THE FRUSTRATION OF THE GROWLY DOG OWNER: IT’S NOT OTHER FOLKS’ FAULT THAT THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND

First published on positively.com and reprinted here with permission

“Could he not SEE that my dog was upset?”

“My dog was on lead and under control - it was his dog that was out of control!”

“Why, oh why, do people let their ‘friendly’ dogs invade the space of my fearful, reactive dog, and then blame me for being a useless dog-owner with a nasty dog?”

Anyone who works with Growly Dog owners - owners of shy, anxious, reactive, or aggressive, dogs - is familiar with these cries! 

Yes - it’s so frustrating when you’re doing everything right for your dog: keeping him calm; keeping your distance from things he fears; keeping out of the way of other dogs, or bikes, or people … and another person lets their dog rampage up to your on-lead dog!

At first, you may not be sure whether this is an exuberant, over-friendly, approach - or something more sinister. Is this dog going to attack mine? How can I get away? Oh no!

Your heart is now racing, your dog is now lunging and barking - the whole thing is a sorry mess! And what does the other person do?

Well, usually, nothing. (They have no recall, so they’re not going to follow your plea to “Call your dog please!” and demonstrate how useless they are!)

If you’re lucky you won’t get abused or reviled. But sometimes they can’t stop themselves!

“You ought to control that dog.”

“That dog is nasty - you should muzzle him before he attacks someone.”

“My dog is friendly - it’s your dog that’s the problem.”

And so on, they go.

It’s enough to make you cry. And often that’s exactly what happens. No-one likes their dog to “show them up”, and no-one likes being sneered at, talked down to, or threatened. I absolutely sympathise if this has brought you to tears.

Is there a danger of dog owners dividing into camps of “them” and “us”?

But let’s have a look at what’s going on here.

Many people, and that includes many dog-owners, have no conception that dogs have feelings too. They seem to think that all dogs will get along with each other, and that their dog barging in to play with another dog is totally ok.

Supposing they were having a family picnic. How would they feel if some strange children landed in the middle of it, kicking over the food and drinks, and snatching the bats and balls and playing with them themselves? I don’t think they’d be best pleased, and may well express their feelings to the other children’s parents.

So why do these same people think it’s absolutely ok for their dog to rampage about and approach other dogs uninvited?

I think they simply don’t realise. But some education needs to happen. These same people whose dogs are flying about annoying others could well be pillars of society once they leave the dog park. They could be considerate, allowing diversity of thoughts and opinions, concerned to let children fit in and express themselves as they are. But sadly they don’t afford the same consideration to dogs.

I guess they think that all dogs are the same.

Or that all dogs should be the same.

They don’t understand that gentle, loving, affectionate dogs can be forced to show aggression and panic when confronted by their tearaway.

It’s up to the Growly Dog owner to do his best to protect his dog from unwelcome advances, and it’s up to the “friendly” dog owner to teach his dog some manners and restraint.

So for the Growly Dog owner

1. Keep your distance.

2. Seek out quiet places and times to walk your dog where you’re unlikely to meet other dogs.

3. Give your dog a break from stressful walks - only walk her when you’re confident of a calm time.

4. Understand that it’s not the fault of the other owner if they don’t understand what you’re going through. We often don’t understand something until we go through it ourselves. Maybe they will never understand until they get a shy, anxious, reactive dog themselves - then the light will dawn!

5. Be patient with them when they don’t respond to your cries of “Please put your dog on a lead, my dog is afraid!” You need all your presence of mind to help your dog.

And for the “My dog is friendly” owner

1. Respect the space of other dogs and their owners.

2. If another owner is struggling to restrain his leashed dog while your unleashed dog dances around them - please race in to collect your dog!

3. In fact, when you are approaching a dog on lead, put yours on lead too.

4. Put your phone away and focus on what your dog is doing.

5. Always keep your dog within a few yards of you so that you can practice your recalls.

6. Notice how other dogs behave, and rejoice in the individuality and diversity of our best friends.

Meanwhile, both the boisterous dog and the shy dog could do with a bit of help!

