Happy Hounds Training and Behaviour

20/10/2023

Even more TLC than usual for this sad boy who had six teeth 🦷 removed today 😔

01/11/2021

‘You didn’t want to sit here, right mum?’ 🐾

27/10/2021

The snoozy face of a hound who went on a treasure hunt when left unsupervised for a couple of hours. His treasures included the food bin (which he wasn’t clever enough to open 😬) and an unopened bottle of washing detergent, amongst other things that he’s never shown an interest in before!

Eric’s never loved being left alone and after a lot of careful desensitisation he no longer panics, but he does find comfort in collecting items. Whatever works, I guess! 😆

10/10/2021

If anyone tells you that the way to get your dog over separation anxiety is by locking your dog in a crate, then they have zero idea about how to treat separation anxiety.

It shocks and disappoints me that this advice is still being given out.

Let's be clear: crating a panicking dog is inhumane and unethical. It isn't training. It's abuse.

A trainer or behaviourist who actually understands separation anxiety will never recommend this to you.

16/08/2021

😭 I have just watched Nowzad live about the situation in Kabul in Afghanistan and sat here with tears in my eyes.

What an utterly horrendous situation for everyone, dogs and people.

Watch it in full here: https://www.facebook.com/nowzadrescue/videos/4261361030607979/?sfnsn=scwspmo&d=n&vh=e

I don't normally put up callouts like this for individual charities but this is something extreme.

NOWZAD as we know it is gone, but they still have immediate responsibilities towards the safeguarding of their 25 staff (and immediate families) , of which some are female. They want to be able to support many vet and veterinary support staff that in under 2 days time, will not have jobs as they have to evacuate the compound and will be in serious danger.

⚠️ What they need to do

From what I understand from the live put up 7 hours ago, They have to get just shy of nearly 100 cats and 100 dogs out of the country. A significant amount will be placed in the UK with support, and the rest to an unnamed country.

These are dogs/cats being placed in forever homes, many with troops and their families.

Dogs that are not are being or have serious long term medical conditions are being PTS from tomorrow as they are left with no other choice.

Naming the country is a security risk so details will not be released as it could put the process in jeopardy.

⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️ How you can help:

They are trying to get emergency visas for staff (and their immediate families) and clearance from Heathrow Airport Animal Reception Centre to allow a $200k cargo flight to land with everyone in. Do not email them - follow instructions below:

To donate: https://www.nowzad.com/donate/uk

Please pressure your local MP, for example Leamington is Matt Western who I hope will be putting serious pressure in an emergency meeting tomorrow with Boris Johnson for them to be cleared without holding UK passports to set up a new life in the UK and to save as many pets in their care by doing this.

If you don't know who your local MP is, you can find their telephone number and social media here: https://www.theyworkforyou.com/

Please tag, message, tweet, put pressure on BJ - even if you aren't a British resident, to do the right thing. For 20 years NOWZAD has made a huge difference in educating people in a culture that is extremely dangerous to dogs - last time the Taliban came to power it was illegal for them to be kept as pets.

NOWZAD have trained 500+ veterinary surgeons. How incredible is that? All of this is stopping due to the current situation.

Please, please, please donate, share, tweet, post, message, and kick up a stink to anyone you think could help influence the decision or help finance the flight until they take note and do the right thing before it's too late. Letters are going to be too slow - phone calls are needed as well as social media. Phone or message.

Put politics aside.

Help them do the right thing.

Loud mouth dog pros or anyone we need you now.



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28/05/2021

How many greyhounds is too many greyhounds? 🤔

24/05/2021

Eric and Nellie were very pleased with this discovery! They sniffed the cat tree for at least 10 minutes and afterwards they were so exhausted that they were ready to go home.... we were only five minutes into our walk! 😴

24/05/2021

I had the pleasure of seeing and his excellent bat ears for the second time this weekend 🐾

When I first met Ted he wasn’t comfortable walking more than a few meters from his front door and was very easily spooked. His lovely pawrents have always listened to him and given him all the time, love and reassurance that he needed, and I was thrilled to see that he is now enjoying his walks and getting braver all the time 🥳

