Dogs&OlyFly

10/02/2024

Mount Tymfi, Greece 🇬🇷

26/08/2023

🤍🤍congratulations To Patricia McConnell, Ph.D.🩵 the book is indeed fantastic!

What an honor to have The Other End of the Leash, which first came out twenty-two years ago, named as one of the best dog training books of 2023 by Spruce Pets. I’m so grateful!



https://www.thesprucepets.com/best-dog-training-books-4164678

25/08/2023

Lead with love 🤍say no to Abuse !

I have been trying to work out why people on social media love The Dog Daddy and other heavy handed abusive individuals like him.

They defend with the same language their idols use with dogs. Force, attack, abuse.

I saw a post yesterday which said you can learn dog training and behaviour without having any formal education.

What?!

Is that type of comment a deep safeness strategy that we fall back on when we have no education in dog behaviour?

Without learning the facts, the truth, the science, the studies - how can we possibly know what we don't know?

How can we make informed decisions?

How on this earth can we know that the 'brilliant' dog trainer on social media we are learning from is actually teaching the truth?

That they know anything about dog welfare at all?

That they are ethical?

Education has a structure you see.

We start learning the basics: The body language of a stressed dog.

Then the deeper stuff: What is happening in the stressed dog's body and what is causing it.

We learn the studies and what they present: That punitive behaviour towards dogs is detrimental to their welfare and their multi faceted health. We learn about the whole health, the whole dog.

We learn to analyse and challenge the studies, the theories and even the facts.

We learn to analyse and challenge everything we see and are exposed to.

Then we analyse the way dogs are treated by social media trainers.

And guess what... we go right back to basics.

The body language of a stressed dog.

So.

How can we possibly learn the crucial aspect of being educated - from a place of non-education.

Disclaimer:

I can't take any credit for the next part because I asked Chat GPT why people so fiercely defend abusive dog trainers on social media.

This is what Chat GPT told me:

"The phenomenon of people following and defending abusive dog trainers or controversial figures on social media is complex.

Several factors contribute to this behaviour:

Ignorance or Lack of Knowledge: Many people might not be aware of the most up-to-date or humane training methods and might mistakenly believe that the abusive methods are effective or standard practice.

Confirmation Bias: People have a tendency to seek out and consume information that aligns with their pre-existing beliefs. If someone already subscribes to a particular training method, they're more likely to support trainers who use that method, even if it's considered abusive by others.

Authority Bias: The belief that someone is an 'expert' can sometimes overshadow their actions. If a trainer has a substantial following or is well-known, people might automatically assume they are knowledgeable, even if there's evidence to the contrary.

Sunk Cost Fallacy: Individuals who've already invested time, money, and trust into a particular trainer or method might defend them because they don't want to admit they were mistaken or feel they've wasted their investments.

Groupthink: Social media can create environments where differing opinions are mocked or attacked. People might defend a trainer simply to align with the majority view within a community or group.

Emotional Attachment: Followers could develop a personal loyalty to a particular trainer for various reasons, such as personal interactions, success stories, or engaging narratives shared by the trainer.

Desire for Quick Fixes: Forceful or abusive methods might appear to give faster results (even if they're short-lived or harmful in the long term). People often want what they see as immediate solutions to their problems.

Fear of Change: Recognising that a method or trainer is flawed might mean that one has to reassess their beliefs or practices, which can be daunting.

Cognitive Dissonance: When presented with evidence that a favoured trainer uses abusive methods, followers might experience discomfort because of holding two conflicting beliefs. Rather than changing their view of the trainer, they might dismiss the new evidence to reconcile the conflict.

The Dunning-Kruger Effect: Some people might overrate their understanding of dog training. They may believe they're more knowledgeable than they actually are, leading them to support and defend abusive trainers.

It's essential to engage these individuals with empathy and understanding, providing education and alternative perspectives rather than confrontation. Altering deeply entrenched beliefs or behaviours can require time and multiple exposures to new insights".

- Chat GPT

Also, all the above is covered in A Level Psychology.

Education 🐶

Peace ✌️

12/05/2023

So sad …

Two beautiful dogs were shot at point-blank range on a canal towpath in East London a couple of days ago. Seven Met officers were there; they killed the dogs. One of the dogs was running away when he was shot.

The press tells us that the dogs were aggressive, that the caregiver of the dogs was aggressive and that the police had no choice. The Met tell us that too.

Now though, when everyone has a camera in their pocket, we don’t need to look to the news for our news. We don’t have to believe the ones with all the power. We can gain a balanced view, one where all the evidence isn’t presented in a neatly packaged opinion handed to us to become our very own.

