Schooling 4 Dogs

14/06/2025

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02/06/2025

Myth-busting Monday: “If a dog’s tail is wagging, it means they’re friendly/happy”

This is a very common misunderstanding and unfortunately a dangerous one. As the tail can be the most obvious (from a human perspective) visual signal used by dogs, it is the one that people, especially children, pay most attention to. However, tail motion is not a very reliable emotional indicator in dogs. The position of the base of the tail and stiffness of the tail are better signals to pay attention to, but viewing the body as a whole is more important. Tails are ambiguous and vary hugely across breeds even in the same emotional context (compare the constantly moving tail of a busy spaniel to the relatively low tail of a sighthound or upright curled tail of a spitz). Individual personalities also influence dogs' propensity for wagging.

A wagging tail signifies emotional arousal. A dog with a wagging tail can be happy and friendly, however they may also be stressed, conflicted, frustrated or aggressive. When a dog is wagging a tail whilst looking at a human, this often indicates intent to interact, but that intention may not be friendly! It is important, therefore, to look at the whole body: the ears, eyes, mouth, paws, posture, hackles, tension, weight-shifting, etc., in context for that individual. Dog attacks on humans are usually a result of misunderstanding and miscommunication and most dogs will give ample communication before resorting to a bite.

Further reading:
• ‘Dog Bite Prevention: Effect of a Short Educational Intervention for Preschool Children’ – Lakestani & Donaldson
• ‘A Commonsense Approach to the Biting Dog’ – Heath
• ‘How anticipating relationships between dogs and children can help prevent disasters’ – Love & Overall
• ‘Interpretation of Dog Behavior by Children and Young Adults’ – Lakestani et al.

26/05/2025

Myth-busting Monday: "Treats are just bribes"

Would you go to work and do a job for someone else if you weren't paid afterwards? Do you view your wages as a bribe, or a reward? And when you get a bonus or a pay rise, doesn't it make you feel good? We work only because we are positively reinforced for working.

If treats were just 'bribes', reward-based training wouldn't be so successful - dogs wouldn't be able to perform complex tasks or long duration behaviours. Treats only work because they make your dog feel good and, in time, make the behaviour that led to the treat feel good. Working for food is a natural behaviour in dogs as it is implicated in survival. This means that the action of gaining food is intrinsically rewarding for a dog. The ANTICIPATION of a reward is rewarding!

Studies have shown that, if an action has been previously and repeatedly paired with a reward (for instance, food), over time this action itself will activate the reward centre in a dog's brain. This means that, if you consistently use rewards while training a new behaviour, over time that reward does not have to come as frequently because the behaviour itself will be rewarding for your dog.

This is not exclusive to dogs. Humans will perform behaviours over and over again purely for the anticipation of a possible reward. Cats will perform predatory behaviours repeatedly even if the reward of a successful catch is very infrequent. Chickens will peck at objects even without obtaining food because the act of pecking itself is self-reinforcing. In biology, complex behaviours are required to obtain infrequent rewards, particularly for predators and scavengers like dogs. In order for these complex and energetically-draining behaviours to be maintained, they must be rewarding in themselves.

This is how positive reinforcement works. It makes dogs feel good and choose to perform the desired behaviours. The motivation and drive to perform the behaviours can only occur if they are consistently followed by a reward during the learning process (strong reinforcement history). Food works well because it is rewarding for all animals, but obviously anything else that makes your particular dog happy (play, cuddles, praise, access to other motivated behaviours, etc.) also works!

We need to use rewards at the beginning in order to build that feel-good, positive connection and build that DESIRE. That does not mean the treats are used as bribes and it does not mean the behaviour is contingent on a treat being present.

Further reading:
'Neural Responses during Anticipation of a Primary Taste Reward' by Doherty et al.
'Dopamine and effort-based decision making' by Kurniawan et al.
'Handbook of Applied Dog Behavior and Training: Adaptation and Learning' by Lindsay
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01/05/2025

Sharing this lovely recent review ❤️.

"Hannah came to our house to help us iron out a few problems with our adolescent Staffie . After a walk she gave me a plan to follow.
Her advice was absolutely brilliant, she is so knowledgeable. We went with the plan which was outlined clearly in emails.
Our boys behaviour is so much better. Hannah was always available for any questions I had and she is kind and encouraging.
I struck gold with Hannah."

29/04/2025

It's such a lovely time of year when the bluebells are out and the woods are carpeted in purple. But please please when you are out walking and taking photos, do not trample the flowers! Native British bluebells are a threatened and protected species and are extremely vulnerable to damage. A trampled bluebell is unlikely to ever recover or grow again next year. Please enjoy the beautiful flowers from the paths so that they can return next year. You can still take lovely photos of your dogs and children without damaging the flowers.