We met this time to work on his interactions with other dogs. Ted was an absolute gentleman and was very polite with every dog we met 😇 (although he’s still learning the difference between small fluffy dogs and bunnies!) 🐇😬

18/05/2021

This gorgeous boy is Reggie the cocker spaniel 🐾

When I saw Reggie we focused mainly on his recall and loose lead walking, both of which he managed brilliantly 👏👏👏

Like most adolescent dogs, Reggie’s training in these areas had taken a bit of a step backwards. This can be frustrating (especially as it usually happens just when you think your hard work is starting to pay off!), but it’s totally normal and to be expected. All we need to do is take a few steps back, make it easy for our dogs to succeed and impossible for them to go wrong, and know that, if you are consistent and kind, the dreaded teenage phase will pass!

Swipe to see Reggie’s model pose at the beach 😍

12/05/2021

12/05/2021

Gathering ALL the sniffs 🐾

04/05/2021

This little ball of fluff is Bichon Frise, Clash!

Sadly Clash was very unwell when he was a tiny puppy, but his lovely family made sure that he got the medical attention that he needed and he’s now able to lead a happy and healthy life 🥰

Because of this, his puppy training started later than most and we were mindful that he may be more wary and sensitive than most pups. Despite this, he’s done brilliantly and has most definitely caught up!

He is still a little wary of dogs rushing up to him (who can blame him?!) but his recall is brilliant, and he’s a real home body who is more than happy to snooze while his humans go out for a little while 👏👏👏

23/04/2021

This discussion about the importance of sleep for dogs of all ages is really worth a watch 🐾

12/04/2021

How could anyone not fall in love with this little guy?! He’s so adorable that I just couldn’t choose one photo! 😍

Leo is a miniature dachshund and is currently doing my puppy course. He’s such a sweetheart and I’m really looking forward to seeing him grow and learn! 🐾

08/04/2021

My lovely boy being so patient with his thieving little pal 🙄🥰

07/04/2021

How sweet is this little chihuahua, Arlo?!

Arlo is a nervous little boy who loves nothing more than snoozing and snuggling up with his humans all day! 😴

I met with Arlo’s owners via Zoom to discuss ways to help build his confidence in the outside world, with the hope that one day he will be comfortable enough to go out and about with his guardians.

06/04/2021

This lovely girl is ex-racing greyhound, Yara.

I met with Yara and her mum for an outside session to work on Yara’s recall. Unusually for a greyhound, Yara isn’t particularly interested in chasing small fluffies, and is instead very keen on wandering up to strangers and asking them for pets and treats 😬

Yara is very food motivated, so picked up on the training very quickly, and her mum has reported that her recall is already improving ⭐️

To top it off, it turns out that Yara is actually the half sister of my girl, Nellie! They are different colours but their face shape is exactly the same, and they’ve even gone grey in the same places at relatively young ages! 😍

04/04/2021

An issue that’s common amongst dog owners is when their dog seems to have learnt a rule, like “don’t knock over the rubbish bin,” but when left alone the dog breaks the rule, even though the owner thought they “knew it was wrong.”

This problem is caused by the mistaken assumption that dogs, like humans, have a sense of “right” vs “wrong.” The reality is that dogs learn things in terms of “safe” or “dangerous.”

A dog that appears to break a rule they “knew was wrong” has learned that breaking the rule is dangerous is front of humans (I’ll get in trouble if they see me knocking the bin over) but safe when they’re alone (I can knock the bin over when my humans are out, and I don’t get in trouble).

Dogs are amazingly fantastic creatures who can enrich our lives and teach us so much – but they aren’t tiny humans. Applying human motives to their actions can lead to miscommunications.

Another common example of this is when humans misinterpret dog body language due to a similarity to a human action or emotion. This is the case with dogs who are squinting their eyes, not making eye contact, cringing, and turning their head away or down.

This series of signals actually means “please don’t be mad at me,” and not “I am feeling guilty.”

If you’d like more information on the differences between humans and dogs, That Dog Geek highly recommends “The Culture Clash” by Jean Donaldson.

There are plenty of other examples of common miscommunications between humans and dogs – if you know of any please feel free to comment and help your fellow Dog Geeks learn more about their canine companions.

