DOG DAY AFTERNOON

Here is a handy leaflet from the RSPCA on what you should do on Fireworks night. It is estimated that some 45% of dogs get anxious when fireworks are let off. If your pet is really frightened then you should seek veterinary advice.

Hi, These are the famous Glasgow Red Road Flats. They began construction in 1964 and were completed in 1969. They were officially opened in 1971. Today at approximately 15:18 they were demolished with explosives as part of a regeneration of the area. These flats were an iconic part of the Glasgow landscape and quite famous. So it was of no surprise to me that on the day they were brought down a sizeable crowd had gathered to watch this significant event. Significant to not only the many Glaswegians who live here but the other visitors and people who had once lived in these flats. Many foreign visitors to our city stayed in these flats for a time.  History lesson over now for my rant.  As a keen amateur  photographer I was excited at the prospect of capturing this historic Occassion.  I only found out the day before that this was actually happening today the 11th October. What I couldnt find out was what time it was happening. However through some contacts I learned that

In my work I am often asked to help people who have dogs with behaviour issues. Some of these ‘issues’ are no more than natural behaviours for dogs and its my job to interpret these behaviours and educate the owners as to why their dogs are displaying them. Most of the time the owners would prefer the dog not to do them. For example ‘jumping up’ whenever the dog greets someone. Its completely understandable why an owner would want their dog to stop jumping up on unsuspecting visitors to the home or people they meet in the street. Apart from the obvious annoyance to the people being set upon there can also be a danger if said mis behaving dog jumps up on someone who is easily knocked off balance like an elderly person or a child. So thats were I come in. However thats not what I want to talk about today. As well as these behaviours being natural to dogs, sometimes behaviours are caused by what we feed them. The food we give our dogs provide the building blocks for muscle growth, heal

A businessman was visiting a small village and one day went down to the pier just as a small fishing boat was coming back in from fishing out in the bay. On the small boat were a few large Salmon. The businessman complimented the fisherman on the catch and asked how long it took to catch them. The fisherman replied "only a short time". The businessman then asked why he hadn’t stayed out longer and catch more fish. The fisherman replied he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs. The businessman then asked what he did the rest of his time? “I lie late, fish a little, play a little with my dogs, take an afternoon nap with my wife, take a walk into the village at night and sit and watch the stars whilst sipping a glass of wine”. “I am very busy” said the fisherman. The businessman scoffed and said “I have an MBA and could help you out”. “You should spend more time out fishing and with the proceeds from the bigger catch you could buy a bigger boat”. “From the

I was out walking my dog this morning as usual. She’s a white Northern Inuit. I rescued her from Dogs Trust about six years ago. When she came to the house she was, to put it politely a basket case. Throughout the first year at home she had a go at each of the other three female dogs in the house. Being the biggest she challenged them all for the right to be top dog one after another. I had my hands full with her to say the least.  Miya and Star playing in the snow last year. Out walking with her in those early days was a challenge in that every time I met another handler and dog combo she would go into stalking mode and completely freak out the oncoming duo. Her head would go down in line with her spine in an almost arrow like fashion and she would slow her walking pace. Her body would slightly stiffen just like you see the lions on the serengeti do when stalking an impala. By the time the other dog came close it was ready for a fight. It took me many months to train her th

In this months Kennel Club Standard news letter there’s an interesting article written by one of the trainers that will be at their teaching event this weekend. The article is about a recent trip she was on using public transport and whilst travelling, she sat near a dog owner who was busy speaking to their dog about something it was or wasn’t doing. The article boiled down to the fact that this trainer felt that we as trainers were not getting our message across to our clients and the general dog owning public at large that, Dogs cannot understand us when we speak to them. This particular dog owner was saying something along the lines of “now I have told you before that what you are doing is wrong, so why are you doing it again”. So not only has the poor dog supposed to understand what its owner is saying but that it also has to relate what it was told last week to the bad behaviour it is doing now. Challenged by this trainers remarks that we are not getting our message across, I

A man walks past a beggar and the beggar says “Can you spare some change” The man says “Sorry I have no money”. The man then notices that the beggar is sitting on a box. “What is in the box” the man asks the beggar? “I don’t know” the beggar replies. “How long have you been sitting on the box” the man says. “30 years” the beggar replies. “Why don’t you open the box and see whats inside” says the man. “Theres no point there’s nothing in it” says the beggar. “Try it anyway” says the man. The beggar gets up and turns and tries to open the box. After a bit of a struggle he manages to pry the lid open. To his surprise the box is filled with gold. The beggar was unaware he had been sitting on a box of gold for more than thirty years. If you look inside, not any old box as in the parable above, but inside yourself you will find Joy and deep unshakable peace. People with material wealth are still beggars, continually looking outside for scraps of pleasure, fulfilment, validation, securi

