Love or Hate

About 250,000 dog bites occur each year in the UK and a staggering 4.7 million dog-bites in the USA! In the UK 7 out of every 10 bites are caused by the owners animal or one they know, so why this many bites? To answer this question you have to look at how dogs view humans and how we view dogs and see where its going wrong! The number one cause of problems is love! Perhaps the best and most endearing quality that humans possess is their ability to love! This wonderful act is responsible for all that is good in the world, except when it comes to dogs! I have been criticised by some very nice people when I try to explain what I mean by this but bear with me. I don't mean you can't love your dog, only please don't love it as if it was a human!


So to explain, your dog is an animal first and foremost and its DNA will tell it how to view the members of its family/pack. Its interactions with the world, including people and dogs will shape its behaviour towards them. Some dogs have characters and personalities that make them very biddable and quite easy going. This type of dog is obviously right for a certain type of person, especially a woman who is looking for a surrogate child, either not having had children or the children having grown up and left home. The love they have needs an outlet and this type of dog is perfect for them as it is unlikely they will cause issues with it.

Other types of dog will take the person described above and see them as being very weak and unable to lead them or the humans that form their family/pack. This type of dog which from experience, can be anything and is in the majority; will move into the home and may for a short period be OK and may seem to be thriving in the home. After a short period there will be signs that all is not right and the dog will exhibit certain behaviours that will start to cause concern.

The dog may go two ways depending on its character and personality, it can become introverted and go shy, anxious and become withdrawn and afraid and may bite or bark and growl through fear. Or it can be extroverted where it bites feet, hands, runs around with the devil in it, chews, damages, growls, runs away, refuses to come back and is aggressive to dogs and or humans! Both types have different symptoms but in my experience are part of the same problem and that is a lack of structure and rules in their life and a lack of leadership from its family/pack members, which causes either anxiety or dominant behaviour depending on character or personality! Often the family may have members who the dog is subservient and biddable to and others who the dog ignores or treats in a different way.

At this point I need to stress again that I don't criticise people for this issue as the love they share with their dogs although one sided is well intentioned. Once pointed out, this is when the problems for me arise as it usually ends in two ways. The person rejects what I'm saying and looks for solutions elsewhere, usually dog training classes which do not address the behavioural issues and will not help on there own. Or the person agrees and sets out to remedy the issues but is not able to change the soft side of their own personality and so the dog doesn't see any difference and continues its behaviour!

This is how animals know when the time is right to remove the leader by challenging it. Sometimes the leader fights back in the animal world and wins and the challenger backs off until the next time when it reasserts itself and eventually wins, taking the top spot. This ensures that the pack, group, family etc. are always being led by the best candidate and helps to ensure the best chances of survival.


So to sum up, if you have a dog, please remember that it is a dog, it's a carnivore, a predator and capable of causing injury or serious harm if it isn't treated in the right way! I know some reading this will say that's a nonsense but please look at the statistics and realise that your dog can cause injuries to you and yours if you don't respect the dog/animal within him/her. Or he/she can be an absolute joy to own as long as you respect its heritage, treat it with respect and give it clear boundaries and rules to work within so that it knows exactly where its place in the world is and what is expected of it! Don't be afraid to ask everyone in your family to ensure that your dog acts with respect and displays good manners at all times, if not challenge the behaviour and when the right behaviours are shown don't be afraid to praise and reward and then you will get the dog you want. This will take the stress off your dog and enable it to get on with being a happy go lucky pooch with no cares and then you can love it all you like!

"Hospital admissions for serious dog-related injuries rose by 5% in England last year, according to NHS data. There were 6,120 hospital admissions from May 2010 to April 2011, up from 5,810 the previous year, figures from The NHS Information Centre show. One in six dog injury admissions in the year up to April involved a child aged under 10. A spokesman for the NHS Information Centre said summer was a "seasonal hotspot" for dog injuries. Incidents of people being bitten or struck by dogs peaked in April this year with 640 admissions - the highest monthly figure for two years.The north west had the highest number of admissions for dog bites or other injuries, with 1,090. The report also shows that dog-related injuries accounted for about half of all the 12,410 admissions caused by being bitten or struck by various creatures in the 12 months to April 2011."
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Canine CPR

It dawned on me recently that we are all probably aware of human CPR in some form or another, but do we know what to do if our dog collapses? Imagine the horror of not having even a slight idea of what to do?

