The Dog's Whiskers

15/11/2023

12/10/2023

🤯 Behaviour changes during adolescence 🤯

What behaviour changes are typically seen in adolescent dogs? 🤔

• A lack of focus, short attention span or seeming to lose interest quickly and wanting to explore more

• Becoming easily over-aroused, over-stimulated or stressed – excitement levels may be higher, but anxiety may also increase during this time

• Increased fear and frustration (Spear, 2000)

• Testing boundaries – increased independence may mean recall problems and the dog goes further away from owners than it once did

• Changes in sociability – some dogs will become increasingly interested in other dogs or people, while others may become less tolerant in social situations

• Due to hormonal changes, dogs may show more interest in other dogs (excessive sniffing), become obsessed with following scents, or mark in the house or excessively on walks. Dogs of both sexes may also get pestered by other entire males on walks, and female dogs may have changes associated with seasons

• Sleep–wake cycles may change, and individuals will require less sleep than before and have more energy to burn

• Increased risk-taking behaviour

• Reduced control – less inhibition of behaviour and emotions may occur. This means they may have more extreme reactions to things that did not previously worry them (Chaby et al., 2013)

🌟 Top tips for getting dogs through the teenage years 🌟

• Management strategies: implementing strict control and management strategies (such as keeping the dog on a long line attached to a harness if the dog stops reliably coming back when called) means you can prevent the behaviours from being rehearsed

• Patience and reassurance: there will be fab days and there will be tough days, it’s important to keep going – it’s really a short space of time, and things will get easier

• Consult a professional, qualified trainer/behaviour expert: depending on the problems experienced, get help from a qualified trainer (for control issues such as lead walking or recall) or behaviourist (for unwanted emotional responses) to help

• Back to basics: you may need to go back to basics with their training and heavily reinforce all desired behaviours

• Human–animal bond: focus on remaining bonded with your dog and stay connected throughout the transitional period into adulthood (Nagasaw et al., 2015)

• Prevention: reduce your expectations in terms of taking your adolescent dog to places they are unable to cope with. Avoid intense situations or implement more control measures in these situations

It is crucial to understand the physical and behavioural alterations that might influence how you treat and examine adolescent dogs

26/09/2023

Why we shouldn’t use “aversive” methods (things that hurt, scare or are unpleasant to our dogs).

The individual dog gets to decide what they find aversive.

This is one, of the many reasons, that we don’t use any aversive methods in our training 🌟

I’ve had several dogs come to me in the last two months who have aggression issues around people that either started or became much worse after they’d had aversive training. By aversives we mean the use of slip lead corrections, body jabs, rattle cans, prong and Ecollars etc. Some dogs went for general loose lead/recall/obedience training but became so scared after the use of aversives that they are now lunging at or even biting people who approach them or try to handle them. Some were already worried about people (growling or barking etc) and are now lunging or attempting to bite people. Some have bitten their owners since this training.

These dogs didn’t have these issues beforehand and they’ve become so scared of what people may do to them now that they are showing aggression. Some of them are now misinterpreting normal human interactions with them and see people as a threat to their safety and are using aggression to try and keep people away. These dogs are traumatised by what’s happened to them, there is no other way of describing it.

Aversives are sold as a ‘quick fix’ they make dogs stop behaviours that people don’t like (running off/barking/stealing things) but there is always a huge risk of a fall out. It’s no surprise really that doing or using something that causes fear or pain may make an anxious dog worse.

None of this is the owners fault either, all have incredibly kind and loving families who weren’t aware these methods would be used or who didn’t realise the implications. They’ve done nothing wrong and are now left to try and repair the damage that’s been done. I feel so sad for the lovely families and their dogs as they’ve been really let down.

There’s no quick fixes to changing emotions, it takes time and patience and who often we are trying to rebuild confidence that’s been lost and help dogs recover from previous trauma (of all sorts). There’s a huge risk with quick fixes and it’s like playing roulette- you may have an incredibly robust dog and get ‘lucky’ and have no negative consequences from using aversives but it may break another dog and leave you with a terrible fall out. Just not worth the risk when we have alternatives

17/07/2023

Free Summer Holiday Special "Introduction to Dog Classes" (for puppies up to 18 weeks old)!

🌟 Starting 27th July
🌟 Ringmer location
🌟 6pm start time
🌟 A maximum of 6 puppy spaces
🌟 3 week course

*note: as this is a "Free Introduction" course, the syllabus does not match the advertised Puppy Classes on the website. The puppy pack and exercise handouts are also not included

* although the classes are free, there will be collection pots at the classes for cash donations to either Raystede or the RSPCA Brighton and North Sussex branch

🌟📧 Email us to book your place and quote code "SUMMERSPECIAL" by using the "Contact Me" form on our website.

17/07/2023

Some facts about sleep and dogs 💤

🐕 Normal sleeping patterns vary in the dog between 7.7 to 16 hours per day (Bodizs et al 2020).

🐕 Dogs have a polyphasic sleep pattern which means they can sleep in “segments” rather than one long stretch like humans.

🐕Dogs are diurnal sleepers enabling them to sleep either in the day or night.

