Everyone can have a dog

Before we think about what we want from a dog, we should be thinking about whether we can give a dog everything that they need. Most people would read this and think "of course", but when you truly understand the needs of a dog, you realise that most people don't do that. For example, dogs are highly social animals that need to be with humans most of the time. If you work full time and can't take your dog with you, and your plan is to leave them at home all day alone, then you shouldn't get a dog.

Crates are cruel

Crates get a bad reputation for two reasons in our opinion. People have seen them used badly, or they think of how they would feel in a crate. Both are completely understandable but ultimately unhelpful- crates aren't cruel for dogs. When picturing ourselves in a crate we imagine we wouldn't like to be enclosed in a small space. We are forgetting one of the biggest part of dog training- we aren't dogs. They have different wants and needs to us. One of the things a dog really wants is a den. A small space with one opening that they can get in to feel safe and secure. We have a whole section on crate training if you want more information, but to sum it up dogs will naturally want a den and we can reinforce this as a high value place to be with our markers.

Where a crate would be cruel is if you are consistently leaving your dog alone in a crate for hours at a time. They are a tool and like any other they can be misused.

I should get my puppy a friend

It's perfectly normal to think about getting siblings from the same litter or getting a second puppy after a few months. You want them to have a friend and to never be lonely.

STOP. What you are really doing is setting them up for behavioral problems and even vicious fights between them. Litter mate syndrome isn't widely known about but is very common when dog owners haven't done their research.

"No not my two, they love each other!" They do, and that is half the problem. Because you have added another puppy to the situation while they are still developing they will form a bond that becomes unhealthy.

It is recommended to wait until your dog is over 2 years old or until they are out of puppyhood and training, which might come even later. It's better to wait a few months and rethink if you are unsure. If you act too soon you risk the bond with your new dog but also the one you've been working on with the puppy you have.

Dogs have to be allowed offlead

They don't have to be, we just want them to be. This is somewhere it's important to remember we leave our ego out of dog training. We all prefer having a dog off lead and under control but if they aren't under control with reliable recall then we are setting them up to fail.

Slow down, keep them on the lead until you are both ready. It's far worse to be the person at the park whose dog is a nuisance rather than the dog that is on a long lead. The aim is to use the long lead to aid in getting their recall perfect in a way that doesn't risk injury to your dog.

If you absolutely have to let your dog off lead because they are such a high energy breed then go to an enclosed space that is specifically for that. When working on Conker's recall we used a paid private dog field so we had the space to let his energy out and work on his recall while we were still unable to walk fully.

Your mindset has to be "When something goes wrong, what am I going to do?"

Dogs just do that. Barking/Biting/Chewing/Digging/Killing

Both of these are excuses to let ourselves off the hook. That may be blunt, but it also means we can change the behaviour and we don't have to just put up with a dog that's being a nightmare.

All dogs have drive which is affected by their breed. This is true, but isn't the end of the story. If it was, training wouldn't exist. We made the choice to bring that dog home which means that their drive is now our responsibility not the wider community because that's would gets effected by a bad dog not just you. Our job as their leader is to show them when its the right time and when they need to rethink.

A barking dog for example might be boredom, so their drive to run and burn off energy hasn't been fulfilled.

It could just as likely be a dog with a protection drive that doesn't have enough leadership, so feels they need to bark to protect the house from danger.

My dog is like that because they are X breed.

Myths about Neutering

We have heard any number of reasons to not get a dog neutered. Few rarely consider what is best for the dog, but rather what they think they would want in the same situation.

Dogs don't get lazy after being neutered, but on the flip side they also don't show aggression- there is no evidence of this. If your dog shows aggression after being neutered or spayed that is a sign of a wider issue that you need to evaluate and work on.

Neutering actually has a wide range of benefits for both you and your dog:

No puppies - Unless you are a licensed breeder you don't need your dog to have any puppies. It's not a good hobby or a way to make money on the side. Having a litter of puppies in an ethical way takes a lot of time, effort and money for very little payback, if any. Leave it to the professionals. This will also mean fewer dogs in rescues long term.

