Teach Dog

03/09/2024

Fantastic course 👏👏👏

02/09/2024

Great FREE opportunity to learn about barking.

ALL ABOUT BARKING

The first of our FREE Autumn term talks will take place on Tuesday 10th September at 1pm GMT - all welcome.

Barking - What you need to know:

A summary by Dobercademy

One of the most problematic behaviours a dog does which is natural for him is bark. Commonly dog owners, and Dobermann owners in particular, complain that their dog barks for attention, he barks at other dogs, barks in his crate, barks out the window, in the garden at the doorbell and worst of all at you, his owner! This is obviously disruptive to the peacefulness of your own home but can become a big issue if you’re receiving complaints from your neighbours too. Often owners become so stressed by their dog’s constant barking that they resort to extreme measures, like bark collars.

Come & learn all about barking and how to create peace without the bark collar!!

Register on the link here :

https://portal.busypaws.app/customers/dobercademy?location_id=87&service_id=15743

01/09/2024

Very proud to be a full member of this excellent organisation 👏👏

‼️Position Statement on the Use of Punishment and Aversive Techniques and Tools in Canine Behaviour Training ‼️

In light of recent discussions on social media, we feel it is necessary to once again clarify our position and that of all our members at International Canine Behaviourists. As a community of professionals dedicated to the well-being of dogs, we unequivocally reject the use of punishment and aversive techniques in canine behaviour training. This includes, but is not limited to, the use of tools such as shock collars, prong collars, choke chains, and any methods that inflict pain, fear, or discomfort on dogs.

The overwhelming consensus among scientific professionals is that punishment-based methods are not only ineffective but also very damaging to the well-being of ALL dogs. Numerous studies have demonstrated that these techniques can cause significant psychological and physical harm to dogs, leading to increased aggression, anxiety, and other behavioural issues. Furthermore, they fail to address the root causes of undesirable behaviour and often exacerbate the problems they aim to correct. There is never an individual, breed or behaviour struggle that warrants punishment and moreover, we feel it is morally wrong and shows a lack of empathy and skill in training and behaviour modification.

We stand firmly behind the principles of positive reinforcement and force-free training methods, which are supported by the latest research in animal behaviour science. These approaches not only foster a strong, trusting bond between dogs and their handlers but also ensure that training is both effective and humane. We believe that all dogs deserve to be treated with respect and compassion, and that their well-being should always be the top priority in any training programme.

All members of International Canine Behaviourists adhere to a strict code of conduct, which you can read here. This code ensures that our practices are aligned with the highest ethical standards and that we are committed to promoting the welfare of dogs through evidence-based, force-free and fear-free training methods.

We urge all dog owners, trainers, and behaviourists to reject punitive methods and to embrace the wealth of positive, science-backed alternatives available. Together, we can create a world where every dog is trained with the kindness, understanding, and respect they deserve.

International Canine Behaviourists

01/09/2024

A woman stands with thee dogs sitting near her in the outdoors. Abstract A Golden Retriever male was exhibiting owner-directed aggression (growling, snarling and baring teeth) and occasional avoidance behaviour of the male owner within the home environment. Blood tests and X-rays prior to assessment...

29/08/2024

Well said ⬇️

Just leaving this here………

19/08/2024

🤭🤭🤭

Something light-hearted for a Monday morning to make you smile 🤣

19/08/2024

Great advice ⬇️

How to choose a professional to help you with your dog
Look for the Green Flags ✅

Green Flags ✅ - the professional has qualifications in canine science and behaviour
They hold an accreditation with a recognised organisation who are industry representative and who will assess them yearly and ensure they maintain their CPD and standards ✅

They are WELFARE FOCUSED and use terms such as ETHICAL, HUMANE, FORCE FREE, KIND, on their marketing. ✅
They discuss creating a CONNECTION with your dog ✅
Building BONDS, TRUST, RELATIONSHIP, COOPERATION, SAFETY, EMOTIONAL RESILIENCE, TEAMWORK and UNDERSTANDING. ✅
They mention SUPPORTING you the dogs owner with EMPATHY and KINDNESS. ✅
Their social media platforms show happy relaxed dogs engaging in cooperative activities with their family. ✅
The overall message is about caring for you and your dogs needs ✅