Get your free email course which gives you information and strategies about how to improve walks with your dog - whatever his personality.

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Dogs love the familiar

And by that, I don’t mean they love witch’s cats (though they may …)!

I mean that dogs love what they know. They love familiar walks, familiar houses, familiar foods, familiar people. To keep things familiar may mean restricting the size of their world. But the pay-off in terms of a relaxed dog can be well worth it.

Dogs love to know what’s happening next. This is why they make such great stock-herders. They know that when a ewe twitches her ear or looks away from the flock, she’s about to leg it! So the dog anticipates this movement and flies into action to thwart the sheepy escape plan.

You know the flurry of activity that ensues when you put on your coat or shoes and head towards the place where the leads are kept? Same thing.

Dogs are expert at stringing events together so that they immediately know that the first event in a series means that the rest is likely to follow. This anticipation can land the clever performance dog in trouble, when he tries to perform his whole dance or obedience routine at once!

BUT … the clever dog-owner uses this knowledge to his or her advantage!

Here I explain it in more detail, so you can come away from this free Masterclass Workshop working with a new skill

What does this mean for the family dog?

It means that you can set up your own series of events which you want your dog to follow.

Each thing you do is a predictor of the next thing - all culminating in something really good!

For instance, your sequence may be

1. Say dog’s name

2. Dog looks at you

3. Give dog a reward

If you teach this unwaveringly, you will guarantee an ever faster response from your dog to his name! You’re pleased, he’s pleased, happiness all round!

In the same way, if your sequence is

1. Say dog’s name

2. Dog looks at you

3. Ignore dog,

how long is it going to be before your dog stops bothering to look at you when you say his name? You are effectively teaching him that this particular sequence is not worth following. The inherent reward (be it a food treat or racing to cut off the sheep) is not there.

This is at the basis of everything I teach, and nowhere is it more important than with the Growly Dog.

So what does this mean for the Growly Dog?

Your Growly Dog (your reactive, shy, anxious, aggressive, dog) has set up a load of event sequences in his mind.

It may be that if you go for a walk he thinks he should be on edge because other dogs are going to appear in front of him. It happens every time, so it’s bound to happen again, in your dog’s mind. So he has to take the action he has found works to keep these dogs at a distance - bark and lunge and generally look ferocious.

It may be that when visitors come to the home things are not following the script. He feels he needs to act to keep these people out, because they don’t belong here.

And for some, the growliness is focussed on cars, or children, or cyclists.

Barking and lunging temporarily gives relief from the tensions and anxieties your dog is feeling. So it becomes his go-to response. This is now his sequence! So this is where we need to change things.

The very first thing is to remove the trigger entirely - the thing that kicks off the sequence in the first place. Once your dog can experience life without the upsetting thing at all, you can monkey with his sequence and change it so that the presence of another dog / visitor / cyclist actually predicts good things!

While you teach this, keep in mind that the familiar includes your local, regular walks. Save the outings to busy places and new territories for special occasions. The comfort of the familiar will help your dog relax.

There are many articles on this site that will get you started with this major change in your life. You can make that start here.

Better still, watch our free Masterclass and learn new strategies and techniques and start using them today!

Back to the Family Dog again

One of my favourite practices is to teach all my dogs matwork from very early on. They learn to lie on their mat whenever it appears, and relax.

Their sequence becomes

1. Mat appears

2. Lie on mat

3. Do nothing

Can you imagine how useful this is?! It translates easily to any other parking place you want to put your dog - a bed, a chair, a step - and your dog knows the sequence.

Puppies can learn this from a very early age like young Bailey here, on Week 3 of our Puppy training. And any dog can learn it fast.

You’ll wonder how you ever managed without this skill! The ultimate off-switch for your dog!

