You thought it was a good idea to get a puppy for Christmas? Right, well now it’s time to shape up because you have just become responsible for a life. You’ve done the jokes – “A dog is not just for Christmas, with a bit of luck there’ll be some left over for sandwiches on […]
Today I saw a Facebook post that took issue with trainers and behaviourists who recommend that people should not own certain breeds of dogs because they come with difficult behavioural traits. There were many comments on it, both challenging and in support. It reminded me of a conversation I had with a mountain man and […]
Hi, I’m Ted, and I’m fed up. Every day I go for a walk with Big David and we generally have a great time, sniffing around, checking out the pee-noticeboards, leaving my mark, riding in the bike basket between bridle-path and park before coming home for a good towelling down. So why am I fed […]
Last year when we managed to explain to a court that a dog that bit a lady when he was tied up outside a supermarket did not constitute a danger to public safety (we think she accidentally backed him to the end of his lead and then stood on his foot when he couldn’t get […]
There’s a bit of a furore on t’internet. Apparently “Science says” dogs don’t like to be hugged, and the face-twitter-sphere is awash with the repercussions. I like “science”. I like the way it informs and changes over time. So where did this “science” come from? It was widely reported in the Telegraph and the New York […]
Teaching your dog to make eye contact on request is extremely useful because it is an easy behaviour that you can reward with any of your reward options (food, interaction or activities – see Guide & Control for an explanation). It can be variously described as teaching a “look” or “watch me”, or simply paying […]
Those of you who have been to one of my seminars will have seen video of our last dog Fox stooging for me (that’s her on the front of the Bite & Fight book). She was a fantastic communicator and helped many dogs. When she died we knew we couldn’t replace her, and we won’t […]
I hate socialisation. Well, not socialisation, but “socialisation”. You know, puppy “socialisation”; that thing where you take your pup to three “puppy socialisation classes” on consecutive Tuesdays in the village hall when they are twelve weeks old, unless the last one coincides with a specially gripping episode of your favourite soap, when you can officially […]
This week we went to the Galleria Dell’ Academia in Florence to see a statue of Dave by one of the Ninja Turtles. I can see why he named it after me, because some of the physical attributes are clearly modelled on mine (no, I was thinking of the feet). Anyway, go see it if […]