Cambridge Dog Walking

27/02/2025

It’s so predictable. Some tragic dog related death or injury occurs. Half the crowd calls for the end of certain breeds which are disproportionately represented in statistics. The other half scream that any dog can bite and it’s not the breed, it’s the deed. It’s all missing the point.

All dogs carry a level of risk and therefore responsibility on the dog owner. Any dog CAN bite. Especially when it comes to prey animals including small humans who make noises and movements that can be triggering. That isn’t exclusive to any breed, with small terriers also having been known to kill infants. I don’t care what size your dog is, we need to be containing them appropriately, training them appropriately, and above all - supervising young kids around all dogs. Aggressive behaviour is never a laughing matter, even if it’s coming from something small and fluffy.

But when we choose to own a powerful breed of dog bred for higher levels of drive, to meet roles such as grabbing and hanging on, being more offensively aggressive, being very responsive to movements or sounds similar to those produced by at risk individuals, there is that additional layer of responsibility and potential repercussions. Logic dictates that a large dog has more power behind them than a small dog of equal temperament. Logic dictates that if a dog comes from a line of dog selected for the above traits, they will likely respond differently when faced with some scenarios than others. And unfortunately society dictates that a dog of a breed or type deemed less societally acceptable than others will likely be held to a higher standard or be the first to be blamed if something happens. It’s unfair, but it’s our current reality.

Banning breeds is unfair, and has been proven ineffective time and time again. People seeking powerful breeds for the wrong reasons will always find an alternative to ruin. Now it’s pitties and rotties, next will be the malinois with how popular they’re getting.

But jumping up and down about how any size dog can bite misses the point too, and sets dogs up to fail with unfair expectations and lack of personal responsibility. Instead, recognise the dog you really have, what they were bred for and what situations they may find more challenging. Be extra mindful of what they are capable of doing, and take steps to contain your dog, fulfil and train your dog and advocate for your dog to keep them safe.

Loving our dogs is to remember that they are live animals, opportunistic predators at that, and given the right circumstances and lack of care - bad things can happen. Size and breed does impact the repercussions when that happens. Love your dog enough to tackle that responsibility head on.

09/02/2025

Great piece from Tony

"It's unfortunate that we use the word 'socialisation' with dogs as we tend to think of this in the human sense of being 'sociable' - seeking out and interacting with others in a fun way. 'Socialisation' in relation to dogs is a different thing altogether."

For a deeper look into dog socialisation, and for your personal invite to take part in an event with your dog 😀 🐾 , see: https://tonys-newsletter-fe17e8.beehiiv.com/p/building-canine-confidence

07/02/2025

25/01/2025

Oh I just love Sarah! This is an excellent, sensible & valid post. Please take the time to listen.

So much can go wrong.

Try imagine the worst thing that could happen. Are you confident the person walking your dog is going to be able to take care of that?

25/01/2025

Good examples of play that’s inappropriate and play that’s appropriate 😊

17/12/2024

P**p bags? I have used a few at work in my time & these ones are great. I can confirm they are thicker than average (comforting) Stronger than average (also comforting)

Get in touch with Andrea to grab some. She will be happy to help you sort your s**t out ❤️

Parker is egar to let you all know that we now stock and sell Little Green Dog p**p bags and hypoallergenic treats ☺️ get in touch if you would like to order some.

02/12/2024

So your dog goes to daycare but they’re a reactive hot mess when they see other dogs while on lead. Why can they socialise so well at daycare, but react so poorly and aggressively with you?

It comes as a surprise to many dog owners, but the majority of my reactivity clients have been - or are - daycare dogs. Owners think they’re doing right by their dogs giving them the best socialisation and keeping them busy, but it kicks them in the ass when these behavioural issues surface.

The unfortunate truth is MOST commercial daycares are setting dogs up to fail. As owners we need to be doing our homework and ensuring that we are sending our dogs to facilities that will actually support their behavioural wellbeing. Because:

❌ It’s not behaviourally healthy for dogs primary focus in an environment to be playing with random dogs in high arousal games.

❌ It is not healthy for dogs to be on the go the entire day - frequently with limited structured downtime and rest. They need sleep!!

