Jo Pay

This blog idea has been going around in my head for sometime now and is a subject that I feel quite strongly about. With the documentary Pedigree Dogs Exposed 2 being aired last night and my overhearing a conversation about where someone could get hold of a cheap puppy I thought I would ask you to consider a few ideas carefully before you go ahead an bring a canine family member into your home.

There are lots of places that you can get a puppy from, rescue centres, breeders, pet shops and from someone you know whose dog had puppies, to name just a few.  At the moment it would seem that the thing driving consumers is the price , as cheap as I can get it please. And what the puppy looks like.  However these things are not necessarily what we really need for our pets.  What about the health of the puppy?  Not just its health now, but long term health.  Buying a cheaper puppy may seem like good value now, but what about the vets bills involved when your puppy gets home and has fleas and diarrhoea? What about the vet bills that are incurred as it gets older and cannot walk properly, see properly or breath properly? Its behavioural well-being is also incredibly important, a puppy that has not been raised in the best environment over the first few weeks of life is at high risk of developing behavioural problems as an adult dog, and behavioural problems can be just as life threatening as poor health.

There are lots of  breeders out there doing an amazing job, producing puppies that have been bred from genetically tested parents, in a clean, safe, stimulating, family environment that go on to be healthy, well balanced canine members of society. These puppies may cost a little bit more, since the breeder needs to pay for health testing, vaccinations, good food and some even contribute to research into the long term health of their chosen breed. Money well spent in my opinion. These people will give you support for the life of your puppy.

However, there are people out there breeding puppies who have no regard for the health, mental well-being or future of the breed that they are selling. Their interest is purely in making money.  Some of these people call themselves breeders and sell their puppies from home and as soon as the puppies are sold they are mating their dogs again to get some more puppies to sell. This is really no life for the poor dog.  However, worse than this, there are what is known as puppy farms.  These may be old farms, outbuildings or  someone’s shed, where female dogs are kept  in cages, in poor conditions, with no exersise, no play, often unvaccinated and unwell, with limited human contact, producing as many puppies as they can to sell in to pet shops, dog supermarkets and on free ads in newspapers. On a motorway journey a few years ago a colleague and I saw a man trading puppies out of the back of a white van lined with cages of puppies. The people buying these puppies have no idea where they have come from, have not seen the puppy’s parents nor the environment it was brought up in.  Below are some photographs of a house that was used as a place to breed puppies, they do not make nice viewing but are real.  This kind of place is where puppies are being born and raised today!

As you can see, this is really not a nice place for a dog to live nor for puppies to be born in to. Yet this is going on all of the time, these photos were taken inside someone’s house.

Now we may all take offence at these photos, or object to media footage of dogs that can’t breath properly, we may criticise people that breed dogs, or sell dogs, we may rage at the Kennel Club and say they should do more to help.  However as long as the pet buying public continue to fund these unscrupulous people, they will continue to make money from us! One customer once said that his friend researched his new coffee maker more than his new puppy before he bought one, shocking, but common.  So I say that we should stop blaming everyone else for this sad state of affairs. We need to  educate ourselves and do our research before we go out and get a puppy. This will put puppy farmers and bad breeders out of business and we will start to see an improvement in the health and well-being of dogs in our country.

Jo

On Sunday 4th March 2012 a Charity Dog walk will be taking place to raise money for a very special little girl, Emma Hoolin. Emma is a four year old girl who in February 2010 was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a cancer that affects children, usually under the age of five. If you’d like to learn more about Emma and her story, please click here.

The dog walk is taking place at Haigh Hall, on the main drive.  I’ll be there with the Standish Dog Trainer Team introducing the dog walk and staying to answer any questions about your dogs.

If you can spare a couple of hours we would be delighted for you and your dogs to join us for our dog walk. Come along, bring your friends, enjoy a relaxing walk in the beautiful grounds of this stately home knowing that you are raising money for a really worthwhile cause.

Hope to see you there

Jo x

It has been a great year here at Standish Dog Trainer, we have added new staff members, learned new skills on training courses, grown the business adding new classes, added Talking Dogs Rally to our timetable, joined forces with Vets4Pets in Wigan providing puppy parties and having a great new office base for 1-2-1 training sessions.  In the dog training world we call this ending on a positive – and what a positive it is!

I’d like to just offer you a few thoughts on making the festive season a happy and safe one for your puppies and dogs.

