Calming Canines

06/03/2025

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲?

For us humans, our name is who we are, it individualises us, identifies us, and is a fundamental part of our own identity.
To our dogs, their name is none of those things. Their name is a word we use to gain their attention and for many people it's a multi functional word. It's used for recall, in general conversation, and also to tell their dogs off or warn them to stop what they're about to do.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗲?!

If we want our dogs to respond to their names we need to reinforce that response, not punish it by using it in negative contexts. Dogs can understand the tone we use, whether it's anger or excitement, so if you repeatedly chastise your dog using their name, don't be surprised if they then become reluctant to respond to it.

Personally, I still often give my dogs a little treat if they respond to their name when we're out and about. There should be very few times that you ever 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 to use your dog's name in a negative context, so if you're finding that you do, it may be time to examine what it is that your dog doesn't understand about what you 𝘥𝘰 want them to do.

04/03/2025

Toy breeds often tend to feel intimidated by the world around them, which is not surprising when we consider how huge (and often how scary) everything must seem from their perspective.

Fear triggers the fight or flight response due to sympathetic nervous system activation, the dog doesn't choose that - it's survival.

If a dog cannot escape a scary situation, they mobilise.

For small dogs, mobilisation often relies on barking.

This is where we see a yapping dog simply asking for their space to be respected, yet all too often, this is mislabelled as small dog syndrome.

07/02/2025

30/11/2024

Why are we so keen to punish dogs? Why is that so often our default position when it comes to teaching dogs? Why is our instinct often to correct the one thing the dog is doing 'wrong' and leave all the stuff they're doing right unacknowledged?

I shared a post recently of two dogs who get overwhelmed when unknown dogs get too close and shout at them as a result. The whole point of the post was that, sometimes, we can push through less than ideal behaviours to reach a learning point on the other side.

But what did some people pick up on? That the dogs had displayed 'bad' behaviour which should have been 'corrected'. Never mind all the good stuff which was happening alongside the 'bad' behaviour. Never mind the ability to disengage or the ablility to stand calmly in proximity to a strange dog. Never mind that they were focusing on their human instead of focusing on the other dog. Never mind the fact they were both calm(er) than they had been previously. None of that was deemed deserving of reinforcement but their minor infraction of putting paws on their human, or barking, 𝘸𝘢𝘴 deserving of correction.

Change takes time. It's a process, not an event. If we wait for perfection and reward nothing less then we'll be waiting a long, long time for any meaningful change. We need to see the bigger picture and work on what's most important first. We need to not sweat the small stuff*, especially if there's some desirable 'big stuff' going on at the same time. But most of all we need to let go of our human conditioning that we need to correct every little thing our dog does 'wrong' regardless of what they're doing right.

*which doesn't mean to say we ignore it. With thoughtful reinforcement delivery, movement etc we can often address low level problem behaviours while keeping our focus on the bigger picture

22/11/2024

When I was first diagnosed with ME and realised I was unlikely to ever get back the life I used to have, my first thoughts were "How will my dogs manage and how will I manage my dogs? What if I can't look after them properly?"

As it turns out, I needn't have worried as they've settled into their new life with a different version of me very well. I've made adjustments, such as getting a mobility scooter so they can still have long, enriching walks and the training I do is no longer as physical for me but is still mentally stimulating for them.

They are still happy and have all their needs met.

If you have a chronic illness and have dogs, it is easy to worry that you're not doing enough to ensure their happiness. Your dogs don't NEED to go visiting new places every day, do full on training sessions every night or have play dates constantly, regardless of what social media may want you to believe.

Yes, sadly some people will find that their dogs need more than they can give, but that is no different to the people that end up with the wrong breed for their lifestyle and not your fault for having a chronic illness.

People with chronic illnesses can and do give great homes and lives to dogs!!

Picture shows a sable and white sheltie sitting on grass and looking up at the camera.

19/11/2024

Wanting a behaviour from our dogs to stop is common. Sadly, there are so many 'trainers' who appear on television or have massive social media followings who will advocate using devices and methods that 'will stop it fast'. Let's be honest, as humans we are often results driven, so I can see why these would appeal to people who don't know why these things should not be recommended and used. The reality is that they can make the situation so much worse.

Suppressing a behaviour doesn't mean that the reasons that behaviour happened aren't still there, just that the dog can't do what they feel they need to in that situation. That can lead to increased frustration, stress, fear - depending on what the driver for that behaviour is. Think of it like a pressure cooker, adding more and more pressure, with no way to reduce that pressure. Eventually there comes a point where the pressure is just too much and boom.

If a behaviour is something we can't live with, there are things we can do without suppressing that behaviour. Manage the situation so that the dog is not in a position to practice that behaviour - for example baby gates to stop them jumping up at arriving guests or finding quiet areas to walk if your dog is uncomfortable with other dogs close up. If there is something you would prefer them to do in that situation keep using the management and then, using kind and ethical methods, teach them what you would like them to do instead. If the behaviour is not something that we can simply train an alternative for - a dog who reacts to other dogs around for example - find a behaviour consultant who uses modern and kind methods to help the dog no longer feel the need to use that behaviour.

Behaviour suppression is never the answer.

Here are links to a couple of blog posts that explore the topic a little further:

https://www.goodguardianship.com/post/the-first-question-to-ask-wtf-what-s-the-function
https://www.goodguardianship.com/post/why-we-should-look-beyond-stopping-behaviour

19/11/2024

Kite has a new friend! Kite has been reactive to this adolescent entire male rottweiler in the past but with slowly and carefully allowing Kite to move closer when he was ready, along with desensitisation and counter conditioning, he is beginning to gain confidence.

He is still skittish around him, but yesterday he had a surreptitious bum sniff and today he chose to approach him, albeit carefully!

Kite's fear of other dogs is mostly genetic, exacerbated by other dogs rushing him and ignoring his polite requests for space. He will never be the kind of dog who wants to run and play with dogs outside his family group but I'm fine with that, it's who he is.

My main aim for Kite is that he is comfortable enough in the general proximity of dogs he comes across relatively frequently that he doesn't feel the need to act defensively. If he goes beyond that it's a bonus. Having realistic expectations of what the outcome of training may be is important for your own sanity. If I were expecting a dog like Kite to be able to cope in a large group of unknown dogs who were running around playing, I'd be setting myself up for a lot of frustration and disappointment.

Dealing with reactivity doesn't need corrections!

03/02/2024

Social support.

Today I took Ash to a new place. He struggles with new places. We went there last week and he managed less than 5 minutes before wanting to go back to the van where he feels safe. Today he had an hour and a half walking, sniffing and investigating.

What magic did I perform in order to cause such a massive improvement? He was with my other dogs. That's it. Last week I met a friend with her dog and Ash wouldn't have coped with a new place as well as a new dog so he popped out for a wee walk on his own before I walked the others. This week we were alone so he came with his family.

Don't underestimate the value of social support. When we're out walking, Ash rarely interacts with other dogs, including those he knows well and those he lives with. This doesn't mean that those dogs aren't a necessary part of his life and an important factor for his emotional well-being.

I've spent a long time slowly building a small circle of friends for him and even though he hardly acknowledges their existence now he's comfortable with them, he will gravitate towards them for the confidence and sense of safety they provide for him.