes to boil, even a Keurig takes at least a minute to reach the right temperature to make your coffee. While you are waiting practice a simple game like hand target (great for building confidence, great recall cue too), or lure a perfect sit, shake a paw, chin rest … the list is endless. Just engaging positively with your dog will build focus and a great working relationship, nail those two and ‘obedience’ (I hate that term, but everyone seems to want it) comes along to the party with them! So, I guess the moral of the story is … Just Start! Just do one small thing! And Do It TODAY! Right, I’m off to play with my boy! Have a wonderful day with your hound, don’t waste it! If you need help with your dog please do get in touch. I offer a FREE 30 minute Discovery Call where we can chat about how I can help you!
Recall is one of the most important things we can teach our dog and it is also the greatest gift we can give them. Being off leash allows our dogs to experience their world in a way that they can’t when they are on leash. However, without a good solid recall being let off leash, which honestly is not a great idea, they are at risk themselves and they could pose a risk to others. Of course we all want our dogs to have freedom, to go sniff, to run, to play with other dogs, but we don’t want them to get hurt, cause an accident or get lost. We also don’t want them to find themselves in a situation with another dog that they were not actually looking for, nor are prepared for. It is easy to think there is no harm in our dog rushing up to another dog to play, but if that other dog is on leash there is most likely a reason for that. Maybe they are older, perhaps with Arthritis like my boy. He will growl, and maybe snap, at a rambunctious dog rushing up to say hello or play, simply because he knows it’s gonna hurt if they jump on him. Others maybe on leash because they’re anxious, or recovering from surgery … there are loads of reasons and it is essential that we recall our dog before they reach that other dog and that they respond, for every ones’ sake. So, where do we start? First and foremost, if our dog doesn’t have great recall we keep them on a lead – management. Apart from safety, it prevents our dog from practicing ignoring us when we call them. Remember our dogs learn to repeat what they practice … if they practice ignoring us and going off to do other exciting stuff then that is what they will continue to do. That’s not because they are stubborn, willful, or ‘disobedient’ … it is just what we have allowed them to do, it's what they have practiced. Consistency is key. By letting them have freedom without having practiced that solid recall, we have basically set them up to fail, They have learned that when we cue them to come here, it actually means you can come here if you want to/feel like it/when you’re ready. Now we’ve stopped them practicing what we don’t want we need to teach them what we do want AND we have to nurture a desire to do it. For me that means focusing on our relationship, building a great Connection with our dog. I don’t want my dog to act like a robot and do stuff just because I tell him to. I want a dog that loves being near, that wants to come when I ask him to. Because when I have that connection then recall (and anything else I care to ask of him) is going to be much more likely to happen and much less like hard work to teach. This month I am sharing my top three games that will really help build that Connection and the desire to come when asked. These games are fun for both of you and take just 3 minutes each. Play them every day. Practice at home first, indoors with no distractions. After a few days, play it in the yard. Play them both off lead and on a long line (providing your yard is secure). Next play them in a quiet area of the park, or just outside the house on the sidewalk. Game 1. Check Me Out! You will need some of your dog’s kibble (or some treats) and a leash or long line when practicing out and about. Toss a treat away from you and allow your dog to get it and eat it. The moment they lift their head up from the floor, say “YES!” and immediately toss another piece of food in the opposite direction. Repeat this a few times and notice how your dog will begin to look up at you the minute he's got the treat to see where the next treat is coming from! Do this for 2-3 minutes. Soon your dog will want to be checking in with you all the time because keeping an eye on you and coming in close is great fun and a great deal! Game 2. Chase Me, Fido! Equipment as for Game 1. This time drop the treat by your feet, to the side of you. As your dog looks for it and eats it walk smartly away from them. As they lift their head call their name … when they come running to you say “YES!” and as they reach you drop another treat by your feet, walking off again. Pretty soon your dog is going to be scarfing that bit of kibble and following you pretty darn quick … you will soon find that you have to jog away pretty quick with them hot on your heels. Play this off leash in the yard or on a long line out and about. Game 3. Middle! I love this game because not only does it get your dog coming in nice and close, they will actually end up in a great, secure position that enables you to catch hold of their collar or put on their leash should you need to. It is also a position that many dogs love because they feel safe. Check out the video below to get started. Practice these three games for just a few minutes each day and see the difference in your dog's focus and desire to listen and respond to you!