Those of you who have attended puppy parties and puppy classes will recall me asking you to put your doggy goggles on and make sure your house is dog friendly.  This is really important at Christmas for dogs of all ages.  Christmas trees with their breakable glass baubles, prickly tinsel, electric lights and chocolates are a potential nightmare, so please be careful not to leave dogs unattended with Christmas Trees, if closing doors is difficult with open plan living then maybe baby gates, or a puppy pen around the tree is a good idea. Do remember that chocolate is toxic for dogs! Also on the list of things that have the potential to make your dog poorly is mistletoe, if you are wanting a cheeky kiss with your visitors perhaps hang the mistletoe outside the front door.  Christmas is a time of indulgence for us humans and while I’m not against giving dogs tit bits, be sensible.  Many humans end up with a belly ache over the festive season from a little too much rich food and it is not unusual for dog to end up with a poorly tummy from eating too much fancy food.

A combination of cold weather and change of routine can mean that walks happen at unusual times or don’t happen at all over the Christmas holiday.  This can result in your dog feeling out of sorts, so try to make time for those walks everyday.  They can be the highlight of your dogs day, running, jumping, playing with you and having a jolly good sniff is fabulous for your dog, the added bonus is that if your dog has had a good run and play they are more likely to settle quietly later so you can sit down for the Christmas day Dr Who special in peace!  Remember to clean paws carefully to get rid of bits of ice from between your dogs toes but also more importantly to make sure there is no grit / salt left on them, we don’t your dogs licking that and ingesting it.

We often end up having lots of visitors over the holiday period and a combination of excitement and alcohol can mean that the house can be noisier than usual.  Not all dogs are social butterflies and indeed some dogs can find the busy comings and goings quite stressful. I would recommend setting up a quiet zone for your dog, enabling them to get out of the way and rest in peace and quiet.  This may be in a covered crate, on their settle mat by your feet or tucked away in an upstairs room out of the way, it really depends on the dog.  Stuffed KONG, Stag Bar, Antos Cera Chews or Nylabone can be a real blessing for your dog at this time, having a really good chew in peace will help relax your dog.  Also beware of door dashers, the more sociable dogs can be very enthusiastic in their greetings and could easily end up bouncing outside in the excitement of visitors coming inside.

The working hours at your vet may change over the holiday season, so its worth checking what the opening hours are over Christmas and make sure you have the number for the emergency out of hours vet – be prepared!

Finally,I’d like to thank all of you for your support this year, I’ve loved every minute and I’m looking forward to working with you all in 2012!  I hope that you and your families have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Jo xx

At Standish Dog Trainer not all of the training is about training dogs, myself and my team keep our training and skills up to date by regularly attending training seminars and completing training courses.

Our week of training started last Saturday with a trip to the RSPCA Gonsal Farm to see Victoria Stilwell present her seminar.  As you know I am a member of Victoria’s team of Positively Trainers so this was a fantastic opportunity to meet with Victoria and the other Positively Trainers, including my good friend Emma Collings, to watch Victoria presenting, working new rescue dogs publicly in the seminar and learn about new training ideas and methods.  This was followed by a really popular and well planned Christmas Fayre at the RSPCA Centre with all of the Positively trainers in attendance.  It is a pleasure and an honour to work with a team of wonderful trainers!

Later in the week, my team and I updated our first aid skills on a Canine First Aid course run by my friend and colleague Hayley Lane.  We learned all about the best and safest way to help our canine friends should they become ill or are injured.  Practising bandaging skills, learning about Mouth to Nose Resuscitation and CPR for dogs.  Samuel’s dog Maggie came along with us and was a model patient allowing us to practise some of our new skills on her.

Finally my week ended with a day long course about first aid in the work place – no dogs here at all.  I felt very strange going on a training course with no treats in my pocket and sitting indoors all day.  The course was really detailed, covering health and safety, accident books, R.I.D.D.O.R, duty of care, first aid kits, cpr, bandaging and so much more!

So you see, a week in the life of a dog trainer is not always about training the dogs.  It is really important that we keep our skills up to date and modern, this includes the skills we use to help train your dogs, but also the skills that we use to provide a safe and complete service to our clients, human and canine alike.

In the past weeks there has been lots of media attention on dog training and how it should or should not be done, so I thought I’d just fill you in on what I think on this subject and why.

