Dolittles Animal Training & Behaviour

06/09/2024

A lovely 2nd session with beautiful Poppy. Her Mum & Dad have been working very hard & now they are completely ready for their 1st walk.....Good luck & remember to have fun!
🐾❤️🎉

06/09/2024

Happy Birthday Super Stooge & class assistant!!!!
🎈🎉🧡🐾🐕🥳⭐️

05/09/2024

05/09/2024

Yay another cohort of Scent Detectives......so excited for them starting this journey! I wish I could do it all from the start again & perfect timing for the dark nights! 🐕👃🐾

05/09/2024

Tip of the Day:
Start walking your puppies at dusk so they get used to walking in the dark before the clocks change

04/09/2024

Another pack of puppies starting their training journey with us. Really proud of our classes ❤️
4 Seasons Dog Training - Puppy Specialist

04/09/2024

The Role Veggies Play in Your Pet’s Bowl 🥦🥣

Veggies might only make up a small part of your pet’s diet, but they pack a big punch! 👊🌟 They help keep your furry friend’s body healthy, support detoxification, boost natural antioxidant defenses and help fight off tumors. 🛡️🐶🐱

🥕 Check out the link below to learn more about why veggies are a must-have in your pet’s diet and discover more great choices to offer your pet. ⬇️

03/09/2024

It was a pleasure to meet Lenny & help reassure Mum she is on the right track.....as well as share some Ridgie secrets! ❤️🐾

02/09/2024

“My dog has growled at a member of our household – should I punish them?”

This is a question I am asked about very frequently, so I thought I would put up a post about it.

Growling is very straight forward communication from our dogs to tell us that they are not comfortable with something, and growls are often used to request space. Dogs are not creatures that seek out conflict on a regular basis and will usually try to avoid it. They are also very good communicators.

Dogs communicate through using their body language, postures, social signaling, and vocalisations.

If a dog has reached the point of growling, we have probably missed many other subtle forms of communications from them before that. The growl is the less subtle request for space, or to stop doing something that they do not like. This precedes showing teeth, a snap, or a bite. We shouldn’t punish a dog asking for space, or asking us to stop doing the stressful thing – we should listen to it! That is a direct attempt to reduce tension from your dog, and to communicate that they aren’t happy.

So what could you do if a dog is growling at you in your home?
1. Give them space!
2. Think about what could have been going on to cause that, or how the situation could be managed differently in the future.
3. Think about what other body language may have been missed.

If we instead punish a growl, quite simply, the dog may just stop growling at you. On the surface, that might look like you’ve solved a problem, but all you’ve done is taught the dog that growling is ineffective and actually achieves the opposite of their goal to receive space. You haven’t dealt with WHY the dog was growling.

So, what happens if they learn growling is not functional communication? They might start skipping it all together. That is when they start snapping or using teeth.
I know that being growled at might not feel very nice, and it might even be scary, but it is communication. Dogs have evolved to read incredible amounts of our body language, micro-expressions that we might not even know we are making. Recent studies even show us that dogs can detect changes to our cortisol levels and our blood sugars, so they know when we are stressed. The least we can do for our four-legged family is understand them, too.

Some things you can look out for that might come before a growl (please note that not all dogs will do all of these things depending on them as individuals, their learning history, their physiology, and the context):
Show the whites of their eyes
Put their ears back
Increase their blinking rate
Look like they are smiling or have facial tension such as a furrowed brow
Yawn
Lick their lips
Turn their head away or lean away
Try to move away

This is not an exhaustive list of body language but are some lower level stress signals you can look out for.

If you have a young family or relatives with young children, you will find my book Dogs Can Talk! Very helpful. Written in the interest of dogs and children living harmoniously and safely, Dogs Can Talk is an interactive storybook for children and families to learn about dog body language. Including an engaging story and illustrations for children, more detailed notes for adults, and activities. You can find this on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dogs-Can-Talk-Sally-Lewis/dp/B0CZ8YSZ2Z
If you’re interested in learning more about dog body language or behaviour then you may enjoy some of my online courses or webinars at knowyourdog.thinkific.com

If you are concerned about your dog's behaviour and want some support, then it is better to reach out sooner rather than later. Don't let things escalate for months or years before getting some guidance. Drop me a message or seek the help of another qualified and accredited behaviourist (the dog behaviour industry is unregulated so always check out qualifications and relevant experience).

