Early days yet, but for anybody who is seeing this blog on a regular basis, then you may have read about Elvis the devil dog Staffordshire Bull terrier that was a "dangerous dog" and "should be put down!" Well after his training he was in Sutton park with his owner and walking with three other dogs and met about 10 unknown dogs on his walk! Elvis passed with flying colours and is now well on his way to a happy and balanced life! Just thought you might like to know!
Any questions, comments or suggestions please feel free to leave them here. If you want information help or advice about home boarding your dog with us in the Streetly area of Sutton Coldfield, then you can go to my website www.lookafteryourdog.co.uk or to buy dog leads, dog food, or any other dog related products you can go to my other site www.dog-shop.co.uk where you can buy everything for your dog in one place and see articles relating to dog training, dog care and dog health! Steve
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Tuesday, 22 February 2011
Roxie is here!
I haven't had chance to post as its been so hectic but I wanted to share with you the experience of a dog we had staying with us recently.
Roxie the Weimaraner arrived whilst her owners went to Berlin for a welcome break. A little overexcited and covering up some anxiety she is a bit nuts when she first sees you and has a bad habit of jumping up to greet you. She is very tense and does not settle which is not unusual in the first day or so of a dog boarding with us. As the days rolled on, she did not relax which is highly unusual. She would pace about and only start to settle right at the end of the night.
Food was guarded and a menacing growl given if you approached within the smell of her food. A treat she had been given was ignored, but when my lad went to stroke her she growled and moaned at him and I had to remove it.
Lovely on the walk, a little tense with some dogs with her hackles up she was not a problem and I enjoyed being out with her. A habit of rolling in strong smells was not unusual but not welcome and she needed watching for signs of bathing in Sutton parks finest!
So here's the thing, it turns out the owners teenage son loves to wind the dog up and she is acknowledged in the house whilst she is in an excited state. The learning from this is, don't wind your dog up, lie on the floor, fight or generally tease them if you want a calm and balanced animal! You must show your leadership and that includes acting like a leader and not a child! Your dog cannot understand the difference between a bit of fun and a serious confrontation. If your dog is tense or excited, ignore it! Let it deal with it and realise that that state of mind is unacceptable to you and that you will only acknowledge a calm and controlled state of mind!
We only had 6 days with Roxie and she was slowly calming down but really needed another week to fully give into relaxation!
The food issue I deal with by holding the bowl with her food in! Remember its your food that you are sharing, dont put it on the floor and then wander why your dog is warning you to go away! Offer her a few kibbles in your hand and then gentley stroke her head very briefly at first so as not to wind her up to much! If she grumbles I lift the bowl UPWARDS not sideways and stop the feeding. By going up you take the aggression out of the situation and prevent a bite!
Keep offering kibble and stroking, building up more and more as the dog desensitizes. You will know when you are winning but be patient don't rush! I then put the bowl down but stand almost on it whilst the dog eats, so that it knows you are not afraid and wont back off!
Work on this and you will find that your dog will go back to being accepting of your role at meal times, but you must back this up with firm and consistent leadership at all other times!
Any questions, comments or suggestions please feel free to leave them here. If you want information help or advice about home boarding your dog with us in the Streetly area of Sutton Coldfield, then you can go to my website www.lookafteryourdog.co.uk or to buy dog leads, dog food, or any other dog related products you can go to my other site www.dog-shop.co.uk where you can buy everything for your dog in one place and see articles relating to dog training, dog care and dog health! Steve
Roxie the Weimaraner arrived whilst her owners went to Berlin for a welcome break. A little overexcited and covering up some anxiety she is a bit nuts when she first sees you and has a bad habit of jumping up to greet you. She is very tense and does not settle which is not unusual in the first day or so of a dog boarding with us. As the days rolled on, she did not relax which is highly unusual. She would pace about and only start to settle right at the end of the night.
Food was guarded and a menacing growl given if you approached within the smell of her food. A treat she had been given was ignored, but when my lad went to stroke her she growled and moaned at him and I had to remove it.
Lovely on the walk, a little tense with some dogs with her hackles up she was not a problem and I enjoyed being out with her. A habit of rolling in strong smells was not unusual but not welcome and she needed watching for signs of bathing in Sutton parks finest!