For more help with Recall (or any other struggle) don’t forget to take advantage of my free 30 minute Discovery Call. Over recent weeks several people have asked me for help with dogs that were growling and, in some cases, snapping or nipping when they were approached when eating or if they had something they shouldn’t and were asked to give it up. This is commonly known as Resource Guarding. It is something that is often misunderstood, and as a result mismanaged which can lead to some major issues. So, in this post I wanted to spend some time breaking down some of the myths, unravelling the why’s and providing some tips and strategies for helping your dog realize he doesn’t need to guard things. First of all I am really passionate about dispelling this myth, which sadly is still being bandied about both on-line and in person. A lady came to me last year because her dog was growling whenever anyone came in the room, not even near the bowl, while her dog was eating. Distressed, she told me that she had done everything right from the beginning, just as the breeder had instructed. Sadly, she had been told by that breeder, that she and family members (including the kids!!) should put their hands in the bowl and fiddle with the food, while the dog was eating. This was almost certainly a huge factor contributing to his feeling the need to guard his food. I mean if you stop to think about it, how would you feel if every time you sat down to enjoy your supper, someone came up and started taking food off your plate? Or even just played with it. To be absolutely blunt I would feel pretty pissed if you did that to me! I would complain and ask you not to do it (growl) and if you persisted, you’d probably get a slap! (Bite). So, please don’t fall for that old chestnut! Your dog, just like you, wants to enjoy his supper, and he has the right to do so uninterrupted. Putting your hands in his bowl, taking it away or even asking him to leave it (just because you can), will not teach him manners or to share. It teaches him that his food is in great danger of being taken away, causing him to be anxious, vigilant and ready to protect his belongings. Of course, we can and should teach our dog to come away from things, even food, and to ‘leave it’ … but not at meal times! Train that separately., Another misconception is that dogs, either in multi-dog households or on playdates, should know how to share their things, toys especially. The idea that a dog should share a toy and engage in co-operative play – like sharing a tug toy and pulling each other back and forth happily with no altercation – whilst possible for some dogs, isn't the norm. We often have very unrealistic expectations of our dogs and the idea that they will share toys and play like human children, or even need toys in order to play with each other and enjoy themselves, is one of those unrealistic expectations. Dog play is more about chasing, rough and tumble and just mooching about together, taking turns and taking breaks from each other. Now, I am not saying dogs never engage in this way, I had two Springers who took great delight in finding the biggest lump of driftwood or a branch and taking an end each quite happily – on one occasion they put me flat on my back having taken my feet from under me with a six foot piece of drift wood! I am just saying we shouldn’t expect it from every dog, or try to enforce it, especially when the dog has made it clear that they aren’t comfortable doing so! Another little thing to be aware of when you have a new puppy – if you don’t want the puppy to have it, don’t leave it out! Young puppies investigate everything with their mouth. When they are teething, think of it as pain relief. When they are bored, it passes the time. Some breeds like German Shepherds need to chew because it helps develop and strengthen the muscles that make those huge floppy puppy ears stand up properly like a grown up! Bottom line is, dogs chew. It’s normal dog behaviour. Now, if you just leave things lying around, your puppy doesn’t come with a manual that says you can chew these things but not those things. He will investigate them all and he will chew. If you then chase him, he will run (great game for him!) He will then likely pick up more things because who doesn't like a game of chase? If you continually force things from his mouth and take them away he will quickly learn that anything he has possession of will be taken away so he must guard it with everything he’s got. So we trade, and we always trade for something better, so he learns instead that giving things to a human when asked is always better than keeping it. Contrary to what you may have been told we are not rewarding him for picking it up ... the very last thing he did before he got the reward was ... he gave it up. Giving it to you was what earned the reward. Nor will it encourage him to pick things up more often. Actually picking it up and having it in his mouth didn't get a reward, there was no chase involved or lots of high arousal verbiage from you which he could find rewarding. Pick your battles. My dog isn’t a guarder … he’ll happily retrieve toys to hand and will even give you his stuffed Kong if he can’t be bothered to hold it himself to get the last bits of food out. But, if he has a used tissue (gross), or a bit of roadkill then that isn’t going to be handed over willingly. It’s a battle that I am not prepared to get into, nor do I need to. I know that he won’t try to swallow these things, he seems to just want to carry them home. So, we have developed a strategy of taking it home and depositing it on the doorstep, before going inside and getting a really yummy treat! He does know leave it, but that requires me to spot things before he does. I am short sighted and a bit of a day dreamer sometimes! He doesn't wear a muzzle because generally he doesn't find these things or pick up random stuff. So, it really is about knowing your dog, and finding a solution that works for you, and the more you can trade rather than just grabbing stuff away, then the less likely the guarding will escalate. But, what to do if you have a dog that picks stuff up, won’t let go and will likely try to ingest it no matter what it is? Two things. Condition your dog to wear a muzzle when out walking, so he can’t pick stuff up (management). Teach a ‘leave it’ cue. And I suggest a ‘drop it’ cue too! Ok, three things! Teach these separately and start off practicing with things your dog doesn’t find highly valuable, and in a quiet, low distraction environment – not whilst out walking when he takes a dive for that discarded pork chop bone on the sidewalk! Practice FOR the situation, not IN it! Ok, so you didn’t take his food, you always allowed him to eat his meals in peace. You had a scrupulous clear floor policy when he was young, so he didn’t get illegal chew items, get chased or have things forced out of his mouth every five minutes. But even so he guards his food, or toys or even a space on the couch … or all of the above. Is he just a brat? Is he being dominant? NO! For many dogs, possession is the law! Some breeds are genetically wired to guard things. And, let’s face it, it’s a survival instinct especially when it comes to food. Other dogs are just generally anxious and feel like the world is out to get them, they are hypervigilant and often guard things or places that make them feel safe. In the case of guarding a spot on the couch it's worth mentioning that it could simply be undiagnosed chronic pain and not resource guarding at all! Getting off when asked or being sat next to may be associated with getting hurt and so the growl is more of a 'please don't make me move/hurt me' request rather than, 'This is mine, leave it alone.' What can you do if you already have a dog that seems to guard one or more things? Safety first – look at management. Set up your home and environment to reduce the risk. Don’t allow opportunities to practice guarding, or put your dog in a position that he feels he needs to do it.
