R.A.W Dogs - Reactive And Wonderful

16/07/2024

Those of you following this page for the wrong reasons - to spy on us, stare at us on walks, slag us off when you get the opportunity - please just leave.

I know exactly who you are. You're hiding in plain sight.

I really hope the dogs you work with see a better side of you.

10/12/2023

I never thought I'd comfortably get a muzzle on my boy.

Thrilled

https://miasmuzzles.com/

07/05/2023

I've become aware of this gorgeous young male border collie who is currently at Hope Rescue and desperately needs a home. He really really struggles with kennel life.

He's super affectionate, good with dogs, really clean in terms of toileting etc.

Really he just needs to be loved, have the company of kind, patient humans and the opportunity to run and run 😊.

I'm very happy to provide post-adoption support and walking for as long as needed.

Meet Kipling 🤎

17/02/2023

In light of the savage social media wars re dog training at the moment, I thank Shay Kelly so much for this. It says it all 🙏

15/02/2023

A dog's eye view

01/02/2023

We used to inflict corporal punishment on our children. It 'worked' I suppose in that the child would be terrified and suppress what caused them to 'misbehave' in the first place.

We used to make them climb into chimneys, because we didn't want to, because they were small enough, and because we could. They were powerless and scared.

Thankfully most humans know that that approach is inhumane, ineffective and hopelessly outdated.

You can see where I'm going.

Science is great, despite a clarion call on social media from 'Balanced' trainers essentially saying it is crap.

The earth isn't flat people. We know, categorically and unequivocally, that we have kinder, and more effective ways than strangling dogs to make them do what we want them to.

01/02/2023

REACTIVITY REDEFINED
Although reactivity has other causes, many types of reactivity are triggered by the core emotion of fear.
The fear of whatever is making a dog feel unsafe, the fear of a valuable possession being taken away or the fear of a strange person or animal coming into their territory. Anxiety, stress, over excitement, over stimulation, feeling overwhelmed, trigger stacking, or a dog that is tired, in pain or even has chronic itching will often feel irritable and may be reactive in certain situations. When being reactive is successful in making the scary thing go away, it becomes a rewarding behaviour because it’s something that works and makes them feel better.
Reactive dogs are often misunderstood. A dog that is reacting is not trying to be difficult, they are having a difficult time coping with that particular situation and are trying their best to make the thing go away in the only way they know how.
It’s not easy to be the owner of a reactive dog. One of my dogs is reactive and I know how dogs like this can leave you feeling embarrassed, ashamed, angry or frustrated. Why do they have to be so difficult, why can’t they just behave normally? Everyone is looking at me, judging me, thinking that I’m a bad owner, have no training skills, can’t control my dog or have a unsocialised, vicious dog that shouldn’t be taken out in public.
As hard as it may be, we need to take the focus off how we as owners feel about their reactivity and focus on how our dogs are feeling and what is causing their reaction. Whatever it is, it’s not something our dogs can overcome on their own and we need to take steps to help them cope. Reactive dogs need compassion, understanding, management, force free, positive reinforcement interventions and decompression – a return to a normal, more relaxed state after a period of intense stress, psychological pressure, or urgent activity. These interventions take time and patience but are so important in helping our dogs feel safe and learn more acceptable ways of coping.
I have learnt through many mistakes, to recognise what triggers my reactive dog and take steps to either avoid those situations, provide enough distance, or provide her with an alternative choice where she feels safe and more in control. There will always be unexpected triggers around the next corner that are not within our control, but doing all we can to manage reactive triggers has so many benefits.

31/01/2023

Just brilliant.

And to those of you who still believe that the earth is flat, and that strangling dogs to get them to do what you want is OK, sleep soundly.

The dog training world is quite divided in some respects, and never more so than right now. The constant debate, or hatred of each other seems to be increasing. I don’t think the divide, between av…

26/01/2023

'IT SEEMS THAT EXCITEMENT FOR OUR DOGS IS BECOMING A BAD THING'

I listened to a webinar this morning by Jean Donaldson from The Academy for Dog Trainers, and she included this sentence which really resonated with me.

She was talking about the current trend in the force-free world of restricting access to fetch, tug, chase etc, because it increases cortisol and stresses the dogs out. In other words these games CAUSE stress.

In humans, waking up increases cortisol. Exercise increases cortisol. No-one in their right mind is saying to not do those things.

When dogs do what they love, what their genetics dictate, what they need, then yes, their heart rates increase. They pant. Their cortisol levels rise. They're excited.

So should we err on the side of caution and restrict these things *incase* we stress the dog? They don't get to exercise their canine hardwiring to be on the safe side? I know what I think.

Essentially though, whether you agree or not, it's really important to me to say here that as yet, there is absolutely NO robust scientific evidence to confirm that fetch etc, even daily and for long periods, emotionally stresses our dogs. Absolutely none.

However, there's plenty of evidence to suggest that if dogs aren't given these outlets they're stressed off their heads.

So I guess what I'm asking is, if someone peddles this as fact, push them to quote a peer-reviewed, credible scientific study. There isn't one. And if they're wrong the fallout for our dogs' happiness and wellbeing is significant.

14/01/2023

Following yet another toxic social media onslaught from trolls and people I have literally never met or worked with when I tried to normalise hu***ng, here is the dog who apparently should be taken off me because I'm so cruel. A dog who no-one else would walk - like most of our dogs - because he didn't fit into a neat little box and isn't considered 'well-behaved' whatever that means.

