Importance of Socialization

Cani-cross is the sport of cross-country running while hitched to a dog. It is popular in Europe. It is related to the winter dog-powered sport of skijoring and bikejoring, wherein a skier or cyclist is hitched to one to three dogs. The first World Championships were arranged in 2002 in Ravenna, Italy. Equipment needed is basically the same as in skiing with dogs: running harness, waist belt and a flexible line. In competitions there are more detailed requirements to the clips, and the length of the line. Canicross is growing throughout North America with many dryland events for competitive teams. Canicross is also becoming a very popular recreational activity for people who simply want to walk, jog, hike or stroll hands free with their dog or multiple dogs without holding a leash. Joggers can run without compromising their stride while holding leashes while using canicross gear which includes a belt, bungee line and harness for the dog to run in front and pull. source: / http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canicross/

For some of us, the beginning of the festive season is a start-up button for worry and panic. Not because some of us don't like Halloween or Christmas, but because this season is plagued with overwhelming amounts of unexpected noise and strong lights from a bright and happy display of fireworks. I'm very lucky not to be one of those people. However roughly 45% of the canine population in the UK, is absolutely petrified of the gorgeous blasts of light, that so many of us, absolutely adore. The reactions some pets have to fireworks can be heartbreaking to witness, and many pet owners become anxious about what to do. But what does a bad reaction look like? For dogs, fireworks present a sudden and abnormal threat, launching them into a state of flight mode which causes them to try and flee the home, or into a state of complete withdrawal and shut down. Some dogs become so anxious they will hide, shaking helplessly, making it difficult to reach if their situation gets worse - like having a fit. It doesn't take long to find a river of videos of dog's reactions to fireworks on Youtube to understand how scary these displays can be for both us and our dogs, and although some people can find said reactions funny, it is really an ignorant judgement of the situation. Some people even unknowingly subject their pets to fireworks without realising the impact they can have. So what can we do? Start by introducing products that release appeasing pheromones - at least one month prior to the beginning of the festive season, and keep it up. These products have proven to help your dog deal with scary situations and have an array of other uses. On a firework night, keep your windows and blinds shut, have some music play and give your dog something interesting to interact with, such as a filled kong or puzzle toy. Now, regardless of your work to make life for your dog easier, some dogs will still be afraid. If the situation rises, simply reassure him and if he tries to hide, let him, always trying to be reassuring. Try not to pull your dog out of the hiding place, because it will make things worse. If you have a new dog or puppy, don't wait to find out if he or she is afraid of fireworks. You can start getting your dog used to fireworks by playing firework noises in a very low volume in your home, as your dog is listening to music and is busy with his toy. Then, slowly raise the volume of the bangs in a controlled and safe manner, always checking for your dog's reaction to said sound. This should be done in a progressive way for a period of a few weeks. Don't rush it, as it can suddenly become overwhelming too quickly. In the long term, if your dog is particularly afraid of fireworks to an extent that you deem life threatening or too difficult to deal with, seek the help of Professional Animal Behaviourists - such as ourselves - that will use positive reinforcement only. You can't force fear out of someone, so you can't hope to force fear out of a dog either - it will just make it worse. Happy training!

