The Mutty Professor

07/12/2024

There’s a storm affecting many parts of the UK today! 💨

Check your fences before letting your dogs out guys! There are numerous blown over fences and two large fallen trees in my village! 😱

If you do opt to walk your dog, be mindful to avoid areas with lots of trees but also consider if your dog will actually enjoy the walk. Some dogs can be easily startled and go into flight mode in windy weather. The storm should ease in a few hours and some dogs may prefer waiting until later to head out!

Kanita won’t toilet in the garden, so we had no choice but to pop out this morning.

Stay safe everyone! X

06/12/2024

It turns out that the secret to teaching your puppy to settle outside of their crate is to co-ordinate your footwear with them.

Trevor the cockapoo enjoyed his session with team member Julia following completion of their puppy class course 💕

05/12/2024

This Floof-a-Rama is Teddy the Bernadoodle.

He has been enjoying completing his training package with Hayley, focusing on loose lead walking and recall, foundation exercises that are crucial for managing an adolescent party animal!

03/12/2024

🍂 Just a cute little autumnal pic of my trio! 🍁

01/12/2024

Escape proof harnesses do not address the dog’s motivation for escaping.
See comments for more info…

30/11/2024

It’s about time that POS* did some work….

Otto and Hayley did a great job giving dinky and super cute Pepper a positive experience and confidence boost on a social walk as part of her behaviour and training package.

Although, I’ve been told Hayley had to remind Otto a couple of times to rein in his attempts at flirting and do his best to wait until a second date!

Well done to Pepper’s mum, Katie, with all her hard work in helping her so far! 💕

*The POS is Otto’s nickname since he brutally snubbed and blanked Kanita one day after leading her on by nibbling her ear repeatedly on previous walks. I have actual video evidence of this in the previous video posts library somewhere!

30/11/2024

So close to 24k followers! Please help us spread the word as well as some silly and fun vibes by sharing this page and encouraging folks to follow! X

29/11/2024

🗣️ “Hi Roz - a couple of weeks ago we had a session with you where you went on a walk with me, my fiancée, and our collie/Shepherd mix, Dexter, to help us work on reactivity. We talked about helping give Dexter some social interactions to give him a social outlet, as well as more engagement on walks. We’re still working on the second one, but we’re amazed with how much progress we’ve been able to see with Dexter’s reactivity. He now regularly meets dogs in the park without incident, and today he even engaged in a bit of playful chase with a dog he met yesterday”

Team Dexter saw my colleague and team member Emily a few months ago and primarily focused on his barking at people outside the home and response to visitors.

With those issues now largely improved and Emily swanning around Asia on her travels (clearly I am NOT jealous) I stepped in to help with refining the existing advice to push things further to ‘normality’ (rather than being stuck in management) and address Dexter’s escalating reactions towards dogs.

On our session, the second dog we encountered up close in the park was a goofy large bully who bounded up to Dexter from behind. Unprepared and startled, Dexter exhibited a full fang flash and snap and the bully sensibly yielded. A bit of posturing went on, where both were establishing boundaries that enabled someone to turn their back and exit safety- and the bully went on his way.

It would have been too easy to go “right, muzzle on, extra distance, avoid dogs”.
But we looked at the context of the interaction and the fact that Dexter DID NOT escalate.
He was startled, he had no choice but to go big in his defensive response (especially considering the size of the bully) and he then de-escalated to posturing.

He didn’t want to bite! His response was, in my opinion, in context and proportionate.

We continued on and it was then clear that, Dexter was largely pro-social, although sometimes more reserved! So guidance was given on how to assess and select for potential encounters and how to safely navigate them.

🥳 This type of update makes my day! I also love that in this video, Rachael spots when Sula the Rottie cross has had enough and guides Dexter away. Sensible and considerate!

🤔 I don’t think we see enough videos online of clients managing their dogs in real life situations. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not always possible to film and not all clients want to feature on social media.

But, for some strange reason, videos of trainers handling someone else’s dog in their training venue is considered enough evidence of the dog’s behaviour being turned around and voila, that professional is considered exceptional and the hero gains thousands of followers.

