Mulling Over the Issues of the Week

Just been mulling over two issues that have arisen this week. Firstly a little dog who came to us for help after being with another trainer who dealt with the dog's aggression to other dogs by stabbing it in the ribs with two fingers (this dog weighs under 12lbs) and now the dog is aggressive to humans. Secondly the little JRT on the One Show with resource guarding issues and the awful way in which Jordan Shelley decided this issue should be addressed.

Please ensure that before you take your dog to any trainer/behaviour advisor you obtain recommendations, you see them in action with other dogs and most importantly that they have the requisite experience and knowledge/expertise to deal with the issue. A qualification means nothing without experience and experience means nothing without studying canine behaviour and continuing professional development.

As pointed out by a friend, there are students new to the field who don't have a lot of hands on experience but have an understanding of the science of learning theory.   So don't close your mind to a newbie on the block, that's why it's important to go and see them in action to get a feel for their methods. If you are uncomfortable with someone's method walk away no matter how much experience they may have. There are some out there who continually highlight how much experience they have but doesn't make them good at what they do, just the same as having a qualification doesn't mean they are good at what they do either. It's the same in any profession.  

See the results then make up your mind if it's the right trainer/behaviour advisor for you and your dog.

The Lasting Effects

We often read about or hear about a dog being attacked by another dog or dogs and we shake our heads, feel sad for the dog and move on.  Rarely do we hear about the lasting effects of such an attack and the hard work that the owner needs to undertake to get their dog back on track after a frightening ordeal.

Here's one such story..... Let's call him Patch (names changed to protect the innocent!) and his owner Mary.  Patch and Mary were enjoying their walk one evening when they met a lady coming towards them with a Rottweiler and GSD.  The dogs were set on getting to Patch and Mary and the owner lost control of them and dropped their leads whereupon they set about Patch to his severe injury.  Mary rushed Patch home and onto the vet.  Patch was quite down for a while and following a couple of weeks away, on his return to his house, he would no longer go for a walk.  Mary tried hard to persuade him but he was too frightened to venture past his gate. 

This has gone on for a few weeks now so we set off tonight to see what we could do to help.  With some exercises and lots of reward Patch ventured along the road a bit and passed his gate twice going in different directions.  It will not be an overnight cure for Mary and Patch but Mary is determined to help Patch overcome his fear and I'm sure they will get there.  We will review in a week to see how it's going and move on to the the next step.

It's the side of the story that is never seen and there are no consequences for the owner of the other dogs although the Dog Warden is now aware as is the Police but we have had word today that it has happened again. Perhaps if she was aware of the financial and emotional cost of her actions (or lack of them) she might just do something but then again perhaps not.....

The Wanderer Returns!

Sorry for the lack of posts - life has been too hectic! however, a nice relaxing holiday and lots of to-do lists made and I'm back...

Met up with the German Wire-Haired pointer this week (see post back 3 March).  He has come a long way and his owner has put in place a lot of what we talked about.  He's 10 months now and a big lad and full of the joys of life which can prove difficult for a little lady! So we practicsed some impulse control exercises and within a short space of time he was getting the idea.  We also looked at some activities the owner could do with him which would activate his brain and importantly build the relationship between dog and owner.  So hopefully progress will continue as before and we'll see how he is going in November when I'm back down.

Still on holiday this week but preparing for a session with a Springer with separation anxiety. 

Come again!

Maisie's recall training is going well.  She is returning 100% of the time in the garden and well known secure areas. She checks in every so often too which is being well rewarded at the moment as I'm keen for her to understand that she can come in whenever without having to be called and can then go off again.

So all in all really please with her progress and as it is the top issue with 80% of the newbies in class next week I will be sharing my ideas and successes along with the frustrations on our recall journey.

Gundog Training

Sincere apologies for the delay in posting but life has been hectic!

Today's ponder was what is about dogs that makes everything right with the world? 

Spent the day with the fabulous Andy Cullen of Laochin Gundogs at a Ladies Gundog training day.  I decided to take Callum with me as Hector is coming on well with his working tirals training and I didn't want to put Maisie in a situation where she could undo all her good recall work and Cal doesn't get to do much these days since his Search and Rescue work finished. So off we went to spend the day doing some gundog training.

Life has been very hectic with the day job recently and I have been away from home a lot so it was great to just have the whole day to focus on my dog.  I got to thinking though what is it that makes it so special - I really do feel the stresses and strains just melt away when I'm with my dogs.  I think it is a combination of companionship, fun, and just that time spent with each other teaching and learning.  Callum really enjoyed himself, and seeing his little face focused on what I was going to ask him to do next was a joy.  He did get a bit overexcited at the pond though! But due to two swans and two geese he didn't get to swim (his favourite thing in the whole world!).

It was a really enjoyable day and it is always a pleasure to watch other trainers, particularly in another discipline, and to learn from others.  So dummies at the ready and off we go again!

Come!

Continued the recall training with Maisie this week. Maisie is my little cocker - she came to me for fostering and brought my husband under her spell so never left!! She is a very clever little dog and you always have to be one step ahead. She has come on leaps and bounds from when she first arrived - she was 6 months old and not house trained and if she didn't get to do what she wanted she bit whoever was in her way be it human or canine. She is now fully house trained and no longer bites so it's just her recall that needs work.

She is responding well to the whistle and getting 100% success in a confined apace so we moved to a new area. All was going well until near the end when she got a scent and nothing was going to get in the way! So we have taken a little step back again as she's obviously not quite ready to move on to the next stage. She will get there and it's always better to take a step back than try and force it as it's too easy to undo all the good work. Watch this space!!

Puppy!

I'm on holiday this week and met up with a neighbour in the village in which I'm staying. She has a new puppy who is 15 weeks old and is finding him hard work. It's her first dog and he's a German Wire-Haired pointer. We chatted about him and when I commented on how they are known to be very strong-willed and know very experienced owners/trainers who say they are the hardest dogs they have ever trained she said everyone keeps telling her that - She didn't realise how difficult it would be. There's a couple of points there for new dog owners:-

- do your homework on breeds before you get your new puppy, making sure you can meet the needs of that particular breed and that your lifestyle is suitable for that breed.
- think about puppy versus older dog - this lady is retired and it's her first dog

German Wire-Haired Pointers are great dogs and do great work but need training and something to do so think about going to a training class and make sure the trainer understands the breed and their needs in training.

We talked about his exercise as he is being walked for an hour free running at a time which is too much for a growing puppy of that age. The accepted norm is around 5 minutes per month of age and whilst nothing is ever cast in stone it is a general standard to work around. There are lots of other ways to exercise a puppy without walking his legs off and we are meeting today to do some bits and pieces so we can exercise his brain.