Pet Dog Rally Obedience

06/09/2023

SUFFOLK DOG DAY 2023 NOTICE:
We are sorry to report, due to the hot weather predicted on Sunday, we have decided to unfortunately cancel this year’s event at Helmingham Hall on Sunday 10 September.

The safety of dogs and visitors at the event is our highest priority and we have made this difficult decision in collaboration and support from our event partners at the RSPCA and Nightingale Vets. This decision has been taken early to give as much notice as possible for traders and visitors.

If you have pre-booked tickets for the event, you will have received an email in your inbox, which includes the following link to request a refund for your tickets or you can decide to donate your entry to the hospice to fund patient care: https://www.stelizabethhospice.org.uk/refund-form-suffolk-dog-day/
Please complete this form by midnight on Thursday 14 September.

We wish to say a heartfelt thank you to our volunteers, sponsors, stallholders and supporters for their understanding. We look forward to welcoming you all at Suffolk Dog Day in 2024.

29/08/2023

A question that I keep seeing is the front clip harness lead combination and whether it's aversive. The answer is yes, no and it depends. So, today we are going to look at the use of a front clip harness use through the lens of TTouch leadwork. The TTouch method, with its unique two-point contact le...

28/04/2023

Where Jack's 'portrait'came from!

All About Dogs - Hylands Park 2023 - Sun 30th April & Mon 1st May.
Visit our stand and let us capture a stunning portrait of your dog!

22/04/2023

Today I did something I very rarely do, which is comment on an on-lead/off-lead dog post (about letting off-lead dogs approach on-lead dogs). In my comment, I highlighted that it is the law in the UK that dogs need to be under control in public (and private) spaces. With the spotlight on so many incidents involving off-lead dogs recently, it is really, really important to have good recall.

Firstly, because posts like this can get a bit emotive sometimes, I just want to say that I know off-lead dogs might not be being 'malicious' in these situations. I am not pointing fingers at anyone's dogs.

Ultimately, EVERY single person, dog, child, cyclist, jogger, deserves a stress-free time outside without fear of being approached by a dog they don't know. Reliable recall is a must for any dogs spending time off-lead, and there are ways to train this without causing any hiccups on walks. Your dog might just want to say hello, but not everyone wants that, and that is absolutely ok. On-lead dogs are perfectly entitled to be walked in areas where there might be off-lead dogs (assuming that the environment they are in isn't overwhelming for them), and it is important that the off-lead dogs can be recalled away to prevent any stress to either dog, or person. We live in such a beautiful part of the world, everyone should be able to enjoy it.

I've been out with a few clients recently who have dogs that are walked on-lead around unknown dogs, as they don't want an up close hello. A huge thank-you to the many respectful people we have seen who have put their dogs on lead for 20 seconds whilst passing. It probably doesn't really detract from your walk, but it makes a HUGE difference to other people.

19/04/2023

14/04/2023

‼️ If you FIND a Dog THE LAW SAYS You MUST REPORT IT to your Local Authority / Dog Warden ~ Which you can find on this link https://www.gov.uk/report-stray-dog

In Scotland you MUST ALSO INFORM your local Police Station

‼️ Not reporting it = Theft By Finding

11/04/2023

ADOPTING DOGS FROM ABROAD: Response to comments/ questions in a previous thread.

This time I will share my thoughts on comments that raised concerns over whether overseas rescue dogs make good pet dogs and what owners can do to try and make sure they are getting a dog for life, and not one they'll end up surrendering to the UK rescue system (or at worse, having to PTS because no one will take the dog!).
My biggest concern about the adoption of overseas dogs is that many people have lost sight of how dogs, as a species, actually behave. Expectations can be based on the perfect pet labrador the family owned 15 years previously, or on the dogs they have seen in the park.
Or they can be based on idealism and optimism- which sometimes works out, but not always.

Unmet expectations can be problematic for overseas rescue dogs because they lead to unpreparedness and frustration towards the dog for offering behaviour that reflects their genetics and learning history (mind you, this can be said for all dogs!).

