My articles tend to be inspired by what I’m seeing day to day and recently I have seen a lot of dogs who bite! In different scenarios, such as:
Most of the people I help are really upset that their dog is biting and are worried about what the implications of this could be (more…)
I am often asked about dogs guarding things. It’s not one of the most common behaviours, but it is significant. It’s a behaviour used as a means of trying to gain status by ‘guarding’ possessions. By that I mean standing/sitting, watching over it, and not being particularly happy about it if they think they are being challenged for the item they are guarding. This may lead to a variety of different (more…)
I get a lot of concerned emails and phone calls from people as a result of a particular behaviour that they have seen from their dog which is causing them to question whether or not their dog is becoming aggressive. The general understanding that comes across in this type of enquiry is that dogs either are or aren’t aggressive and if they ‘become’ aggressive then that puts them into the ‘are’ category, (more…)
Dogs bite for a reason, so I wanted to write a blog post to focus purely and simply on why dogs bite and what we (who choose to read this post) can do to ensure that:
Simply put, dogs do not just go and bite people for no reason. Dogs bite because they feel there is no other choice, they daren’t risk not biting. The most typical (more…)
It’s terribly upsetting when someone received a bite from their beloved dog, that they consider to be family. The physical impacts of the bite aside, it can be a really stressful time, as the family wonder why their dog has suddenly turned on them, whether it’s likely to do it again, whether they should rehome or put to sleep, or whether there is anything that can be done.
These feelings of stress (more…)
One of the most common behaviour problems I get called in to help with is a dog which is being aggressive to other dogs that it sees when out on the walk. So most owners are keen to know why their dog is aggressive to other dogs.
If you have a rottweiler, or are considering getting a rottweiler for the first time then you may be interested to know what the the typical rottweiler character traits are, as there is a certain amount of media hysteria that surrounds this particular breed. I will tell you my findings as a dog behaviourist shortly. But the commonly expected traits are that a rotty will be: Stubborn, protective, (more…)
The recent change in the Dangerous Dog Laws now means that the legislation extends to private property, and owners could face prosecution if they dog bit someone in their own home. The act is intended to encourage owners to take more control of their dog’s behaviour. What it doesn’t bear in mind is the way that a dog might be made to feel within their own home, that owners may not be aware of either.So (more…)
Why should you train a dog like you would sell a product? In order to make your training successful…
What do I mean by this…?
Think about what makes us buy: We buy something because we need it. It solves a problem that we are having. The benefits of the product or service meet a need, or a pain that we are feeling. And it is this principle on which people sell to us. They point out (more…)