I have found a video on YouTube which I think is easy to follow, however there are others and you might want to have a look and see if they reinforce the message of this video.

Remember, something is better than nothing, just give it a go and try to get the vet to the dog or normally the dog to the vet and hopefully the outcome will be positive. If you do nothing then it will be a negative outcome for sure!



I have included the video below to show that even if you do everything wrong; but you do something, then you can effect the outcome in a positive way! This trainer does a form of CPR as taught by the prievious video but not exactly right, but he helps the dog which is all we want!

Hopefully none of us will ever need to do this but if we are faced with this situation at least we can have a go and that's all that anyone can ask!

Cheers Steve

Be Calm

Some practical and commonsense tips to help you to achieve a calm and balanced dog!
Exercise your dog! - This subject is covered by our walking the dog page, but it is the most fundamental thing that you can do to calm your dog down! If you do not burn off the dogs energy, particularly high and working energy type dogs, then you are asking for trouble. You must MUST always exercise your dog' every day without fail unless you have an issue to prevent you doing it and then someone else should do it for you!

Calm yourself down! - Before you can ask your dog to be calm you need to be calm yourself! In fact, the worse your dog gets, the calmer you need to be! When your dog gets stressed or over excited, if you start shouting and puling at the dog, it can be interpreted as you joining in with the dog, so if another dog is approaching, your dog starts shouting, you start shouting at the dog and the bad energy that is flying around just fuels the fire. So, hard as it is, calm down, take a deep breath and think about what you are going to do to get your dog to concentrate on you and defuse the situation.

Ride the wave! - Your dog may explode in a wave of anxiety, fear or even aggression when you ask it to do something that it may not want to do! As stated above, calm down and ride the wave letting your dog expel the fear or anxiety whilst you plan your next move. You should aim to correct your dog before the episode occurs, so the moment your dog thinks about getting anxious or aggressive, that is the time to put in a correction to get your dog to focus on you and curb that behaviour.

Corrections - When we talk about corrections, this can be anything from a mild rebuke to a spray collar and everything in between. You need to understand your dog and find out what makes them tick! I was having my hand nibbled by an Airedale who was barking and confronting me in front of his owner and did not respect a hand correction to his side and so I asked the owner to put the lead on and the dog instantly became docile and compliant, so the lead was all the correction that that dog needed. Don't go over the top, use whatever is needed to get the job done and refocus your dog. It might be a favourite toy or a food reward. It can be a physical correction or a verbal one. Do not stop though or you will allow the dog to succeed in what it is doing. If every time you confront the problem with corrections, eventually the dog will understand that the behaviour is unwanted. If you correct early and then reward, you will solve the problem without fuss and it will quickly disappear.

Confront the fear! - Use every opportunity as a training opportunity. The classic is to say my dog doesn't like other dogs and then never go anywhere where other dogs are! If your dog doesn't like other dogs, enrol him in a class with lots of other dogs, seek out opportunities to allow your dog to play with other dogs or at least be around them without fear. Don't run away from a problem, solve it. A Border Collie I was looking after would almost crawl on its belly when lorries or even fast cars went past. I took the dog to a busy junction near the house and stood away from the pavement but near enough to the road to get a reaction from the dog. Ignoring the anxiety we stood for 20 minutes during which time the fear became less and less. Repeat this regularly and involve treats or even a game with a favourite toy until the dog becomes desensitized to the irrational fear! Don't ever give affection whilst the dog is under stress or you will reward that behaviour and the dog will worsen and never improve.

Tools to help! - There are a number of products on the market which can support you if you have problems with your dog whether through anxiety or aggression. See our herbal treatments page for information on what they all do! The products on this page are all designed to help quieten the dogs mind and allow you to carry out the techniques we have discussed above. Firework and loud noise CDs can be used to de-sensitise the dog from the fear of loud and unexpected noises. Use them as instructed at a low volume and then gradual raise the volume whilst the dog is feeding or doing something pleasurable. Also make sure the dog is out and about in situations where loud and unexpected noises may be so that it realises that there is nothing to fear! A dog that is under severe stress will not be acting rationally and can explode in fear, anxiety or aggression as it panics. Use whatever tools you need to ensure that you always succeed when dealing with your dog.

