When a young dog seems obsessed with one person and can’t settle alone, how can gentle independence-building bring better sleep for everyone? Woody and the lady would both be happier if he was more independent. He is a 7-month-old Working Cocker Spaniel, born into lockdown with the lady working from Read more
Why would a calm rescue Beagle panic and try to escape whenever she is left completely alone? The Beagle can’t be left all alone. When they adopted Libby a couple of weeks ago, they had no clue they wouldn’t be able to go out to work and happily leave her. Read more
Why would a dog who settles happily at bedtime start barking and howling several times every night? As a puppy Cockerpoo Monty would settle well in his crate at night. Gradually he has become more and more unsettled until now, at three years old, his owners have every night interrupted Read more
What can you do when your older dog seems to hate the new puppy you brought home to be his companion? They got a new puppy especially for him. Dalmatian Merlin lost his soul mate, a female Golden Retriever, a couple of months ago. The two dogs had been inseparable Read more
The young couple, with their dog, are caught up in a downward spiral of manic behaviour, destruction, scolding and nearly tearing their hair out. The young lady is reduced to tears. They have a well-behaved but slightly odd Staffie called Saxon, 5, and Border Collie/Staff Mix, Lola. Lola is a Read more
We could hardly speak and I had hoped we would be able to sit it out, but after about ten minutes they were still standing close in front of me as I sat on the pouffe – barking, barking, barking at me.
He was found as a 6 week old puppy on a motorway in Miami with a tight rope around his neck. His spookiness probably has a genetic component. In the circumstances it seems likely that four year old mix breed Travis was born of fearful parents and his spookiness could Read more
Sophie is a 7-year-old Springer Spaniel. She is stressed and hyperactive for much of the time, panting, pacing and crying. This can continue for hours and she only really settles within the confines and restrictions of her crate. It can be very tiring for her family. Springer Sophie and ‘training’. Read more
My arrival stirred him up. He did a lot of jumping up.
Then he started looking for shadows and reflections. He obsessively chases shadows. He growls and barks at them. He was very restless all evening. He even had to be held still so I could take a photo of him.
Using a psychological behavioural approach throughout the evening I showed him that jumping and grabbing me was not rewarding in any way.
Bit by bit we could see him actually choosing the desired behaviour for himself. At the end of a tiring evening, instead of being shut away in his crate to bark and cry as usual, or jumping at me whenever I moved, he was lying spark out in the middle of the floor. He even ignored us walking around him.