Well, we can see when we want to.

I won’t describe the video to you because it’s everywhere. If you want to watch it, do – but I wouldn’t if I were you. Yet, if you think the police had no choice – watch it from start to finish, you - specifically you, need to.

Shortly afterwards, more videos came out on social media.

One of the dogs and their caregiver on a train is having a cuddle.

One that shows the ‘attack’ on a woman and her dog that led to the police approaching these dogs and their human. A video that shows a woman screaming and the (now dead) dogs and their caregiver in the background. The dogs were not even looking her way, totally relaxed. Not dogs who had attacked or were about to.

One that shows the family of three being followed by the seven, armed police. Seven.

Everyone has an opinion on who is to blame.

Is it the Met because their officers were not prepared or seemingly capable of de-escalating a situation, and instead pointed guns and shouted at two scared dogs and a man who was just trying to protect them. We all know the Met has some serious dysfunction going on in there.

Is it the officers themselves? Because they pulled the trigger. Twice.

Is it the government because they created laws based on a dog’s breed that made people fear those breeds and ignored the fact that other breeds bite and fight much more.

Is it the press, filled with stories about Bully dogs killing people and savaging kids. The press who tells us that every dog breed is in fact a bull breed when it suits them. Stories which create a woman who sees two gentle looking bully dogs and grab her own little one, to run squealing away.

Is it a society that tells us people without homes are lesser somehow, that their dogs matter less? That their lives matter less?

I think it’s all of these. And I also think it’s you and me, because we allow it to happen.

We allow our opinions to be guided, we allow ourselves to be good little people who work and pay our taxes. We allow the fearmongering, divide and conquer approach by the government and press to divide us.

We also assume. We assume that someone different from us will harm us in some way. We assume that someone hasn’t got a home because of their own behaviour, because there is something wrong with them.

We assume that bully breeds are aggressive and stay out of their way.

And we forget, or simply don’t know, that our society is built on trauma. The brain on trauma for a child doesn’t develop. It leaves the child to grow into an adult who never feels safe. It makes that adult vulnerable. They make bad choices; they are always one breath away from their own trauma response. Trauma is a simple as not feeling safe regularly. They might use drugs and alcohol to escape the feeling.

Who knows what Louie Turnbull was feeling that day, we can be pretty sure he wasn’t feeling safe and for good reason. He was attacked by seven police officers. He didn’t stand a chance.

We can be pretty sure what Marshall and Millions were feeling that day though. The dogs were terrified. Their body language screamed fear. And for good reason. And because they were bully breeds, held on the lead by a man who didn’t fit society’s view of what we should be, they were killed.

When I kissed my dogs goodnight last night, I realised I was doing exactly what Louie Turnbull was doing with his dog on the train. I was breathing them in. I love them so much. I touched them the way he touched the dogs he was caring for.

And once again, for Marshall and Millions, and for Louie and for all of us. I cried.

19/01/2023

🤍

The last dog behaviour consult I did really upset me, purely because I wanted to help the dog more than I could – because I couldn’t bring her home.

My heart physically aches when I see a dog being marched along in a Halti, looking like they have given up.

I was a dog trainer for about 10 years, but I wasn’t really suited to it. I could do it. I just didn’t really want to.

Not everyone who advocates for dogs wants to be a dog trainer and that’s fine. Look at all the amazing dog people in the world who are simply not interested in one-to-one training and behaviour.

The writers, the masseurs, the creators, the coaches and so many more.

You can advocate for dogs in any way you like, and you will still make a huge difference. You might even make a bigger one than you would if you were doing daily training.

Don’t be scared to try something that doesn’t already exist in the World, it might be just what the world needs.

Similarly, don’t be worried about creating your own version of something that does exist, you’re unique and can bring something unique to dogs who need it.

If you get an idea, try something, try running with it. You never know what could happen.

Add the service, make the page, write the book or make the video.

Everyone started somewhere.

Everything was the twinkling of an idea once.

27/11/2022

I have recently had pleasure to spend a bit more time with lovely Pippa & her beautiful human mum, who happens to be a groomer : here are some tips on how to groom your Pomeranian .
If you are looking for an honest , genuine advice on grooming : ask Sacha of Le Wag ; grooming is her true passion & her knowledge of methods & products is simply inspiring .

Hey! I am back again with another tutorial! This time we are talking all about grooming at home, specifically with your Pomeranian! There has been a high dem...

05/09/2022

Open House Festival is the capital’s largest annual festival of architecture and design, from 8 - 21 September. Tours and talks will take place in King’s Cross.

03/09/2022

From London with love🤍