Unleash Your Life- Dog Training and Behaviour

05/11/2023

This morning I witnessed an interaction between two of my dogs that I realized a lot of pet owners mishandle a lot of the time.

My 5-month-old Swedish Vallhund puppy, Rune, was eating her breakfast. My (almost) 9-year-old Bull Terrier, Armani, was very interested in the food as well (many of you have heard stories about Armani - this dog, even at her age, lacks all sense of boundaries) and walked up to stop about 2-3ft from Rune and her bowl of food, then just casually stared. Not a hard stare, nothing overly concerning in body language, just rude behavior.

Rune gave a quick glance at Armani and subtly raised her lip then went back to eating. Seemingly not very concerned but wanting to communicate regardless. Saying: “go away”. She did not snap or truly snarl, just a very naturally socially in-tune puppy giving another dog a warning. Her breakfast is for her. It is not to share. We definitely agree there.

Armani, as she does as a dog who has never been socially well tuned, continued to just stand and watch. She did not take the warning as it was and did not move away. This was not to challenge Rune in this case - just a dog who is genuinely oblivious to boundaries. Harmless, but rude nonetheless.

Now I get involved. I gently grab Armani’s collar and guide her away. I tell Rune she’s a good girl.

Most people would have seen Rune’s actions as potential aggression - or, gasp, - is this resource guarding?? And punished her for it.

STOP doing this. Stop punishing the one that gives warnings or even fair corrections. Your dog is setting boundaries and advocating for themselves - if YOU don’t advocate for them, who else will but themselves?

Rune communicated a boundary with Armani and I advocated for her by removing Armani from the space. Armani was in the wrong for ignoring a warning. Rune was in the right for communicating clearly and in a fair manner. Had I not intervened, a situation like this could potentially escalate to further, more serious action being taken by Rune in order to get her point across. She is learning that she does not need to go this far. Mom always has her back 💪🏻 As I do for all of them.

Punishing Rune for this would quickly create a puppy who feels she has nobody advocating for her and isn’t even allowed to do so for herself. Do you know what this results in? Dogs that SKIP the warning and go straight into HEAVY corrections, most often leading to a dog fight.

Don’t take the warnings away. ALLOW fair and appropriate warnings and dogs who communicate well. They DO NOT need to tolerate every little thing in this world and I’d rather my dog can warn / correct / communicate confidently than to be a dog who is afraid to do so and as a result tends to go way overboard when they’ve finally had enough.

Bottom line: stop punishing the punisher. Correct the one who isn’t respecting boundaries!

26/09/2023

18/09/2023

Just a PSA regarding the XL Bully situation: I’m not taking on new clients at the moment so while I cannot personally support with training and behaviour for the potentially upcoming ban, I’m happy to give virtual (general) advice as needed.

In that spirit, please see below for some great resources regarding muzzle training, the sooner you start the better, don’t try and force it too quickly or you can create a negative association with the muzzle.
I think this is a great skill for everyone to know of any breed.

https://fearfreepets.com/wp-content/uploads/delightful-downloads/2019/01/Keep-Calm-and-Muzzle-On-1.pdf

https://muzzleupproject.com/resources/

For a muzzle to fit correctly, it usually has to be a lot bigger than you would think.

For treats through the muzzle, a squeeze bottle with peanut butter or dog pate etc can be a great option, make it a treat party!

Muzzles are not, and should never be a punishment. It’s a sign that you are responsible, regardless of your breed!

They are not cruel or painful (although if the size is incorrect this may cause some minor discomfort)

Your dog should have the ability to yawn, pant, eat and drink - a good way to measure sizing is to put a tennis ball in their mouth and use this as your circumference (check out The Muzzle Up Project for resources above for more info on this)

You can do this, take a deep breath.

Slow is fast with conditioning, break the time spent wearing the muzzle into tiny increments to make it easier to get wins more often!

Muzzle Up! Video Training Series on Youtube Muzzle desensitization and counterconditioning The surprise muzzle party Training plan troubleshooting Pre-Training Muzzle Prep Treat & Train Muzzle Games Pre-Muzzle Handling Prep Hands and touch How to Feed Your Dog Through a Muzzle (Journey Dog Training)...

