Planet Dog Training & Behaviour

Planet Dog Training & Behaviour Based in Brighton, Planet Dog provides positive, reward-based training and behavioural consultations for dogs and the humans who love them.

24/12/2024

Wishing all my clients - past, present, and future! - a very merry Christmas and all good wishes for a happy and healthy 2025.

Training FOR the moment not IN the moment is a very good maxim for any behaviours that you are trying to teach your dog....
08/12/2024

Training FOR the moment not IN the moment is a very good maxim for any behaviours that you are trying to teach your dog.

If you would like them to walk with a loose lead rather than pulling in excitement to their favourite park, for example, then you need to teach them the skills of loose lead walking in a non-exciting environment first. Trying to introduce this skill in the very place where the behaviour is most challenging for you both is setting everybody up to fail.

Would you like your dog to wait patiently on a mat when people come to the door? Then you need to train the necessary skills at times when no-one is at the door first. Trying to introduce that new behaviour at the time when the dog is likely to find it most difficult is not the best way to set anyone up for success.

Training is not just about how to teach a given skill. It is also about:

* understanding how context may affect learning;
* understanding your individual dog and knowing what they might need in order to be able to succeed;
* knowing what motivates them;
* appreciating what they might find challenging and why;
* being able to read their body language so that you can understand what they are communicating to you, and being willing and able to respond to that;
* focusing on what you are communicating to them, not just by your words but by their volume and pace and tone, and by your own body language, too.

Learning what both you and your dog need in order to succeed can take time, but it is well worth the effort: the rewards will be felt by you, by your dog, and in your relationship with one another. If you need help with any of this, then Planet Dog would be delighted to help.

Beautiful words from Mary Oliver's fantastic poem, 'Little Dog's Rhapsody in the Night'. If you love dogs and you love p...
04/12/2024

Beautiful words from Mary Oliver's fantastic poem, 'Little Dog's Rhapsody in the Night'. If you love dogs and you love poetry, then you might well enjoy her collection "Dog Songs".

It is easy to feel that you don’t have time to train your dog, either to teach them something new or to practise learned...
03/12/2024

It is easy to feel that you don’t have time to train your dog, either to teach them something new or to practise learned behaviours with them. But short sessions of engagement with your dog are beneficial for you both.

Short sessions of training keep your dog mentally active, and they can help them to learn and solidify behaviours that will be helpful to you both in your lives together. They also serve as bonding opportunities.

You will be surprised how much progress you can make with teaching your dog a new skill or practising an already learnt behaviour if you make space for just a few repetitions of it throughout your day.

Rehearse some eye contact exercises, walking beside you, or trick training as you wait for the kettle to boil.

Run through some behaviours like sit, stand, and down before setting off on your walk together in order to remind your dog how much fun it can be to engage with you.

At the end of your walk why not practise husbandry behaviours like wiping paws or clipping nails, helping your dog to learn to feel comfortable with these procedures? (And if you need help with how to go about this, then Planet Dog can help!)

Spending time hanging out with your dog and working on exercises that are fun - and useful - for you both is much easier to fit into your day than it might feel, it’s just about working out where you have those windows of opportunity and thinking about how you might best use them.

Be sure to use positive reinforcement training and learn how to read your dog’s body language so that you can ensure that the experience is always pleasurable for both of you.

If you need help learning how best to engage with your dog and how to teach them the skills that they need in their life with you, then please get in touch with Planet Dog.

Reframing something enables you to look at it and experience it in a different way, which can be helpful in finding new ...
28/11/2024

Reframing something enables you to look at it and experience it in a different way, which can be helpful in finding new ways to address it.

What might this mean in relation to your dog?

Maybe a reactive dog does not need “fixing”.

It is obviously important to help your dog to feel safe in their world. It is obviously important for them to learn strategies that will help them to cope with situations that they find challenging for whatever reason. It is also vital that we, as our dogs’ guardians, understand the reason for their behaviour, since this is an important part of knowing how best to address it.

