‘Socialisation’ is a big buzz word when it comes to dogs. It’s what we all want when we get our puppy or new dog. We want them to be happy to meet new people and dogs, to be happy in new places and situations. However, there’s a difference between good socialisation and bad socialisation. I saw a client recently for 1-2-1 training with her 2 year old dog. Her dog has been steadily getting worse with resource guarding and being reactive with other dogs. I asked about the day-care setting she used with her dog when the dog was an adolescent, and it came as no surprise to me to hear it was jam-packed full of dogs with only a couple of humans there to oversee everything *insert one of my epic facepalms here*You see, I’m not a fan of doggy day cares in general. I find they cause a lot of behavioural issues and are often ran by people who don’t have proper knowledge about dogs. I have no doubt they love dogs very much, but they may not know enough about training and behaviour to spot the problems early on. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure there’s many good day cares out there who are very knowledgeable and very good at what they do, but I reckon they are the exception and not the rule. They often have a waiting list, smaller ratios and are more expensive. What is Socialisation? Many people send their dog to day care because they are out at work and want their dog to play all day with their friends (I hate that too, but that’s a whole other subject!) They also want their dogs to be ‘socialised’, but what exactly do they mean? Socialisation is where a dog (or human) is exposed to the ways of the world and the other animals living in it. They get to know how things look, how they sound, how they smell and the way it all works. It’s about learning how to interact with the environment in a way which is deemed acceptable. How this is done determines whether or not it is good socialisation or bad. Good Socialisation – This is where puppies are exposed to different sights, sounds, smells and stresses from a young age, but done so in a positive and careful way. Good breeders will carefully handle puppies before their eyes open to introduce a wee bit of stress, but just enough to act like an ‘inoculation’, so they recover quickly and have more experience of it next time. They will take puppies out in the car, play sounds like fireworks or gun shots at a low volume (usually when they are eating), let them hear the TV/vacuum cleaner, play sounds of kids playing, have different visitors over to see the pups (men, women, children, people wearing hats, people with beards etc) and all the while, doing it in a positive and well guided way. With their new owners, good socialisation looks like trips to the vets to just sit in the waiting room eating treats, seeing new dogs out on walks, seeing people walking by, hearing sounds, seeing new animals etc. It is good socialisation when these things are done with consideration for the dog’s emotional state and working with their personality. It becomes bad socialisation when done heavy headedly, when we just throw our dogs in at the deep end so they become overwhelmed and scared, when we take them places and just expect them to cope. Depending on the nature of the dog, some dogs are very stoic and level headed with new things and we think of them as bomb proof, while others are more sensitive and timid, and have a lower threshold for dealing with situations. Bad socialisationWhat constitutes bad socialisation? That could be a ‘breeder’ who has kept puppies in a barn with mum and never exposing them to the wider world. It could be a new owner getting a puppy and then taking them to a fireworks display to ‘get used to fireworks’. It could be a dog made to greet a pack of dogs at a day care or puppy party without the proper care or attention of a knowledgeable person. It could be taking them to a busy market when they have never seen so many people before. It could be letting them greet every dog they see on a walk or letting them jump up at every person. Socialisation isn’t about flooding your dog with new things, it’s about them having a positive experience in the world as they explore it. If a dog isn’t great with other dogs, the last thing you want to do is send them to a day care or to walk with someone who has 10 dogs out at once. You will end up with more problems down the line. You can’t cure an arachnophobe by sitting them in a room full of free-range spiders, and you can’t make a dog be ‘socialised ‘ by throwing them in with a pack of dogs. As a trainer, I see a lot of dogs with problems caused by lack of proper socialisation when they were younger, or because they have attended places which have caused the dog to react in order to protect themselves. Getting it right in the early days can make a massive difference to how your puppy develops and learns, which is why I offer my K9 Coaching Classes and Puppy 1-2-1’s. I want to show people how to get it right so that issues don’t arise down the line. Why not check out my K9 Coaching classes HERE and my Puppy packages HERE. Or if you have an older dog and need some help, you can see the info HERE. Training is an investment for you and your dog and when done right, leads to years of happiness for you and your furry best mate. I know times are tough, but making that investment now before problems arise or get worse will money well spent. If you are seeing behaviour issues now in
The Cost of Living Crisis – Will dogs pay the price?