You’ll find the whole program laid out, step by predictive step in Calm Down!

What can our dogs teach us about life?

We seem to think it’s up to us to teach our dogs everything. I get questions all the time along the lines of “How can I make my dog do such-and-such?” “How can I stop my dog doing xyz?”

But how about looking at what our dogs can teach us?

One of the greatest realisations in my time on this planet is that

It’s not about us!

We see things through our own individual set of goggles. And those goggles have very smeary, scratched lenses!

They’ve been smeared and scratched by years and years of our life experiences, what we’ve been taught, what’s acceptable in our society, how we think we ought to behave.

Often we have felt that life is happening to us, without us being able to do a thing about it. We may have accepted everything we’ve been told or taught without question.

Where is the truth?

But, you know, the only thing you can be sure of, can trust, can know is truth, is your own reaction. Your own thought. Your own feeling.

For some of us, even those spontaneous thoughts have been crushed and buried because we thought they didn’t fit in with what we’re meant to think. It can take a little digging to find out what your true values and feelings are. We can cast aside the interpretations we put on the things that happen, we can stop meeting trouble halfway by our assumptions,

And this is where your dog comes in.

Our teacher - our dog!

When did he last read the paper, watch the news? When did he last ruminate over what someone said, asking himself endless questions, whywhywhy? Does he worry whether he is good enough?

(I’m talking here, of course, of the companion dogs in our homes, who are being given the Five Freedoms.)

Dogs are truly spontaneous - when we allow them to be so. They experience something, and they react. Or respond. Or ignore.

They don’t analyse it. They don’t ask endless questions - “Why did she look at me like that?” “What can he be meaning?” “Is it something I said?”

They just experience - and react.

So, as dogs live entirely in the present, this keeps their lives comparatively simple. For example, they see something new on the ground:

“Can I eat it?”

“Can I climb on it?”

“Will I roll in it?”

“I’ll pass by …”

Nowhere do they say,

“What is the meaning of this thing?”

“Is this to do with what happened last week?”

“This means the world as we know it will disappear.”

“Why do these things always happen to me?”

Listen and learn from our dogs

So how about taking a leaf out of their book? When something happens, take it at face value. No need to let your imagination run riot when something goes slightly amiss, “This means the end of everything I value!” or “I will end up dead in a ditch!”

As Confucius apparently said, “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”

Uncomplicate yourself. Be a dog. Live in the now.

And if you’d like to learn just how you can approach your life with pleasure and not trepidation, just ask me!

Want to learn more how to relate to your lovely teacher, your dog?

Watch our free Workshop and learn how to communicate effectively with your dog or your new puppy, right from the start!

How can I get my dog to Listen?

This is the single most frequent request I get from readers: “How can I get my dog to listen?”

Sometimes it arrives in the form of “My dog doesn’t listen to me,” “He never listens,” “You’d think he was deaf!” and so on.

But in every case it’s the owner complaining about her dog’s fault.

How about turning that around????

How about looking at what you’re doing first, then look at what your dog is or isn’t doing in response?

You actually have to teach them first!

I find that folk arrive with me, complaining that their dog doesn’t listen, then they’re surprised when I ask them how they have taught their dog to listen.

They haven’t, of course. They expect the dog to arrive with Listening-to-Owner installed. They don’t realise they have to make it worth their dog’s while to listen to them - every time!

We spend a lot of time with our friends, family, even a prospective spouse, teaching them how to listen. We all want to be heard. And there are different levels of listening. We want the very best!

Your dog is the same! He needs to learn that listening to you is good, listening to you is worth his while, listening to you always results in good things.

And there’s a very real danger that if you don’t teach him what you like, then he’ll teach you what he likes!

In every relationship, one person is shaping the other. Sometimes it gets horribly one-sided, like in an oppressive marriage, or an unequal friendship. But that isn’t necessary. A little careful groundwork can start a relationship off right. True choice in a relationship comes when both parties can express themselves fully..