Training. Train your dog a drop it and leave it! I also LOVE Steve Mann’s game, To The Fridge. This is a great way to get your dog to come running to you, whatever he is doing and then trade his illegal item for a better one! Download my handout that explains how. There are many factors that influence the degree to which a dog will guard something and the outcome, and these things will always be in flux.
Because Resource Guarding can sometimes be very complex these simple management and training techniques may not be enough in some cases, and a more careful and systematic approach may be required. If your dog is struggling with feeling that his possessions are under threat of being taken away, and these simple first aid measures are not enough, or if you are finding it difficult to implement them, then please do reach out to me. Please don’t struggle along hoping for the best as, unfortunately resource guarding can very quickly generalize from guarding just one thing, like food, to guarding everything in the house! You can book a FREE, 30-minute Discovery Call with me by clicking the button below, let us both work together to help your dog. Separation Anxiety (S.A.) is a syndrome, or a group of signs, that a dog displays due to a panic crisis triggered by the phobia of being left alone. Therefore, those signs are just a manifestation of the dog’s underlying panic of the situation, and completely out of his control at that moment. - Dr Moira Hechenleitner. DVM, CSAT S.A. is surprisingly common in our furry companions. Research by Flannigan & Dodman 2001 indicated that it was one of the most common canine behaviour problems. Another study, more recently in 2020, by Luciana de Assis et al, found that just over 22% - 55% of the general dog population suffered from S.A. and those dogs made up 14% - 40% of behaviour referral cases overall. Separation Anxiety is considered a serious welfare issue, not just because of the physical and emotional suffering of the dog, that is hard enough to witness. But because it threatens their ability to thrive and even survive. They risk losing their home, being surrendered to shelters or euthanized. In New Zealand in 2014 findings were published (R. Sargisson) that separation anxiety related problem behaviours were among the most common reasons given for surrendering a dog to the shelters. As always there are many myths that you may have read or been told by well meaning family, friends or even the neighbor who’s uncle’s best friend lives near a dog expert. I want to quickly highlight these, and dispute them, for two reasons. First, they may make you feel there is no hope or help, they may even make you feel guilty, like it was something you did wrong. Second, you could end up making things worse for both you and the dog, because someone told you the dog was attention seeking or being naughty. Third, none of these myths or pieces of ‘advice’ fail to give you anything actually useful or encourage you to seek help, or even where to look for it! Let’s look at the most popular ones I see bandied about on the internet.
What does Separation Anxiety look like? The types of behaviours and their severity will vary between individual dogs. Whining, howling, barking, pacing, panting, drooling. The dog may eliminate in the house, you may find puddles of drool or wet bedding from either of those. Chewed and scratched window and door frames where, in their panic to find their human, they have tried to escape. Destroying other items and furniture, after all chewing is a calming behaviour. But whilst it may take the edge off in the moment, it doesn’t make the dog feel totally comfortable with being alone. They may do just one of these or all of them. If they are displaying these behaviours it doesn’t mean, automatically, that it is S.A! Boredom, lack of stimulation, noise sensitivity can all be a trigger for these same behaviours. So, suffice to say it really is best to ask for some help, at least to assess your dog and determine whether or not it is Separation Anxiety or something else because obviously the solution or treatment would be very different. Of course we can absolutely do things when our puppies are young to reduce the risk, or rather help them feel that alone time is nothing to worry about and I encourage that all the time in my puppy program. But, as we’ve learned, that doesn’t guarantee they won’t struggle and if they do it isn’t because we failed. Treating Separation Anxiety does take time, commitment and will require some support. It’s about setting things up in such a way, and progressing gradually through tiny, carefully managed steps, so that our dog never needs to feel that panic. So where do you look for that help? At The Good Dog Academy we are pleased to be able to offer an affordable program via our affiliation with Dr. Hechenleitner. You can sign up for her online self-paced, self-study, Separation Anxiety Program. By signing up through us at The Good Dog Academy you will also benefit from some one-on-one support from us when you ever need it. If you think that your dog may be suffering from Separation Anxiety, and you would like to know more click the button below. Disclaimer: As an affiliate for Dr Hechenleitner's program, I earn a small commission from the sale of her course when booked through us.Alternatively, contact me directly via this button
When a dog is stealing food from the kitchen counter, my first suggestion is – restrict access to the kitchen and keep the countertop completely clear. This is the one thing that is often met with resistance. “But I shouldn’t have to, he just needs to learn to stop doing it.”
