Good Guardianship

09/12/2024

Ends midnight tonight (GMT)!

09/12/2024

"We are all here because every one of us wants to do the best we can for the dogs in our lives. We want to be sure we are giving our dogs the best possible lives with us. How do we actually go about making sure of that?"

We are all here because every one of us wants to do the best we can for the dogs in our lives. We want to be sure we are giving our dogs the best possible lives with us. How do we actually go about making sure of that?What are our dogs’ needs?If a group of dog guardians was asked to create a list,...

06/12/2024

Freepost on all orders from now through to midnight Monday (GMT)! Spread a little joy for dogs from Good Guardianship 🐾

https://good-guardianship.teemill.com/

06/12/2024

Particularly important to remember this time of year when there may be lots of family gathering who might not be as respectful of dogs and their boundaries as they should be.

This is an amalgamation of the types of comments I see so often on social media posts, that dogs should allow anyone to take anything away from them, including small children, without reacting.

Sadly, this kind of thinking can still be all too common, usually linked to the dog ‘knowing their place’ and seeing humans in the household as ‘the alpha’. I’ve talked a number of times on this page about the issues with the alpha/pack leader/ dominance theory approach to life with dogs, and situations like these are a real problem.

Let’s start first of all with guarding behaviour. While seen as problematic by many and completely unacceptable (in any situation) by some, resource guarding is a natural behaviour. The dog has something they value – in this case, let’s stick with the bone mentioned above – and they want to keep that bone. It’s tasty, they enjoy chewing it, and so they don’t want to lose it.

When someone tries to take it away from them they show they don’t want to give it up using the only language they have, body language, and so we see the positioning themselves over the bone and the teeth showing, escalating potentially to a snarl, snap, or more depending on how far they are pushed. I can absolutely relate to this – if someone tried to take away my food, I am pretty much guaranteed to tell them to go away and leave it alone!

Resource guarding can be a tricky problem but there are easy ways to manage the situation and not make the dog feel they need to guard. When the dog is eating their meal or chewing that tasty bone, leave them alone. Feed their meals in an area where they can be left in peace, and any bowls can be collected once the dog has finished and moved away. Drop high value treats (cubes of cheese, slivers of meat or other things your dog loves) and, when they move away from the bone, then pick it up and remove it.

Children make up a massive proportion of cases of dog bites and it is in large part because of thinking like the statement in the image, ‘If a child or toddler cannot take a bone away from a dog, that dog is a problem. Dogs don’t get to have boundaries.’ It is not the dog that is the problem. It is the misunderstanding of the essential nature of the dog by those responsible for those children that is the problem.

There may well be dogs that will let kids take stuff away from them, but this should not be expected as the norm. Neither should letting kids climb all over dogs, pull at their fur, ears, lips, tail, or indeed ANY part of the dog. When those with education and understanding of canine behaviour and body language look at the ‘cute’ pics or videos of kids doing these things to dogs it fills us with horror, because we can see the signals that the dog is so often giving to say that they are not comfortable, they need to be left alone.

We’re usually accused of being killjoys or over-dramatic, but the truth is that we see the after-effects of these situations going to wrong. We are the ones who are called in to deal with the dogs labelled as aggressive, with a bite history (and there are dogs we don’t even get to see, who are immediately euthanised after a bite) and try to pick up the pieces of this dog who feels the need to defend themselves.

And yes, dogs absolutely get to have boundaries. They are sentient creatures who should not have to tolerate being poked and prodded or having their food or toys taken away by anyone, including kids.

Dogs and children can be a magical, joyful combination. It’s up to us to make sure that BOTH parties are kept safe and happy in their interactions.

05/12/2024

A third of the 1-2-1 Gold spaces have gone already - get in touch if you'd like to know more and maybe secure one of the remaining spots!

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Message me for more details!

04/12/2024

It can be tempting, once our dogs have got the hang of a new cue at home, to think that they know exactly what it means and head out into the world. But when we come to need that cue away from home, suddenly there is no response to the cue at all!

