Good Guardianship

14/02/2025

Positive reinforcement works by making connections. Doing a certain thing results in a pleasant consequence. We are giving the dog something really good that has value for them, such as fuss, a game, or a tasty treat as a reward so the dog will be keen to take part and find out what we're learning this time.

1.) Strengthening the Canine-Human Bond. By using positive reinforcement training and rewards to show our dogs when they are doing the things we want, we make ourselves fun to be around and fun for the dog to interact with during training. As we are not using negative, aversive, or scary methods, we increase our dogs’ trust in us to keep them safe and happy.

2.) Create a Keen and Enthusiastic Learner. By making the choice to use reward based training to reinforce our cues we are harnessing the body’s own reward processes. The natural mood boost that comes with getting the reward makes our training extra effective. By increasing their confidence to try ever more new things, we gain the extra benefit of feeling good about the training ourselves.

3.) It sets the dog up for success. Think about learning something new. What's easier – a good thing or being told no or having something unpleasant happen, even if you’re not sure why?

There is a saying about learning – what is reinforced (rewarded in the case of reward-based training) is repeated. If we show our dogs when they’ve got it right, they have hit on what we want, they will do that again. No confusion, no worrying for them on whether something unpleasant may happen, an easy choice for the dog – do that same thing again and the reward will come again.

Why would we use anything else?

13/02/2025

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.

12/02/2025

It is so important to give our dogs ways to work their brains as well as their bodies.

This is especially true for dogs who cannot go out for long walks to explore the world for any number of reasons, but mental stimulation is something that is massively beneficial for all dogs.

It can be as simple as some sniffing (gather items from the outside world and bring home for your dog to explore if they are unable to go out), puzzle toys for them to hunt out food, games like hide and seek, or working on tricks and training fun things.

All of these will let your dogs use their brains and can really tire them out - my dogs are Border Collies, so have lots of energy, but a 20 minute sniffing session will often be immediately followed by a good nap!

11/02/2025

Reactive behaviours aren't just about lunging and barking (although these are the most easily recognisable). Any of these behaviours indicate that a dog is unsure or is struggling in their current situation, and all of them need our understanding and support to help them get what they need and feel safer.

What these dogs do not need is discipline or lots of obedience training. There are aspects of training that can be very helpful, connected to strengthening the relationship between us and our dogs, or giving us useful cues to be able to use when needed.

Other than those examples, this is not a training situation, it's a support situation. Our dogs need our support and understanding to get them the space and relief that they need in the moment, and in helping them to feel better about and safer in the world around them.

10/02/2025

"Just a warning: this is not a step-by-step instruction manual for guardians wanting a book version of a dog trainer. It is exactly what it sets out to be: a book to help us understand reactive dogs. For educated dog guardians who want to know why their dog reacts (as well as the educational principles on how to change behaviour and emotions) or for dog trainers who want a great book for their library, this would be a wonderful addition. For those needing hints and training tips, it has those too. They fit within the holistic approach of this book, however, and so anyone wanting quick solutions and easy answers will probably not get what they want. That said, it's clear there are no quick solutions and easy answers...

What I liked most was its clear style. Never patronising yet without compromising on explaining the tough bits, the book is really well-written. It's also incredibly good value for money given the knowledge and insights of the writer."

Read it now

10/02/2025

This is such an important point when it comes to teaching our dogs new things.

Think back to when you were at school. What helped you to learn better - the teacher who just told you when you had got something wrong but with no explanation of what or why, or the teacher who praised you when you got something right? I'm willing to bet that the second teacher made you feel a whole lot better and more willing to learn more!

The things we'll like our dogs to be able to do when asked may not seem obvious to them, but setting up the training scenario to give them the best opportunity to succeed or make a move in the right direction gives us a student who is likely to be keen and engaged and wanting to keep learning with us, because they're enjoying the process.

31/01/2025

31/01/2025

A damaging myth surrounding dogs, particularly puppies, when they get to their new homes is that, if the cry, they should be left alone so they learn to stay quiet overnight. This is absolutely not the best way to help that new family member feel safe and comfortable in their new home.

