Unleash Your Life- Dog Training and Behaviour

18/10/2024

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!