And that’s what we want with our dogs too.

We want a companion dog who enjoys our company, chooses to hang out with us, is alert to our needs, and eager to please. Note that this doesn’t imply slavery, grovelling, or self-abasement! We want an honest relationship with our dog, the same as with everyone else.

I know the frustration your dog’s apparent ignoring can cause - when you do your best to do what you’ve been told in training your dog - only to find it doesn’t work. It causes the opposite of what you want! Antagonism, distrust, loss of love.

There is a better way. A way which works.

And, importantly, a way which does not involve any force, coercion, or intimidation. The same way as you choose to treat your family and friends.

I love my dog, but he just doesn’t listen!

Would this be you? Have you got a dog who simply doesn’t listen to you? Well, you’re in luck! I’ve just made a new training workshop with exactly you in mind!

You can find it here - it’s free, by the way, as is so much that I give you.

Why do I give so much away for nothing? Some suspicious people even say “What’s the catch?”!

Well, there are two reasons:

1. I am passionate about changing the lives of dogs, and this means changing how their owners are with them. Getting these folk to dip their toe in the water of Choice Training is a great start!

and

2. I know that a number of those people I help will want more - they’ll want to work with me in person, through one of my programs. Hooray! Now I get to help them in depth! That’s the fullest expression of my passion to help dogs be understood.

Understanding leads to harmony.

As Carol, one of those students, put it just recently,

“I’m amazed at how much me and my dog have changed, and what we’ve now become. A proper team.”

Don’t lose another minute!

Register for this free Workshop here and get stuck in! You’ll come away with solid strategies you can put into practice TODAY, to change things in your life with your dog, remove that conflict and frustration, and build an unbreakable bond.

Start the change with your puppy or dog with our free Workshop packed with ideas and strategies -

all force-free!

There’s never been a better time to train your dog!

You’re stuck at home, worried half to death, your kids driving you crazy. 

Or maybe you’re racing about - an essential worker - stressed, anxious, exhausted.

In either case - or in any other case at all! - you don’t need your dog adding to your woes.

And right now you feel too scattered to do anything about it. “When it’s all over …” you say to yourself.

In fact, this is a great time to move your focus from what’s happening “out there”, over which we have no control, to what’s happening within your home - over which you have plenty of control! It’s feeling in control of something that will help you cope with the uncertainty abroad at the moment. So pick something you absolutely can control!

Two minutes a day

And did you know that you can actually make some serious changes in your dog’s behaviour in just two minutes a day?

I’m busy, I’m pre-occupied, I have so many projects on the go. I envy folks who are single-minded and can devote hours to training their dog.

But that’s not me!

(And there’s a fair chance it’s not you either.)

So if my dogs are ever to get the attention they deserve, the mental stimulation essential for a happy and contented life, not to mention become the kind of companion dog we all want, I had to work out a different way of doing things.

Not for me hour-long classes and extended sessions with me losing the thread and the dog becoming increasingly confused, then bored, then totally switching off.

All Day Training!

So I developed All Day Training!

This simply means that whenever I notice my dogs I take the opportunity to interact with them and teach them something new, or cement in something they already know.

Example: my dogs know that when I put my hand on the door-handle they sit and wait while I open it till they hear their release cue, then they can shoot through the doorway.

B-u-u-u-t, there are occasions when

• It’s a new door

• They’re just too excited and forget themselves

• I’ve been letting them away with a poor response

and we need to brush this up! Because they already know what it is I want (they’re just finding it hard to give it to me) it’s very quick to bring them up to speed - or lack of speed in this case!

And usually all that’s needed is for me to pause. And wait. Wait for the furry brains to remember what they should be doing.

Then we have celebratory praise when they get it right!

What do I need for this type of training?

