How Could You

This dog was put to sleep. He was in need of some love, care and understanding. No one was there for him and he got a raw deal.

A tragic waste of a young healthy animal. Unfortunately he's one of many who are bought as small bundles of fluff and dumped within months when they need some time spend on them.

People ask me why I do what I do - I hope this post answers their question.

If you're thinking about giving your dog up please read this essay ...... Don't hesitate to contact me - I'll help if I can.

HOW COULD YOU? - By Jim Willis 2001

When I was a puppy, I entertained you with my antics and made you laugh. You called me your child, and despite a number of chewed shoes and a couple of murdered throw pillows, I became your best friend. Whenever I was "bad,"you'd shake your finger at me and ask "How could you?" - but then you'd relent, and roll me over for a bellyrub.

My housebreaking took a little longer than expected, because you were terribly busy, but we worked on that together. I remember those nights of nuzzling you in bed and listening to your confidences and secret dreams, and I believed that life could not be any more perfect. We went for long walks and runs in the park, car rides, stops for ice cream (I only got the cone because "ice cream is bad for dogs," you said), and I took long naps in the sun waiting for you to come home at the end of the day.

Gradually, you began spending more time at work and on your career, and more time searching for a human mate. I waited for you patiently, comforted you through heartbreaks and disappointments, never chided you about bad decisions, and romped with glee at your home comings, and when you fell in love. She, now your wife, is not a "dog person" -still I welcomed her into our home, tried to show her affection, and obeyed her.

I was happy because you were happy. Then the human babies came along and I shared your excitement. I was fascinated by their pinkness, how they smelled, and I wanted to mother them, too. Only she and you worried that I might hurt them, and I spent most of my time banished to another room, or to a dog crate. Oh, how I wanted to love them, but I became a "prisoner of love."

As they began to grow, I became their friend. They clung to my fur and pulled themselves up on wobbly legs, poked fingers in my eyes, investigated my ears, and gave me kisses on my nose. I loved everything about them and their touch - because your touch was now so infrequent - and I would have defended them with my life if need be. I would sneak into their beds and listen to their worries and secret dreams, and together we waited for the sound of your car in the driveway.

There had been a time, when others asked you if you had a dog, that you produced a photo of me from your wallet and told them stories about me. These past few years, you just answered "yes" and changed the subject. I had gone from being "your dog" to "just a dog," and you resented every expenditure on my behalf.

Now, you have a new career opportunity in another city, and you and they will be moving to an apartment that does not allow pets. You've made the right decision for your "family," but there was a time when I was your only family.

I was excited about the car ride until we arrived at the animal shelter. It smelled of dogs and cats, of fear, of hopelessness. You filled out the paperwork and said "I know you will find a good home for her." They shrugged and gave you a pained look. They understand the realities facing a middle-aged dog, even one with "papers."

You had to pry your son's fingers loose from my collar as he screamed "No, Daddy! Please don't let them take my dog!" And I worried for him, and what lessons you had just taught him about friendship and loyalty, about love and responsibility, and about respect for all life. You gave me a good-bye pat on the head, avoided my eyes, and politely refused to take my collar and leash with you.

You had a deadline to meet and now I have one, too. After you left, the two nice ladies said you probably knew about your upcoming move months ago and made no attempt to find me another good home. They shook their heads and asked.... "How could you?"

They are as attentive to us here in the shelter as their busy schedules allow. They feed us, of course, but I lost my appetite days ago. At first, whenever anyone passed my pen, I rushed to the front, hoping it was you - that you had changed your mind - that this was all a bad dream... or I hoped it would at least be someone who cared..... anyone who might save me.

When I realized I could not compete with the frolicking for attention of happy puppies, oblivious to their own fate, I retreated to a far corner and waited. I heard her footsteps as she came for me at the end of the day, and I padded along the aisle after her to a separate room. A blissfully quiet room. She placed me on the table and rubbed my ears, and told me not to worry.

My heart pounded in anticipation of what was to come, but there was also a sense of relief. The "prisoner of love" had run out of days. As is my nature, I was more concerned about her. The burden which she bears weighs heavily on her, and I know that, the same way I knew your every mood.

She gently placed a tourniquet around my foreleg as a tear ran down her cheek. I licked her hand in the same way I used to comfort you so many years ago. She expertly slid the hypodermic needle into my vein. As I felt the sting and the cool liquid coursing through my body, I lay down sleepily, looked into her kind eyes and murmured "How could you?"