The thing is, it is his brain that makes him do it! Honestly! They don’t consciously think, “I am going in that kitchen to look up on the counter get some food.”
So, let’s take a look at this scenario, what is happening in the brain, and why management is key.
Firstly, the smell of chicken is carried directly to the Amygdala, where it is processed and deemed to be very pleasing, and this conclusion is passed on to the appropriate part of the Cortex. Here the decision is made to jump up and get the chicken, signals are sent to individual neurons who then send out action signals to the body. Now here’s the crucial bit. Neurons are very talkative. When they get some great info they can’t wait to share it with other neurons! Each time our dog does the behaviour, the neurons chatter more loudly and tell even more neurons. Think of it like strings of lights along a dark path … at first a single strand lighting the way from the smell of chicken to paws on the counter. The next time the dog goes in the kitchen he checks the countertop, and he finds more food. Now those neurons are chatting excitedly, and another string of lights just flickered on. Pretty soon that pathway is so well lit, the dog cannot help but check out the counter every time he’s in the kitchen, even if there is no rewarding food … just the possibility there may be some is reinforcing enough, but that is a chat for another day!
This is what we call a Neural Pathway, and it’s now very well lit. The dog is habitually checking out the counter all the time, and we want him to stop doing that and keep his feet on the floor.
We can begin to teach him to do that, but it will take a while for that pathway to be as well lit. If he continues to practice jumping up, more neurons will add more lights along the old path, the new path is always going to be weaker. But, if we reduce the opportunity to jump up at the counter when he is unsupervised, then those neurons begin to quieten, one by one the strings of lights go out along that path allowing the new path to shine brighter making it easier to follow! The good news – management might simply be investing in a baby gate, closing the kitchen door, or crate training him so that he settles happily there when he can’t be supervised. Best news – management can usually be reduced, or even removed, once the new pathway is well lit! Over the last few months I have had several people ask me for help regarding their dogs growling when they have a particular toy, juicy bone or piece of food. Understandably they worry that their dog is aggressive or that their dog is going to bite them or another dog. So, today I thought I would break that all down a bit, explain what it is, why it happens and how we can respond to it to ensure that things don’t escalate into our worst nightmare! So, what is going on and why does our dog do this? Well, first of all, let me re-assure you … your dog is not being aggressive! He’s not being rude, naughty or stubborn. This is what is known as resource guarding and put very simply it happens when our dog has a toy, piece of food or any item at all, that is extremely valuable to him, and he is concerned that he may loose it. So, he feels he needs to protect it. That is it in a nutshell, and I really want to hold on to that thought as we move on. His growl is, in dog language, giving a polite warning that he isn’t comfortable with anyone being near him right now for whatever reason. In this particular case, he’s politely asking that we give him space to carry on enjoying the toy or food that we gave him. He probably already tried to tell us by glancing up, showing the white of his eyes. His body may have gone tense and he may have become very still. If we were a dog, we would have understood. But, we’re human and on the whole those subtle signals can go way under our radar because they are so subtle. and well … they’re not annoying or embarrassing! Or maybe we noticed them but didn’t understand those little whispers so our dog had to say it a little louder but still being polite. The other day I was watching some Muskrats out on the lake ... Hey ho, where is this going? I can hear you saying! Stay with me folks! we had a thin layer of ice on the lake so they hung around most of the day diving for clams and weed, bringing them up to sit quietly on the ice and enjoy them in the sunshine. There were three of them, and they all sat at some distance apart. One of the Muskrats came up from a dive with a huge motherload of juicy weed which he settled to enjoy and immediately one of the others decided that he wanted a share and ran across to claim what he considered to be his portion. The diver froze like a statue. The younger one continued toward the prize, ignoring the subtle signal. There was some chattering, but still he approached. The first Muskrat then had no choice but to chase him off, even nipping at his tail before going back to his stash when the younger one, realising that sharing wasn’t on the agenda, went back to his own ‘space.’ As I watched, I commented to my husband how amusing they were. I didn’t find this scene worrying, annoying or dangerous. I accepted that they were animals behaving perfectly normally in this situation. So here is a question to ponder. Why do we feel upset, worried or angry when our dogs act in the same way? One of the things is fear. If we live with more than one dog, we fear that one of the dogs that we love dearly will get hurt. We fear it will escalate to an all-out fight, and this isn’t without merit. Generally, we want a peaceful household and for everyone to get along. We also fear that our dog is becoming aggressive, or that other people will label them so. It goes without saying that we don’t want this to happen and we will come on to how we can prevent it happening and how to respond but, for now, another thought to hold onto. Ok so now, this is the fun bit, I want to take you on a little journey, a little meditation. I would ask you to close your eyes but then you wouldn’t be able to read this so I won’t go that far. But, let’s say you get nice and comfortable and as you read this, imagine you are right there, feeling and experiencing every little detail. Are you ready? Then I will begin. Let us imagine that I have taken you to a very special restaurant. It’s your favorite place to go and you don’t go there often. We are sitting in a lovely quiet booth, and in front of you I place a large platter upon which is your most favorite food ever, something really special that you don’t eat every day. It is a rare and wonderful treat. It might be something like those wonderful Rolled Gold chocolate fudge covered pretzels that you only get at Christmas time. It might be the thickest, juiciest steak, or maybe a huge lobster – imagine we’re at the Red Lobster! The smell of the food is making your mouth water and you are looking forward to enjoying every single mouthful. You begin to eat. Your body begins to release those wonderful feel good hormones and you feel like you are in your own little world. You’re not just eating food, you are immersed in a whole experience that is sheer bliss. I am quietly sitting next to you . Suddenly, I reach out my hand and I start to stroke your hair and tickle your ears. What are you feeling now? Notice those feelings. Perhaps you feel a little uncomfortable, annoyed even? Next, I run my hand down your arm toward your hand. What am I doing? Am I going to steal that delicious food? By now you might be feeling a little anxious, edgy even. You might become very still hoping that I will notice and stop. But I don’t. Now you might be feeling quite annoyed … you have tried to show me that you don’t like it but I didn’t notice. You know me very well, why would I give you something and then make out like I am going to take it away? Am I really going to take the food away … I am certainly not taking any notice of your body language. How does that feel for you right now? My hand gets nearer to yours. Uh oh, I really am going to take your treat away! What now? I haven’t got the message, you need to ask me more clearly but you don’t want to be rude. Perhaps you say, “Go away” or, “Leave me alone please.” At this point I become angry. I say “NO!” or, “Bad Person!” and I take the treat away. Hold on to that feeling as I count to three … only kidding! How does this make you feel? Are you confused? You asked politely to be left alone to enjoy your treat … that I gave you, that you understood to be yours alone to keep, and I ignored you when you asked me to leave you alone. And, to add insult to injury, I got angry and told you off, and took away your treasure! How do you feel about me? Can I be trusted anymore? I am your best friend in the world, but I got angry when you were asking nicely and then I took away your treat. What did you learn? Did you learn that perhaps you were correct to be concerned you might lose your treat and would have to guard it? Perhaps you learned that I can be an unpredictable friend who gets cross for no reason that you know of. Maybe you now think that other things may be taken from you, not just special treats, and now you feel you might need to guard those as well. Can you see how easily this can escalate into a bigger problem? So, as I mentioned before, let’s look at how best we can handle this situation. First, we have established that it is perfectly normal animal behaviour to guard something that we value highly and fear we may lose. I say ‘we’ because yes, we do it too! Be honest how many of you guiltily take the last cookie from the tin and go off to eat it somewhere where no-one will see or disturb you? I will just share one more little story. On one occasion I was eating my favorite dish, butter chicken, in an airport VIP lounge. The server kept hovering near me, clearly wanting to clear my plate away, which indeed started to irk me somewhat. When I popped my knife and fork down momentarily to take a drink, she briskly whisked my plate away – with food still on it! Yes, I was a little snappy in my response! Maybe we should begin by teaching our dog that their food won’t get whisked away, that he doesn’t have to guard it all the time from us … or any other family member. That simply means find a safe quiet place for your dog to have his special treat, somewhere where no-one will disturb him. If you have more than one dog that might mean investing in a baby gate to keep them apart, or feed them in separate rooms – this is a good idea if they tend steal from each other, prevention is better than cure when it comes to resource guarding. Quite frankly, when it is dog/dog resource guarding I would opt for this every time for safety, or better - to prevent it occurring in the first place. If you have small children this is a good idea too. For older children, you might mark out a no-go area around the dog’s ‘place’ with some sticky tape on the floor and teach the children that when the dog is in his space they should not go over the line or bother him. Always set everyone up for success. As you go about your business and pup is in his space with his treasure, toss another small tasty morsel toward him without interacting at all. This will show him that although you might be moving around or going near the area, you are not a threat … in fact you are quite the opposite, you bring more goodies! Again this builds trust and confidence, reducing the need to guard. Don’t try to take stuff away just because you feel you are entitled to, or because you have been told by someone – with the best intentions – that this will teach your dog he