There’s really only three things you need:

1. Quick access to nice treats - pocket, conveniently-parked pots.

2. An idea of what it is you’d like your dog to do - not just what you don’t want him to do!

3. An idea of how to teach the thing.

Let’s look more closely at these.

1, Quick access to nice treats

What’s a “nice” treat? A small, non-crumbly, treat that your dog will sell his soul for. While I use strong stuff (cheese, sausage, etc) for teaching new things, my dogs are so attuned to the sequence ASK-DO-REWARD that they will actually work for anything. It’s the use of their brain to solve the puzzle, combined with the pleasure they know they will bring to me, that is the real reward.

So it’s easy enough to keep the good stuff in the fridge and keep some dry treats in your pocket and in pots strategically placed round the house.

I have one on my desk for not barking at delivery men; one near the front door for matwork for visitors (yeah - those people who used to be allowed into the house … 😢 ); and my pocket is always with me.

2. An idea of what it is you’d like your dog to do - not just what you don’t want him to do!

Dogs cannot NOT do things. Dogs are doers. They can’t exist in a vacuum. That’s why “NO” is pointless, and why I don’t use it at all. “My dog knows the meaning of NO,” people tell me proudly. Does he? My guess is that to him NO means his owner is unaccountably cross, and keeping low and quiet would now be a good move. He probably has no idea why you’re cross. Really.

So you need to know WHAT it is you want him to do, and teach that! This is so blindingly obvious when you think about it. But people are so used to being reactive instead of proactive, that knowing what they’d like their dog to do is usually pretty far down the list. After shouting, yelling, frustration, annoyance, telling off, NO, and so on.

You need a roadmap.

If you don’t know where you’re going, you’re unlikely to ever arrive anywhere useful or desirable.

Decide what you want your baffled dog to do, instead of reprimanding him for having no idea what you want!

3. An idea of how to teach the thing

And this is where I can help you! Brilliant Family Dog is stuffed full of help to teach your dog, yourself, at home.

Most of this is not only force-free - and kind, and fun! - but also cost-free. I genuinely want to get this information into the hands of everyone who needs it so that their dog can benefit.

This is why Brilliant Family Dog is known as such a valuable resource for the dog-owner who wants to develop a stronger bond with their dog.

You can start by wandering round the site, or by using the Search function. You’re bound to find things that interest you,

- from teaching your dog to catch - to putting an end to window-barking;

- from housetraining your new puppy and getting some sleep at last - to how to socialise your puppy now in Lockdown. This last is really important for all you new puppy-owners out there.

- from developing a new relationship with your reactive, aggressive dog in our free Masterclass for Growly Dogs - to learning how to clip his shaggy feet!

- and how about now being the absolutely perfect time to teach your dog to watch dogs on tv calmly? (Coco Poodle used to bring the house down whenever he saw a quadruped - even a cartoon character! - on television.)

But I need someone to help me!

Want personal attention? Yes, even now when there are no “live” classes permitted in most of the world, you can get personal help and guidance, the massive support of like-minded people, and answers to all your “what-if” questions.

There’s nothing like feeling you have a friend when you don’t know what to do.

Thank you for your program and for all the follow up. I feel like I have someone in my corner all the time.

Kathryn and her Jack Russell x Poodle

Check out our full programs here!

Do it now!

So the fact is, whenever you want to work with your friend the dog -  it’s the right time. But none righter than now, when you need all the help you can get.

Email via the Contact box to let me know what you need. Right now.

Here are some “recipes” for you to work on - all safely done at home, in our free e-course

Get your first Lesson!

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Puppy Socialisation in Lockdown

You got yourself a new puppy and you want to be sure you’re doing everything right! And one of the things people tell you is to pay close attention to the mysterious Puppy Socialisation.

And I know from my inbox that some of you are concerned how all this social distancing and lockdown will affect your socialisation program with your puppy or your new rescue dog.

I’m going to take a look at this with you and give you some reassurances that your dog won’t be ruined for the rest of his life!

