KCAI 101215

My Dog is Only a Pet

In my opinion, being a Pet dog is one of the hardest jobs.  If I had a £1 for every time someone told me that their dog ‘is only a pet’ I would be a wealthy woman but if you begin to understand what a difficult job it is to be ‘only a pet’ you might show a little more compassion and understanding for your pooch.

Working dogs have a career path to follow and their owners know exactly what they want of their dogs.  For these dogs, it makes their life simple and clear, their training path is set and they will learn required skills to achieve these goals.  In any given situation a working dog is taught what is expected of them and these behaviours are reinforced.  For pet dogs however there is rarely a set path and training can become erratic and inconsistent.  This causes confusion, behaviour issues and makes life stressful all round. 

Now-a-days, many pet dogs are a breed, no longer the mongrels of old but Labradors, spaniels, collies and such, with high drive and energy levels.  These dogs are taken in to homes and yes, there may have been research done in to the breed before they chose them but the important points have been brushed over like the high energy of the spaniel or the herding drive of the collie.  

Taking your high energy dog to a park and letting them run around is not using that energy, they may tire physically but mentally they are screaming at how bored they are and as time goes on they may start running off or chewing the house or getting in to fights with other dogs or herding the kids in the park.

So I want you to sit and think exactly what it is you want of your dog in each situation.  At home, out on a walk, in the park, at the pub, wherever you and your dog end up.  Be clear about what you want from them.  A vague answer like behave themselves, not show me up won't cut it, what do you want them to do? 

The majority of behaviour cases I visit, the dogs have one thing in common no matter what the issue is that I am there to deal with.  That one thing is lack of training & mental stimulation.  Even basic commands such as sit and come are often lacking and a lack of house rules and not knowing what is right and what is wrong leads to a life of confusion and often boredom. 

Once you have decided what you want of your dog then think about how you are going to teach them to do this.  Just because they are a pet dog doesn't mean they don't need to learn certain tasks and behaviours.  Once they have learnt these skills then how are you going to expand on them and continue to exercise your dogs brain?

Learning for your pet dog should be a life time commitment, the old adage that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks is rubbish, they deserve to be mentally challenged every single day and rewarded handsomely for their efforts.  Keeping your dogs mind active as well as their body will ensure they live happy, fulfilled lives.

You don’t need to rush out and join classes (although I would welcome you back with open arms and a shameless plug here, remember our follow on classes involve a bit of everything – agility, tricks, nosework) just sit and work out what your dog knows already, what else you could teach them to make life easier and clearer for you all and what other things they could learn to keep them occupied.

I am only a pet.

So next time I see you, don’t tell me that your dog ‘is only a pet’ tell me how content they are and show me how skilled and talented they are in their role. 

Jo Crosby-Deakin

MIACE ACFBA (MT)GoDT RCH

07776 334481

www.k9solutionsdt.co.uk

 

Don't be a Weekend Warrior

With the change in the weather and lovely bright, fresh days it is perfect dog walking weather.  We head off with our dogs, who through the winter have maybe lost a little muscle tone and body condition, who have become more used to a quick blast than a long ramble but we are convinced that because they keep heading forward and hurtling about that they are fit enough to do so without causing themselves an injury. 

Our dogs may be athletic and full of energy but that doesn’t make them athletes unless they are trained and conditioned for it. 

Personally after the soggy winter I begin to increase my dogs exercise gradually as the weather begins to change.  We all want to be out a bit more when the sun shines and you are not freezing cold.   I slowly increase the amount of time that they race after a tennis ball, the overall length of their walks and as I also run with my dogs (well, they run and I sort of trail behind) but we start off slowly and do a run-walk-run set up to help them and me.  I add more road walks during the summer than I do in the winter and walking, especially on concrete works different muscles in the dogs body and more concussion through the joints.  I swim the dogs year round at Completely K9 to try and stop their cardiovascular fitness and muscle condition from dropping off too much.

All walks should start with a warm up and end with a cool down, so before I let my hounds off their leads they do a bit of walking on the lead, then they go off the lead and then they get their ball.  At the end of our walk I stop throwing the ball and let them move at their own pace and then they go back on the lead to relax down some more.

When I run with my dogs I try and start with some on lead walking and then some basic moves through sit and down and through some twists to help them warm up their muscles as well as contain their excitement (they love canicross).

So don’t be a weekend warrior and suddenly decide that the weather is nice and we are going to trek off for a 5 mile walk instead of the usual say, 2 mile walk with our dogs free running and chasing the ball or playing with their buddies for hours.  They can easily over-do it and put themselves at risk of injuries such as sprains and strains and even more serious problems with joints and ligaments.

Jo Crosby-Deakin

MIACE ACFBA (MT)GoDT RCH

www.k9solutionsdt.co.uk

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