Helen Atton - Focussed Instruction for Dogs and Owners

28/12/2024

With your kind support, FIDO was able to donate £120 to ROLDA UK this Christmas! Including gift aid, that means £150 will be available to help starving and homeless dogs and cats in Ukraine. Thank you so much and Happy New Year!

28/12/2024

https://www.fidobehaviour.com/blog/rescued-dog-finds-a-forever-safe-home

18/12/2024

https://www.fidobehaviour.com/blog/getting-over-early-bad-experiences

09/12/2024

https://www.fidobehaviour.com/blog/why-crate-train-your-dog

05/12/2024

With Christmas approaching at the rate of knots, if you take a few minutes now to consider how to keep your dog safe and happy over the festive period, you and your pet will be able to relax and enjoy yourselves without worrying.
Some dogs find the change in routine and the different activities overwhelming, not to mention the rich food and other dog-unfriendly objects about the house! Please read my blog to give you some ideas to ensure that your pup will be safe, secure and happy this Christmas. You can find it at https://www.fidobehaviour.com/blog/christmas-with-your-dog.
I hope you have a wonderful holiday with your dog!

With everything else to think about at Christmas time, our dogs might not be a priority. Here are our top tips to help ypu and your pet have a good holiday season!

18/11/2024

You certainly wouldn't have been able to guess which of the dogs on this weekend's socialisation walk were reactive when they were first brought to me for dog training to calm them in company. The only dogs who showed any unfocussed and rowdy behaviour were my own, both of which have lived with me since they were young pups! They were jumping about like puppies. Perhaps there was something in the air, or maybe I need some more FIDO training!
With Buddy, Byron, Delphi, Dennis, Henry, Lucy, Nyx, Poppy and Ted.

23/10/2024

It was a busy weekend at FIDO. At the puppy club in Mitchel Troy, by chance there were four dogs all of whom were either retrievers or retriever crosses. They had very different characters though. Loki was bursting with confidence, Winnie was shy to begin with and Maisie, being the youngest and least experienced at social gatherings, took her time to relax but soon joined in. Delphi, the adult, arrived later on and her presence calmed everyone down, ensuring that the pups didn't forget their manners. Little Laney, the JRT, wasn't in the least bit concerned about all the big dogs and had a wonderful time dashing around from one to another.
At the FIDO walk two of the dogs were awkward and wary of others and we took care to give them all space and to help them to settle into the pack mentality. It was a great success with only one grumble!
With Bonnie, Byron, Delphi, Henry, Laney, Maisie, Nyx, Poppy and Winnie.

21/09/2024

Today's FIDO walk was the calmest we have ever had I think. The dogs were all excited at first, but listened to us and met quietly. As the walk progressed the atmosphere became more and more relaxed. Lovely!
With Bingley, Byron, Cefin, Delphi, Dennis, Otto and Poppy.

18/09/2024

Little Sunny, the Cavalier King Charles, is still not sure about playing with Twix or anyone else, but is happy to watch from the sidelines.
Pepper had to leave earlier because Twix realised she was in season before anyone else did!
Fudge was very uncertain when she first arrived, this being her first social event since coming to her new home, but within a few minutes she was full of confidence.
The large pups were great at helping me to start socialising Delphi's babies. They were introduced safely from inside their pen and everyone touched noses.
With Delphi, Fudge, Pepper, Sunny and Twix.

27/08/2024

It's always great to hear from clients and this testimonial from Dan and Lauren was lovely to receive. Odie is an irresistible little chap and he did so well on the recent FIDO course.
"Helen is highly educated in dog behaviours and offers insightful advice. She is attentive to the differing dogs needs and enthusiastic about what she does. Our puppy has grown in confidence and is beginning to demonstrate increasing obedience! Thank you Helen!"

13/08/2024

It was lovely to support the pups at Saturday's FIDO Puppy Club to share space and gain in confidence in one another's company. Two were quite shy and one was desperate to play but we helped her to recognise when her invitations were too much and she soon understood for herself.
Letting pups play freely is not the way to help them grow up to be balanced and sociable. They need our guidance to learn social skills without overwhelming others or being overwhelmed themselves.
With Delphi, Dolly, Nyx, Sunny and Twix.

30/07/2024

I have had the enormous privilege of sharing my life over the past 11 years, with an exceptional and wonderful dog. I hope you will indulge me as I tell you just a little about him.

Arthur came into my life from dubious origins, a tiny but feisty, cheerful and confident Westie. He grew up to be the most faithful and loving companion I could ever imagine. Affectionate, obedient (except when rabbits were nearby!) and keen to please, stubborn on occasion but never unloving, At any time at home I could guarantee that if I turned around he would be there, either asleep at my heels or staring up at me.

From the age of 2 years it became clear that Arthur had a significant neurological problem with his spine, which led to his back legs starting to fail. He bore three massive surgeries over 6 years with his usual stoicism and, each time, recovered enough to carry on with walks and play. Fortunately, the condition itself didn’t cause him any pain. He endured a roller coaster of limited mobility and renewed movement, never giving up and determined to make the most of his life.

He worked as a therapy dog for 6 years, visiting dementia patients and others rehabilitating from surgery. His jolly face and demeanour, keenness to please and wriggling antics on the patients’ beds, had them all smiling and looking forwards to his visits.