I’ve been working with dogs for many years now, starting as a volunteer in a boarding kennel learning mainly from the dogs, working at Hearing Dogs for Deaf People learning lots from the people, then working for myself learning at college, at seminars, from dogs and by trial and error too.  Over the years I’ve tried many different training methods – some I’m not so proud of now and would not dream of using since I’ve learned more; some I learned years ago, stopped using and have come back to; some I learned and didn’t like; some I learned years ago and still use happily and with confidence. I’m expanding my knowledge  all of the time and adding new ideas and tools to my mental ‘tool box’.

I could write lots here about the different types of training, theories on dominance and packs, but that will open a can of worms that we can save for another blog.

So, what do I use?  Primarily I like to use Positive Reinforcement.  This means giving the dog something that it  finds rewarding for offering me a behaviour that I like.  This could mean luring, shaping or simply waiting for the behaviour that I am looking for and then rewarding the dog when it happens. I use food treats, toys, vocal praise, physical praise, eye contact, a smile and movement to reward dogs. Where appropriate I also use  clicker training.  Alongside positive reinforcement I also use negative punishment, this is not a threatening as it sounds.  If a dog is exhibiting a behaviour that I don’t like and I want to stop, I remove something from the dog so that this behaviour is  no longer rewarding to the dog. The most common negative punishment that I, and I suspect most other trainers, use is the removal of my attention, I simply turn and walk away.

So, why do I train this way?  Lots of reasons!  To begin with, for me, this feels good and right.  I want to have a relationship with dogs that is built on trust, I want to enjoy training dogs, I want dogs to enjoy being trained by me and I want their owners to feel relaxed and happy, full of confidence that they can succeed.  Secondly and possibly most important is the fact that research and science has shown that the use of harsh treatment or punishment in training (for example choke chains, spray collars, electric shock collars, water sprays) can prove to be detrimental in the training of dogs resulting in a lack of confidence, inhibition of learning, increase in fear and a breakdown in communication leading to many behavioural problems becoming worse with a serious risk of  aggression and injury towards people and other animals. In contrast it has been shown that promoting better understanding and using positive reinforcement can help address underlying issues that may be causing problems and aid communication.  If we understand better what motivates our dogs, we can manage their environment to help them relax and then reward desirable behaviours as they happen.  We know that a behaviour which results in a positive, pleasant consequence is far more likely to be repeated.

Putting it really simply, reward what you like and ignore what you don’t like.  If you are looking for a trainer to help with your canine friend you can check out Victoria Stilwell Positively, The Kennel Club or the APDT to find a trainer that is qualified, insured and uses research based, positive methods to achieve safe and happy results.  Don’t be afraid to ask questions, ask for testimonials from previous clients and most of all don’t be afraid to stop someone training your dog if it just doesn’t feel right to you!

I love to watch dogs at play with each other.  Play can be very useful for socialisation of young dogs.  Many dogs enjoy to play with their canine buddies throughout their lives while some dogs loose interest in play as they get older.

When dogs play together you may see a huge range of  behaviours including the delightful play bow, stalking, chasing, pouncing, high pitched  barking and growling, running alongside each other, mirroring each other, exaggerated bouncy movements, wrestling and mouthing.  To the human viewer canine play can sometimes look at little alarming and serious but well socialised dogs who are skilled at this art called playing will be constantly giving off calming signals through their games to indicate to their pal that it is just a game, for example there will be a lack of tension in their body, eye contact will be soft and fleeting, tails will be wagging softly, mouth may be open and you will see paws being lifted rather than feet braced on the floor.  Dogs that play well together will reverse roles regularly through their games.

Unfortunately games can sometime cross the line from play into something a little more serious. Maybe arousal levels creep too high, perhaps the dogs are not familiar with each other, maybe someone forgot their canine manners and fights can ensue.  I feel that lots of puppy and dog owners worry about this, they aren’t sure what is play and what is serious, they don’t want their puppy or dog to become injured or injure another dog, so they avoid play and avoid other dogs.  This is a real shame and whilst not all dogs are social butterflies, I do believe that given proper socialisation at the right place and the right age there would be many more dogs enjoying play, owners relaxing and enjoying their walks and far less scraps in the dog park.  This is why I run puppy parties and puppy classes in the way that I do.  My puppy parties with Vets4Pets are for puppies that are in-between their first and second vaccine, we have a safe, clean environment for the pups to socialise and play off lead at their own pace with careful supervision at a time when socialisation is crucial to practice play skills and bite inhibition.  This can be followed by my puppy classes once the vaccination programme is complete.  Classes for pups under 18 weeks old involve lots of off lead play, using play with each other as a reward for obedience commands, this broadens the pups social skills, encourages further bite inhibition and teaches puppies to focus on their owners even when there are other puppies around to play with.  What more could a puppy want?