From :

"A puppy is like a human child. They cry when there is something they need, including comfort and connection. If they do not get a response when they are crying then yes, they will stop, but not because they have settled. They have learned that nobody is coming and so they give up trying. This will have a serious and damaging effect on the bond between them and their family, and at probably the most vulnerable time in their lives emotionally. One of the most important things we can focus on in these early days and weeks of our shared lives is helping them to feel safe and secure and responding to their needs is absolutely the best way to go about this."

In those early days have them sleeping close to you, and respond when they are distressed. It does not mean that they will always cry at night. It will, however, help them to realise that they are not alone and that they can sleep safe and sound knowing you are there if they need you during the night.

30/01/2025

This is something that can so easily be missed as a potential cause of dogs behaving in a certain way.

Just as for us, it's vital that dogs get enough sleep and that the sleep they do get is quality sleep. It is particularly noticeable in puppies when they are overtired and in need of a nap - this is what is often causing the behaviours jokingly put under the heading of 'landshark' where the puppy can be very mouthy and nipping.

The amount of sleep needed can be surprising to inexperienced caregivers. An adult dog needs somewhere in the range 8-14 hours, while puppies and senior dogs need a massive 18-20 hours.

It's also important to remember that dogs do not get all of their sleep in one go, unlike humans. They will sleep for a time then wake up for a while before settling down again later.

Dogs are also crepuscular, meaning they are generally most active at dawn and dusk compared to humans who are diurnal, and so usually most active in daylight.

It's vital to make sure that we provide comfortable places for our dogs to sleep, preferably giving them a choice of where they want to sleep. As an example my dogs have the pick of 3 dog beds and 2 sofas downstairs. Upstairs we have 2 human beds, 2 dog crates (with the doors permanently left open) and 3 dog beds. This gives a huge amount of choice for our 2 dogs, and they usually divide the night between the 2 human beds and the dog beds, although my younger dog likes to have a little time in a crate too.

If you find that your dog is showing signs that could be linked to not getting enough sleep, take a fresh look at their sleeping opportunities.

Are they all sufficiently comfortable for your dog?

Do they have the ability to be able to find somewhere nice and quiet for a nap if the house is busy?

As with many things relating to dog behaviour, it could be well worth taking them to their vet for a checkup to make sure there is nothing else causing the issues sleeping or the symptoms being seen - it's always best to rule out anything linked to health or pain as early as possible.

29/01/2025

Reward based training is used for large and extremely dangerous animals like primates, big cats, bears and alligators to remain still for health examinations and blood draws (an unpleasant experience but necessary for their health at times). Yet apparently a Belgian Malinois is 'too much dog' for reward based training to be effective and so they need shock collars, prong collars etc?

Dogs have been shaped by human selection for thousands of years to live alongside us and work with us in a wide variety of jobs. If non-domesticated animals can be trained to willingly do things through reward based training, why would a domesticated species need harsh training and handling?

28/01/2025

"There may be a number of reasons why dogs display behaviours that have in the past been put down to an attempt to assert dominance over other dogs and humans. Fear, pain, illness or resource guarding (often from having items taken away from them in an attempt to prove that mythical ‘alpha’ status) can result in aggressive displays. It is perhaps most often due to a misunderstanding, of not understanding the causes of canine behaviour, of not understanding canine body language, and of not understanding that our dogs really are not trying to be the bosses of us."

Read the full article here: https://www.goodguardianship.com/post/why-your-dog-is-not-trying-to-dominate-you

27/01/2025

Dogs are absolutely amazing creatures and, as humans, many of us love them and, in that very human way for showing affection, want to touch and hug them. It's a big part of who we are as a species. And some dogs do enjoy hugs - both of my current dogs are lovers of physical contact. If my boy isn't getting enough fuss and love, he will grab an arm with his paw and drag it closer. My adolescent girl will hop up on the sofa and flop onto your chest and snuggle.

Many (probably most in all honesty) dogs don't. If they like much contact at all, it is more likely to be a scritch on the side of the neck or chest.