Perhaps because she understood my dogspeak, she said "I'm so sorry." She hugged me, and hurriedly explained it was her job to make sure I went to a better place, where I wouldn't be ignored or abused or abandoned, or have to fend for myself - a place of love and light so very different from this earthly place.

With my last bit of energy, I tried to convey to her with a thump of my tail that my "How could you?" was not directed at her. It was you, My Beloved Master, I was thinking of. I will think of you and wait for you forever. May everyone in your life continue to show you so much loyalty.

The End - Jim Willis

Tools Of The Trade

Every job requires a toolbox of some description. Dog training is no exception.
Perhaps the toolbox may be better explained as an armoury of equipment to help the dog trainer achieve his or her goals.

Here's a list of equipment that I use on a regular basis :

• 30ft training line - when you've trained a behaviour at close range the training line will allow you to test the behaviour at a distance or with distractions while remaining in control.
• 6 ft training lead - I use a long lead with magic rings that allows me to adjust the length accordingly. A good leather training lead is a wise investment.
• Clicker - I use the iClick because I like it's responsiveness but any clicker will do as long as it gives a consistent click. If you can't afford a clicker, use a ball point pen with a loud click.
• Whistles - I use 2 whistles. I use a silent whistle for Oscar and a loud acme 212 field trialer for Lu. I like training to the whistle. I think trainers would achieve much better results if they stopped relying on verbal communication and used whistles, body language, clickers hand signals etc. Communicate on equal terms and you'll have more chance of success.
• Treat bag - Not a necessity but a nice to have and it helps keep your pockets clean. I sometimes use a treat bag that clips around me and I attach the bag on my back so the dog does not know where the treat is coming from. Most of the time I use a freezer bag in my jacket pocket.
• Treats - I vary these between tasty meat cuts, liver cake, dry dog food and gravy bones.
• Ball on a string - I use an Orbee ball on a string. The ball is almost indestructible but the string constantly needs to be adjusted and replaced when you have a 95lb rottie hanging from it. I use the ball to retrieve and as a reward mechanism. I also use it as a tool to build drive and focus. When I get the required behaviour issue the drive command and play tug and chase. The dogs love it.
• Canvas Dummy - I use this for retrieving. I like the ones with toggles on them to enable me to throw them a decent distance.
• A Half Barrel - Just an old wooden barrel cut in half. I use this in my back yard. I turn the barrel upside down and use it to isolate the dog when I'm training static tricks like "see me" , "waive bye bye", "stand tall" etc. I also use it to groom and inspect my dogs. The barrel is a happy place where nice things happen. It's beneficial to have a place that the dogs associates with nice things.
• Plant Hanger - This was a suggestion from my friend Kathy McKinzie. The plant hanger is used to hold a treat. You then practice the send away. The dog only sees the treat on the hanger and runs to get the treat. You need to have your leave command up to scratch before trying this. I like this tool. It's great for teaching a dog to run out in a straight line.
• Sticky Labels - A poor mans target stick. I use these to enhace the touch command and train anything that involves the dog pushing or touching an object - simple but very effective.

I have no doubt I will add to this list in the future. I'm always on the lookout for new equipment to make my job easier. Let me know if you use any tools that I've not included on my list.

Consistency and Convenience

If there's one common denominator in achieving solid dog training skills it has to be consistency.

Whenever I fall short in my training sessions it almost always due to a lack of consistency. Being consistent is not always convenient and I'd challenge any trainer who brags that they are always consistent. It's near impossible to click at exactly the correct moment or issue the same hand signal every time.

It has to be the single most difficult discipline to master. I now have the courage to admit when I've failed in my training by moving too quickly before the dog has ingrained the behaviour or when I've not clicked consistently enough to reinforce the action.

I've recently being dealing with a couple who have a very handsome young working collie named Floyd. Floyd is a real star and he's always up for learning new activities and he's intelligent to a fault.
Floyd's owners asked my advice on stopping him barking at strangers when they walk passed the garden.
I walked into the garden armed with my clicker and some treats. The moment he made a run for the fence, I stopped him and said "It's OK" , and gave him a treat. Soon my son was walking passed the fence with my young bitch Lu and Floyd was sitting quietly at my side. I instructed the owners to nip the barking in the bud and offer a tasty alternative to barking the place down and upsetting all in sundry. A few days past and Floyd was beginning to go back to his old tricks. This was down to inconsistency on the owner's behalf. Floyd had been allowed to bark a few times without being corrected thus reinforcing the barking behaviour and weakening the passive behaviour.
This is a classic case of inconsistency causing confusion in a young dog. When the dog becomes confused he will always revert to the most reinforced behaviour, in Floyd's case, barking his nut's off.