I love him dearly and he loves me too. And at the end of the day that's all I'm here to do. Play with, train and socialise those dogs that otherwise wouldn't get the chance.

Also, guess what, I work with reactive dogs (clue in the name). So yup, they bark, they snap, they resource guard, they hump. Why?

Because they're dogs. Animals. And my ego isn't fragile enough that I have to dictate their every interaction. It's my job to step in when a dog is upset. Bailey himself likes to hump. It's part of play. And this was the same walk as the 'hu***ng' walk, with one of the *gasp* humpees. Does he look distressed to you?

Those of you who have shared the hu***ng video in an effort to discredit me, share this one too.

And yes, you spotted it. The springer dared to growl because they went near his ball. Shock horror. Best report me.

If you 'Like' this page just waiting for an opportunity to be hateful, please leave.

18/12/2022

Interesting

December has brought NEW research published on diet-associated DCM in dogs. This research was funded by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and the Department of Clinical Sciences at Oregon State University.

For those that aren't familiar, in 2018 the FDA began investigating unusual cases of a heart disease called Dilated Cardiomyopathy with a disproportionate representation of dogs fed grain-free diets and diets with peas and lentils. These dogs were breeds that do not typically develop DCM, and even more unusual, many of these dogs showed improvement or complete resolution with a diet change, even though DCM is typically a progressive, fatal disease even in the face of medication.

Since 2018, all kinds of reporting has circulated, including rumors that the FDA withdrew their investigation (they did not) and that the research was flawed and retracted (it was not).

This is the TWELFTH paper demonstrating the link in question.

In this study (Owens et al 2022), healthy adult dogs eating diets containing pulse legumes (peas, lentils, chickpeas, beans) as main ingredients had lower cardiac function and higher ventricular volume than dogs eating grain-inclusive diets without potatoes or pulses in the first 10 ingredients.

You can read my summary here: https://www.alltradesdvm.com/topics/diet-associated-dcm/dcm-articles/dec-2022-healthy-dog-measurements

And the open-access paper here: https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.16606

What do you feed your dogs?

Dr. C

22/10/2022

09/08/2022

Really? In 2022? How cretinous can humans get?

Please read Wild at Heart's analysis. It's utterly on point.

I’ve absolutely had it. We’re doing the very best we can. We are educated, certified, accredited. We strive to pull you out of the sea of misinformation and bu****it pseudoscience.

I need to diplomatically explain why the last trainer you hired wasn’t helping when they forced your fearful reactive dog around their triggers. I need to calmly (and without anger towards the trainer) explain why it was not ok that your last trainer hung, punched or kicked your dog (which is not only NOT ok, it’s reportable to the authorities). Now, I’ll have to explain why this article, even though it’s published by what seems like a credible source, is going to damage and set back dogs and guardians everywhere.

I’ll have to explain that we don’t ignore our separation anxious dogs and we don’t yell at them either (as the author suggests). I’ll have to explain that having a rich, affectionate relationship with your dog isn’t causing the separation anxiety, and you don’t have to stop.

And we don’t shame owners, or, I don’t. But this author needs to be held accountable. Publishing bu****it and suggesting that a sad, soft dog needs tough love. Like sadness is ever cured by being unsupportive and cold to the sad and broken.

This sweet senior who you refer to as a “mentally unbalanced dog” because he’s a “rescue”. As if his current upset by being ignored in his fear and anxiety is somehow his own fault, a captive dog who can’t find the right trainer and get his own vet check while you write your fu***ng article implying that HE is the problem. Like he owes you anything.

The Washington Post and Netflix and National Geographic packaging anything from basic misinformation (every SA dog won’t eat) to raging, aggressive animal abuse as “training” like their cash cow Cesar. They need to stop, they need to be held accountable for profiting off your dog’s suffering when you follow what absolutely is well packaged bu****it and pseudoscience.

Shame on the Washington Post and shame on the trainer from this article (whoever you are) working separation anxiety cases like this - your advice is literally hurting dogs. Do better.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/08/07/rescue-dog-anxiety/

27/07/2022

MY DOG DOESN'T LIKE OTHER DOGS

This has become a REALLY hot topic for us over the last couple of weeks, specifically (but not exclusively) with herders and bully breeds.

A few thoughts:

- This is normal for these breeds. UTTERLY NORMAL. These dogs were meant to work with humans. They're inherently asocial animals.

- This is not a quality of life issue. We know SO many dogs who don't need or want other dogs in their lives. It's our cultural human baggage that insists this is important. For our dogs, it really isn't.

- Even for the world's most pro-social dogs, science tells us they get choosier as they get older. If they have friends they'll likely be those made in puppy hood. If they don't want to make friends in the woods on a walk, that's FINE.

- This is not a deficiency.

- Help your dog if they don't want to say hi, by not making them. If onlead give them the distance and motivation they want and happily get them out of there. That's our job. And if the other human is annoyed, hey ho!

24/07/2022

It's been a while. Over the last few months there's been a lot of hate. Really acidic, toxic, rancid hate. Social media massacres fuelled by ignorant public sector staff (I worked in the public sector for over 20 years. These are very particular ones).

We've been quiet whilst fending all of this off.

But. The light at the end of the tunnel is now bright.

The way we all agree with - giving dogs agency, love and respect - is the right way. Science says it, experience says it, and every one of our dogs say it.

Bring the doubters on 😉

14/04/2022

How we roll at RAW 😊