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Making You & Your Dog Happier


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Noel Edmonds supports positive dog training!

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Screen Shot 2016-05-26 at 13.16.59 I am SO excited to have been invited to write about positive dog training for Noel Edmonds’ amazingly positive site, noel.world

My article on positive dog training was invited, and posted, in less than a day.

As we all know, Noel is well-known and much loved, pursuing a noble goal of spreading more positivity in the world with his Positivity Radio app and website, where you can listen to lots of different genres, no adverts, and most of all, always buoyant and happy listening.

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Now that lovely Noel has welcomed positive dog training views under his wing, let’s spread the word even further. This is an unstoppable force, a revolution in kindness.

Positive, reward-based training for the world? DEAL!

 

Karen

 

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

 

 

All dogs need to be taught!

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amy louis pickles bonnie training

One of my dog training class members came to me yesterday, thrilled that she had been paid several compliments about her dog walking nicely next to her in the street. No jumping, no lunging. She also noted that people were complementing the dog, and not her. They said what a marvellously obedient dog he is, how calm, how well behaved. And yet, how many of us might not credit the owner for their dog’s behaviour and yet be the first to blame the owner when their dog behaves antisocially?

“If only MY dog would do that” or “My arms are pulled out of their sockets” along with shoulder and elbow damage are regular complaints from dog owners seeking help.

As my class member said truthfully to people that commented, she has been training her Labrador since he was a small puppy, regularly coming to class and practising lead walking skills whilst he was tiny, through awkward and noisy adolescence, to now. It took a year of regular effort, every day, to get this lovely calm adult dog.

On the surface these dogs look like they were born biddable, but I know differently. Maybe class isn’t the route owners all take, but they definitely have been teaching their dogs.

For better or worse, your dog is your lifetime friend. You chose the dog, brought them to your home and are responsible for their education too. We all decide how our dogs behave when they are in public. I am sorry to admit there are places locally where people tell me they will no longer take their dogs. It’s a bit like avoiding certain places late on a Friday night; they have seen and heard too many unpleasant dog and owner squabbles to feel comfortable there. The dogs involved in fights need to learn, and need to be taught, but it is so much easier when they are young and physically small. Never delay your puppy’s formal training. Playing is fun, but it has to mix with proper teaching too. Without proper teaching, playing becomes doggy punchups, and practise makes permanent.

Your new puppy needs to mix with his mates, but don’t choose the free pet shop scramble over a proper set of lessons. Start early, before the pup is too old (you need to start class between 12-20 weeks). These times can’t be replaced. Mistakes are hard to resolve.

Let’s start afresh. If you are giving something up for Lent, or deciding that a month without chocolate is your next goal (the horror!), add an aim for your dog. New Dog Makeover Month! 30 days to a new team. Let’s get teaching, kindly, for a change for the better.

No Spooky Dogs at Hallowe’en!

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halloween dogThis is Hallowe’en!

Greeted by groans from some who remember when the most we ever did was a bit of apple bobbing at Brownies, to modern day mass dressing up and garden decorations and big parties, Hallowe’en is here!

Our dogs must think we are crazy, changing appearance with masks and costumes and facepaint too. It can be fun for us, but they could find it terrifying in a way we would not welcome. Here are my tips to help them have fun without the spooky scares.

1) Trick or treat!
Sweets, sweets and more sweets. If your children come home with a huge assortment of goodies, put them out of reach from the dog. With all the excitement it is easy to leave a trick or treater’s cauldron of chocolate that will land your dog at the Vets with cocoa poisoning, or at best a stomach upset if they eat it. Make sure sweet wrappers are also put straight into an inaccessible bin. Dogs often don’t mind eating the paper even if the sweet has long since been consumed by a human.

2) Scary faces, scary places.
I once helped a family whose dog panicked at the twilight knock at the door from trick or treaters. He ran to the door and bit the child visiting, giving the poor kid an unexpected fright that Hallowe’en. If you do not normally have visitors after dark, especially not ones dressed as Dracula, keep your dog shut away with a nice tasty chew to keep him busy instead.

3) Dressing up disasters.
Your dog may not appreciate your sudden transformation into a Werewolf (a bit close to their ancestors, maybe) so don’t aim to deliberately scare him. Take the mask off and let him sniff it, let him hear that it is you, but most of all if he appears at all worried, settle him away from the excitement or don’t wear the mask when your dog is about!

4) Walk your dog in daylight.
There are likely to be plenty of little trick or treaters wandering about in the dusk, so try to give your dog a good walk earlier than normal so he does not need to meet and greet them. It will also help you remain vigilant for dropped sweets and chocolate that your dog may otherwise hoover up in the dark.

