Kommetjie Canine College

07/09/2025

⚠️Giving a cut-off date for the confirmation of a booking for a private consultation or enrolment into group classes is not rude or threatening, it is a necessary aspect of running a business and being able to meet the needs of those who are serious about engaging our services.

Whether we are booking people into puppy or other group classes, arranging private lessons or home consultations, we can only accommodate a limited number of clients over a particular time period. As we have daily inquiries, it is necessary to get bookings confirmed within a few days, so that we know for certain whether places or time slots are booked or available and we can continue to offer free times and places as more inquiries come in or refer to colleagues when we no longer have availability.

Asking for booking forms and payments to be returned by a certain date to secure a booking does not constitute a threat. Explaining in our basic terms and conditions that if forms and payments are not received by the due date it is assumed the booking is no longer required and the client is welcome to contact us about an alternative date, is not rude, but standard practice for most businesses.

Please understand how much time and energy we put into admin and communication with potential clients and how just about impossible it is to get compliance when it comes to filling in simple forms and confirming bookings on time. While people expect us to drop everything and respond to messages and emails within minutes, once we respond, it tends to take weeks and sometimes months for potential clients to bother to get back to us and we cannot hold places and timeslots for people who want to wait until the day before a class or consultation to commit.

If you are expecting a qualified professional to:
1. Answer your call, text or email within minutes
2. Wait for weeks for you to make a decision to take up an appointment or place in a class
3. Hold a place or appointment for you indefinitely
4. Not care whether you have filled in a form with vital information that helps us to do our jobs properly
5. Not care whether you pay for our services or not

Please ask yourself what sort of person you want to engage the services of - because someone who would fulfil these criteria clearly has a lot of free time (I.e. no other clients), is totally disorganised and is not fully invested in their work.

Trying to provide a service and run a business as a trainer or behaviour consultant, where you give your best to your clients requires organisation, forethought and self-respect. We are our own accountants, receptionists, business managers, debt collectors, marketing department and personal assistants.
And we will not tolerate rudeness or be bullied into dropping our standards or boundaries. ⚠️

To all our wonderful clients who communicate kindly and respectfully and seek to make our jobs easier, you don't go unnoticed and please know that you are highly valued 😊🐾

16/07/2025

A very common request for assistance that behaviourists get, is introducing a new puppy to an existing dog. People asking for help to ensure that introductions between their existing dog and their new puppy go well is a good thing. The problem though, is that most of these requests are done in the following circumstances:

1. The person already has the new puppy
2. The person knows that their existing dog has serious issues with other dogs

Thoughtfully planning ahead of time, by consulting a behaviourist when one is considering adding a new dog to the family BEFORE committing to the new addition, is a good thing. Getting a new puppy KNOWING FULL WELL that your existing dog has social problems and expecting a behaviourist to do an emergency consultation because you are now living with two dogs in separate parts of your home and have no idea how to introduce them, is a very silly thing to do. If your dog doesn’t like other dogs or lacks social skills, we cannot wave a magic wand and change their personality and socialisation history. Yes, some dogs that are not generally sociable with other dogs can learn to accept a new puppy, but some don’t. It is extremely risky to bring a puppy into a home with a dog who is completely intolerant of other dogs and actively hostile towards them. You may be bringing that puppy into a situation that will be traumatic or downright dangerous for them. Just because you want a puppy, doesn’t mean you are in a position to get one. Your other dogs have to be considered.

I do understand that in many cases things aren’t as simple as a dog being absolutely fine with other dogs or a dog being completely intolerant – most dogs fall somewhere along that spectrum and their response to a new puppy may not be clearly predictable. However, that is where getting advice BEFORE making a decision is a must. Book a consultation to discuss whether your dog would cope with a new puppy, given their history, temperament, age, health and current behaviour challenges. We can offer guidance on whether it is an idea which can be explored or whether it is totally ill-advised to go ahead. We can offer guidance as to what work can be done to prepare your dog for the new arrival by meeting their emotional and physical needs, reducing stress and anxiety and managing or resolving any current behaviour issues (e.g. resource guarding) which could interfere with them accepting a new arrival. We can also advise on the type of dog (age, s*x, size, breed etc) that will most suit your current dog and give you safe gradual introduction protocols, to try and set the relationship up for success.