But a reactive dog is not a broken dog and therefore does not need to be “fixed”. They need understanding and support, and to be given ways to reframe their own ways of seeing the world. It may help to remember that they are not giving you a hard time; they are having a hard time.

Dogs are sentient, feeling beings all having their own experience of being alive and being in the world. Having invited them into our lives we owe it to them to help to support them in whatever way we can, and that begins by trying to see things from their perspective.

If you need help with this or any other issue, then contact Planet Dog today.

Reframing something enables you to look at it and experience it in a different way, which can be helpful in finding new ...
27/11/2024

Reframing something enables you to look at it and experience it in a different way, which can be helpful in finding new ways to address it.

What might this mean in relation to your dog?

Maybe your dog is not “attention-seeking”. Perhaps they are trying to tell you that they have an unmet need: they may be hungry, or need the toilet, or need some mental or physical stimulation. Or perhaps all their needs have been met and they are just struggling to know how to settle when it’s time to chill out together - this is a skill that some dogs need help to develop, and perhaps the behaviour that you are seeing as “attention-seeking” is actually them asking for help in being shown how to learn that skill.

If you would like help learning how to better understand your dog and helping them to learn specific skills that will help you to live more harmoniously together, then Planet Dog can help.

Reframing something enables you to look at it and experience it in a different way, which can be helpful in finding new ...
26/11/2024

Reframing something enables you to look at it and experience it in a different way, which can be helpful in finding new ways to address it.

What might this mean in relation to your dog?

Maybe your dog isn’t “being difficult”. Perhaps they are finding some aspect of their life challenging in some way and are looking for support and guidance in how to navigate it. Try to think about what they might need in order to help them to be able to offer a different behaviour.

For example, does your dog constantly stop moving on their walk with you? Rather than thinking that they are being “difficult” or “stubborn” when they do this, think about what might be preventing them from wanting to continue: perhaps they are tired, or scared, or in pain. Perhaps they have simply become overwhelmed with the environment and need a moment to process their surroundings. Try to think about what your dog is experiencing in that moment and how you can alter things in order to help them to feel more comfortable.

If you are struggling to understand your dog’s behaviour, then please get in touch with Planet Dog.

(Just reposting this given the windy weather that's forecast for the next few days!)Does your dog behave differently whe...
22/11/2024

(Just reposting this given the windy weather that's forecast for the next few days!)

Does your dog behave differently when it’s windy? If you consider how much of a dog’s world is filtered through their amazing sense of smell, it is only to be expected that the world might seem very different to them on super windy days. Scents (and sounds) will swirl about on the cascading air currents, meaning that a) there are a lot more of those scents and sounds reaching your dog, and b) it’s a lot more challenging for them to work out which direction they are coming from.

There are way more distractions in the environment on windy days: this means that it may be more difficult for your dog to pay as much attention to you as they usually do. For dogs who can be worried by things in their environment, it means that there are seemingly way more of those things to be worried about and it’s more difficult to anticipate where they might be coming from, too; this could exacerbate their fear and unease, meaning that they may be quicker to react negatively to things that they might usually be able to cope with.

So if your dog is acting differently on days like today, when the wind is whipping through the trees and creating a lot more noise, movement, and scent distraction than usual, take a moment to try to understand how the world must seem to them and give them the time and space that they may need to cope with this strange, new turn of events.

Does your dog wear a collar at home?These can sometimes pose a safety risk, particularly where dangling tags are also at...
20/11/2024

Does your dog wear a collar at home?

These can sometimes pose a safety risk, particularly where dangling tags are also attached to those collars.

Collars - and their tags - can get stuck on or in things: tragic stories of dogs looking out of windows and getting their collars/tags stuck in the grills on top of radiators on their way down, or stuck in the bars of a crate, on in another dog’s mouth during play have all been reported, with tragic consequences.

