Dog Behaviour and Training

The Five Freedoms

November 2nd, 2009

What makes my pet happy

What Makes My Pet Happy?  This is the title of a brochure published in 2006 by the British Veterinary Association’s Animal Welfare Foundation (www.bva-awf.org.uk). This land­mark publication acknowledges that happiness, welfare, and quality of life have to do with how animals feel. See how you are faring with caring for your pets physical and mental needs by the check list below:

1.  Freedom from hunger and thirst

2.  Freedom from pain, injury, and disease

3.  Freedom from discomfort (e.g., temperature extremes, uncomfortable floor surfaces)

4.  Freedom to express normal behaviour

5.  Freedom from fear and distress

Carmel Hodgins

Delta Accredited Dog Behavioural Trainer

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Doggie Play Time

November 2nd, 2009

aaaaaaaaaaaWhat is doggie play time?  Picture a rugby league football game and you will have a pretty good idea.  There is tackling, holding, chasing with the main focus being possession of the ball.

With doggie play there is stalking, grabbing nipping growling and dummy runs and the main focus may be a stick, ball or just each other.  It is not gentle by any means with dogs colliding and tackling along the way.  Just like a rugby game, the players have to be fit to come out unscathed; however injuries do happen along the way such as sprains, aches and pains.

Nullah and Phoebe playing 5Dogs need play – just as children need it.  It is important for their mental and physical growth and wellbeing.

But there are rules to all games and doggie play is no exception.

  • Players need to be matched, physically and mentally
  • Bullies and withdrawn dogs are not included in the team
  • Injured dogs are not included in the team
  • Humans, especially children are not included in the team either verbally or physically
  • The game is stopped by the referee (a responsible adult) the moment the game appears to be getting out of control or one of the dogs is showing signs of stress.  Stopping the game is an art in itself, and shouting or growling at the dogs can have dire effects.  Instead, call the dogs in a happy voice and put them away separately or put them all on leash.

the stick game 3With these rules in place the games can begin.  Your dogs may end up dirty and disheveled, but the benefits of play show in their physical and mental wellbeing.  You have a happy contented dog that is only too happy to lay around for the rest of the day.

Doggie play groups can be organized in the following way:

  • Between a group of friends with similar type and size of dogs.  Meeting once a week at one of the homes and letting the dogs play whilst the owners enjoy morning or afternoon tea and a chat.
  • By meeting a group of friends at a leash free beach and letting the dogs have fun whilst you walk together up the beach.

So get organized and have fun.  Your dogs will love you for it.

Carmel Hodgins

Delta Accredited Dog Behavioural Trainer

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Barking Mad

November 1st, 2009

BARKING MAD!barking mad photo 2

“My neighbour’s dog barks at me every time I go outside.  Can you do something about it?”

This is a request heard often by Animal Control officers.

The sad part of all this, is that the neighbour is guaranteed success if he or she acts to fix the problem.  To explain this better, you have to understand WHY the dog is barking at you.  Most times, it is out of fear – fear of the unknown.  So how do you fix it?  Easy!  Get to know the dog in a friendly way.  Let it know you are not someone to be feared but someone the dog will look forward to seeing every day.  Simple, isn’t it?

Unfortunately, most neighbours act in an opposite manner – they yell at the dog, throw water over it and reinforce to the dog that they are something to be feared.  So the more the neighbour reacts in this manner, the more the dog will bark.

So what can the Animal Control Officers do?  They can investigate the barking problem and then remove the dog if necessary.  All this causes tension between neighbours and life becomes very unpleasant for everyone.  And all this could have been EASILY avoided.

So take time to get to know your neighbours.  Tell them you have a problem with their dog barking at you every time you walk outside your house, and ask if you can work with them on the problem.  Get to know the dog, play ball with it and give it treats.  You may even arrange for the neighbour to bring the dog over to your place so he/she can investigate your yard and lose that fear of the unknown.  And your problems will be solved.  Instead of barking at you, the dog will run to the fence to greet you.

So why do we prefer conflict to this quick and easy solution?

  1. To proud to give it a go
  2. To engrossed in a battle of proving others wrong?
  3. To obsessed in the eradication of all barking dogs?