5) Doggy costumes.
Are you dressing your little devil up as a little devil? Make sure if you have chosen a costume for your dog that they do not mind wearing it! I admit my dogs will be dressing up – just a bit – this Hallowe’en. We found some soft fleece dog coats that have a special design, so they feel no different to their normal winter coats worn on cold days. The important part is that the dogs will feel no different to any normal day, and will attract nothing but smiles and doggy treats.

So, if you happen upon a mini canine swarm of Bumble bees, being walked by a Harley Quinn lookalike, that will be us. Boo!

But my dog still isn’t trained?

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training a dog like driving a carDog training is not something you just do for a few weeks at puppy class. It has to last for the life of your dog.

Train your dog to sit when another dog comes past rather than allowing him to bark and lunge. You try for a few walks but the dog still barks and lunges. Or, you might be taught to offer your dog a treat when you call him back. This works for a while, then he runs off to play with another dog, and you give up in a huff. ‘Treats don’t work’ (yes, they do, but not if you are unskilled), or someone accuses you of ‘bribing’ your dog and suggests you get a shock collar. What nonsense.

Here is an analogy that may help you organise your dog training efforts. Imagine you are learning to drive:

Beginner level is in a dual control car with a trained instructor in a car park or empty road. You learn to operate the pedals, steering wheel, speed and so on without any chance to fail. This is you and your dog on a quiet walk or at home. Lovely for you and your dog and no effort.

‘Improver’, would be same as above but on a busier road. You can drive faster, the controls become a more automatic response, with skills for later on. You finish your driving lesson feeling in control, making progress. Can you still drive the car without crashing? Well, your instructor is there to prevent that. Lessons feel like an enjoyable place to be for you and for your instructor. Dog walks should be like this, every single day.

‘Advanced’ – Learner driver on the A1 at rush hour with slip roads, roundabouts and everyone driving at 70mph or more, with no dual controls. Other drivers beeping their horns and gesticulating at you! Learner driver learns to expect horrible driving experience and most importantly, to feel utterly out of control time and time again, learning nothing useful. This is equivalent to dog owners who have problems with their dog but are not actually teaching the dog at all.

An old style punishment training method at this point would be for your instructor to yell at you and bang the dashboard in an effort to get you to drive properly, even spray you in the face with water… – but you don’t even know how to drive yet!

No training can be a quick fix. If you pick an unregistered instructor, you may be promised magical things when really the answer is to get stuck in, teach gradually and fairly, and be a good, kind and generous boss! A good teacher never lets their dog fail.

If you would like to know more about dog training fairly and with clear expectations, why not get one of Karen’s books?

What exactly IS a ‘dangerous dog’?

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bad-dog-1549051An interesting venture came to my notice recently. What appears to be a dog vigilante group, intent on naming and shaming dogs and owners for alleged dog attacks.

The organiser claims to be looking our for public interests by keeping a publicly available list of local ‘dangerous dogs’ and their owners deemed irresponsible.

Apart from huge concerns about the legality of such a list, we do have an existing legal system for reporting dogs and owners that injure or may injure people, along with other civil laws regarding dogs that may hurt other dogs. I have written assessments of dog behaviour for legal cases as well as recommendations to help a court decide what may be appropriate action within the law. Often it was a lapse in judgement, a poorly dog or owner, or a sudden, unexpected thing known as an ‘accident’.

However, these incidents can and do still happen, and need prevention, so perhaps the issue lies in definition, and perspective. All dogs can injure humans. So can cats, so can cows, so can cars! The differences lie in who is in control (and indeed, do they have control).

We are all responsible for our own dog’s behaviour, and I strongly advise you all, as dog owners, to check the laws which refer to you. More recently, control orders can be issued which include referring the dog’s owner for specific help with a registered ABTC behaviourist. This is a great move forward in recognising that help is out there and we can make changes to our dog’s behaviour.

Rather than just punishing owners, those with dogs they find hard to control can be ordered to seek proper, qualified help.

Naming and shaming groups could focus on a mistaken area of risk. The tabloid press tend to focus on specific breeds, fatal incidents with dogs, and skims over the mass of dog bites and injuries that occur from family pets. By far the majority involve family dogs and children who are reasonably familiar to the dog. By exaggerating rare incidents, we miss the genuine and real risks, that of the dog next door, the grandparent’s dog, our own dog and our own kids who when together may not get along as nicely as we would like.

My colleagues and other professionals in this job struggle against sensationalism to spread the useful safety advice to those that need to know. As you have now read this column, please go ahead and share.

A ‘dangerous’ dog is not one that looks a certain way, or is always roaring and snarling. They are someone’s family dog, a beloved pet, who is usually perfectly happy most of the time. If your dog makes a decision that may be unsafe, a warning growl, a snap, or even a lunge, don’t ignore it.

The danger is in thinking that a ‘dangerous dog’ could never be your own.