Just Fur Behaviour

Luring & Shaping
Luring your dog can be a really useful training technique, even for more complex behaviours. Shown here is Inka, who is jokingly known as the 'thick one' of my 4 girls. I suspect she may well be a Border Collie x Whippet and she has certainly not inherited the Collie brains if so 😂 (no offence Whippets!!) That said, she is still more than capable of learning new skills, it just sometimes takes her a little longer to pick things up than my other girls. I deci...ded tonight to try and introduce her to 'beg' where I want her to sit up, lifting her front legs off the floor and balance there for a few seconds. This is where the luring techniques comes in, as you can see in the photo, I am holding a treat, just out of reach of Inka, to lure her into reaching up. To begin with, I just rewarded her for stretching her neck up towards the treat, then once she got the hang of that, I withheld the treat until she reached a little further, in turn lifting one paw from the ground. Again once this was cemented, I encouraged her to lift both feet off the floor, even if she only held her balance for half a second or less, she was still rewarded. Once that was mastered, I held the treat for a few seconds to encourage her to balance. Eventually the treat can be phased out and a command of 'beg' will be added. This process is known as shaping a behaviour, where by each small increment of progress is rewarded in order to shape a more complex behaviour as an end goal. 🐾
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SETTLE
Apologies for the lack of postings recently, life has simply got in the way, as I have started a new job and have been settling into a new routine. Thankfully my dogs have adapted very well to these changes as well which I am very grateful for! Anyway, back to the point of this post... Shown in the video is my girl Inka, who is 8 now, enjoying chewing on a pigs ear at a 'vintage rally'/local country show. As you can hear from the video, it was not only noisy, but also ...extremely busy with crowds of people and dogs, lots of moving cars/lorries/tractors that were on display as well as the really noisy traction and steam engines. Behind Inka was the main arena, which at the time was full of classic cars being paraded, and shortly afterwards a plane did a fly over very low above her head, which again was very noisy and not part of her day to day life normally. The fact that she was calm and confident enough to not only ignore the goings on around her, but also to eat a treat as well is something to be proud of! The actual act of chewing itself is calming for a dog, and releases endorphins which make them feel great. From an early age I have taught my girls to 'settle' both at home and out of the house too. Whilst some dogs really struggle to relax around such distractions, Inka took it all in her stride.
To work on things such as this, or for any other issues, please contact me to arrange your 1-2-1 training session 🐾
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A year on from posting this originally, the meaning is the same 💜

1-2-1 SESSIONS AVAILABLE
Assisting positively with everything from basic manners to more complex behavioural issues.
Please contact me for more details and availability 🐾

Never Stop Learning
I often make the point that there is always a way to 'teach an old dog new tricks.' No matter what their background, breeding, age or life experiences so far, there is always room for them to experience more and learn new things. This also is the case for us as owners, I personally am obsessed with researching, reading and expanding my knowledge in order to do better by my own dogs, as well as to help more people with their dogs too. Times are thankfully slowly changing in the dog training/behaviour industry, and now, more than ever, people are more aware of how they are treating their dogs, and how that in turn influences their behaviour. Just like our dogs, we should never stop learning, which is sure to make our relationships with them better. 🐾

