Mendmydog Dog Behaviourist

02/12/2024

This feels uncomfortable for many dogs and can result in bites to the faces of people who do not understand this. If another dog put their face into a dog's face and put their paws around their neck, it is extremely rude and quite offensive, often resulting in an aggressive response. Many dogs will tolerate this from trusted owners but don't necessarily enjoy it. I have heard many tales first hand of this going wrong and the result is that both dog and victim suffer in the end. It is time to educate humans on how to act around dogs, keeping both humans and dogs safe and comfortable

New research highlights that human gestures of affection like hugging, petting, and playing with dogs may often be misunderstood by dogs, leading to stress and discomfort. A study analysing popular videos on media-sharing platforms found that many dogs displayed signs of anxiety and fear during these interactions, largely due to miscommunication. The findings suggest a need for better education in understanding canine body language and promoting respectful, cooperative human-dog interactions to strengthen bonds and avoid potential welfare issues. Let’s learn to communicate better with our dog companions!

Read more about the study here: (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168159124000546)

02/12/2024

Wise words from Laura on how to repect that not all dogs like the human Christmas activities that owners often take them to. Many anxious dogs like Fizz would rather avoid a lot of these situations (along with many other dogs I know) so please give them what they need and they will love you for it.

❌AT CHRISTMAS YOUR DOG DOESN’T HAVE TO:

🧑‍🎄 Visit Santa at the garden centre

🎄 Be around your visitors

🎅🏽 Go to other peoples houses

🎄 Go to see the Christmas lights switch on

🍺 Go to the busy pub on Christmas Eve

If they are anxious or get worried about people, dogs or busy places or if they just don’t like doing these things. It’s not a fault if they don’t like doing these things, many dogs don’t enjoy ‘human activities’ like this (some do, I have one that loves all of it and two that would be 🫤 ).

✅ Instead they may prefer to:

🚪 Be in their safe space (see upcoming post on this), a quiet room they like being in with a dog gate on the doorway when you have a house full of people who may scare them

🐕 Have an extra trip to a freedom field on Christmas morning and some extra enrichment at home while you go and visit family for a few hours if they’d find it stressful to come with you

🐶 A meet up with a dog or human friend at a place they like rather than a trip to the heaving pub on Christmas Eve

🦴 A trip to a dog enrichment centre or a 121 in an activity they love (scent work, mantrailing etc) rather than an outing to see the Christmas lights switched on

🍖 Some dog safe Christmas biscuits you’ve made them rather than dressing up in a dog Santa outfit

Loads of these Christmas ‘traditions’ that we enjoy are not enjoyed by our dogs, especially if they are anxious or more sensitive. Even the most robust dog may tolerate these activities rather than love them.

Please be mindful of your dogs wants and needs and don’t put them into situations they find stressful just because we want them to be part of Christmas. It’s your Christmas, not your dogs, they really won’t mind not being included in everything you do ❤️

Laura McAuliffe Dog Communication 2024

30/11/2024

Handsome Rupert has started barking at lots of things now that he is turning adult and his lovely owners are seeking help with this and some other issues, such as car fear. He made a great start today with me and we are looking at rewarding the right behaviours at the right time as part of their homework

30/11/2024

Lorcan, who is on the far left is struggling with life with a toddler. He was fine when she was a baby but now that she’s started to move around, he is becoming increasingly worried. He also has some issues with Dog reactivity and two of his brothers have separation anxiety. There’s a lot going on here but his lovely owners have rightly sought some professional advice. We are looking at ways to keep everybody safe and the dogs relaxed.

27/11/2024

Is your dog reactive or selective towards other dogs? Most adult dogs do not want to play with all other dogs, just like adult humans, we get to know who we like and who we don’t and act accordingly. This is normal behaviour in street/feral dogs. It’s normal for adult dogs to form selective social circles. Puppies are generally tolerant of all dogs but may become selective or reactive as they mature (6–18 months). Negative experiences during this period, especially in multi-dog settings, can trigger long-term reactivity.
Fizz, my Romanian rescue dog, who many of you know had a difficult start in life, exemplifies this. Despite her early trauma and lack of socialisation, patient training has helped her manage her reactivity, build trust. She has learned to relax because I have taught her some strategies to help her cope with this and not freak out, like she used to. She also has learned to enjoy the company of chosen dog friends. While she may still react to unfamiliar dogs in close proximity, careful management and positive coping strategies minimise stress. Some trainers you see on television are only desensitising the dog to those in front of them that day that they have walked past repetitively for several hours – I know as I appeared on one of these programmes. Once the dog goes home and gets up the next day, facing new unknown dogs in their neighbourhood, all the previous day’s ‘training’ can be quickly forgotten.
Reactivity in dogs is complex, often requiring time and tailored approaches. Quick fixes or punitive methods can exacerbate stress rather than resolve issues. Accepting your dog’s individuality and focusing on relaxation and trust-building are key to meaningful progress. For support, and help with your dog get in touch.