Red Flags 🚩 Things to avoid 🚫‼️🙅🏼

Promises of quick fixes ❌
Alarm Words in their marketing like Alpha, Respect, Pack Leader, Dominant, Naughty, Badly Behaved, Compliance, Obey, Control, Be the Boss, Red Zone, Corrections. ❌
Videos or photos on their social media showing subdued suppressed anxious dogs slinking along behind the trainer ❌
Videos or photos that look dramatic and sensational with dogs being forced to comply ❌
Videos or photos of dogs wearing punishment tools including grot or french collars, electric shock collars, prong collars, figure of 8 rope loops, choke chains, dogs being checked / yanked ( called ‘correcting’) . ❌
Noise devices such as rattle cans, air horns, spray collars, bark collars, throwing metal pans or chains at them . ❌
Videos or photos of Dogs being yanked off their feet, poked in the ribs, or heel kicked ❌
“Pack walks” for reactive dogs ❌
Fearful dogs being forced to walk in a group through crowds looking cowed and suppressed ❌

Dogs don’t need to be bullied, suppressed, hurt, or afraid to learn how to live in harmony with their families. Dogs thrive on connection, love, patience, trust and attachment with their families.

Choose wisely - damage caused by these type of trainers can take a long time to undo and ruin a dogs confidence and trust. Your dogs physical and emotional welfare should be your trainers priority.

10/08/2024

Love this ❤️

09/08/2024

This is spot on ⬇️

Terriers, Hounds & Husbands

Why did we choose the dog that we have? What was it about that particular breed or cross or mixed breed that attracted us to him?
Often our choice is governed by size, their looks that please us, type of coat, shaggy, smooth, colour.
How many of us choose a breed because we actually like the behaviour that they have been specifically bred for over the generations?

Not the behaviour that we can read about in the breed club description of them:
Border Collie - excellent at herding sheep.
German Shepherd - great guard dog.
Chihuahua - fabulous lap dog.
Beagle - great at following a scent.
Bull Terrier - particularly good with people.

No not those behaviours, these ones:
Border Collie - will herd and nip the children when they are running about, will be sound sensitive and not cope well with traffic and busy households.
German Shepherd - will bark ferociously at all of your visitors.
Chihuahua - will resource guard your lap.
Beagle - will follow a scent to timbuktu and not hear you calling.
Springer Spaniel - will resource guard anything he picks up if there is the slightest chance that you have previously taken items from him as a puppy and especially if that was accompanied by a stern telling off for taking it.
Cocker Spaniel - will resource guard anything he picks up if there is the slightest chance that you have previously taken items from him as a puppy and especially if that was accompanied by a stern telling off for taking it.
Cockapoo - will resource guard anything he picks up if there is the slightest chance that you have previously taken items from him as a puppy and especially if that was accompanied by a stern telling off for taking it.
Golden Retriever - will resource guard anything he picks up if there is the slightest chance that you have previously taken items from him as a puppy and especially if that was accompanied by a stern telling off for taking it.
(No prizes for guessing what we get posts about the most)
Labrador - Should be the same but they are a bit goofy so less likely to.
Sighthounds - Saluki, Borzoi, Greyhound, Lurcher et al - will chase small furries that they spot in the distance. When playing with other dogs will bring them down either by grabbing back legs or the back of the neck or the back.
Terriers - will dig, will go down rabbit holes, badger sets, drain pipes.
And then the breed temperament descriptions and what they really mean ..
"Aloof" won't like strangers
"Wary of strangers" won't like strangers
"Naturally independent" won't be eager to please
"Loyal to his master" won't like strangers
"very protective of owner" won’t like strangers
"particularly good with people" not good with dogs

We can also group dogs into those that work with man and those that work independently.

Gundogs, herding dogs, guard dogs mostly tend to take instructions from us and often hang on our every word.
In contrast the independent breeds, sighthounds that hunt by sight, scent hounds that hunt by following a scent, terriers that go down holes, stock guarding breeds that live with the flock. We just leave them to get on with it because their skills far outweigh ours. They don’t need us.
These are the breeds that are often labeled as stubborn but of course they are not stubborn, they are just not designed to follow instructions and take orders.

The secret to a successful partnership with all dogs but particularly the independent breeds is to always let them think that it was their idea, that they have trained you to give treats for checking in, for lying on their bed when you are busy. And that by pretending to be thinking of going hunting you will produce a toy and play a great game with them. This line of thinking works well with husbands too.

There are always exceptions and we know that with appropriate training and socialising these traits can be channelled effectively but please always do your research before buying a breed that you like the look of.

06/08/2024

This was an amazing course 👏👏👏

04/08/2024

Ex racing greyhounds often freeze on walks soon after adoption, leaving their new owners perplexed. This post explains all perfectly.

FROZEN HOUND FRIDAY

Along the same line as our recent Wednesday Wisdom regarding how very easy it is to over exercise your greyhound, particularly in the initial weeks of having the home, today we wanted to discuss one of the main difficulties owners have in walking their greyhounds...freezing!