The Bigger Picture
Dogs most commonly do not suddenly bite 'out of no where' or 'without any warning' as most owners tend to think. In reality, this is far from the truth. The image I have chosen here, is a great visualiation of the general process a dog goes through in order to prevent a bite. Naturally, a dog is unlikely to ever actually resort to a bite, unless they have either tried to progress through the lower signals which have been unsuccessful/gone unnoticed, or th...ey feel so threatened that they feel they have no other option. In fact, it is likely that your own dogs regularly show some of the lower signs of discomfort, but because they are often so subtle, you may not notice them unless you are really paying attention. If your dog has never bitten before, and now has, it must be ruled out they they are not in pain, ill, anxious, stressed etc before presuming that they are now 'aggressive' and can no longer be trusted. Some breeds as a whole can have more volatile tendancies than others, however every dog no matter what their breeding or background has the potential to bite, just like a normally well mannered, polite person, can shout loudly, swear or even push someone when everything gets too much or they feel threatened. It is always important to look at the bigger picture. 🐾
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Not In At The Deep End
Some trainers/behaviourists will suggest that the only way to get a dog to be less fearful, is to simply make them get over their fears by exposing them to what they are scared of. However, think what you yourself fear most in the world, lets say it is spiders. If I put you in a room rull of spiders, and made sure there was no way you could get out, you would probably react in one of two ways, either screaming/panicking/crying etc and when that did not... bring results, you may sit quietly but still be highly stressed. This is NOT because you have suddenly got over your deeply engrained fear, it is know as 'Learnt Helplessness' when you recognise that no matter what you do, the situation you are so terrified of cannot be changed by you. The same rule applies to reactive dogs, who are then flooded by 10 other dogs in a park, they will not suddenly stop being reactive and live happily ever after, in fact in most cases, flooding make matters worse. Start slow, keep distances between your dog and their triggers large, decreasing over time when possible. Form more positive associations between the trigger and your dog receiving a reward. Just don't throw them in at the deep end. 💜
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Old Dogs, Old Tricks
Here is Sky, my eldest girl who will be 11 this year 💜 The tricks in the video are Sit, Down, Nod, Paws and Bang, all of which she was taught many years ago now, but they are still very much part of her repertoire. Whilst she may be much older and slightly slower than she was when she first learnt them, she is still very capable of performing them well. I see no reason why the older dogs out there can not still get enrichment and enjoyment out of little training sessions like this one, even if it is at a slower pace than before 🐶

1-2-1...One-to-One...1-2-1...One-to-One.. .1-2-1
1-2-1 Behaviour Sessions Available
- Any age or breed of dog... - No former training is necessary - Individually personalised training sessions - Work on your own dog's issues with an experienced Canine Behaviourist - Take place in your own home and/or out on walks dependant on the issues
Please contact me for costings and availability 🐾 🐶
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Robot Puppies
When adding a puppy to your family, ordinarily they tend to join you at around 8 weeks old. This means that in their super short existance, everything they have ever known has altered; their mother, siblings, the environment they were raised in and the people who reared them are now all memories and they have been placed in a strange house, with new people, and maybe with other dogs/pets all within 63 days of being on this earth. Let them grow, show them the ...world slowly, build their confidence, let them rest, form a great bond, take them to new places, enrich them with new scents/sights/sounds/tastes, let them socialise both with other dogs and humans and other animals, teach them to play, guide their learning, above all let them be a puppy! Forget this concept of the 'robot puppy' who walks to heel by 10 weeks old, and knows how to sit 2 days after they come to you. Do not get so busy trying to teach them things you want them to learn, that you forget to teach them life skills first. They are much more beneficial long term, than a dog who can do 20 party tricks. A well rounded, happy, puppy knows how to cope with life first of all. 💜
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Building Foundations
Many of my 1-2-1 clients come to me with already deep-rooted problems and most commonly my advice it to begin to unravel them at home first before trying in the outside world. Whether your dog already has issues, or you are starting with a blank canvas puppy, it is always best to build solid foundations at home first wherever possible. Just like we would not take our first driving lesson on a motorway, we start somewhere quiet where the risks are low, d...istractions are minimal and it is generally safer for us to learn and practice our new found skills. The same rules apply to our dogs. My favourite motto is 'set them up for success' and in order to do that, build your solid foundations for behaviours at home first, then practice them in quiet places, before expecting good results in areas with lots of distractions. 🐾
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Positive Choices
Last night, I watched a Channel 4 programme about 'Dogs Behaving Badly' in which owners sought advice from a 'trainer' for their problem pooches. To the untrained eye, everything seemed to be going brilliantly. The 'trainer' listened to the problems, saw them for himself, then seemingly corrected them in a very short space of time. However, to choose an example, a lady came along with her 2 Labradors who physically pulled her over when she walked them. So... the 'trainers' first bit of advice was to ditch their harnesses and go back to using a normal collar and to then use lead corrections (pulling sharply on the dogs neck) in order to get them to walk to heel. For one dog especially, this worked really quickly, and he was walking to heel up and down the woods. So what is the problem? The dog's body language screamed out that he was uncomfortable about the whole situation and the whole reason he was walking to heel was through the fear of what would happen should he choose not to, not because he wanted to. This was summed up for me when the owner herself said 'oh he looks really subservient doesn't he' which is exactly what you want to avoid. Bullying your dog into subservience is not the sort of positive relationship you should strive to build with them. Working together positively as a team will get you much further! Methods such as these are out dated, and unsuitable for use in todays modern dog training world where there are so many other positive options available. Please get in touch for more details of how you can help your dog using positive methods 🐾
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1-2-1 Behaviour Consultations Available
Have you had a new addition to your family over Christmas and need some help settling them in? Or do you want a better relationship with your dog who seem to take no notice of you? Do you wish your dog was just better behaved?
Please contact Just Fur Behaviour for availability and bookings 🐶

