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Dogs do it for kids (or how living with a dog when a child can lower the risk of Schizophrenia)

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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 age can lessen the risk of developing schizophrenia in later life.

I have, long believed that living with a dog can have, significant, beneficial effects on human health, both physically and mentally. This study would appear to support this in the types of cases identified by the researchers.

The potential, impact of living with a dog or a cat in early life was examined. Two, fairly common, mental health issues were considered – schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Robert Yolken MD  and his colleagues at Sheppard Pratt Health System in Baltimore, US looked at how exposure to a pet cat of a dog during the early years of life, up to age 12 impacted upon a later diagnosis of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.  Researchers were surprised to find a significant reduction in the risk of a person developing schizophrenia when exposed to living with a dog at an early age. However, there no impact on bipolar disorder.  The researchers also noted that living with cats had no impact on either condition.

The study was quite large and the full paper can be found here.

Work such as that described above convinces me that dogs can have a significant impact on human mental health, that is why I developed, with my wife (a mental wellbeing professional – First in the Q) Paw Support, an initiative working with Walnut Tree Health and Wellbeing to bring together rescue dogs and sufferers of mental health conditions that can benefit from canine companionship.

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Dogs need responsible owners…

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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 by the family in question to protect the household. They, of course, live in a quiet village where protection is not really needed.

Unfortunately, as is the case with many families I come into contact with, these people did not understand, or perhaps, care about their responsibility to their dogs. The dogs had not, apparently, received any training and were barely in control behind the gates of their home. They did not seem to get much walking or exercise away from their home. So, that is case one.

The second follows along the same lines. This time a family living behind gates again. The husband had bought a powerful dog, again for protection. This dog was young and patrolled his patch, rushing aggressively to its gate in an attempt to get to any passing stranger, be it human of another dog. The people I was talking too were fearful of their and their dog’s safety. Again, this dog did not seem to be taken out for exercise and, clearly had not received much or any training. It sounded to me to be a serious problem in the making.

Both of these cases appear to demonstrate owners who fail to understand their responsibilities regarding their dogs. Indeed, the dogs in these two cases may at some stage represent a danger to humans and dogs alike.

All dogs need basic things, without exception:

  1. Shelter
  2. Safety
  3. Food
  4. Training
  5. Exercise
  6. Socialisation
  7. Responsible owners

Any dog owner or potential dog owner must provide the above as a minimum. If you are unable to provide these basics for your dog, you should, simply, not bring a dog into your home.

Humans and dog companionship

Humans and dog companionship

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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, my better half was chatting with a lady just within my eye line who did not appear to have a dog. A number of cars started pulling up. These cars brought with them the sound of extremely excited dogs.

The car doors opened and a variety of very happy dogs leapt out and all rushed to the river, closely accompanied by the ‘nervous’ dog, who by now was very happy indeed.

The lady without a dog joined the group of dogs and their owners and of they went for an enjoyable walk together.

Sue told me that the lady without the dog lived alone and this group of dog owners welcomed her for regular walks with the group and their dogs. This lady lived alone and could not accommodate a dog even though she loved to be around them. She told Sue that she got an enormous amount of pleasure from this group and the dogs.

There is a lot written about dogs and their impact on lonely people. This little vignette displayed it admirably. Thank goodness we still have people that appreciate the ‘value’ of canine companionship and are happy too share it.

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Understanding dogs…

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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 that all dogs should be kept on leads in public places, all the time. The writer of the letter had experienced a few dogs who had approached her small dog, always on the lead, and ‘frightened’ it.  The experience for the dog was such that the owners now exercised their dog in the garden. This, of course, denies their dog the life of a dog – no socialisation in the big bad world.

This type of response is common, unfortunately. Keeping a dog away from ‘anything’ that you think might disturb it is detrimental to the wellbeing of your dog and the ability for it to experience life as a dog.  It is no good just evading anything that is a little challenging. There is help available to the owners and dogs. An effort is required to help and change the behaviour of dogs in human charge.

The response to some of my legitimate comments from a behavioural point of view demonstrated a lack of understanding about dogs in general. There were demands to ban all dogs from nature reserves because ‘they are not for dogs.’

Views expressed ranged from all Bull Terriers are dangerous, Huskies should be banned, anyone with a physical impairment should not have a dog, etc. None of which are based on any knowledge or understanding of dogs at all.

