JV Dog Behaviour

15/10/2024

This made me laugh more than it should!

05/10/2024

Oooh good to know. Who doesn’t love a cheeky wee Costa visit! Bear in mind though that lots of dogs really don’t like busy public places so build up gradually if you want to try taking them to a coffee shop or similar. Take a comfy mat and sit in a quieter spot. Don’t forget to advocate your dog if they don’t want to be approached or patted by any strangers.

03/10/2024

Firework season is approaching again 😬 Get ahead of your plan for your worried dog with this free information session in West Lothian.

✨️Top Tips for Firework Season ✨️

💙💜 With Riverside Vets and Reach Your Pawtential 💙💜

Come along to a 🌟 FREE 🌟 information evening to learn how to best prepare your cats and dogs for the firework season ahead. Advice for before, during and after the big event!

We'll be looking at all of the Top Tips to help promote calm including:
💙 How to prepare in advance ⚡️
💜 Practical enrichment demos 🌭
💙 The benefits of medication 💊
💜 Last minute life hacks ✨️

Refreshments on arrival 🫖

🌟 Monday 21st October, 7- 8pm 🌟

Event held at:
Riverside Vet Armadale
1-3 East Main Street
Armadale
EH48 2NS

Book your free slot here: www.reachyourpawtential.co.uk/booking

23/09/2024

Controversial equipment alert…. Join me on a bit of my walk today with my own dog Spud!

18/09/2024

Just a wee announcement - I recently passed the theory and practical assessments to join the APDT (member 01682) which means I am now a certified animal training instructor with the ABTC, the main regulating body of animal behaviour and training professionals. Next step is to complete the clinical behaviourist process!

15/07/2024

Loads of owners struggle with this concept as there’s so much conflicting advice. It’s totally fine (and right) to help your dog feel safe by allowing them to be close to you.

Dogs need an anchor in the world; someone they have a secure attachment with based on a loving relationship and someone who makes them feel safe. There’s a lovely quote from John Bowlby about child/parent secure bases that says ‘all of us, from the cradle to the grave are happiest when life is organised as a series of excursions, long or short, from the secure base provided by our attachment figures’.

What this means is that dogs do best if they feel safe and have a secure bond to someone. This means they need contact- both physically and emotionally and they need to feel safe and with no concern that they will be punished. This secure attachment helps them to be resilient and cope with the world as they always have a safe base to return to.

I’ve seen this in action with my little hand reared yorkie. From 6 days old she lived attached to me, to keep her warm she mostly lived inside my jumper (actually in my bra really 😂). She slept next to me, I bottle fed her and cared for her every need. You’d perhaps think this would create a needy monster who would never cope without me being right there- who would have awful separation issues and who would really struggle emotionally in life. Quite the opposite occurred, she’s the most independent and confident dog I’ve ever had. When she was a few months old she decided she didn’t want to sleep in my bed anymore- she’s big and brave enough that she doesn’t need me like that now. She’s grown her wings to fly the nest. She returns in the night if she gets cold and always every morning for a cuddle under the covers when I’m half asleep-it’s like I’m her docking station for a recharge and then she’s off, without a backward glance (actually maybe she silently swears at me 😂) and she’d face the world alone if she could, she is totally fearless.

There’s no short cuts to a secure attachment- you can’t achieve it by using food and you can’t get it by training. You can’t get a secure attachment by using coercion, quite the opposite occurs- if you punish your dog they won’t feel safe. It takes time, trust and understanding. If you haven’t had your dog from a puppy you can still have a really strong, secure relationship. I’ve had a mix of puppies and adult rescues and some of my strongest relationships have been with my adult rescues but it all takes time, and if they’ve had a series of broken attachments in the past it can take time for them to trust but it’s so worth it.

Don’t ever worry about loving your dog ‘too’ much or giving them too much care or attention, just like children, they need to feel safe and understood to thrive.

25/06/2024

You might have bought your pet Labrador, Golden Retriever, Spaniel, or Vizsla with the expectation that they will simply fit into your everyday life like any other breed of dog.

Before they arrived, you might have imagined them sleeping next to you while you work from home, having a leisurely stroll on your daily dog walk, or inviting them to accompany you on trips to the local dog-friendly pub and days out to the beach.

What you’ve got instead is a ball of chaos and energy that struggles to settle anywhere, let alone somewhere exciting like a busy pub.

A hunting machine that pulls you from scent to scent on what has now become known as the daily drag.

A dog you don’t trust off-lead in the local park or countryside because you’re never sure if they will come back when you call them.

Indeed, owners who are uninitiated to a gundog’s way of thinking and naive to their hunting prowess do struggle to teach reliable recall and loose lead walking or heelwork in the presence of distractions such as wildlife and scent.

We all remember the desperate cries of Fenton’s owner as his Labrador failed to recall, choosing to chase deer through Richmond Park instead.

But on top of that, with no outlet for their innate desires to hunt, chase, and retrieve, pet gundogs are more susceptible to developing lasting and damaging behavioural problems.

Sadly, I have seen it all: resource guarding, constant frustration barking, obsessive shadow or tail chasing, destructive chewing, and general over-arousal and over-excitement.

To find out why it is so important for non-working, pet gundog-breeds to do some gundog training head to
https://clickergundog.co.uk/blogs/news/what-is-the-point-of-doing-gundog-training-with-my-pet-dog-if-i-don-t-want-to-take-them-on-a-shoot

If you know someone who has a pet dog that would benefit from participating in gundog training, even if they will never go on a shoot, please consider sharing this post or blog link with them.

📸 Alice Loder Photography

13/06/2024

TOP TIP: get a dog that fits your needs. Sound simple but in reality many prospective dog owners might not realise what that entails. Breed traits, size, exercise needs and cost of care are all factors to consider. A giant breed dog might not suit a retired couple. A German shepherd is likely not a great choice for a first time owner living in a flat. A border collie will be much harder work and prone to more issues to someone living in a city.

Even if you get a puppy they are NOT blank skates, far from it!

31/05/2024

Lovely evening walk with my boys. Nothing out of the ordinary to most people but for us it’s pretty special. Spud coped with exciting country smells, a group of young teens (terrifying!), didn’t lose his mind with excitement in the river and even managed a decent ‘leave’ with some tasty horse p**p!

19/05/2024

It might sound strange, but to most behaviourists s a growl is a good thing! If a dog does not feel safe they need to be able to tell us and usually will do so without biting IF we listen to what they are saying through their body language and vocalisations.

Dogs that bite are either so stressed or afraid that they are not able to react with reason OR have learnt that no other form of communications is effective to keep themselves safe.

- manage the environment to help your dog feel safe
- be proactive if you see signs of stress
- remove them from situations if they are not coping (create distance from triggers!)

16/05/2024

This pair of troublemakers enjoyed another trip to a rather busy Harlaw reservoir. Spud the sprocker can find it very hard to stay calm when beside water and due to his fearful nature he’s on lead around dogs and people which makes walks tricky! We managed well though and even got our first podium pic 🏆