One of the topics I like to introduce handlers to when they attend puppy socialisation classes, is Calming Signals. In 1997 Turid Rugaas and Terry Ryan published a book entitled “On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals”. This book describes how dogs are able to offer certain
Read more →This is the advert that started me off in the TV training business. I got a call one evening asking whether a) I could train a Shar Pei to sit in the back of a car and b) how long would it take. I told them I
Read more →Children are truly wonderful at getting to the root of the matter. They seem to have a gift for hitting just the right note. Let me tell you a story regarding a friend of mine and her two small grandchildren. Toni and her family were very keen
Read more →I once got called in to help a lady with her Birman cat. This was a magnificent neutered male cat of almost 8 years old, called Blu. She had had the cat since it was 10 weeks old, and had had it neutered when he was about
Read more →As soon as your puppies ears open you can start conditioning them to the sound of the clicker. Click every time they are allowed to feed off their dam. Click when you’re weaning them on to solids. They soon learn to associate the sound of the clicker
Read more →Some years ago I imported a dog from Belgium, and was encouraged by the local club to enter him in breed shows. Having never been a great fan of beauty contests, I was somewhat hesitant to do this. However, I was assured that my puppy had the
Read more →You can help prevent having all your intact male dogs from whining and crying over the smell that bitches in season give off by giving the bitch some chlorophyll. Dosage obviously is dependent upon a number of things (e.g. size of dog, hormonal level, whether she’s been
Read more →At some stage or other, most dogs will urinate in an inappropriate place. This often happens inside the house. The reason for this can be varied, but the result is always an unpleasant odour. Removing the smell from your curtains, furniture, carpet or clothing can become quite
Read more →The following are some thoughts which will hopefully be of some use to two different groups of people: breeders wishing to place their puppies in the best possible homes, and also for helping puppy buyers when selecting their new pet. In general, it is never advisable to
Read more →On 28th January 2010, a litter of six Malinois puppies were born. The litter comprised 3 dogs and 3 bitches. My firm belief is that the only reason for breeding a litter is to try to improve the quality of that particular breed of dog (in this
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