Realistic Resolutions
First of all, Happy New Year from Just Fur Behaviour! With New Year wishes, often come resolutions which are stereotypically not kept to, and are forgotten altogether in a matter of weeks. However, as far as goals for your dog and their behaviour are concerned, they can be a really useful tool for your training, when chosen and used correctly. For example, if your dog hates being around other dogs, an unrealistic resolution would be to take them to a d...aycare centre with lots of strange dogs and hope they would be okay with it. A more suitable resolution/goal may be that you wish to work on making your dog more comfortable around others, just out on walks to begin with. Setting realistic and achievable goals are a great way to monitor your own progress, and they also allow you to celebrate the small successes and not get disheartened during your training, which is a key factor in how successful you will be. Do not expect too much, too soon, from either your dog, or yourself. Particularly when rehabiltating a dogs behaviour, it can, and often is a lengthy process, with many ups and downs along the way. That is not to say it is impossible, if you break things into logical steps, and keep your resolutions/goals realistic. 🐾
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Merry Christmas from Just Fur Behaviour! First of all I will apologise for being a little quieter on here than normal! We moved house a few weeks ago and all our energy and time has gone into that, and building back a normal routine for Delta (pictured) Whatever your plans are for this festive week, enjoy them, and if you can, take the the time to rest and recharge. That goes for both you and your dogs! There is always such emphasis on being busy and being here, there and everywhere, especially at this time of year, but it is also important for everyones sake to rest and relax in between when possible. I hope you all have a great Christmas, and I look forward to being back on top form in 2019 🐶🐾

Enrichment
Our routines and schedules are often subject to change, particularly over this busy festive period. Some dogs are able to handle these changes quite smoothly, where as others need some enrichment activities to keep their minds occupied. We have recently moved house, hence there being flatpack furniture everywhere, so in the video is Delta, who is playing with an empty cordial bottle, which I filled with chopped raw carrots. I then poked holes into the bottle, jus...t big enough for the carrots to fit through when the bottle was rolled around. As Delta is already used to this kind of enrichment activity, I only put 3 small holes in to increase the difficulty, so she really had to work for the rewards. However, if this is the first time your dog has ever attempted something like this, keep it simple, to reduce frustration as this js what you are trying to avoid. There are loads of great companies out there who specially make all kinds of puzzle toys and enrichment games which tend to be longer lasting, but they can also be made at home like this one, for an instant boredom buster! Whilst you are busy writing your Christmas cards or wrapping presents, give your dog something interesting to do too! Enrichment games/toys are a great way to increase your dogs mental stimulation which is hugely important and often overlooked. They will thank you for it! 🐶
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We Will Remember Them 🐾👣
Not only did the soldiers risk their lives for our country, but so too did the hundreds of dogs, horses and other animals who bravely assisted them 💜
Thankfully for them, our dogs today will never know the hardship and danger their predecessors faced before them 💜
... I spotted this photo earlier, and was struck by the likeness of the dog to one of my girls Inka, also pictured 💜
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Commitment
As intelligent as dogs are, they are not born with an in-built knowledge of exactly what we do and don't want them to do. Training involves a lot of time, patience and consistancy and without these three things, life is going to be made very difficult for both you and your dog! Just because your dog does not miraculously learn a new behaviour immediately, does not mean that this behaviour is impossible for them to learn. It is likely that the person is expecting... too much of them, and is not breaking the exercise down into small, logical steps. I am a great believer that dog's can be taught to do anything realistic that we need them to, but only if the training conditions are correct. If you need the tools to help teach your dog a new behaviour, or indeed to stop a less desirable behaviour, please get in touch for a consultation. 🐶
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