my puppy Coco was on the sick list

Poor Cocopup!

I remember it so clearly:  one minute he was having a fantastic game of catch the frisbee and chasing Cricket with her frisbee, the next minute a yawning chasm opened up before him, swallowed his front leg and twisted his shoulder.

The shrieking! Ow ow ow, he cried.

After a visit to the vet for x-rays, diagnosis and anti-inflammatories, he was sentenced to a few weeks’ bed rest.

For a young miniature poodle - poodles have everlasting energy, in case you didn’t know - this

was hard!

And inexplicable.

Easy peasy

But the whole thing was made easy because Coco loves his crate, takes himself there when tired, and knows to settle down as soon as he’s in it.

We also do a lot of matwork, regularly. This translates now to any mat or bed I point him to. He will stay there until released.

He got regular sessions with his very own Canine Massage Therapist to aid a fast recovery, which he absolutely loved.

So while I was working, he was stretched out on his bed beside me. When I couldn’t be paying attention he could go in his crate. I was able to achieve the bed rest prescribed by the vet without any stress on the part of my dog.

Or me.

Stress on top of injury

An injured dog is already stressed enough. Confining a dog who isn’t used to it could add a lot more anxiety and tension.

Of course Coco got out for garden visits, lap visits, and some trick training, aka therapy for the injured leg (“Take a Bow” gave him an excellent shoulder-stretch). But preventing him racing and playing with the other dogs was the hard part.

Soon we were able to graduate to short road walks.

It was a while before young Mr.Coco was joyfully chasing his frisbee again.

But at least the time passed calmly.

Could your dog do this?

You never know when you may need to keep your dog quiet for a period. Want to know how to get your dog to this calm, accepting state?

Go to Calm Down and get your free copy.

Now you can work through the steps and teach your dog how to relax - any time, any place, any how. It is an enjoyable method, gets super results, and makes life easier for all of us.

What’s not to love?!

 But why listen to me when you can see what readers think!

I love your books! Your simple, fun, and loving training methods are helping me make tremendous progress with my brilliant puppies. 

Mary Anne and her two Springer Spaniels, USA

AMAZON 5* review

This book is excellent and so clearly written my 7 year old is enjoying working through the stages with us. After two short training sessions our 9 week old pup is already lying on his mat as soon as I put it out. The author is clearly very knowledgable and when I emailed her a question I received a very informative personal reply. I have read books 2 and 3 in the series also and can honestly say they make training my pup an absolute pleasure for both of us.

Dianne and Ted, UK

Three dog trainers, two behaviour specialist vets, three vets ... and a six month old  terrier who thinks he’s a tiny pup, a fierce crocodile, and a bucking bronco. Went to purchase your book Calm Down! but got it for zero payment on Amazon. Read it, started training - immediate success. The difference has been amazing, pup is now snoozing near me, with a constant eye on me but definitely better! I want to send you a big, heartfelt thank you.

Ute and Gilbert, Germany

AMAZON 5* review

I bought Calm Down! before the arrival of my 8 week old puppy. In under 5 days I had him leaping onto the mat and lying down waiting for his treats. It was just amazing!

Reni and Rupert, Australia

I can honestly say your books have changed the lives of me and Bo. He loves nothing more than learning new things and playing games, he loved every single part of the process.

Cara and Bo

Your "Calm Down" book saved me. Literally! It's only been a week and she is a different dog, relaxed lying at my feet on her mat. I don't hate her any more and have allowed myself to bond with her. I really didn’t think this would ever happen as she was making my home life so stressed out.  Thank You!  

Peggy

A surprisingly easy and fun skill to teach!

So go get your book and get started!

My dog is busybusy all day long and never stops!

You may enjoy your dog keeping you company all day - but if your lifestyle is very active and busy you’re actually not helping him! Like toddlers, dogs need to have naps and calm periods built into their day. They are crepuscular beasties - which means they are most alert at twilight, their ancestral hunting time.

And just like toddlers, not getting these vital rest periods will result in disturbed behaviour. For your dog this means that he’s much shorter-tempered, easily agitated, hard to reason with.

This is making your life much harder than necessary! And if you are blessed with a Growly Dog who is already disposed to reactivity, fear, anxiety, or aggression, you can 10x that!