Here a couple of video snippets of my dog Indie playing with George Springer Spaniel his best pal. Enjoy!

Notice the play bows, the exaggerated bouncing movement, the mouth open with lolling tongues.  Notice also the looking away, breaks in play, Indie shaking himself, walking together and wagging tails.  Indie is three years old, George just 16 months, notice Indie giving more calming signals, I think this is because he finds things can get a little overstimulating and he needs a small break in the intensity.  Both dogs enjoy walks together, will share a water bowl, train together and sit the back of a car together, but this was not always so, Indie would not tolerate George as a puppy at all, but with careful, calm socialisation together they have become great friends.

As always, my conclusion to this thought process is that education is the key, sharing the knowledge and spreading the word is going to make life easier for our canine companions.

Let me know your thoughts!

A few weeks ago in training classes a customer asked me the question “Should I play tug with my dog?  I’ve heard that it might make her aggressive and I’m worried that she may think it is OK to tug on the sleeves of young children.”  This is a question that myself and I’m sure other dog trainers are asked on a regular basis. My answer is  yes, tug can be a valuable game, but there must be ground rules in place.

Here are some of my thoughts on the subject. Tug games can be a really valuable way of teaching dogs impulse control and bite inhibition providing that your dog will reliably release the tug toy when asked to. This is easy to train using tug toys and treats. Simply allow your dog to take hold of their end of the toy, have a gentle tug to and fro and as they are getting the idea of tugging,  hold a tasty piece of hot dog right by their nose.  As they smell the delicious hot dog they will let go of the tug toy, getting ready to eat.  As soon as your puppy drops the tug toy give the command “drop it” and feed the hot dog to your puppy.  Once they have finished eating, resume play.  Repeat this exersise a few times over a period of five minutes or so and then end the game.  Try to make sure that you end the game with the dog having had a nice time and having been happy to share its toy with you.  If your dog is not really motivated by food, I find that another tug toy is a good alternative to treats, once your dog is tugging on one toy, start to have a little game with the toy in your other hand – perhaps snake it along the ground and get really excited about it. As your pup drops their toy in favour of yours give your “drop it” command and reward them with a game with the new toy.  I have found with Indie that after proper, reliable training of the “drop it” command, simply commencing the game again is reward enough for him to be happy to release toys to me.  I always end the game with treats for him.

Is a game of tug going to confuse your dog and encourage them to play tug on children and their clothes? I think not, most dogs are pretty smart and can tell the difference between a tug rope toy and a child’s coat.  However I do think that a dog with a reliable “drop it” command is surely safer to be around children where there may be exciting new and noisy toys and flapping clothing.  I also believe it is very important that dogs and children each have their own toys and there is clear distinction about what belongs to who.

Tug games can be highly rewarding for dogs and can be used for training, cutting down on the quantity of treats that your dog is consuming on a walk or during a training session.  My Indie loves his KONG Flyer, when I take it on a walk with us we alternate between throwing and tugging when he brings it back. On these walks I use very few treats and his recall is faultless; he loves the game and is not remotely interested in sniffing or playing with other dogs or even squirrel hunting when I have this toy. I think he prefers tugging on it to chasing it.  Many agility trainers use tug ropes to help train their dogs in this exciting and fast moving sport.  I also use tug games in the garden for obedience and trick training sessions.

I would urge caution when dogs are puppies. Puppies start to loose teeth at around 16 weeks old and the new adult teeth take a little while to settle in, so during this time I would avoid hard tugging games.  I would recommend that tug games between dogs and children are carefully supervised and managed, kids and dogs together can be unpredictable so safety is important for both. Lastly can I recommend that you do not use your dogs lead as a tug toy. Having a dog decide to have a game of tug with you and their lead as you try to cross the main road is not cool!

Finally here is a little video of Indie and I playing tug in the garden, notice his bouncy playful movement and lovely play bows, certainly not possessive or aggressive, we love this game.  Hope you enjoy it!