So here's the thing, it turns out the owners teenage son loves to wind the dog up and she is acknowledged in the house whilst she is in an excited state. The learning from this is, don't wind your dog up, lie on the floor, fight or generally tease them if you want a calm and balanced animal! You must show your leadership and that includes acting like a leader and not a child! Your dog cannot understand the difference between a bit of fun and a serious confrontation. If your dog is tense or excited, ignore it! Let it deal with it and realise that that state of mind is unacceptable to you and that you will only acknowledge a calm and controlled state of mind!
We only had 6 days with Roxie and she was slowly calming down but really needed another week to fully give into relaxation!
The food issue I deal with by holding the bowl with her food in! Remember its your food that you are sharing, dont put it on the floor and then wander why your dog is warning you to go away! Offer her a few kibbles in your hand and then gentley stroke her head very briefly at first so as not to wind her up to much! If she grumbles I lift the bowl UPWARDS not sideways and stop the feeding. By going up you take the aggression out of the situation and prevent a bite!
Keep offering kibble and stroking, building up more and more as the dog desensitizes. You will know when you are winning but be patient don't rush! I then put the bowl down but stand almost on it whilst the dog eats, so that it knows you are not afraid and wont back off!
Work on this and you will find that your dog will go back to being accepting of your role at meal times, but you must back this up with firm and consistent leadership at all other times!
Any questions, comments or suggestions please feel free to leave them here. If you want information help or advice about home boarding your dog with us in the Streetly area of Sutton Coldfield, then you can go to my website www.lookafteryourdog.co.uk or to buy dog leads, dog food, or any other dog related products you can go to my other site www.dog-shop.co.uk where you can buy everything for your dog in one place and see articles relating to dog training, dog care and dog health! Steve
Thursday, 10 February 2011
Come Back!
I have watched in horror at dog owners in my local parks whose dogs are running free with a red or purple faced owner screaming at them to come back! Never, never fight a battle that you can't win! If you are not in a position to reinforce your wish, then you are actually training your dog to not come back and to be able to disobey you!
If you are faced with this situation I would say nothing until you can finally get hold of your dog and just hook him up and take it on the chin! Do not scold or punish because cause and effect will be lost on him and you will just look like a bully in a foul temper for no reason and then he'll be twice as determined not to come back to you next time!
So, once you have hold of the little sod, here's what I'd do! Buy a training line from a reputable supplier, I have brought mine off Amazon who we recommend and also a good supplier off eBay but there are plenty of other places that sell them. The lines are flat webbing with a different width depending on the size and strength of the dog and have a handle at one end and a clip at the other.
There are different lengths of line, I have 30 feet and 50 feet lengths and even a 100 feet depending on the dog and where I am, preferably a wide open space. If the dog is fast and determined then use the 50 foot one. Hook up your dog, his collar will do, if he is particularly strong willed and determined a choke chain will do but just ensure there are no sudden pulls on it to cause discomfort!
Simply hook up and let the dog move away from you to walk freely. If you are nervous then hold onto the end of the line, the dog will not be aware of it as it will be dragging, but it allows you to relax as you know he cant get away! At appropriate times; when he is just about to turn to you or is on his way back, call his name and when he arrives offer a tit bit or some fuss or play a game and then release without a command and just walk on. Quite soon you will be calling even if he is distracted and he will fly back to you. If he makes off and ignores your call, hold onto the end of the line and if he is running or you are not strong, walk or trot forward to gradually slow him down and then stand your ground. DO NOT send your dog into a back flip or jar him to a halt, you may hurt or damage his neck or back in the process! Simply move forward acting as a spring to take the jolt out of the stop and then concentrate on using all your energy and encouragement to get the dog to WANT TO COME BACK! Remember, this is not about force, it's about a trusting, respectful relationship!
Call again and if he ignores you give a tug on the line and proceed to guide him back with tugs and not pulling! If you pull he will pull against you, the moment he begins to return, call again with arms spread wide and encourage him into a big reward! After a time, you can use the shorter line and if it's an old one, you could even cut it down a length at a time until it is little more than a very long lead.
That's it! keep it up and you will have a recall in no time! Eventually you can let him off when you trust him, but don't be afraid to use the line again if he falls off the wagon!
If you have a particularly difficult case and you can't get your dogs attention, then consider using a remote spray collar to get the dogs attention and then use rewards to get him back to you! Consider professionally help if you do not feel competent to do this on your own!