And they say we are the smarter species!

Carmel Hodgins, Delta Certificate IV Dog Behavioural Trainer

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Puppies and Children

October 31st, 2009

Buying a puppy for your child sounds like a fun thing to do, however a lot of things need to be taken into account beforehand.

  • Firstly, how old is the child you are buying the puppy for?
  • What breed is the puppy and what is its temperament?
  • Will you have time to supervise all contact between the child and the puppy?
  • Will the puppy have a ‘safe place’ that it can escape to where the child cannot follow?
  • Will you teach your children how to respect and care for a dog.

Over the years of running dog training classes, I have been shocked by some student requests.  One request was to have a ridgeback cross dog trained to not annoy the 18 month old baby when it is lying on the floor.  When advised that the baby should not be left vulnerable to the dog, I was told quiet sternly that the dog was bought for the baby and it was the baby’s dog.

Years ago I saw a Chihuahua puppy under the arm of a three year old on Christmas day whilst this child maneuvered it and her other toys up the stairs.  This poor puppy was merely a gift for the child and a way of entertaining it for some time.  No matter what was said by me and other horrified onlookers to the child regarding not squeezing it or not holding it inappropriately, the mother just sat there and ignored the whole thing.  I doubt that that puppy would have survived the day and to this day I am angry with myself for not taking the puppy from the child altogether.  I am even angrier with the person who sold that puppy to that family.

So why buy a puppy for a child?  Children benefit greatly from growing upLaddiewith a canine companion.  I remember Laddie, our foxie X dog years ago, who travelled miles over hills with my brother and his mates when they went exploring the hills and countryside outside Mareeba, camping out with them as well.  I also remember he was there for me to cry on when things were not going so well, and how he would stop us from walking along the top rail of the front fence by not letting us get up there in the first place.  And the times we put him in our beds with his head on the pillow and the blanket pulled up around his neck.  He would play the game by closing his eyes for a few seconds and then suddenly spring at us causing great laughter.  I also remember sitting with him for hours each day and crying my eyes out when he was very ill, an illness which eventually took him from our lives.  As a child I learnt a lot from having Laddie in my life, from unconditional love, loyalty, fun times, responsibility and eventually death.

So think seriously about adding a dog to the family if your children are not of an age to be responsible for its care and needs. Statistics show that the majority of dog bites occur to children, less than five years of age, in their own home, by their own dog.  Children need to be educated about responsible pet ownership, and understand the most important lesson:  ‘that a dog is for life’.  Too often we teach our children how to shrug responsibility by surrendering our pets to pounds and refuges when we have no further use for them, or when a skin condition exists, or just because the dog is unruly.  As a wise woman once told me, “When a pet needs us the most, is when most people let them down”.  These surrended pets make their way into the care of dedicated Rescue Groups, if they are lucky, but that is another story.

Cheers,

Carmel Hodgins

Delta Certificate IV Dog Behavioural Trainer

Smart Paws Dog Training

Phone 0741 216041

Mobile – 0434351203

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Children, Empathy and Pets

October 31st, 2009

Empathy and Pets photo_1Children, Empathy and Pets

How do your children treat the animals they share their lives with?  Do they care for and gently tend to their needs?  If they do, then they have empathy for them.  That is, they tend to put themselves in their pets situation and treat them as they themselves would like to be treated if they were that pet.

Research is showing that children lacking empathy with animals grow up to lack empathy for their fellow human beings.

Sadly many animals are abused by people who also abuse their very own family members.  Alas, many of these animals do not live through this experience and many children are mentally scarred in the process.

We are role models to our children, and having compassion for animals and fellow humans can be destroyed through abnormal family upbringings.

Therefore when we bring a pet into our homes, we have an enormous responsibility in ensuring our children learn to treat that animal with dignity.

When we decide to give a pet as a Christmas present, we need to be sure, for our children’s sake, that this pet is going to have responsible loving owners for the whole of its life.

Getting rid of the dog because it digs up the garden, chews the hose, jumps up or is an inconvenience when the family want to go on holidays, not only teaches our children that animals aren’t worth consideration, but also teaches them how to shrug off responsibility and take the easy way out of a situation.

