Ian Cooper - Dog Behaviourist

26/08/2024

Happy Bank Holiday Weekend Everyone,

I thought you might like to see how Rooster is getting in with his training, he’s pretty keen and rather excitable, but then he is still a young dog.

This video is showing the early stages of getting a dog steady on retrieve and I wanted to point out some things.

I start further away from the dog with eye contact on the dog and facing him. Then slowly, over the next three or four retrieves, move my body position from facing the dog to side on and then, finally, facing the same direction.

I also move closer to the dog with each retrieve as my confidence grows in him remaining in place (ie not moving).

You will also see that my body position is non-confrontational (facing away from him). This encourages him to bring the ball straight up to me and not stop short (or, at worst, not deliver the ball at all) which is a common problem when dogs retrieve.

I whistle him even though he is already coming back, this consolidates our whistle training (recall) and gets him used to returning on the whistle - so every time he hears the whistle in the future, he will associate it with coming back.

Watch my hand, it is signing to Rooster what I want. As he becomes more in tune with our working relationship I will drop the sounds and he will follow my movement. This is really good practice for later when I want him to follow directional signals in the field.

Lastly, four or five retrieves is plenty, always leave them wanting more, even if you go off and do something else and come back later on. It is important that they see training as fun and rewarding. These methods do not need treats, the reward for the dog is that they are loving what they are doing.

Rooster is a working breed and all working breeds are happier when they have a job. If you can learn to work your dog in this way then it will set you up for an excellent relationship the whole of your lives.

There is absolutely nothing better than being in partnership with your dog.

Ian

No idea why there is no preview picture, but please click the link and it will take you through to YouTube :-)

https://youtu.be/ISnVnptwodA?si=VrYiqUJFb7HBivt8

25/08/2024

When you aren’t quite opening the back of the truck fast enough…..

10/08/2024

Summer on Exmoor, glorious

09/08/2024

Happy Friday Everyone!

One of the most common behaviours that I am asked to help with is socialisation. I must hear ‘we are never going to be able to walk our dog in the park/town/on the beach* ever again’ four or five times a week. It’s a really common concern for people.

(*delete as appropriate)

The behaviour is not always aggressive, the dogs can be boisterous, some owners think the reactivity comes from anxiousness, some are over-excited puppies - all of which tip over into some level of reactivity causing stress to the owner and other dog owners. I see this particularly with larger breed dogs. I also see quite a few dogs who have been rehomed and the previous owner/charity say that the dogs must not meet other dogs as they won’t/can’t socialise so they have never tried, but really feel, correctly, socialisation is important for their dog and so want an assessment.

So, that’s where I come in :-)

An important part of the process is working with the owner and dog to establish the root cause of the behaviour and then explain how to ensure that the issue is no longer going to be a problem. So then the owner and dog are working confidently together.

The results then come through proper introductions and leaving the dogs to explore each other and settle down; to interact without our interference. All this is done with cool, calm, confident leadership, as always.

Here are a couple of examples that I have had in the last two weeks. By the end of the session, both dogs were running around with our pack, no issues at all.

I know one of the major issues people have is the reaction of other owners and I’ll post about that in the coming weeks.

Please do ask if you have any questions, always happy to help.

Ian

04/08/2024

If Carlsberg did dog beds….

23/07/2024

When is Residential Training Appropriate?

As most people know, I use Beech Tree Kennels near South Molton for my residential clients now that I have moved to North Devon. Over the years I have welcomed dogs from a number of different countries and I am always happy to do so. I thought it might be helpful to post about when residential training is appropriate and when a face to face session - whether it be at Beech Tree, in North Molton, or at your home - is better. As always, this post is written without judgement and with no-one in particular in mind :-)

Residential training is of most use when a dog has an ingrained behaviour that is related to other dogs. This could be anxiety, aggression, lack of socialisation, fixation etc. It is useful for me to work with the dog over a period of time and using the members of our pack. It is also useful when training working dogs.

Many of the behaviours that I am called to see usually stem from the relationship between the dog and owner (or member of the household) and so residential is not the best approach as I need to work with the relevant person/people as well as the dog. We will always advise if this is the case on enquiry.