Plenty of ideas in this free 8-lesson email course for calming down your life with your dog!

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And as we know that stress is the silent killer for humans, so it can be for dogs, predisposing them to ailments that they are unable to resist.

I wrote about sleep and puppy-biting a while ago. And I’m revisiting this subject because it is SOOOO important, and so seldom understood!

So how can you curb your frantic dog’s activity and improve life for both of you?

Bedtimes

The first thing to do is establish sleeping areas in the home where your dog can sleep without being disturbed. So rather than letting your puppy crash where he runs out of steam, always transfer him to his crate or bed. Build these sleep-places into your day from the start.

Protected sleep times are also important to build in from Day 1. My dogs are all adult, and as I write they are all in or on various beds near me. They sleep while I work (lucky them!). This pattern of “when nothing’s happening you need to sleep” is carefully baked in from the day the puppy arrives with me.

A puppy who’s been awake for more than an hour or so needs to go to bed!

But you can still teach an older dog this way of life, even if there are established patterns of lunacy!

Teaching an older dog to rest

Here’s an extract from my book series Essential Skills for your Growly but Brilliant Family Dog which you can find here. I’m repeating it here because it illustrates so well how quickly you can influence some of your dog’s behaviours when you approach it the right way.

“I was visiting a very caring couple who had brought their young rescue collie Tim to classes when they first got him. I was glad they’d got in touch again, because the young dog was very fearful and couldn’t cope well with life. We arranged a visit.

While there, it became clear that this hyperactive dog was wearing himself out. For the first twenty minutes of my visit he never stopped. He raced in and out of the room, jumped up my front, my back, chewed my hair, poked the other dog, ran off again, paced … never rested.

So I quickly amended my training plan to include some relaxation work. After some active games to get Tim to engage with me, I started teaching him to slow down and relax. After just five minutes of this, his owner expressed amazement at seeing her frantic dog actually lying down still for more than ten seconds at a time!

When I finished the short session and released him, what did he do? Do you think he went straight back into busybusy mode, panting and racing?

Nope. He just slid onto the floor beside us, and as he lay there his head started to loll, his eyelids drooped, and he was … asleep!

To the total astonishment of his owner, who had never seen him sleep in the day!

So how much sleep should Tim be having?

Did you know that dogs need to have an average seventeen hours of sleep a day to work at their optimum level with the least amount of stress?

Seventeen hours.

I can hear you all saying, “My dog never sleeps that much.”

Well, it’s seventeen hours for adult dogs - obviously more for puppies. And some dogs need to be helped to achieve this total.

Tim had had a poor start in life before his present owners took him in and gave him a secure and loving home. So he’d developed habits of nervous and stressy behaviour which had stuck with him. Showing him how to relax transformed him in just a few short minutes and allowed him to get some much-needed rest.

His owners are carrying on this work with him, and it will make all the other things we have to teach him so much easier.”

Calm

Want to know what I did to relax this hyper dog? To get the exact program, work through the first book in the Essential Skills for a Brilliant Family Dog series: Calm Down! Step-by-Step to a Calm, Relaxed, and Brilliant Family Dog It’s free at all e-book stores, and also available in paperback online and you can order it from any good bookshop. Quite apart from the usefulness of this skill for any dog, anywhere, if you have a reactive dog it will hugely benefit him.

Be aware that teaching calm and relaxation is not teaching a stay exercise with the traditional stern shouting and finger-waving! (Although, curiously, you will get a solid stay as a result.)

The object is quite different - to change your dog’s mental state, not to anchor his physical position.

Learning how to switch off can also help with Separation Anxiety. If this is an area of distress for your dog, you could do with going through a whole protocol to make positive changes. This book by Patricia McConnell has a step-by-step program. It’s not an overnight fix, and few people in my experience can be bothered to resolve this issue for their poor dog - unless he’s destroying the house and defecating all over the carpet. But think how much happier you’ll all be if instead of agitated pacing when you’re out, you just get peaceful snoozing.

I’ll also mention the Relaxation Protocol. (These audios have been generously provided by Roxanne Hawn and are free to download.) This is a program which takes incremental steps from frantic non-resting dog to chilled-out dog with a lower heart-rate and dreamy feelings of comfort and relaxation.

