dog walking

Dogs’ noses

Dogs’ noses are mind boggling. Everyone knows that dogs have a powerful sense of smell but just how powerful they are and how they use them is not something that many people are aware of. Dogs can be trained to use their nose to detect everything from bombs, cancers, truffles, property damp, endangered species and people across all kinds of industries ranging from police, to medicine, to property surveillance.

The dog’s nose and scent work is a whole area of research and study of its own but I thought I would share some of what I think are the most interesting and crazy facts about our furry friends’ noses:

Dogs have 300 million scent receptors, compared to our measly 5 million
They can smell 10,000 – 100,000 times better than us (depending on breed)
The olfactory bulb (scent centre) in a dog’s brain is 40x larger than ours
Dogs can inhale and exhale at the same time, using the slits at the side of their nose
Dogs have an additional organ in the roof of their mouths which can detect if someone is unwell, happy, sad or angry based off the pheromones they release
They can detect half a teaspoon of sugar in an Olympic sized swimming pool

If we use vision as an analogy, what we could see 1/3 of a mile away, dogs could see 3,000 miles away – that’s the distance from London to New York!
Dogs can smell the time of day, due to the scents released when the sun moves across the ground
If you were to roll out a human’s olfactory (scent) system, it would be the size of an A4 sheet. A dog’s would be the size of a football pitch
Dogs can smell in layers; they smell in 3D, like we see in 3D. Dogs’ nostrils can work independently from each other and then their brains put the information together to help dogs locate exactly where a smell is coming from
Typically, working dogs like retrievers, spaniels and shepherds have an advantage in scent work over sight hounds or brachycephalic breeds. This is due to the fact that the number of scent receptors a dog has is limited by the length and shape of a dog’s muzzle

Scenting is highly stimulating, rewarding and tiring for dogs. This is because of the increase in respiration rate (the amount of breaths taken per minute) when a dog is sniffing and how hard the brain is working to process the information being sent to it from the nose. To give you an idea of just how tiring scent work can be for dogs, let’s think of it in terms of reps per minute:

At rest: 15 reps
On a lead walk: 30 reps
Off lead, running, agility work: 60 reps
High frequency sniffing (inhaling and exhaling at the same time: 140-200 reps

This means that half an hour of scent work is the equivalent to a 1-2 hour run for our dogs!

As a trainer, I often work with owners to help them understand their dogs’ primary sense and how it can be used to enrich their lives, drain their energy and even reduce reactivity. If you’d like to find out more about how to work your dog’s nose, then click here to drop me a message.

3-3-3 Rule of Adopting a Dog

As a dog trainer, I am often asked how long is will take a rescue dog or a puppy to adjust to their new home and how owners can help settle their new family member in. Also known as the ‘honeymoon period’, the 3-3-3 rule is a general guideline that represents the common milestones your new dog or puppy will follow. The 3s represent the 3 days, 3 weeks and 3 months after bringing your dog home.

To help understand what your dog is going through, picture (if you can!) your first day at a new school or in a new job. Everything is unfamiliar: new people, new rules, new surroundings. It takes us a while to settle into new routines, to get to know people and to let our full personality show.

It’s important to note that the 3-3-3 rule is a general guideline and all dogs will move at their own pace, depending on their personality, background and breed. You should give your dog plenty of space and allow them to move at their own pace. With enough patience and time, you will one day look back and be amazed at your dogs transformation!

In the first 3 days…

Feeling overwhelmed
Maybe scared
Not comfortable being themselves
May not want to eat or drink
Sleep a lot or retreat to a safe space
Testing boundaries

After 3 weeks…

Starting to settle & learn the routine
Decompressing and feeling more comfortable
Learnt the home environment
Beginning to let guard down and show personality
Realising this might be a forever home
Behaviour issues may start presenting themselves

After 3 months…

Completely comfortable in their home
Set in the routine
Trusts their owner and building a bond
Formed a sense of security with new family
This is your dog!