15/09/2023

As a canine professional, I’ve been horrified by the increase in attacks in recent years by XL bully’s and other breeds.

I’ve been hesitant to post about this, as I know it’s such a hot topic, but I’m seeing a lot of the usual “it’s not the dog, it’s the owner” being thrown around and I feel like I need to chime in on this.

Training and reinforcement history will not change neurological issues or mitigate all behaviour driven by physical pain.

Far too many people are not responsible enough to be trusted with larger, stronger breeds (of various kinds).

Genetics can, and DO impact behaviour.

We have known this for many years, which is why we have pastoral breeds and guardian breeds and gundog breeds, we have selectively bred dogs to do certain jobs.

Collies will herd instinctively, in some lines, this is much stronger as a trait, some collies are more neurotic, anxious and reactive than others, again, this is down to genetics, mixed with early socialisation and reinforcement history.

Retrievers will retrieve objects and steal things as an outlet for this behaviour if not correctly channeled, you don’t need to train them to do this for this to happen.

XL bully dogs are a cross breed, stemming from breeds bred for herding, hunting or guardian purposes in the 80s, but unscrupulous breeders becoming greedy means they have clearly not been breeding for temperament and good traits.

The difficulty with the XL bully is that it’s not one standard breed, it’s a mix, much like the doodles, of varying percentages, with a mixture of lines and breeds to create a specific look, rather than for temperament.

If the issue was just with bad owners, surely we would be seeing more fatal attacks from bad came corso owners, lab owners and German shepherd owners, right?
They’re all large breeds, can be prone to aggressive behaviour and could cause severe damage if they attack.

The stats don’t seem to represent this to the same degree at the moment.

The issue with banning the breed is that the kinds of “bad owners” everyone is talking about are unlikely to agree or adhere to a licensing scheme, or agree to surrender their dog.
They’re unlikely to care very much about the risk their dog poses until it’s too late, and a ban or licensing probably won’t solve this (how could this possibly be monitored?)

The other issue is that the kinds of people who don’t care about the damage their dogs may pose, if forced to surrender their XL Bully dogs, would simply move onto another large bully type breed, such as the cane corso, or perhaps breeders will make a New Cross breed that looks similar but doesn’t have the same genetic mix as the XL bully.

Again, the issue goes back to bad breeding.
If owners were more careful about the breeders they trust, this could (somewhat) be mitigated, but owners are often fooled by kennel club paperwork and essentially a breeder acting as a snake oil salesman.

I don’t know exactly what the answer is, but a good first step would be to make being on-leash in public mandatory for all dogs if they are not in a fenced-in environment. (Long lines allowed)

There’s no way to oversee that all dogs have good recall in all situations, and dogs can have plenty of freedom on a long line while remaining under control.

Far, far too many people overestimate their dogs ability to recall in parks, around distractions and other dogs, even professionals have been harmed by off-leash dogs storming up to them.

“It’s ok he’s friendly” could be a thing of the past. At least for most.

In addition, I think a licensing/monitoring scheme could be a good solution if it can be monitored properly. Self-reporting will never be the answer in these situations.

I hope more people are willing to look at their dog’s behaviour, not ONLY as a reflection of their training (or lack of), but a mixture of genetics, early life experiences too. Diet also plays a part, as does pain.

If you notice a sudden change in your dog’s behaviour, ESPECIALLY aggression, PLEASE take them to the vet for a check up first. In some cases it could legitimately save a life (or multiple).

At Bully Watch, we began delving into the pedigrees—essentially, the family trees—of dogs from the most well-known Bully XL kennels across the UK. Our investigation steered us down a trail where on…

09/09/2023

With the temperatures rising this weekend make sure you are in the know on the signs of heat stroke 🌞

18/08/2023

14/06/2023

Over aroused/"hyper" dogs....a very big issue, and this is strictly aimed at these dogs in particular. (repost but a bit more added).
Poor impulse control, constantly wanting to move, grabby, not listening, mouthy, jumping, barking, unable to settle, fixated on moving toys, these dogs are often panting when moving and sometimes have an almost "manic" look.