Seek professional help! - If you don't feel able to deal with the issue you always have the option to seek professional help and there are many people who can help you! Please feel free to contact me about any problems or issues you may be having and I can point you in the right direction if i can't help you myself.

D.I.Y. Dog Ear Cleaning Fluid.

This is a great post that I found when researching Cocker Spaniel ear problems. It is a well known problem with dogs with this type of ear and this is an easy and effective way to treat the problem. I am not a veterinarian and am not qualified to know what these ingredients do but I have checked the information that's available on the web and this solution has been in use for many years by the top Cocker spaniel breeders and has shown no side effects etc.  If in doubt consult your vet before treating your dog!

Rosie the Cocker Spaniel with her foot
stuck to her ear scratching as usual

I will be using it on a customers dog called Rosie and I will post back the results. Rosie has a not pleasant odour that comes from her ears and is a yeast type of issue which is caused by lack of air in the ear cavity and ideal conditions for yeast to multiply.

As well as this mixture clean away all the hair that obstructs air from getting into the ear and regularly open the ear and get the dog used to having its ears manipulated!

I will add the ingredients links so that you can just click and buy  the difficult ones direct from Amazon.

Please watch the video at the end of this post which will show you how to use the solution on your dog!

Ingredients:

1.  White vinegar (Any supermarket or grocers)

2.  Powdered boric acid (See bottom of post)

3.  Isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) (See bottom of post)

4.  Betadine antiseptic (or the generic version, known as Povidone-Iodine Solution) - Please note: do not use "Betadine Scrub", use "Betadine Solution" (See bottom of post)


  

Directions for mixing the solution together:

Pour six ounces of isopropyl alcohol in to a plastic applicator bottle. Add one and a half teaspoons of boric acid powder. Be careful not to get any boric acid on your skin or clothes. If you do, wash it off immediately.

Shake the solution extremely well, until the boric acid powder is dissolved, or for five minutes, whichever comes first.

Add two ounces of white vinegar. Shake the solution some more, until the boric acid powder is dissolved, or for another five minutes, whichever comes first.

Add one teaspoon of the Betadine antiseptic, and shake it up some more. Be careful not to get any Betadine on your skin or clothes. If you do, wash it off immediately.

The ear cleaning solution is now ready to use.

To use the ear cleaning solution:

It is recommended that you use the ear cleaning solution in your garage or outdoors, as the dog will shake it out of his ears and it will fly in to the air and stain things.

Squirt the solution inside your dog's ear until the ear canal is completely full. Massage the outside of the ear to help slosh the cleaning solution around inside. Release the dog and let him shake out the ear cleaning solution from his ears. If you get any of the ear cleaning solution on your skin, wash it off as soon as possible.

Be sure to shake the solution up really well before each and every time you use it. The boric acid has a tendency to settle at the bottom of the bottle. Store at room temperature. 

Use the cleaning solution daily until you start to see some improvement. Gradually cut back to once per week when you are happy with the condition of the ear. When the ear seems completely free of infection, you can go two weeks between treatments.

Warning: Do not use this ear cleaning solution on dogs with ruptured ear drums, or on dogs with open sores or wounds in the ear area. An ear exam by a veterinarian is recommended prior to beginning treatment with this ear cleaning solution.

This recipe came to you from Jim Zimmerlin - www.zimfamilycockers.com

  


Cheers Steve

Who is walking who?

One of the things I see a hundred times a day are dog owners being dragged around the streets by their dogs! The dogs are out in front pulling their humans to every lamppost and clump of grass and barking and pulling towards other dogs and people! If you stop for just a moment though and think of what you are saying to your dog you might change your mind!

When out in front the world is a scary place, the dog is deciding on direction and when, where and what it does, now if you have a calm and placid dog it will not be too much of a problem. But if your dog is either aggressive or timid then you could be storing up a lot of problems.