Too often we are put in situations where people go out and get a new puppy, despite the fact that their existing dog is completely unsocialised and openly aggressive towards other dogs and then expect us to drop everything and rush over to stop the older dog from attacking the puppy. This is completely unacceptable. In many of these situations my advice ends up being to give the puppy back to the rescue organisation or breeder, before they are physically hurt or emotionally damaged for life.

I also have to ask, why are rescue organisations giving puppies to people who have existing dogs that are not socialised with other dogs? What happened to pre home-checks? What happened to introductions with existing animals BEFORE an adoption is approved? It is sadly most often puppies from shelters that seem to end up in these situations and it seems that in haste to find homes for puppies, there is a failure to ask appropriate questions. This really needs to change.

So please, if you want to add a puppy or dog to your family, give it thoughtful consideration ahead of time and seek advice if you have any concerns over your current dog or they have any social or behavioural issues. Don’t just do it and expect everything to work out. You may be ruining a puppy’s life and creating a lot of trauma for your whole family if you go this route.

13/07/2025

This is a helpful video on understanding deformities in dogs that are a result of unhealthy selective breeding and the suffering these abnormalities cause. As the speaker says, there are so many dog breeds to choose from, no one needs to pick one that suffers just by existing. We need to stop supporting the breeding of deformed, suffering animals.

One of the most prevalent deformities we see today is that of the extreme slopiness of German Shepherds. These dogs are being bred by registered breeders to walk on their hocks and have severely limited range of motion in their back ends. The extent of this deformity is getting more and more severe and other trainer, behaviourist, veterinary and physio colleagues and professionals I have spoken to are ALL seeing the same things and are heartbroken by it. We have so many young GSD's in our classes who from puppyhood cannot play without falling over and spend most of the lesson lying down, because moving is challenging for them. We have referred so many to physios for help to try and strengthen their hind quarters and ease the strain on their backs. These dogs are simply not functional. They suffer and so do their guardians who end up spending a fortune on medical and physical therapy expenses, never mind the emotional trauma of living with a broken dog.

What makes me absolutely sick to my stomach is the flat refusal of the German Shepherd Federation to admit there is a problem. These lunatics actually claim that these excessively rounded backs are stronger, because a rounded bridge is stronger than a flat bridge 🙄 I'm not sure what these people are smoking and if they've ever tried to do anything with one of these dogs other than drag it around a show ring before the poor thing collapses in a heap. They are literally giving medals for this kind of breeding.

Chatting to colleagues, we are all on the same page. We are all heartbroken by what we are seeing and dread getting new GSD puppies in our classes, because we know the trauma for everyone that lies ahead. We need to stop buying these dogs today and force the German Shepherd world to wake up and go in a completely different direction. They need to bring back the functional, straight backed dogs that I grew up with.

This video is 22 minutes long (ish!). Dip in and out, share if you feel moved. Thank you in advance. We can improve animal welfare overnight with your help!

28/06/2025

Lucy the Boerboel wowed everyone in the Advanced Class today with her distance control - Lucy has been with us since she was a baby and LOVES training - and everything is done with her signature head tilt 🥰🐾

28/06/2025

It was miserable in Cape Town today, but a few of our puppies and their committed family members came along for a lesson under the shelter. Among other things, we worked on searching for a treat under cones, hopping over a pole and settle on a mat. I think the pups forgot about the cold weather most of the time and they even not a chance to play a bit in a gap in the rain 💦🐾🥰

20/06/2025

🚨 Let’s Talk Truth — Before It’s Too Late 🚨
For too long, the truth about Pit Bulls has been buried under layers of myth, denial, and misinformation. But the consequences of that silence are mounting — with devastating results for dogs, people, and the breed itself.