These dogs are HARD to live with.
I get it.
Nothing seems like enough for these dogs.
There wouldn't be a week go by where I don't have a handful of clients affected.
Unfortunately solutions are often offered which just ADD to the issues such as pack walks/daycares or much heavier exercise to help "tire them out"...

Make no mistake.....for the vast majority of these dogs ALL this does is exacerbate the issue and create "adrenaline junkies" that NEED and WANT more....much more than anyone can give.
The stamina these dogs have built up is incredible....and that isn't a good thing.

The loop is never ending.

There are those in the industry that believe the answer to hyper and over aroused dogs is to exercise them harder, faster and for longer. It is endemic in the dog training world that these dogs need to be "tired out more" by heavier exercise and physical activity.

Then there are those in the industry that KNOW the huge issues these dogs are facing and how absolutely damaging the "prescription" of more exercise can be.

These dogs desperately need balance and calm.
They need a carefully constructed plan to help those stress hormones dissipate.
It isn't as easy as just stopping exercise or excessive play as this can cause more issues.

Mental enrichment....getting that brain working.
Using the nose far more than the eyes.
Walking in low stress areas.
Teaching true relaxation....which is a skill, and CAN be taught.
These are just some of the ways to help these dogs, but you are likely to need a trainer to help you get that finely tuned balance that you, your family and your dog so desperately need.
Teach you dog HOW to switch off and how to use their beautiful brain.....and watch just what a difference that can make.

Mental enrichment IS tiring......but it is also confidence building, it will help you both have a stronger bond, and allows them to show and use their natural abilities.

There will never.....ever be enough exercise, play or excitement in these dogs life to ever make a positive change, you will only ever build up their stamina and need for more.

You cannot through that ball enough.....
You cannot walk/run them enough......
You cannot tire them out enough.....as physical exhaustion only "fuels" this behaviour.

When those physically exhausted dogs wake up.......the over aroused/hyper loop starts all over again.
However if you recognise it.....you can help this.

Everyone is welcome to share the poster on facebook but please attach the post with it. 🙂
The poster is a generalisation of behaviours that these dogs may show. Your dog may not show all these behaviours, but if you have a hyper aroused dog....you may recognise some of them if not all of them.
Not all the behaviours shown are behaviours only shown by hyper aroused/overly excited dogs.

14/06/2023

FB Memories reminded me that 3 years ago I did something I had always wanted to do. Design and commission an infographic from Doggie Drawings by Lili Chin 🥰🥰

14/06/2023

20/05/2023

This!!

You cannot change an emotional response by getting your dog to sit or walk to heel.

Can you imagine if you were having a panic attack, and had to drive your car at the same time, and someone in the passenger seat kept yanking your neck every time you didn’t make the perfect turn or because you couldn’t “just stop” panicking?

That’s why getting assessment and advice from a professional QUALIFIED behaviourist or behaviour consultant is important if you’re experiencing issues with aggression or severe anxiety with your dog!

20/05/2023

Reactive Dogs. Many of you will know they are a passion of mine.

What can be confusing for some are terms which are used....and importantly what they actually mean and why we stress the importance of these when working with reactive dogs.

So this is a very non technical explanation of what some of these terms mean.....a very general and hopefully easy to understand explanation of terms.

This isn't just for fear reactive dogs......even over excited/hyper dogs can have high levels of stress....in fact some dogs that are just on the "go" all the time often have very high levels of stress hormones.

🔵Stress levels/Stress hormones
Reactive dogs have releases of stress hormones when they react ....the difficult thing with this is they can stay at a high level and can take hours or DAYS to reduce.....if your dog reacts many times a day.....those levels may be very high, and stay high. These levels need to come down to help reactivity. As mentioned even overly excited/hyper dogs can have high levels of stress hormones.

🔵Lowering stress hormones/stress levels/decompression.
Simply put.... ways to help your dog lower those stress levels. Lowering the pressure your dog is feeling.
Ways to help lower those levels include not adding to those stress levels (avoiding situations where dogs react again and again). If your dog reacts again and again....those levels may not drop and they can stay high. Every reaction can "top up" stress levels.
We also add in ways to help your dogs life by helping with confidence, enrichment and creating relaxation which can be a natural way to lower those stress hormones.
Sleep is very important for reactive dogs.
Helping a dog use their nose is extremely helpful for reactive dogs.