02/09/2024

Bloat is a sudden condition in dogs where the stomach expands due to trapped gas, air and fluid. If you don’t catch it early, bloat can progress to a life-threatening disorder called gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV).

In GDV, the bloated stomach twists around itself, cutting off blood supply to the stomach and spleen and potentially causing significant damage to other internal organs. This is a life-threatening emergency, and without treatment, it can lead to death within hours. 🚨

GDV is often seen in older dogs, large and giant breeds, and deep-chested dogs and may have a genetic component. However, bloat can affect any dog. 💔

Learn about the signs of bloat in dogs when you read today’s free article (link below).

02/09/2024

Another great (& full ❤️) Drop in class. Focus this evening was loose lead walking & engagement with a finale of tricks. Lots of fun! 🥳🐾😉🐕

01/09/2024

29/08/2024

Sometimes the way we approach dogs is as inappropriate and scary as if we were approached in the same way.

Even the most people friendly dogs may need a bit of a slower hello and the option to approach if and when they choose to.

29/08/2024

28/08/2024

🐾SEPTEMBER APPOINTMENTS🐾

Wednesday 4th
9am
11am
1pm
3pm

Thursday 5th
11am ( bath and blow dry or teeth cleaning)

Friday 6th
9am
5pm

Saturday 7th
9am

Tuesday 10th
9am
2pm
5pm

Wednesday 11th
12pm
5pm

Thursday 12th
9am
11am
1pm
3pm

Friday 13th
9am
2pm
4pm

Tuesday 17th
12pm
3pm

Wednesday 18th
12pm
4pm

Tuesday 24th
9am
11am
1pm
3pm

Wednesday 25th
9am
12pm
3pm

Thursday 26th
1pm
3pm
5pm

Friday 27th
9am
12pm
3pm
5pm

Saturday 28th
9 am
11am
3pm
5pm

28/08/2024

When we are working with our dogs it’s important to have a good understanding of what anxiety, fear or arousal looks like in our individuals.

That way we know at what point we can work with them, when we are making progress and moving forward with care and when we just need to get them out of a situation or gain distance.

Find more support for both canine and handler on the gold membership. (Link in bio)

28/08/2024

Congratulations to our next gang of super pawrents! The last 4 weeks have been a pleasure & the pups did so well! We chucked a lot at them & they soaked it all up! 💪🐕🥳

28/08/2024

FACING THE FEAR
There is a common disbelief that comforting a dog that is feeling scared, anxious or stressed will only reinforce, encourage the feeling and make it worse.

This belief is incorrect. Fear is an emotional response and one that a dog does not choose or decides to feel.

An emotion is an involuntary, uncontrolled response that cannot be reinforced.

Punishing fear-based behaviour is even worse than not providing comfort as it creates even more negative associations with whatever the “scary thing" is.

Behaviour and emotions are intrinsically linked in important ways, but they are still not the same thing and require different approaches when they become a problem.

Imagine an intruder broke into your home, tied you up and took off with your belongings. After being freed and getting help, a friend arrives to see how you are.

Your friend tells you that she can see that you’re really anxious and scared but she’s just going to completely ignore you, is not going to attempt to comfort you, sit with you or support you because by doing so she will make you even more afraid and upset. Does that reaction make any sense?

Why should it be any different for dogs that also experience a range of emotions? Why then is it still believed that we should ignore our dogs?

Probably because there is confusion and misunderstanding about the difference between an emotional response - which is an involuntary response and a learned response - which has varying degrees of conscious control.

If we acknowledge that providing comfort and support to a dog that is experiencing these emotions will not reinforce them, do we know if providing comfort will reduce these emotions?

Research on this subject is showing evidence that providing comfort and support in stressful situations decreases a dog’s heart rate, salivary cortisol levels, reduces stress responses and increases calm behaviour.

Ignoring a dog’s emotions because of misinformed advice in the belief that this will change the behaviour is more damaging than helpful.

We need to accept and acknowledge that our dogs are having an emotional response and not a behavioural problem.

We need to show compassion, understanding, be a secure base, a safe haven and provide the appropriate comfort when our dogs need it.