My advice to any trainer is to prepare your training session in advance. Set yourself exercises and objectives. The objective may not be attainable in a single session. Is this turns out to be the case, learn from your mistake and revise your objective accordingly for the next session.

I think it's a good idea to have a note of the exercises your going to train. Advance through the session at the dog's pace keeping it fun and exciting and always finish on a good note. Never make the mistake of running out of treats or getting into a brawl on the way home. Take a detour if necessary but always finish with a happy atmosphere.This is so important. It is so easy to spoil a good training session with a few moments carelessness on the way home.

As far as convenience goes, well it's just too bad. You may have to make that extra lap round the training area to reinforce the heel or perhaps you'll have to turn and walk in a different direction so not to create a situation that results in a show of aggression. All I'll say is that being consistent is very seldom convenient and if you want to achieve solid results , you'll have to be prepared to put yourself out now and again.

In summary, organise your training in advance, keep a note of your progress and concentrate on being consistent.

Talking The Lingo

I constantly come across situations where dog owners think it’s the dog’s duty to understand English.

Dogs don’t understand the English language, dogs understand dog language. I often hear people referring to their dogs by saying “He understands every word I say”. Total tosh!!! – he associates being rewarded for performing an action when he hears a certain word or phrase - nothing more, nothing less. You could train him to perform the same task when he hears a bell ring or a door knock. Does that mean he also understands bell language and door language - I think not.

I want to discuss how communicating in dog language can overcome behavioural issues that are just misunderstood by most owners. I see things like a dog barking in the garden and the owner ignoring him or scolding him for barking. The dog is actually alerting the leader to a stranger is approaching his territory. All he wants is the leader to acknowledge his alert and take action. The action may be “It’s OK boy - I know this person” or the action might be “lock the doors and bar the windows, there’s a bad man coming”. The action is irrelevant. The dog is simply communicating and informing the pack leader that someone is approaching and that the leader needs to make a decision. I tend to reassure the dog saying “OK, that’s good” and getting the “distraction” to walk past the fence again and again while I’m standing with the dog. I also reward him if he doesn’t bark when the distraction passes the fence.

Another classic “lingo sin” I witness is when the dog is permitted to stand in front of the handler when another dog is approaching or passing. In reality, the dog is pushing himself forward to protect the pack and promote himself to a higher rank. The issue with this behaviour is that it inadvertently prompts the dog to make a decision, usually resulting in a growl or a pull on the lead or even a lunge at the other dog. If you’re having dog to dog aggression problems always make sure that you are in front of the dog when another dog is approaching or passing. You are now taliking the canine lingo and telling the dog, in his own language, that you do not require his assistance to handle this situation, you are in total control and very capable of making the correct leadership decision.

Start using dog language to communicate and watch your behavioural problems disappear.

Dog Biting - The Common Denominator

Firstly I want to make comment on the picture I've used in this post. I deliberately used a photo of a small dog in the act of biting rather than one of the much maligned "dangerous" breeds like rotties, bull terriers, dobermans, GSDs etc etc.

Everyone is horrified when news breaks of a dog attack. The newspapers dig out their devil dog pictures and the breed in question gets hauled over the coals. Renewed demands for banning the breed usually follow and it's hot news for a few days.

I just like to say I think the bad press generated against rotties and bull terriers in the UK is not deserved. This type of adverse propaganda is detrimental to the breed and can often help attract the wrong type of owner.This has a snowball effect and leads to poor breeding, more rescue center dogs and generally weakens the breed. When I hear people say "I'm scared of rotties", I usually retort "Yeh , you obviously read too many newspapers". Most of these people have never encountered a rottie up close and their opinions are based solely on the sensationalistic information they've read in the tabloids. Anyway that's my rant about the UK press and rotties.

My view on biting is that there are 2 main circumstances that provoke a dog attack or dog bite.

1. This circumstance usually occurs when the dog feels he needs to protect something. This can be property, food or even his owner or mate. This type of aggression is usually down to insecurity or jealousy and generally results in a single act of aggression.These types of attacks are generally not serious but victories in this area can lead to more serious incidents.


2. This is a more disturbing scenario. The way I see this is that the dog has been left in charge or more importantly, the dog thinks he has been left in charge.The dog is forced into a situation he has no experience of dealing with. The dog feels he needs to make a decision to assert his authority and subsequently lashes out with his teeth. When 2 or more dogs are "left in charge" the consequences can be tragic.