It just doesn’t make any sense to me! For me to consider my work effective, I want to be hearing updates from my clients weeks and months and even as long as a year down the line!

27/11/2024

Here’s a picture of me climbing on the Pembrokeshire coast.

When climbing we not only have to lean back into our harness to weight the anchor or rope, but we also have to be ready to fall and that involves a sudden yank/stop/tug on the rope.

Notice how my climbing harness …

a) Is positioned around my body and not around my neck. You also get climbing harnesses that include straps on the upper body too.

b) Is not lined with metal prongs that dig into my body.

When my climbing harness catches me from falling, it doesn’t make me think of my mother catching me with her hands when I fell as a toddler.

The reason climbing harnesses don’t go around necks is because the neck is not as able to withstand force as the larger section of the body.

My harness also doesn’t make me more likely to fall! My learned and practised climbing skill is what helps me not fall. Although, the wide straps of my harness does make falling more comfortable.

The reason it’s not lined with metal prongs is because that would be really uncomfortable, probably very painful in fact. I’d probably get really stressed desperately trying to avoid any pressure of the harness on my body and I wouldn’t fully enjoy climbing.

The reason it doesn’t make me think of my mother catching me is because it’s a) a piece of equipment and not a person and b) being used in a totally different context - most notably in my adulthood!


Online you can read all sorts of reasons for using aversive tools, including prong collars, such as “it’s perceived like the mother correcting them as a puppy” or that alternatively, a harness causes dogs to pull on the lead.

There’s often plenty of reassurance online that they don’t hurt. They’re just a mild annoyance, an ickle wickle irritant.

My body can grow a bit tired of leaning back into my nicely padded harness after an hour or so. Taking a fall in a harness can still be a shock to the body. But I need to wear one to stay safe.

But I’m sure as hell that it would be less enjoyable and at times unbearable if it were lined with prongs or around my neck.

This above experience and rationale is why I don’t like teaching dogs to walk on a loose lead while they wear a collar, let alone using corrections or uncomfortable equipment, such as prong collars, to correct undesired behaviour.

NB! If a dog can walk impeccably without pulling on a comfortable, flat collar then that’s not personally an issue for me!

There may also be genuine reasons dogs cannot be walked on harnesses, such as the dog experiencing a structural issue or emotional aversion to the harness, or the client not being able to physically hold their dog whilst the dog is wearing a harness.

26/11/2024

Last week I posted a video on how to PREVENT dogs running over to yours. Here is the follow up of how I handle situations where dogs run over.

Yes, it’s a long post, but it’s a nuanced topic. Content that only requires you to use your brain for one minute is likely not going to help you think more deeply about dog behaviour.

Note, my dogs can all tolerate mature, polite moochy approaches with unfamiliar dogs. High speed approaches and chaotic interaction styles are not appreciated though.

I also work with plenty of dogs who are over reactive towards other dogs and whose owner’s dread other dogs coming too close.

It goes without saying, that with all of the below in mind- muzzles should be used when there’s a bite risk.

The common advice online is:

🗣️ Put yourself in the middle of the incoming dog and your dog (protective position)
🗣️ Put your dog in a sit-stay so you can deal with the other dog (take their collar, block etc).
🗣️ Put your dog in a middle position (between your legs)
🗣️ Throw treats at the other dog
🗣️ Use a pet corrector spray directed at the other dog
🗣️ Shout at the other dog
🗣️ Carry an umbrella and open it towards the other dog
🗣️ Recall your dog and keep their focus on you.

Oh, if only it were so simple!

Often the training related advice is given by professionals who have the training skills and time to proof their training to all manner of situations. Some of whom perhaps live with higher drive dogs and/ or who compete with their dogs.

Other times it’s given by those who use aversive tools, so the dog has two choices. Avoid the aversive stimulus by responding to cues or deal with the dog but risk being punished for ignoring cues.

