Young working dog without a job. I have just met Sam who is seven months of age. Sam is so very like my own Working Cocker Spaniel, Pickle. I have had over five years with Pickle, learning how to give my alert and energetic working dog a sufficiently fulfilled life so that he’s Read more…
Jack Russell Chihuahua mix Rollo is scared of hands. Until a couple of years ago he was a friendly little dog who enjoyed gentle petting from most people.
Then something happened. (more…)
I’ve just visited Jake, a delightful, friendly and clever young Cockerpoo. A real character.
What cheerful Jake lacks is self-control. They have given him basic training, but self-control is not about people controlling him or doing tricks. He’s simply not sufficiently motivated.
He eats well, so taking food from his daily quota will do.
The clever dog needs a lot of stimulation in order to receive the fulfilment his breed needs. Working Cocker mixed with Poodle. He generates his own attention and fun with his excited behaviour and demand barking. (more…)
Hunter guards his food and he guards his food bowl.
(Too often when someone calls me about a problem with their Cocker Spaniel, it’s to do with resource guarding).
The thirteen-month-old Working Cocker’s resource guarding problems are almost certainly genetic, possibly made worse by all the sibling puppies competing over the same bowl of food (I’m only guessing).
At nine weeks old he was growling at anyone who came too close while he ate. The lady worked at this and all was okay for a while.
Over the past few weeks Hunter’s resource guarding problems have been getting worse.
‘Good! That’s the behaviour we want!’.
Ignoring unwanted behaviour or actively disengaging when the dog does something we don’t like, is only half the story. Actually, it’s a lot less than half the story. (more…)
Baloo is born to guard. His entire life centres around guarding his family. He’s ‘on duty’ all the time.
I sat down at the kitchen table and they opened the door. The most enormous dog charged towards me giving a giant rumbling WOOF.
He stopped short of me (fortunately!). He’s a lot bigger than he looks here – they say he weighs about 11 stone. (more…)
It’s a tricky situation with Bertie hard to understand. I first thought that his barking behaviour was driven by lack of confidence and some fearfulness, but as time went on I saw it wasn’t this at all. The Spaniel mix was fine when I arrived, but when he had checked Read more…
Imagine, how a Romanian puppy of about four months old must feel, being flown across Europe in a crate. Then, after a long drive in a car, the puppy enters an alien environment, a home.
The family, first-time dog owners, has done very well indeed with Cody who is now 18-months old. Most of the time he is affectionate, playful and friendly. He is great with people and dogs when out and off lead, so walks are enjoyable.
Near home he’s more insecure. At home he has a few problems.
They can’t give him anything of value to chew, just the kind of thing he really needs to keep him occupied and calm, because it triggers resource guarding behaviour. In the past, growling, guarding behaviour has elicited scolding.
Instead of stopping the aggression, this confrontational approach made Cody angry. (more…)
Beagle Alfie’s guarding behaviour has been simmering for a good year and still isn’t extreme.
It was brought to a head the other day while a dog sitter was looking after him.
The person had left food in a bag. Alfie had grabbed the bag and they had then tried to overpower him and force the bag off him.[divider type=”white”]
Connor’s will be a story in two parts. This first story is about Connor and his frantic agitation when two people get too close to each other.
He came to them a year ago, probably only weeks away from death. The dog, scarred with broken teeth, scared and skinny, had stopped eating. He had been in the kennels for two years and seemed to have lost the will to live.
From the moment the couple took him in, the Staffie Greyhound mix, now five, surrounded by patient love began to blossom.
From the start Connor became agitated when either the man moved too close to the lady, or when the lady approached the man. (more…)