Aggression

Tue, 07 Jun 2016 19:26:50 +0000

One of the most common questions we get asked is how did my lovely dog who is full of life start to become aggressive towards other dogs?

This is a very good question. Last year we worked with and rehabilitated over 500 dogs. Looking at the stats is remarkable. 95% of these dogs were between 3-4 years of age. Why? It is simply when the aggression gets worse. So let’s look at why this happens.

Dogs age

It is important to remember that your dog will not always be a bundle of fluff. At about 12 months they enjoy playing with their old mates but just like people when they hit their 20’s find it harder to make new friends. In addition to this your dog is also really focused on you instead of playing with other dogs. What starts to happen at about 18 months is they give tiny cues that they are not interested. This may be walking away, looking at you more, playing with their ball or avoiding the other dogs. This is seen by us as nothing to be concerned about and we keep going to the dog park every day even though our dogs do not like it all the time.

By the time they hit 2 years they have had enough and may growl or snap at another dog. Over a year we tell the dog off for this and they then think they can’t growl so the next best thing is to bite them. This is when we get called.

Now you may think this is pie in the sky stuff. But think to yourself why are our stats as they are and why in the US are 97% of major dog bites between 3-4 years of age.

What you can do

Your dog will love playing with dogs but the worse thing you can do in a dog park is just stand around and let your dog go for it. This is crazy and creates an environment of protection and territorial guarding. Your dogs can still have fun but then move on and carry on with your walk.

Breeds

The stats looking back on the past year there has not been a breed not represented. All breeds have the tendency to become a little intolerant but that does not mean your dog will be one of them. Vigilance is the key and just enjoying your walks.

]]>

Chickens and Dogs

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 00:00:37 +0000

Well we have had 3 chickens for a week or so now. My children have named them Daisy, Maisy and Cassie. All very exciting and they certainly have their own personalities. My dogs have been well stock trained so pretty much ignore them but love eating their poo but that is another story entirely. In the first few days I quickly worked out that getting them back into their coop in the evening was going to be difficult as I chased them around the yard and the section and did not have much luck chasing them. Also came to the conclusion that the less stressed they were the better so chasing them was not going to work. So I thought how hard can it be to teach chickens? So I started down the road of teaching the 3 chickens to come when called. Just like dog training said come when they were looking at me and then threw some food by my feet then stood back. They proceeded to come cautiously and started to peck away at the food. I repeated a number of times so that every time I said “chook chook come” I gave them food always making sure I did not say the words until they were looking. Well after a few days I then started calling them even when I could not see them. They soon came running having associated the word with the food. The last 3 nights to put them away I simply call them and put some food in the coop and they come running from wherever they are and go in for their evening food. Saves me time and of course saves the chickens from stress as they chill out for the evening. So if you have chooks give it a whirl and see how you get on.

]]>

General Training – Dog Guru

Aggression

Chickens and Dogs