Freezing, in essence is a fear response. It is where the greyhound is under stress, is overstimulated and anxious and they get stuck between flight or fight, leading them to physically stop. And there is no moving them, its like having a lead attached to a lamp post!

If you take into consideration that the greyhounds have only ever known rural or semi-rural settings, moving to a town or city can be very scary and massively overwhelming, but really no matter the setting, it is a novel environment that they aren’t familiar with and need to learn. Add in the fact they have such excellent vision (they can see clearly up to ½ mile away!) they can get overwhelmed scared trying to take it all in.
While it is often misinterpreted as being stubborn, or naughty, it is a very common coping mechanism for greyhounds and one that is largely unavoidable.

While freezing it is a prime example of being over exercised in the initial days, it can happen both in the settling in period in response to numerous stimuli or even further into home life in going to new places, changing their established walking route or as a direct response to a fearful situation.
However, what the dog considers to be scary can be as simple as a kid going by on a scooter or a car back firing...and that’s enough for them to refuse to walk down that section of road because of the negative associations.

They’re precious souls...they really are! But from their point of view, they’re trying to cope and come to understand this strange new land they’ve found themselves in, so freezing is bound to happen.

However, it can be frustrating, as an owner. Goodness knows we’ve heard plenty owners call up saying how the dog was all eager and excited to go for walks and would go for miles for the first few days...but then suddenly, despite having the pre-walk ‘excitement’, they put on the brakes every time you get them out the driveway.

But the problem is that the pre-walk zoomies, happy tappy feet and jumping around doesn’t always mean they want to go.

It is literally impossible to tell (annoyingly) until you get out the door and they freeze, but the happy genuine excitement and zoomie madness is identical to the sudden release of anxious/stress energy a dog gets when they are scared to go for a walk! So, this can’t be used as an indicator on whether they actually want to go...they are just dispensing the stress, they don’t actually want to go!

Forcing them on gains you nothing, if you try to pull them, they are going to pull back. As mentioned, they turn into lamp posts! You might encourage them on another 50 feet only for them to stop again, and again and eventually just give up and go home to try again later.

But how do you combat it? Greyhounds need time, patience and understanding as they adjust to all the new sights, sounds and smells. Positive reinforcement and treat based training can be very beneficial but most newly adopted hounds won’t accept treats on walks as they’re too overwhelmed and often don’t feel comfortable taking treats from the hand.

One of the best things you can do if your hound is freezing is give them a break! You are not a bad dog parent if you don’t walk your dog.

Having a rest from walking gives them time to decompress and think more clearly. If you have been walking your dog every day, 2-3 times a day, they haven’t had a moments rest to come to terms with everything going on. Cortisol, the stress hormone, takes up to 72 hours to return to normal levels after it’s spiked...which when they’re freezing, it’s pretty up there! You need to give them a few days to let the cortisol levels return to normal and then reintroduce walks when they are calmer and more able to think clearly.

When a dog is stressed, they are unable to access their higher cognitive function...in other words their brains go out the window! Just like how we don’t think clearly when we’re overwhelmed, it’s the same for dogs. So, they act and respond to stimuli on their base instincts, hence the freezing!

Obviously if you aren’t walking your dog, you need to substitute some other forms of activity and stimulation for them while they are not going out for walks such as enrichment, games, playtime and zoomies in the garden and even doing training or focus ques with them.

Alternatively, or in addition to this, you can till exercise them but in more comfortable and familiar surrounds. Put them in the car and take them out to a country park, rural space or rental field and let them go on a calm, sniff filled, dog led walk where they can properly enjoy being a ‘dog’ without the societal pressures and stressors.
These types of walks can be massively mentally beneficial to your dog and let them decompress in a more natural way.

But when it comes time to walking your normal route again, know your dogs’ limits. You don’t want to go straight into a full-blown walk and have them immediately freeze up again.

Introduce it all slowly and positively. Even just start by sitting on the doorstep and let them just look at the world with lots of praise and reward whenever something ‘scary’ happens such as a bus going by or a group of kids.

If you know that there are certain points on your normal walk that they have historically frozen on, try and avoid walking them there or walk them on the other side of the road.

As you don’t want to power through their limit only to then have problems such as freezing, and other behavioural issues as a result of the overstimulation, most importantly, you need to be able to recognise their mental (and physical) limits. A dog’s body language can be incredibly subtle, and it can be hard to pinpoint when they’ve reached their ‘limit’.