Because of the way our language driven brains function, once we know what a word means it means the same thing wherever we are. So why isn't it the same for dogs?

Dogs don't actually understand the word and what it means. What has happened is that they have formed an association with the sound that word makes and a response we would like from them. However, dogs are far more aware of their environment than we are a lot of the time and, when we have only worked on the cue at home, that environment is a part of the cue setup in their minds. At this point as far as they understand it, the cue means the particular response is wanted in a particular place.

To show that the cue is asking for the same response wherever we are with our dogs, we need to go through a process of generalising, or 'proofing' the response.

This means gradually widening the number of places where the dog understands and can respond to the cue in the way we would like or need them to. As an example let's look at an absolutely essential cue, a recall.

We may start off teaching recall in the house, from just a few steps away when the dog is already heading towards us. This makes it easy to form the association between coming to us and the rewards for doing so (whether you use treats, fuss and attention, toys or games etc). And it's easy to introduce the cue word you have chosen for recall at this point also.

When recall is mastered in the house, move out to the garden and repeat the process.

After recall is solid in the garden, go somewhere quiet and with minimal distractions. Repeat the exercise there.

Gradually increase the number of distractions around as you ask your dog for that important recall, until it's solid and they are able to understand and respond to the cue wherever you go.

When adding a new location or more distractions, it's recommended to up the value of the rewards on offer. Use extra tasty treats, a highly valued toy or absolute favourite game, for example, so your dog knows that responding in this new and slightly busier place is definitely worth it. Once they have clearly got the idea, we can go back to a lower level of incentive and save the high value items for when we next increase the difficulty.

Be considerate when recalling your dog out in the world. Try not to recall them when they're having a good sniff as this is interrupting their time they get to carry out an important natural behaviour.

If you are not sure of your dog's recall, you can use a long line (always attached to a harness, not a collar, for safety) while working on the cue. That way your dog has more freedom to explore but you have backup security of a physical connection if needed to stop them potentially getting into trouble or bringing them in closer when needed. For off lead time secure dog fields can be very useful while you are still working on the reliability of your dog's recall.

Once your dog is reliably responding to the cue wherever you go, you have 'proofed' the behaviour, and you and your dog can go out and enjoy the world, confident that, when needed, your dog will come back to you when you call. Safer and more relaxing for all involved!

03/12/2024

Living with dogs can be a highly emotional experience. We love our dogs and they show every sign of loving us. There can, however, be a more negative emotional experience if there is some aspect of life with a dog that we find problematic. Much of what I do concerns socially sensitive, complex dogs, who struggle with aspects of life and the world around them.

I have been there myself, experienced the flood of emotions and self-recrimination because of my dog's 'bad' behaviour (but later learned there is no such thing as 'bad behaviour' and that my dog was struggling, not misbehaving).

I think, when living with these complex dogs, it can be so easy to beat ourselves up. Whether it's because something has gone a bit wrong on a walk, or because we're not making as much progress or we'd like, or we've convinced ourselves that it's all our fault (it's absolutely not, the truth is more complicated than that!)

Remember to apply the same kindness, patience and understanding to yourself as you do to your dog. It's tough for both of you, acknowledge that and support each other (because a dog snuggle is some of the best support ever 🥰)

02/12/2024

Understanding our dogs and their needs is essential to having a happy life together, and meeting their instinctive needs goes a long way towards that.

You can help to spread that message with this line from the GG store, and give every dog the Christmas gift of helping them and their natural behaviours be better understood!

Shop now at this link: https://bit.ly/thinkbreed

02/12/2024

Predictability can really help a sensitive dog. Knowing what is going to happen and when gives them something definite to expect and work with and can help them to understand the environment around them much more clearly.