📢 Read. Share. Speak honestly. The future of the breed depends on it. 🐾

The Pit Bull Federation, as well as responsible behaviour professionals, trainers and rescues, have been trying to educate the public for years on the realities of owning a pit bull. However, too many fans of the breed, amateur trainers and unethical rescue organizations have continued to perpetuate myths that contradict the very nature of these dogs and set them up to fail. This post is a collaboration between The Pit Bull Federation of South Africa and myself, Taryn Blyth, animal behaviorist and dog trainer (Kommetjie Canine College). We ask that all like-minded professionals and interest groups share and support this attempt to break the silence and educate the public around the realities of the breed, to prevent further tragedy. There have been far too many human fatalities over the last decade due to the refusal to accept what a pit bull is and what they were bred to do and even more dog fatalities. Refusal to face the truth does not help this breed and will continue to fuel the crisis, which has already resulted in calls for a breed ban.

Bred to fight and kill other dogs:
Most of the dog breeds that we have today were originally selected for a particular type of “work”. For example, we all know that herding dogs were selected to herd livestock, retrievers were bred to retrieve game, pointers were selected to locate and keep game still until it could be shot, and terriers were bred to catch and kill rodents. Somehow, while we are happy to talk about the origins of all other breeds and to accept that this has a unique influence on the fundamental nature of the dog, there is much denial about the history of the Pit Bull and the actual repercussions of genetically enhancing their motivation and ability to fight and kill their own kind. Pit Bulls were genetically selected to be able to fight and kill other dogs and to be extremely good at doing so. While it is not the fault of the dogs themselves, but rather that of the people who deliberately set about this endeavor, we cannot deny that genetically selecting a dog for such purposes has had a profound effect on their physical conformation as well as their behavioral and emotional disposition. Gameness (the desire to keep fighting no
matter what) was a highly sought after trait, strongly selected for in the breed’s development. They are NOT nanny dogs. They were NEVER originally bred to be family companions. They are, simply put, carefully formed and created to maim and kill their own species. Furthermore, this occupation for the dog is not something from the distant past, sadly it still happens all over the world to this day. The Pit Bull is a fairly recent breed and has VERY LITTLE history of being bred for companionship rather than fighting. They have not evolved away from their original form and function.

Genetically selected for dog-dog aggression:
Being genetically selected for their propensity to fight and kill other dogs means that Pit Bulls are at FAR GREATER risk for developing dog-dog aggression than other breeds. No one denies that a border collie is more likely to herd children or joggers than a labrador and no one disputes that Labradors enjoy putting everything in their mouths. Again, with every other type of dog, we accept that the function they were selected for has an impact on their NORMAL, EXPECTED behavior. Of course there may be exceptions, but they are the exception and not the norm. While every dog may be an individual, a vital factor in assessing any behavior case and in fulfilling a dog’s needs, is knowing what breed the dog is .Trying to enrich a Husky’s life by teaching them to retrieve would be laughable, but giving a bored Labrador the opportunity to fetch and carry things, could massively improve their quality of life. The form and function of a dog MATTERS and IS a good predictor of behavioral preferences. Time and again we understand and accept this with every other breed on the planet and work according to this framework. People accept that border collies are at risk of herding and getting nippy with joggers or children, we accept that recall can be a challenge for hounds, who like to follow their noses, we accept that Labradors tend to be more destructive than the average dog and we accept that allowing pet rats to run around with a Jack Russel probably isn’t the greatest idea. Yet, the stubborn notion that a Pit Bull is the same as any other dog when it comes to their risk for dog-dog aggression persists. This is a fundamental denial of reality, and it must stop.

Hard-wired to grab, bite and shake:
The behavior pattern that has been modified in order to create dogs for various types of work, is the Predatory Motor Pattern (PMP). The PMP is what enables wild canids to feed themselves successfully and it is a hard-wired behavior sequence. It is not a learned behavior – it is part of the “hardware”. While dogs have evolved over thousands of years to be primarily scavengers and not hunters, remnants of the PMP of their wild ancestors remains. Through selective breeding, we have enhanced certain parts of this behavior sequence and weakened other parts, in different ways, depending on the purpose the dog was designed for. We selected for FUNCTION and along the way a related physical form developed that aligned with that function.