🐕 Dogs have developed a loose, adaptable sleeping rhythm to mirror humans.

🐕 Dogs have a circadian rhythm (just like humans), which can prompt a dog when to sleep or when to be active.

🐕 Dogs are crepuscular, so have activity peaks in the mid morning and early evening (London, KB. 2014).

🐕 Dogs need to be able to stretch out their body fully and lie flat to sleep if they want to

🐕 Some dogs feel safer sleeping in an elevated position

🐕 Did you know that dogs are social sleepers? They get their "best" sleep when in proximity to others

🐕 Puppies, older dogs and dogs with underlying medical conditions may sleep even more than 16 hours a day.

Is your dog getting enough sleep? Is it the "best quality" sleep? 🌟

17/07/2023

Where to start with socialisation?

Start by making a list all of the things that you want your dog to be "familiar with" during their life with you.

This includes environmental experiences (the rain and wind) as well as social ones.

Carefully introduce your puppy to these things during this period. Remember, it's important that these are "positive" encounters for your puppy (so always make sure they are not frightened or worried).

Some tips:

🐾 Go at your puppy's pace (they get to choose whether to interact or move towards the "thing" - not you)

🐾 Just sit and watch the world go by at a safe distance (not everything has to be close to them for them to learn)

🐾 Watch their body language carefully and, if they seem worried or slightly uncomfortable, listen to them and give them space or take them away from the situation

🐾 Take lots of tasty treats with you (chicken, cheese, steak!) and don't be afraid to be generous

🐾 Don't let lots of strangers touch your dog or other dogs get too close - a bit like us, if a complete (and huge!) stranger was touching you then you might get worried

🐾 Please don't let other dogs "tell off" your dog. One negative experience can impact your dog forever (leading to fear related aggressive behaviours in later life). Your dog relies on you to advocate for them and get them out of any tricky situations!

🐾 Give them plenty of choice, predictability and control.

🐾 There is no pressure for them to behave in any way - they can just watch and think about what they're seeing and experiencing

🐾 You can take them out before they're fully vaccinated but remember to be careful and responsible - only interact closely with dogs you *know are fully vaccinated, don't go to really busy places, carry your puppy or get a "puppy pram" if you need to lift them off the floor.

🐾 Have some "rest" time and don't completely overwhelm them (sometimes less is more)

🐾 Remember: it's quality over quantity

Enjoy the experience and, remember, this is your opportunity to start to see the world from your puppy's perspective... 💞

17/07/2023

The most influential period in a dogs entire life is between 5 - 12 weeks (up to 16 weeks in some breeds).

This is referred to as a "critical period" when their nervous system is particularly sensitive. You might have heard of this as a "socialisation period" and why you need to "socialise" your puppy.

It's the time during which social relationships (with other animals and humans) are easily developed and so its described this as a “critical period for the development of social relationships” (Scott JP and Fuller JL. 1965).

What does this mean practically?

Positive exposure at this stage in the dog’s life can result in these experiences having a considerable effect on later behaviour.

Breeders and new caregivers should expose the puppy to the things and situations that they will be expected to encounter during the course of their life.

Be cautious though! There is an initial fear period during this stage where the puppy is particularly sensitive to psychological stress and trauma.

Any exposure should be carried out in a humane way at the pace of the individual dog (Lindsay, 2000).

Complete isolation during this period can have a long-term detrimental impact on the dog and this can be difficult to reverse, certainly preventing the dog from reaching its full potential (Lindsay, 2000).

Follow us, for tips and advice on what to do in this critical socialisation period, to help your dog reach their full potential 🌟

24/06/2023

Introduction to Group Classes (Puppy) starting Thursday 27th July at 6pm in Ringmer 🐾

For puppies between 10 - 18 weeks of age (at the date of starting the class).

If you are looking for Group Classes for your older dog, we also have Group Adult Classes which will be starting soon!

To book: please use the "Contact Me" Form on the website 🌱

18/06/2023

What services do we offer?

🌟 1:2:1 Personalised Dog Training
🌟 Puppy Group Classes
🌟 Adult Dog Group Classes
🌟 Behaviourist Services

Have a look at our website for more information www.thedogswhiskers.org

18/06/2023

Welcome to The Dog’s Whiskers! 🐾

I’m Rachel, a dog trainer (accredited with the IMDT - with distinction) and dog behaviourist (Level 5 from Compass Education - with distinction).

A few facts about me:

🐾 I share my life and home with Rebel, a rescue collie x kelpie (I absolutely adore her)

📚 I secretly love being a bit of a geek

🌟 I have volunteered at Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare with the dogs every week since 2019 (this day is known to my friends as “Furry Friday”)

🐶 I am a Trustee at the RSPCA Brighton and North Sussex Branch

👩🏼‍⚖️ My background is in the legal profession as a qualified solicitor

💚 My favourite colour is green

🍝 I love pasta so much that I sometimes eat it for breakfast

🌳 In the summer you can usually find me under the dappled shade of an oak tree…

🥇I am absolutely committed to improving the lives of animals (and their people) - The Dog’s Whiskers is part of that commitment and life long dream 💭