has to share and 'be a nice dog.' The latter is actually old style teaching that emerged from the old dominance/hierarchy/pack leader theories which have long since been debunked by more modern research, and all it teaches him is that he will lose his prize and he is right to guard it. If you really must end the blissful experience because you need to take him somewhere, or for some other justifiable reason, then try to set it up so that he choses to leave the item of his own free will. You can pick the item up later if you need to, but on some occasions leave the item where it is so that when he comes back he can go back to it, he will be even more willing to leave it next time. My favorite way to get a dog to choose me over something else is to get a toy or another small piece of food. Next, I turn slightly away from the dog and give that toy/food my absolute attention. I hold it in my hands like a fragile baby bird! I whisper, and coo to this small treasure in my hands … pretty soon the dog will come see what I have and we share the moment, play with the toy, give tiny pieces of the food if that’s what I chose. At this point, when I have the dog’s full attention, I gently move away in the direction I need to go, encouraging the dog to follow me. You can even practice this little game and then send him back to the item he left, further reinforcing the idea that it isn’t going to be taken away thus building even more confidence and trust. With my own dog I followed this protocol and he soon learned that he didn’t have to guard his bone – that was the one thing he would guard when we first rescued him. He doesn’t have big bones now, he seems to have lost interest in those. But, he does like a kong stuffed with green tripe which he will often bring to me, still full, to hold so that he can really get at it because he knows that I won’t take it away. And, we get to share this wonderful experience together! Have you ever smelled green tripe? ** It goes without saying that if your dog has got hold of something that is dangerous and you need to take it from him then you should do so immediately, in the safest way possible. Training a 'Leave it' and a 'Drop it' are essential life skills which will help reduce these occasions. Learn and practice these often, FOR the situation rather than waiting for the situation to happen! Teaching a 'Leave It' is covered in my Good Dog Level 1, online course To teach a 'Drop It' I love the way Chirag Patel teaches this and it is the method I use.
Deciding what to feed your dog can be a nightmare and it seems that, rather than helping, the plethora of information available to us leaves us feeling even more unsure. So who, or what, do you trust? Your Veterinarian? The Food Manufacturer? Or the article you found on Facebook or somewhere else on the internet? Furthermore, why does it matter?
Well, firstly it matters very much because research and studies on our own eating habits and diet have shown to have some huge effects on our own health and have also be proven to have an effect on behaviour too. Not surprisingly, this has also tipped over into animal research as well. After all, if our dietary habits can affect our health and behaviour then why should other mammals be any different. From a health point of view research into canine health is showing some alarming statistics: In the UK Canine Diabetes is up by a whopping 900%. Studies in North America show Canine Obesity up by 60%. Even worse, Cancer kills 1 in 2 dogs which is higher than in any other species on the planet. A study on Golden Retrievers has shown that only 10% of cancers result from genetics … the remaining 90% of cases are linked to lifestyle and environment. This particular study is the largest of it’s kind so far and whilst things like infection, obesity, stress and toxins account for much of that 90% of cases it has also been found, both in this study and several others, that 30-40% of cancers can be prevented by dietary changes. (Jo-Rosie Haffenden, School of Canine Science) More encouragingly, a Norwegian study of more that 7000 animals found that dogs who had a non-traditional diet of fresh foods that included fruits and vegetables almost doubled their lifespan. Another study of Adult Scottish Terriers, done at the Purdue University, showed that the addition of fresh leafy greens and yellow-orange veggies added to the conventional diet just three times a week decreased the risk of developing transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the urinary bladder b more than 50%. (Raghavan M., Knapp D.W., Bonney P.W., Dawson M. H., Glickman L. T. (2005). Evaluation of the effect of dietary vegetable consumption on reducing risk of transformational cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder in Scottish Terriers. Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette). Another element that adds to our desire to find a more natural, and healthy, diet for our dogs are the numerous recalls of branded, processed foods over the past few years. Well known brands like Pedigree, Cesar and Purina have all been recalled at some point by the FDA for having things like metal shards and pieces of plastic found in them, and Purina had a huge lawsuit filed against them by some 3000 plus dog owners who claimed their dog had fallen ill and died after eating Beneful. Another well known brand of tinned food was found to contain a euthanasia drug in the ingredients. Even Blue Buffalo was hauled up for claiming that their grain free food had no by-products when, in fact, it was found to have poultry by-product and corn in it! (Recalls & Withdrawals, U.S Food and Drug Administration website, Animal and Veterinary/ Safety and health) From a behavioural stance, there have been numerous studies on the dietary effects on