In some instances, how the dog behaves can cause fear and mistrust (of the dog) in their new families, sometimes with good reason.
LOOKS CAN MATTER

As touched down on in my previous post, there is a lot of variation in breed/types depending on which country you are getting the dog from. It's hard to know what the dog is if you don't yet know of all the unusual and uncommon breeds and types from that part of the world.

But taking into consideration how a dog LOOKS can provide us information.

Look at the dog and consider what behaviours does that dog look like it may do well. What behaviours does that individual look physically prepared for?

Large, heavyset dogs with a somewhat calm-looking facial expression may be from dogs bred to provide a strong and stoic presence on the mountains protecting livestock. Think how that may transfer to 'intrusion' to the home environment or towards boisterous dogs rushing up to them when they're on lead?

Athletic looking dogs who appear more active may be more socially motivated and explorative. How might that transfer to when they are always (or initially) walked on a short lead in busy places or off lead in the woods?

How do we think a dog who looks similar to our hunting breeds (often from Spain, Greece and Cyprus) will behave in wildlife dense areas- especially now they have an abundance of physical resources (energy) provided in their new home?

Does the dog look like a terrier? Although perhaps larger than many of our UK terriers. What traits may you expect to see in a terrier? In my experience, wire hair and curly tails equal highly resilient 'party animals' full of 'mischief' (more so during adolescence) which some people love as traits, others not so much.

Dogs with an alert posture (high head carriage, wide, alert eyes, slightly pricked or pricked ears when in neutral) may be more sensitive to things that threaten intrusion to their core territory or personal space (not unique to foreign dogs by any means!).

Dogs who look a little bit 'wolfy', especially those with sable coats and 'goggle' markings around their eyes may exhibit more fearful behaviours because there may well be some wolf-dog ancestry in there (especially in Eastern European countries).

"Supermuts/village dogs" can be highly independent decision makers who can take time to develop a relationship where they’re more open to your suggestions.
They may appear to have a higher threshold for threat, but that this threshold can be very quickly breached up close or if something travels directly at speed, such as dogs or people rushing up. Note, this threshold can easily lower further over time with repetition of negative experiences.

The vast majority of dogs will generally value a stable social group of both human and dogs. Especially dogs from overseas who are often used to group living, bar perhaps some livestock guardian types or some individuals who can prefer a smaller stable group. For some, being without other dogs may be preferred- but this is less common in my experience.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION....

How the dog looks can give you a clue. Now you can think about where the dog has come from and what they may have learned across their life before they came to you. Think about socialisation, threat perception, abundance of resources and potential negative experiences.

Even if a dog was born in a shelter, if their parents were able to breed successfully on the street or were themselves from street dog ancestry- we should consider whether this brings traits of increases vigilance and quick responses (fight or flight) to potential threats. These traits can be inherited and also socially learned when young.
The main problem behaviours I see in overseas rescue dogs are:

TERRITORIAL BEHAVIOUR (towards guests and noises), RESOURCE GUARDING, REACTIVITY (on lead usually) and FEARFUL BEHAVIOUR (panic responses , shut down).

To me, it seems unsuprising that these dogs arrive with these problem behaviours or start to exhibit them once settled in (feeling safe enough to communicate their emotions or starting to take on responsibility within their new social group).

Territorial behaviour is normal for all dogs, but most dogs with true street dog ancestry or of certain breeds/types (such as live stock guardian) will often take it to a higher intensity.
Being aware of threats and repelling them for personal safety or to maintain access to resources (or a source of) is adaptive- and in a busy, urban environment this can easily escalate.

On lead, responses to investigate situations are limited and natural behaviours (zig zag explorative movement and sniffing) are inhibited- and frustration and fear responses can easily escalate.

Previous deprivation around resources can lead to over arousal now resources are in abundance and vigilance in protecting them, or guarding of people associated with resources. Especially when children are involved.

Being transported in a van for 5 days (or more) or flown to their new country can lead to huge trauma- and sometimes the trauma happened long before then.

