Behaviour and Training
Control – Carrot or Stick?
But it’s a tricky case of finding a compromise between two approaches – what the gentleman himself calls ‘carrot and stick’. The man is the stick and the lady the carrot
Aggression
Guarding Food — Why “Being the Boss” Backfires
Why does a dog guard food more fiercely when people try to prove they’re “in charge”? “We must show the dog who’s boss”. Rex guards his food. Guarding food and resources can be a contentious issue where human response is concerned. Many conscientious dog owners, doing what they believe is Read more
Behaviour and Training
Cesar Millan Versus Force-Free Dog Training
The big question is, do you want an obedient dog that may lick her lips, look away or even cower from you when she is doing something you don’t like, or a confident cheerful dog that happily stops when asked and does something else instead?
Aggression
Helping a Cocker Spaniel Feel Safe Around Children and Babies
What happens when a dog is corrected for growling instead of being helped to feel safe? How strange. My very next appointment after having written my Paws for Thought on Citronella anti-bark collars was a dog who had been trained not to bark using one. The two-year-old English Working Cocker Read more
arousal, excitement
Under-stimulated dog barks at TV
The confrontational and controlling methods as used by a certain well know TV trainer are merely teaching Franklyn defiance and inciting aggression, so will be dropped. These are methods that appeal to people when they feel they are losing control – but the results are short-lived and using force of any kind amounts to bullying. Totally unnecessary and counter-productive when, by understanding how to use positive methods you ultimately end up with a cooperative, happy and calmer dog.
Aggression
External control. No self-control
Controlled in a dominant, ‘Alpha’ fashion, Monty gets rebellious and angry – and sometimes just a little scared.
Aggression
Big Changes in Miniature Schnauzer’s Life
Max barks excessively. He has become touchy. He snaps at the little girl and he snaps when he’s disturbed. His walks are no longer so enjoyable and he is unpredictable with other dogs.