Without getting too graphic I'll explain how I see a the later dog attack scenario from the dogs viewpoint. This scenario is hypothetical and is not based on real events.

• 2 adult dogs are left in a house with a couple of teenagers.


• The teenagers decide it would be fun to have the dogs in their bedroom with them.


• The dogs are in the room with no means of escape and the teenagers decide to turn up the music and start jumping around on the beds.


• The lead dog is stressed with this situation. He knows the bedroom is normally out of bounds and knows he will get into trouble for being there. Worse still, he has no means of escape so he can't resolve the situation by vacating the room.


• Although the teenagers have locked him in the room, he knows he is higher up the pecking order than them and is capable of a "takeover bid".


• The dogs logic is telling him that he needs to resolve this situation. He can't run because the door is locked.


• The music is load and the atmosphere is tense and he realises that it's up to him to sort this situation. He needs to take charge.


• He makes the decision. He cant run so he'll have to fight. He turns to the smallest or weakest teenager and bites. The other dog joins in. This is the only way he knows how to resolve this situation and he's started and now he has the backup of the other dog and they keep going until someone higher up the pack tells them to stop or the teenagers are "out of the picture".
• The dogs will undoubtedly be put to sleep and the whole situation is just unthinkable.

Every time I hear of a dog attack I always look for the tell tale signs that the dog has been put in a situation where he thinks he has to make a decision to resolve an issue.

Dogs think like dogs. A dogs brain is comparable irrespective of body size. A small dog will make the same decision as a big dog. The only difference is the damage that can be inflicted by a large breed can be more serious than that of a toy breed.

Owners have to take the responsibility of managing household situations. Think twice before you leave a dog alone with a toddler or a teenager. Also think twice before you invite friends to sleep over and encroach into the dogs usual resting place. Avoid situations that force the dog to make a leadership decision .

My advice is to promote control at all times. Displaying control mechanisms to the dog emphasises your pack leader status. A dog who knows his place will not attempt a takeover bid. Dogs do not want to be leaders. Most dogs are happy to know that someone else is in control and is making all the decisions for them.

Dog attacks will continue until owners take the responsibility of leadership away from the dog.

Please comment on this post if you know of any other scenarios that lead to dog attacks.

Punishment - where does it stop

I thought I'd tackle the uncomfortable area of punishment in dog training.
I hate to say it but we all use some sort of negative reinforcement at some time when we're training dogs.

Let me explain. Even when you train using a clicker or other positive reinforcement method, you are by default being negative when you click intermittently or reward inconsistently.
However the crossover between negative clicking and inconsistent rewarding is far outweighed by negative reinforcement and punishment. Issuing punishment can lead to all kinds of emotions for both dog and handler.

Let's take the modern traditional approach to training. The dog is exhibiting an undesirable behaviour. The modern traditional trainer sticks an electric collar on him, waits for him to display the behaviour and zaps him until the pain or discomfort is so great that he is distracted from what he is doing. The dog soon learns that exhibiting this behaviour results in him getting hurt. He usually stops the behaviour when he realises the consequences of his actions.

Here's where it all gets a bit nasty. Human behaviour can sometimes take over and it's possible for the handler to get some sub conscious satisfaction out of inflicting the pain and suffering on the animal.
I think some handlers get pleasure from achieving results and this pleasure sometimes overrides their awareness of the pain they're inflicting on their so called best friend. This is particuarly common and somewhat historic in gundog training but I'm witnessing it more and more with owners of guarding breeds like rotties, dobermans and GSDs.

My view is that a dogs brain works in the same way whether the dog is a 140lb rottie or a 3lb toy poodle. My training methods deal with the conditioning of the brain to achieve an acceptable behaviour not the punishing of the body to stop an unwanted behaviour. I think it's better to give the dog an alternative action to perform rather than punishing him for the original misdemeanour.

Here's an example : A dog has aggressive tendencies towards other dogs. The theory is that we show the dog that if he displays a more desirable behaviour, like sitting quietly with his handler or holding a toy while the other dog passes, he will be rewarded.

1. To achieve this you need to condition your dog to clicker training. The dog needs to understand that a click means he's getting something nice like a treat or kind words, a cuddle or even a game of tug with his favourite toy.He may not receive the reward instantly but it will come and he knows it.



2. Once the dog understands that a click means something good, you need to introduce him into an environment where he can encounter distractions (i.e. other dogs).