Right now, it seems we’ve stepped into a movie - of the kind I never like to watch!

We have no idea what’s going to happen next, and we aren’t even sure there’ll be a happily-ever-after, like in the movies.

But you know what?

We never know what’s going to happen next!

We never know what will happen tomorrow, next week, next month - next year.

No idea.

That’s how we are all the time!

It’s just that collectively everyone has this pushed to the front of their mind right now. There’s lots of potential to get stressed, overwhelmed, panicky.

But that’s not going to help you be your best self, your healthiest self. And it sure won’t help your family and . . . your dog!

So how about focussing on NOW and what you can do. Instead of a future which you can’t possibly predict, and what you can’t do?

You can take a leaf out of your dog’s book for this.

He is blissfully unaware of anything different - except that everybody’s now home!

See how he lives in the moment. He is confident that food will arrive at the proper time. That fun and games will happen even if you can’t take him on your normal walks.

He is content to take life as it comes and enjoy the moment. Let’s do that too!

Every cloud has a silver lining

And spend some time thinking about all the plus sides of this lockdown, and whatever social restrictions you’re experiencing.

Now I know this affects people differently - essential workers are still working, and regulations are different in different countries, depending on the strength and focus of our administrations.

But for most people, they’re beginning to enjoy daily living with their loved ones - perhaps for the first time in decades!

• They are spared the nightmare commute to their jobs - which many of them hate!

• They can take a hand in bringing their own children up without a carer or teacher taking their place.

• Employers are finding that relinquishing control and working with their staff from home actually works!

• Some people are learning to cook, some are learning to garden, to enjoy a new form of exercise, to read more, to learn a new skill.

• Many are taking this opportunity to sign up to a course on something they’ve wanted to do for ages - but never had the time.

• And self-employed workers are using their resilience and drive to adapt their services and offerings to a new world.

• And of course, it seems the environment is loving it!

I see the seeds here for huge social change if we can grab this opportunity!

But how will this isolation affect your young puppy?

In general you need to remember the purpose of "socialisation". It's actually a shorthand for “socialisation, familiarisation, and habituation”. That means getting used to absolutely everything they’re going to come across in our world, from carpets to cuckoo clocks, from collars to cars . . . sounds, voices, our body language, their body language . . . and not being bothered by it.

So seeing and meeting other dogs and people are only a part of this.

It’s the whole experience of the puppy’s life which feeds into this. All resulting in a rounded character with loads of GOOD experiences.

Look at the way some unfortunate children grow up. Think of abandoned street children, living from hand to mouth, uncared for, facing plenty of cruelty. They grow up with all manner of problems to work on to try and put their lives right.

These kids meet loads of other people! But unless the experience of meeting each person is a good one, it’s not contributing to a calm and confident child.

The same is true with dogs. The interactions with humans and dogs (horses, sheep, slippery floors, and those cuckoo clocks) need to be GOOD experiences.

There is one well-known trainer who advocates “pass the puppy”. That the puppy should be passed round a large group of strangers, and that this would be good for socialisation.

I would never want to inflict that ordeal on a puppy or a child!

A long time ago I had a collie pup called Tip. She was a naturally retiring dog, though a great worker. I’ll always remember the look on her face when a visitor grabbed this 8-week-old puppy and held her close.

Tip’s eyes were silently pleading “HELP” to me. I now know never to let this kind of thing happen. It certainly was a damaging experience for this sensitive young pup.

So be aware that it is the QUALITY of interactions rather than the QUANTITY which will form a confident outgoing character in your dog, without triggering any fears.

It’s about teaching your pup to accept novelty with curiosity, not fear.

If your family is home with you, they can help by acting differently, walking differently, adopting a different tone of voice.

If you’re alone, you can dress up to "become" new people. You may have safe friends with or without dogs you can meet up with while maintaining distance.

