The general public are becoming increasingly unsympathetic to the dog that growls or nips, rightly expecting the dog’s owner to take responsibility for their pet’s behaviour.

Yet, expecting a dog to never use its limited communication powers to signal that it is uncomfortable with a situation by barking or growling, is similar to expecting us to go through our entire life without a cross word or a ‘bad hair day’.

Ensuring that your dog is sufficiently comfortable in our very complex domestic and urban environment as to never have a bite or growl is the start of responsible dog ownership and it begins as soon as your new puppy enters your home.

Thorough puppy socialisation ensures that your puppy is socially competent in any normal situation and has the learning skills to extend this knowledge to novel situations.  Early puppy training ensures Athat your puppy learns simple obedience skills from the outset, preventing you   having to overcome bad habits before you can instil appropriate skills.

Classes are  among small groups of puppies and are open to any puppy that has begun a vaccination course with their veterinarian. Puppies can join up to 14 weeks of age and juveniles (14-30 weeks) will attend a separate class. 

Interested owners should contact the  centre to arrange to join the next available class.        Inclusion in a class is dependent on the centre receiving a photocopy of the vaccination certificate.

Owners who want to get their relationship with their puppy off to the best possible start can arrange a 1:1 ‘pre-purchase’ or ‘new puppy’ consultation prior to joining puppy classes.

An animal’s behaviour will depend on its species, breed and genetics, along with its environment and the opportunities it has had to learn.

Once your dog enters the adolescent period of its development its ability to accept novel situations without showing signs of fear or anxiety is greatly reduced.  Once out of the home, the once playful and confident puppy can quickly develop into a confused and anti-social adolescent.

Problem behaviours usually develop due to an incompatibility between the needs of the dog to feel secure and the need of the owner to  ensure that the dog behaves in a socially acceptable manner.

Many owners assume that their dog will grow out of behaviours such as jumping up at visitors, barking at strange people and other dogs, pulling on the lead, destructive or aggressive behaviour. Yet, once the dog has tried these behaviours and found them        successful he can only learn more about how well they work with each opportunity that he gets to repeat them.

You can teach an old dog new tricks, but the longer that dog has had to practice the old tricks the harder it will be to alter the behaviour.  It is for this reason that it is  important to tackle behaviour problems as soon as they become obvious to the owner.

Companion Animal Behaviour Referrals can  assist by identifying your dog’s motivation to perform the behaviour and the modifications that need to be carried out to alter the behaviour.

CONSULTATIONS are intended to enable owners to assist their dogs in modifying their problem        behaviour.

TRAINING is intended to enable dogs to learn new skills (but it will not overcome behavious that have been previously learnt). We would advise that adult dogs undergo an initial 1:1 assessment to enable your most pressing problems to be assessed and addressed, followed by further 1:1 advice or involvement in a training class, dependent on your needs.

 

 

Ageing is the inevitable consequence of growing old and along with the physical changes that accompany ageing there are also cognitive and behavioural changes to consider.

Although canine ageing will be            dependent upon factors such as breed, nutrition and lifestyle, it is now generally accepted that once a dog has reached eight years of age the onset of old age will have begun.

Ageing can bring about difficulties in  understanding and a loss of learning and memory.  The elderly dog can be slow to respond, it may no longer explore and interact with its environment and it may be less flexible or more irritable.  The dog may be more anxious and             occasionally disorientated.

All of these changes will alter the dog’s quality of life and make it more difficult  for the family to cope with their old friend.  Confusion may lead to a loss of toilet training and irritability may lead to aggression, but none of these changes are irreversible if noticed early enough.

In combination with your veterinary     surgeon and following veterinary referral the degree of behavioural change can be assessed and advice can be given on   exercise, diet, identifying and avoiding difficult events, reinstating learning and addressing specific behavioural issues. 

Elderly dogs have given a lot to their families and we are here to help the   family to understand the elderly dog’s needs.

Puppy and Juvenile ‘Early Training’ Classes

Training and Behavioural Help for Adolescent and Adult Dog

The Elderly Dog