I’ve never seen a video of a professional manage this situation using positive reinforcement training with an independent and/or low drive dog, such as a street dog. And I’ve never seen someone who uses balanced training methods demonstrate their dog responding to them in this situation without looking conflicted (anxious).

Feel free to post your videos if you think you have an example that shows different!

The reality is, what to do in these situations depends on…

🐕 The intensity of the other dog’s behaviour and what their motivation for coming over truly is.

🐕 Your dog’s personality and how easily and comfortably they can relinquish ALL responsibility over to you.

🐕 Your dog’s level of motivation for food or toy rewards in high pressure situations.

🐕 How affected by the other dog your dog is to recollect previously learned behaviours in the heat of the moment.

So here’s an example;

Here’s a video of Mohawk putting up “the wall”. A very clear signal to other dogs that if they rush over, he will counter move (flank and block). You can see that it’s effective- this young dog was very much going to run over despite us creating more space in good time and Mohawk’s wall caused him to pause and run a risk assessment.

RECALLING AWAY

Had I recalled Mohawk away earlier, the dog would have likely followed and ended up amongst all three of my dogs and caused chaos.

This appears to be easily overlooked amongst popular advice. Recalling your dog away can bring the dog in even closer.

Approaching the non bitey end of a dog is safer! We even utilise this in puppy class, recalling one puppy to turn and move further away from a shy puppy - so to encourage the shy puppy to move out of their area if they are curious enough to follow.

Furthermore, it’s bloomin’ hard for many dogs to turn their back on (recall away) an incoming dog who may be potential threat! Recall often fails in this context and repeat requests can elevate the pressure.

You can see that Mohawk can recall away once he’s confident his message to this adolescent retriever has been received and understood.
Young labs, vizslas and golden retrievers are by far the most common invaders on our walks and Mohawk can spot those thinking about coming over very quickly.


BLOCKING

This is the common advice for on lead dogs. I have previously demonstrated on a video that from a biomechanical perspective, your rotator cuff in your shoulder is unstable when you hold your dog back in this position.

If your dog is happy to have you assume the protective position when they are on or off lead, this is absolutely can be a great strategy! I’ve done it before when an off lead dog charged so offensively from across the meadow that all four of my dogs at the time froze in position. I moved in between with my arms to the side and I looked right at the dog and shouted assertively.

But not all dogs will wait back, even if asked to. Some will move forward with you or want to be the one who takes responsibility for the group- like Mohawk here in this video. His functional character is the defender, and it’s very challenging for him to relinquish that role- especially when he’s so good at it!

But if you have a dog who is on lead and more proactive, putting them in the protected position risks you loosing control should they lunge. This is because your rotator cuff is not stable when the arm is pulled back (it’s in a weak position that struggles to withstand force).

For such dogs who are on lead, I teach my clients to have their dogs in the middle of them and the dog (lead length reduced for safety) so the handler is opposite the dog and lead is at max payout.

Should the on lead dog test (stomp/mini lunge) or repel (lunge, bark) the other dog - they don’t gain any ground towards the dog which lowers the risk of retaliation and the other dog more often than not goes on their way.

PET CORRECTORS/ UMBRELLAS

I think we should consider the logistics of people with on lead dogs getting such equipment out and deploying in the heat of the moment.

Is it safe to manage the lead and deploy the equipment? Will the equipment scare the on lead dog?

I actually carry a pet corrector as a ‘fight stopper’. I’ve almost never needed to use one.
On the one occasion I did towards a dog who had previously run over and snapped at my dogs, my dogs were very happy for me to take responsibility and waited back while I moved in between and used the pet corrector when blocking was ignored.

THROWING TREATS

This can work, but relies on your dog NOT going for the treats also (hello food aggression!!) and also relies on the other dog being motivated to stop and take the treats.
A plan B is sensible in case it doesn’t work, or the dog stops and takes some of the treats and then starts to follow your dog.

TRAINING CUES

“Middle”, “stay”, “heel”….. they’re all things you could ask your dog.