❌ It is not setting anyone up for success when you jam a very large number of dogs into a small yard in a concrete warehouse or lawn desert, overseen by inexperienced staff lacking the training or resources to spot and intervene in problematic behaviours. If problems are spotted, they are frequently being underreported to dog owners in order to retain clients. Remember, what they practice is what they get good at.

❌ The types of interactions fostered by the average daycare is not a healthy type of socialisation to be exposing our puppies to, especially when they’re starting at formative ages as young as 16 weeks old or being thrown into a pen as their first exposure to other dogs as adolescents needing “socialisation”.

It is no wonder we see so many issues arising. For my dog daycare attending reactive dogs, these issues typically fall into two main camps:

🧨 1. The hyper-social FOMO dog.
They get a big kick out of interacting with other dogs. Their social scale has tipped all the way towards “I see another dog, that must mean high excitement play time” - because that’s the expectation that has been rehearsed. Then when they’re prevented from doing that by being on a leash or being told no in public, we see the equivalent to a toddler tantrum - “BUT I WANT TO GO PLAY!” 😡 While the arousal levels go off the charts and the brain disappears.
The intensity will vary depending on the dog - for some dogs (especially our working type dopamine addicts) just a small amount of high arousal play is such high value to them that it takes a lot of neutral time to balance things out. For others, it might be less valuable generally but it is rehearsed so often that the pattern develops.

😱 2. The “holy s**t that’s too much, make them stay away” dog.
These guys are overwhelmed by other dogs and develop barking and lunging as a strategy to create the space they crave - because that has been the only thing that has worked. Often these dogs are reported as being “great” at daycare or dog parks because they just sit quietly in the corner fairly shut down and not causing issues, but if not advocated for by handlers (who are frequently at the start of their careers and not appropriately trained or supported) recognising the stress signs quickly become snappier and more defensive when approached by another dog.
Again, the intensity depends on the dog - it could be one really negative experience being rushed by out of control dogs at the park or it could be a lot of small negative experiences over a long duration in a daycare situation. Hence why a lot of daycare dogs “age out” by 3-4 years old in some facilities when the stress has built up and they’ve honed their space getting behaviours.

What can we do about it though? We need some way to give our dogs the exercise and social time they need during the work week!

✅ Choose your providers wisely. Seek out the daycares run by true dog trainers or handlers who invest in behaviour/body language education for their staff and who will be honest with you about what’s going on. Seek out daycares who implement structured rest (dogs aren’t designed to be playing non stop all day long), who will rotate the dogs in and out as needed, and who maintain smaller group numbers well matched by both size AND needs. Seek out daycares where there’s more to do in their day than just fixate on the other dogs. Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions and really do your homework - this seemingly small stuff can have lasting repercussions for you and your dog.

✅ Consider whether daycare is even the right choice for your dog at all. Some daycares CAN be great when done well with the right dogs and the right handlers, but for many dogs they will do better on structured walking services where they’re out there moving with purpose exploring the world vs the focus being just other dogs in a pen practicing problematic behaviours. We have some great options in Waipa and Hamilton which can be amazing for dogs who don’t suit a standard daycare situation.

✅ Learn to read your dogs body language. There is a lot of great content on this online, but things like rolling over and showing their belly, freezing in a stiff posture, getting the zoomies, rushing in at full speed, wide stress grins with pinned ears and excess wrinkles on their forehead etc can all be signs of a dog that is struggling a bit (depending on breed and context). Conversely, recognise when your dogs arousal levels are getting too high and take action to bring things down to more suitable levels. Be an advocate for dogs that they can rely on to take action to keep them safe when with you, and when reviewing content from their day at daycare.

✅ Make sure you are balancing any higher excitement interaction time with neutral experiences. Eg sometimes we go to the park and just do a quick training session or down stay then go home. Or we go play a little, then we do some training, then we might play some more. Often we go for a leash walk where we are not greeting any other dogs. Often we see another off lead dog and we’re just walking on by working on engagement. How much of this you will need to do will depend on your dog and how valuable they have found the dog interactions - higher drive dog people, you probably need to do a whole lot less “socialising” of your dog with others, and a lot more working with them.