01/12/2024

Hello winter walking - not cold but damp and her thick coat takes ages to dry which means less time with damp dogs trying to snuggle 😆 Her first walk in a coat and in typical Rogue fashion didn't take a blind bit of notice 🥰

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29/11/2024

Last night I took part in a ‘meet the author’ type event talking about my most recent book among other topics, which was hugely enjoyable, and this was something we talked about a lot.

How the way we think about and live with dogs is changing. We are moving to a much more cooperative and emotionally aware way of living and working with dogs. There is so much more focus on understanding them, their needs and, perhaps most significantly, their emotional needs.

There is still a long way to go. Old habits die hard and letting go of the way things have been done for a long time can be difficult for us, but we are at the beginning of this huge change.

It all starts with understanding. Both of the dog as a species (and the truth of dogs is not what we have so often been told in the past) and as an individual. With this understanding we can begin to see what our dogs truly need from us and how we can ensure we meet their needs and so live our best lives together.

28/11/2024

How many times have I heard that same old statement: ‘You need to get that dog trained!’

There seems to be a perception amongst some (either inexperienced or simply the people that have not encountered the issues around fearful dogs) that we have never bothered to ‘deal with’ our dogs’ issues. That if we just got off our backsides and trained them, they would be perfect within days. That everything comes down to a training issue.

First off, I take exception with the concept of the perfect dog. What even is the perfect dog? My perfect dog would not be somebody else’s idea of one. Some people would state perfection in canine form is a dog that obeys every single cue issued instantly and without fail. I like dogs that think for themselves, that might question why they should do the thing I am asking of them. The ones that make me show them why it is worth their while to stick with me. We do this at home, and then work our way up through the levels of difficulty and distraction out and about. Long lines are definitely our friend when it comes to moving out into the wider world!

I do not want a dog that is shut down and unable to show their personality. I want my dogs to show me what they are thinking and feeling. I need them to tell me how they feel in every situation, good or bad. This means demonstrating if they are happy, worried, scared. Only if they tell me how they feel can I make adjustments in what I am asking of them or to what I am exposing them.

This brings me to the central problem with this concept of ‘just train them and everything will be fine!’

When you are dealing with another living being, there are all kinds of factors that can fluctuate on a daily, hourly, or even minute-by-minute basis. Dogs are far more sensitive than humans are to a variety of stimuli, and things we do not even notice can have them feeling worried or cautious. The best we can do for the dogs in our care is learn how to read their body language, and to be observant of our surroundings when out.

There will be days when either you or your dog do not feel quite right, which may mean a slightly shorter fuse or a bigger reaction to things. Something might have happened earlier in the day, or even the day before, to start the walk or training session off with an already stressed and tense dog. An encounter, even at a distance, early on can make the rest of the time out stressful and lead to a backward step.

Another issue is the question of whether it is actually a training issue at all. Is the dog perhaps not feeling well or has pain? Have they had a stressful time and need a break to recuperate? Are their needs not being met in some way that has left them to find ways to carry out natural behaviours or finding ways to deal with stress?

Nothing involving training or especially behaviour change is linear. There will be days where you make massive steps forwards, everything goes right, and you feel like the best dog handler in the world. Another day it can all go wrong and feel like you have gone right back to square one.

The message here: Do not give up. Do not be downhearted. Keep making sure that your dogs' needs are met and working at any training steps you need to make progress. There is no shame in going home on a bad day and cuddling your dog on the sofa, and going back out on another day for another try. There will be uphill days and downhill days. Celebrate the good days but do not dwell on the less successful ones. Persevere. Keep working at it. If you feel like you are struggling, consult a good trainer or behaviourist that uses positive methods for some help or to make sure that you are on the right track.

Lastly, forget this nonsense about needing your dog to be someone else’s standard of perfect. My dogs are not perfect by other peoples' standards, but they are perfectly themselves, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Aim for the best you can achieve and that works for you and, importantly, makes you and your dog as happy as possible. Anything else can be managed.

27/11/2024

I saw a comment on a post I shared a few days ago where someone was saying they wished they'd known the information given before because they felt bad about things that had happened in the past with their dog.