I could go on for a long period here. That won’t be helpful. I would say that, yes, dog owners should be responsible and consider others. However, the intolerance of people towards dog owners is indicative of the common trend for people to be outraged at anything.

Many breeds are maligned by people, simply, not having the knowledge before they expound their views.

Most dogs can live happy lives alongside the public if the owners take the time to find the right dog for their lifestyle. Once they have done this, they need to take time to learn about their dog, train it and instil in it the way to behave with another species – humans. Those, that seem to be outraged all of the time and, prone to overreacting need to develop some humility and tolerance for others.

 

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We should NEVER hit our dogs

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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 lead, the other is, permanently, on a long lead. The reason for this is that the dog on the lead ran off once and he had to spend some time getting her back. The first point here is, dog owners must make the effort to train their dogs in the basics. One of these being recall. Not always easy but, essential,

I stray off the point. The dog on the lead is very lively and, jumps up a lot. This, of course, is pure excitement and, a consequence of not being allowed off the lead to exercise and socialise properly.

So, this dog jumps up,  the owner shouts at her and then raises his hand to strike her. I, of course, stop him from doing this. I then demonstrate the simple exercise of getting his dog to sit, calmly and, then be rewarded, positively, with a biscuit for its’ behaviour.

Further discussion reveals that this chaps’ wife, regularly, hits’ this poor creature when it gets a little lively. He compounds this behaviour by threatening to put a muzzle on the dog. I have to appraise him on the errors of their approach.

  1. NEVER strike a dog
  2. NEVER threaten a dog
  3. ALWAYS use positive training to influence the behaviour of a dog
    1. Ask the dog to respond as you desire
    2. Reward it, positively, when it does

The owner behaviour described above is all too common, unfortunately. IT is NEVER acceptable to threaten or physically punish a dog to force it to do what you require.  This is, simply, cruelty.

All dog owners, HAVE to take the time to learn how to train and socialise their dogs. They need to understand that the ONLY way to train dogs is by positive reinforcement methods. There is no place for the cruel approach outlined in this article.

If you are unwilling to invest the time needed to give your dog the best life possible, free from cruelty and fear, here is my recommendation. DO NOT get a dog. If you already have one – REHOME it.

 

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Parallels between helping dogs and humans

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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 observed me, on many occasions, helping people with their dogs on our frequent walks. I often stop to give a little, impromptu, advice. I realise I should charge people every time; however, that is my nature; I can’t help myself.

For Sue, some of the things I do, naturally, show, exactly the same approach and elements needed to help humans suffering from mental health issues such as PTSD, for instance, from Sues’ own experience and watching me operate. Let me explain.

When dealing with a dog that is showing indications of behavioural issues, of whatever kind, I adopt a common approach. The first aim is to relax the dog (together with its’ owner) and to gain its’ trust. This is mainly done through careful observation and adopting a gentle presence, allowing the dog to relax in my company. I think this is inherent in me and, something that is difficult to teach. Sue does, precisely, the same with the extremely traumatised people she works with. By helping our subjects relax, we foster the feeling of a safe environment. Without this, there is little chance of helping the human or dog in question.

Although it is possible to gain a wealth of qualifications, supported by the membership of ‘august’ sounding organisations, these become less valuable if the individual lacks certain things. These ‘things’ are inherent in an individual and, are difficult to teach. The other ‘things’ I allude to, as well as those already mentioned, are empathy and compassion. These are self-explanatory. However, they are often in short supply. For instance, the doctor who is knowledgeable, but is a cold fish when he talks to you. To achieve the bests results, it is critical for the therapist or behaviourist to be able to empathize and sympathise with the subject they are trying to help.

Therefore, take time to think about the qualities of the individual who is, possibly, able to help you with your dogs’ behavioural of, indeed, training issues.

 

 

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Canicross – fun for you and your dog – I think not…

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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 dog and panders to humans desire to force their activities upon them.  Dogs, should not be strapped to humans bodies, bikes, or anything else.

If you wish to run, competitively or otherwise, leave your dog at home!

Dogs need proper exercise and socialisation. Attaching them, to whatever, is a bad idea, in my humble opinion.

Exponents of this type of rubbish, always point at that their dogs love being strapped into a harness and forcibly run, often in hot conditions. Trust me – they do not like it. They accept it, because they have no choice. This is, actually, a pretty good example of ‘learned helplessness’ – the poor dog knows it can’t get away from this ‘forced’ activity, it, therefore has to ‘accept’ it. This is not to be confused with the human thinking that the dog ‘enjoys it.’ It does it because it has no choice.