3. I prefer to keep him a good distance away from other dogs to start with. As with all dog training activities, you need to set the dog up for success and praise success rather than setting him up for failure and punishing failure.



4. Stand with the dog on a 6 foot lead.
   Let him see the other dog from a distance. As soon as he clocks the other dog, click and treat him.If he turns to you when you click, feed him the treat by hand. If he stands facing the dog when you click,throw the treat on the ground so you distract him. Keep clicking and treating, encourage him to come closer to get the treats, don't talk to him but keep firing the clicks and treats until he stands close to you and looks you in the eye.



5. At this point give him a handful of treats and lots of praise.



6. Mission accomplished, remove him from the situation as quickly as possible without any canine contact or any other confrontations or distractions.



7. One session is enough to start with. The object of the exercise is to show him that displaying desirable behaviour is much more satisfying and rewarding than getting stressed and aggressive.



8. Repeat these sessions on a daily basis and you will desensitise him to other dogs. Sooner or later he'll associate seeing other dogs with treats and praise and he will calm down.



9. Remember, yu have to be consistent. If you allow the association of seeing other dogs and good things to be broken, you will have to go back to the beginning and start over again.

This approach has to be better than zapping an electric shock through the poor dog's neck, mangling him with a stick or dominating him into submission by forcing him to the ground.

I genuinely think that a well trained clicker dog absorbs much more than a traditionally trained dog. Clicker training encourages the dog to be creative and certainly promotes confidence. I see the ability to learn new things far more in clicker trained dogs than in dogs trained by conventional methods. Clickers work with old dogs, young dogs, nervous dogs etc etc. The cicker is not a magic wand and it does require good timing but the more you use it the better you'll become.

I have no doubt that some trainers get results using negative reinforcement and punishment. I've been through the rough stuff and witnessed the fear and uncertainty that it produces first hand and it's not necessary for the average pet owner who wants a happy, confident, obedient pet.

Remember, you have the dog's lifetime to train him. You don't need to train him in 4 weeks. It doesn't matter if he's a slow earner or if you make a mistake and have to go back a few steps. There are no timescales involved in educating a pet dog.

Set him up for success at an early stage and it will last him a lifetime. Let your dog see that there is an alternative to being aggressive and it's beneficial to him.

Give this training exercise a try and let me know how you get on.

Whistle While You Work

Everyone who has read previous articles on my blog will know I'm an advocate of clicker training. As well as clicker training, I train my dogs to work to the whistle.

Each dog has it's own whistle and each whistle has a distinctive pitch.

So why do I use a whistle?

• A whistle has a constant pitch which equates to a consistent command request.
• A whistle carries further than a voice command.
• Dogs relate to whistles better than voice commands.
• Whistles are generally more discreet than bawling at the top of your voice.

What whistle commands do I use?

• Well I only need 2 commands for genera use but I sometimes train a 3rd command
• My 2 basic whistle commands are recall and stop.
• I train some gundogs to turn to the whistle. This is used when a spaniel is quartering.

What whistle sounds do I use?

• I use a long continuous blow to indicate a stop command.
• I use 5 short sharp peeps to indicate a come command.
• I use 2 peeps to indicate a turn command.

How do I train a dog to come to the whistle?

This is really easy.

All I do is wait till the dog is coming towards me of it's own accord and issue the whistle command. I then treat the dog when he comes to me and immediately release him again. I cant emphasise enough that you must release the dog when your training any sort of recall. You don't want the dog to associate the recall command with him being tied up or constrained. This is no incentive for him to return to you.

After a few 5 or 10 minute sessions try issuing the recall whistle command while he's lightly distracted. If your foundation work has been successfull , he'll hear the whistle and start making his way towards you. At this point you want to get really animated and encourage him by stretching your arms wide apart to emphisise welcoming body language while you repeat the whistle command. When he reaches you reward him with tasty treats and kind words and immediately release him or engage him in play.

Keep the sessions short and try to attain a 100% record with him. Like everything in dog training, try and set the dog up for success not for failure. Don't whistle him while he's got his eye on another dog or being distracted with a toy or food. Be selective when you recall him. The more he succeeds,the more he'll enjoy working for you and the more confident he'll become.

Honey's no honey

Ena from second chance kennels asked me if I would speak to a concerned owner who had a 6 month golden retriever that was snarling and snapping at his 5 year old daughter.

I spoke to the owner,Dennis, and agreed to have a look at her.