The original and complete PMP is as follows:
ORIENT → EYE → STALK → CHASE → GRAB BITE → SHAKE BITE/KILL BITE → DISSECT → EAT
The Border Collie is probably one of the best examples of how humans tinkered with the predatory motor pattern in order to create a dog that would herd but not harm livestock. The border collie has a modified version of the PMP that goes like this:

EYE → STALK → CHASE (in exaggerated form and on repeat)

Border collies will rehearse this sequence of behavior until the cows come home – or the sheep, literally! They do not need any external rewards for this behavior as the chemical reactions in the brain that take place while they are engaged in this activity are internally reinforcing and make them feel GOOD. The same principle applies to other breeds: Pointers have exaggerated EYE → STALK behaviors, Labradors have a modified GRAB BITE behaviors and Flock guarding dogs that live amongst livestock have very weak, malleable or non-existent functional predatory behaviors (which is why the sheep don’t run from them and why, despite their size, they are seldom responsible for human or dog fatalities).

Unfortunately, the parts of the predatory sequence that have been selected for and exaggerated in Pit Bulls are:

EYE → SHAKE BITE/KILL BITE and sometimes DISSECT.

This shortened form of the PMP contains the initial sighting of the “prey” and goes straight into the shaking and killing bit. There is nothing in between, which is why attacks are often seemingly unpredictable and with little “warning” if you do not understand the breed of dog in front of you.
It is vital we understand that in the same way any other breed of dog gains internal reinforcement from carrying out their function and rehearsing their PMP (herding, pointing, chasing, retrieving etc) so does a Pit Bull. Pit Bulls ENJOY grabbing, shaking and ripping “prey” to pieces. They don’t need to be coerced, trained or abuse to enjoy this behavior – it is an inherent predisposition.

Incredible Strength, low reactivity threshold and high pain threshold:
Pit Bulls have been selected for exaggerated muscle mass, making them incredibly strong dogs, even though they are not particularly large in comparison to many other breeds. Powerful bodies behind powerful jaws have been deliberately selected so that Pit Bulls can inflict maximum damage in a fight. Aside from the “gameness” mentioned earlier, Pit Bulls also have a tendency to react very quickly in specific situations: a pit bull that was expected to fight needed to engage quickly with an opponent – they could not afford to stand there and think about it first. A low reactivity threshold is common in all terriers (Jack Russells are notorious for jumping in first and asking questions later), but particularly risky in a dog with the strength and gameness of a Pit Bull. While it is hard to definitively assess pain thresholds in dogs under normal circumstances, Pit Bulls are generally described as being “tolerant” of handling and not overly sensitive. When engaged in fighting, the chemical changes in the brain also affect the perception of pain and there are many reported cases of severely injured dogs continuing to fight relentlessly. Stopping a pit bull during a fight is incredibly difficult and almost impossible. Many people have sustained severe injuries trying to do so.

Socializing and Training cannot erase genetics:
One of the biggest misunderstandings around the breed is the belief that socializing and training can override hard wired behaviour patterns. Added to this is the misconception that the type of aggression involved in severe attacks on other dogs and people is simply defensive in nature. There are many claims that there is no genetic basis for aggression and that Pit Bulls do not show higher levels of aggression than any other breed. The problem with these statements is that they are referring to DEFENSIVE aggression. Defensive aggression is a normal survival mechanism i.e. the ability to use aggression to protect oneself from a threat. Indeed, any dog of any breed is capable of defensive aggression if they are threatened, frightened or hurt. This is completely normal. However, defensive aggression is characterized by barking, growling, snarling, snapping, biting and releasing. Any dog from a chihuahua to a great dane is capable of this type of behavior in the “right” circumstances. Pit Bulls may be no more likely than any other dog breed to engage in this type of aggressive behavior. However, the severe attacks on other dogs and sometimes people, that result in hospitalization and death are not purely defensive in nature. These attacks involve repeated deep bites, shaking and tearing. In these attacks the Predatory Motor Pattern that is hard-wired into the breed takes over and the attacks become PREDATORY in nature. The dogs are not simply defending themselves – they are engaged in highly reinforcing behavior, which they can actually begin to seek out, once they have experienced it. Yes, all dogs can bite but most dogs do not put people in hospital or kill other dogs. The reality is that the vast
majority of dog bite fatalities the world over are due to Pit Bulls or Pit Bull type dogs. While good socialization definitely decreases the chances of any dog biting defensively, it does not erase the predatory motor pattern of that dog. Pit Bulls may be incredibly “friendly” and tolerant with other dogs UNTIL something goes wrong. Too many people have learned the hard way that having a sociable Pit Bull does NOT mean their predatory motor pattern will not be triggered if they do get into an altercation with another dog.
Everyone assumes that their dog is the exception until it is too late, with tragic consequences.