🔵Trigger stacking.
Small issues that can occur in a short period of time (or over a few days)....that add to stress in a dog. These can be seemingly small when looked at individually. These smaller "triggers" stack on top of each other and can cause reactions. They may react to something they have always been ok with if they have had multiple smaller scares/stressful situations, even if there are very small outward signs or reactions, they can "add up".......They may also have a much bigger reaction if they have had multiple smaller issues during the day. These can be as innocent as a very small startle when a door is closed too quickly, or a car toot as it goes past......these can have an accumulative effect on your dog so they will be MORE likely to react to something else, react more strongly and at a far greater distance than they may normally have an issue with.
Understanding trigger stacking is important with reactive dogs.

I hope that may clarify a few terms commonly used with reactive dogs.🙂

I will put a link to the trigger stacking post made a while ago in the comment section.

20/05/2023

The link between behaviour and underlying medical conditions is a growing trend commonly seen by clinical animal behaviourists

20/05/2023

20/05/2023

Hey everyone, long time no see!

Important, albeit long post here:

I’m growing increasingly concerned, as are others in the industry, with the rise in dog attacks in recent months.
Even non-fatal attacks can be disfiguring and life-altering and these appear to be on the rise at an alarming level.

Before I begin, I’d like to preface this by saying that this is not an attack on specific breeds, this is just to raise awareness.

You’ve probably heard the saying “it’s all in how you raise them” or “no bad dogs, only bad owners” right?

What if I told you that this isn’t the whole picture?

Genetics and health play a HUGE role in behaviour for any living being- but especially dogs.

Think about it:

retrievers love to hold things in their mouth and will pick up almost anything they find!

Collies are more prone to ankle-nipping and nipping at things with wheels- or herding other animals or people

A lot of Spaniels love nothing better than jumping into water to chase the local ducks

These may seem less harmful and even something you might laugh off! But did you ever teach your dog to do these behaviours? I doubt it!

These behaviours are instinctive from their genetics- this is to say they are able to do a variation of the job they were bred to do by default.

Unfortunately, this also applies to breeds who were bred for bull-baiting and fighting, or whose parents have been aggressive.

While aggression can happen for a huge number of reasons, it’s important to note that if you’re getting a breed where their parents or grandparents job was to bite- you can bet there’s a good chance yours may do this too. (Look at Malinois for example!)

The rise in XL bully’s is a huge concern, as I’m seeing more and more owners unable to handle these large, powerful breeds.
I’m NOT justifying any use of aversives here- that’s a separate discussion.

We’re used to seeing owners who don’t put the work in, in this industry. We see it all the time. People want a quick fix and an easy life with their dog with minimal effort.
Honestly? I get it.
If that’s the case, get yourself a golden retriever or a lab.
Don’t get a large bull breed or a Malinois if you’re really honest with yourself, and you can’t give these dogs what they need.
(FYI- what they need is probably 3x the amount of work compared to the average dog).

XL bully’s are not “nanny dogs”. They’re animals.

They’re animals bred to do a job, and there’s a good chance they may try to do said job if you don’t give them what they need in terms of mental stimulation, management and appropriate boundaries.

Even then- say your dog is in pain and you don’t realise- this makes a grumpy and snappy dog.
Just like in humans- if we’re sore, we’re quicker to snap.

If your young child is left alone with ANY large dog unsupervised, they are being put at risk. Regardless of how much you “know” and trust your dog.
This is not scaremongering- this is a fact.

The poor lady who was killed walking a group of 8 dogs was killed by her own bully XL. While we don’t know the antecedents that led to this- this was her own dog she had presumably raised.

I strongly believe that licensing and/or registration of larger breeds is necessary in the U.K. at this point.

The dangerous dogs act refers to a dangerous dog as “dangerously out of control”
Yes, this includes your bully breed that you let off the lead that won’t recall around other dogs.
They don’t know how lovely your dog is at home.
They don’t know that your dog is “friendly” even if you shout it at them, because on the flip of a switch, your dog might not be friendly. And theirs might not be either.

At this point, you’re over 20 feet away and risking a dog fight, BOTH of your dogs are at risk.