Try doing this activity with the dog ‘not attached’ and see what happens. Most dogs will be stopping to sniff, socialise and be ‘dogs.’

Dogs are sentient beings and their human carers should, really, think carefully about what they do with them.

 

 

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Shouting at your dog is unhelpful…

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Shouting at your dog is unhelpful

I was out with Ziggy today at a local park. As usual there were quite a few dogs out and about with their owners, having fun.

We were approaching a lady who was shouting, angrily and aggressively at her dog. The dog was paying no attention whatsoever.  I observed the picture for a few minutes – it was clear that the owner was exasperated by her recalcitrant puppy. I noted that she laughed, somewhat embarrassed, occasionally.  As she crossed my path, I stopped and had a chat with her.

She was a nice lady, just frustrated by, what she saw, as her naughty pup. The dog was quite elderly. I, gently explained that shouting at her dog was not going to encourage it to come to her. I demonstrated by gently calling the dog and encouraging to come to me. It, duly, did and was very happy to respond to a friendly voice. Off she went gain, and I encouraged the owner to follow my example; she did and, surprise, surprise, her pup came back with enthusiasm.

This dog had always been obedient and had good recall. The owner was baffled why she had turned into this ‘ naughty’ dog. After a little more discussion, the behaviour had deteriorated after the dog, that had been almost blind, had cataracts removed, thus restoring the dog’s sight.

I explained that, the new ‘naughty’ behaviour was probably due to her dog now, being able to see the world again and, it had a natural enthusiasm to investigate all it could, again.

All that was required here was, to work, a little, on the dog’s recall and to do it calmly and regularly. It was clear that this dog was not going to respond to aggressive shouting from it’s owner.

I would point out, that this lady was not aggressive or a bad dog owner. She was, simply frustrated by her dog’s change in behaviour.

The take home message is, to remain calm and to resist ‘sounding’ aggressive with our dogs. They will respond to a kind, calm approach form someone who is calm. They will not respond to, apparently, aggressive tones in an owners voice. Also, stop to think why your dog may have changed and to adjust your approach to deal with it.

 

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Reward or bribery?

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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 to the dog, thereby encouraging it to do what is required. This, of course, is then taken to be the standard for many owners who experience this ‘training.’ In fact, this is ‘bribing’ a dog to do what is asked of it. This ‘method’ demonstrates a, fundamental, lack of understanding of why a dog does something, from a behavioural perspective.

The point of using treats is to REWARD the dog for a job well done. This is done AFTER the dog does whatever is required. Focusing the dog with a continuous supply of treats will not result in the dog learning the new skill or behaviour. As soon as the treat is removed from the equation, most dogs will, simply, not comply. This is bribery – not recommended.

An effective method is to keep a treat out of sight, ask the dog to perform what is required – when it does so, it is immediately rewarded with the treat.  This then goes onto an intermittent reward – the dog, sometimes gets a treat, other times it gets just praise.  This is rewarding a behaviour not bribing the dog to do something.

Adopting the approach outlined above, is much more effective in helping a dog learn and retain its training.

 

 

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Expert advice? Confused owners…

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Expert advice? Confused owners…

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Advice from, so-called professionals, can be confusing for dog owners.

I was chatting with a chap who had re-homed a dog from a farm.  The first time I met him with his new canine charge, the dog was off-lead and romping around with other dogs.

The next time I met them, things had changed. The dog was now on a long lead and was not being let off, at all. My interest was peaked. He told me that the dog had poor recall.  He had been to a \’trainer\’ who had advised him, because the dog had run free on a farm, to keep the dog, permanently, on the lead and, away from other dogs.

The advice given to this chap astounded me.  Instead of the \’trainer\’ teaching the dog recall, his \’professional\’ opinion was to not socialize this young dog and, to not make any effort to train it properly.

Unfortunately, the dogs\’ owner was, now not interested in an alternative view.  Therefore, this dog was now doomed to being kept on the lead.

The bottom line – take care about who you take advise from.  There are many \’trainers\’ and \’behaviourists\’ that have limited qualifications, and are happy to give out poor advice.  Do not be fooled by the fact that an individual is a member of multiple organisations and, has been involved with dogs for many years.  These are not guarantees for the best advice about what is best for you and your dog.

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