If you love the breed, you need to accept them for who they are. If you love the breed, you need to set them up for success and not for failure. If you love your Pit Bull, do not put them in a situation where they will end up harming other dogs or people – because if you love them, you do not want to lose them.

17/06/2025

The Pit Bull Federation of South Africa - PBFSA is working very hard to educate people about the realities of owning this breed. They are needing support from all ethical dog professionals to help the public to face the truth and prevent further tragedies. If you support their statement, as I do, please share this post. A further educational post that is a collaboration between PBFSA and myself will be coming out in the next few days. I don't want to see dogs or people suffer. I'm willing to put my neck on the line to speak the truth.

15/06/2025

This feels like a lifetime ago, but was only in 2016 - lots of things have changed since then (and I look older 😄🙈) but our approach is still to support dogs and their people to learn and grow together in a stress free environment 🐾😊

Be it angry, edgy, fearful, anxious or even hyper, pets experience stress much the same as we do! Which can cause them to fall ill, suppress the immune syste...

08/06/2025

Well done to our dogs and their people who achieved their Canine Good Citizen Awards today with evaluator Liz Chamberlain who kindly gave up her time this morning to come and test our dogs 😊🐾
We had:
Hunter the GSD - Puppy CGC
Emmi the Black Labrador - Bronze CGC
Maisy Pudding the Rottweiler - Bronze CGC
Maisie the Springer Spaniel - Bronze CGC
Rocco the Australian Shepherd - Bronze CGC
Poppy the mini "Malinois" mix - Bronze CGC
Finley the Cocker Spaniel - Bronze CGC
Grace the Pointer - Bronze CGC
Myla the GSD - Bronze CGC
Watson the Chocolate Labrador - Silver CGC
Laika the Amstaff - Silver CGC

Well done everyone! You did very well 🥰🐾

26/05/2025

I agree with this completely. All the points raised are extremely valid. While some dogs may benefit from short breaks from outings, most dogs are better served improving the quality of outings rather than isolating them at home.

A PROLONGED BREAK FROM WALKS : Beneficial or Stressful? 🐕 🚶‍♀️ 🌳


About 10 years ago, I used to recommend to most of my reactive dog cases to take a break of 2-3 weeks from walks - so to lower the stress caused by reacting at triggers across the day.
This served as a 're-set' period for the dog. Somehow, back then it worked for those cases- with many of them reporting the dog sleeping more after a day or so adjusting and their return to walks being productive.

Despite this previously successul strategy of 're-setting', I now very rarely recommend people stop walking their dogs for a prolonged period of time.

Here's why and here's what I recommend instead.


1️⃣ The average home and garden in my city is not huge. It's not a size that is a welfare concern for the dog by any means, but it is also not a size that gives dogs the space needed to meet their physical exercise needs.

Whilst most pet dogs do not need to be an uber-fit competition level athlete, they benefit from some level of physical activity, helping to keep weight off and keeping them mobile.

2️⃣ Many dogs have a firmly established routine. Whilst having the ability to adapt to some flex in their routine is helpful, asking a dog (and their caregiver) to go from X trips out of the house a day to zero for a long period of time, is a huge change- which can be a stressor in itself.

The value of mental stimulation activities can rapidly decline and it’s asking a lot of carers to keep up mental stimulation that is adequately stimulating for a prolonged period of time.


3️⃣ If you remove a dog from the outside world for a long period of time, you have to then reintroduce them to that outside world.
A break from walks can increase the novelty value of everything outside, which can then bring about it's own challenges- from excessive arousal elevation, sensory overload and challenging behaviours such as pulling intensely on the lead.

Whilst not the sole cause of dog-dog 'reactivity', if a dog over-reacts due to pro-social frustration, then this motivaton to get to dogs is likely not going to decline for not seeing them for a period of time. In fact, the motivation may actually increase when they see a dog after a long break!