Many over seas rescue dogs are prepared to use big expressions of ritualised aggression. Clear and efficient communication will resolve potential conflict quickly and effectively.
Some dogs will choose avoidance, especially when there is ample time to do so, but many are prepared to stand their ground and use body language that can be highly intimidating and worrisome.
CAN OVER SEAS RESCUE DOGS BE FAMILY DOGS (INCLUDING WITH CHILDREN)?

Sometimes.
I've met many overseas dogs that are fantastic family pets and great around children. I've also met many who are not suited to a family home at all, nor suited to busy urban life.
Please note my bias as a behaviourist, I will encounter problem behaviour cases. However, I do also meet dogs out on my walks and listen to a lot of anecdotal reports from non clients on here and other forums.

There are things we can do to prevent getting a dog (or placing a dog) who is totally unsuitable and who is therefor at risk of being relinquished to rescue, passed to a new home, returned to rescue or at worse PTS.
1. Look at the dog! As above, try and figure out what traits may be observed in that dog based on their looks (breed/type). Think of the worst traits and consider if you're ready to work with those traits.

2. Consider the location/ history and how that may affect behaviour from a genetic and learning perspective.
Make sure you get given adequate information on the dog's history rather than a vague story- unless you are ready to handle the unknown.

3. Ask for videos that show the dog in situations they will encounter. Being walked on equipment, being inside a building, being handled comfortably by people (including children if relevant to your situation), being comfortable around other dogs, being walked near traffic etc.

If you adopt from a fosterer in the UK, you can more easily observe your potetial family member in the contexts you may be putting them in and get an idea of how they might behave.

4. Choose a registered charity to adopt your dog from.

5. Choose a charity that has GUARANTEED rescue back up that is in your country. Some charities provide behaviour support, but we should be cautious of the qualifications of such persons. Speaking from experience, I was once NOT highly qualified behaviour support although my advice was always based on understanding the dog's ancestry and implementing aversion-free methods.

6. Think of the worse case scenario. What's the worst thing that can happen in terms of behaviour problems and can you manage that? You don't have to have the knowledge to know what to do, but you should have the time and money to pay for professional help and implement the advice.
I am pro rescue, but I am not pro badly placed rescues. Seeing misunderstood street dogs who are being hurried into becoming a dog that is the opposite of what they are genetically predisposed to be really upsets me.

I also find it upsetting to see the impact this has on owners who have been 'mid-sold' a dog and led to believe that a puppy whose had no socialisation and who comes from street dog ancestry will make the perfect family pet. Note, some do- but we are playing roulette if we don't have the observable information to support the hope that the dog will meet expectations.
I personally love the complexities of many street dogs, but not everyone can handle them! We do them a massive disservice to think that every single street dog will thrive in a urban, home environment- especially if hurried to adapt. Most will learn to cope, but not all.
We need to try and accurately identify the ones who will cope and ideally thrive BEFORE transport.

Many over seas rescues, "street"/village dog or not- will likely need ample time to overcome the process and journey into this country.

Notes: all traits described in this post are applicable to ALL dogs of ALL breeds from ALL backgrounds. My descriptions are based on anecdotal experience over time of working with hundreds of overseas rescues. As always, there is variation within EVERY population.
Next up, we will discuss health concerns in over seas rescue dogs.

If you'd like to learn more about over seas rescue dogs, please sign up to the CTM TRAUMA IN DOGS conferenence. Link in comments.

You can also learn more in depth via my webinars on street dogs, also linked in comments.

10/04/2023

Warning sounded after research led by Imperial College London academics reveals parasiticide chemicals in urban waterways at levels that can be toxic to aquatic species.

18/03/2023

16/12/2022

26/11/2022

The Science of “Zoomies” 🐕⚡

Zoomies are among the cutest, funniest things pets do. It’s dogs’ way of showing that they’re irrepressibly happy. 🐶 This behavior is entirely normal for many animal species, both wild and domesticated, so there’s no need to worry unless there’s a risk your pet could be injured.

Learn more about this adorable behavior in today’s free article linked below.

More on dogs and their crazy zoomies here: http://bit.ly/3UQiAuO

11/11/2022

Review firework rules to protect animals from injury and distress

11/11/2022

Police are appealing for witnesses after a man was threatened following an attack on his dog in Ipswich.

