Why would a dog that seems friendly at home suddenly bark and lunge at people on walks? I have just met another Henry – a Miniature Schnauzer age two. He is quite unusual to look at, being brown and with a poodle-like curly coat. Cute! Henry was barking behind a door Read more
Even dogs who are mostly fine with other dogs have their moments. Then the owner can be affected out of all proportion, making walks a worry instead of a joy.
Why would a little rescue dog become frightened of bins, houses, dogs and almost everything outside? Little Odie seems scared of everything when he goes out. He is also frightened of people coming to his house and of sounds he hears coming from outside. He is a sad little dog in Read more
To deal with the barking the lady has used a water spray which seems to have ‘worked’. The trouble with quick fixes is that they work in the present but the fallout comes later. What effect might trying to scare a nervous dog out of barking have on both his existing fear of other dogs and his relationship with his owners?
Does your dog spend every walk scanning the distance for other dogs? Odoe is a bit of a mix – a delightful mix! There is certainly Terrier and probably Whippet in there. He had an uncertain first two or three years. Eight years ago he was brought over from Ireland Read more
Darcy displays all the signs of a puppy who has not been kindly handled by a sufficient number of new people before she even leaves the breeder. One or more of the following factors could also contribute to the cause: being born to a fearful mother and maybe of a natural nervous disposition anyway, kept out of the way in another room or a shed for the first eight weeks of their life, possibly some inbreeding.
She has to know where each family member is all the time, running around the house and trying to round them up. She goes ‘mental’ when they try to leave the house and go to walk out on her. She may nip a visiting person who starts walking out through a door
A dog needs to believe in his owners as guardians. I see it like a good teacher with a class of children on a walk. They will stay with the teacher. They won’t be running off in front and they won’t be yelling and shouting at passers by, telling them rudely to get lost (I hope!). They trust the teacher to make the decisions and keep them safe.
Why does Bovril panic whenever his lady is out of sight? Lurcher Bovril is a sweet, gentle natured dog with two problems. He has separation distress big time, and he is scared of other dogs. He is now six years old. He came to live with his lady owner about Read more
Why is Monty withdrawn and shut down at home but highly reactive to other dogs outside? My gentleman client has had Monty for just six days. Monty is a small and extremely cute Jack Russell. He has previously had two homes that probably had young children and Monty may have felt threatened Read more