BUT:
If you have a large breed up against a Jack Russell or a spaniel- let’s be honest, we know which dog is likely to sustain the most injuries.

Don’t be a dick. Keep your dog on a lead. Put the work in. If you don’t have the time or inclination- get some help rehoming the dog to an organisation that can place the dog with people who will. Or even better- don’t get the dog in the first place.

Can you lift 70kg while running?
That’s how wrangling a large bully breed in adulthood in a fight would feel.

If you can’t, you cannot safely say you can manage one of these dogs in all situations.

Please be realistic.

17/03/2023

Having a reactive dog doesn’t determine whether you’re a good owner or not.

Having a friendly dog doesn’t determine whether you’re a good owner or not.

What you do with and how you manage that said dog is what determines it.

Someone trying their absolute best to manage a difficult dog, keeping them safe, thinking of the safety of others, putting effort into training them etc is a much better owner in my eyes than someone who got lucky with an easy, friendly dog with no recall that bounds over to everyone and everything.

“It’s okay, he’s friendly” isn’t a badge of honour, when it’s your dog harassing a dog that is clearly uncomfortable with the interaction.

After seeing yet another social media post blaming all reactive dog owners for under-socialising, under-training, mollycoddling, reinforcing their dogs fear through affection etc, I feel like I need to scream from the rooftops:

MIND. YOUR. OWN. BUSINESS.

Reactive dog owners are trying their absolute best. A quick walk for you might feel like scaling Everest for them. They don’t need your ‘advice,’ they need you to respect their space and leave them alone. Until you’ve walked in their shoes, back off.

14/03/2023

If you see a person with a reactive dog help them out.
Cross the street or give them space.

If you've never had a leash reactive dog, congrats!
All breeds, all sizes and all age dogs can be leash reactive. These are not "bad dogs" or "untrained" dogs. They are simply dogs with some big feelings.
They may be scared of your dog, they may feel frustrated by their leash, they may be in pain, they may have a negative experience with seeing other dogs while out on leash.
These dogs need more space.
Help out by giving some space, stop throwing a ball until you are further away and if you are in a park or other public space where leashes are required, leash your dog.

Remember, dogs that have big feelings on their leash do not need punishment, no matter the breed or size.
They need to feel safe with the person on the other end of the leash and the people and dogs around them.

07/03/2023

Or as an adult either!
Don’t allow your dog to have an opportunity (or many) to perform a behaviour you don’t like and then repeatedly punish them for it!
You’re being far less efficient, and not communicating clearly at all in this case.

Remove the opportunity for the behaviour to happen where possible, train the behaviours you do like, a lot- and then you’re less likely to see those that you don’t like.
Dogs do whatever is most reinforcing to them in a given moment, if your dog finds barking at the postman reinforcing, close the curtains or get window film so they can’t see the postman, then do a training session at post time, peel back the curtain and make it rain treats when the postman arrives- once he’s gone? Treats go away!

Think about how you can do this for other behaviours too! If your dog counter surfs to steal food on the counters, get a baby gate or a house leash, or close the door and then teach boundary games at doorways and around temptations!

Puppies love to jump for greetings, playfully bite your hands and more. It may be cute as a pup but every time you laugh at her, play with her while she’s doing these behaviors as a pup you are reinforcing the behavior. Greetings, don’t happen unless all 4’s are on the ground, trade up w a toy when she’s playfully biting your hand and do give her play time w other dogs where she can playfully bite.

07/03/2023

Puppies are not supposed to be “obedient”, focused, patient or calm…that’s a houseplant you’re thinking of… 😂

Different areas of the brain, so different abilities, develop along different timelines in young puppies. Puppy’s behaviour can provide us with insight about how development is proceeding. For the brain to develop normally, it must be challenged, experiencing appropriate feedback from puppy’s world.

But here’s the problem. These processes are time dependent. The brain must be exposed to certain types of challenge, providing feedback from their world, at particular developmental stages.

The puppy’s behaviour informs of where they are in terms of development, and we must respond accordingly with appropriate challenge to support and enhance that development.

While teaching and learning is certainly important for young puppies, concentrating on our human constructs and expectations, such as ‘obedience’, is not a good use of our time. We have limited time to make sure we support puppy in developing complex skills and tendencies through appropriate exposure.