It is common for owners to be lulled into a false sense of security, believing they have adopted the ‘perfect dog’ during those first few weeks (although I think every dog is perfect!). Once their dog decompresses, they finally feel comfortable enough to show themselves and this when unwanted behaviours are most likely to present themselves.

Most commonly, these behaviours will include: lack of basic obedience, toileting inside, resource guarding, reactivity and destructive behaviour.

Rather than being frustrated at our dogs, it’s important for us to empathise with their situation and view the behaviour through a different lens. These ‘bad’ behaviours are our dogs showing us that they trust us and are finally feeling happy and comfortable in themselves. There are no bad behaviours, just dog behaviours, and it is up to us to show our dogs the right way to behave.

If you have brought home a rescue dog or puppy and are looking for training advice, click here to drop me a message.

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Squitchley

This French Basset Hound is cute – and he knows it! But his behaviours were making life at home difficult for his owners. Squitchley would bite his owners hands, feet, clothes (whatever he could get hold of!); steal and destroy high value items (including a designer handbag!) and become aggressive if his owners attempted to take it away; mount people’s legs, backs, arms; pull on the lead, bite the lead and would not recall to his owners. There was a lot for us to work on!

First port of call for us was to look at the routine that Squitchley had as it was clear that he was over-stimulated. We looked at implementing a routine where Squitchley had ample opportunity to sleep, relax and have quiet, calm time. We also spoke about how enrichment could be used to increase Squitchley’s calmness.

Next, we looked at introducing some impulse control exercises and well as basic obedience so that Squitchley could control his urges and listen to his owners, rather than tuning them out completely. This massively reduced his biting behaviour whilst increasing his ability to listen out on walks.

We spoke about how we needed to manage our behaviour to set Squitchley up for success and discussed how to best tackle his resource guarding. This was tricky for his owners as the items that Squitch was prone to stealing were so high value to us – glasses, tv remotes and even a steak knife!

Squitchley’s owners were 100% dedicated to his training and he is now a different dog. He is calm at home, no longer bites for attention, rarely feels the need to steal items and is able to listen to his owner and behave beautifully on his walks.

This training journey took us three months from start to finish, with 6 sessions in total – his story really is a testament to the power of positive training. A very big well done to Squitchley!

One of Squitchley’s victims.

“What, Mum?”

Elsie

Puppy training sessions for Elsie the blue staffy. Elsie’s owners came to me for training when she was 5 months old, seeking help to give her the best start in life but also to address a few unwanted behaviours that had cropped up and they were unsure of how to manage.

Over the course of our sessions, we worked together on a number of key areas:

Recall
Focus on walks
Loose lead walking
Calmness around visitors
Doorbell desensitisation
Boundary training at the front door
Mouthing/puppy biting behaviours
Over excitement around other dogs
Toilet training
Digging in the garden
Enrichment opportunities

This might seem like a lot to tackle but Elsie was a superstar throughout and her owners showed 100% dedication to her and her training. We found ways to address the route cause of her behaviours (which was general puppy excitement!) and by addressing this, everything else fell into place for Elsie.

Elsie has now learnt solid routines and behaviours, which she can take forward with her through adolescence and into adulthood, in order for her to be happy, calm, enriched pooch.

Dos and Don’ts of Crate Training

When used properly, crates are wonderful inventions for dogs and can really help with their training. I often work with owners who have recently brought home a puppy (or older dog!) to crate train their new family member as there are numerous benefits to doing so. Crate training helps with toilet training, separation anxiety and getting your pooch into a routine – as well as preventing any destruction while you’re not there to watch! However, there is a lot of misinformation out there surrounding crate training so I thought I would share my “dos and don’ts”.

Do

Set up a comfortable space

When using a crate, it is essential that this space is set up as a cosy space where your dog will feel safe.

The crate needs to be big enough for your dog to stand up and turn around comfortably but if it is too large, then your puppy may have accidents. If you don’t want to be buying a new crate every few weeks as they grow, then there are crates on the market which have a divider.

Make the space cosy and comfortable. Many pet stores offer crate covers, as dogs are den animals and often enjoy the safe feeling of an enclosed space. But a sheet or blanket over the top of the crate will also do the job; just make sure that your pooch isn’t one who will pull the material through to chew on.

