To some it seems to mean, allow your dog to run into my dog's face and bark, yap, jump, lunge, pester or try and steal their toy. To others it means to keep your dog out of my dog's face. It never ceases to amaze me how many dog walkers pay no regard to it, whatsoever. Which I find fustrating as my dog is deaf and when in busy public places, hates being off lead, the lead is her security in a busy London place.
I constantly get asked about it in puppy classes and it seems to be a real city issue as we encounter so many dogs on a daily basis. In my personal opinion, a dog on a lead should mean out of bounds to other dog owners. A dog could be on the lead for reasons such as scavenging, training, aggression, fear, deaf or blind or that the owner is building a relationship with a new rescue dog. Either way, it should not mean fair game to any other off lead dog or on lead for that matter.
I've had occassions where I was working with a fearful dog who was on a harness, collar, lead and muzzle whilst we worked in a remote location in the park. Dogs still came up and bolted into her face. I can't see how much clearer a dog owner wants it?!
If you are an owner who for whatever reason keeps their dog on lead at varying times, then you might find these collars, harnesses and leads really useful. They explain in no uncertain terms what you are thinking!! I love them and think they are so simple but genius and point out for all to see and hopefully respect.
If you are reading this and you are an owner who allows your dog to bolt, charge, run at or jump on other dogs when they are walking with their owners, maybe think twice and start doing some training. I'm not talking about the occassional accident I'm talking about the persistant off lead and out of control dogs. Because if your dog runs into the face of another dog which is aggressive who was on the lead and under control, your dog is going to be in big trouble and it will be your fault. In my opinion of course.
Woof!
INCLUDES: Tea and coffee, cakes and biscuits; a doggy bag which will include a recipe sheet, dog treats and other goodies for you and your dog.
WHEN: March 22, 2pm-5pm
COSTS: £30
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With the Christmas holidays approaching and lots of going out, parties, mulled wine and socialising going on, I thought it might be nice to make a little gift for your dog. It's great to buy them some yum treats and chews but you can also utilise things you have at home to create a present that keeps on giving. And buys you some time to sit back and sip another mulled cider!
You will need:
Smelly, yummy dog treats (I've used some garlic roasted chicken)
A toy that can hold treats and that your dog loves
A box
Couple of sheets of paper, newspaper or similar
Piece of material
Ribbon, rope or twine
Next cut up the food into chunks that will fit into the toy. The smellier, wetter the better as before you have cut it up and placed in the toy, rub the treats all over the outside of the box.
Third step is to wrap your toy with treats in it in the wrapping paper. I used sellotape to totally encapsulate it.
Then place your wrapped toy into the box and seal it shut. If your dog is a quick speed box destroyer I would make this a more hardcore box. Heavier duty cardboard from the fruit and grocery store could work.
Next wrap your box in the material you have. I have used some hessian that is quite easy for a dog to move around. Again if your dog loves a challenge I'd put some denser, tougher fabric and wrap it really very tight. I used an old shoe lace to wrap it up. If you have a dog like a terrier I'd make the string that you tie it up with no movement so they reallly have to work at it. If you aren't sure about your dog, I'd start easier and make it tougher the next time.
And then all that is left to do is bestow your darling dog with the gift that keeps on giving! As they unwrap each layer they will be delighted. You can even do like you do at kids parties, hiding a treat within each layer of wrapping.
Check out my Instagram for a short video on Cookie Dog getting invovled @darlingdog and please do tag me if you make something for your dog.
Nearly a year ago my lovely baby boy was born and before this I embarked on an NCT course. Which is where I met Laura, who also has a baby of a similar age. We hang out alot and I always knew she drew but had never seen her subjects. Until last week. If any of you are considering having your dog drawn or painted then I would wholeheartedly recommend Laura of 'Bird and Beast'.
For me, her images capture each dog beautifully but also stand out as a piece of art you would love to hang on your wall. I think her prices are reasonable from between £100-200 depending on what it is you require. I'm hoping to do a little collab with her on Christmas cards, as everyone loves a dog on a card!
If you are interested in finding out more you can google search her on 'bird and beast' or click here to go straight through to her blog.
My dog is now totally deaf, she wasn't born deaf, she was fine, then it was partial deafness and now in the last few months its total and utter deafness. I often spend my time wondering what it is like for her as with the total loss of hearing has come changes in her behaviour, happiness and general wellbeing. I also ponder how hard it is being deaf in London, the busiest of streets, roads, people rushing, dogs everywhere, kids ten to the dozen, there is just so much to deal with for us let alone a dog and a deaf one at that.
I've tried doing things like wearing headphones with a song playing which obviously I can hear but to replicate the feeling of having no idea what is going on in the outside world around me. It is quite scary. You can't hear kids on bikes, skateboards, cyclists, other dogs or people approaching you from the side or behind. In short, I felt quite anxious which is why its been no surprise to me that some of her behaviour has switched and in all honesty its been hard work. In addition to a young baby it makes for a lot of preparation and planning when I'm doing things with the dog.
It's why I was really interested to read Gillian Orr's piece in The Independent about what it feels like to be a deaf person and the incredible power a hearing dog has on a deaf individual's life. It makes sense to me, the feeling of exclusion, the disorientation and the lack of interactions are things that I know are having an impact on Cookie dog. And its heart breaking to watch. I have to be her ears for her, her trust in me and my husband is amazing.