These stories are obviously the exception rather than the rule, and if you are around to supervise your dog then you dramatically reduce any risk.

Nonetheless, it is always better to be safe than sorry. So let your dogs wear nothing but a smile when they are at home with you. After all, as that most famous of naked bears sings, it is the bare necessities that will ensure your dog can rest at ease.

(Remember that it is a legal requirement for all dogs to be microchipped and also for any dog in a public place to be wearing a collar or tag which states both the guardian’s name and address.)

Did you know that sniffing, licking, and chewing are all very calming activities for dogs? Providing opportunities for t...
19/11/2024

Did you know that sniffing, licking, and chewing are all very calming activities for dogs? Providing opportunities for these activities throughout your dog’s day will ensure that you are meeting their needs and helping them to stay calm and content.

Opportunities for sniffing, licking, and chewing include snuffle mats and scent games, lickimats and stuffed kongs, and long-lasting chews of various types, respectively, to name just a few.

Providing access to such activities after any potentially stressful or challenging events, or those which are highly arousing, will help your dog to decompress.

A stressful (or highly exciting!) encounter on a walk, a car journey which they perhaps didn’t particularly enjoy, a day when you’ve had lots of visitors or your dog has gone to the vet - these are all examples of times when your dog’e emotions may have become aroused in some way. This is when people can see behaviours which they consider problematic, since the dog is trying to cope with an emotional imbalance.

Providing them with sniffing, licking, or chewing opportunities will help them to regain a sense of calm. In fact, if your dog has ready access to long-lasting chews, you may notice that they seek these out themselves after challenging events in their life in an effort to self-soothe.

So help your dog to find their bliss and let their mantras be “I am safe and all is well”; “I have all that I need to succeed”; and “Happiness is always available to me”.

If you are looking to affect your dog’s behaviour, then always be ready to reward those behaviours you’d like to see mor...
18/11/2024

If you are looking to affect your dog’s behaviour, then always be ready to reward those behaviours you’d like to see more of.

Very often humans focus on those behaviours they wish their dogs wouldn’t do: people want to know how to stop their dogs from jumping up, pulling on the lead, digging, barking, counter surfing. This can often mean that if their dog is not doing any of those behaviours then they are simply ignored. But a key aspect of affecting behaviour is the understanding that what gets rewarded gets repeated.

So is your dog walking on a nice, loose lead? Reward them!
Are they keeping all four paws on the floor when children come to visit? Reward them!
Do they sit calmly while you’re eating something tempting? Reward them!

If you make a point of noticing when your dog is offering behaviours that you would like to see more of, then you can reward them - this will make your dog more likely to repeat those behaviours again in future.

Remember that reinforcement comes in many forms and is always determined by the individual dog - if you would like help with this, or any other aspect of training and your relationship with your dog, then get in touch with Planet Dog.

A lot of training focuses on what is convenient for the human and ignores the fact that the dog is also a sentient being...
25/09/2024

A lot of training focuses on what is convenient for the human and ignores the fact that the dog is also a sentient being having their own experience of being in the world. Asking your dog “How is this for you?”* allows you to consider the current situation for them, too. How are they feeling, physically, emotionally and mentally?

Perhaps they are not responding to your request for them to sit because it is uncomfortable for them to do so. Perhaps they do not feel like continuing on their walk because there are sounds or smells in the distance which are making them uncomfortable. Perhaps they cannot focus on the new thing that you are trying to teach them because there are too many distractions around.

Asking “How is this for you?” in any interaction that we have with our dogs allows us to ensure that we are always responding to their needs, which is the best way to ensure that we are helping them to lead their best lives with us.

In order to understand their response to that question we need to be able to read their body language, need to be able to recognise any signs of stress or discomfort that they are showing, and need to know when they are saying ‘No, thank you’ as well as when they are saying ‘Yes, please!’ It requires observing what they do in response to things and being able to adjust the environment and/or our actions accordingly.

