Expectations
I am often asked the question ‘will one hour with you be enough to solve my dog’s behaviour problems’, whilst I am a good dog behaviourist and trainer and endeavour to keep up to date with the most current research in the field, I am sadly no magician. There is always a human element to the problem when working with dogs, as it is us ‘humans’ who choose to have dogs living with us in our homes. With Dogs being an entirely different species to humans, it is not always possible for us to see eye to eye with our dogs, or communicate with them with as much ease as we do communicating with other people. There will always be a ‘human’ element to your dogs behavioural modification programme, and yes, this will require you to change the way you live with your dog.
I tackle each case I see individually and do not believe in a ‘one size fits all’ approach to dog behavioural counselling and training. However, one fact does remain constant, you must prevent your dog rehearsing the unwanted behaviour, day in, day out, no excuses- this is the first step in behavioural modification and cannot be omitted. Only when this first step is in place can we work on teaching the dog a more desirable behaviour, and I can help you to do this with your dog. Many behavioural problems are deeply embedded, and in many cases this management will be for the life of your dog.
For Example:
| Behavioural Problem | Management of Problem |
| Your dog growls when you try to move it from the sofa/ your bed | Do not allow your dog access to the furniture or in your bedroom- Shut doors at all times. |
| The dog steals your items, or your children’s toys and chews them/refuses to give them up. | Keep these items out of the dogs reach. |
| The dog is over boisterous with the children and chases or nips them when they are running/over excited. | All interactions between the dog and children have to be supervised and ensure that both children and dog remain calm. If either child or dog needs to let off steam- make sure they are separated during this period! |
| Your dog barks persistently at everyone and everything which moves past the window. | Your dog must not be allowed access to the windows where it can see these stimuli. |
| The dog gets over excited when visitors arrive and jumps all over them at the door. | The dog must be put in another room, or in a crate or kept on a lead when visitors arrive until it has been trained to greet visitors in a calmer, more desirable way. |
| The dog does not respect the boundaries of the property and runs off at any given chance. | Make certain that the property is adequately fenced to retain your dog, or make a smaller enclosed area for your dog to safely run free. |
Ultimately if you want your dog’s behaviour to change, expect to change some of the ways you interact with your dog. I can give you the direction and information that you need to help you do this, but the majority of the training will happen with you training your dog at home. This requires your time and consistent effort and if you do not work with your dog between lessons or follow the advice I give you, your dogs behaviour is unlikely to change.