02/04/2021

My beautiful sunshine girl ☀️🥰

01/04/2021

How handsome is Diego the Rottweiler x Rhodesian ridgeback? I couldn’t choose just one photo from the ones his family sent me so swipe to see his efforts of taking a branch home with him 🤣

Diego was rescued from a horrible situation as a pup and has grown into a lovely boy, but his family needed help with his barking and lunging at moving cars. This is not hugely uncommon, but Diego mostly does it when it’s raining or the ground is wet!

Helping Diego through this involves a lot of careful management, and a combination of desensitisation and counter conditioning to both cars and rain, separately and then together.

Desensitising to things that you can’t control (like the weather!) is particularly challenging so may take a bit more time than if we were desensitising to things that we can control, but, as always, commitment and consistency are key!

31/03/2021

These little guy is chorkie, Stitch 🐾

Stitch is rather vocal and likes to do lots of barking for lots of different reasons, so we looked at ways to prevent him feeling the need to start shouting!

That’s not to say that we don’t want Stitch to bark at all - after all, barking is a normal dog behaviour, and some dogs are more vocal than others! However, as with any behaviour, when it becomes repetitive and/or compulsive, it’s no longer normal and is an indicator that the dog is stressed, anxious or that their needs are not being met.

It’s also important to note that any sudden or unexplained change in behaviour always warrants a vet check.

24/03/2021

New study published in Animals found that 30% of deaths in Australian dogs 3-years-old and under were caused by Euthanasia due to behavioural problems.

The study used data from the records of 157 veterinary clinics in Australia between 2013 and 2018. The scientists identified 4341 deaths in dogs 3-years-old and under. Of these, 30% were attributed to euthanasia as a result of behavioural problems.

Aggression was the most common behavioural problem. Neutered dogs had a 2.5 times greater chance of death by euthanasia and crossbreeds had a 1.4 greater chance. The breeds at highest risk were Australian cattle dogs and American Staffordshire terriers.

By extrapolating the figures in the study to the entire dog population in Australia, the scientists estimate 12,118 young dogs die each year as a result of behavioural problems.

A recent study from the UK found a similar proportion of young dog deaths being caused by euthanasia due to behaviour. Both studies highlight a desperate need for better behavioural management and/or adjusted expectations of dog owners.

Perhaps a new method of training is needed for dogs in these desperate circumstances. I know Upward Dogology has amazing success working with such dogs using innovate, revolutionary, non-aversive methods.

Paper: Mortality Resulting from Undesirable Behaviours in Dogs Aged Three Years and under Attending Primary-Care Veterinary Practices in Australia - Animals, Feb 2021

Link to paper: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/2/493/htm

24/03/2021

Meet lovely Jude! He does have another ear but it was hiding! 😍

Jude is a retired greyhound who can be a bit worried about off lead dogs approaching him - and who can blame him?!

As there isn’t much we can do about other people’s dogs (please do not ever let your dog approach an on lead dog without asking if it’s ok!), we looked at how we can support Jude and help him to feel more relaxed when this does inevitably happen. 🐕

We communicate so much to our dogs via really subtle body language, so when we get stressed, they can pick up on it. It’s much easier said than done, but if you have a dog like Jude, always try to remain calm, take a deep breath and keep your body language as soft as possible. Try to keep the lead nice and loose, and give your dog verbal reassurance in a gentle voice - I always find that this helps to relax me too! 🧘‍♀️

19/03/2021

👏👏👏

LET THEM LOOK

A client asked me a good question the other day, that reminded me of something I have been mulling over, after hearing a discussion between a neuroscientist vet and a colleague. The question was, “When should I let my dog watch something and when should I distract him?”

For a long time, the general advice to dog owners has been to distract or prevent dogs from looking at things in the environment that could potentially cause emotional arousal. As a trainer and behaviour practitioner, one of the first things we teach in puppy class is focused engagement with the owner, so that the puppy can forget about everything else for a while and find it highly reinforcing to work with their human. We also teach dogs of all ages how to voluntarily disengage from the environment – a skill that is certainly needed for working with dogs around distractions and to help dogs come away WILLINGLY from people, animals and objects that it would be inappropriate for them to engage with or approach. But does this mean that we should never let a dog look at something?