5 Quick tips on Dog Training. Teaching a recall. Don’t wait till your off lead walk is over before calling him back to you. Periodically call your dog back during the off-lead walk and put him back on the lead again for a few steps then let him off to run free. that way he won’t learn that when you call him the walk is over and its time to go home. If using treats to reward your dog, remember to use a higher value treat than the one you give him on a day to day basis just for being a good companion. If your dog values the treat you give him when you reward him for doing something difficult the chances are he will repeat that behaviour to see if he gets the same high value treat again. If your dog reacts to the brush when grooming, hold a carrot or raw hide chew in one hand and let him chew on it whilst you run the brush over him with your other hand. That way you distract him from the brush and give him a pleasant association every time you brush him. Use dinner time t

Ben my Black Labrador Have you just got a new Puppy? Have you brought it into a home that already has an older dog? Is it annoying the older dog? There are many reasons why a puppy will annoy an older dog. Most of the time its innocent enough. Boredom and bonding mostly. However your older dog can still get stressed out by the unwanted attention. Some times this can lead to less than ideal times in the home. But we can help to correct this behaviour or even avoid it. We can teach our puppies how to interact with the older dog in the home. Puppies get bored and if you leave them alone inside the house all day with nothing to do they can become Tasmanian devils of energy, tearing up the place. Lack of exercise is one of the main problems. By ensuring our puppies are regularly and well exercised we tire them out and therefore less likely to use up his energy annoying the other dog in the house. A couple of long walks a day or several hours out in the garden should tire your pu

Not my usual blog entry however I though it worth mentioning on here also. We will be enrolling for new Puppy Foundation and Bronze level courses in July after we come back from a much needed two week vacation. We will be back refreshed and raring to go. Its been a busy old year. We successfully transferred our academy from the Torrance Community Centre to the Caldwell Halls, still in Torrance. The Caldwell Halls is a much more suitable venue for our training and we are pleased to be there. The upper hall is going through some refurbishment at the moment and when its finished later this week it will look great. Cant wait to get back in there on a Monday night. We introduced a class on a Friday afternoon this year and it is going well. It started off as a Puppy Foundation class but they have all graduated and it is a Bronze class now. Its going well but we want to add another Puppy Foundation class to the Friday afternoon at a different time though. As usual its slow to take off but we

I read an article in Junes issue of Psychology Today about a new treatment being offered at Promises Treatment Centres. There are a number of these centres in the US. They specialise in treating a wide variety of addictions, such as alcoholism, cocaine addiction, prescription drug abuse and marijuana abuse. they also offer a wide variety of treatment options. their newest treatment option is called Wolf Therapy. From the article in Psychology Today “Wolf therapy is a hands on, highly impactful blend of experiential therapy and animal assisted therapy. Young adults at Promises have a unique opportunity to work and hike side by side with a wolf-dog - wolves that have been bred with various dog breeds as pets - to process the issues”. The article goes onto explain how we as humans have a primal connection to the wolf “drawn together as allies”. Wolf therapy eases depression, anxiety and stress. All issues that are common in young adults in rehab and blinds their motivation to complete th

On neutering, you will be hard pressed to find a vet today that would recommend anything but neutering your pet early in their life, normally around six months. The reasons given are always the same, prevent unwanted babies and long term health benefits including a reduction in cancer.  But unlike your appendix for example where it's absence is not noticed in your daily routine, your reproductive (or sex) organs play a whole host of hormonal roles that stretch far beyond the manufacturing of babies. Like dry food, parasite control, annual boosting and casual steroid shots, these things are not without consequence for the patient and too rarely are these consequences ever discussed with the owner. It is not enough that we are told things are perfectly harmless. We must go into the decision with eyes wide open.  So here's what we know of neutering dogs early in their life. The implications for your pet and society as a whole are then discussed below. It's a whopper of

I read this post by Victoria Stilwell and thought that it was very interesting. Please let me know what you think. CAN YOU REALLY TRUST YOUR DOG TRAINER? By: Victoria Stilwell Hiring a dog trainer can be one of the best decisions you ever make on behalf of your dog, or it can just as easily take a turn for the worst. Because dog training is an unregulated field, any average joe can call himself a "dog trainer," and fool unsuspecting pet parents into using outdated or dangerous training methods. Many pet parents have fallen victim to so-called "trainers" that ultimately cause physical or emotional damage to their dog. And a common theme I've heard from these pet parents is that they all had a feeling that something wasn't right. But they trusted their trainer (they were a professional after all, right?), and assumed that their dog trainer knew what they were doing. I've heard stories of people whose otherwise friendly and happy dogs would

GOD said "I need somebody strong enough to pull sleds and find bombs yet gentle enough to love babies and lead the blind. Somebody who will spend all day on a resting couch and supportive eyes to lift the spirits of a broken heart....................So GOD made a DOG..