But I don’t think people realise how difficult it is for the everyday dog owner to proof training to the point where their dog is going to respond to these cues without feeling any form of motivational conflict should the other dog continue to pester them, or at worst- be aggressive to them.

Amigo, my Spanish ex-stray rescue is highly motivated by rewards. He can more easily block out other dogs when asked, hence why he’s by me in this video. But even he has a limit - and I recognise when the kindest thing for me to do is to back off and let him use his species specific language to diffuse a situation- then be ready to recall him out of that situation.

Do we really expect a dog to “heel” or “stay” when another dog is bouncing around them or barking at them - especially if our dog struggles with other dogs?

Does “middle” really provide reassurance? Or does it elevate anxiety by reducing escape routes (forward or back rather than 360 options). Do we want our dogs getting into potential conflicts between our legs? (Redirected bites!).

Do we risk poisoning our cues by asking our dog to do behaviours in impossible situations?

If your dog can comfortably put the blinkers on and respond to you with minimal conflicting - go for it!

But be mindful of repeated cues elevating the arousal of an already arousing situation.

Also consider frustration related responses and/or potential resource guarding for using cues and rewards really close to unfamiliar dogs. Something I refer to as the “f**k off I’m busy” frustration defensive response.

WHAT IS MOTIVATIONAL CONFLICT?

Feeling torn in two directions. Experiencing two motivations that are in conflict with one another.

“I feel anxious by this dog and need to keep my eye on them in order to feel less anxious, but I feel motivated to respond to this cue because it leads to a reward I value”

Let’s consider the use of balanced training methods here. “I want to keep an eye on this dog AND I want to avoid this aversive stimulus”.

A lose- lose situation for the dog.

Signs of motivational conflict are: ears pulled back, stress grimace, frantic head turns, hesitancy or failure to respond to cues, jerky movements that lack commitment or confidence.

SMALL DOGS & PICKING UP

Tricky one, as being picked up removes all agency from the little dog and puts them and you in a potentially vulnerable position where the other dog may jump up at them in your arms, and often nip whilst doing so!

For small dogs who WANT to be picked up, it’s an option. Especially if you fear predatory aggression from the other dog.
Pick up, encase in your arms (cover with jacket if you can) and repeatedly turn your back on the dog.

SO WHAT DO I DO?

Prevention is always my go to! See the last video for how this more often than not works for me.

As demonstrated here, I will then give my dogs SOME agency and let them communicate.

If they hold back and want me to deal with the situation, I do. I’m also poised and ready to move in between and block if necessary or recall them away.

For my clients with on lead reactive dogs, they are taught to stay calm and embrace the moment. For all we know, it has a chance to turn into a positive encounter and this does actually happen on some occasions .

If your dog is ready to progress with their dog-dog reactivity training and are getting closer to dogs, then at some point you’re probably going to have to start managing encounters. Naturally, we want them to be with the right dogs! But we also need the skills to manage all kinds of close encounters.

Shouting in a stressed or angry way at the owner, repeatedly recalling our dog with increasing stress in our voice and pulling our dog away from an incoming dog is, in my experience, unhelpful. Pulling dogs away is best reserved for true emergencies.

Letting the dog use their behaviour to communicate and cope with the situation can help the other dog get the message they aren’t welcome and move away more quickly.

Final example, when walking with Hayley and Otto last week an off lead dog hurtled from about 150 metres behind us into our group.

The speed of their approach meant I had no time to prevent, so I immediately went to take Kanita (my senior street dog who would take massive umbrage to this dog) by her harness so I could keep her closer to me. Hayley reduced the length of Otto’s longline and Amigo and Mohawk were off lead.

We both just let the dogs watch this dog, knowing that - at with this speed and direct approach - they would struggle to recall away and that recalling them away wouldn’t stop the dog approaching.

The dog tore into the middle of group , with Mohawk counter charging to try and push him away. This caused the dog to pause and assess, by which point Amigo approached the dog and said “I think you need to leave” with a bit of postural behaviour. The dog launched into round two of chaos and went up to Otto who lunged and said “f**k off you rude t**t”. The dog then went back to my three and Hayley used this opportunity to create some distance but allowed Otto to continue watching from there.