A common practice which I have never been comfortable with, is to cue a dog to perform an operant response in the presence of an emotional trigger, to prevent the dog from engaging in an unwanted behaviour, such as barking or lunging. A dog might be asked to look at the owner or sit or lie down to prevent them from staring, lunging or barking at another dog. Although initially, some sort of force or pressure is always needed to get the dog to perform the alternate behaviour in a state of arousal, after a while, the dog will sometimes end up responding to a verbal cue alone and it may seem as though this approach works, as the dog is lying down instead of lunging and barking. Of course, anyone familiar with canine body language will immediately see how uncomfortable and stressed dogs in these situations usually are and realise that, while the owner might think they have solved the problem, the dog is actually no better off than before.

Something else that has also influenced my recent thinking on this subject is becoming a horse owner. Horses are flight animals and if presented with a sudden, unrecognised stimulus, their first response is to move rapidly away from it and ask questions later. However, if something is far enough away, a horse’s usual response is to stop and stare to work out whether there is real danger or not. My horse, Jedi, is usually pretty calm with most up-close stimuli, because I have spent a fair amount of time using desensitization and counterconditioning to help him become comfortable around things like bins, recycling bags, discarded cardboard boxes, umbrellas and dogs etc. However, when he sees something in the distance, he will stop and stare. I have seen many horse owners force their horses to move on in these situations. They feel that if they allow their horses to look at whatever is worrying them, they will become more scared and go into a flight response – just as many dog owners seem to feel that if they allow their dogs to look at something, they will end up having a “fight” response and become reactive. But my experience is the opposite. If I allow Jedi to take the time to observe and process what he is seeing in the distance, he will usually start to calm down and then voluntarily check in with me for a slice of carrot, after which he is ready to move on calmly, no longer worrying about what he saw. In this case, giving him time to process what he is observing and “figure it out” in his own mind, is an absolutely vital part of what allows him to relax. If I did not allow him to do this, he would continue to be anxious and would be far more likely to go over threshold and bolt at any moment should any other unexpected stimulus occur.

Yet, with dogs we virtually never seem to talk about allowing them to look at and process what is going on around them. Probably, because we tend to put dogs more often in situations where they are so overwhelmed that they immediately go over threshold. At this point our main focus becomes suppressing behaviour or getting them to disengage. No thought is given to whether our dogs would benefit from having time to process what they can see, hear and smell or if given a chance, they would figure out on their own how best to cope with the situation. Instead, we don’t let them look and we “force” them to engage in a behaviour which may make them even more uncomfortable. (Imagine if you were told to lie down in public when you got a fright!)

At this point I want to make something clear: I am not suggesting for one minute that we expose reactive dogs to triggers over threshold and let them stare, lunge and bark, without trying to help them. That is flooding and it is extremely harmful. What I am suggesting, is that we allow dogs that are anxious around specific situations to observe things from a distance where they are easily able to remain under threshold and we STOP TELLING THEM WHAT TO DO in those situations. We let them look, if they want to look. We let them sniff the ground if they want to sniff the ground. We let them walk away if they want to walk away. We let them lie down or stand or sit or keep walking – we let them decide how they are most comfortable. We don’t make good stuff like treats and praise contingent on a specific behaviour, but we allow good stuff to simply be part of the experience as a whole. If our dogs become so relaxed that they start wanting to engage with us and offer behaviours, we can reinforce anything and everything that is appropriate and fun.

So, when do we let our dogs look and when don’t we? Well, if our dogs are well under threshold (calm, relaxed, able to think and process), then we let them look. If They are approaching threshold (you can see arousal going up – stiff, tense body language, getting “stuck” or fixated), we need to get them out of there immediately. This is where our engagement with us and disengagement with the environment exercises are extremely helpful. What do you do if they are over threshold? You also need to get them out of there, but this is your “avoid at all costs” scenario. Do everything humanly possible to just not go there.