Spent a smashing day down at Woodhorn Museum yesterday. For more than 80 years Woodhorn was a coal mine. Work to sink the first shaft began in 1894 and the first coal was brought to the surface in 1898. At its peak almost 2,000 men worked at the pit and 600,000 tons of coal was produced each year. Production stopped in 1981 but the shafts continued to be used for neighbouring Ashington Colliery until 1986. It was turned into a museum in 1989 and was further redeveloped and opened again in 2006. The site is now recognised as a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Yesterday we went to see an exhibition called ‘Brickland’. It showed scale models of famous places around the world made of LEGO bricks. Heather and Mandy at Brick Land Woodhorn Museum There were other interesting things to see at the museum most notably was the mine exhibition. Walking along a corridor the exhibition laid out how the mine worked and more importantly how the miners lived in the early days. It was very inter

Well we're just back from 4 amazing days at Crufts 2015. We had a fab time and met some fab people. Miya and I were taking part in the Good Citizen Dog Scheme Silver Display Team this year. We were fortunate to have been picked to take part and this weekend was the culmination of many weeks of hard work and practise. Thankfully all went well and we had a great time. MIYA AND ME AT CRUFTS 2015 If you are a dog lover or are owned by a dog then you have to visit Crufts even just once to sample the occasion. I am not a show dog person by nature. I dont think I could be bothered with all the preparation and pomp that goes with showing dogs. But as a dog owning enthusiast I always marvelled at the other groups that regularly participated in the Crufts experience. Like the Agility, Flyball, Heel Work to Music and the many other groups that entertained at Crufts. To go to Crufts under the Agility or Heel Work to Music banner meant many many months of training and qualifying se

If a dog were your teacher, you would learn stuff like: When loved ones come home, always run to greet them. Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride. Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy. When it’s in your best interest, practice obedience. Let others know when they’ve invaded your territory. Take naps and stretch before rising. Run, romp, and play daily. Avoid biting when a simple growl will do. On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass. On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree. When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body. No matter how often you’re scolded, don’t buy into the guilt thing and pout… run right back and make friends. Delight in the simple joy of a long walk. Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.  Stop when you have had enough. Be loyal. Never pretend to be something you’re not. If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it. And MOST of all…

A psychology teacher walked around her class holding a half empty glass of water. The students were all waiting on the ‘half empty half full glass’ question. Instead the teacher asked “How heavy is this glass?” “8oz, 12oz” the replies came. In fact the actual weight of the glass doesn’t matter. How long I hold it is more important. If I hold the glass like this for five minutes there isn’t a problem. If I hold it for an hour my arm might start to ache. If I stand here and hold it for a day my arm might become numb and paralysed. But in each case the weight of the glass stays the same, but the longer I hold it the heavier it becomes. The stresses and worries in life are like that. If you think about them for five minutes theres no problem, if you think about them for an hour they begin to hurt. If you think about them for longer you will feel paralysed and incapable of doing anything.  Sometimes you have to remember to put the glass down.

The RSPCA have a fact sheet which you can download from their web site which is very useful. It describes how anyone involved with animals should aspire to providing the animals with the ‘Five Freedoms’. It says it’s aspirational because there are times when they cannot always be achieved. For example before an animal will feed it may need to feel hungry. However it goes onto say that wherever possible animal keepers should strive to provide the Five Freedoms as far as possible. If you want more information you should visit the website. www.rspca.org.uk/animalcare . THE FIVE FREEDOMS: 1.FREEDOM FROM HUNGER OR THIRST. by providing enough fresh water and the right type and amount of food to keep them fit. 2.FREEDOM FROM DISCOMFORT. by making sure that animals have the right type of environment including shelter and somewhere comfortable to rest. 3.FREEDOM FROM PAIN, INJURY AND DISEASE. by preventing them from getting ill or injured and by making sure animals are diagnosed

I read an interesting article in ‘Canine Corner’ a column written by Dr Stanley Coren for ‘Psychology Today’ about dewclaws. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, dewclaws are short claws or nails on the side of the dog’s foot which don’t touch the ground. Most dogs have dewclaws only on their front paws, and it is rare to find them on their back paws. There are some breeds who have them, like the Great Pyrenees. In most cases however the dewclaws are nonfunctional. The dewclaws are an evolutionary throw back to some 40 million years ago. Back then there was a tree climbing cat-like animal . It is believed that this animal known as Miacis was an early ancestor of our modern dogs. Having five toes when you climb trees is obviously a great advantage. As evolution unfolded through the generations these creatures evolved into social hunters of fast moving prey. Obviously speed became a more important factor than climbing. This meant the physiology of canin