All the while I had hold of Kanita but I let her rotate to monitor the situation as the dog moved around. I asked nothing of her!

After the initial chaos and when it was clear this dog was persistent I started to call to the owner to get their dog.
They were blasé and useless and didn’t hurry when I requested a second time.
By this point, all of the chaos was starting to diffuse. Our dogs had had their say, but also realised that this dog wasn’t a threat and were just really rude. The posturing and explosive behaviour had fizzled and when the useless owner eventually caught up the dog trotted off with him and that was that. Yes, I did tell him that he needs control if his dog is going to be off lead.

Everyone calmed very quickly and we enjoyed the rest of our walk.

Neither Hayley or I asked anything of our dogs in that moment. We both immediately knew it would be a high intensity situation that our dogs would need to attend to and that our job was to stay calm and manage the situation as best as we could.

25/11/2024

Check out that ear hair in the wind 💨

Sirius, the XL super floof German Shepherd soaks up the view on his assessment with me last Friday!

Sirius can react at dogs, but managed to pass over 10 dogs on our walk without barking, only reacting briefly at one who veered and pulled towards him on their extender lead!

What a handsome boy he is!

NB: No head collar comments please! Remember this is his assessment and as Sirius is around 45 kilos, we want to ensure his owner feels as relaxed and comfortable as possible for their first session. Both of us would love to get him off the head collar, so it’s on the list of goals!

24/11/2024

Ruby the Cane Corso has started her behaviour and training package with team member, Hayley!

Ruby is 7 months, which means she's entering adolescence.
This development phase is a time where, due to the significant changes within specific regions of the brain, the stress response is two-fold to that experienced adulthood. Fear based memories are quicker to be made but also more resistant to exinction.
Emotional regulation is compromised and risk taking behaviour increases.

Throw in the on-set or escalation of breed specific traits at this time, many of which can be challenging, and is it any wonder why the majority of dogs requiring behaviour support are of adolescent age (6m-3yo)?

Ruby's in good hands with Hayley, who will be supporting the family on providing her with positive experiences with dogs, managing her around the children in the home and any visitors.

To learn more about the science of adolscence in dogs, you can check out my webinar linked in the comments.

23/11/2024

⭐️ New Team Member ⭐️

Nikki joined our team a couple of months ago as our admin assistant and we have now got her profile up on the website! So she's stuck with us 🤣

Nikki is a full member of the APDT, nearing completion of her PACT membership application (which I don't doubt will be successful).

She also helps with her dogs on our dog-dog over reactivity rehabilitation sessions and social walks, and assists on puppy classes!

Say a big welcome to Nikki 🩷

Nikki Administrator & assistant Nikki manages our inquiries and helps with puppy classes and dog-dog sessions with her two lovely Labradors. Follow me on Fa

22/11/2024

PUPPY PIC FIX!!!!

Look at all of these snoots and beady eyes 👀 💕

Milo, Kiki, Reggie, Razbo, Bear, Marnie, Bernard, Rolo, Rod, Nelly, Bramble and Trevor all completed their puppy class course this week!

Puppy kisses are always appreciated! Wolfdog puppy kisses?! Life is now complete 😂

21/11/2024

I love seeing tiny dogs enjoying the company of large dogs! 🥰

Murphy enjoyed a social walk with Amigo yesterday as part of his dog-dog reactivity behaviour mod and training package.

A confident and calm dog can promote an increase in confidence in fearful dogs- safety in numbers!

The supporting dog can also act as a social preview or barrier to other dogs. This allowed Murphy to have a handful of close encounters with passing dogs without reacting 🤘

20/11/2024

🛑 HOW TO STOP DOGS RUSHING OVER TO YOURS 🛑
….or people invading your dog’s space.

I've got into my fair share of heated discussions over the years, where out of control dogs have crossed huge distances to pester or posture at my dogs. Such incidents can cause you to feel stress that lasts beyond the event and take away the enjoyment of dog walking.

