“How do I stop my dog doing xyz?”

I get a lot of emails every day, from people with questions about their dog.

And that’s great! Keep ‘em coming! I love to help people find a better way to do things.

But many of them - and I mean MANY of them - start like this: 

◆          “How do I stop my dog jumping up?”

◆          “How can I stop my dog chewing?”

◆          “My dog pulls on the lead - how do I stop this?”

Notice the common word?

STOP!

Now dogs are not automatons. You cannot switch them off. If they STOP doing one thing, they have to START doing another.

Even when they lie down peacefully to snooze - they STOP being awake and START sleeping.

They cannot exist in a vacuum!

Any more than we can.

So attempting to STOP your dog doing anything at all, without explaining to him what you’d like him to START doing, is not going to work!

If you choose to prevent one thing, you have to teach a substitute for that thing.

• So instead of stopping your dog jumping up, you teach him how to express his joy in a different way.

• Instead of stopping your dog chewing, you find out why he’s chewing so much, and offer him things he can chew.

• And instead of stopping your dog pulling on the lead, you show him where you’d like him to be when you take a walk together.

Does that make sense to you?

Do you see how much easier it is to substitute a preferred behaviour with love, rather than trying to remove an unwanted one by force?

Want to learn more how to do all this?

I’d just love to show you!

If you like watching, start with the free Workshop here

Or if you prefer listening, try these audiobooks right now at a special price!

Or you’re happier curled up with a book? Here you go

And do keep those questions coming …

How do heatwaves affect dogs?

We’re having a heatwave! That is, we in England.  

Readers from warmer states and countries may be baffled by our excitement. But extreme weather is relatively rare in our temperate climate. Our homes, our lifestyles, and our infra-structure, are not designed for extreme heat or cold.

We’re always caught out in the very occasional winter blizzard, because it’s not worth the huge national investment to cope with just two or three days of deep snow.

Similarly, we’re not used to heatwaves, and this week they’re threatening 40°C - that’s 104°F - and that’s HOT!

So as a nation, what do we do? We jump in our boiling hot cars, and drag the whole family miles to a crowded beach, wear them out, then drag them all home in the same traffic jams.

Madness!

And especially mad if you have a dog in the mix.

Hot cars

We just about all know by now, that dogs die in hot cars (even with the windows open). So thankfully that doesn’t happen as much as it used to.

In fact, most heatstroke victims vets see now, are as a result of a walk in hot weather. If the dog is not used to walks anyway, and is suddenly whisked off for a huge long tramp in the blazing heat, this is a recipe for disaster.

At the moment we have a very cooling breeze where I live. But should the breeze drop and the temperature shoot up, my dogs will be skipping their regular walks.

But what if the worst happens and your dog is suffering early signs of heatstroke?

(If he’s actually collapsed - you need a vet fast. Less than 10% of dogs can be saved at this stage.)

 

It doesn’t have to be that hot

Surprisingly, perhaps, it doesn’t need to be that hot for a dog to suffer heatstroke. Wildly racing about in moderately warm weather can be enough to bring it on. Puppies - who can’t manage their thermostats at all well yet - are particularly vulnerable.

So what to do?

Here, straight from the horse’s mouth, aka the RSPCA, is some good info:

“Dogs suffering from heatstroke urgently need to have their body temperature lowered gradually for the best chance of survival.

Here's what to do:

◆   Move the dog to a shaded and cool area

◆   Immediately pour cool water (not cold water to avoid shock) over the dog. Tap water (15-16°C) has been found to be the most effective at cooling dogs with heat-related illnesses. In a true emergency, any water is better than nothing.

◆   Wet towels placed over the dog can worsen the condition, trapping heat. In mild cases towels can be placed under the dog, but never over, and in a true emergency water immersion or pouring water with air movement is ideal.

◆   Allow the dog to drink small amounts of cool water

◆   Continue to pour cool water over the dog until their breathing starts to settle, but not too much that they start shivering

◆   Dogs that have lost consciousness will stop panting, despite still having a very high temperature, these dogs require urgent aggressive cooling as a priority.

◆   Throughout the treatment of heatstroke try to avoid pouring water on or near your dog's head, as there is a risk of them inhaling water which could lead to drowning, especially for flat-faced and unconscious dogs.

◆   Once the dog is cool, take them to the nearest vet as a matter of urgency.”

They also point out that the dogs most vulnerable to heatstroke are the young, the old, those with thick coats, and short-nosed (brachycephalic) dogs.

Is your dog on that list?

Look out for water

If you do decide the temperature is safe to walk your dog, watch out for water sources on your route, in case you urgently need it.

By the way - a great tip for you: put your hand flat on the pavement. Too hot for your hand? Then it’s also too hot for your dog’s paws!

Enjoy your hot weather safely, by enjoying dozing and relaxing with your dogs in the shade. Your busy activities and long walks can be resumed as soon as the weather is back to normal.