It’ll be small things like they will get more tension in the lines of their face, there may be more of the white of the eye visible or their panting is exposing their gums more. Their ears may have squared off and their tail won’t be up as freely. These signs may present 5 minutes in, 10 minutes in or any time really throughout your walk. But once you are able to identify these signs, you’ll know that that is your dog’s limit, and you should be back at the house by that deadline.
For instance, with my own dog, I know any walk we do that I must be back at the car, or my house, by 40 minutes or she hits her limit, becomes a nightmare on the lead and becomes reactive. But I know this about her, so we keep things nice and short, as going beyond her limit means we have to rest off for a couple days as to go out the next day is a sure-fire way to end up with behavioural issues on the walk whether freezing, pulling or reactivity.
But at the same time, that 40-minute limit isn’t always assured...if we have a really over stimulating walks with lots of off lead dogs, joggers, and cyclists, I know I need to get her home earlier as she reaches her limit much quicker! She really hates a jogger!

But if you miss their limit and you end up with a frozen hound, their little brain cogs are slowly turning, and you have to give them time. While some will say to just drag them out of freezing, spin in circles or otherwise happy baby talk convince the dog to move, this doesn’t actually fix the root problem! Some people just give up and take them home, the dogs then drag them all the way back because they are in essence really anxious and are fleeing to the safety of their home!

It may sound ridiculous, but one of the easiest ways to overcome the frozen hound is not bribery, dancing or spinning around to convince them to walk...it’s waiting. You may look a little odd just standing in the street, but your dog needs to come to the conscious decision to continue on its own. By letting them have that control over the situation, being able to actively make that choice and move past their overwhelmed state naturally you will then find that you have a lot less problems moving forward. But really, you don’t want to get to the frozen stage in the first place!

Because if you think about it from the dog’s perspective, they aren’t walking because they are scared and overwhelmed and by dragging them through it you are forcing them into a decision, they aren’t ready for. If you just wait with them, give them a bit of reassurance, and let them make that conscious decision to continue on, you are giving them control of the situation and boosting their confidence in the process by letting them come to terms with things in their own way.

But on the same hand, some anxious dogs can get into the habit of freezing when you try to back track the way you have come to go home and will just keep ploughing forward, on and on and on, so they don’t have to re-encounter anything that may have made them anxious en route!
You’re then thinking they are enjoying their walk, and you just let them take the lead until you’ve ended up halfway across town!

When this happens, the dog has got itself stuck in an overstimulating vicious cycle and you need to take control of the walks. Rather than trying to turn back on yourself, structure your walks so that you are going in a big loop back to the house so that there are no repeat encounters on the walk. This will prevent freezing and stop them from going too far, where they forget how to get home and don’t know what to do other than charge on!

But basically, if your dog is freezing, it isn’t necessarily that it doesn’t want to walk ever again, they just might need time to decompress.

At the end of the day, if your dog is happy and healthy, runs around the garden and enjoys life without walking 1, 2, 3 times a day. Then you really do not need to walk them 1, 2, 3 times a day. Responsible dog ownership is more than taking your dog out for walks. It is important to do what is best for your dog and their individual personality and needs.

If your dog is comfortable and confident going for two walks a day, every day, you go for it! If what’s best for them is only walking them a couple times a week and using a rental field to blow off steam every weekend (injury dependant!) then that is what you will need to do.

In saying this, please understand we are not telling you never to walk your dog! It is purely individual, case by case, advice! We just ask that you take into consideration your dog’s body language, energy levels and individual needs as to how much exercise they want.

But we promise you that you are not a bad owner if you do not walk your dog 3 times a day!

At the end of the day, walking is for their enjoyment...it shouldn’t cause them unnecessary stress. There are numerous other ways to exercise and mentally stimulate them in the home without the stress of walks...and so long as the dog is happy, don’t let anyone shame you for not walking them!

31/07/2024

The Dog Training College is an amazing place to keep knowledge up to date. Teach Dog is a lifetime member, so I always stay on top of the dog training business!

24/07/2024

This is 100% true

23/07/2024

Welfare never compromised ❤️

20/07/2024

I am waking up rather stiff this morning.
Yesterday I was walking two of my dogs. Both were on lead because they are both lame for different reasons. Walking along I saw a couple with two labradors off lead. To help avoid them I veered off the path to give them space. I wasn’t particularly concerned as my dogs walk nicely on lead past dogs, as long as those dogs don’t come right up to them. Suddenly one of the dogs charges at me and mine! One of my dogs is frightened by this and the other wants to play. Their leads tangle round my legs and down I go. Luckily I had a soft landing and nothing was broken, but it really shouldn’t have happened. If you have your dogs off lead and you can’t stop your dogs running over to on lead dogs, you should have your dogs on lead. I will be dosing up on paracetamol today, as I am as lame as my dogs 🙄

17/07/2024

Had some super sad news today. The beautiful Buttons went to rainbow bridge. I have been caring for him, when his owner is on holiday, for the last 11 years. He was a very special boy who I will greatly miss. He was 12 days short of his 17th Birthday. Rest in peace Buttons ###

15/07/2024

14/07/2024

I have just spent the weekend at listen to the amazing and team. My brain is totally fried but it has been a very helpful weekend and those attending the Bristol seminar are in for a real treat.