4️⃣ If you confine a dog to a small space, this can increase the value of things given or found within that space- such as resources. This can pose a risk to dogs with resource guarding tendencies.

It can also increase the dog's sensitivity to perception of change within that home environment- such as external noises. For some dogs, boredom from an absence of walks, or other motivating factors, may increase the tendency to respond to such changes.
This can increase stress in itself.

5️⃣ If the dog exhibits concerning behaviours towards their caregivers within the home, confining them for longer durations in a small space with no 'breathing space' - beyond what the garden provides- can intensify these problem behaviours.


When might I recommend a break from walks?

My criteria for recommending a short walk free period (usually 2-3 days) to re-set is now;

1️⃣ The dog appears quite happy to stay at home or perhaps doesn't even want to go for a walk in the first place.

The latter cases may take longer to return to walks, due to needing to build up motivation to leave the home on their terms without flooding them.

2️⃣ The walks are very clearly identied as a huge stressor that the dog needs a longer break from to recover and re-set.

3️⃣ The home has to be a sanctuary for the dog. A place they can truely relax.


Instead of a prolonged walk free re-set period, what I may recommend to reduce stress instead is;

1️⃣ For dogs where the walk from the front door is a bit of a disaster, a period of secure field walks (providing the client can get there!) allows for the client and dog to work on foundation behaviours (that includes calm mooching and sniffing) that will benefit their progress on local walks.

2️⃣ Reviewing where they walk their dog. Quieter routes or locations for a period of time may be an alternative to secure fields or no walks at all. Again, this allows for foundation behaviours to be established.

3️⃣ A reduction in walks, whether that be frequency or duration.

I personally think the vast majority of dogs enjoy two outings a day, but these outings must be quality experiences. It's better a dog has one or two short duration quality walks a day (that can be built up in duration) than longer, lower quality walks or being stressed for being cooped up at home.

4️⃣ Adjusting what happens on the walk.

Some dogs are engaging in too frequent high intensity games, some dogs aren't being given the breathing space to look around and sniff (constant training) and some dogs are pulling on the lead intensely.

Sometimes the pace of the walk is simply too rushed!

For dogs that are in pain, such as from muscular skeletal issues (very common, sadly) the pace, intensity and ability to not exasperate pain from pulling on the lead or engaging in explosive, high intensity behaviours is important.

For other dogs, they may be incredibly frustrated for never getting off lead and being able to have the space to move under their own agency (which is where secure fields are a great interim solution).

These factors, alongside many more, may be what is actually contributing to the problem behaviour- rather than the walk itself.

REST DAYS

Equally, for many dogs- rest days can be beneficial in terms of managing pain and/or stress in both dogs and owners/caregivers. But these are somewhat different to prolonged periods of not leaving the house as default advice to address a behaviour problem.

Although we should still consider whether rest days are serving their intended purpose. If a dog genuinely NEEDS to get out the house, then modifying the experience outside of the house (see above) is an equally valid alternative.


Reducing reactions is important, but this can be done in more ways than not leaving the house for extended periods of time.
Avoiding busy walks for a little while may be enough, or a rest day or two may do the trick.

In some instances, a re-set is genuinely needed from a physical and emotional perspective, but the duration of this should be carefully considered along with the amount of space available within the home parallel to how much space we think the individual dog needs.

Whilst I do think 2-3 weeks is a heck of a long time for most dogs (and their caregiver) to be stuck within the home environment, for some, perhaps these longer breaks are exactly what they need to recharge body and mind.

In other instances, the dog needs MORE than JUST rest and recovery. They might also need to learn skills that help them cope on walks and the level of stimulus intensity also needs to be considered. Staying inside the home for 2-3 weeks isn't going to guarantee resolving the issue- and if we aren't careful, we may just see the rebound effect.

A thorough assessment of the dog, including of their home environment, will help us identify how we can adapt a dog’s daily routine and experiences to promote progress in all areas.


Here's a picture of my overseas rescue dogs enjoying the sun in their back garden- waiting for the turf to fix in place so that they can enjoy the lawn (which they now can, as this was taken a couple of months ago).