Daycare is not a requirement of dog ownership. It’s 100% okay for your dog to get a solid walk and training session before and after work, and spend the day at home while you’re gone. If you choose to engage a daycare service, please ensure you are doing your due diligence checking them out to set your dog up for success. And if you spot behavioural issues developing during their time attending daycare, taking action sooner rather than later can make an enormous difference in how challenging it is to resolve the problem.

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Struggling with your dogs behaviour and this resonated with you? Owner coaching support is available throughout Hamilton and Waipa, NZ. 📧 [email protected]

16/10/2024

Slip Lead ✨

Slip leads can be a fantastic tool for training, but it’s essential to use them correctly to avoid reinforcing pulling behaviour. We also have to be more mindful when using an activation tool such as a slip lead.

If you choose to use a slip lead, it’s crucial to implement a conditioning process. This involves teaching your dog to respond to pressure and consistently marking and rewarding the desired behaviour.

Remember the more your dog pulls and the more you follow them while they do so, the more you reinforce that pulling behaviour. This makes it increasingly difficult to correct over time.

If your dog continues to pull on the slip lead or if you’re finding it challenging to manage their behaviour, consider reaching out to a professional trainer for assistance.

Need help? ⬇️
[email protected]

23/09/2024

Dogs are always learning, and left to their own devices sometimes they learn things we would rather not have them learn! A common problem I see is owners who leave their dogs unsupervised during the day with access to the front fence. When I walk dogs past these properties, we all get a surprise as a frenzied dog launches themselves at the fence, barking in a frenzy. The other variation is a dog inside throwing itself at a window.

This is, in effect, dog training. The barking dog is being trained through many repetitions to be sensitive to the slightest noise or movement and is reinforced by the success of their aggression. And all this occurs without the "trainer" even being present...

The problem is that the dog experiences high levels of anxiety and stress, an aggressive behavioural response is strengthened, and passers-by are getting harassed.

The answer is simple. Don't leave your dog unsupervised with access to a fence-line or window where it can harass others, and experience huge amounts of stress.

04/07/2024

Frequently asked question: “My dog has had an incident at daycare and been removed. Can you train them so they can play better with the other dogs and be allowed back?”

A lot of dogs come to me for some form of challenge around other dogs, whether that’s leash reactivity or general manners when interacting with other dogs. There’s a lot we can do to help them be more neutral and set them up for success when coming across other dogs out and about. A large part of this behaviour modification in dog-dog conflicts is preventing our dogs practicing inappropriate behaviours. This means we need to be managing them well and advocating for their space so that they don’t practice escalating to get the space they want & instead have the space and guidance to make better choices.

The trouble with dogs having issues in general daycare situations specifically though, is that we have no control of what happens when you’re not there. Unfortunately many daycares are staffed by people at the beginning of their careers with dogs, many handlers are not set up for success with education around canine body language, what is and isn’t appropriate play or appropriate ways to de-escalate problematic situations, and/or the business owners choose not to respect handlers feedback when dogs aren’t doing as well. Frequently they are overcrowded, and frequently they are over stimulating, high arousal situations which lend themselves to problematic behaviour (especially in the higher drive breeds I work with most). Frequently signs of dogs being distressed or not coping with a situation for whatever reason are being overlooked or ignored until it escalates to a bite incident. You could do all the work you like outside of this situation, only to have it fall to pieces when put back in this situation without the appropriate management and handling in place.

The good news though is that your daycare has actually told you what is going on, and has taken steps to keep your dog and others safe by acknowledging the issue. I have massive respect for facilities that will recognise when things aren’t working and communicate with owners - even if this means your dog leaves the facility or has a more managed experience there. And I’m happy to work with you on building better obedience, helping your dog feel better around other dogs and make better choices - when they’re with you. We can even discuss what care options might be suitable for your dog, such as a responsible dog walker or a behaviour-savvy daycare situation better equipped to support your dog.

But what we can’t do is permanently “fix” your dog’s behaviour to handle a situation that is outside of your control & is likely to set your dog up to fail. Being able to attend daycare isn’t our goal - having a behaviourally healthy and happy dog & owner team is.

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Having challenges with your dog’s behaviour? Reach out for help at [email protected]