The feeding time harnesses a power most people ignore, mostly because they're unaware of it's potential. But making sure you're using your dog's feeding time as working time, is immensely easy, useful and provides great long-term effects. And that's why I don't feed my dog off a normal food bowl. So let's look at the most common way people feed their dogs! 'Round the clock feeding This is the worst type of feeding as it usually leads to a fat and lazy animal that is impossible to train due to lack of interest in food. And why would he? His food is always there waiting for him, harvesting bacteria and slowly decomposing. So why on earth should he sit when you ask, or come when you call, if he can just take him self to the bowl to eat... anytime. Feeding times off a food bowl at meal times Feeding off of a normal food bowl, gives the dog the chance to eat in 5 seconds - some dogs taking less time - in an inhaling fashion that can lead to bloat and blockage of the airways, amongst other things. It also provides the dog with no mental stimulation and makes the food, whichever food it is, a boring and ordinary supply of energy that has no hope of becoming more. Feeding times off a feeding device/toy/activity Using a dog's feeding times to your advantage is a remarkable idea, keeps the dog mentally active, tiring him or her out, gives the food value, as the animal has to work for it, and it's a doggy activity that doesn't have to involve you, besides the short lived preparation time. But what does that look like? I ditched the food bowl for a selection of things to make my dog work for his food and keep him busy. Option 1 is a slow feeder, where I put the food, much like a normal food bowl. This food bowl however has lots twirls, ups and downs, and small barriers to keep the food safe from inhalation, so the dog has to actually use his brain to find out how to access it. Option 2 is a treat ball or kong wobbler. This is a hollow toy with a whole or removable part, through which you place your dog's food. The animal has to make the ball roll, or the wobbler wobble, in order to access the few - if any - bits of food that come out. This generally takes longer that the slow feeder but it doesn't work with wet food. Option 3 is scatter on a snuffle mat, which is a small mat full of long fleece strands in which the food gets lost, giving the dog a great time, trying to find it to eat it. This helps with problem solving and develop the use of the nose. Option 4 is a scatter feed (often in the garden), which means the animal has to physically search for every individual bit of food between your weeds/grass/rocks/etc. Any of those, ups my dog's feeding time up to 8 minutes, giving me a nice dog free breakfast and dinner. He gets to exercise his noggin and learn about problem solving, spatial awareness and how to use his body - thrashing the kong or ball, using paw or tongue for slow feeder, or using the nose to slowly finding every bit of food. Other tips! If you don't have any of these, simply putting a tennis ball inside the dog's normal food bowl also helps, as he has to work his way around the ball to access the food. Give you dog a raw cracked and leaking egg still in the shell (also known as calcium) on top of his dinner - slow feeder only. Give your dog a whole carrot or broccoli stork, keeps him busy for ages.

So your dog does a beautiful recall. He was about to chase after another dog and once you called, he came running straight back without a second thought. He gets to you and nothing... Maybe a pat on the head and a cheer as you assume your dog speaks English and understands the value of verbal praise. Next day, same scenario but different outcome. Your dog stopped once you called him, looked at you, and then decided to go after the other dog any way. You stood there helpless, calling him again and again. Your frustration starting to turn into anger and you just ask yourself why, maybe thinking "he is doing this on purpose to annoy me". Did that scenario feel familiar? What's wrong with that picture is that the dog wasn't told in a clear and obvious way that the first recall - the beautiful one - had been a great one, aka the behaviour wasn't reinforced. Imagine that for the dog, this scale appears in his minds eye depicting two very different weights. On one side you, and on the other side, an animal of the same species. Based on previous experience, which one do you think your dog is more keen to run up to? His friend or you? Dogs only care about a few things in their naive and lovely heads. One of those is if things are worth their while. So if you don't tell your dog via a reinforcer, how do you expect him to know that he is to try that again? It's like you doing an amazing job at work and receiving the same feedback as when you do a very poor one. Wouldn't you then relax a bit and just do less? After all, is it worth it? So be more attentive to your dog. Take rewards with you and let your dog know, "you did a brilliant job dog, here is your pay cheque". Check our s tore for a practical treat bag . Happy training!

Do you find yourself saying "my dog knows how to do this at home" when explaining yourself as to why your dog won't sit/lie down/roll over or come when out and about? There may be a few reasons for that... so ask yourself some questions. How interested is my dog to perform certain behaviours in certain situations? How am I contributing for the behaviour to occur? Is this an absolute necessity? Several factors come into play when in different scenarios, and when we ask ourselves these questions, the fourth question become - Am I being fair here? We can look at a lot of things, but there's one that stands out. It's important to understand that when you're at home with your dog, there are probably much fewer distractions than when out, and you're probably rewarding the behaviour you've requested by using food, play or something your dog finds rewarding. But suddenly you're out with your dog and there are so many interesting things in the world, like a dog that wee'd over by that bush, or the smell of something that died around the corner last month, or a sticky candy wrap begging your dog to be licked, etc. So the norm is broken, the picture for your dog doesn't look the same, and the question in your dog's head starts to form - 'Why should I do what you say?'. In the end of the day, it's a free country and unless you're the King/Queen of the Universe, no one or nothing shall ever do something just because you say so. Even if you feed them and walk them and provide a safe place to live. Perspective now. When you're at work and your boss asks you to do something, will you do it just because he says so? And if you do, are you doing it for free? Isn't there an end goal in the back of your head? If you are used to work in an office, would you have the same performance as when working from home? And when being used to working from home, would you have the same performance as when working from an office, a park, a shopping mall or a friend's house? The same works for our dogs - except that they can't think ahead or think back like we do. For dogs, they need the payment right after the bill. Dogs are also creatures of habit. If you dog isn't used to practising and performing said requests at these exciting and random locations, with added varying levels of distraction, is it fair to expect them to perform the same way they would do when distraction free? Next time you find yourself calling your dog 7 times and you're ignored, ask yourself "What is more valuable in this situation/time/space? Me or that the friendly play mate, smelly bush or retreating prey (rabbit, deer)? Is my dog used to doing these things in this space, with all these things around? Have I worked on it? If you want your dog to be a super obedient pooch everywhere, you MUST practice those desirable behaviours in all the places you wish him to be able to perform them, with varying levels of distraction.

