PROBLEMATIC BEHAVIOURS
 

 

STRUCTURE/RESTRUCTURE PROGRAM

The structure/Restructure program is for addressing behavioural control issues

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We no longer work with reactive dogs  

 

MY OWN DOGS ARE OFTEN BOUGHT ALONG TO DEMONSTRATE - YOUR DOG NEEDS TO BE COMFORTABLE WITH THAT

 

WE ALSO WORK IN PUBLIC SPACES

Your dogs levels of appropriate exercise ..mental and physical will be looked at, and you may need to make some dedicated changes here yourself.

Your dogs stress levels will be identified and assessed and addressed accordingly.
 

You will learn the skills of:
Building a better relationship
Structured Walking
Heel-walking
Better Communication
Manoeuvres & handling
Trust & confidence building
Interrupting & Instructing
using a technique of "Overlapping"
Training your dog to self-calm
Control of arousal
Drive control
Listening and following guidance
The ability to self control
Using natural and instinctive behaviour patterns
 

Work on the program daily for at least six weeks.. the more the better.
In 8 out of 10 cases the mild behaviour issues you were experiencing will now be under control.

SESSION £300
 

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If your dog is in the 2/10 that may need further work .. a Behaviour modification program will be applied to compliment the work that has been placed.

Generally this would use a

DESENSITISATION & COUNTER CONDITIONING

program or other proven effective methods.
Now your dog should be ready for some desensitisation and counter conditioning, and will find it easier having followed the program to this point than having started at this stage.

SESSION £195 - £150

 

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SEPARATION DISTRESS /ATTACHMENT DISORDERS

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GUNDOG BREEDS ARE BRED TO WORK ALONGSIDE INSTRUCTION FROM AN OWNER/HANDLER.. OFTEN REFERRED TO AS 'VELCRO DOGS' BECAUSE OF THIS DESIRE TO BE AT YOUR SIDE

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Elimination of bodily fluids, urination, defecation, vomit, saliva, sweat.. in the house and destruction (escape attempts around doors and windows - repetitive soothing behaviours such as digging, chewing, barking, pica when you're gone are not individual behaviour issues. 

(Not to be mistaken for opportunistic chewing, boredom or timetable habits)

They are symptoms of the separation anxiety.

 

Separation anxiety and isolation anxiety are considered to be panic disorders and phobias.

 

When the owner or figure of attachment leaves, the dog's brain is telling them that they are at extreme threat of danger.

At that point the body gets flooded with stress/threat response hormones, and the dog goes into instinctual fight or flight responses.

 

They are not under control of their actions. 

 

Most dogs with separation anxiety cannot be crated, because confinement can make the anxiety worse. 

Others prefer a small safe space where they can shut the world out and have less to deal with.

 

Much of the advice advocated on the internet for separation anxiety is actually not going to resolve the problem.  

Things like getting a second dog, using a thundershirt, using over the counter supplements, giving the dog a food stuffed toy, and exercise are all things that do not work for panic attacks/separation anxiety.

 

Ideally when treating separation anxiety the dog would not be left home alone at all except for during controlled training sessions. 

Not many people are willing or able to dedicate time off from schedules to do this ..and we can't magic up other formulas to fit your lifestyle - it's just a fact that that is what it takes.

 

Success rates due to the dedication required to making the necessary changes are low for the dogs who exhibit extreme distress.

 

Bottom line - clients don't want to pay the prices involved for the massive amount of work and advice without guarantees ..we cannot guarantee something that you may or may not do. 

Behavioural work doesn't fix things .it's advice on how things might be changed for the better (for the dog - not necessarily for you)

It has a good success rate for mild cases.. but those are generally not the cases that land in our inboxes.

 

Maybe talk to your vet about anti-anxiety medication since separation anxiety is often just the tip of the iceberg, the dog likely has a history of coping with chronic, emotional, environmental, contagious or prolonged stress too.. these need to be identified and lowered, reduced, eliminated before anything will change - and that will mean doing a fair amount of work, or even changing what the dog can cope with in the family home, and his independence and confidence before even starting on a training program for the SA.. it makes resolution much more difficult.

 

Separation anxiety resolution is not an easy or fast process, for some clients it takes a very minimum of 4 months, but more often, much more than that. It can resurface with any changes to a dog's stability ..a house move, a family member becoming absent, aging, ailing etc . 

Often attempting to start the process without professional help impedes progress because there are so many little things that can impact success. 

 

Best place to start ..look at what is the most natural way of life for a canine .. and then look at your dogs daily life.. close the gap.

You may not even recognise what stress is - excitement is a stress.. your dog may appear happy and excited and yet be using play as a threat response.. that the kind of thing that would be addressed in a professional session ..whether you choose to change it up to you.

 

Do the usual 'free advice' things - schedules departures/desensitisation to departure signals etc.. 

