New dangerous dog legislation
March 9, 2010
From what I have read so far the new legislation will make third party insurence compulsory for all dog owners, now this sounds like a great idea to me! Why would any dog owner object to insuring their dog to protect other people and dogs, the reality is that any of our dogs are capable of injuring others, even if not deliberately, and it is a responsible action to have insurence so that anyone affected can claim compensation.
I can only hope the legislation will cover dog to dog attacks and other animals!
Currently dog wardens can only suggest that a dog wears a muzzle, unless the dog is taken to court. Dog wardens to ask people to muzzle their dogs for no reason, and it is only right that this becomes enforcable.
I have already read comments from dog owners objecting to insuring their pets third party, how can it be responsible not to?
I look forward to hearing your views?
Insurence why would I need insurence?
Pictures of another chihuahua!
March 4, 2010
Little and large
Vicky and Kezia Bulldogs have a Chihuahua friend!
Preventing or curing food possession in your dog!
March 4, 2010
Let the training begin! Here is the first step of preventing or curing food possession in any dog, any age!
Follow the steps on the clip and repeat every day for 2 weeks, if your dog is already food possessive you may need to continue for a month, it will work, if you have any questions or comments please post them?
Dry food is ideal for this process, wet food can be used, but if you have a food possessive dog please consider changing to a good quality dry food. Contact me if you want more guidance.
Please show tell all the dog owners you know about this simple method of preventing food possession, it will save lives and injury to people!
More information coming on upcoming posts, watch this space!
How I want my dog to behave around food!
March 4, 2010
When we want or don’t want a dog to behave a certain way we have to consider the outcome that we are seeking. With food possession by being clear about this result could never be more important. There are still people that believe that if we take a dogs food away from it we are proving he is seeing us as the boss, this is not so. Even the most submissive animal in a wolf pack will not give up food to a superior wolf, even the pack leader! Animals respect ownership of food, it is too dangerous not to. So must we, I would not tolerate anyone repeatedly taking food from my plate, let alone my plate of food, you might get away with it once or twice but with repetition I would become guarded and dangerous! 🙂
The reality is that when a dog is eating it is necessary that we can move near the dog without him feeling threatened or on guard, the worst case scenario is that someone trips up and lands in thd dogs bowl, and what we want is for the dog to not react negatively.
The video in this post demonstates the out come that is required, over the next posts I will teach you how to achieve this behaviour!
Please give your comments and questions!
Great Quote!
March 2, 2010
“We only preserve what we love,
we only love what we understand,
we only understand what we study.”
I don’t know the author of the above quote, and the context was for learning about ecology, but I guess it applies to anything:)
Dogs and Australia!
March 1, 2010
I am home from lovely sunny Sydney, I miss the sun already, though it is so good to see my dog and be in my own home again! Not to mention catching up with friends, family and clients!
Red, a very good friend in Sydney!
I must say a big thank you to Peter Jefferson and Kay Smith and the members and instructors of Sydney All Breeds Dog Training Club, who welcomed me so kindly on my last Sunday in Sydney! They allowed me to watch their classes which was great to see, how having gone half way round the world, they are training their dogs with similar methods to us and doing a great job. The instructors all give their time for free, and give a really professional service, making everyone feel welcome. The dogs demonstrated what a great job they are doing, they were relaxed and performed so well, as did the handlers!
I especially liked the structure, something that I have often felt missing in many similar english dog clubs, giving clear guidelines about suitable equipment, colour coding the different levels to help split the handlers into groups and keeping to about 6 or 7 in a group, a great number to ensure attention for everyone and success. They do have the advantage of always being able to train outside, a luxury that we often miss out on with our climate!
When the teaching was finished I was treated to a chat with the instructors and chocolates! How lovely it was to feel so welcome and at home so far from the UK! I gained a great insight into dog ownership in Australia.
My other top dog experience was that my son Matthew’s good friend Ryan loaned me his little Chihuahua, Red. I so appreciated having a dog with me, it made me feel much more at home! Red was delightful companion and satisfied a great desire I have had to live with a hand bag size dog! At 9 years of age, Ryan has done a great job of training Red, from retrieve to stays and coming to call Red is so good! He had taught him to hide in a shopping bag so that I could take him anywhere without anyone knowing I had a dog, he completely understood that he must keep his head down and keep still so that no one knew he was there, most useful when using the bus and taxi’s as they aren’t keen on dogs using public transport in Sydney!
Red and I shared some great walks, we both got fitter on our favourite walk from Bronte beach to Bondi along the clifftops, with views like that walking becomes so much easier, especially with the sunshining!
Ryan wanted me to teach Red how to roll over, one trick he didn’t know. What I learnt in teaching this to Red is just how bright he is, I have taught quite a few dogs to roll over, a great exercise for increasing a dog’s physical confidence, and Red learnt so quickly, in just a few sessions he was nearly doing this on command, he just needed the slightest physical signal to get him rolling! And he so loved learning, this is the first experience I have had of trianing a Chihuahua and I have to say if they are all like Red they are nearly Collie like in their desire to learn and practice!
My thanks to Ryan and Naomi for lending Red to me, he has a permanent place in my heart!
oh did I say how warm the water was?
New dog products, a short review!