mood and behaviour. We have all heard of the neurotransmitter, Serotonin. Serotonin is responsible for our good mood … think Prozac. Prozac has been prescribed to help both humans and dogs with anxiety and depression for decades and for just about as long we have believed that the brain is responsible for the production of Serotonin. However, almost 95% of Serotonin is found in the gut. The John Hoskins Hospital has done research that suggests that IBS in humans can actually be the cause of anxiety and depression for many rather than, as previously thought, the other way around! Given that our dog's digestive system isn’t so very different from our own then we can’t discount the idea that gut pain or imbalances wouldn’t affect their mood too, and in turn, their capacity to learn. So, given all that information how do we decide what is best for our dog? There are some pretty strong arguments out there … people strongly advocating RAW and BARF diets, some veterinarians pushing you toward Science Diets – which usually come at a high price. Now, I am not a nutritionist and I am not a vet. However, most vets are not nutritionists either and are often led by the dog food manufacturers just as we are. But, in the end we all want what is best for our dogs. We also need to consider our own constraints. Budget … what can we afford, realistically? What is practical for us? If we have small children running around then leaving bowls of raw meat, fish and veggies lying around just isn’t going to work! What about traveling? For those who routinely travel with their dogs then keeping raw food fresh/frozen is difficult, we need easy and convenient but nutritious. So, taking all of the above into account, the recommendation is to find a suitable base food. That can be raw, wet or kibble according to what is going to work for you. Then replace just 25% of the daily portion of that food with fresh veggies and fruit for just three meals PER WEEK. Just that small adjustment can be enough to make a difference. To find that suitable base food, here are some tips:
Last of all, but no less important … it’s not just what you’ve got, it’s what you do with it! Our dogs are natural scavengers. The Seeking System (coined by Jaak Panksepp, Affective Neuroscience) is a core emotional system that is essential to our dog’s well being, both physically and mentally. So once you have decided what to feed your dog for optimum health join me in the next post and see how you can further enhance his general welfare by serving it up a little less traditionally! Those six words can evoke various emotions when we hear them, relief, frustration even anger. And, I suppose that all sounds very odd really on the face of it. I mean, if a dog is hurtling toward you at full pelt those words should allay your worst fears right?
Wrong! For anyone that has an anxious or fearful dog with them, these words provoke all kinds of negative emotions. Fear. Fear that their dog is going to get hurt. Fear that their dog is going to react badly and hurt the other dog. Fear that they will be shouted at, told their dog "shouldn't be allowed out" or that they 'should have more control over their aggressive dog." Even worse is the fear that they may be reported, their dog taken from them or that they may even be ordered to put their dog to sleep! Anger and Frustration. Can't they see my dog is scared? Can't they see I'm struggling to contain a whirling dervish on a three foot leash? Why can't people train their darn dogs? For guardians in this position every day can be stressful. Of course I often say to such guardians that if this is all too stressful for both them and their dog there is nothing wrong with not going for a walk. Providing mental and physical exercise is provided, along with companionship at home, there is nothing wrong in ditching the walks. It doesn't make you a bad owner, on the contrary. But even those guardians, at some point, need to go out with their dog if they are to successfully work with them to help them feel better. But what of those guardians and their dogs who actually enjoy a walk for the most part? What of those dogs that are completely at ease, even in the face of dogs in the distance but can't cope with a rambunctious stranger who gets right in their face? The dog that won't back off when our dog politely stiffens or glares at them, or looks the other way to say, "I don't want to interact with you." Should they be denied an enjoyable quiet walk enjoying each other's company and trying to mind their own business? I don't class my dog as particularly reactive. He likes to potter with other dogs that he is familiar with. He likes those particular dogs because they are much like him. They say 'hello', have a sniff and then go about their own business, occasionally checking in with each other to compare notes on the quality of the rabbit poop in that part of the bush. He is older now and stiff with a little arthritis. Highly aroused, pushy dogs spell physical pain to him. Confronted with an unknown dog, head on at high speed is something he can't deal with at all now, and usually this will result in him giving a firm growl, which if ignored by the rude intruder will then escalate to an air snap. That doesn't make him bad mannered or aggressive. To be perfectly frank if someone came running toward me in the bush or in town ... tongue hanging out, leaping around, flinging their arms around me and sniffing my hair I would probably scream! AND, if that didn't make them stop I would most likely slap them! Does that make me aggressive? Bad mannered? Should I not be allowed out in public? Of course not! If said person running at me had a companion with him who shouted, "It's ok, he's friendly" would it make me feel any better about being hugged and sniffed by this