When a dog is picked up from a residential, I will invariably have a session training the owner at which stage I pass on the training methods that I have applied. It is critical that these methods are consistently applied in order to maintain the learned behaviours.

Residential training is not like putting your car into a garage as it is not a ‘fix’ - you will always need to continue the training. Clare learned this the hard way with Trampus. After a week, I delivered a fully-functioning spaniel back however, Clare did not consistently apply what I had taught her and so Trampus was back with me for further training within the year - and Clare is the first to admit where her, David and George went wrong. So if we decide on residential training, it is always necessary to acknowledge that this will not be ‘job done’.

When you are in two minds about whether residential training is appropriate, the best course of action is to get in touch and we will agree a plan. I will always recommend the best and most appropriate course of action for you and your dog.

Note: this is a photo of one of my residential dogs that came over from Israel - properly living his best life - possibly not as attentive as the spanners and labs!

Ian

20/07/2024

Today I am mostly eating wortleberries….

Wolfie and Loki will forage happily…Sonny and Browndog like them to be picked for them (we’ll be peeling them next)…. Trampus is way too busy running to stop to eat…Nelson isn’t interested and let’s them drop (easy pickings for lightening-speed, food-orientated Browndog), Rooster prefers to play with a stick (or a stone….grrr….if we aren’t watching) and Banjo will wander over and have one if he is in the mood.

It’s really funny how all their characters are clearly in display over just one simply activity. It’s fascinating.

Happy Saturday everyone,

Ian and Clare

19/07/2024

Happy Friday Everyone

This is another post from last year which is still relevant today. Nelson is now 14 and his frailty seems to have hit a plateau and he’’s now bouncing back. He’s a determined character if nothing else!

__________

Last year we had a bit of a situation happening at home that I see quite a few people about and so thought it would be good to share. Nelson, our pack leader before Banjo, is now 13 years old and is becoming quite frail.

The younger pack members, especially Banjo and Wolfgang, are sensing this and you can see that they are actively trying to exclude him from the pack by having a snap at him when he walks into their space. This is a purely natural reaction and I am sure you have seen it on countless nature programmes, where the elderly pack member is excluded. In the wild Nelson would no longer be able to keep up with the pack and therefore wouldn’t survive as he would be left behind or left out.

Whilst this is just nature, it is difficult to see and we are doing the same thing for Nelson as I help you, my clients, to do for your elderly dogs. Basically, we are becoming the mediators which stops things escalating. The result is that Nelson is being protected, but the other dogs are not being chastised for something that comes naturally to them.

We are making sure that, whilst we watch Nelson, we are not separating him from the pack. To do this would heighten the issues that we see because the pack would not realise that he has temporarily left (as they live in the moment). So we keep him with the pack, but watch him as much as is feasible.

By doing this, allowing the dogs to be as natural as possible, but keeping Nelson safe, we maintain a balance with the pack that everyone finds acceptable.

Nelson’s quality of life is still good: he walks once (or twice if he can be bothered to assert himself) a day and the remaining 22 hours is spent scratching, sleeping or accepting the choicest morsels of food that Clare insists on giving him!

If you do have challenges with elderly dogs, please do get in touch, I am always happy to help and offer advice.

Ian

14/07/2024

A few months ago we decided to give ourselves a bit of a break from dog hairs (!) on occasion and now have a couple of days a month where the pack go to Beech Tree Kennels for a night.

The boys absolutely love going, you can see Loki, Sonny and Trampus can’t wait to get down to the paddocks and we’d given them a good run in the enclosed paddock before dropping them down.

The staff at Beech Tree are amazing and we are truly blessed to have such an amazing 5* facility so close to us. We couldn’t recommend Beech Tree high enough, but early booking is absolutely essential,:-)

Our old boy, Nelson, always stays at home with us and enjoys the peace and quiet. And, if we’re totally honest, it is very precious to spend some time with him as he’s is such a special boy.