Grooming your dog, regardless of what type of coat he has, is an important habit to develop. Besides helping maintain your dog healthy and in good condition, avoiding discomfort and pain, it is an amazing tool that aids in the development of the so important bond between the dog and human. Brushing your dog's coat for example, helps maintain good blood circulation, more so on long haired dogs than short haired dogs, due to the occurrence of mats and tangles in the coat. It helps release natural oils and get rid of grease. It can even tell you if something is physically wrong with your best friend. If you see an adult long haired dog that isn't brushed, he will be having clogs of hair that pull and tighten, getting very close to the skin. Besides causing an immeasurable amount of discomfort and pain when moving, it leads to bad blood circulation to all the blood vessels that exist close to the skin in that area. Any build up of grease in the coat can lead to blocked pores in the skin, which can cause sebaceous cysts, and if you probably check the hair between the paw pads, you might find balls of matted fur that become hard with dirt and grease, causing suffering and distress. A dog that is in constant pain and stress, feeling restraint and aware that certain movements will hurt - such as running - will become easily annoyed and frustrated, leading to lack of patience and a snappy behaviour towards people and other animals, especially the ones he doesn't know. We all know how people can get just by being a little bit hungry (hangry), so now imagine having a constant pain every time you look up or take a step. So just looking at brushing, we can already see how regular grooming can lead to a happy and stress free dog, that feels more comfortable in his skin and body. WARNINGS If you take your very matted dog to a professional groomer, you will be told off as it is seen as cruelty; You will be charged a lot more than if you had maintained it at home; You might even find some groomers that eventually take you off their books and refuse to provide their services due to hassle of dealing with your very difficult dog. A dog that isn't used to be groomed and inspected will be snappy and yappy, desperate to escape, taking much longer to groom, and getting your dog very anxious and upset.

Some dog treats are exceptionally easy to make, and one example are these dry kidney treats. You can use beef kidney, which is very cheap to buy at a butchers. After washing the kidney, start by patting it dry with a bit a kitchen towel, and partially freeze it for about 40 min. so it's easier to slice. Cut all the fat out and slice it thin so it breaks up easily later. Afterwards, pop it in the over for about 1 hour at 100°C. Remember we don't want to cook it, we want to dry it out. Afterwards just let it cool and break it into little bites. You can have the treats in an airtight container for about 3 days before it goes off, or you can have it in the fridge for it to last longer. Ultimately, if you decide to do a big batch, have it in the freezer and just take out what you need. Happy training!