Remember that while dogs can’t contract this virus, they could transfer it on their coat from your hands to someone else. So social distancing for your dog too. Or latex gloves . . .

Puppy choice!

It won’t surprise those of you who know me to hear me say that it’s all about choice!

Your puppy has to CHOOSE to approach a person or dog, not be forced, grabbed, handled without their permission.

You need to do a lot of work providing this rounded experience:

• Puppy handling

• Different sounds

• Different surfaces

• Different locations

• Different weather!

These, along with Puppy Gym and Tricks will all help your pup feel comfortable in her own skin. This is what “socialisation” is really about. Making a confident, capable, curious, dog.

This is all here for you in the Brilliant Family Dog Academy - carefully illustrated with dozens of videos.

And walking in different places, even if you're limited right now, is important - as ever you can carry your pup till he's able to put his feet on the road.

One thing that will need careful attention while you’re at home is teaching him how to cope with your absence without distress. This is hugely important for any puppy - especially now, if you’re isolated. So short absences - even to the next room - must be built in from the start, and gradually extended. 

And what about my older dog?

If you’re unable to leave your home with your older dog, then now is the time to devise new and exciting games to entertain her. Think of scent games, Hide and Seek with the children, or with you. Find the named object out of three. You can bury toys and treats in a box full of smaller boxes, plastic bottles, and other safe objects, for your dog to rummage through.

Leave all those delivery cardboard boxes outside the house for three days to decontaminate, then you can bring them in to hide things in for scent games . . . and this will be part of your Puppy Gym for your young puppy.

Some of you already have a great repertoire of “rainy day fun” games. Do add them in the comments, and share your expertise and ingenuity!

Refresh your Retrieve and see just what a difference it makes in your daily life, when your dog can fetch your shoes, stack the dinner bowls, put her toys away . . .

No retrieve? Get Fetch it! and learn fast. It’s such fun and it will make a massive difference, turning your bored dog into a valuable assistance dog.

Will my dog get fat?

If you’re worried about your older dog getting her usual exercise, think of new ways to get her (and you!) moving.

There’s no need to worry with your puppy. Just bouncing about in the house Is plenty of exercise for a pup.

But for your older dog you’ll have to be inventive! And maybe cut her food back a little to ensure she doesn’t become tubby.

If you have a garden, you can play fetch, chase, and run about till her sides are heaving and her eyes gleaming!

You can make a mini agility course! With bamboo canes and clothes pegs to rest the cross bar on. Just ensure the jumps will collapse safely if your dog hits them. Start very small - just a step over - and slowly raise the jumps a little.

If you can’t get out at all apart from toilet breaks, what can you do inside?

• If you have a treadmill, you can adapt this for your dog. If money is not a problem, buy a special dog one!

• How about carefully going up and down stairs? No jumping steps allowed!

• How about fast hide and seek games, using the whole house?

• Can you use a corridor for recalls and retrieves?

• How about a step for your dog to step up and over?

• Balancing on books or cushions.

• Twisting, turning, going through an old hula hoop . . .

• Tricks! Dance moves!

Youtube is full of ideas - check out the Dancing with Dogs videos from Crufts. You’re sure to find something you can do with your dog and you can be sure too that the training is hard physical and mental work for him - just what you need if you’re restricted.

If you have the whole family at home, this is a time to involve them in your dog’s training. And if you’re alone at home - thank your lucky stars you have such a wonderful companion!

No feelings of isolation for you!

Our dogs can most certainly help us in these tricky times. Know that when we come out the other end, you’ll have used your time so wisely that you’ll have a new and wonderful relationship with your dog.

And don’t worry about him not seeing other dogs! As long as all his experiences are happy ones, where he gets to choose the level of interaction, and he’s experienced lots of different things - he’ll feel confident and ready to explore and accept novelty.

Here are some more ideas for you to work on -
especially within our present limits!

Free Puppy Socialisation Guide

Learn new force-free ways to teach your new puppy!

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