I walked into the house to see this timid wee bitch named Honey who showed no real signs of aggression. I wandered around the living room and she followed me and everything looked OK. At this point I was in the room with the mum , the 5 year old daughter and the 15 year old son.

Then Dennis walked into the room and Honey ran to him to get her cuddles etc.

I then put a long lead on Honey and proceeded to walk out to the back garden. At this point Honey lay flat on her side with her head on the floor and attempted to form a dead weight.

I gently nudged her into the garden where she just lay down and refused to cooperate. I tried to pull her up to her feet and she immediately went into a death roll.

I then gave her to Dennis and she quite happily toddled around the garden with him.

I then began to see the big picture. My first impression of Honey, before I seen her, was that she was trying to rule the roost and dominate everyone. I was now getting the impression that she was besotted with Dennis and was jealous of the kids and was trying to command all his attention. Also the lying down lark appeared to indicate that she had performed this trick with success in the past.

I proceeded to walk her over to the park where she immediately lunged into a death roll, bared her teeth and started snarling and biting at the lead.
I just kept walking, thinking that she would come round but she was adamant and lunged into another death roll.

I walked her back over to the house, made her wait until I had entered the house then walked her quietly into the living room.

By this time I had to question the temperament and breeding of this animal. Previously a gundog trainer had a go with Honey and advised a dominant approach to handling the aggression. This obviously hadn't been successful and it's just not my way. This bitch is in danger of entering the rescue centre hit list and that's what I'm trying to prevent.

My approach to Honey's attitude problems is to avoid confrontation with her and invoke a total control mechanism without introducing negative verbal commands or punishments.

Here's what I've recommended :

• Get a cage or crate for Honey. I think she'd benefit from her own happy place where she can rest without unnecessary distractions. The cage is a total no go area for the kids and should not be used as a punishment area. The cage is a happy place where Honey gets nice treats. It's also a great form of control for the owner because you know where she is and what's she's doing. - Always remove collars and leads before you put a dog in a cage. There has been many a dog hung by his own collar in a cage.
• Honey should have a lead attached to her when she's around the house. This is another control mechanism to ensure that control can be attained without physically touching her if she's having a tiff or generally misbehaving. My suggestion is that no reprimands are given just remove her from the situation without praise or punishment and concentrate on the good things.
• Honey should never be allowed in a room with kids when no adult is present.This is just asking for trouble and it looks like the kids may have been slightly rough with her in the past.
• I asked Dennis to bring in Honey's blanket. I threw the blanket on the floor but stood between Honey and the blanket with my back to her. This was indicating that I was in control of the blanket and she was not permitted to claim it. Again this is another body language command issued with meaning but without introducing confrontation.
• 3 times daily, Honey should be walked into the living room where all the kids are seated watching TV etc. The kids and adults should totally ignore her. Honey will soon learn that she cannot demand attention at will. While Honey is in the room, one of the adults should hold the lead and gently start walking towards the door. As soon as Honey starts to walk with them they say "that's good - well done Honey" and walk her into the kitchen and back into the living room. All this time, the kids are totally ignoring her and doing their own thing.This is reinforcing that praise and attention comes from doing good things and at the same time negates the action of demanding love and attention when Honey feels like it.
• What if she snaps at the kids or jumps on the couch and grabs a cushion? - My answer to this is that we've setup a control mechanism with the lead and a crate and our sole purpose is to prevent this behaviour occurring in the first place rather than having to take corrective action after its happened. (Don't start a fire - You'll just have to put it out) However if she grabs a cushion, Dennis or Jean should turn their back on her while the cushion is swiftly removed from her. No punishment or shouting should be administered just the rapid removal of the object without eye contact or aggravation. Even if you have repeat this 2 or 3 times, she'll soon get the message that this is not acceptable behaviour and stop it.

I think this is the best way forward for poor little Honey. She could be the product of poor breeding. She may be a one off and all her brothers and sisters are normal happy dogs. Maybe she's just a nervous pup who won a few battles early on and thinks solitude and aggression is the way forward. It doesn't really matter - This poor wee soul has to be pitied. I really hope myself, Dennis, Jean and all the family can work together make Honey's life more enjoyable.

I'll update this blog with Honey's progress as time goes by.

Heelwork - click before you jerk.

Here's my marker training spiel.

Some people appear to loose their marbles when they get a dog. Completely rational, intelligent people suddenly turn into mindless, loud mouthed loonies who hurt their so called best friend in an attempt to get a him to perform a simple task.

