Can cats & dogs live together?

Recently, I was training a young Standard Poodle who shared the house with two cats. I always check with clients to see if there are any issues between the pets as having grown up with cats & dogs in the house at the same time, I know a number of socialisation techniques to help as once the situation is accepted by all parties, I know how well they can all get on & there is usually a lot of entertainment to be had from watching them as the relationship develops.

The poodle was obviously very happy with the arrangement, as were the cats despite the obvious size difference. After a while, we had a time out from training as I chatted with the client about the next session. At this point, one of the cats saw her opportunity & walked along the mantelpiece above the fireplace & looked squarely at the poodle. The poodle, obviously used to this behaviour, turned around & sat directly in front of the cat & was now at the same eye level as his feline friend.

Separation anxiety training

I saw a repeat client a few weeks ago that had a new rescue dog that she was having some issues with, having previously been to me over a year ago with a Westie with separation anxiety. Expecting to hear that the Rex was now a relaxed and happy dog, I was dismayed to be told that the separation anxiety hadn't really improved.

I was very surprised as we have an extremely good record with separation anxiety here at FETCH so I asked for more details, such as how long and often the training exercise had been used? When I was told just twice in the last year I had to sit down!

Tail giveaway 1

A guy wanted the vet to cut his dog's tail off. The vet asked why.

The most popular breed to train.

I was asked the other day by one of my clients what was the most popular breed that we train. Labs are the most prolific breed but then it is the most popular breed in the country (U.K.) so not too much of a surprise there.

However, Staffies are the second most popular breed that we train, yet they’re certainly not the second most popular breed in the country. It took me a while to figure out why. Truth be told, there are more Staffies than ever in rescue shelters so there are many people who are rehoming Staffies, but once they get them home they realise they're not too sure how they work. ;~}

Can a 2 year old swim?

I was out in a park recently, training a Shih Tzu pup & we came across a lovely woman & her 2 year old with a working Cocker. The little boy was loving all the attention from not one, but two dogs now. However, after a while, as 2 year olds do, he got distracted & wandered off. Suddenly his mum caught sight of him toddling directly towards the lake!

Exuberant Staffy pup seeks new friends!

I was training a couple of dogs in the park the other day when this very young dark brindle canine ball came flying towards us! Just as the pup got within a couple of yards of us, he slid onto his side as though he was sliding into 1st base! As he came to a halt, he rolled on his back exposing his underside to show he was no threat whilst all the time wagging his whole body from top to bottom.

It was at this point we were all fairly confident that this was a friendly dog!

How to help someone who’s scared of dogs

If someone has a bad experience with a certain type of dog, I can understand why they might have a fear of all dogs that look the same way.

Since I am a professional who works with dogs every day, I know it’s not fair to judge a dog by their appearance. I know to judge a dog by their actual behaviour. But the average person may not know this.

So how can we educate the general population? How can we help people learn they don’t have to be afraid of most dogs?

I don’t have the answers, but I do have a few ideas: