‘He bites everything he can get hold of, including us… (with a bone) he turned into a dog we’ve never seen… growling uncontrollably, barking extremely aggressively… if he was not in his pen I think he would have really gone for us’.
The more commands the lady uses, the more she invites him to disobey – and then what should she do about it? Keep commanding? Force him? Manhandle him? Henlow has the teeth!
Why can constantly saying ‘No’ make an excited young dog even more confused and out of control? NO NO isn’t conveying to Buster what they do want of him No No is a sure route to making an already confused dog even more bewildered – and frustrated too. They picked up Read more
Unfortunately, living the life of a much-loved family pet just isn’t enough. Knight is a working dog without work to do. Much of how he is will be genetic.
The poor lady showed me the bruises up her arms and a bite mark.
Why would a young puppy suddenly fly at someone, biting clothes and arms when they sit down? Ollie, approached a bit differently, will learn self-control. The a four-month-old Border Collie lives with a lovely, gentle young lady and her two children. He is a gorgeous puppy and she is working Read more
What can you do when a much-loved young dog is simply too strong and excitable for their owner to walk safely? The old lady’s friend says, ‘You are 85. She’s not the right dog for you. You shouldn’t have got her’. This understandably upsets her. She loves her young dog Read more
What happens when a young rescue dog who has never lived in a house suddenly has to cope with an entirely new world?
Five weeks ago, after a long journey from Cyprus, Bella arrived.
After a couple of days in her new life of being careful and quiet, Bella erupted into highly-charged activity.
The one-year-old has lived with her siblings from a very young age in a free-for-all dog compound. Everything she has learnt has been from other dogs. The organisation does a wonderful job, but there will inevitably have been constant stimulation.
The friends’ advice they have listened to has been old-school, using stern ‘commands’, ‘no’ etc. as opposed to motivation, positive reinforcement and reward.
They will find that modern force-free methods work a whole lot better.
I know. I have used both in my time.
Why had Beau become so wild that she was jumping, biting and knocking things flying? Wild behaviour from a dog the size of the adolescent Newfoundland can be scary. When Beau leaped at the kitchen table she knocked the coffee mugs flying! Seven-month-old Beau was chosen from the litter as Read more
Why do unwanted behaviours like jumping up become habits—and how can they be replaced with better ones? Anything repeated often enough can become a habit. I totally fell in love with scruffy ten-month-old Jack Russell mix Max yesterday. I had the perfect evening with him and his humans. It began with just Read more