Let's take the heel command for instance. I want you to walk into heel. So, every time you pull on the lead, I''m going to jerk the lead and hurt you. At the same time as I hurt you, for good measure,I'm going to yell HEEL in a really rough voice just to frighten you.

For some reason, this command is supposed to teach him to stop pulling and walk quietly into heel. Barbara Woodhouse, you've got a lot to answer for.

Here's my view on this negative approach. The dog hears HEEL and immediately gets hurt. Naturally, the dog associates the word "heel" with getting hurt. The dog subsequently gets upset, stressed and generally hacked off at being hurt for no apparent reason.The dog looses confidence in you as a leader. His respect for you is diminished because he doesn't understand what crime he has committed to receive such a harsh punishment.

What if someone shouts "I'm going to really hurt you" then attempts to strangle you with a piece of leather and a chain? Will this make you calmly walk beside them and behave? No it wont - You'll think they're a total bastard who is hurting you indiscriminately and you'll resent them.

Here's my way of achieving a solid heel type behaviour.

• Get yourself a clicker.

In case you don't know, a clicker is a small device that makes a clicking sound.
The sole purpose of a clicker is to indicate that a desired behaviour has been performed.

• So getting back to the heel work. Walk with your dog on a long lead.I prefer to do this with a 6 or 8 foot lead to stop any harsh tugs. I really don't want to associate any negative experience with the clicker.The dog must see the clicker as a good thing not an indicator for punishment.



• When the dog starts to pull , turn in the opposite direction, don't pull him, just be patient. He'll get to the end of the lead and either stop or turn round to see you. If he stops just gently nudge him with light pressure until he turns towards you.



• As soon as turns towards you , encourage him to walk towards you. As soon as he walks towards you, click once and offer him a treat and some light praise.



• Repeat this a few times then start walking so he walks with you. Remember, the click is indicating that he is "doing it correctly".



• Don't issue a command at this stage.The object of the exercise is to reinforce the behaviour and reward him for doing so NOT to teach him what heel is.



• Repeat this exercise a few times and the dog will soon get the idea that following you is a sure way of getting something nice to eat. In fact, what usually happens is that the dog thinks we can make you click by turning and following you - and he can. This is the basis of training using markers, more commonly named "positive reinforcement".



• After a few 5 minute sessions over a day or two, introduce a command.Wait until he offers the behaviour before you issue a commend.(i.e. wait until he turns and walks toward you before you say heel).



• I have a few commands for heel work. If I'm walking to the park , I generally use a "heel" command which is in effect "stay with me". If I'm practising real heeling work I use a "tight" command which is a more formal competition standard heel position.



• Once you've got him following you, try to shape the behaviour. Shaping is the fine tuning part of training. To shape the heel command , I would get him to turn a follow me but hold out on the click until he is walking with his shoulder directly at my heel. This is indicating to him that I'm needing him to be more accurate. Just turning round and wandering at the back of me is not enough to earn the click and the treat. I'm now asking him to walk at a specific position in relation to my body.



• This can take a few sessions so don't get upset or impatient if he's not learning at your pace. If he's not offering you the desired behaviour , you've probably moved too fast and need to go back a step or two. The real art is in determining how fast you can progress with each dog. Every dog is different and remember that you're learning too so go easy on him.



• Remember, you are in control. Don't expect him understand everything first time. You need to work in small increments and keep the training sessions light and cheerful.

I promise that this method works. This method builds confidence in the dog and improves your status as pack leader. The dog becomes so keen on learning that whenever the clicker appears , he knows he's in for a click, treat and praise party. I suppose it's like someone inviting you out for a slap up meal, followed by a soothing massage. You're then carried to a luxurious armchair where your boss and all your friends tell you how wonderful you are. Why don't they have clickers for humans!!!!

The heel command now means "Please come and walk beside me.I'll tell you you're fantastic and give you a nice treat or cuddle". Now that's sounds better than "I'm going to jerk your neck off while I shout at you".

But I hear you say "Does that mean I have to feed him loads of treats just to get him to heel?" Well in the beginning, yes it does but as you refine the behaviour, you will gradually wean him off the clicker and replace the food treats with praise. I always throw in the odd treat just to make it interesting for them. I have a thing where I touch the dog on the cheek very softly and say "well done - you're a good boy". This is, in effect, another marker as the dog soon realises that this action is an indicator that I'm happy with their behaviour.

The more you get into training with markers, the better and more observant you'll become.