It’s a simple program: you don’t have to do Day 1 only on Day 1 - repeat each “Day” till you have it right, then move on to the next “Day”. I choose to have the dog lying down for this - more conducive to dozing. It takes time, yes, but it’s time well spent helping your dog destress. You’ll feel as if you’ve had a relaxation session yourself when it’s over!

It’s worth getting started on it to help your dog access the calm side of his mind, which he may have lost sight of in his anxiety. Again, few people in my experience follow through on this and complete the cycle in several different places. But those who do get MASSIVE improvement! It’s especially useful for the never-resting dog, the hyper dog, the anxious or fearful dog, your Growly Dog.

For plenty more tips on getting the best out of your relationship with your dog, get this free 8-part email course

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Moving house with your dog!

They say that moving house is one of the most stressful things ever - up there with death and divorce.

Having just moved house, I can tell you this is true! Unfortunately there was an incompetent solicitor in the chain who slowed things down by a whole month, day by day, week by week. So everyone involved was very fraught. This didn’t help my dogs.

As we know, dogs are so sensitive. They pick up our moods and worries. Along with all the upheaval of clearing out, getting rid of stuff, and moving everything around the house, this gave them an unsettled few weeks too.

I’m fortunate that my campervan is fully kitted out for the dogs, so it was easy enough to park them in there and move the van out of the drive when the packers and movers were at work. A friend who is moving this week is taking her anxious dog to an excellent kennels for a few days. He’s been happy there before, so by the time he arrives in the new home it’ll all be safely fenced and ready. It’s important that at this time of upheaval you keep everything as stable and familiar as possible.

Get your free email course to help you with lots of doggy problems

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As mine was a long-distance move, we “camped out” in the new house till all our belongings arrived two days later. I’ve never been happier to see my bed! (Likewise Cricket the Whippet, who was in it before you could say “woppit”.)

Having spent a couple of months in Limbo with all the delays - never knowing where anything was - I was determined to unpack the boxes as fast as possible. So by Monday it was virtually all done, and the boxes recycled to a couple of other home-movers.

The house began to look like a home!

Sniffing about

We all know how important the dog’s sense of smell is. A third of their brain is dedicated to this sense, which is infinitely superior to ours. So my dogs spent plenty of time in the new house sniffing boxes, furniture, objects - and importantly their beds - and feeling at home.

Surprisingly, perhaps, the one who was easiest to manage was my cat Squeak. Squeak has always been a half-outdoor cat, and never used a litter box. She is an intrepid explorer and joins me and the dogs on walks now and then.

All the books and sites say you have to keep your cat in for weeks when you move. No chance! I had thought I’d have to capture her before the moving men arrived and keep her crated till we arrived here (that would be around 10 hours captivity), but as she got on so well - watching curiously as the strange men packed everything in the house a couple of days before - I decided to wait till the vans had left. This paid off, and she only had to spend the journey-time in the crate (about 5 hours).

The minute we arrived in the empty house, the dogs and cat were free to explore the garden. We all froze at night - having to leave a window open with a chair and bin outside to help Squeak get in and out - till a catflap was put in the door.

Squeak had no trouble with this arrangement, and has settled into her new home straight away, seamlessly.

Clingy dogs

Four dogs and one cat get as close to me as possible when I finally hit the armchair on moving day!

The dogs, on the other hand, stayed unsettled for a good few days. Wherever I went, four sets of paws pattered after me - just in case I should escape!

Lying on top of me or round my feet was considered a good strategy for anchoring me.

After a week they’re much more relaxed, and used to the new practices here.

New house rules

As there’s a public footpath running alongside the garden, and as I have two reactive dogs (!), we are learning to ignore the sounds of the occasional walker + dog going by. This needs careful work from the outset in a new home. The last thing you want is a habit of fence-barking or fence-running to establish itself - that’s much harder to eradicate than to prevent.

So I am always armed with treats when in the garden (when am I ever not armed with treats?) and the dogs are never out there alone. I’m ready for the moment one alerts to the sound of a passer-by and we move straight into our lesson: those people may be ignored, they’re not coming in here, they’re allowed on the path. You just enjoy these treats instead.