09/07/2024

A brilliant article on exercise for puppies from The Mutty Professor. Highly recommended reading.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=993251809476436&id=100063748774989

Veterinary professionals are in an optimum position to give advice to puppy owners on appropriate physical exercise that supports both the behavioural and the physical health of puppies

03/07/2024

Daisy is my Dobermann. She is nearly 4 years old and has had lots of medical challenges in her life so far. Earlier this week we went to the vet. Our usual vet wasn’t available in the time frame I needed, so we saw someone else. This vet had previously met Daisy when she was 11 months old and in the middle of a phantom pregnancy. She didn’t like him and made it VERY obvious that this was the case. I was a bit worried that she might still feel the same way, but she let him examine her without complaint and at the end of the consult this vet, who had obviously forgotten their previous encounter, said,
“Why do you muzzle her?”

That is success ⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️ right there ❤️

30/06/2024

29/06/2024

Fantastic advice from Jane Ardern. I bought a puppy from a very questionable breeder. I love her to the moon and back, but my life would have been a lot easier if I had used my head!

Puppies are not clean slates !
You often hear people say 'get a puppy they are a clean slate'

As a behaviourist and breeder I can confidently tell you this is not true. Both nature and nurture has a huge impact.
A puppy will inherit genes from its parents and these genes will impact the puppies genetic potential to behave in a particular way.
Such as :
Using aggression as a strategy to deal with difficult situations
Sociability towards people and dogs
Fearful responses
Sound sensitivity
Strong instinctive behaviour to hunt, chase, grab, hold and guard.
Trainability which includes the ability to learn self control as humans desire it.

When people breed dogs they sometimes select for specific traits and sometimes not. If someone is breeding for a particular look, colour or just money then these traits can become altered becoming stronger or weaker or unbalanced. This can make a dog dangerous for example breeding a dog with gameness and reducing human sociability.

Then the puppy is born and the first 8 weeks learning with the breeder will have an huge impact on the development of all these genetic traits.

My five puppies have all come from the same parents and been reared in the same environment. They have very individual personalities. The training and socialisation they receive in their new homes will only influence the genes and first learning, it won't change their personalities.

So if you are looking for a puppy
Firstly learn about breed traits and instincts and make sure you pick a puppy that will suit your lifestyle. For example there no point getting a breed that is 'aloof with strangers' if you have 3 young children and lots of friends visiting.

Secondly meet the parents or (genes), see what they are like. Make sure you are meeting the actual parents, some people buy in puppy farmed litters and then 'hire' an adult of the same breed to pretend the puppies were bred there!!

Thirdly make sure the puppy has had plenty of early neurological stimulation and learning before it leaves the litter. Ask these questions.
1) What have the puppies seen?
2) Who and what have they met?
2) What have they learnt?
3) How have they learned to play?
4) What do they do if they get frustrated?
5) What do they do if they get bored?

A professional trainer can help support and guide you on the process of looking for a puppy. Don't wait till afterwards for help.

Prevention IS better than Cure. This goes for training and socialisation too, get a professional to help and guide you.

Puppies are building neural pathways with every experience, every day, make sure they're building ones you like.

First Learning is the strongest, make sure you get it right first time.

Written by Jane Ardern BSc (Hons) KCAI (WG)
WaggaWuffins Canine College
Bury Lancashire

*Permission to share this post from this source. No cutting and pasting please and pretending you wrote it yourself 🙄

16/06/2024

If you have a reactive dog ideally you will be working with a behaviourist to effectively change the way your dog feels about what triggers the behaviour.
Sometimes caregivers can’t access a behaviourist, maybe due to where they live or lack of available funds.
This website is really comprehensive if you need to work on your dogs behaviour on your own, or if you just want to find out more about behaviour modification.

https://careforreactivedogs.com/start-here/?

How To Use This Website The Care for Reactive dogs website describes a 3-phase plan, with each section building on the ones preceding. It is strongly recommen

16/06/2024

The ICB is looking at myths surrounding dogs. Follow their page to keep up with the series.