However a dog does like to receive physical attention and fuss, the most important thing to remember is that they must have the choice of whether they want fuss or not. And, if your dog is one who is less keen on contact, advocate for them. Tell the people around you how to check with the dog for consent, and to respect the signals they give.

The following is an excerpt from Building the Bond, available now (link in the comments) on how to check for consent before touching a dog.

"Frequently seen advice states that we should reach a hand towards the dog for them to sniff and ‘get our scent’ as an opening step. This is incorrect for a couple of reasons. First of all, this movement is getting in the dog’s space as the hand is usually put right up close to their face, and this could be alarming for the dog, especially if the movement is rapid. Secondly, the dog’s sense of smell is between 10,000 and 100,000 times as acute as our own according to scientists. Alexandra Horwitz, in the book Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know, tells us that dogs can detect a teaspoon of sugar in two Olympic sized swimming pools – that’s one teaspoon of sugar diluted in five million litres. They can smell us a long time before we are close enough to interact with them!

Avoid bending down and looming over the dog. People are much bigger than they are most of the time, so this can be intimidating and scary for them, especially when they do not know the person. Also avoid facing them directly and staring at them, as these signals are confrontational in dogs and could make them uncomfortable or even feel the need to be defensive.

Stand at an angle somewhere around 45 degrees away from looking straight at the dog, with your arms loose at your sides. You may want to consider crouching down and maybe holding a hand slightly towards the dog while speaking to them quietly and inviting them into your space. If the dog does approach and comes right up to you, then stroke them – not on top of their head but on the chest or side of the neck. After a couple of seconds stop, and remove your hand to see what they do next. If they do not move away, or they move in closer, stroke them again, but remember to keep stopping and ensure they are given the option to end the interaction and move away.

If the dog does not approach, they instead move backwards, or they turn their head or whole body away, respect their choice and their signals and do not keep trying to interact."

24/01/2025

A big issue for many walking their dogs on leads (for any one of a number of reasons) can be uncontrolled loose dogs running up to their dogs. Three of the most common reasons are shown in the image - an older dog who may be hurt in an over-enthusiastic and excitable greeting, a dog recovering from illness/injury/surgery, and a dog who is scared - perhaps the victim of a previous dog attack.

There is a misconception that 'good' dogs will love all other dogs and, if in a public area, should be prepared to play and interact with any other dog in the area. The truth is that, just as we are, most dogs are at least a little selective in who they want to interact with. They will show this in their body language which - subtle as it may be to humans - a socially competent dog will be able to read and respect.

The problem is that these 'good' and 'friendly' dogs as their humans perceive them are generally not actually all that socially competent, and don't respect those subtle signals asking for space and to be left alone. They can keep pushing and pushing until the on lead dog (who is not able to avoid them because they are on lead and can't get away) feels they have no choice but to defend themselves. And then it's often the poor on-lead dog who is labelled as 'bad' when they were just trying to get out of the scary situation.

An off lead dog should not be allowed to approach unknown on-lead dogs. If you see your dog approaching an on-lead dog, call your dog back and keep them close by, either by calling them to heel or putting them on the lead. For the sake of everyone's enjoyment of the space you are in, keep your dog under control for the few minutes it takes to give the on-lead dog space, and then carry on.

If your dog cannot be called back from approaching an on-lead dog, they are not ready to be off-lead in a public place. Use a longline while working on strengthening their recall around distractions - for their own safety, as well as that of the other dogs around.

23/01/2025

Smell is the primary sense our dogs use to gather information and process their world. Their ability to detect scent is massively superior to ours. Their sense of smell is somewhere between 10,000 and 100,000 times better than that of humans – it does vary between breeds and of course humans have developed scent hound breeds specifically for increased scenting ability.

In Alexandra Horwitz’s book Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know she gives an example that shows the sheer magnitude of the canine nose’s ability - dogs can detect a single teaspoon of sugar in two Olympic sized swimming pools. The fact becomes even more impressive when we see how much water those two pools would contain: that’s one teaspoon of sugar diluted in 5 million litres.

