Why does a dog guard beds or rooms more as the day goes on? Pippin is mostly Springer – with some Cocker Spaniel in the mix. Like so many for the Spaniels I work with, he has had resource guarding issues since a puppy. With previous help they have improved Read more
Why might a dog start biting when people approach or touch him? Everything was fine until a year ago. They had taken their two-year-old Cocker to the vet for boosters. Woody had growled. The vet had taken him out the back. Woody’s not been the same since. He has bitten Read more
Outdated bad advice
A trainer had advised them to cover Pete’s crate and leave him to cry. It was hot weather!
The same trainer advised on walks to ‘hold him tight to make him heel’.
Why was Freja mouthing when over-aroused? Freja was rescued from the streets of Cyprus at 3 weeks old. She’s now 10 months old and a mix that includes German Shepherd. She won’t have had the rough and tumble with siblings nor the discipline of her mother to teach her to Read more
Indirectly they have taught Ekko to snap because it’s the only things that work. The result is that they back off or they put him down.
Why had Hazel begun growling, snapping, and guarding when touched or handled? The seven-month-old Cocker Spaniel may growl and snap when they touch her – when physical contact is somehow imposed upon her. She also can snap when they try to take her harness off. It’s like, when they want Read more
Why has Brio’s behaviour worsened during adolescence, and how can his defiance and biting be turned around? Adolescent Cocker Spaniel Brio was a bitey puppy. Then for several months he had stopped using his teeth on people, only to begin again when he became a teenager. He also became defiant Read more
Some dogs dig holes, some chase tales, some hump, some bark. Many have to chew something as an item in the mouth is self-calming. Jensen is a chewer. If it’s not someone’s hands, it’s the throw on the sofa or his bedding.
When hyped up and wild, Nellie needs help. She has a need. Putting a lid on it merely makes it erupt somewhere else. They want something acceptable for her to vent her wildness.
Why does Sasha become over-excited and mouthy, and why is more play and exercise making things worse? They have had 9-month-old German Shepherd mix Sasha for four months now, during which time they sent him away on a board and train programme. Firstly, it takes a rescue dog a good Read more