Arthur also helped me in my work, as a stooge dog. His job was to remain a gentle and steady influence on frightened and reactive dogs who might panic at the sight of a small white terrier. He stood calmly looking away when they dared to approach him for a sniff of his rear end and would happily trot alongside them with me as they relaxed into new feelings of friendship and safety.

Over time, despite regular hydrotherapy, his mobility reduced to the point when I bought him a set of rear wheels to help him. In typical Arthur fashion, he scorned them for many months, preferring to propel himself along with his front legs. Eventually though, he went up to them and pushed his head into the harness. He only realised that he could then run again when a squirrel dared across his path and, without thinking, he shot off after it. The look of delight on his face was priceless!

In recent months his heart has started to fail him and he couldn’t shake the belief that there were always flies buzzing around his head in the evenings. We made the decision last week to let him go where he will never need to worry again and to join his beloved Cookie where he can fly and chase rabbits to his heart’s content. You have taught me so much Arthur, and I will miss you always.

29/07/2024

FIDO is running another new course starting next week! If you have a new puppy or a young dog in need of training and socialisation and would like to meet other dogs and their owners in a supportive, friendly and safe course environment, come along for positive, reward-based sensitive training and socialisation experience. Training is based on the principles of ACE (Animal Centred Education). Courses run in FIDO’s dedicated training centre in Mitchel Troy and are led by a qualified trainer and behaviour counsellor. We start courses regularly and the next 8 week course is due to begin on Thursday the 8th August in the evenings.
Please contact Helen by Messenger, by email at [email protected] or on 0797 4444 082 for all the details.

22/07/2024

Do you have a new puppy or a young dog in need of training and socialisation? If you’d like to meet other dogs and their owners in a supportive, friendly and safe course environment, why not join FIDO for positive, reward-based sensitive training and socialisation experience, based on the principles of ACE (Animal Centred Education). Courses run in FIDO’s dedicated training centre in Mitchel Troy and are led by a qualified trainer and behaviour counsellor. We start courses regularly and the next 8 week course is due to begin on Tuesday the 30th July in the evenings.
Please contact Helen by Messenger, by email at [email protected] or on 0797 4444 082 for all the details.

21/07/2024

Three new dogs joined us on Saturday's FIDO walk, each one of them having recently completed a behavioural rehabilitation programme for their reactivity issues. There was some barking to begin with as the established pack members sussed them out but everyone soon settled down and they behaved much better than my own barky little Spitz. Thanks for showing me up Nyx- it's more training for you.
With Barney, Byron, Delphi, Dennis, Loki, Lucy, Nova and Tasha.

15/07/2024

I think that this Saturday's FIDO Puppy Club was the calmest event ever! Dolly's owner couldn't believe how chilled everyone was, not having come along with Dolly before. Usually there's a lot more running and high energy but it was a hot afternoon and there were two older pups and two very young pups. They were all interested in meeting one another but the little ones were very respectful and cautious whilst the older two were consolidating a growing relationship between them. In their turn, the older two were respectful of my adult dog Delphi, when she joined us. Delphi loves puppies and was more than happy to greet them and lay down for the younger ones to encourage them to sniff her. After the introductions everyone relaxed and celebrated sniffing one another's bottoms and exploring. It's a dog's life!
With Delphi, Dolly, Kaysa, Pepper and Sunny.

09/07/2024

I spend a lot of my time helping people to calm and train their frightened and aggressive dogs. Many of them ask me why their reactive dog seems so much more anxious when on a lead. This isn't always the case, but quite often fearful dogs will lunge, bark and even snap more when restricted on their lead than if they were free to run. It is obviously not safe to let them go if they are likely to react badly to other dogs and it gives dog owners a worrying problem. So what is going on?
I wrote a brief answer to this question for a concerned owner who contacted me through this month's Monnow Voice Magazine and here is my advice.

-When your dog is on a lead, his freedom is restricted by it and so he may feel anxious or frustrated when meeting dogs and people because he can't get away or go forwards easily. Tightening his lead can increase this stress, especially because your dog will know that he can’t escape if he feels he needs to.

-When a dog can't move freely he finds it more difficult to use body language to express himself effectively because the lead prevents him from moving comfortably. Dogs use intricate and subtle body language signals all the time to communicate with one another, and a lot of this involves moving their bodies. For example, when balanced dogs meet, they approach one another from the side and not head-to-head and often move head to tail. A dog who isn’t comfortable to meet another dog may pull his ears back, look away and turn his head and body away to escape the situation. By holding a lead tightly, you may be forcing your dog to hold his head high and approach others face-on, both of which postures can be confusing and intimidating to other dogs.

-Finally, any tension you are feeling will pass straight down the lead to affect your dog’s feelings.

What can you do to help?
Always keep an eye on your dog’s body language to judge how comfortable he is with greeting. Decide for him if it’s a good idea at all to meet, and walk away if you decide it is safer. If you do decide to let your dog meet others, always relax your lead so he can communicate well, and move away if he shows that he wants to.

If you’d like your dog behaviour question featured in the Monnow Voice, just message me, email me at [email protected] or phone me on 0797 4444 082.

02/07/2024

This week we started to teach the pups to stay where they are asked to. Not easy when you're only about 4 months old, but we had some great 'stays' interspersed with enrichment activities to give the pups choice and the occasional break.
With Lucy Blake John Woodhouse Heating Ltd. , Dudley, Dolly, Star, Pickle, Sally, Poppy and Morgan