What I’m doing is technically known as counter-conditioning. I’m changing the dogs’ emotional response to the thing they’re afraid of, so that they no longer feel the need to fear it. Repetition and consistency are key.

They didn’t bark at the (much closer) neighbours in our last house, because they were used to them, they were predictable. So it’s only a matter of time before they pass no remarks when the gravel crunches beside our new garden.

And almost the first thing I did was to spend 15 minutes putting window film on part of the front windows, so that the dogs needn’t feel threatened by every passer-by. If you have a reactive dog - you need window film!

How to move house and pets easily

So you can see that to have a successful house-move you have to consider the animals well in advance. Mine are used to going to strange new places in the campervan, and know the van is their base when we’re on the move. They are comfortable in their beds there, and know that dinner will still arrive! They’ve also had short stays in holiday cottages.

My friend’s dog was well used to the kennels she used. It’s no use just whamming your dog in kennels if he’s never been there before! With all the upheavals and anxiety at home associated with the forthcoming move he’s likely to feel very lost and upset.

As mine was a long-distance move, kennels were not an option for me. And in any case, I felt sure that all five of my companions would be happier being with me, however strange it may all be.

So include your pets in your moving plans from the start. It will all be worth it when you are settled in your new home!

Brilliant Family Dog and Good for Dogs!

In case you’re wondering, this move does not in any way affect Brilliant Family Dog. All the courses, both free and paid, are running as usual. I am in the private course groups daily with guidance and support - as usual.

The Wiggles Wags and Whiskers Freedom Harnesses and Leads are still available at www.goodfordogs.co.uk/products as usual.

The only change is to Good for Dogs!, my erstwhile dog training school on the ground in Worcestershire. This has, of course, closed there, but will be reopening here in Norfolk! Group classes will begin next year, while 1-1 sessions with anxious, fearful, aggressive, reactive, “growly”, dogs will start almost immediately.

As one Gloucestershire student put it,

Hi Beverley, The other side of the country will gain a fab dog trainer but sadly our loss.

I fully intend to live up to that charming remark, and bring force-free, dog-friendly, dog training to the good people (and their slightly less good!) dogs here in Norfolk.

I’d like to thank so many of you for your thoughts and well wishes for my move!

Please keep in touch. I will still be able to help all my past students, even though further away.

My dog won’t take no for an answer

“My dog has many good points but does not take no for an answer and is very disobedient when he appears to be totally deaf.”

So wrote a reader of her “challenging” dog.

Well, I’m glad the poor dog’s owner recognises he has good points! But the rest of her statement means that she doesn’t understand her dog or his motivation one bit.

Get your free email course to sort out lots of puppy and new dog communication problems

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Disobedient. The dictionary tells us this means “refusing to obey rules or someone in authority”. Now if you’re to obey rules, you have to know what those rules are. And I’m willing to bet this dog has NO idea what the rules are that he’s meant to “obey”!

A common misconception

There seems to be an extraordinary misunderstanding rife amongst dog-owners. They think their dog arrives pre-programmed with English (or Spanish, or Turkish, or whatever they speak themselves). They think that the dog will have a perfect understanding of the meaning of words enunciated loudly and with clarity. So “SIT!” should immediately have the dog sitting.

Furthermore, they think that all their physical expressions and vocal tones will be instantly understood. So “NOOOOOO!” said in a menacing way with finger wagging will clearly mean “Take your paws off the table and go to your basket.”

How is your non-verbal, non-human, dog meant to know this?

Teach first

In the first place, your dog needs to be taught what it is that’s wanted - not left to guess, take pot-luck and hope he gets it right.

You have to give the dog information about what it is you want, not just what you don’t want.

Think of a toddler in your home. You’d be showing her what you wanted, kindly and patiently, naming objects and actions in that motherly chatty way that comes naturally to loving parents. Requests would come as suggestions, (Do you think your teddy bear would like to have tea now?) You wouldn’t bark orders at her! You wouldn’t expect her to understand language before she is verbal herself!

You may treat your dog the exact same way. And it’ll help if you think of how you get your wishes known and followed with your human family.

Cues not commands

Do you order, or “command” your partner or family?