It is easy to make assumptions about what our dogs are feeling but these assumptions can often do them a very real disservice. If we are committed to respecting the individual lives that our dogs are leading and ensuring that we are always caring for them in the very best ways that we can, then we must always ask how things are for them, and we should educate ourselves so that we are able to truly hear - and therefore effectively respond to - their answers.

If you need help understanding more about your dog so that you can nurture that all important bond with them, then Planet Dog can help.

*one of Suzanne Clothier's 6 Elemental Questions

Beach days are always happy days. 🥰
03/08/2024

Beach days are always happy days. 🥰

Many people, when greeting or showing affection to a dog, reach out to ruffle them on the top of their heads. It is mean...
30/07/2024

Many people, when greeting or showing affection to a dog, reach out to ruffle them on the top of their heads. It is meant to be a nice gesture but, for many dogs, it can be anything but.

Studies have found that stroking a dog on the chest can lower their heart rate and be calming for them, whereas touches to the top of the head or the paws can result in body language of discomfort.

The dogs in the photos below are both clearly uncomfortable with being touched on the tops of their heads: both dogs are ducking slightly away from the hand that is touching them and their ears are pinned back, too. You can also see a tongue flick from the dog on the left and ‘whale eye’ (where the whites of the eye are showing) in the dog on the right. All of these signs are evidence that these two dogs are not enjoying receiving the physical attention which is being imposed upon them.

There are many reasons why it is important to be able to understand our dogs’ body language, amongst them the fact that you may be punishing your dog when you think that you are rewarding them. If your dog does not enjoy being stroked on the top of their head but, in your enthusiasm at them returning to you when you recall them you tell them how good they are whilst ruffling them in precisely that location, for example, then you may actually be discouraging, rather than encouraging them from returning to you the next time that you recall them.

Taking time to learn how to read your dog accurately and listening to their communications is a vital way of enhancing your relationship with them. If you need help with this, then Planet Dog is here to help.

Do you take your dog for a walk or go for a walk with your dog? Whilst at first glance these two things may seem to be t...
23/07/2024

Do you take your dog for a walk or go for a walk with your dog?

Whilst at first glance these two things may seem to be the same, it’s worth considering the subtle difference between these two ways of describing this one activity.

If we are keen to make a dog’s walk as enriching as possible for them, then a tiny shift in perspective might make all the difference.

Going for a walk *with* your dog means recognising that the walk is for them. So how might this change things? It means letting them choose where they want to walk. It means letting them choose where to sniff and how long they want to stay there for. It means letting them initiate or reject play, and letting them choose whether or not they wish to interact with others (always keeping in mind the needs and preferences of those other parties too, of course!). It means letting them stand still or sit or lie down when they want to in order simply to take in their environment.

People are sometimes bewildered if their dogs just stop when out on a walk, but allowing them the time and space to take in their environment is so important, both for their sense of security and of contentment: a walk is an opportunity for mental as well as physical stimulation too, after all.

So take time to notice your dog’s preferences, and try to honour them when you go for a walk with them. This is just one of many ways that you can ensure that you are meeting their needs.

Canine behavioural science is developing all the time and I consider it part of my professional responsibility (as well ...
22/07/2024

Canine behavioural science is developing all the time and I consider it part of my professional responsibility (as well as my personal obsession!) to ensure that I am always keeping up-to-date with the latest developments pertaining to this fascinating field.

As part of that responsibility I am always endeavouring to expand my learning and, to that end, I have just completed a Level 6 qualification in Canine Behaviour with the The International School for Canine Psychology and Behaviour - ISCP. I have really enjoyed all aspects of this course, in particular the research that I conducted for my final dissertation all about aggressive behaviour in dogs.

Thank you once again to all of my wonderful clients: you inspire me, every day, to keep learning as much as I can about our canine friends so that together we can help to ensure that they are always living their best lives with us.

