So Dog Training

25/07/2024

02/07/2024

Great info!

Puppies are not clean slates !
You often hear people say 'get a puppy they are a clean slate'

As a behaviourist and breeder I can confidently tell you this is not true. Both nature and nurture has a huge impact.
A puppy will inherit genes from its parents and these genes will impact the puppies genetic potential to behave in a particular way.
Such as :
Using aggression as a strategy to deal with difficult situations
Sociability towards people and dogs
Fearful responses
Sound sensitivity
Strong instinctive behaviour to hunt, chase, grab, hold and guard.
Trainability which includes the ability to learn self control as humans desire it.

When people breed dogs they sometimes select for specific traits and sometimes not. If someone is breeding for a particular look, colour or just money then these traits can become altered becoming stronger or weaker or unbalanced. This can make a dog dangerous for example breeding a dog with gameness and reducing human sociability.

Then the puppy is born and the first 8 weeks learning with the breeder will have an huge impact on the development of all these genetic traits.

My five puppies have all come from the same parents and been reared in the same environment. They have very individual personalities. The training and socialisation they receive in their new homes will only influence the genes and first learning, it won't change their personalities.

So if you are looking for a puppy
Firstly learn about breed traits and instincts and make sure you pick a puppy that will suit your lifestyle. For example there no point getting a breed that is 'aloof with strangers' if you have 3 young children and lots of friends visiting.

Secondly meet the parents or (genes), see what they are like. Make sure you are meeting the actual parents, some people buy in puppy farmed litters and then 'hire' an adult of the same breed to pretend the puppies were bred there!!

Thirdly make sure the puppy has had plenty of early neurological stimulation and learning before it leaves the litter. Ask these questions.
1) What have the puppies seen?
2) Who and what have they met?
2) What have they learnt?
3) How have they learned to play?
4) What do they do if they get frustrated?
5) What do they do if they get bored?

A professional trainer can help support and guide you on the process of looking for a puppy. Don't wait till afterwards for help.

Prevention IS better than Cure. This goes for training and socialisation too, get a professional to help and guide you.

Puppies are building neural pathways with every experience, every day, make sure they're building ones you like.

First Learning is the strongest, make sure you get it right first time.

Written by Jane Ardern BSc (Hons) KCAI (WG)
WaggaWuffins Canine College
Bury Lancashire

*Permission to share this post from this source. No cutting and pasting please and pretending you wrote it yourself 🙄

09/04/2024

Owch! Poor Chilli 😢
I have done Rachel's first aid courses both in person and online, highly recommend them for practical knowhow we all hope we never need. But as shown here accidents can happen to anyone, best to be prepared as the scouts say!😉

24/08/2023

01/02/2023

Social media for dogs? 😂

14/07/2022

It's hot outside!

Here's a guide, its just that, use common sense about your own dogs ability to cope with the heat. Heat stroke is a thing in dogs and can be a killer.

I have one who copes better than the younger one who feels the heat more quickly. Both will keep going too fast and too long so I have to regulate for them.
They love water so the river canal or lake is alway our first choice in hot weather. Keeping outings early or late to avoid hottest parts of the day. Using cool mats and giving frozen treats helps keep them cool when at home.

Most important things to remember are:
Tarmac gets much hotter than grass and dogs don't wear shoes, some have presented at vets with burnt paws! 😥
Stationary cars are like ovens even with windows down a bit and dogs wear fur coats all year.

Enjoy but stay safe everyone 😀

14/07/2022

With the temperature set to soar to over 30°C at the weekend keeping our dogs cool is going to be a challenge.

Mine will most likely just chill in the shade, with lots of options of places to lie and spend time in the river. I keep the curtains shut till the sun has gone past, provide cool drinking water, a paddling pool, cool mats and frozen treats. If we drive to the river, I'll wet them before we get in the van and they'll lie on wet towels. I'll try to find some shade while we're out.

Hope you all manage to stay cool.

08/06/2022

This week is child safety week.
This is a new poster for the dog saftey code.

Learning about how dogs communicate so we can understand how they are feeling is a big part of staying safe. For everyone not just children.