Aggression
Missed Early Socialisation in a German Shepherd
She has become increasingly wary of people either coming to the door or walking past their garden, but this came to a head recently.
Fear
Harness and Lead Impossible to Put On
Why does Lily roll and bite when the harness appears, and how can they help her feel calm and confident about going outside? Lily is a 15 week old Sprocker who is losing out on the necessary socialisation and habituation to the world. Putting her harness on is almost impossible Read more
puppy
Puppy Parenting and Puppy Socialisation
How do you socialise a puppy who feels overwhelmed by traffic, people and other dogs? Due to lockdowns all over the world, proper puppy parenting and puppy socialisation has been left a bit late by many people. Chloe could by my Working Cocker Pickle’s sister – but unlikely as she Read more
Fear
Desensitising or Flooding a Fearful Dog?
When a dog is frightened of traffic, people and new places, how do you know whether exposure is helping or making things worse? Is it desensitising or is it over-exposure? Ellie, her siblings and other Tibetan Terriers were picked up from a breeder in a dreadful state of neglect, with matted Read more
barking
Frantic Barking at Everything
Why would two young dogs react with frantic barking to almost everything in daily life? I walked in the door to be met with frantic barking. Brave Luna, with frantic barking, came right up to me. Her sister backed her up but with less enthusiasm. Luna and Bear are same-sex Read more
barking
Fearful Cockerpoo Barking Constantly on Walks
Why would a young Cockerpoo bark fearfully at almost everything when out on walks?
I heard scared barking as I knocked on the door.
Sid is gorgeous and I was expecting a Cavapoo. I don’t believe he is a Cavapoo though. The scared barking came from a dog looking more like a newly trimmed Cockerpoo.
There is definitely something fishy about his start in life, where they got him from at eleven weeks and the fact he was already incubating kennel cough.
The ‘breeder’ wouldn’t give her address until they were on the road. When they got there Sid was handed over to them straight away. There was a small Cavalier KC that they said was Sid’s father and a small black poodle that they said was his mother. No other dogs.
My suspicion is that this smart house was a front and very likely Sid had been shipped there from somewhere else. (more…)
Fear
Fearful Catalan Shepherd Puppy — Too Much Too Soon
What happens when a young puppy misses early exposure to the world and is suddenly overwhelmed with too much too quickly?
Another dog, a puppy this time, having lacked the right kind of early socialising and exposure in the earlier weeks, before she was twelve weeks of age.
Mia is now nearly four months old, a beautiful Catalan Shepherd puppy.
Little or no exposure to the real world
Poor little Mia is extremely fearful of people. She is generally jumpy and is terrified of traffic. (more…)
Fear
Springer Spaniel Fearful of People – Lack of Early Habituation
I’m pretty sure that at the root of Luna’s problems is not having left the gun dog breeder until she was twelve weeks old. There will have been no early habituation or socialisation. She won’t have been taken out anywhere to meet a variety of people nor introduced to the outside world while still young enough to take it in her stride.
Behaviour and Training
Cavapoochon Puppy Nipping Feet – A Clever Ten Week Old
Why would a bright ten-week-old Cavapoochon puppy start nipping feet when people arrive home or when visitors appear? They have had ten week old puppy Cavapoochon, Isla, for less than two weeks. Already she takes herself out to toilet. She sleeps through the night, no mess. A dream of a Read more
Fear
Nervous Dog Meets New Puppy — Confidence Takes Time
Nervous dog Tom is yet another Staffie who is fearful of the outside world and reluctant to walk.
Tom drools when he is scared. He does a lot of drooling on walks.