Less likely to roam - Without a hormonal drive, they won't have the overwhelming desire to get to another dog they think is in season. They will still react to some degree because it is a strong smell for them, but they will be a lot more likely to listen to their recall than if they were intact.

Less likely to get certain cancers - Ovarian, mammary and testicular cancer risks are reduced in neutered dogs. This is a huge reason in our opinion- anything to get more time with our best friends is worth it.

Less likely to trigger health conditions - This one is lesser known, but health conditions in dogs are often triggered by their hormone cycle much the same as ours are. A very real example of this is Conker's epilepsy- as he hit adolesence, his hormones were fluctuating and this meant he would be more likely to get seizures at the peaks. The first piece of advice we got from a vet was to get him neutered so although it was already in the plans, it was moved up a few months. This is one reason epilepsy in dogs isn't usually known about until they reach maturity.

Speak to your vet about getting your dog neutered as soon as possible. They will tell you the right time if you have a young dog.

Reactive only means aggressive

People have a picture in their head of a reactive dog. It's usually a large dog- depending on your generation, a shepherd or bulldog. They will be snarling, growling and snapping. While this is reactive behaviour, it's only one kind of reactive and it's not the most common.

If a dog is on lead and it suddenly goes tight, whether it be for aggression or for fun it's still reactivity. They are pulling to do the thing they want to do despite the direction you are trying to give them. That's a reaction- it's just not an aggressive one. We need to work on correcting, redirecting and rewarding them so that they can greet people appropriately.

Think of a small dog, off lead, that is barking at everyone that comes remotely close to them and their owner. It's a guarding behaviour they are showing as a reaction to unfamiliar people or dogs.

We need to work on all reactivity, otherwise you are at the park with a dog that 'just doesn't like collies for some reason'. Reactivity can easily escalate if not recognised and addressed.

My dogs bad its my fault and I should feel bad

No dog is bad. Some owners are bad. Someone who cares enough to think they are bad and wants to change can't be a bad owner. If you want the best for your dog and you are taking steps to make that a reality you are a good dog owner. Good dog owners have bad days and bad training sessions though. We have to remember that we are human and we will make mistakes, apologise if we need to, and learn from it. A bad dog owner lets the bad behaviour happen repeatedly and doesn't take action.

Myths about stopping dog attacks

No dog can lock its jaw. It doesn't matter the breed or training- they don't have the mechanism physically to lock their jaw. So, the good news is that you can stop sticking your thumb up a dogs bum! If anything you just confuse the dog and get some weird looks from any witnesses.

ALL OF THE BELOW IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. THE SAFEST THING FOR YOU IS TO MOVE TO A SAFE DISTANCE AND NOT GET INVOLVED.

If you are ever in a situation where there is a dog attack, and you are able to take action in a way that doesn't put yourself or others around you at risk, you should be able to grab one dog as someone else grabs the other and pull them apart. If that isn't possible because a dog has clamped down very hard on the other and pulling them apart would cause deep tearing, you need to hold the dogs down to stop them both from moving.

If one is being the aggressor concentrate on them, and put all of your weight on them ONLY if it is safe to do so. This will stop them shaking they head with the other dog still in their jaw. This is especially dangerous if the aggressor is much larger than the other dog.

If that isn't possible you need to wrap a lead around the neck to suffocate the attacking dog unconscious. Please don't kill the attacking dog. Unconscious is enough. Or as a last resort, the eyes are a vulnerable spot that will make the dog stop the attack but there is the risk they go after the person who has just stuck a finger in their eye socket so we cant stress enough it's a last resort for self defense.

ALL OF THE ABOVE IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. THE SAFEST THING FOR YOU IS TO MOVE TO A SAFE DISTANCE AND NOT GET INVOLVED.