Barkhaus Dogs - Walking & Daycare

17/07/2024

Are you thinking about adopting a dog? Or perhaps someone you know is trying to figure out if now is the right time or who the right dog might be? Book in for a pre-adoption consultation to receive all the advice and help you need to make such as big decision 😃

17/07/2024

Check out our dog bite prevention flyer 🙂

Here are some of our tips on how to behave appropriately around unfamiliar or anxious dogs to reduce the likelihood of a potential dog bite.

03/07/2024

This is, in addition to the dog's welfare, is important to be considerate of, as it can lead to a dog bite. Dogs can be averse to petting for a number of reasons including fear, anxiety, pain, and some dogs are just not fond of prolonged petting sessions or more rough petting styles. If you are unsure about your dog's interest in petting, it's helpful to only gently pet them in in an area like their chest or along the back for 1-2 seconds, and see what the dog's response it - do they solicit more petting such as by nudging your hand? If yes, pet again for another couple of seconds, and if no then take a break from the petting.

In March 2024 a study by Walsh et al. looked at how humans and dogs communicate during play, petting, and hugging. By examining popular videos on media-sharing platforms, researchers compared dog behaviours with viewer reactions.

The study reviewed 30 top videos for "play" and 80 for "hugging" and "petting."
Findings were problematic as people often don't understand dogs' body language or sounds. Dogs in the videos showed many signs of stress, likely because their signals were misunderstood during play, petting, and hugging. This misunderstanding can cause dogs to feel uncomfortable, anxious, fearful, distressed, or confused, harming the human-dog bond and the dog's welfare. In some cases, dogs might even display defensive or aggressive behaviour. The study also found a worrying number of videos with stressed dogs.

More education for both adults and children is needed to understand canine communication and respecting dogs' needs during interactions.

25/06/2024

New blog post out: What influences canine behaviour? In this short presentation Sarah will be discussing some of the key elements on this topic.

What influences canine behaviour?by Nickon Posted on June 25, 2024 Have you ever wondered why dogs do what they do? What variables influence behaviour? Why do some dogs chase cars, and others walk past them without issues in a busy urban environment? In this short presentation, Sarah will be discuss...

30/04/2024

Module 13 Assess 3bMusic: Divergence- Filo Starquez

26/04/2024

24/04/2024

🐶 ADOPTING A RESCUE PUPPY - things to think about before you commit 🐶

Many people choose to adopt a rescue puppy these days. Having thought about what kind of life we can offer and the home we have, knowing it's the right time to adopt a puppy from a shelter or a foster-based association is a highly personal decision.

We have many reasons for deciding that we'd rather support a rescue than buy from a breeder - and it's never an easy decision.

One of the things that makes this harder is accepting that no puppy is a blank slate.

It's a frequent comment to shelters or fosterers that people want a puppy because they think old dogs can't learn new tricks. Rehoming a puppy seems a more sensible option because they might be less 'damaged' in many ways. Many people have visions that rehoming an adult dog can be a challenge they'd prefer not to face. A puppy will be easier, right?

Not to put you off from adopting a bundle of cuteness, but this shouldn't be the only reason you are considering a puppy rather than an adult. In all honesty, adopting adult dogs is a different thing, but the idea that they're all traumatised and damaged is one we need to consign to the rubbish bin. Even dogs who are very stressed as adult dogs in the shelter can sink into home life easily when we take a gentle, thoughtful and compassionate approach.

What adopters of adult dogs often say is that it was much easier than they expected, even if the dog has spent a very long time in challenging circumstances.

This is not the only reason we should open our hearts to adult dogs.

The idea that adult dogs are 'damaged' and unteachable comes with the tacit belief that puppies are blank slates and completely teachable. It assumes that puppies don't have opinions on being handled or going out to the shops or being left alone, and that only young dogs can learn.

Just like buying a dog from a breeder, you need to take genes into account. Although you may get a dog of no real heritage, it's important to know that just because a dog is a puppy does not mean that they come as a fresh new page in a neat new book.

I adopted my boy Heston as a puppy. His genetic legacy was important. If I'd have known how much shepherd there was in there (and if I'd done my research!) I might have adapted his early days to suit him better. Genes matter and we can't just pretend a puppy is a blank slate.

It can be hard to say what breed puppies are. Size is not the only consideration we need to make. We also need to think about puppy temperament and the kind of life they've had. It's vital that puppies have had experience of the home before 10 weeks. If the "foster home" is more like a backyard breeder where young dogs haven't had experience of sounds in the home and the comings and goings of home life, then we can find that it's really difficult to push back against that lack of positive experiences.

That also means holding puppy fosterers to account and making sure that they're offering the very, very best experience for our young dogs. The best fosterers have ample dog experience, will have raised the puppies in the home and will be able to tell you how your puppy responds to daily life. With a great fosterer, puppies can blossom.

It may also mean that we need to be a little more careful with early experiences than we would have been otherwise. Adopting a puppy that just popped up on your timeline when it's not the right time for you is never a wise idea.

Remembering that a rescue puppy potentially needs a lot more support than an adult dog is vital. What happens to them from 6-14 weeks is vital, and fears can easily establish during this time. It's heartbreaking to realise that people meant well in crating a rescue puppy and letting them cry it out all night because 'start as you mean to go on, right?' and then don't realise the problems that will follow.

Ultimately, it's important to remember that genes matter, that early experience matters, that it is not a good idea to adopt a puppy because you think they're a blank slate and preferable to adopting an older dog.

As long as we've done a little research and we're prepared to put in the work, we're much less likely to be disappointed if our puppy needs more support than we imagined they would.

It's a marvellous and lovely thing to take on a rescue puppy. Doing so with a level head helps make sure that we're not calling the rescue up in six months time asking for a refund.

24/04/2024

Pleased to have recently passed my fear free animal trainer assessments. It has added a few additional tools to my toolbox to help dogs feel better about vet visits and care ☺️

07/12/2023

You can also check out Nick’s *free* presentation on reactivity in dogs that he recently gave for a UK organization ☺️

In this concise webinar, ICB member Nick Eckholdt explains reactive behaviour in dogs - labelling, what it looks like, what the causes may be, and some ideas...

17/04/2023

If you’re looking for a dog trainer to help with your dog’s behaviour problem, give Nick a shout. He is certified with the city of Berlin and can offer consultations online or in person. ✌️🐶

Certified dog trainers & behavior consultants offering dog training using force-free training methods. We aim to create a support system for you and your dog to rely on during our time of working together to. We also offer dog walking & daycare.