As an aside…Custom Valets - Craig….it might be that time again, you don’t notice the cars until you see them in photos! There’s not many people that would take on an L200 and a landy that have had a pack of eight dogs in, but for Custom Valets, our cars hold no fear! You’re a star Craig!

Enjoy your Sunday, apparently it is going to be sunny here once the fog burns off - brilliant!

Ian, Clare, George and the hairy ones

13/07/2024

We frequently get messages from people with photos of their dogs sparked out after the session and frequently, the day after with a message saying they have had the best night of sleep in ages.

Well, your dogs aren’t the only ones that it takes a lot out of. Ian is just back from his last session of the week (a pretty urgent, long distance one, hence Saturday) and he’s absolutely done in. He loves his job and wouldn’t change it for the world, but from the minute he starts preparing to the moment he leaves he is on alert, watching for every movement, look, sound - just to make sure that behaviours are changed and plans put in place in a way that is completely personalised to the family that he is seeing.

People come from all over the country to work with Ian and this is why: because he truly puts his all into everything he does. Couldn’t be more proud of him.

And luckily Banjo is on watch (with his cow hoof - lovely!!)

Clare

13/07/2024

Hi ,

We often have people looking for working dogs, so if you have a working lab or spaniel that you are considering rehoming or giving to rescue please do get in touch.

We also have people who contact us for other breeds as well, just not quite as often.

As always, Ian is happy to oversee the transition to the new home should any behaviours need addressing.

Let’s help all our hairy ones live their best lives 🙂

Photo credits to Debbie Tucker Photography (for the two fab ones - you will know which!)

12/07/2024

Happy Friday Everyone!

Following on from last week’s post and a couple of comments that were made, I thought I’d write on age comparisons in dogs and people. Again, the normal caveat around this being my thoughts only and there are equally valid ones out there…

We know that wolves mature around 2 years of age (dogs being 99.9% wolf, I think we are safe to make comparisons!) I then calculate months:year ratio, so if a wolf/dog matures at approximately 24 months, fairly similar to the average human maturing at 24 years.

I don’t normally get called out before 6 months of age (unless it is puppy training) ie comparable to a 6 year old child. The issues at this time are usually ‘trantrum’ based: heeling on the lead, recall, jumping up. This is usually quite a shock to the owner as the behaviour changes from something that was being done very well a few weeks before. These behaviours are usually fixable as we are dealing with a dog at an impressionable age.

Things start to take on a little bit more of an edge when the dog gets to around 9 months. This is the age when I may see the signs of the start of belligerence and a really good age to address the behaviours. Between 12 and 18 months we have the classic dog/human progression and it catches people out as it happens fast (at 12 months to you have a 12 year old child and 6 months later you have the equivalent of an 18 year old. During this period, boundary pushing and aggression can begin to become major issues. Should there be any other dogs in the house, if the dog has been born to a higher pack position, this is when they attempt to take on a leadership role. The majority of dogs that I see are in this bracket. Ideally sorting out social structure within the house by this age is good as things get more challenging from now on; however, under 2 years it is highly unlikely we cannot resolve any behaviours (but of course this does come down to the owners as well).

I see very comparable development with humans and dogs. One of the questions I get is why this happens when it does and it is something I to which I have given a lot of thought. Many behavioural issues I see around this age are with male dogs. If you look at nature, in the equivalent adolescent periods, males behaviour gets more assertive and less appealing to the pack: bull elephants leave the herd at around 15 years, wolves leave at 2 years, lions leave at 2-3 years…and so on. Interestingly enough, this is about the age that a naturally born, high-ranking animal will want to take control. When you look at the psychology and how young males behave, I can only assume that their behaviour actually serves two purposes: to help them achieve independence but also to help their mothers push them out of the pack as their behaviour is not fitting within the pack/herd structure. Which is where the human/dog relationship differs as the humans want to encourage their offspring to leave and make an independent life whereas we want our dogs that have reached maturity to remain as functioning and loyal members of our households.

