A new arrival!
June 3, 2010
Well I have done it now there is no going back! When Pie mated Annie’s Gracie I knew I would find it hard to resist the puppies! But really I didn’t mean to have a new puppy this year, really! You will have seen the photo’s on the blog already of the litter, so I am sure you can sympathise with meJ
It is done so we might all make the best of it nowJ so I am going to do a puppy diary, I am hoping it may be useful to others with new puppies or thinking about getting one, I look forward to your comments!
Meet Betty
Day one:
Coming home in the car I had Betty on my lap, she wasn’t Betty at that point, as I drove I went through various names, none of which seemed to fit nor got Betty’s approval, as we passed Braintree and came on the A120 i said “Betty” and she immediately laid down and went sound asleep! So Betty it is, as we neared home Betty woke up to be sick, I instinctively put my hand under her mouth and caught her last meal, she promptly ate it again! She obviously wasn’t too stressed then!
On arriving home I let The Pie out to meet her, he was not so impressed, he has always like puppies but seemed to guess that this was a permanent resident and needed to learn who was in charge here, giving a quiet grump if she went near him, Betty reacted by crouching low to show her submissiveness, isn’t it amazing how they know to do that!?
I put my cage up in the kitchen ready for her with the towel I had brought from Annie’s and some toys,( Annie had used a crate for all the puppies so this was familiar to her already) Pie removed them the moment my back was turnedJ. I spent the evening either in the garden with both dogs or sitting nursing Betty, when she fell asleep I put her in her crate, where she soon settled down and so started the task of her getting used to being without the litter. I was acutely aware that just hours ago she had the constant company of her litter mates and a source of constant entertainment and warm bodies to snuggle up to.
upside down swinging on the camera cord!
Forgive me I haven't learnt it is rude to yawn yet!
Annie had kept the puppies in her utility room with access to her patio to toilet, therefore I had only to put her on my patio and she was toileting already. Come 10pm she was fast asleep in her crate in the kitchen and not wanting to disturb her I went off to bed wondering how much sleep I would get, I had put a crate up in my bedroom also, so that when she awoke I could take her to the toilet and then up stairs by my bed. I woke twice in the night to silence so slept on until 6am when I could wait no longer and went to the kitchen, dear little Betty was very pleased to see me, trembling with excitement! She had been out into the kitchen to do two poohs and two little puddles, far too young to go through the night yet toilet wise, I thought she had done really well to settle herself down again and sleep until I got up!
Dog behaviour health check!
May 10, 2010
Dog Behaviour rarely falls apart over night, signs of trouble ahead are always present (except in the rare
A dog with attitude can cause problems!
case of illness), the tricky part is to spot them before they turn into a major issue! In this post I am including a behaviour health check for your use, if you would like me to email this to you, just drop me a line or put in the comment section of this post? Please feel free to return the questionnaire to me if you would like my feedback on your dog’s behaviour.
Please be as honest as possible.
Dog’s pet name?
Breed or nearest type of dog?
Dog’s age?
Age dog came to you?
What type of establishment did the dog come from? E.g. Home reared/kennel reared /breed specialist /puppy farm /rescue
Did you see either of the parents? Yes / No
Is this the dog first home? Yes / No
Has the dog ever attended any formal training? Yes / No
If so for how long?
Is this your first dog? Yes No
Have there been any major changes in the dog’s life recently? Yes / No
If major changes what kind?
Has the dog had any medical treatment in the last 6 months?
If so what?
Where does the dog sleep?
Do you ever use a crate? Yes / No
Does the dog come when called at home in the house or garden? Yes / No
If yes are there any circumstances when the dog would not come to call at home for example “if the postman was at the door”? Yes / No
Away from home? Yes / No
Does the dog pull on the lead? Yes / No
Does the dog like retrieving? Yes / No
Does the dog drop toys at your feet or in your lap? Yes / No
Are toys and/or bones left down all the time? Yes / No
What games does your dog like best?
E.g.
Retrieve tugging digging in the garden stealing and running off hide and seek solitary games playing with other dogs dog runs you chase any that involve a person
Is the dog destructive when left? Yes / No
Is the dog noisy when left? Yes / No
Is jumping up a problem? Yes / No
Is the dog possessive over food or toys? Yes / No
Does the dog ever growl or bite anyone? Yes / No
Does the dog play bite? Yes / No
Is there any behaviour would you like to change?
