Resource Guarding: we all do it!

Resource Guarding is one of the most natural behaviours, for us humans and for our dogs.

🐶 It’s just that when our dogs do it, let’s say ‘excessively’ from our point of view, it doesn’t fit into our lifestyle.

💜 The key to addressing resource guarding is understanding, not confrontation.

➡️➡️ Instead of punishing your dog for growling or snapping - simply behaviours that communicate their discomfort - focus on:

✅ building trust (counter conditioning)
✅ management (avoiding situations where your dog feels the need to)
✅ positively teaching new skills that will allow you and your dog to easily navigate these situations (drop, leave, hand target, back, off, etc).

🛑 also rule out underlying heath niggles (you’d be surprised by how much GI issues or pain/ discomfort can play into resource guarding behaviours).

🐾 and ensure your dog’s basic needs are met, from providing them with a safe place to rest to being able to eat in peace.

We've won an Award!!!!

Very excited to announce that we have won another Award 🎉🎉🎉🎉

🐾 'Best Canine Behaviour Consultant 2024 (Southern Sweden)' at the Scandinavian Business Awards.

🙏 A massive thanks to all my wonderful clients who’ve taken the time and have left me great testimonials which hugely impacted on the judging panel’s decision.

🐕 And the biggest thanks to the one and only, Miss Wolfgang. This one is yours my little golden nugget ❤️

Setting up your dog for training success

How to create a good dog training environment:

🐾 To begin with, train in a non-distracting environment to help your dog stay focused, then generalise the behaviours to more distracting environments.

🐾 Train when your dog is motivated.

🐾 Break behaviours down into small easy to learn steps.

🐾 Always allow your dog to opt out of the training when needed. For example, you may find your dog starts to sniff the floor suddenly, that’s her asking for a break. 

🐾 Minimise opportunities for your dog to choose an incorrect response, providing you with repeated opportunities to positively reinforce all of your dog’s correct responses (mark & treat).

Adolescent Dogs

Working with adolescent dogs is a wonderful, and also often challenging, training category on its own! 

The key to the kingdom is to help the human understand what their dog can and cannot offer at this developmental stage. 

Patience and managing the dog’s environment is a large part of it, while continuing to reinforce the right behaviours and provide outlets for what your dog needs during this tumultuous time (we’ve all been there after all, I know I have…..sorry Mum…). 

If you need help with your teenage dog, I offer an ‘adolescent dog survival’ training programme to help you and your dog navigate this developmental stage.

Get in touch

Loose Leash Walking Tips

Leash Walking Tips - whether you are starting from scratch with a puppy, working with a bouncy adolescent or adult dog or even a rescue dog who’s not used to a leash.

🐕‍🦺 Good equipment is key: I’d opt for a well-fitting harness but there are, as always, exceptions to the rule. Get a long leash and/ or a training line (3m - 5m, depending on your long leash handling skills).

👩🏻 Understand that you, the human, are a bit boring when it comes to walking. You walk in straight lines, probably a bit too slow or fast (depends on how your dog sees the world), you never stop to sniff or wee. Look at it from your dog’s perspective and allow for all the sniffs and exploration they need. 

🌭Get your dog used to good things happening when moving with you (NOT by your side but moving with you). You can use pattern games for this, capturing (mark/ reward) check-ins and more. 

🐾 When outside; start practicing in an area where your dog has the option to move more freely. 

🩺 Don’t forget that underlying medial issues can feed into leash walking behaviours. 

Things I tell my clients to make their puppies’ and adult dogs’ day to day the best they can be

1. Everything starts with and is influenced by learning to ‘talk dog’ and understanding your dog’s needs (both physically and emotionally).

2. Good quality socialisation and habituation, working at your dog’s pace, is so much more important than teaching traditional behaviours such as sit, down, etc. 

3. On that note, a ‘sit’ isn’t as important as you think it is. And can matter of fact become an aversive for a dog with physical ailments. Don’t make it a default part of other behaviours you teach your dog.

4. Be your dog’s safe place and provide as much choice and agency as you can for your dog. 

5. A happy tummy and gut makes for a happy dog! 

6. Be more dog, you fur friend will love you for it.

Letting your dog sleep on your bed creates separation anxiety!

Nope, it doesn’t.

There’s zero evidence.

BUT…

if your dog is hyper-attached to you, being around you 24/7 isn’t helping them to develop the coping skills for being home alone, eventually.

HOLD YOUR HORSES…

do not go crazy now and banish your anxious dog from your bedroom tonight. Everything has to be done gradually and gently.

If you need help, we are here xx 

Should you get a second go to help your dog overcome separation anxiety?

Well…firstly, you can never have enough dogs, obviously….in my opinion.

But on a more serious note; it depends, of course, but usually it actually won’t help and here are a couple of things to consider:

• Your dog’s anxiety comes from being separated from you, the human, not just from being home alone. So while another dog might make your dog less lonely, it’s not likely to cure your dog’s anxiety when you’re away.

• Also your current dog’s anxiety when you are not around may rub off on your second dog and then you have a double-trouble kind of situation. 

So, I’m definitely all for getting a second, third, fourth dog, but do it for the right reasons, prepare yourself accordingly and enjoy your furry family.