January 28, 2010
I have been reading a dog magazine published in the USA today, what a good read, I just love the adverts for doggy products! From “fart free” tame the flatulence biscuits to a ridiculous Louis XVI replica of the façade of la Place Verdome, fitted with 24 carat gilded handles and feet and lined with velvet, featuring dog sleeping quarters on the lower floor and drawers on the second level. (from www.puppydeparis.fr in case you have the odd $7300 to spend on a dog bed!
And the Sonex hat, at least more affordable $18 is a polar fleece with ear pockets to keep your dogs ears warm on cold winter walks from caniswear.com
There are several great products that I would buy if I saw them in a shop! Let me know if you feel the same way and I will look into importing some?
Here are a few:
Poochie bells, a puppy toilet training aid, they look great and are a fast way to teach your puppy to make a noise when they want to go out, dogs are often more mature before they will bark or whine to go out, so this is a short cut. www.poochiebells.com
Dog print passport holder, it is really pretty! www.fluffshop.com
Brake-fast dog bowls, claim to slow down fast eaters, I would suggest feeding the dog more, fast eating equals very hungry! But in the case of rescue dogs or those prone to gastric problems go to www.brake-fast.net!
This is my favourite the Pro-collar, the answer to the lampshade collar used for post operative care in dogs. This collar is in the shape of a thick tyre, it prevents the dog turning round on operation sites, without the sharp edges of the lampshade, leaving the dog’s head free for eating and drinking and our legs free of the bruises from the lampshade! www.gandbmarketing.com
Cure or avoid your dog being possesive of food!
December 14, 2009
Preventing or curing your dog of food possession is so simple I have to let you all know, please pass this on to all the dog owners you know, there is no need for any dog to be possessive or aggressive around food! Prevention is always better than cure so a few simple steps repeated as often as necessary will keep your dog relaxed around food.
I will post a short video highlighting the steps in the next few days for anyone wanting more guidance!
At feeding time, put your dogs food in one bowl and have an empty dog bowl to hand, put the empty bowl on the floor, your dog will wonder where his food is :), now add your dogs food one handful at a time until it is all gone!
If your dog is food possessive already, wait for him to clean the bowl each time before adding more.
You are training your dog that your hand coming near him at the bowl brings more food, he will soon accept anyone near his bowl as likely to bring more food and in this way will not be at all resentful!
Do not ever take your dogs food away from him, this will teach him to be possessive instead of accepting. What would you do if someone kept taking your food from you? I know that I would soon get very protective of my dinner!
The goal is for your dog to accept anyone falling in his dinner, which is the worst that is likely to happen!
If you have any questions please post them in the comments and I will answer them!
Dog trainers need to listen!
December 11, 2009
A handsome standard Poodle!
I have had 3 new clients start with me this week, they have all seen at least 2 other trainers before getting to me, the one thing they all had in common was that though they had done some great dog training with these other trainers they all shared the same complaint, the dog behaviour issue that had made them pick up the phone had not been addressed!
Yes they may have needed to train their dog to do some basic trianing exercises, and I do get the point of teaching the dog a few new tricks, this can often improve the bond between dog and owner, and at least is great fun, but at some point the owner needs taking through how all this new knowledge can be applied to resolve the original behaviour problem, that is our job! I suspect this aspect has just been overlooked, all 3 of these dogs have a good level of obedience, the owners have worked hard and have taken and used the good advice they have been given, it is the trainers job to keep the purpose of the training in focus at all times, so that the owner can see where the work they are doing is going to help them. The last piece of the puzzle is guiding the owner through the training in the situation that they were struggling with.
I think as dog trainers it is easy to forget just how much we are expecting our human clients to learn, and as with any new subject, every step of the training requires assistance, if the owner is clear about what to do, in a given set of circumstances then the dog gets trained!
I love this part of my job, it is like putting the icing on the cake!
Today at the BBC Essex Radio studio!
December 2, 2009
I hope some of you managed to listen in to hear me on BBC Essex today, if you missed the show you can still log on and listen to the show on the BBC Essex Web site. It was a very appropriate day for me to be at the station, following the tragic death of a four year old boy in a dog attack in his Grandmother’s home. I had a sense of carrying a big responsibility as I drove to the studio. I felt strongly that some sense has to come from such a tragic event, if we can only get through to someone out there and save another child or hopefully children.
I can honestly say it is the most passionately I have spoken at any time on the radio! I am glad to say there was a strong response to the show with many calls, so many we had no hope of addressing them all, sadly, but at least we had peoples attention! I pray that even more were affected by the dog behaviour we discussed.
One of the controversial calls was from a lady with a 2 year old Golden Retriever, the dog had recently bitten her badly on both her arms, 2 vets had recommended the dog destroyed and one dog behaviour professional had alledgedly said the dog’s behaviour could be changed and they were prepared to work with the owners. This lady has a 13 year old son, would you recommend her to train this dog? Professionally and personally I would not, if there were just 2 adults in the house that would be there choice, but with a child present I would not and will not. It is a tough event to walk into the vets to have a dog put down, I know I have had to do it, but that is the responsibility we must embrace when we live with and love dogs, people and especially our children must come first.
With any dog attack there are always or almost always warning signs if we don’t heed them we can find ourselves in a similar position to the lady with Golden Retriever or worse. Nip it is the bud, do not ignore dog aggression, prevention is always better than the cure, for once a dog has bitten to this degree there is no way back!
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