The key to all of this is COMFORTABLE DISTANCE – something that we dog owners seem to be really terrible at. We simply won’t accept that our dogs can’t cope and need more space. We seldom give them the space they need to engage their senses and the time for their cognitive mechanisms to kick in. We constantly put them in situations where emotional responses high-jack processing and rob them of the opportunity to calmly figure things out. We desperately need to learn to take a step back literally and figuratively, so that our dogs have the opportunity to look and learn.

18/03/2021

Just look at this beautiful girl! 😍

Erin is an Irish greyhound who joined her family in England last year. She’s incredibly sensitive and nervous of lots of different things, so I’ve met with her mum online a couple of times to discuss how we can support her and help her confidence to grow.

Erin’s anxiety has meant that her family have had to adapt and change some plans, which I really applaud them for doing. It’s easy to think that our dogs should fit in with our lives, plans and expectations, but ignoring their feelings is never the answer, and will usually just make life harder for us and our dogs in the long run.

I’m really hopeful that we will see Erin continue to relax and grow in confidence over the next few months 🐾

14/03/2021

Thank you for letting me be your mum 💛

Sending love to everybody who finds Mother’s Day difficult... those who have lost their mum or who aren’t in touch with their mum, those who have lost children and those who can’t have children, those who are still hoping to become mums, and the dads who are being mum and dad.

I’m sure there are many other reasons that Mother’s Day might be hard for people - whatever the reason is, please know that it is valid, and be kind to yourself.

11/03/2021

Meet Ted! Ted is an ex-racing greyhound who is learning how to adapt to his new life in a home.

Like most greyhounds, Ted is such a sensitive soul. He was settling in to his new home so well, but after just a few days he got very spooked by some skateboarders and decided he didn’t trust the outside anymore 💔

His pawrents are doing all they can by taking things completely at his pace and showing him that he can trust them to listen to him and keep him safe.

As he isn’t currently getting out for walks, we discussed lots of different ways to keep Ted mentally stimulated through enrichment, which can also be great for confidence building.

For anyone struggling with a fearful dog - it’s really important not to make the mistake of bribing or luring with food. This just encourages the dog to put themselves into situation that they are unable to cope with, and often makes the issue worse. Give your dog the time and space to make their own decisions about what they feel is safe and what isn’t. Once they know that they have the freedom to leave or avoid a situation, you may just be surprised by how much braver they get!

10/03/2021

This is Macedonian rescue dog, Lessie. Lessie has been through so much before arriving in the UK and has recently had surgery to address an old injury that was causing him a lot of pain in his elbow.

It’s so important not to underestimate the impact that pain can have on your dog’s behaviour, so any sudden behaviour change always warrants a vet check 🩺

Now that Lessie has had the veterinary care that he so badly needed, I am working with his wonderful pawrents to help him adjust and feel more comfortable in his new life.

Thanks to Lessie’s mum for this beau photo of him 💛

10/03/2021

This is why no reputable dog trainer will ever recommend the use of aversives. Ever.

Jo suffers from abuse from a partner every day. They tell Jo s/he are useless. That they will never find anyone else. That they are trash. Not worthy of love. That if Jo tries to leave, they will find her/him. Jo has been so worn-down s/he believes it, believing there is nothing they can do. They don't try to get away, despite the fact help is actually out there... 😢

'Learned helplessness' is when an animal, or human, becomes passive/shut-down to a situation that they can't control, to such a degree that when the ability to escape becomes available, they do not take it.

This was demonstrated in an experiment by Prof. Seligman and Prof. Steven F. Maier who found that dogs subjected to electric shocks (that they could not control or escape) would eventually show signs of anxiety and depression. Then, when placed in a new situation where they could escape the shocks, they would be so traumatised that they would not even try to get away.

Using aversive methods like shock, spray, or physical punishment (and many more) only teach a dog that they have no choice but to obey. This is forceful. They do not enjoy training; they do not become calm; they just shut down...

This is NOT what we want from dog-training. If it doesn't sound right for 'Jo', it isn't right for our dogs. Our dogs deserve choices, just as humans do.

04/03/2021

Apparently laying around on the sofa all day is utterly EXHAUSTING 😴🙄