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Making You & Your Dog Happier

Can’t say ‘Walkies’? Why not?

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Walkies safety John Guillain ImagesDoes the ‘W’ word strike craziness into your dog? When it is time to get the lead and harness out, does he go bonkers, hurling himself around the hallway like a whirlwind?

It can be exhausting and frustrating for us. After all, we want to get on our way, but that daft dog won’t sit still!

If this is your household, you are not alone. I meet many people who start to say the ‘Walkies’ word and then stop and ssh themselves in horror. They are slaves to this simple bit of English!

The good news is, there is an easy and straightforward solution. You will need: Yourself, your dog, a helper (not essential but will be a bit help), some treats, and a clicker if you use it.

First of all, decide that everyone in the family will teach the dog the same rules. It is best to make sure your dog learns a consistent lesson, otherwise he will confuse everyone’s signals and make mistakes.

Choose a place where you want your dog to sit happily to have his lead and harness put on. Most owners use a special mat for this, or maybe the bottom step of the stairs if your dog will fit! Hold a treat in your hand and encourage him to sit in this place. Say ‘Good Dog’ and give the treat. Let him move away, then call him back again, repeating the above until he is diving onto that place ready for his treat!

Next, whilst he stays sitting, start to attach his lead. If he wriggles about, be gentle but remind him to sit. When he does stay calmly, tell him ‘Good Dog’ and give another treat. Repeat this until you can easily attach his lead.
Ask your helper to hold the lead, or hold it yourself. Begin asking the dog to stay sitting whilst you move towards the door. You only need take a small step at first, before returning to your dog, ‘Good Dog’ and another treat.
(Note: You are only offering some tasty nibbles for this training, so your dog will not get fat! Simply reduce his dinner a small amount, and do not overfeed him with other snacks).

Finally, you can begin opening the door whilst your dog stays calmly seated with the helper (or you) holding the lead. Always return to your dog, praise and give him a treat. This builds up a reliable, calm behaviour around the door without your dog learning to make mistakes.

Happy WALKIES!
Photo by John Guillain Images www.jagimages.co.uk

Karen’s new book ‘Being a dog’ is available on PRE-ORDER here!

Being a Dog: The world from your dog’s point of view

 

 

Let dogs be dogs – not wolves!

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Firm fair dog trainingI received an email last week from a gentleman who was very worried about his dog’s behaviour. He had watched a TV show about dogs where the presenter, self-appointed dog expert, was telling the viewers that they should teach their dogs to respect them by being ‘dominant’.

He reeled off a list of things he had read, treating his dog like a ‘wolf’. Eating before his dog. Walking through the doors before his dog. Ignoring his dog when he came home. And yet, his dog was still pulling on the lead, was still not seeing him as ‘pack leader’. He admitted he had tried copying the ‘Sssst’ noise and jabbing his dog on the neck when the dog misbehaved. Nothing was working.

What could he do?

This is a genuinely nice owner, wanting the best for his dog. He was blaming himself for what he saw as his dog’s ‘lack of respect’. He loved to cuddle his dog but from his research he had been told not to allow his dog on the sofa, something that he and his dog both loved to do. ‘I have spoiled him’ was the gent’s biggest concern.

How could we and our dogs really enjoy each others’ company if we are supposed to be treating them like submissive underlings, punishing them with a jab (or even a kick to the ribs – watch the dog TV programme with the volume muted to see, if you don’t believe me)?

The premise that dogs live in a pack, with an alpha, just like wolves, is mostly untrue. Wolves do not live like this, either. Amazed? You will be! Wolves in captivity have limited resources. As they like to roam, it seems a small area is not easy for them to adapt to.

One or two feeding times a day means that some will get very defensive over food, and places. Of course, in this situation they might be the one that gets everything first through fighting. However, when in the wild, wolves don’t live this way. They have social groups, almost like families, sharing care of their cubs and rarely fighting.

Apart from the other fact that dogs and wolves evolved separately from a single ancestor (that wasn’t a wolf, only wolf-like) and the whole theory of dogs as domesticated wolves unravels. Train them to do what you want instead, and let dogs be dogs!

Karen’s new book ‘Being a dog’ is available on PRE-ORDER here!

Being a Dog: The world from your dog’s point of view

 

 

Do you have a ‘crazy’ dog?

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crazy dog
‘There are no such thing as bad dogs, only bad owners’, so the saying goes.

Relax! I work with a huge range of dogs and owners, and the answers are not as simple as blaming the owner. Sometimes your dog is just too much of a livewire for you! Is that anyone being ‘bad’?
Do you have a dog that tends to run around the walls rather than walking sedately? Is your dog the one that bounds around the park crashing bodily into the other dogs present? Do you notice other owners stop and grip their own dogs’ leads more tightly when yours appears?

If so, don’t panic. Sit down, grab a pen and paper, and make a list.

