Isn't it beautiful out there tonight?
Wait till the end 😉
##darwendogs
Just a reminder that NEXT Saturday we will be hosting our free Puppy Walk and Train session in Sunnyhurst Woods. (11am-12pm).
This is a fantastic opportunity for puppies (under 8 months of age) to learn about controlled meet and greets, and for owners to ask our puppy trainer for advice on anything they're struggling with.
Please get in touch with us to let us know you're coming, so we can tell you precisely where to meet us.
We look forward to seeing you and your pups there!
#DarwenDogs
I just caught this amazing interaction between our two male GSDs, and wanted to share it because it perfectly illustrates a point I find myself frequently having to make to clients.
Here, Derek is guarding a stick he's found in the garden. It's his stick and he's enjoying chewing it.
Rodney, being a typical brother, also wants the stick, but Derek's having none of it. It's his valued possession and he will absolutely guard it.
Finders keepers.
If you watch Derek here you'll see his body is rigid. He's not in a relaxed state and he's not moving. His eyes are fixed on Rodney (eye contact is often perceived and used as a threatening gesture amongst dogs). He's doing an open-mouthed growl, demonstrating he really does mean business and he is clearly showing his teeth, even curling his top lip back to make his point: come any closer and I absolutely will bite you.
Did you spot the little lip lick from Derek when I changed position? This is typical appeasement behaviour; he glances at me and tells me he's no threat to me, it's Rodney he's communicating with.
Rodney pushes his luck for a moment, then realises it's not worth the effort. Instead, he retreats, showing Derek he understands and respects his space.
Too many owners think growling is impolite or bad manners. Dogs don't have manners. They don't hurt each other's feelings.
What they do have are boundaries and a clear sense of hierarchy. They have very well established modes of communication to set and enforce these boundaries and consequences for ignoring them.
Why didn't I intervene?
I knew I didn't need to. Derek ranks higher than Rodney, so Rodney will always back down. Derek won't lunge unless he has to, and if he did, a fight wouldn't break out because Rodney knows he's in the wrong.
Chastising a dog for communicating in a way that is universally understood by other dogs merely results in dogs no longer using these communication signals. That's when fights come "out of nowhere".
Once the situation
Competition announcement!!!!
Well done to the winner!
#darwendogs
We have a couple of spaces left on our for THIS Sunday.
Please get in touch if you would like to find out how to look after your dog in an emergency.
#darwendogs
We hold our hands up, we've been entirely guilty of this in the past! We don't like to pretend we're perfect (we're not), but we do live by what the glorious Maya Angelou said:
Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.
That's precisely the point of lifelong learning.
The vast majority of owners make this mistake (which is entirely normal), but no professional advertising themselves for ANY form of training services should be making this mistake.
#darwendogs
Louise has amused herself greatly with this, and we're sure that's all that matters.
The very demure, very considerate spin off you didn't know you needed: dog walker edition.
Heads up, she did a swear at the end.
(Sorry Louise's Mum)
#darwendogs
It's a bit wet out there.
Taken recently in Sunnyhurst Woods.
#darwendogs
Happy Monday 😀
PS: don't forget to leave towels out for your dogs today, they're going to come home wet!!!
#darwendogs
"I've not had a response to my email ..."
We are genuinely sorry if you're waiting to hear from us regarding a Behavioural Assessment Report, training session or anything else but, honestly, Lu's laptop hates her.
We're working as fast as we can and promise to get back to you ASAP.
Thanks for your patience!
We'll be offering a free venison sausage to all dogs that have been affected 😉
It's International Dog Day!
Of course, we think EVERY day is IDD, but then we're a little obsessed.
Please feel free to show your pampered pooches some love in the comments below. We want to meet them all!
Here's a youngest tiny human taking our girl Vayda for a walk. These two are inseparable.
#darwendogs #lovedogs
We only have ONE space left on our First Aid Course for Monday, 9th September.
Please get in touch if you would like to get booked on, or if you want to secure your spot for our next session on 23rd September.
#DarwenDogs #LocalBusiness #Darwen #DarwenEvents
Dog trainer specialising in general obedience, lead pulling, reactivity and puppy training. Dog walking - BB3
