He’s so irresistible and touchable. He attracts human hands wherever he goes. However, he’s not a touchy-feely dog.
If approached when out, people want to touch him. They walk into his space, lean over and put out their big hands towards him. He objects
Elvis’ aversion to being touched seems unpredictable and it’s getting worse. It’s being touched only by the young man who has always been loving and kind to him. Elvis seems perfectly happy with other people touching him, including the vet. The man is upset. Bite It came to a climax six Read more…
The couple have two lovely dogs that used to get on like a house on fire. There may be a problem between dogs beginning however. Rogue, a Romanian rescue and the more recent edition, has started growling at Labradoodle Jasper, age 9. They don’t want this to develop into anything Read more…
Their goal is ‘for Snoopy not to bite’. What brought this to a head is that he bit their 7-year-old nephew. MY goal is ‘for Snoopy not to feel the need to bite’. These are two very different things. ‘For Snoopy not to bite’ implies that the humans carry on Read more…
Today’s online session was for a young Cocker Spaniel called Theo! My namesake! Cocker spaniels that guard and growl I frequently work with Cocker Spaniels that guard resources and growl. The two main ingredients for changing this behaviour are less arousal and the humans changing their own behaviour. Theo will Read more…
Bella has always been a bit defensive when approached by other dogs. She just wants to be left in peace. The four-year-old Cocker Spaniel lived in harmony with older Cocker Mikey. Then the family added two puppies to their Cocker Spaniel gang – Bonnie and Nellie. The pups are now Read more…
Here is another story where introducing puppy to an older dog is proving to be a problem. My last case of introducing puppy to an older dog was just a couple of days ago. The two played too roughly and this wasn’t good for the puppy. This case is about Read more…
An online ‘Help Me Help My Dog’ consultation. They believe Daphne, rescued with her puppy siblings from a well in Hungary, is a Posovac Hound. She is now six months old and they have had her for two months. Her journey from the well to her forever home must have Read more…
Little Bouncer is jumpy. He’s constantly on edge.
I would guess this is in this little Havenese’s genes, though not a general breed trait. It’s certainly not the fault of the family, a couple and their daughter aged ten.
Ollie won’t let anyone groom him. He absolutely hates it. The Border Collie has developed tangles inside his back legs and behind his ears which need to be cut out.
The only way a groomer can work on him is to muzzle him and then use force. The otherwise very friendly dog completely changes personality. He becomes aggressive, snarling and showing his teeth.
His last visit to a groomer was a year ago now.
Within a few minutes of being with them, I discovered two things that may be relevant. He had been jumping at me in a very friendly fashion. When his feet were on the floor I gently put my hand out to touch him behind his ears.
Immediately I saw his teeth. He growled, backing away.
Oh! I didn’t expect that. (more…)