28/04/2025

Myth-busting Monday: "Dogs are pack animals".

It is still common practice for owners to be advised to send their dogs off on 'pack walks', where large groups of unbonded dogs are walked together with little human intervention or guidance. This can even be suggested as a cure for behavioural problems such as fear or reactivity, with the assumption that the pack dynamics will sort this out.

In reality, this is far from an accurate representation of domestic dog social dynamics. Even free-ranging dogs, such as village dogs, strays and rural/mountain dogs, do not form packs. Dogs are social animals and do interact with other dogs frequently, but they do not form stable packs even in the short term. Free-roaming dogs may form small cooperative groups (usually under 5), particularly if resources are concentrated to one space, or if hunting collaboratively, but these are temporary. Mother and pups may stay together for many months, but most free-roaming adult dogs spend the large proportion of their time alone or in pairs (almost always male:male or female:male pairs).

Dogs are socially flexible and this is partly why they make such amazing companion animals, but they do not form instantaneous stable hierarchies with other dogs. Putting large numbers of unfamiliar dogs together (for instance in a 'pack walk') is likely to cause conflicts without resolution, instability and may lead to vulnerable dogs shutting down, whereby they display little behaviour at all. A shut-down dog is not cured of behavioural problems, they are simply profoundly stressed and in a situation in which they feel they have no behavioural choices.

Although it is of course possible for large groups of familiar and well-matched dogs to live together in harmony, this requires trusting relationships with constant communication between the dogs, which takes time to develop. Importantly, these relationships are not reinforced by aggression or dominant interactions and cannot be defined as pack dynamics.

Group dog walks are great ways for your dog to get extra exercise and attention and spend fun time out and about with other dogs. However we always suggest choosing a dog-walker who keeps their group sizes small and manageable and doesn't expect a 'pack' to sort itself out. Lastly, dog-walkers should never be expected to fix a dog's behavioural problems.

Further reading:
'The social behaviour of free-ranging suburban dogs' by Berman and Dunbar
'Effects of S*x and Reproductive State on Interactions between Free-Roaming Domestic Dogs' by Sparkes et al.
'Variation in dog society: Between resource dispersion and social flux' by MacDonald & Carr

09/04/2025

If your dog struggles with sound sensitivity/noise phobia and is affected by the noises in our local countryside, please sign and share this petition asking for better regulation of noise disturbance from bird scarers and shooting activity.

Regulation of Noise Disturbance from Bird Scarers and Shooting Activity in Brighton & Hove

05/04/2025

Sharing this very lovely recent review:

Hannah is incredible. We have a Romanian Rescue who when we first got her, was very anxious. She would run away at the sound of a cough! Working with Hannah has completely changed ours and our dogs lives. She gives the most comprehensive notes for you to take on board and is always open to a billion questions in between sessions. I wish we went to Hannah sooner as since using her services our dog is so much more confident - it truly has been life changing.

Dog Behaviourist covering Brighton and surrounding areas - Schooling 4 Dogs

15/03/2025

Like many sighthounds, gorgeous Frankie has a very high prey drive! As a puppy he once jumped a 5ft fence to try to chase sheep (none were harmed) and he has a penchant for anything small and furry. His dedicated human has been working diligently on his prey drive over the past few months and Frankie is now like a different dog. Here he is chilling with some friendly sheep, completely relaxed, happy and under control.

Although predatory behaviour is inherent and natural so cannot be 'removed', there's tonnes that can be done to help manage, reduce and redirect predatory behaviour and increase a dog's engagement and responsiveness with their human on walks. Please get in touch if you'd like help with your hunty hound!

03/02/2025

Please help Debbie to meet her dissertation criteria, share or complete.

Many Thanks

**** LAST BEG FOR DISSERTATION PARTICIPANTS ****
***** NEED 60 MORE RESPONSES *****

I am currently completing my BSc Veterinary Physiotherapy dissertation, and I am hoping you may be able to help me by completing and sharing a short questionnaire.

The subject of my project is investigating the factors affecting client adherence to a Veterinary Physiotherapy rehabilitation and/or exercise plan for equines and canines, within the UK.

I am seeking the views of horse and dog owners over the age of 18, who have seen a Veterinary Physiotherapist in the last 3 years and received exercises or rehabilitation plan.

SURVEY LINK: https://forms.gle/349HuhnyNwngqgWs8

I would be grateful if you could share this post with anyone who would be interested in taking part.

Many thanks