10/11/2022

🐕‍🦺 Course fully booked🐕‍🦺

Would you like to learn the skills to become
a Scent Detection Handler and train your dog to be a Scent Detective, hunting down gun oil or truffle oil? 🐾🕵️‍♀️🕵️‍♂️🐾

Then why not come and learn in a fun and relaxed atmosphere?

🐶The Big Sniff Scentwork Classes 🐶

Some of the many benefits of Scentwork for dogs:

💜 Activates and fulfills their seeking system
💜 Using their nose for what it is designed for
💜 Has a calming effect (beneficial for anxious
dogs)
💜 Confidence building
💜 Improves concentration, focus and self-control
(improving overall behaviour)
💜 Provides mental stimulation
💜 Gives them a job to do while working at their
own pace
💜 they make choices
💜 Builds a stronger bond between dog and
guardian
💜 Suitable activity for all dogs
💜 Mindful activity for both dog and their guardian

Class dates:
14th, 21st, 28th November
5th, 12th,19th December

(yes, it's close to Christmas but a great stress release and distraction from all the hustle and bustle of festive activities) 🎄

6 pm - 7.30 pm

Venue: Westerfield Village Hall, IP6 9PG

Cost: £110

Message Lisa to reserve your space or to ask any questions

😊 A sniffing dog = a happy dog 😊
😊 A happy dog = a happy guardian 😊

29/10/2022

2023 London Photo Convention Speaker Announcement! 📷

Maria Michael Detheo Photography

The face behind Detheo Photography, Maria Michael has been a professional photographer for just over 13 years.

Maria is presenting 2 classes at the 2023 Convention

Introduction To Pet Photography (Masterclass)

Are you your own barrier to success? (Masterclass)

Take your photography to the next level and join us at Europe's Largest All-welcome Photographic Convention https://thesocieties.net/convention/

04/10/2022

https://www.facebook.com/DetheoPhotography/

Met Maria from Detheo Photography at Paws in the Park. Would highly recommend you look at for her at the shows! She took the stunning capture of Jack above .

SPECIALIST PET PHOTOGRAPHY - Specialising in Dog Photography & Equine Photography. However we work w

30/07/2022

Dog owners have been warned by the Broads Authority after deadly blue-green algae was discovered in the Norfolk Broads.

05/07/2022

Needs sharing

Research shows that dogs and humans suffer when a dog is pulled here and there.

23/06/2022

To Castrate or Not To Castrate!

For decades castration has been recommended routinely for young dogs as a cure for:
🐶 Barking, lunging and reactivity at dogs or people
🐶 Dog-dog interaction challenges
🐶 Hu***ng, inappropriate toileting
🐶 Adolescence (as if it needs curing like it’s a disease 😂)

Download my free book on this to keep forever here: beha.vet/free-neutering-ebook

⚠️WARNING!⚠️ What I’m about to discuss relates to castration and health and behaviour. This does NOT relate to overpopulation management. However, of note, in some countries, castration is considered a mutilation and these countries have less of an overpopulation issue than countries where it is routinely recommended, highlighting how intrinsic overpopulation is to societal beliefs around and respect for dogs.

👉 What actually happens when we castrate a dog?

Well, to put it bluntly, the testicles get chopped off. What does this lead to?
It completely removes the dog’s ability to reproduce.
It removes a major source of testosterone; the Leydig cells that produce testosterone reside within the testicles and so experience a extracorporeal relocation too! Important to note here that I say a major source as the adrenal glands in both sexes as well as the ovaries in the bitch produce small quantities also.

👉 What consequence does this have?

Importantly, testosterone is valuable as a hormone from a behaviour perspective. In multiple species, it has been demonstrated to be closely associated with confidence. Why is this protective against behaviour struggles? Well, behaviour struggles are often driven by lack of confidence, anxiety, fear and situational pessimism and certainly never the result of positive emotional states that testosterone would promote.

“There is absolutely no benefit to reducing an animal’s confidence when working on their behaviour. Confidence is never a bad thing!”