Some dogs enjoy a bed to sleep on, others like a blanket and some even like the cool floor of the crate itself. You don’t want to leave your pup in a crate with bedding if they are going to shred/ingest the material so listen to your dogs behaviour and fill the space accordingly.

Keep your pup close by

When we bring home a puppy, they have left everything that they have ever known. They have left their mother, siblings, breeder and all the sights, smells and comforts of their first home. This is stressful and scary for our dogs and so we want to make sure that we are making this transition as easy as possible for them.

At this stage, you are their only comfort – and they don’t know you yet! Personally, I believe it is too hard on a puppy to leave them alone to sleep. They need comfort and we are the only ones who can give that to them. You can put their crate in your room or set up camp next to their crate in another room, while they’re getting used to their new home.

Make the crate a positive place

To start you off, begin by throwing some high value treats around the entrance to the crate. Allow your pup to explore at their own pace. Once they are happily taking the treats around the entrance to the crate, chuck a few pieces inside. Let them go in and get the treats in their own time, without forcing them inside. Leave the door open so that your pup can go in and out the crate as they please. Repeat this several times, several times a day.

Take it slow

The next step is to close the door while your pup is inside the crate. As above, throw some tasty treats inside and once your pup is in, close the door for a few moments. After a few seconds, open the door again. We want your pup to learn that the door closing isn’t scary and that it means positive things are to come. Repeat several times, as before. Try to feed your pup their meals in their crate as part of this process, to really increase the positive associations.

Next, you’re going to want to start leaving the door shut for longer periods. Instead of treats, now you want to be giving your pooch something longer lasting. Kongs, lick mats, frozen slow feeders, tasty chews – anything delicious that will take a while to deal with. Now, you can close the door on your pup while they’re busy with their treat. Once they’ve finished, be sure to let them out.

Practise small separations

Finally, you’re going to want to start leaving your pup alone while they’re in the crate. Start small, a few seconds or so, and you need only leave the room. We want to teach your pup that you are always going to come back and that being on their own isn’t a problem. You can incorporate the separations with your pup having their treats in the crate as well. Gradually build up the time that your pup is left alone.

Don’t

Choose a “hot spot”

Make sure you don’t choose a spot that sits in direct sunlight at any part of the day. Nor should it be placed in an area that is particularly draughty. Similarly, you don’t want to put your crate in an area of the house that is particularly busy, where your pup will be regularly disturbed.

Remove water

There is conflicting advice here: some state that removing water close to bedtime will aid with toilet training. However, as a positive based trainer, I do not believe that we should be removing our dog’s access to something as essential as water in order to get them through the night.

Sleepless nights and disturbed sleeping schedules are part and parcel of having a puppy and it doesn’t last forever. More often than not, a pup is able to sleep through the night (8 hours or so) without a toilet break by around 16 weeks, especially if they are a larger breed.

Push it

Properly crate training a dog, to the point where they can be left alone whist crated for a few hours, takes time. It usually takes around 6 months to have properly cracked crate training. For some dogs, crate training won’t work at all. My own dog, Kenny, did not take to his crate. He cried and cried, even when we were sat right next to him, and was very distressed whilst in there. So we listened to him and got rid of the crate. He was happiest sleeping under the counter in the kitchen, so that’s where we moved his bed! If you really feel crate training isn’t progressing, it might just not be the right fit for your dog’s personality – and that’s okay! Just like not every dog will excel at agility, not every dog will excel in a crate.

Let your dog ‘cry it out’

Again, there is conflicting advice on this – especially if you’re tempted to try a Google search. Some say that if you leave a pup to cry, they will eventually settle. Similarly to removing water, whilst this may work in the short run, allowing your pup to do this does not fall within the remit of positive training. In order for crate training to be a success, the crate needs to be a really positive place that your dog willingly goes into and is happy to be left in. Allowing your dog to get to the point that they are crying and distressed will only create negative associations with the crate – undoing all of the positive work that has been done so far. They may settle eventually, but you can bet your bottom dollar that they aren’t going to be skipping into the crate the next time you ask. The key is not to let your pup get to the point where they cry, if they start to become distressed, you’ve “pushed it” too far and need to go back a step.