People like myself that have several dogs over a period of years may notice that dogs, when they get to 7 or 8, will sometimes get a little more aggressive, I believe that this is because, in a natural pack situation, they are going to get challenged by that 2- 3 year old animal. In the case of the wolf, only having one litter a year, it is imperative that the breeding pair are young enough to produce healthy pups. I do calls from many people with behavioural issues in older dogs and they are usually manageable but quite often involve getting plan together to manage the behaviours and therefore helping the dogs lead a less stressful and calm life.

Understanding the dogs and where they are in their journey is key to a successful outcome. When you combine that with the differences in the breeds (which I have posted about before) you can start to put together the puzzle that helps me understand the dogs and resolve their behaviours.

As always, any questions, give me a call,

Ian

07/07/2024

Possession is nine tenths of the law…apparently!

Loki has a stick
Loki doesn’t usually have sticks
Rooster and Wolfie love sticks
Rooster and Wolfie want Loki’s stick but aren’t allowed out of the truck again
= Great excitement

What was more exciting was that the sun was out!!

05/07/2024

Happy Friday Everyone!

One of the questions that I get asked a lot is:
What is the difference between a trainer and a behaviourist?

In my opinion, a trainer is someone who can teach a dog to do an activity that isn't necessarily natural to them i.e. teaching them things that you want them to do. Training is usually employed when you want to teach a dog new tricks/activities etc.

A behaviourist is working with the dog's natural instincts to change a behaviour and is usually employed when the behaviours are considered negative/unacceptable. The clearest example is that you will call trainer when you want your dog to learn something (sit/stay/down/wait etc), but you will call a behaviourist when you want a dog to unlearn or change something (guarding/reactivity/biting etc).

When people ask me if I do training then my answer is always yes because, as a behaviourist, when you get a dog listening to you, you can then teach them what you need from them much more easily.

Ian

[email protected]
07484 274304

29/06/2024

When you are a bigger dog in your head than you actually are…. There is literally no stopping Rooster!

There’s nothing like a puppy to bring a smile to your face. Got to love him :-)

28/06/2024

We thought it would be good to re-post some of the older posts….so over the next few weeks we will be revisiting some thoughts as well as posting some new ideas.

Picking a Rescue from Abroad.

What I write below can apply to any rescue or rehoming situation, but rehoming from abroad seems to exacerbate many issues and a good percentage of dogs that I see are rescues from Europe. I think it is admirable that people rehome dogs and am fully supportive of this - all bar one of our pack are rescues; so this post is about helping get the rehoming process right and to help people understand what they are taking on.

Quite often people receive dogs being told that they are 2 - 3 years old and are good with other dogs and children. They can be picked up from service stations or dropped to the new owner’s house.

To add context to this: the dog will have (most likely) been on the streets with other dogs, they will have had no rules and have lived by their own means for however many years. In our years they are, at best, an adolescent or young adult. Often they are older than that and so you are getting a mature ‘adult’ of around 30 years who has not lived in our ‘normal’ society.

When they are rescued, they will be fed and usually put into a compound with many other rescued dogs (this is usually when the video of the dog that the new owner sees is taken). They will get on with the other dogs in the compound because they have to and they can’t be in a state of permanent conflict. They may well have had some differences when they first arrive but this is where the whole pack culture comes from - they can’t permanently be at war with each other.

When the new owners receive the dog it is introduced to a home environment where there are rules about what dogs to like, where to sleep, when to eat/sit/stay/get on their bed. You can see why there are problems as they may well become uneasy as their new world is not as balanced as their old one - hence why there can be issues with rescues.

Most dogs will behave for a couple of weeks and they will need a two - three week settling in period whilst they work out what is happening. This is when the behaviours start to be displayed.

So, what are my recommendations for rehoming successfully:
1. Ideally choose a charity with a centre in the UK as opposed to meeting in a service station or having a dog dropped to your house. This will give you a point of contact to go to with any issues you are seeing.
2. Make sure you have a follow up plan with the charity in place and a person to contact should you see issues.
3. Request a month of settling in time so that you can see the dog’s true behaviours.
4. Take the age and claims of being good with dogs and children carefully - get a plan in place to socialise your dog safely and understand how big a change that you are asking the dog to undertake.
5. Make sure you see the dog before it is given to you.
6. When you get the dog, try not to have too much interaction with it in the first few days. Remember, the more aloof you are, the more likely it is to respect you.
7. The dog’s behaviour will be dictated by the behaviours of the people in the house and so it is imperative that the new owners remain cool, calm, confident.