In what order? 1. 2. 3.
How would you describe your dog’s personality?
Is there any behaviour you are concerned about?
What do you most like about your dog’s behaviour?
A very merry Christmas!
December 24, 2009
A very merry Christmas to all my blog visitors and a happy new year!
My dog Pie has loved the snow, he eats it, runs around foolishly and generally asks to go out twice as often as usual! He has a big Collie Coat so the cold weather really energises him, and as he is the laziest Border Collie I have ever lived with it is good to see him so full of go!
Happy Christmas!
Sunset
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!
We all had a great morning training our dogs!
December 1, 2009
Pepe having a drink!
The recall training session this saturday was great fun, the thing that struck me most was how good the handlers were at concentrating on their own dogs! Not easy when they were all off lead, but the dogs responded to the handlers concentration and stayed focused!
We had 2 Jack Russell Pups and 2 GSD pups, all of which were great fun, the owners have done a great job of playing hide and seek with their puppies before the training session, which proved the value of this exercise once again, as the puppies were much more interested in their handlers than the other dogs and handlers!
Pepe and Janice were in attendance and Janice very kindly forwarded me this photo of Pepe which I am glad to share with you. Pepe is a huge handsome GSD, Janice has put in some great work with him and it looks to be paying off! I know Sue Horn has been a great support Janice, so well done to both of you! I look forward to working with you again soon!
A short film on a foundation training exerciseto
November 27, 2009
Watch this if you would like to improve your relationship with your dog! Learn to speak dog!
Hear me on BBC Essex Tuesday 1st December
November 26, 2009
Just to let you know I am on BBC Essex Radio between 2pm and 4pm next Tuesday 1st December, or you can catch it on the pod from the BBC Essex web site for the following week should you miss the show live. (see links on this site)
I always enjoy my sessions at the Chelmsford studio, and I love the fact that I never know what will come up with the phone ins, it is a challenge and a fun way to help people and their dogs!
Is it me?
November 24, 2009
When I am out on a walk I am fortunate that I can read a dog fairly quickly, as I must say most owners are not aware of how threatening their dogs behaviour can appear, it is not good social behaviour for any dog to charge up to other people or their dogs, this would not happen in the wild, it is lack of education and understanding of the pet dog that causes them to behave in this way.
Many owners take exception to me repelling their dogs advances, as if I am the anti-social one for not wanting their dog jumping all over me and my dog! There seems to be an attitude in this country that it is not just okay, for a dog to charge towards anyone they fancy the look of, but that it is necessary for them to talk to everyone and their dog on a walk. I am amazed at how immersed British dog owners are in this belief, normally a nation of socially inhibited people; it seems that when it comes to dogs anything goes! Would we let our children do the same thing? Highly unlikely!
More than anything in the world I would like to change the minds of pet owners on this attitude, because then I and my dog could go for a walk without being constantly harassed by other peoples dogs, and so would everyone else, and we would make the country a place where dogs were more welcome by non dog owners. If I find other peoples dogs annoying when I am out, imagine how the non-dog owners feel?
Inspiration!
November 23, 2009
This last weekend I attended a horse weekend with the Parelli’s, what an inspiration they are and not just to horse owners! As a dog trainer I found the weekend fascinating and absorbing! Making me rethink dogs is so refreshing for me, the experience gave me a new way of looking at dogs that I am sure will affect me for some time to come.
Although dogs and horses may be different species they do have similarities, and it was horses that I worked with first on leaving school, so I am excited that it is the horse element that is inspiring me once again 🙂
I will be writing a post later today that is a direct inspiration from the weekend to encourage all of you to be re-inspired about your dogs training!
I have added a link to the Parelli site which I hope you will follow to get more information about Pat and Linda and get a new slant for yourselves on there horse thinking!
Electric dog collars!?
October 27, 2009
I cannot believe that I have found a blog that recommends electric collars for dogs! Using an electric collar to train a dog is not only lazy and barbaric, but can also lead to more behaviour problems than they solve!
Avril Munson's Blog 