total stranger? NOPE! I may tolerate it out of fear of embarrassing myself but would I like it? No, in all honesty I would hate it, I can feel myself getting tense just writing this. So why should our dog feel any different? So back to my original thought track ... when you are the guardian of such a dog in this scenario you are much more likely to feel frustrated or even angry with this other person. Now if that sounds familiar read on ... I can help! 1. Change the way we think. First of all it is easy to think that the other guardian is rude, has no consideration, is selfish and all those other things. The truth is that most guardians don't call their dogs either because all the dogs they have ever owned haven't been anxious or fearful of other dogs. They think, quite naturally, that all dogs love to play with one another - they really have no idea that some dogs don't like it for whatever reason. We only know what we know right? There are also those that just can't recall their dog because the dog hasn't been trained to come when called. That is frustrating but sadly you cannot control what other people do or don't do with their dog. It may be that they are trying to train their dog but aren't quite getting it right and don't have any help. Again they may be doing the best that they can ... but we only know what we know! Finally, it could be that today, even though their recall is normally pretty solid, the guardian made a misjudgment. They didn't see you and the dog was already off before they noticed. Their mind was somewhere else because their elderly mom is sick and they're worried. The dog may have been a little overwhelmed with events that happened just previously making him unusually unresponsive to the recall. The I'm Friendly mantra is offered in this case, is a genuine attempt to allay your fears whilst they try desperately to get hold of their dog. Trust me, I've said it before now in the past for that reason and I know a very experienced trainer who was in a similar embarrassing position. We are all human and none of us perfect all the time (although I come pretty close - kidding!) The thing is we don't know for sure why they don't recall their dog, but if we get cross it doesn't really help us or our dog in that situation. Also it doesn't help us get over it, for want of a better phrase. Instead we go home seething and stew on it. We adopt a Threat Mindset, that walks are too stressful, we have no control and so it goes on. Try to accept that there are several possible reasons and you have no control over what other people do. Try to think of these scenarios in terms of what you could do to get you and your dog out of the situation next time. Now you have a Challenge Mindset and this gives you the power to take control and find solutions. 2. Train your dog a solid "Let's get out of here" Train and practice daily at home, on walks when there is no oncoming dog. Practice so that the minute you run your hand down the leash and turn your dog understands that as a cue and turns with you, no questions asked! 3. Train your dog to come to Middle, a nice safe place to be ... again train and practice for the situation before trying to ask for it in the situation. 4. Throw treats down just in front of the oncoming dog. Well known trainer Patricia McConnell actually tested this on several dogs (hers and friend's). She called the dogs to her and then threw down treats down on the grass in front of them ... they all stopped to investigate! This won't necessarily make them go away but it will buy you time to increase the distance and get to a safer place with your dog. Again you need to practice being able to throw treats forward without your dog rushing forward ... a nice 'Let's Go!' turn and throw behind you is perfect! 5. Look for something that will create a barrier. A tree or bush, a parked vehicle, a trail off to the side. Anywhere that you can 'disappear' so that when the dog looks up again he can't see you and hopefully decides not to investigate further but return to his own guardian. Or, carry a pop up umbrella. You will need to get your dog used to the thing, and used to you popping it up in front of him. Once in Middle, you can pop the umbrella up in front of you. Sometimes the thing popping up in front of the other dog is enough to surprise him and stop him in his tracks. Again it is a barrier that your dog can disappear behind. This can make him feel calmer because he can't see the oncoming dog and, because your dog disappeared, the other dog will often give up too! Finally! Use your voice. If the guardian is one of the 'all dogs like to play' brigade then a clear instruction - "Please Call your dog/put him on leash" will suffice. Clear requests or instructions will most likely be listened to whereas explanations about why may dilute the request or even be counter argued with the ever popular, 'don't worry, perhaps my dog will learn if he gets told off by your dog' As I said my dog is not particularly reactive, and certainly not aggressive BUT I have been known to counter the, "My dog's Friendly" with, "Mine isn't!" - amazingly most people grab their dog pretty quick! It feels a little like I am betraying him, painting him to be something he isn't. BUT, I would rather that than put him in a situation where he feels uncomfortable to the point that he feels the need to defend himself! If you have a reactive dog and find walks stressful why not contact me? I can show you how to implement these methods and more ... it really doesn't have to be stressful if you can find an ally to support you and find what works for you. |
AuthorRona Gregory has always had dogs but it wasn't until Lucky turned up in a snowbank one January that her dog training journey really took off! Archives
September 2022
Categories
|