 

 

 

 

 

GUARDING POSSESSIONS / RESOURCE GUARDING / POSSESSION AGGRESSION    

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DOG REACTIVE/LEASH REACTIVE

(Lunges, barks, snaps etc. at other dogs when on the lead with intent to cause harm  - FOR EXCITEMENT/DRIVE CONTROL SEE OUR STRUCTURED PROGRAM )

 

 

 

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PLEASE NOTE - WE CHOOSE THE CLIENTS THAT WE TAKE ON, AND MAY FEEL THAT YOUR DOG WOULD BE BETTER SEEN ELSEWHERE, DONT BE OFFENDED IF WE SUGGEST THAT A DIFFERENT SPECIALIST WOULD SERVE YOU BETTER.

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INTIMIDATION BREEDS -Bull breeds and cross bred Bullies WILL NOT BE CATERED FOR

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Standard disclosure:

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There may be medical reasons that your dog is reactive, especially if the behaviour starts suddenly or the intensity increases. There are dog trainers who work specialise in leash-reactive dogs.

Always consult your vet to rule out any medical reasons for changes in behaviour.

Always consult a dog trainer if the behaviour is beyond something you can handle on your own.

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Having a reactive dog can be challenging.

Not being able to walk him without worry because he is showing leash reactivity, not being able to go to the parks, always having to watch out for potential critical encounters can be wearing and stressful..

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And when the dog is strong and powerful too, it's quite a mountain to climb to even make a start on getting leash control.

The most common reasons for this behaviour are that he is stressed, people don't always recognise stress especially when it can look like happiness and excitement.. he may be scared, frustrated, intolerant, inpatient.. and often excited at the same time - and in that state of elevated arousal ..regardless of what the emotion behind it is, because more often than not it isn't just a simple case of fear ..it's a combination of both fear and excitement... the body is prepared instantly for action.. primed, ready to act or react..

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This may manifest in barking, growling, lunging towards, chasing, herding, grabbing hold of, biting.. a familiar sequence of behaviours that have a feel-good factor attached to their repeated performance.

(Repetitive barking, digging, biting at the lead)

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How he reacts, depends upon his instincts as an animal, a canine, a certain breed, what he is experienced in, what he has no experience in and how safe he feels or can predict he is.

How quickly he reacts will depend upon how stressed he is..

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There may be an accumulation of stressors maintaining a raised overall level..

Stress can be physical, contagious, emotional or environmental it can be chronic, prolonged or acute.

You may need to identify and eradicate or at least reduce some of the stressors before you stand a chance of the dog being able to cope.

Then you are going to need to train with him to give him better coping mechanisms and therefore better, calmer, responses.. or a trained response whereby he can self-restrain.

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If your dog is genuinely afraid, you will also need to embark upon a desensitisation and conditioning program

Right now, your dog shows his aggressive behaviour and reactivity because the other dog/human elicits these feelings in him. It can be a sudden surge of adrenaline and instantly the body is primed to respond...

Sudden appearances and closer proximity to the 'trigger' will take longer to cater for.

In order to understand which breeds are the most reactive, we need to look at their origin.

All breeds (except toy breeds) were originally bred to perform a certain task generally to aid a human in work.

The specific requirements of this task determine their behaviour to a large extent.

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For example:

Herding dogs such as working Border Collies or Heelers were developed to spend their days in solitude, surrounded only by cattle or sheep, taking instruction from their owner and resting when not working.

Being super vigilant and sensitive was a fabulous trait needed for a good working dog, but they are very quickly over stimulated in anything less than a rural setting.

Our modern herding dogs’ ancestors never socialised with large groups of people or dogs.

Other dogs were bred to be multi-purpose farming and guardian/protection dogs, such as the German Shepherd. They too, were not developed to be social butterflies.. their suspicions of intruders.. both animals and people kept the livestock and humans alerted to any trouble.

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As puppies they are amicable, survival suggests that you don't 'bite the hand that feeds you' you need to learn from others and be nurtured.. but the adult has little need for such protection... Your puppy isn't going to remain a puppy forever.

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With inheritance and hard-wiring he is going to grow up to be a brilliant example of the breed he is.

Now that we keep many of these previously hardworking dogs as pets, their original function and current use are conflicted.

Moreso in the working lines of these breeds

 

 

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AGGRESSION DIRECTED TOWARDS OTHER DOGS

Aggression is defined as the intent to injure or cause harm... How does it differ from Leash Reactivity?  Reactivity may be excitement or frustration - these dogs are ok with others when they are off a lead - an aggressive dog cannot be off the lead with others.

Not all dogs that use aggressive behaviours do so from fear. Often a combination of conflicting emotions and stressors are driving the behaviour.




 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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AGGRESSION DIRECTED TOWARDS PEOPLE

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Having worked in all areas of aggression for over three decades

WE NO LONGER PROVIDE THIS SERVICE