24/11/2024

Here are a few of the dogs I have painted and drawn for clients (and one of Chip) as a hobby and pastime between jobs. I have sold some and donated to Battersea Dogs Home (where my first dog Milo originally came from). They are always in desperate need and especially so in the run up to and aftermath of Christmas. I love doing them, so if you would like one of your dog please get in touch. A3 or A4 for £30. All I need is a photo and it is for a great cause 🐾❤️

23/11/2024

Teddy, the handsome Cavapoo is starting to growl at his owners and their children at times, we are doing some investigation into what is causing this but in the meantime his lovely owners and their children are learning how to correctly read Dog body language and understand the world from a dog’s perspective as well as setting clear boundaries for Teddy. We spoke about possible resource guarding and the picking of dogs up and putting your face into theirs, this is read very differently between dogs and can easily trigger aggression if the dog feels unsafe. Teddy is in the middle of the secondary fear phase that happens during Dog adolescence so careful handling on how the family will move forward together is required. It was a pleasure to work with the gorgeous Teddy and his wonderful owners who are doing the right thing by seeking help to understand and work on these issues.

19/11/2024

Suppressing a dog's natural behaviour that we may not like can become like 'Whack a mole' if you are constantly using aversive methods....a new and more serious behaviour can emerge in the dog, I have seen this happen many times with clients who have used these methods, especially with reactivity where physical punishment was used. This is explained very well here......another example of why all the major dog welfare organisations, such as the RSPCA, Dog's Trust and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons will only recommend positive methods in dog training now. We no longer use physical punishment on children, we need to move on in the dog training world as well. I have learned both methods like most people of my age but have become 'a crossover' to the positive side since studying the subject at degree level. The scientific evidence is now there.

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

Please contact your MP and call on them to sign up to our manifesto asks and pledge to advocate for animals over the next five years.

12/11/2024

Pickles the Pomeranian is not keen on guests and we met outside where he barked at me quite a bit initially but we walked around together and after a few positive moves to build trust he became my best friend and was happily sitting with me off lead indoors. Pickles is a territorial guarder who has nipped before and his lovely owners are finding some of his adolescent behaviours quite challenging. He is showing signs of starting to resource guard his owners’ bed and barking and lunging at dogs and people in the neighbourhood whilst on his lead. Once a dog reaches adulthood, these adult behaviours often start to kick in. We made a great start today on a plan to help them all overcome these issues with patience and reduce his overall stress levels. I confess to falling in love with him a little bit and he tried to come home with me at the end of my session which just shows how building trust can make such a difference. ❤️

09/11/2024

This may not look that impressive but this is a BIG deal for Ziggy and his lovely owners. He has relaxed in the company of a new visitor, namely me. Ziggy is an anxious boy who can aggressively guard his home and usually barks and tries to nip guests which has meant his owners rarely have people around. He has reactivity issues with children running, vehicles and certain dogs which we will be working on together to make life with Ziggy easier to manage and help him to relax more ❤️

05/11/2024

Watching your dog shaking like a leaf in terror is absolute hell, especially if you feel you can’t help them. My first two rescue dogs who we had from puppyhood developed a fear or fireworks once they reached around three or four years of age, neither of them suffered as puppies but Milo, my first dog was very scared by a loud bang on one of his walks and then transferred that fear to his younger brother Chip. We suffered for many years trying everything we could to help them as once the fear is imbedded, it is very hard to shake. Even the soundproofing with CDs beforehand is relatively ineffective as it does not mimic the smell and vibration of the real thing. One thing that really did work with Chip later on was for us to turn reggae music up really loudly and all behave as if there was absolutely nothing wrong. We didn’t overly fuss with him which we had done in the past and we were messing around dancing indoors as if we were completely unphased by the noises outside. This was a definite breakthrough for Chip as I believe that he saw us happy and unafraid and began to relax. Dogs are often our mirrors and sometimes if we become worried by their fear, it only adds to the problem. Fizz is completely unaffected by them and we are so relieved but if your dog is in a terrible state, why not try what we did, it could help, you never know, it has helped many clients in the past, but I do sympathise, as we suffered for many years with this problem.

31/10/2024

Wishing you and your best friends a Happy and safe Halloween 🎃 Remember that our dogs can become easily spooked by strange costumes so keeping them safe inside away from the front door and away from any potential fireworks will keep them happy and safe. This may mean walking them earlier in the day and taking them into your garden for their last toilet break, many dogs can be easily spooked as dusk settles aside from the additional strange costumes that may be roaming the streets. Many dogs may bolt out of fear as is reported every year, so please be mindful of their safety. 🎃❤️

30/10/2024

If the answer to this is yes then I feel your pain. Both of my first rescue dogs were terrified and for a number of years I was unable to help them although once I had discovered that some of my behaviours were affecting Chip it began to make much more of a difference to him. My current Romanian rescue dog who many of you know is amazingly completely unaffected by fireworks which makes such a difference to our lives and hers. If you would like a free advice sheet on what I have learned and helped many Dogs with please just drop me an email to [email protected] I promise not to spam you, this is just an honest offer of help for you and your dog.

30/10/2024

28/10/2024

Roxie, the goldendoodle puppy is gorgeous ❤️ Roxie is hopefully going to be her young autistic owner’s support dog in time and made a great start today learning 2 new cues with her lovely owners.