This is such a common feeling - I know very few people who do not have regrets over how life has been lived with their dogs previously. I make no secret of the fact I'm a cross over trainer and, while I didn't use some of the harshest methods in existence, what I did do using old fashioned methods I regret. I understand that feeling of cognitive dissonance and the emotions that come with realising what I have done wrong by the dogs in my past.

What I have come to realise is that we can only ever do the best we can with what we know at the time. When we know better, then we can do better.

It can be so, so hard when we realise what we've been doing wrong but there is really no point to berating ourselves - the best thing we can do is keep learning about the best ways to work with and live with our dogs so that what we know at the time is absolutely the best information we can have and use to help our dogs lead happy and comfortable lives.

26/11/2024

"This can feel like a huge topic and an almost insurmountable problem in those early days of realising that our dog is struggling, of working out what is going on with them. It doesn’t have to be as complicated as it can first seem, however. We can break down what our dogs need us to know and do to help them into manageable areas."

What is the most important thing a reactive dog needs from their people? Support. These special complicated dogs with their extra needs are most in need of our understanding, our empathy, and – most of all – our support. So often the behaviours seen in reactive dogs can appear, to those who are ...

25/11/2024

Exciting news! Do you prefer to listen to books while on the move? I'm just about to start listening to chapters of the audiobook version of Building the Bond that my narrator has sent over for checking so hopefully the audiobook will be available very soon 😊

25/11/2024

Connection is absolutely central to being the best people for our dogs we can be. Understanding and empathy help us to see what they need and how we can meet those needs in any situation, and when we have both of those things between us, we have connection.

That connection can make training so much easier. Because we understand each other much better and are truly listening to each other, we can move in harmony as we go through the world.

In potentially scary or tricky situations, having a strong connection means that our dogs will trust us to help them and keep them safe. They will feel more able to listen to us and do what we ask of them to navigate the sitaution with a minimum of stress and difficulty.

How then do we go about making that connection?

We respect their choices as much as possible (in a dangerous situation we may have to manage their choices more for safety, but should try to make sure choices are respected outside of these situations).

We make sure their needs are met.

We help them to feel safe and secure.

Most important of all, we listen to them.

The importance of learning about canine communication and body language is often mentioned, and with very good reason. It is the central pillar of understanding our dogs, and so forging that connection.

Make the central focus of life with our dogs about connection, honouring them as the individuals they are and ensuring we give them agency and choice. While we need to be able to have our dogs under control when in public places, this is very different to controlling their lives. We have control over so much of their lives in this very human world, and so it is important to give them control of their own lives as much as possible.

Connection, not control.

23/11/2024

If you've been considering taking some dog related courses you REALLY do not want to miss this sale! I love the courses from Canine Principles - so much that I became part of the tutor team a few years ago.

Have a look - your dogs will thank you! Just click here: https://www.canineprinciples.com/link/XQfqOm

The Canine Principles Black Friday sale is on with 30% off everything! Education is such an important part of being excellent dog people and Canine Principles courses are superb, packed full of science-based content, and they have something for everyone, from how to be the best guardian for our own dogs right up to courses for trainers and behaviourists. So, whatever you want to learn about dogs, check out the site and use code BF24 to get that amazing 30% off (ends 2nd December!)

Click the link below and get your canine education into high gear 🤩

https://www.canineprinciples.com/link/XQfqOm

22/11/2024

The Canine Principles Black Friday sale is on with 30% off everything! Education is such an important part of being excellent dog people and Canine Principles courses are superb, packed full of science-based content, and they have something for everyone, from how to be the best guardian for our own dogs right up to courses for trainers and behaviourists. So, whatever you want to learn about dogs, check out the site and use code BF24 to get that amazing 30% off (ends 2nd December!)

Click the link below and get your canine education into high gear 🤩

https://www.canineprinciples.com/link/XQfqOm