**Disclaimer – this is a rant rather than an educational training article! I often hear people make comments to the effect of "I hate those fluffy, yappy little things – I like real dogs”. For “real dogs” read “large dogs”. As a dog lover, this baffles me. Here’s the thing; big or small, short haired or fluffy, dogs are dogs. Innocent, fantastic dogs. They don’t know what size they are or how white and fluffy their coat is. The smallies can be, and are, every bit as funny & playful, affectionate, clever & intuitive and as unfailingly enthusiastic as the big guys. They can be hopeless c ..read more

I know I’m not alone in loving Halloween and all the things that come with it - sweets, costumes, decorations, sweets, fireworks, sweets – what’s not to like? Unfortunately, a lot of dogs don’t feel the same way. Many are terrified of fireworks. This is referred to as “Sound Sensitivity”. Sound sensitivity can range from dogs being mildly uncomfortable to full-blown anxiety and panic about thunder, fireworks and other such loud noises. Sound Sensitivity in dogs is genetic and sometime it doesn’t always manifest until the dog is a little older, so don’t be caught out if it begins to creep in af ..read more

Myth Busting 101 Firstly, you’ll notice that the title of this blog specifically mentions “aversive” punishment. You might be wondering what other kind of punishment there is. There are two types of punishment at our disposal in behaviour modification. One is the addition of fear, pain or anything that the dog doesn’t like, to decrease an unwanted behaviour. The other type of punishment is the removal of something the dog wanted in order to decrease an unwanted behaviour, for example, puppy nips my hand – I immediately stop playing with him. Dog jumps up for a pet, I removing my hands until he ..read more

Why train? My eyes have recently been opened about many people’s take on dog training. I always thought that most people these days get some level of training when they get a dog but not all. For a small few it doesn’t even cross their mind unless they run into problem behaviours. However, I recently showed a photo of a very tiny puppy I was training (fits into one hand kind of tiny) to some family and friends. More than one of them laughed and asked “how can she possibly need training? What could she possibly be doing wrong at this young age and at that size - she’s hardly some vicious brute ..read more

Perhaps I am anthropomorphising but I imagine most dogs enjoy Christmas time. It’s not that they’re looking forward to a visit from Santa, they simply love when their owners are home, off work with little else to do than sit in, watch TV and spending time together. Everyone has new cosy pyjamas and slippers to cuddle up to. People are visiting the house, there’s a lot of extra grub going around, long, fresh walks in the park and nights by the fire. What’s not to love? Here are some pointers to help you have a happy Christmas with your dog. The Tree I would strongly advise you against allowing ..read more

I was asked to write an information piece about Dog Sitting. It’s a difficult topic to write about because there are so many variables; will the dog be staying with you or will you be staying in the owners’ home? Are you a dog free home or do you have dogs already and, if so, how do they get along? Does this dog know you or not? However, I’ll try to cover some basics below. Feel free to contact me if I don’t cover a specific question you have on the matter. Most owners will leave you a list of instructions. Before they head off into the sunset, make sure they have left you the following infor ..read more

Dog Park Etiquette ​ Dog parks are designated, fenced off sections in public parks which are for the use of dogs to run and play with each other off leash. ​ Dog parks are a relatively new concept in Ireland only emerging about eight years ago. Users of the parks are divided in their opinions of them. Here is my advice to those using them: ​ The fencing isn’t always fool proof. If you have a dog known to clear fences or a very small dog who might be able to squeeze out through gaps, make sure you have built up a very strong recall (a recall is when the dog returns to you on command when off l ..read more

What is Positive Reinforcement Training? Positive reinforcement training is the practice of giving something reinforcing, something the dog likes and wants, to him after each correct response in training. This increases the behavior you are trying to obtain. ​ Food rewards are the preferred reinforcer of dog trainers who understand the science behind how dogs learn and understand that punitive training (kicks, leash yanks, shock collars, etc), aside from the ethics of using pain and fear as motivators, can actually be extremely destructive in that it creates fearful, nervous dogs and may even ..read more

**Disclaimer – this is a rant rather than an educational training article! I often hear people make comments to the effect of "I hate those fluffy, yappy little things – I like real dogs”. For “real dogs” read “large dogs”. As a dog lover, this baffles me. Here’s the thing; big or small, short haired or fluffy, dogs are dogs. Innocent, fantastic dogs. They don’t know what size they are or how white and fluffy their coat is. The smallies can be, and are, every bit as funny & playful, affectionate, clever & intuitive and as unfailingly enthusiastic as the big guys. They can be hopeless c ..read more

I know I’m not alone in loving Halloween and all the things that come with it - sweets, costumes, decorations, sweets, fireworks, sweets – what’s not to like? Unfortunately, a lot of dogs don’t feel the same way. Many are terrified of fireworks. This is referred to as “Sound Sensitivity”. Sound sensitivity can range from dogs being mildly uncomfortable to full-blown anxiety and panic about thunder, fireworks and other such loud noises. Sound Sensitivity in dogs is genetic and sometime it doesn’t always manifest until the dog is a little older, so don’t be caught out if it begins to creep in af ..read more