Leave it too long

Dogs should be crated for 4 hours as an absolute maximum during the day – it is fine to leave them in there for longer overnight. Crates are fabulous for helping keep puppies from having accidents and getting into mischief while you’re gone but they shouldn’t be left for any longer than this. It’s really important that your puppy gets access to the toilet frequently and is getting lots of mental enrichment and physical stimulation to aid growth and development.

Use the crate as a punishment

If you want your dog to be happy about spending their time in their crate and really see it as a positive place that they love being, then it cannot be a place that they are put into as a punishment. If your dog exhibits a behaviour that you don’t like and then they are shut away after, for example, being scolded by you, then they are going to associate the crate with negative things happening. For crate training to work, our dogs need to love their crates and so we need to avoid these negative associations from forming.

…that’s it!

This process is a long one and at times, if can feel impossible. However, with time and patience, your pup will get there!

If you are finding it hard adjusting to the night time routine, if your pup just can’t crack toilet training or if you’re coming home to puppy destruction whenever you leave, then I am here to help! Click here to make an enquiry for a 1-2-1 session or here to find out about puppy classes.

Kong Filling Mastery

Kongs are fabulous inventions for dogs. With little, large, puppy and extra tough versions, there really is something for every dog to get their teeth into. They’re a great alternative to food bowls and add enrichment to your dogs life as they’re having their meal (for more tips on how to move away from the food bowl, check out No More Dog Bowls).

As well as stuffing Kongs with raw and canned dog foods, they can be prepared ahead of time and frozen as a tasty treat. I thought I would share my how I prepare Kongs for my dog.

Plug

Create a seal in the top of the Kong to prevent all the other stuffing from falling out. Peanut butter is my go to; I add a couple of teaspoons. It doesn’t have to be ‘doggy’ peanut butter (there’s a massive markup on these products) but make sure it’s 100% peanut content. There is some concern out there that creating a seal may cause a vacuum on the dogs nose/tongue while they’re licking. Cases of this are extremely rare but it’s always a good idea to supervise your dog while their Konging, just in case.

Gooey goodness

Next, we want some gooey stuff that’s easy for your dog to scoop out the bottom with their tongue. Banana, cooked white rice, natural yoghurt and cream cheese are all good options.

Sweet treats

Fruit is great for our dogs (in moderation because of the high sugar content). Blueberries are an easy, no-hassle option to pop in but if you don’t mind chopping then pear, strawberry, apple and melon are all delicious choices.

Meaty stuff

Up next we want something really delicious to get your dog super motivated to get stuck in. Cooked meat, dried treats, canned tuna or normal kibble work well.

Healthy bits

Time for veggies. My dog likes peas, carrot, squash and broccoli but there are loads of different veggies that are great for dogs. Experiment and see what your pooch likes!

Topper

Fill the remaining space in the Kong with a liquid. If your dog isn’t fussy, you can simply use water but I find my dog enjoys a topper of low-salt stock.

Freeze

The last step is to freeze your Kong, for maximum longevity. I freeze mine inside mugs to keep them in position but muffin tins also work well – if you have the freezer space!

Depending on the Kong type, size of your dog and their Kong technique (some dogs are better than others at this!) then I’ve known a well stuffed Kong to last anywhere up to an hour.

That’s a whole hour of independent, calm time where your dog is self-soothing, lowering cortisol and releasing endorphins. Happy days!

If you want to find out more about enrichment for your dog and the benefits it brings, you can get in contact with me here.

Teddy

Reactivity and barking training for Teddy. This little Maltipoo began training with me at 9 months old, as his owners could no longer manage his reactions to other dogs on walks. Whilst on lead, he would bark himself into a frenzy whenever he caught sight of another dog and he was beginning to show the same reaction to other people that he spotted on walks too. Teddy would also bark almost continually at the television, setting himself off whenever an animal came on screen.