There are many contributors to these processes, including puppy’s genetic background, and related effects, early exposure, particularly that in puppy’s first five weeks, and clues from the behavioural tendencies of related individuals.

This early work we implement in puppy’s first weeks and months are among the foundations upon which your dog’s adult behaviour is built. We get the payoff months and years later.

We take an enrichment approach to behavioural development, which is often different from “socialisation” lists, puppy classes and play groups.
Just like children, puppies need time early on (their first weeks) to develop skills that will support them throughout life. Prioritising ‘academics’ at this time misses the mark.

If you were hoping to have a patient, obedient, focused, non-biting, appropriate toileting and chewing, calm wee-beastie, a puppy may not be for you 😉…and if you wish for those things in an adult dog, prioritising behavioural development with appropriate challenge, social & environmental exposure in their first weeks is where you start.

07/03/2023

There can be many different reasons a dog might growl.

It can also be quite scary for us as owners if it happens and we may knee jerk into telling our dog off to make sure that growling doesn’t ‘get worse’.

But if we do that and it works (i.e. the growling stops or reduces in frequency) all we’ve done is removed the outward behaviour (that for whatever reason) was your dog telling you they’re uncomfortable. We haven’t actually addressed what’s going on under the hood.

So if we have punished the growl, next time our dog is in that situation (or one similar) but is still having all of the same feelings…where do they go to communicate that they are not comfortable?

It may not mean they choose to bite but you’re certainly running the risk of getting closer to that happening.

By successfully punishing the growl you are essentially removing what is a very important warning signal that something isn’t okay and needs addressing.

A growl is very rarely the first bit of a dog trying to communicate something to us. It’s easy to miss a lot of the earlier warnings. If they’ve learnt that earlier warning signals don’t work they’re learning to escalate their behaviour to communicate.

Don’t remove this behaviour from their repertoire or you are essentially removing the batteries from their smoke alarm.

Here are some excellent owner resource articles by Aggressive Dog if you have any concerns around your dog’s behaviour and want to learn more: https://aggressivedog.com/articles/

07/03/2023

If your dog is energetic and over excited, scatter feed them. Use their meal if they have kibble and it will motivate them or some tiny bits of smelly food cut as small as possible then throw them all around your garden. It will use up their energy and make them unbelievably happy at the same time. Plus it will give you a little space too.

07/03/2023

If I could implant this into the brain of every puppy owner in the world, I would!
NAPTIME IS IMPORTANT
PUPPIES GET OVERTIRED AND NIPPY
IF ITS NIPPY TIME? ITS NAP TIME! 💤🐶💤

07/03/2023

Be patient and be gentle, they depend on you for everything in their whole entire world 🥺❤️🐾

07/03/2023

Marketers and those looking to make a sale aren't going to tell you something you don't want to hear. So they sugarcoat and use euphemisms to make scary, painful things sound innocuous. Let's be clear. There's no magic at play here.

These devices use electric current, with the intention of hurting or scaring your dog in an attempt to curb behavior. They are SUPPOSED to hurt. That's how they work.

And, there's a lot of research on this topic. A study published in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior, concluded “there is no credible scientific evidence to justify electronic collar use and the use of spray collars or electronic fences for dogs.” Learning shouldn't hurt.

Let's work to educate and dispel some myths about shock collars. Read my post here: https://rescuedbytraining.com/2023/02/27/5-shock-collar-myths/

07/03/2023

Wind......It causes some big issues with dogs.

You may not have even made a connection that wind is the issue behind many disastrous walks.
Weather affects all dogs.
Wind can cause hyperarousal, anxiety, fear and anxiousness as the flood of information that comes on the wind can bring with it a bombardment of information all at once.

Barometric changes can also affect dogs, a drop in pressure can see many dogs suddenly become anxious as they are well aware a storm is coming before you are. They may seek shelter and appear to run inside out of fright....but you haven't seen or heard anything that could cause this.

There wouldn't be many trainers out there that love training in the wind.....I think we all mutter under our breaths when the wind picks up.
So if your walk has turned to custard....and you have no idea why....wind can be a very real reason.