👉 What the SCIENCE Says!

In 2018, McGreevy et al published a study in Plos One (It’s open access so you can check it how here if you are feeling geeky: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5931473/), assessing how the length of time a dog maintained their go**ds for influenced the risk of behaviour struggles.

👉 What did they find?

The shorter the time they keep their go**ds and, in turn, the sooner they lose most of their testosterone, the less likely the dogs’ owners were to report two behaviour struggles - howling when left alone and indoor urine marking.

Oh! Easy! Question Answered! To theatre we go….

Wait for it.

The findings didn’t end there. The longer the dogs in the study (sample size of 6235) kept their go**ds attached and, in turn, their testosterone, the less likely their owners were to report 26 (Yes, TWENTY SIX!) mostly unwelcome behaviour struggles!!

AND

7 (yes, SEVEN!) of these behaviour struggles that were much less likely the longer a dog remained entire would be labelled as “aggressive” (including “aggression” directed towards people and other dogs).

So let’s dive into the reasons why castration is often wrongly considered and wrongly recommended…

😱Barking, lunging and reactivity! This behaviour struggle is often driven by an underlying pessimism, dogs perceiving novelty in the environment (whether that be a human, another dog, a cat or a kangaroo!) to be something to worry about. Pessimism and lack of confidence are closely linked and so it is no surprise that castration doesn’t help this situation and often makes it worse as the McGreevy findings suggest!

Download my free book on this to keep forever here: beha.vet/free-neutering-ebook

😱Dog-Dog interaction challenges! This refers to unpredictability in a dog’s interaction with another dog. It might be that your dog unpredictably snaps when having a nose-nose interaction. It might be that your dog stands over another dog and raises their hackles. It might be that your dog charges and barks at other dogs upon the approach. The thing is, a successful interaction can only occur with three skills: 1. Optimism, 2. Disengagement (seeing value in moving away from the interaction), 3. Calmness. Any weakness in these will lead to unpredictable (or very predictable!!) breaks in the chain. I’m sure we can all relate to a time in our lives where we’ve had a fail in one of these departments and had a bad interaction with someone (maybe a partner….) - it didn’t come from overconfidence, it came from all the rubbish that went on at the office that day and your sore back!

Now I have a saying when it comes to dog behaviour and that is -

“If you want more of something, BUILD IT! Don’t attempt to squash something else to make it seem bigger!”

Success in’t about trying to correct, inhibit or STOP a behaviour. This is about growing the skills needed to behave effectively and go through the world feeling great! So again, castration has absolutely no place here and again often makes things worse!

😱 Hu***ng and Inappropriate Toileting! These behaviours were long hailed as the ultimate in dogs disrespecting us and, therefore, by some twisted logic, if an animal is disrespecting you, you must chop off a body part, reduce their confidence, show them who is boss. Crazy right?! 😂 Of course not - in fact, these behaviours (just like the ones above) are just a couple of behaviours a dog might select from when feeling worried, anxious, scared or a little bit like “I don’t know what to do here.”

Have you ever had an interaction with another human where you were nervous for whatever reason and you said something crazy or did something completely weird instead of just shaking their hand? Meet the canine equivalent: hu***ng!

Again this is driven by LACK of confidence, not overconfidence and so castration won’t make it better and might again make it worse! Inappropriate toileting and marking behaviours can be much the same, and so while research shows that castration might improve marking in the house in some instances, it can equally make it worse based on this and so, importantly, we should never do something irreversible when reversible (non-body-part-chopping) options exist.

😱 Adolescence! Adolescence is not a disease! In fact, none of this is a disease!

“These are not BEHAVIOUR PROBLEMS! They’re DOG BEHAVIOUR!”

Adolescence is a period of development! It’s associated with structural brain, cognitive and hormonal changes. It’s a period that actively promotes conflict between the animal (human or canine) and their carer as an evolutionarily beneficial temperature check on the relationship (more on that another time maybe). What all the research agrees on in relation to human and canine adolescence is that confidence and relationship are key! The Asher et al 2020 study on canine adolescence found that conflict (in the form of ignoring a sit cue) was much reduced with increasing relationship between dog and owner. What do we take from this?
Chopping off body parts will not help.
Spend the time and money you were going to spend on castrating your dog and invest it in your relationship bank account instead - invest in positive interactions, games, play, whatever you and your dog love!

