The Canine Behaviour Academy

Gorgeous Willow is a 9 year old Beagle X who has just started resource guarding after some positive changes to the family unit. She is guarding a few areas including the couch where the family gather in the evenings.

As a young dog Willow was removed from a domestic violence situation and shortly after found this very loving home. I suspect she may still carry some of that early trauma with her.

Resource guarding is something that should be quickly, gently and professionally addressed. It is a behaviour which can quickly eroded confidence in both dogs and humans. Family members can become stressed and upset when they see their much loved pet acting aggressively.

Today we looked at management strategies for keeping the family safe, training so Willow knows exactly what the family are asking of her and lots of trust building exercises. The family have some homework but we could already see her stress melting away as a wiggly puppy emerged and by the end of the session the couch was already becoming a safer place for the family to relax.

Huey is a fun, gentle 2 yr old Shih Tzu X. He hasn’t seen much of the world as he spent most of his time in a Sydney garage with little to no socialisation, company or training.

That said, he is a remarkably resilient little guy. He is so happy for cuddles, treats and to be out in the world. Fortunately, he has found the most amazing home. His mums are happy to go slow and support Huey with structured outings and lots of love.

Other dogs and bikes are very scary at this moment but birds and butterflies are awesome!

This is a sad story however I am always relieved when people make the decision to surrender a dog so they have the opportunity for a better life filled with everything a little dog deserves.

What is reactivity? It describes a dog’s intense behavioural response to stimuli in the environment with displays of barking, vocalising, jumping, lunging and even growling. Whats behind it? An emotional dysregulation driven by frustration, fear or over-excitement. It’s important to remember not all reactive dogs are aggressive. Many but not all reactive dogs have anxiety or pain. Dysregulated emotional responses rarely rectify themselves with time and professional intervention is required. There is no cure for reactivity and therefore helping our dogs relies on education, training, vet checks and environmental management. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

A stigma still exists around dogs wearing muzzles or more specifically our own dogs wearing a muzzle.

I am part of a growing group of trainers who are using and recommending muzzles more and more

A dog may need to be taught to feel comfortable in their muzzle which may require a period of gentle adjustment however the benefits can be life changing, or literally life saving.

A muzzle gives you much needed confidence for managing reactive and aggressive dogs in training scenarios or in social settings when your dog is around children, the vet or visitors to the home.

Preventing bites is the most important part of my job as a trainer working with aggressive dogs, not only for my clients but also for their dogs.

Here is a tool that can assist with managing this. The question is, why wouldn't we want to use a muzzle?

The Muzzle Movement

Dearest Biggles has just moved from a farm to a small town house and he is barking at everything and everyone.

His 80 year old mum and dad have never done any dog training, so where do we start!

First we determine the cause of the barking.
Biggles is clearly out of sorts from the move and living in the suburbs means dog, people and wheelie bins are much closer than he cares for.

Our training plan looks at probiotics, environmental management and desensitisation to build a calm and relaxed dog who the neighbours will soon fall in love with.

Look at his face!

Pablo has recently been rehomed and he is very happy and I would say a little in love with his new mumma.

While he is a relaxed dog around the house, vet and in the car he is a handful on walks. With significant reactivity making him difficult and sometimes scary to walk in the suburbs.

I will be working with Pablo over the coming months and will endeavour to record his journey on the road to recovery.