This means that using scent as part of our dogs’ enrichment schedules is a massive opportunity to let them carry out one of the most natural canine behaviours, sniffing, and which also works their brains as they need to analyse and identify the scents they discover.
Scentwork as an activity can be great especially for high energy dogs as the brainwork can tire them out and help them relax (with my Border Collies twenty minutes of sniffing often results in a two hour nap, much the same as after a five mile walk).

It can also be wonderful for older dogs who perhaps can’t walk very far and so walks need to be limited, and the same reasoning makes it ideal for dogs recovering from injury or surgery. We can even find ways for dogs who need to be on total crate rest after major surgery.

The perhaps most simple forms of scentwork include scattering food in an area like a garden or around a room for the dog to hunt out, or to allow plenty of sniffing time when out on a walk. For those dogs who cannot walk, or cannot walk far, we can gather items from out in the world and bring home. Put them in a box or an area of the home where the dog can investigate them and let them exercise that nose.

A great book to give lots of ideas on scentwork and how to introduce it into your dog’s life is Sally Gutteridge’s Enrichment through Scentwork for Highly Aroused Dogs – despite the title referring to specifically highly aroused dogs the instructions in the book can be used for all dogs. The link to the UK store is https://amzn.to/3SflRVd and outside of the UK it can be found with a search in your native store. (As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases).

Scentwork as enrichment (alongside a whole host of other topics) is also covered my latest book Building the Bond: https://mybook.to/buildingthebond

If you would like to purchase Alexandra Horwitz's excellent book it can be found here https://amzn.to/46jaQYw - again this is the UK store, but a search will bring it up in other Amazon stores.

22/01/2025

"Something that was touched on during the presentation has really stuck in my mind and got me thinking (actually one of many things to do so!) It was looking at how we approach things with our dogs, and how that can so often be task-oriented. We concentrate on what we want the dog to do and how to get them to do that.

Don’t get me wrong, there are absolutely things that we need our dogs to know, and to be able to ask them to do certain things at times so that life can run smoothly for all of us. What is important to consider is whether asking them to do that particular thing at that moment is fair and appropriate, and to think about how we actually show them what it is that we would like from them."

I had a fantastic opportunity a while ago to go and spend a day amongst some wonderful dog people and listening to an incredibly interesting presentation on how we live and work with dogs, in particular the emotional experience: of the dog, the caregivers, and of us as canine behaviour professionals...

21/01/2025

Small dogs can have a really tough time of it. Because they are small they are not always respected and listened to as much as larger breeds.

I should add that there are many excellent guardians and caregivers of small dogs who do make a huge amount of effort to help their small dogs feel comfortable in the world and who advocate for them, but sadly there are also far too many who don't, or other people who don't understand and don't try to.

Because these little dogs are small enough to be easily manhandled, the same amount of time is not always put into their training and ensuring that they are comfortable with what is going on around them.

Is it then any wonder that they become scared and vocal about their fear and wish to be left alone?

For more see a link to an article in the comments.

20/01/2025

Me and the dog who completely changed my life, leading me to what I do now 🥰

Sussex woman turned her lifelong love of collies into a successful career as a best-selling author and dog behaviour tutor, helping reactive dogs and their owners.

20/01/2025

This is something so often seen on social media, trainers claiming that they have sorted out a behaviour problem in a single session, or just minutes. Often they will show videos of before and after, seeming to indicate that the dog is perfectly behaved in the after clip.

The problem comes when looking at these videos and claims with an educated eye. So often the 'perfectly behaved' dog in the second clip is showing lots of signs of stress, scared to do anything, or looks absolutely shut down and has given up, just waiting for it all to be over.

What is rarely shown is the bit between the before and after. That part where the dog finds out not doing what this trainer wants will result in something that causes them fear and/or pain. The methods or tools that might be used (although with a close look, the shock collar or prong collar or similar tool can sometimes be seen). The effects of using tight slip leads on the dog's neck and the physical damage that can be done there.

The picture text sums the whole situation up: there are no quick fixes in behaviour, and certainly not ones that will result in lasting changes in behaviour. If someone claims that they can change an unwanted behaviour fast, take a step back. Think about what they would have to do or use to stop that behaviour so quickly, and about the effect that will have on your dog and the relationship you have with them.