As always, I am here to help with any support that you need and can be contacted on [email protected].

I do want to reiterate, that I am fully in support of rehoming dogs and helping them live their best life. After all, 6 or our 8 were all rescues.

Ian

28/06/2024

**Thank you all for my birthday wishes, steak and wine perfect end to the day 😁**

Happy Birthday to this wonderful man!

I’ve never met anyone more comfortable in his own skin….the epitome of the cool, calm and confident leader.

Not the best birthday so far - sat on the M5 due to a lorry hitting a bridge - but red wine and a large steak awaits when he gets home (after dog walks, boxing and phone calls naturally!)

Mr Cooper, you are simply the best!

Clare, George and the Hairy Ones xx

26/06/2024

The sun is finally out = working in the garden….I have some new office mates! Usually out on the road with Ian, the spanners and Rooster are turning their hand to clinical research today ❤️

26/06/2024

Morning Everyone!

It’s Ian’s ‘day off’ today so he got up at 3:50am to go fishing…leaving the boys and I to have some time together on the moor. It was absolutely beautiful…and even better, I got all eight of the hairy ones in one place, paying attention long enough for an updated pack shot (proving that mere mortals can do it too - there is hope!!)

How blessed are we is surely one of the most beautiful places in the world

16/06/2024

One of our amazing clients let us know about an amazing resource for all dog owners out there. There is information about walks, places to stay, places to stop en route, dog fields and lots on Rowena and the dogs. If you are heading down to Devon and Cornwall this year, it is definitely worth checking it out.

Www.goldiesontour.com

Rowena was lovely enough to put a page on Training about Ian on there as well 🙂 Thank you Rowena!

Fun places to go with your dogs, reviews and advice

12/06/2024

Sent over from a group member in New Zealand…I’m there…feel free to join us!

Clare x

02/06/2024

Today, ‘ two balls Wolfie’ became ‘three balls Wolfie’ at Landacre. The ironic thing is that they haven’t got a testicle between them (apart from Rooster who takes great pleasure in showing them off at every given opportunity….but his days are numbered!)

Picture evidence supporting all assertions 🥰😂

31/05/2024

Specialist In Rehabilitation Of Dogs With Anxiety, Aggression, Handling, Recall And General Obedience Problems.

Frome

25/05/2024

Has there ever been a more contented little Browndog?

He’s a tricky character but so glad we rescued him. We were so lucky Laura contacted us ❤️

25/05/2024

Happy Bank Holiday Weekend everyone!

Just as a reminder, at least £5 from every session that Ian has goes to Canines for Conservation - using dogs to stop poaching in Africa. Will uses many of the same training techniques that Ian uses and it is fascinating to watch him work

By the way, we aren’t advocating Skinners dog food…you can stop reading at that point :-)

GunsOnPegs on Scribehound - When it comes to working dogs there are few with a tougher gig than those tackling poaching gangs in the harsh environment of the African bush.

21/05/2024

After illegally appropriating a flip flop and giving it a cursory chew, Rooster took over as much bed a possible so the pesky black labs couldn’t get on 🤦‍♀️

Can’t believe how long he’s getting!

16/05/2024

It’s a good job that Trampus had a shampoo 🤦‍♀️

15/05/2024

Here they are….aren’t they smart boys! Trampus and Banj are a little pooped after the excitement but Browndog is his normal wired self!!

No tick score was taken - I think Tanya lost count!

15/05/2024

So here are the before shots of The Hairy Ones….grade 2 all over and a lovely cut and blow dry on the way boys!

You should have seen us trying to get them to sit still on the bench…their eyes weren’t taken off Ian as the Bringer of Breakfast…

I wonder how many ticks will be found….any bets?!