So think carefully before bringing a pet into your home this Christmas.  If you can do so with commitment and empathy, you will give your children some of the best experiences and lessons for life.  If not, both your child and the pet will suffer the consequences.

Carmel Hodgins

Delta Certificate IV Dog Behavioural Trainer

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Introducing a new dog to the household

October 19th, 2009

testIf you are fortunate enough to share your home with a second dog, here are a few tips in getting each dog accepting of the other:-


  • Introduce the dogs in unfamiliar territory
  • Have two handlers
  • Introduce them by walking them in the same direction at a distance that would make them feel comfortable
  • Share conversation with the other handler, completely ignoring both dogs.
  • Continue the walk until the dogs seem comfortable with each other, i.e. not watching each other all the time.
  • After a long walk, head home and enter the yard.  Immediately take the collars off the dogs and whilst still ignoring them, go inside the house, leaving them to explore the yard and each other.
  • In cool weather, you can take both dogs home in the car in separate sections, i.e. making use of a dog crate or a crated off area of a station wagon or van.  Park outside a shopping centre and go inside leaving the dogs to do something together, i.e. protecting the car.  Get in the car again ignoring the dogs.  Drive to another location and again leave the dogs to protect the car.  This way, just as walking together through unfamiliar territory, they tend to bond out of necessity.
  • When you get home, again let them out together and, ignoring them, walk inside.
  • Continue ignoring them when they are together.  Only pet and talk to them when they are on their own.  Eventually you will be able to pet them in each others company.
  • If you see tension starting to build in your presence, start walking away and start giggling.  You will find the dogs will follow, notice you are not tense, and will settle down.
  • The use of a crate makes feeding, giving bones, and quiet times inside the house so easy.

DO NOT’s

  • Do not let the dogs meet face to face when first introduced.
  • Do not start petting and fussing over either dog
  • Do not feed, give bones or leave food dishes around when both dogs are together.
  • Do not play high activity games like ‘Chase the Ball’
  • And above all, keep calm.  Calm owner, calm dog.

Happy training,

Carmel Hodgins

Delta Certificate IV Dog Behavioural Trainer


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Well adjusted pup or ‘healthy fruit loop’

October 19th, 2009

When you get your puppy and how you assist in its mental and physical growth will determine the nature of your pet.

University studies have revealed that the matter surrounding the cells of a dog’s brain grow to 80% in the first four months of life.  This leaves only 20% growth from 4 months of age to adulthood and death.

With this in mind, we now know how vital it is for your puppy to be socialized in this short space of time to all the things it will encounter in the rest of its life.

Dogs presenting with fears of children, adults of either sex or other dogs have not had proper socialization to these encounters in the first four months of their lives.  To explain this further:

  • A puppy raised by an elderly couple with no children visiting the home would grow up with a fear of children.
  • A puppy raised by women only, would have a fear of males
  • A puppy raised with only one or two other dogs would have a fear of all other dogs
  • A puppy kept in the home for fear of contracting some disease, or a puppy raised in a kennel situation until five months of age would have a tremendous fear of everything in the outside world.

Now add to this the age of your puppy when you acquired it.  Puppies acquired at six weeks of age have not fully developed the language used by dogs in their communication with each other.   So this poor puppy is already destined for problems in the future when encountering other dogs.  These puppies also tend to bond so strongly to their owners that separation anxiety becomes a problem.

So give your new companion the best chance in life.  Acquire at 8 weeks of age, and make sure it is on a course of immunization.  Book into a well run puppy school so your pup can encounter all different breeds of dogs and meet all ages of people in a non-threatening environment.  When your puppy has had at least two of its injections, take it for walks along the beach where other dogs are on lead and under control.  Take your puppy for rides in the car to alleviate any fears to car travel in the future and whilst out and about, find a park bench in a well populated area and with the puppy on your lap you can both watch the world go by.

Carmel Hodgins

Delta Certificate IV Dog Behavioural Trainer

Smart Paws Dog Training

Phone 0741 216041

Mobile – 0434351203

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Posted in Dog Behaviour and Training, Puppies, Training Articles