If you are faced with this situation I would say nothing until you can finally get hold of your dog and just hook him up and take it on the chin! Do not scold or punish because cause and effect will be lost on him and you will just look like a bully in a foul temper for no reason and then he'll be twice as determined not to come back to you next time!
So, once you have hold of the little sod, here's what I'd do! Buy a training line from a reputable supplier, I have brought mine off Amazon who we recommend and also a good supplier off eBay but there are plenty of other places that sell them. The lines are flat webbing with a different width depending on the size and strength of the dog and have a handle at one end and a clip at the other.
There are different lengths of line, I have 30 feet and 50 feet lengths and even a 100 feet depending on the dog and where I am, preferably a wide open space. If the dog is fast and determined then use the 50 foot one. Hook up your dog, his collar will do, if he is particularly strong willed and determined a choke chain will do but just ensure there are no sudden pulls on it to cause discomfort!
Simply hook up and let the dog move away from you to walk freely. If you are nervous then hold onto the end of the line, the dog will not be aware of it as it will be dragging, but it allows you to relax as you know he cant get away! At appropriate times; when he is just about to turn to you or is on his way back, call his name and when he arrives offer a tit bit or some fuss or play a game and then release without a command and just walk on. Quite soon you will be calling even if he is distracted and he will fly back to you. If he makes off and ignores your call, hold onto the end of the line and if he is running or you are not strong, walk or trot forward to gradually slow him down and then stand your ground. DO NOT send your dog into a back flip or jar him to a halt, you may hurt or damage his neck or back in the process! Simply move forward acting as a spring to take the jolt out of the stop and then concentrate on using all your energy and encouragement to get the dog to WANT TO COME BACK! Remember, this is not about force, it's about a trusting, respectful relationship!
Call again and if he ignores you give a tug on the line and proceed to guide him back with tugs and not pulling! If you pull he will pull against you, the moment he begins to return, call again with arms spread wide and encourage him into a big reward! After a time, you can use the shorter line and if it's an old one, you could even cut it down a length at a time until it is little more than a very long lead.
That's it! keep it up and you will have a recall in no time! Eventually you can let him off when you trust him, but don't be afraid to use the line again if he falls off the wagon!
If you have a particularly difficult case and you can't get your dogs attention, then consider using a remote spray collar to get the dogs attention and then use rewards to get him back to you! Consider professionally help if you do not feel competent to do this on your own!
Friday, 4 February 2011
Too busy to post!
Its been a busy few days which have meant that some of my tasks have been put on hold, namely writing this blog. Anyway Bailey is still with us and still proving to be a lovely dog, very calm and respectful around the house, but quite sparky on his walks with a love of life which is always good to see!
Did some more training with Elvis the Staffy the other day, he is very tense around other dogs because he was nor properly socialised and so he wants to meet dogs but doesn't know how!
We had him on a long line and walked him behind our test dog Foley the Springer Spaniel and then gradually alongside with no problems. The dogs were then allowed to run free with Elvis on a dragging long line supervised by me. If Foley came running past this elicited the prey / chase response in old Elvis and that had to be corrected. When we stopped to speak that was when the explosion occurred as his brain stopped focusing on other matters and went back into habit mode of aggression as a form of defence.
So homework for his owners is muzzle training for his next session so we can let him be more relaxed around strange dogs without worrying about them getting injured. This requires them to use a clicker to reward the dog when the muzzle is around, before slowly building up to him wearing it! I'll post this phase separately as it is important that this is done correctly or the dog wont accept the muzzle and will try to remove it!
Happy training!
Did some more training with Elvis the Staffy the other day, he is very tense around other dogs because he was nor properly socialised and so he wants to meet dogs but doesn't know how!
We had him on a long line and walked him behind our test dog Foley the Springer Spaniel and then gradually alongside with no problems. The dogs were then allowed to run free with Elvis on a dragging long line supervised by me. If Foley came running past this elicited the prey / chase response in old Elvis and that had to be corrected. When we stopped to speak that was when the explosion occurred as his brain stopped focusing on other matters and went back into habit mode of aggression as a form of defence.
So homework for his owners is muzzle training for his next session so we can let him be more relaxed around strange dogs without worrying about them getting injured. This requires them to use a clicker to reward the dog when the muzzle is around, before slowly building up to him wearing it! I'll post this phase separately as it is important that this is done correctly or the dog wont accept the muzzle and will try to remove it!
Happy training!
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