Over the years, I have refined how I communicate to other people with regards to helping my dogs not get stressed, whether that's by another dog's behaviour, a dog approaching head on in a tight space, or a person wanting to approach and interact with my dogs.

👀 PRE-EMPT

It goes without saying, we shouldn't be marching our dogs head on into situations they can't cope with, and then getting shirty with people who interpret the absence of your behaviour changing as a sign all is well (not that that excuses unsolicited touch).

If you can calmly create the distance needed to avoid a problem, then do it. The distance needed will vary from situation to situation.

For example, to stop someone randomly stroking your dog as you walk past them, all you may need to do is to walk your dog on the opposite side of your body so you are in the way! Or you may need to cue your dog's attention on you and take one step to the side, so your dog is 'busy' and not looking at the person- which can be an invitation for some, rightly or wrongly, to interact.

Pre-empting (risk assessments) becomes second nature over time and I just see it as a way of practising my dog's responsiveness to me.

🗣️ INSTRUCT

When avoidance isn't an option, I instruct (ask!). I use a visual signal (like a stop sign with my hand up), open up with a friendly phrase and make a very short, precise request.

"Hey, please don't let your dog run over"
"Hey kids, please stop running!" (towards the dog)
"Heya, please ignore my dog as they pass"
"Hi, don't touch my dog please"
"One sec! Let me move my dog away" (Accompanied with a hand signal is massively effective in getting someone to stand still, such as with head on encounters in tight spaces)
“Hey, please don’t let your dog come up to sniff my dog”.

These requests are best made before it’s too late! At best, you give them enough time to respond effectively. At worse, you’ve confused someone who had no intention of interacting with your dog or whose dog was never going to come over!

If they don't respond and the perceived risk is ongoing, I repeat almost word for word, perhaps emphasising attention grabbing phrases such as "excuse me" or "hi there".

More often than not, these work. Now I have perfected these phrases, learning to use the hand signal and a friendly opening, people rarely get shirty and at worst, may be a bit confused!

In the instances of dogs who look friendly or cute- I often add information to minimise the chances of people thinking they know better based on what they are observing.

"I know he is super cute, but please ignore him"
"I know she looks friendly, but she needs space from your dog"

In some instances I have had people wait for a bit, and then start approaching as I am moving my dog away and I will reiterate the instruction.

"Please wait a bit longer, I'll move my dog away"
"It'll help me move my dog away if you can wait a little longer, please"

REINFORCE

I then immediately thank them for their response! A big, gushy, heap of praise....

"Thank you so much, I really appreciate that".
"That's amazing, thank you, that's so helpful"

I want them to feel good about doing what I think is a good thing and be aware that they were helping, especially when they have potentially gone out their way a bit, even if it was just standing still for 10 seconds.

EXPLAIN

Where necessary, I explain. I often try to frame this explanation so that they realise their co-operation benefited them and their dog!

"My dogs don't like dogs rushing over"
"I don't want my dog to bark at you"
"My dog is nervous of children and I don't want them to bark and scare your kids"
"My dog struggles to move away when dogs walk towards us"

When people are really responsive, it can sometimes be a great opportunity to increase exposure- to them and/or their dog! With you explaining what they can do, if they appear keen to help, to give your dog a positive experience. You just need to be mindful of keeping an eye on your dog too and not just chatting away to the person.

It's now unusual for me to get into unpleasant exchanges with people. Occasionally you get the odd person who is taken aback (or even offended!) by being asked to do something, no matter how nicely it was worded. My priority isn't to appease people's lack of tolerance to being asked to do something by someone else, it's for me and my dogs to have minimally stressful walks.

Some people find it really difficult to engage with people in this way and I appreciate it can feel uncomfortable. But the stress of, and risks associated with, a bad interaction are potentially worse. In my experience, it gets easier with practise- especially if you adapt your tone to make it sound like a friendly request that really isn't a big deal- because it's not actually a big deal at all!

Next up in these series of posts, what do I do if a dog rushes over to mine...... (update: check out our feed as it’s now up! )