Download my free book on this to keep forever here: beha.vet/free-neutering-ebook

🩺👨🏼‍⚕️ Health Benefits of Castration

Castration has also been recommended from a health standpoint, reducing the risk of a variety of diseases. However, the health benefits castration brings (such as prevention (and resolution of) benign prostatic hyperplasia) are only of significance after the age of 5 in most dogs when they become at increased risk of such. Equally, there’s early evidence to show that castration before one year of age could increase the risk of joint disease, cancer risk and allergic skin disease, further reinforcing the idea that early castration (if even at all) is not nor should not be a procedure that comes with a blanket recommendation for all young dogs.

Reversible Options!

Finally, we must consider if it is appropriate to give a blanket recommendation on anything that is irreversible and not completely benign when reversible options are available. Short-term implants have the same whole body effects as surgical removal of the testicles while still being reversible! These can act like a test drive of the new hormonal system where castration is being strongly considered without the fallout of an irreversible procedure.

👉 The Future!

So, that’s the wrap on castration with a focus on behaviour and training! Whenever I talk about this, it often causes of a wave of remorse and grieving for the now lost testicles of your dog’s youth. BUT I work with people on a daily basis whose dogs have had their go**ds inappropriately removed at some point and yet they are achieving amazing results and living the lives that they dreamt of when they got a dog in the first place.

The first step they took was ditching the labels, the limiting beliefs and the story of how they arrived where they did. The second step they took is they took their dog-owning dream off the back burner and they made it a MUST.

The reality is that castrated or not, you can unlock real-life results and amazing transformations with your dog with the right plan, the right tools, the right games and strategies! I even wrote a book on it you can download for free here: beha.vet/free-neutering-ebook

This is an opportunity to spread the word, save some go**ds along the way and change the blanket advice for the better, so if you know someone who this might benefit, please share it far and wide :-)

15/06/2022

I always feel extra sorry for the older dogs being pulled along or left behind. 😥

14/06/2022

As we head for a reportedly HOT end to the week, just a reminder to ensure our dogs are comfortable and safe :)

13/06/2022

Too hot, too windy, too wet, too..........you name it - we get it - which is why our next trial on 10th JULY is in Holbrook Village Hall

Schedule will be emailed. Please contact by messenger.

10/05/2022

*** spaces available for both workshops ***

The many benefits of Scent Work........

It is an activity available to all dogs, regardless of age, breed, size or ability. It is a low-impact activity, suitable for all dogs because there is minimal stress on their joints.

It is suitable for all temperaments because the dogs are worked individually and are on a lead at all times. If your dog is reactive or nervous they can take part and join in the fun along with other dogs, in fact it is highly beneficial for such dogs as it has a calming effect on them.
(1:1 sessions are available if you or your dog prefer not to attend a workshop)

As the dogs are using their noses, this is a great mental workout for them as well as physical exercise. You and your dog will build a stronger relationship and build confidence together.
Most importantly your dog will be activating and full filling it's seeking system, crucial for the wellbeing of all dogs.

If you want to experience the many benefits of scent work then why not book onto this fantastic UK Sniffer Dogs - 2 part Workshop presented by Lisa Keys qualified instructor. Your dog will learn over the two sessions to search and indicate on a specific odour (red kong).

Workshop Dates........

Sunday May 29th and June 12th 2 - 4.15pm
Westerfield Village Hall
Ipswich, IP6 9BE £55

Sunday July 10th and July 24th 2 – 4.15 pm
Holbrook Village Hall
Holbrook, IP9 2PZ £55.

The cost of both sessions includes full written instructions together with items you will use as your dog progresses from their red kong, (you need to purchase this prior to the course and feed your dog tasty treats/meals from the kong a week before the first session). Session two - your dog can become an expert sniffer, able to find a decreasing size of kong scent in various situations.

Please message or email:[email protected]