Dogs do it for kids (or how living with a dog when a child can lower the risk of Schizophrenia) Given my interest in the impact of dogs on human mental health, I was very interested to read a recent study published by John Hopkins Medicine suggesting that living with a dog from an early […]
Run away!… Fearful dogs are of particular interest to me. I see an awful lot of them. Often, owners are making the problem worse. Not deliberately of course, They are, simply doing things that reinforce the fearful behaviour. I saw another example of this today. I met a very nice lady, again, today with her […]
Dogs need responsible owners… I was minded again today while talking with some dog owners of the need for owners to take responsibility for their dogs seriously. Two, very similar, cases were brought to my attention. The first was a family with a number of dogs, a small pack, basically. These dogs had been gathered […]
Humans and dog companionship I was reminded of the impact dogs can have on our lives recently. Nearing the end of a walk in one off Ziggys’ (my rescued companion) favourite places and heading back to the car we met a lady with a rather nervous dog. We stopped to chat. As we talked Sue, […]
Understanding dogs – misconceptions I was prompted to write this post after making a few comments on a piece in a local paper – https://www.edp24.co.uk/features/dogs-should-be-kept-on-leads-letter-1-6284729#comment-4626941131 I was disappointed to note some of the responses and the apparent, lack of understanding relating to dogs and their owners. The thrust of the reader’s letter was to demand […]
We should NEVER hit our dogs This is a subject, I find myself having to return too, all too frequently. Should we hit our dogs? The simple, unequivocal, answer is no. I have now met a chap with his two dogs on a number of occasions while out with Ziggy. One dog is off the […]
Parallels between helping dogs and humans Following on from my last post about traumatised dogs; my, much better half, Sue ( www.firstintheq.co.uk ) and I, often discuss the parallels that exist between her work, dealing with people with complex mental health issues and, mine – dealing with dogs, often, exhibiting difficult behavioural issues. Sue has […]
Reactive dogs are traumatised dogs Throughout the dog community you will see references to ‘reactive dogs.’ Indeed, there are quite a few courses, that offer to help these ‘reactive dogs’ in group sessions. The other, common sight, is a dog wearing a coat that signals it is ‘reactive’ or, has some other problem. For me, […]
I get regular dog information updates emailed to me. The most recent, prompted me to write, again, about attaching dogs to humans and then running with them. Canicross is a ‘sport’ where dogs, of any breed, are harnessed to idiot humans, who then run in competition with them. This ignores what is good for your […]
Using rewards in dog training is an established and effective method for training dogs. However, if used incorrectly it can be counter-productive. I am seeing an increasing number of videos on Facebook and Youtube showing treats being used in the wrong way by ‘dog trainers.’ These videos show the trainer, or handler, constantly feeding treats […]