Together, we worked to increase Teddy’s confidence in himself so that he wasn’t unsure when approaching other dogs and felt able to handle the situation calmly, rather than by barking. We looked at enrichment in the home and basic training/obedience that his owners could do with him. We also worked on management strategies for his owners to that they felt able to handle any unexpected dogs on their walks, so that Teddy didn’t feel the need to take matters into his own paws.

Now, the majority of Teddy’s walks are calm and bark free, he’s calm in the home and his owners no longer feel stressed when it’s time for a walk.

Well done, Teddy!

Potch

Separation anxiety was an issue for Potch and his worries around being left alone were coming out in barking behaviours, which was not ideal for Potch or his neighbours!

Potch’s owner had recently moved home and this is when the behaviour presented itself; Potch had always been happy to be left at home before the move. We identified that it wasn’t being away from his owner that was making him anxious, but being left alone in general.

We spoke about enrichment to offer Potch to de-stress him and make sure he was as chilled out as possible and had more capacity to cope when he was left alone. We then looked at how to desensitise Potch to the exit cues of his owner so that these no longer made him worried before he was left alone. Finally, we looked at how start small on separations and work towards extended periods of time on his own.

Separation anxiety is never a quick fix and Potch still has a way to go before he will be happy to be left alone for 4 hours again. However, I am delighted to say that Potch has done amazingly well adjusting to his new enrichment-filled routine and is he now comfortable being left alone for short periods. With continued training, Potch’s owner will have their freedom back and Potch will have nothing to be worried about when he’s home alone.

Ariel

Ariel’s owner came to me for training as Ariel was incredibly anxious, especially around people coming to the home. She would bark non-stop when people were round and would frequently toilet inside due to her nervousness. Ariel also lacked a lot of confidence on her walks and was fearful of people and dogs.

Together, we worked on enrichment and training activities in the home that would build Ariel’s confidence in herself as well as reducing her stress levels so she had more capacity to cope with her triggers. We also implemented strategies to allow her owners to manage guests in the home, giving Ariel a fun and productive task to do when people came round inside of barking at them.

Ariel has made great progress in her calmness at home and, whilst training for barking behaviours associated with the doorbell are still ongoing, she is now able to cope with people coming in and out of the home and is happier and more confident in herself day-to-day (she even let me tickle her chin for moment at our last session – a world away from barking whenever I spoke/moved the first time we met!).

Well done to Ariel and her super supportive owners!

Fliss

Training for Fliss, an 18 month chihuahua mix exhibiting fear aggression. Fliss is a little dog with a big personality and an adorable silly side to her but, unfortunately, she didn’t let many people see this due to her reactivity.

Fliss’ owners came to me as she was very fearful of people, dogs and children. Their walks together were stressful for Fliss (and her owners) as she would bark and lunge at her triggers and pull on the lead. Fliss was also very on edge in the home, keeping an ear out for anything that might suggest a non-family member was coming into her space. She also licked her owners excessively in an attempt to self-soothe.

Initially, we worked together to bring Fliss’ stress levels down in the home so that she had more capacity to cope with stress as well as to increase Fliss’ confidence in herself, through independent work on her own as well as through basic obedience. We also looked at strategies that her owners could use to make Fliss comfortable with guests coming into the home. All of this laid the foundations for Fliss being calmer in herself and a reduction in her fearful behaviours.

Next, we looked at the equipment being used on Fliss’ walks and made changes so that she was more comfortable. We also practised some lead-walking activities to encourage Fliss’ attention to be on her owners, rather than potentially scary things in the environment.

As with all reactivity cases, there is no ‘quick fix’ and training takes time and patience. Fliss is very lucky to have such attentive owners who have put 100% into her training programme and as a result of their hard work, just 6 weeks and 3 training sessions later, Fliss is already a calmer and less anxious pooch. Fliss’ training is ongoing and now her family have the tools and knowledge to help her, they are confident that she is well on the way to living her happiest life. Well done, Flissy!