A Rant: “Border Collies Are Easy To Train!”

You hear it everywhere: Border Collies are the most intelligent breed of dog. Whether that is true or not, they are certainly a popular choice with dog sport enthusiasts, in particular Agility, Obedience and Flyball. In fact, BCs are so favoured that the KC has introduced a new sport, Obreedience, that collies are not allowed to compete in.

5 Reasons Why That “Pit Bull” is Just Another Dog

In recent years, there have been several stories in the UK media about bull breeds being involved in attacks, on both humans and other dogs. Searching through all of the recent stories, it appears that the majority involves a bull breed, most commonly the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Does this mean that bull breeds attack more often?

Addressing Reactivity and Aggression

Reactivity – what does it actually mean? Well, in the true sense of the word, it simply means a reaction to a stimulus. However, when we talk about reactivity in dogs, we are usually describing over-reactive or aggressive behaviour.

Hyperactive Dogs – Why More Physical Exercise Is Not Always Best

Have you ever met a dog who can’t sit still? I’ve met plenty – they are full of bounce, always looking for something to do and can be difficult to control. It is common to think that a dog like this needs walking more often, however, this is not always the case.

Training A Border Collie To Stop Herding Other Dogs

Herding is an innate behaviour, meaning that it is inherited from a certain gene pool and does not require much learning, if any, for it to become a habit. Behaviours that are of genetic origin can be difficult to modify because they are pre-programmed responses, unlike learned behaviours, therefore are much more resistant to change.

Resource Guarding

Resource guarding is a common issue for dogs and their owners. Fortunately, it can be treated fairly easily, depending on the extent of the problem and preventative measures can be taken with puppies.

Why Shock Collars Need To Be Banned

There has been active discussion in recent weeks about shock collars, including debates on American television. This comes after a study published on the 3^rd September 2014, titled “The Welfare Consequences and Efficacy of Training Pet Dogs with Remote Electronic Training Collars in Comparison to Reward Based Training”

Using A Clicker To Train Retrieve

I often see people asking about how to train their dogs to hold objects. In my experience, the clicker has been an invaluable tool to train “hold”, among many other things. The reason why the clicker is so useful is that you can mark the behaviour and reward afterwards. Without a clicker, you would need to reward the behaviour as it is happening and obviously, you cannot do that when the dog has something in its mouth!

Common Misconceptions About Positive or Force Free Training

Some trainers and owners are quick to dismiss “force free” – particularly those who already use aversive methods. There is a huge controversy involving methods – on one side you have strictly force free trainers, on the other there are force trainers, and everything in between.

Proofing Agility Training

If you’re looking to compete in agility, there a few things which I have found to be very important in preparing you and your dog for a successful run. Proofing your training is essential to ensure that your dog will know what to do in different circumstances – for example, practicing a weave entry from various different angles or calling your dog off from an obstacle it is heading towards.