You often find that physical reactions happen when emotional things are taking place and this has certainly been the case recently in Cookie's life. With the total deafness came a retraction from her daily life, she didn't want to go out and walk, she didn't want to play outside of our house and she just wanted to sleep in what I call her safe place. I feel its totally different for dogs that have been born deaf, they don't know any differently.
I have to maintain Cookie's trust in me whilst also trying to reinstate things she is struggling with. We are getting there and I think she is coping better and I'm finding ways to try and make it easier for her too. Some people when they meet her think she isn't very interested in them but when you are living in silence it takes more than a pat on the head to make her wiggle! I've invented lots of ways to tell her I'm pleased with her, so yes I am the woman dancing around her dog in a London park that you may have spotted!
Throughout life we are taught to not judge a book by its cover. When you are looking for a rescue dog, its what you end up having to do! You are having to make a decision based on its kennel behaviour, its interactions from behind bars or on a lead in the most stressful environment it will probably encounter. And this behaviour either hinders a dog or pushes them forward.
I work with potential owners to find them their forever friend whether it be a puppy or a second hand hound and one of the things most people get frustrated with is the time it takes. We are a society that is used to things instantly, when it comes to sharing your life with a dog, timing is key.
I wanted to give you an example of a situation, a dog and a client who demonstrate all of the above perfectly and will hopefully inspire those of you who are thinking about taking on a rescue dog. I don't generally write about any of my clients who are in the public eye but I feel quite strongly about this one.
I first met Grimmy last year, a few days after having my baby. We were trying to work out about the kind of dog he wanted, he has a busy lifestyle presenting the Radio 1 breakfast show every morning, he is out and about and he has alot of commitments and friends with dogs but was adamant he wanted a rescue dog. Since that meeting it took me around 6 months to find him the right dog. That is a long time and we saw a lot of dogs in that time, never once did he whinge or moan, he paid attention to every dog I introduced him to. But above all I kept saying that you have to go with your gut instinct, it guides you through life I think.
We first met Smarty a couple of days after coming into the Dogs Trust kennels, she had been a stray and not much was known about her. She was nervous, she favoured Aimee (Nick's friend) and I and was unsure about Nick. But something clicked for Grimmy so we left it a week for her to be assessed and waited. The feedback was that she was reactive with other dogs which was an issue as Grimmy lives in London and there are dogs everywhere. She was barking alot, she was lunging, she was vocal and was finding life hard in kennels. In honesty, there were easier looking dogs out there but I knew that if he was prepared to work on her then there was so much potential.
To cut a long story short, we then spent time re visiting her, taking her out, and the Dogs Trust allowed me to test her in situations relative to Nick's lifestyle and she wasn't perfect at all but she showed eagerness to learn and enthusiasm for life. With all of the checks done on Nick the date was set to bring this little Jack Russell Terrier home to her new life.
We are a couple of months in and I feel like I could burst with pride, for both of them. Grimmy has followed everything I have asked him to do, he has channelled time and effort into this little terrier. He has showered her with love whilst showing her how to react and teaching her what her new life involves. Her coat is shiny, she is lean and loving life. Nick and Puppy (as she is now known) are a shining example of a dog that on paper might not have seemed like the ideal dog but the thing is, you have to take time to get to know a dog and we didn't just judge her on her behaviour in kennels because that isn't fair. We still have work to do but the key to all of it is tackling things slowly and methodically. You need successes to spur you on and the progress she is making is so great to watch.
Every puppy owner wants to do the right thing with their socialisation. In my first week of puppy classes I do a 10 min talk on the rules of my class and what I will and won't accept. Two of which are on lead greetings and free play with the other puppies. People look at me like I'm mad and always question me afterwards. Some go away and listen to what I have said and others don't. I can't control this.
However what I can comment on is those who repeatedly put their dogs in situations that it cannot cope with. Flooding is a training terminology used to describe when a dog or human is put in a situation they find very stressful. You over stimulate them with the fearful object/person/dog/situ and hope that they realise that nothing bad happened so they learn to cope. e.g. on lead greetings with other dogs. In my opinion, not a great way of doing things. For many years I had a severe needle phobia, I had to have hypnotherapy for it. Rest assured that just being in a room with needles laying on a mat but not doing anything to me would not have helped this phobia, in fact it would have made me so stressed that if I was a dog I would have bitten you very hard.
So with the above analogy you might now be able to get a little insight into why some behaviours start to show. A puppy was flooded with a particular experience they couldn't cope with but owners didn't notice so eventually the dog made owners notice. By on most occassions using aggression.
Anything that you want your puppy to learn must be done systematically and slowly. Don't rush and don't push them. And don't feel that you have to do something just because another owner in the park is telling you to. What works for their dog doesn't always work for anyone elses.
One of my clients Emily just emailed me this. I don't personally agree with no. 1 as dogs get used to it if they are taught but I really like the idea of putting things from the dog point of view. All too often we are thinking of our lives, our work, our priorities and sometimes its great to have a reminder to sit back and remember why we got a dog and how important they are to us.
Let me know what you think....
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