The aggressive dog. Walking ahead and on the lookout for trouble. Anything that comes near is going to get it! Everything is a threat and everyone needs watching. The dog will pull the owner along and ears up and body bristling this dog will cause trouble, probably bark and try to get at other dogs and will get attacked by other dogs because of its attitude. The timid dog surprisingly will do just the same but this time it will be in a desperate attempt to protect its weak owner and to make the threat go away or to bluff others to stay away. Either way your dog is not viewing you as in control and your leadership is undermined. The dog will be under stress and the walk will not be a calm and pleasant experience for either of you!

So what to do? Well first thing is to get your dog to walk at your side and be under your control. This can be achieved by either body language and energy which is my prefered way, or using tools such as Halti or Canny Collars or other anti-pull devices which can even up your lack of control.

Second, be in control and don't allow your dog to dictate the walk. Don't allow it to sniff and drag you around, walk from A to B and then allow the dog some free time and then walk back again under control.

I will go into more depth on future blog entries but in the meantime please just get some control of your dog and you will reap the benefits in many other ways!

Happy training!

Steve

Come back Millie

Millie the English Setter is a lovely dog and has no real behavioural problems, however her owner was reluctant to let her off lead in the park if there was a road near as she was struggling to get her back!

We put Millie onto a training line (for her owners benefit, she didn't need it! :) and allowed her to wander free and play with two other dogs that we had present. As Millie got to the area of the road, her owner called her back and because she was on the line and there was no real danger, the owner could call in a warm, higher pitched and relaxed voice although with excitement in it; which caused Millie to return every time.

The only time she didn't recall was when I experimented with the line off and the owner became nervous and the recall became a shrill shout which was not going to be listened to! Once the owner was reminded to relax and try in the good voice, Millie came flying back and even took some shmacko as a reward, which she doesn't normally do!

So the moral is, if you are unsure about your dog, put he/she onto a training line, this isn't admitting defeat, just going back to training mode which is the best way to get the results you want. Use a high and loving voice tone and if your dog looks at you but doesn't recall, run in the opposite direction calling in the same excited voice and watch your dog fly back! I would also recommend a toy to encourage recall and to build the owner dog bond and I will do a post about that in the future!

(P.S. Click here to see some training lines from the lookafteryourdog shop)

Happy training

Steve

Taz - the anxious fighter

I spent a very enjoyable morning today working with two dogs and their owners, both with different issues. The first dog Taz is a small brown Terrier who has a dog on dog aggression issue. Taz will fly into any dog that he decides poses a potential threat without too much warning. This has caused a lot of anxiety with his owners which perpetuates the problem.

Taz is basically a nice dog with anxiety issues which he tries to hide by getting in first. This was made worse by him not being castrated at an early age, allowing him to develop his hormone driven agenda and ingraining his aggression into a habit.

Now he has been castrated we can actually influence him on a normal dog level; rather than competing with hormones which often is impossible to do! First thing was to put him on a 30 feet line for his and the other dogs safety! You have a duty and a moral obligation not to hurt another dog if you can avoid it! It is unfair for peoples loved dogs to be bitten unnecessarily! It is also essential the dog is on a training line so you can control the speed and intensity of their meetings, as this can cause attacks by itself! That done we let him meet pretty much every decent dog we could find and control the meetings with a tug on the line and a distracting jab if he tried to bully the other dog! The majority of dogs passed without problem and only occasionally did he try to dominate another dog.

I handed the line to Taz's owner who accidentally got the line caught and he flew for an English Setter called Millie that he had been passive with all the way before. This show the power of the energy the owner exerts and also the pressure on a lead that can cause a fight.

Disagree with this behaviour, free the dog and off we go again. Don't isolate the dog from the one it attacked as this reinforces the reason the dog did it in the first place which was to drive it off! Instead put them back together and carry on in a relaxed vigilant manner.

Taz came on in leaps and bounds and although only one day and many more are required, breaking the bad habit will free him from the stress of constant battle and he can go back to being a calm, settled member of your family!

I'll let you know about the other dog Millie on the next post!

Happy training! Steve