Firstly; what age is your dog? If he is 3 or under, this could be sheer youthful exuberance. We often expect dogs to be fully mature by the time they are 1 year old, but this is not a standard measure. Adolescence continues beyond this age. Some dogs, just like some children, are bursting with energy! This doesn’t mean you are doing anything wrong. It might mean you need to be more vigilant, exercise your dog’s brain and body more than any dog you’ve owned in the past, and any of your neighbouring dogs too. If needed, employ a dog walker to get you through this stage. Above all, stay patient, and hang on in there. You chose the dog, now work with what you have!

Activity time: If your dog is always sniffing and hunting on walks, why not use this skill to give him a tiring activity that suits this ability. Rather than just throwing a toy, try hiding it and sending him over to find it? Let him see you hide it first for a few games, to help him learn what is expected. Gradually, hide it in more difficult to find places. Don’t forget where you put it! For more of challenge, ask a friend to hide the toy so that you and your active dog can play search dog. Best of all, run and hide yourself so that your dog can come and find you. Search and rescue!

Exhausted, but the dog keeps going? The key is to give your dog’s brain an activity that doesn’t mean you have to match their energy. Simple, cheap ideas include getting an old blanket or curtain and rumple up some treats inside, getting your pooch to rummage through it to find them. Slightly messier is to hide his toys or dinner or treats inside several cardboard boxes, and let him dig them out while you sit and drink your cup of tea.

It’s worth winding your dog down with a bit of calm, relaxing training. Teach your dog to lie down on a special mat or bed, rewarding him every few moments for staying there. Before long he will be concentrating hard on staying, and will be mentally worn out.

From crazy to sane again!

Karen’s new book ‘Being a dog’ is available on PRE-ORDER here!

Being a Dog: The world from your dog’s point of view

It takes a community to raise a dog

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dogs are part of our communitySuch terrible news stories appear about animal cruelty.

I am not a fan of sharing such nightmarish tales, as some of you may agree. I work with dogs but this does not mean I would like pictures of suffering delivered to my Facebook page from all over the world. However, we have to take responsibility for the actions of our community. Is there any change we can make right now, or is it a case of hoping these horrors never happen?

The lovely gent who looks after and chivvies me to send in these columns, brought to my attention the recent discovery of the body of a dog that had been violently harmed, near Yaxley. It was a dreadfully sad story, and my heart goes out to the poor person that disovered it. Not to mention the poor animal itself.

The question offered to me was, is there any other way we can trace the owners or person that did this? As you know, microchipping your dog is now compulsory (see last week’s column, and book your dog in NOW to avoid a fine).

A microchip might tell us to whom the dog belongs, but often there is no more evidence.
However, it is hard to own a dog and keep it a secret. We do not live in an isolated community where no one makes any contact. We need to go shopping, we need to leave our homes. We take our cars for fuel. More than ever before, we have social media. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Vine, and the latest Periscope… Even photos of everyone’s feet (no idea why), cars and dinner appear on these, so surely somewhere there is a picture of the dog-victim.

Please don’t imagine that we should all turn into vigilantes. Instead, can we work as a community on keeping our families safe, including the dogs. There is a strong link between abuse to animals and abuse to people, particularly children. Let’s never turn a blind eye to harm; very different to getting involved or putting yourself at risk. You can report anonymously to the RSPCA and they will deal with it. Their resources are already over-stretched, so maybe we can do more ourselves to support and help people who are struggling with their pets.

As I said to my colleague, we may not be able to find out who owns this dog, but we do know one thing. There is one person, at least one person, who knows exactly what happened.

 

 

Karen’s new book ‘Being a dog’ is available on PRE-ORDER here!

Being a Dog: The world from your dog’s point of view

Pawprint’s Ready Steady Dog syllabus goes from strength to strength!

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hugo rosettes ready steady dog

A little update to congratulate all our pups and older dogs on their recent level achievements within our unique Pawprint Ready Steady Dog training and behaviour syllabus.

The Ready Steady Dog syllabus was designed by Karen Wild who is an ASAB Certificated Clinical Animal Behaviourist and Dog trainer. It uniquely combines aspects of family dog behaviour expectations and training. Dogs and owners learn to communicate safely, learn from each other, and teach specific boundaries.

Dogs nowadays have a very difficult job. They are expected to become companions, cuddly friends, useful and obedient family members. Dogs are not born understanding these expectations, however. As a species it seems they are predisposed to work alongside people but how will they learn any of our strange human rules without gentle, clear instruction?

Karen wants family dogs to learn from the minute they arrive at their homes, so that they can stay there forever and become the lovely friend and pet we all wish for. The Ready Steady Dog levels, with a rosette of a different colour at each, shows the achievement of both dog and owner. As an experienced and well-qualified instructor, you and your dog learn the right lessons at the right time, at a pace that is easy to follow. Most of all, we have fun in classes learning in lots of different ways.

So much more than marching around in circles or just sit/stand/down!

Enrol your next puppy now, for a fantastic forever friend.

karen wild pawprint georgie level four rosette ready steady dog

Pawprint Karen Wild Ready Steady Dog