Barbara Woodhouse and all the jerk and hurt trainers are dinosaurs. Their training methods are outdated and not relevant to this dog loving society. Don't listen to the jerk brigade, give the positive stuff a try and train a vibrant confident dog who works for you because he wants to NOT because he's frightened of getting hurt.

Oscar The Thug

Sometimes, things just fall into place like they were meant to be.

Here's my story of how Oscar and me crossed paths and became best of friends.

I lost my old boxer, Jack, to a stroke very suddenly on 26th December 2005. It was a real shock for the whole family.

Jack was the last of the gang. I had always attempted to get a new dog every 5 years but this theory had lapsed due to work commitments etc. So the long and the short of it was I was left dogless and it was hurting. My wife, Nancy, suggested that we have a cooling off period and live without a dog for a year or so just to see what it's like. 3 months later I was chapping neighbours doors and walking their dogs for them. Everybody asked when I was getting another dog but I just shrugged the question and said "Nancy wont let me".

I then got to thinking about owning another rottie. I mentioned to Nancy who was adamant that we should wait a while before diving into the doggie frying pan again. Anyway, boys will be boys and Internet connections can be dangerous things when you're at a loose end. I starting surfing around the rottie sites and came across a site displaying breeders in Scotland.

I ended up calling a breeder who had big robust rotties with noble heads and good construction. The breeder didn't have any puppies available but recommended that I call Margaret Connolly from Armagret Rottweilers.

So, without consulting Nancy, I gave Margaret a call. Margaret's a rough diamond who shoots from the hip and calls a spade a shovel but she's a knowledgeable breeder who genuinely wants what's best for her dogs. Anyway, Margaret interrogated me for half an hour then stated that she had a young 7 month old dog being returned to her that may be eligible for rehoming. Margaret sells all her puppies with a contract that states any unwanted dogs must be returned to her. So to cut a long story short, Nancy, myself and Louis went up to see this puppy. The minute I saw him, I knew he was for me. Bursting with character, full of life and oozing enthusiasm. Oscar's not the perfect specimen but he's everything I look for in a rottie. He has a big noble head, a strong shoulder and stands like he owns the world. He has a air of confidence and a smile that's infectious.

Oscar had not been handled. To be honest I think he was just too much dog for his former owners and I think they tried their best with him. I've had Oscar for over a year now and he's an amazing dog. He's intelligent, honest and just loves everyone. Oscar's passed his kennel club good citizen award and will retrieve and track to a high standard. Oscar's trained to the whistle and just loves to work. He loves carrying things, tidying up toys in the garden, waiving bye bye and he really aims to please. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened to Oscar if I hadn't made the call to Margaret that day.

The other side of things is that Oscar has revived my thirst for training dogs again. He's demanding and forces me to train with focus. I've trained Oscar using clicker and positive methods and I've had to up my game to get the best out of him.
I don't train Oscar as such.It's more like I teach Oscar to do things. I just indicate roughly what I want and shape the behaviour until I get the desired result. When he sees the clicker , he knows that it's learning time and he's always up for it. Oscar's taught me a lot about training and I owe so much of my skill to him.

I think fate has brought me and Oscar together. I think we have a win win situation - long may it continue. Click on the play button to view Oscar in action.

Daily Training Routines

On a daily basis,I exercise a few simple common routines with my dogs to emphisise my pack leader status.

Here are a few examples of the routines I carry out on a daily basis :

• I make up the dog's food.I let my dogs see me eat a small biscuit. I place their food bowls down to them and walk away giving them piece to eat. (this replicates the behaviour of the lead wolf who takes what he wants and leaves the rest to the pack)



• I always ask the dogs to sit and wait while I get ready for the walk (i.e. Put my coat on, sort out the collars leads, whistles, brushes, treats etc). I then call them individually and put their collars on.
• When I'm out on the walk I walk both dogs off leash at heel and instruct one dog at a time to go out (e.g. Oscar away). This allows me to stay in control and emphises my leadership of the pack.
• Each dog has it's own whistle. I call the dog who is out by his/her whistle. The dog at heel is not permitted to wander out until the out dog has returned to heel.
• On my return from a walk I always ask the dogs to sit in the garden while I take my coat off, hang up the leads etc. Again this reinforces my position as head of the pack.
• I ask each dog individually to go to their place and wait.
• I reward each dog with a tasty treat.

These routines help each dog to listen and perform indivudually but also encourages them to be part of the team. The dogs are always rewarded, never scolded and the whole experience is positive and enjoyable for all.

Give them a try and let me know how you fair.