When one has a dog, one loves a back garden. Many people move to a house with a big garden, with the intent of getting a pet dog and that is to be applauded. Dogs need space to run around, and most dogs still have a bit of energy left after that long walk at the park. So having a back garden can provide and extra play time in your well known environment, and put an smile on your face, as your dog zooms around - up & down, over & under, right & left - to then fall asleep. However, not all gardens are pet friendly, so we need to make sure that ours is one. #1 Escape proof Most dogs like to roam, and given the opportunity, they might just take off to smell the corners of the world. Huskies are a good example of a dog that likes to roam. A Husky is probably able to escape most simple fences to go for a walk, but with such a poor sense of direction, he might not be able to come back. Other problems might occur such as your dog going after the neighbour's cat, causing damage to someone's property, hurting someone/something, or hurting himself. Not to mention dog-napping (which is not a dog having a nap). To have an escape proof garden, have a good fence/wall, bushes along side it - #4 - so he can't get to the wall easily, and for some dogs, a barrier underneath the fence or wall to prevent the doggy version of the Shawshank Redemption. #2 Paw friendly pavements Some types of material for some pavements may cause harm or discomfort for your dog. In the summer, some materials can get really hot and burn your pooches pads, which is extremely painful. So a dog friendly material is needed. Providing a lot of grass space is ideal, because it will be gentle on your dogs paws and nails, and won't overheat too much in the hot sun. Shingle and Woodchip can be good options but can represent other problems such as your dog starting to make snacks of them. You may also consider fake grass, but make sure it is a pet friendly one and that this includes heat retention. Patio wise, consider sandstone, flagstone, concrete and brick, which seem to be OK in the UK. Always remember that almost every stone based pavement can have a high ability to retain heat, so if you are redoing your garden, make sure you install the right type of pavement. #3 Water sources Running around in the garden may result in thirst, so having a little pond or fountain is always nice as well. This water source bullet point can be as simple as having a hose in the garden. This way you can just get the hose and shower/mist the ground to make it cooler or simply to remove a bit of that doggy smell on a hot day. However, if you do have any water features in your garden, make sure they are safe and that if they're big enough for a pet or child to fall into it, that they can easily get out. #4 Greenery I love gardening and plants and green. But not all green is good for dogs. Some plants can harm, injure and even cause death. Plants like Daffodils, Wysteria, Hydrangea, Fox Glove, Azaleas, Lillies, Tulips, Daphne and Yew, can cause serious malfunction in your dogs system. So when in doubt, look it up to be safe. If you also like your garden looking nice but you have a big dog, make sure you plant accordingly. Avoid having delicate or young plants where a dog can reach, as these can easily get ran over or dug up. Invest in more robust plants such as large perennials, and sturdy shrubs that can withstand a zooming dog. Lavender makes a good border that is sturdy and dog safe. To keep our dog from getting out, plant climbing plants and vines next to your fence, which will also look beautiful as they cling and climb. Have several plants with thorns near the easiest access points of escape, as your dog will keep away from these. The rose bush is a good example. #5 Poop area One of the things one doesn't want, is poo showing up all over the place. Get your dog a specific soiling area and try to wash any residue away after picking it up. It's not safe to compost dog faeces since it contains dangerous parasites that won't die in a simple compost system. #6 Resting area Try to provide your dog with a safe and shaded resting area so your dog can take himself there to relax and escape for the hot sun. If you happen to have big trees that provide a good amount of shade, perfect. If not, try leaving a tent or parasol for your dog. If you have the space however, you can easily get a dog house or build one yourself. #7 Keep snails and slugs out Snails and slugs carry lungworm, which is extremely dangerous to dogs. But our pets don't know this and can sometimes try to eat them. There are many methods out there to keep these slimy animals out. Avoid using non-organic slug pellets as these are toxic to dogs and cats, plus all the other animals that might visit your garden.

The command drop it, is one that will save you a ton of hassle. Dogs pick up all sorts of things off the floor and it's essential to have a good cue for letting go. Another reason to teach it, is so that you can play fetch or tug, without having a five minute break after every trow because they are so reluctant to give it up. To teach drop it, you need to get your dog to pick something up first. If your dog likes to tug, play tug for a little bit before you ask for the command. Keep you dog on a lead and close to you so he can't run off with it and leave you stranded. Once you want your dog to drop the item, say drop it and stop pulling the toy towards you. If you keep pulling, you're still playing, and the idea is to make it as boring as possible. You can also gently grab your dogs collar, as soon as you provide the cue, and bring the collar up a little bit. That way you can make it obvious that your're not pulling anymore and also make it just slightly uncomfortable. Do not make eye contact! No one is trying to dominate their dogs into releasing the item. The situation will be very boring for your dog after a few seconds and he will drop it. As soon as your dog drops it, say yes with enthusiasm, release his collar and start tugging again. By rewarding the release with more play, he will learn after a few repetitions that releasing actually makes him have more fun. Tips! #1 - Let your dog win every now and again. Would you want to play a game with someone if you know you'll lose? No, you wouldn't... #2 - The toy only goes away 1 in 5 plays. That way you won't have the reaction "I don't want to give it to you because you're going to take it away". #3 - If your dog likes to play tug with clothes, get them to drop the clothes and reward with food. Then try to play with tug or ball instead. Any doubts, let us know!