“I’m not feeling myself today”: this is a phrase that we use when we’re feeling unwell in some way and it very neatly ca...
20/07/2024

“I’m not feeling myself today”: this is a phrase that we use when we’re feeling unwell in some way and it very neatly captures how a physical or mental problem can affect all aspects of our selves. Think about the last time that you had a really bad headache or some other pain in your body. Were you able to ignore it and simply go about your day as if nothing at all was wrong? Most likely it altered things for you, changed how you felt and behaved around others, made it more challenging to do certain things.

Well, it’s no different for our dogs.

Pain in dogs can manifest itself in different ways: it may change the way a dog moves or result in house-soiling, it can cause lethargy and a reluctance to move or to go on walks, it can increase anxiety, may make a dog seek out or avoid their guardian more than usual, may manifest in compulsive behaviours such as excessive licking of surfaces or extreme licking and/or chewing of body parts, it may cause your dog to be destructive when they are left alone, might cause night disturbances, aggressive behaviour, abnormal sitting postures or gaits, or pica (compulsive eating of non-foodstuff).

As you can see, there are many, many behaviours that might be a consequence of pain. In fact, a recent study found that the prevalence of a relationship between pain and problem behaviours in dogs is between 28 and 82%*, which is why veterinary assessment is a vital component of any behavioural consultation that you want to undertake with your dog.

Even if you don’t think that your dog is in pain, if they are exhibiting any behaviours that you find problematic, particularly when those behaviours are new ones without an obvious cause, then the possibility of pain should always be considered. An effective collaboration between a dog’s guardian, their vet, and a behaviourist is vital: these individuals all have a key role to play in collectively determining the source of a dog’s given behavioural issue.

If you are struggling with any aspect of your dog’s behaviour, then please get in touch with Planet Dog. An individualised programme will give you the confidence to know that you are addressing all possible contributory factors to your dog’s behaviour, and a comprehensive and individualised plan is the best way to get you and your dog the help that you both need and deserve.

*Mills, D.S. et al. (2020) Pain and Problem Behaviour in Cats and Dogs. Animals, 10(2):318.

In many aspects of dogs’ lives with us, their choices are removed or, at best, extremely limited: it is the human who de...
03/07/2024

In many aspects of dogs’ lives with us, their choices are removed or, at best, extremely limited: it is the human who decides when and what the dog eats, when they go for walks, who they interact with, what toys they have, what activities they can engage in, where they sleep. Different people will have different lists, but it is part of the lot of most domestic dogs that a huge number of choices are made on their behalf.

However, having choice and agency in life is vital for positive mental health. This is as true for dogs as it is for humans.

It is possible - and easy - to offer our dogs choices every day, and it is such an important way of helping them to feel happier and more confident. It can also reduce feelings of stress, frustration, and anxiety. So opting to introduce choice into our dogs’ lives, when and where it is safe to do so, is a really good way of ensuring that we are attending to their well-being.

So how can you offer your dogs choices in their lives? You could let them choose the route of your walk, could let them decide how long they want to spend sniffing at an individual spot. You could give them a selection of food types so that they are able to choose what they prefer, and can also feed that food in different ways to let them choose how they would rather eat (from a bowl or a lickimat or a plate or a snuffle mat, for example). You could offer them different sleeping options (places, heights, bed types), could offer them a variety of toys and games, letting them choose which one they want at any given time. You can ensure that, when appropriate, they are allowed to say no to interactions or activities. Do they have choice in the physical interactions that they’re having with other people and animals? Are they allowed to let you know that they’re not in the mood for training or grooming or playing? (And if you’re not sure what that would look like, then Planet Dog can help!)

Obviously for some parts of life with our dogs it is not always safe or possible to give them total choice. But where it is possible, it is so important to help them to learn that they do have some control over their own lives and the environments in which they live. So choose to ensure that your dog has more choice in their life - it is just one of many ways that you can meet and honour their needs.

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Wishing all my clients - past, present, and future! - a very merry Christmas and all good wishes for a happy and healthy 2025.

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