Lockdowns and the Cost of Living Crisis Since the start of the decade, we as a society have been hammered from all angles with stress, worry and a sense of dread. The pandemic caused much worry, for health reasons and financial reasons, but despite that, many people went out and bought/rescued dogs. There was a boom in puppies being sold as families at home decided they now had the time to bring a furry friend into the fold. However, that puppy bubble soon popped, as the puppies reached adolescence without much training or socialisation and people went back into the offices (check out the blog I wrote on that subject HERE) Rescues started filling up and dogs were being put down. A heart-breaking storm indeed. And it’s not getting any better. 2022 brought with it rising costs on everything from fuel to food, with wages not reflecting the rocketing costs. Many people started to struggle, and decisions had to made on the best way to cut back and save money. Unfortunately, it’s the dogs who are suffering yet again. Many people have been forced to give up their pets, with Birmingham Dogs Home taking in 53% more dogs than the previous year (as reported in April, see the news article HERE) It’s not just that the charities are filling up, it’s the fact adoptions have slowed down too. We all know dogs are a financial commitment, and at the moment, people just can’t afford it. It was reported recently that a North East Rescue was almost at capacity, with adoptions slowing down and more people wanting to surrender their pets. An RSPCA survey said a whopping 78% of people who worried about the cost of living crisis and how it will affect their pets, and Google searches on ‘how to give up your pets’ increased by 50% between April 2021 and April 2022. Gloomy reading, for sure. As a dog trainer and walker, I’ve also seen a decline in people coming to me for classes or 1-2-1’s, and I truly understand. However, putting off your dog training, or going a a cheap trainer, may cause more harm than good in the long run, and ignoring any issues you are having could be detrimental. What Can We Do? As someone who has been through a lot of financial turmoil, I can say I got quite good as keeping costs down in order to keep my dogs. They are living creatures who you made a commitment to, and they should come fairly high up on the priority list in my opinion. I’ve gone without treats, new clothes and nights out. I’ve cancelled subscriptions or reduced the packages and made do with good old DVD’s instead of Netflix. When my oldies were on medication, I started asking for a prescription so I could buy the medication online at a fraction of the cost (obviously this can’t work with emergency meds) and I swapped foods to cheaper bags. I know nutrition is mega important for our furry friends, but sometimes in the short term, we need to just go with what we can afford. You may want to give up on the dog walker or dog trainer to save money, and I get that, but we (trainers/walkers) need to live too, and often we provide a service which enriches your dog’s life. Maybe instead of cancelling altogether, just reduce days. If you need dog training, ask about installment plans or budget packages. Just because it’s not on the website, doesn’t mean they can’t offer it. We do understand about the stress this crisis is causing and we want to help you and your dogs through it. We know that if training is left by the wayside, it will cause more problems down the line. Times are tough and helping each other will hopefully get us through it. I hope we all come out of this at the other end with our dogs and I hope the effects aren’t too drastic. Take care, dear reader. Big Love, Tam x
Help! My Dog is Trying to Take Over the World!
As a massive dog geek, walker and trainer, I have been in, and subsequently left, more dog focused groups on social media than I care to remember. They all have the same types of posts and mostly, the posts are nice and upbeat, with lovely pictures of dogs having fun on walks or chilling out at home.
Hark at me, I’m a DOUBLE AWARD WINNER!!
I never expected to win last year, never mind this year, so I’m over the moon to see my hard work being recognised and rewarded.
I have always tried hard to be as ‘real’ as I can and care for dogs like they were my own. I’ve known dogs to be like family to me and I just love helping people with their canny canines.
They’re Coming For Your Freedom
I’ve said this for years, but we are heading for a future which will see your furry best mates permanently confined to lead walks only when outdoors, unless they’re in a designated dog park area like they have in American (that’s a whole different level of hell which I won’t discuss today!)
Lockdown Puppy Boom
According to Propellanet, Google searches relating to buying a puppy increased 120% in April last year, less than a month after the first lockdown was announced. ‘Adopt a puppy’ Google searches also increased by a whopping 133%.
Have You Experienced Collie Chaos?
Collies are awesome. I say it often and it’s because it’s true. They are a magnificent breed of dog with both beauty and brains. They are masters at learning new skills, professionals in manipulating owners with adorable head tilts, pawing and puppy eyes. They can round up the kids as they stray on a walk and will give your life so much love that you feel like you’re living in a rainbow heaven.
The Crazy Collie Lady who Never Used to Like Collies….. Part 1.
I’ve been the proud owner of
border collies for 10 years now. I got my first ‘proper collie’ in June 2010
from a breeder in Doncaster. I got my 2nd collie in March 2012, and
I’ve been a confirmed crazy collie lady ever since!!
However, it wasn’t always that way. Believe it or not, I used to HATE collies. Having one never crossed my mind and if I’m honest, I didn’t trust them as far as I could throw them….
I’m an Award Winner nowadays!
Here we are in August and I’m left wondering how the actual fuck that happened, because it feels like Spring was just beginning recently. Lockdown, doom and gloom, face masks, anti bac gel, loo roll madness and eating too much chocolate has made the last 4 and a bit months seem a bit dream-like.
What’s in your Centre?
Well it’s Easter Monday as I write this and I think it’s the weirdest Easter weekend we have experienced. Of course because we are in lockdown, the sun was shining warmly on Saturday and the smell of BBQs filled the air. Thea and I made the most of our daily exercise and walked the dogs in the lush woods. You just can’t beat a woodland walk in spring. Then once Thea was in bed I fired up my fire pit and sat in the garden with a beer till it got dark. Bliss, considering the state of the world!