Or do you perhaps ask them?

Perhaps you drop hints, without even saying anything at all! For instance, you may come home exhausted and throw yourself into an armchair. A sensitive family member may say “I’ll put the shopping away for you - would you like a cup of tea?” Or even, “You make us a cup of tea and I’ll deal with all these groceries.”

We give and take. We assess a person’s mood and act accordingly. We adapt our requirements to the situation. We are kind and patient (if we want to keep the peace!).

In enlightened dog training, we call these communications - not “commands” but “cues”. They can be vocal cues (“Would you like to sit?”), or they could be environmental cues (I’m holding your lead - if you want me to put it on you for a walk you need to sit). And no, they don’t understand every word - neither does your toddler. But they can get the drift.

So if you take the word “command” right out of your vocabulary you may find that straight away you get on better with your dog. Really!

You have asked your dog to Sit and she doesn’t. Instead of shouting SIT ever louder and more urgently, you may ask yourself why she doesn’t sit:

• Is it because she’s in pain?

• Is it because the floor is slippery so she’s unable to prop herself up?

• Is it because it’s wet and muddy and she’s a comfort-lover? (My whippet wouldn’t dream of sitting on wet grass - and I’d never ask her to!)

• Is it because she’s distracted by the dog over the road/the postman/children screaming/the shopping bags on the floor/[insert your dog’s fear or fancy here]?

• … or is it perhaps because you never taught her?

“Disobedient” and other such words

The dictionary gives us related words for disobedient:

unruly, wayward, errant, disorderly, delinquent, disruptive, troublesome, rebellious, defiant, mutinous, recalcitrant, uncooperative, non-compliant, wilful, unbiddable, intractable, obstreperous, awkward, difficult, perverse, contrary, naughty, mischievous …

I’ve heard almost all of those words applied to a dog’s behaviour by a frustrated and thwarted owner! Often it’s new dog-owners talking about their first puppy. They clearly are labouring under the misapprehension I outlined above, and are expecting miraculous perception from this baby of another species.

Usually I suggest they substitute the word they’ve used (often stubborn, difficult, disobedient) with a word which better fits the situation: try fearful, shy, overexcited, hungry, overtired … perhaps the sort of words you may use to describe that little toddler who is not doing what you’d like.

We all have reasons for doing things

Of one thing you may be sure - dogs don’t do things for no reason.

You may not be able to see or understand the reason - but there is a reason! And as we’re meant to be the ones with the bigger brains, and we chose to have this dog live with us, it’s up to us to work out what that reason is.

You’ll find some study of Dog Body Language will repay you well (see Resources below). Your dog will heave a huge sigh of relief when at last you seem to understand his clear messages! And no, they’re not obvious to most of us dumb humans till they’re explained to us.

Once you know whether your dog is just distracted or - perhaps - afraid, you’ll be able to deal accordingly with the situation. Keep in mind that you cannot train an emotion-based behaviour out of a dog. They’re not operating on a rational basis at that moment, any more than your shrieking toddler who wants something she can’t get.

So, as I replied to the reader I quoted at the top of this piece, assess the situation carefully before you apportion blame. Your dog needs your help and understanding, not condemnation.

Want to know how I teach my own puppies?

Here’s a taster course for you!

 

New dog? Resident dog creating difficulties? Here's your course

Resources

Dog Body Language videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bstvG_SUzMo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00_9JPltXHI

https://susangarrettdogagility.com/2018/06/body-language-fear-and-aggression/

ZZZs are worth £££s and $$$s

“You have to help us - he’s shredding our hands,” wailed the girl on the phone. 

“He just goes mad - he’s vicious!”

She was talking about her new puppy - a Cocker Spaniel crossed with a Poodle (a difficult mix at the best of times). I asked the puppy’s age. 

“He’s eleven weeks. OW! Scamp, NO! Get off! Oh no, my jumper …”

 “How long has Scamp been awake?” I asked.

“Only three hours,” she replied.

“Then there’s your problem. Put him straight to bed. Now.”

With a puppy as young as Scamp, one hour of being awake is usually quite enough. Time to put him away in his crate for a ziz. 

Get your free guide, learn how to stop that nipping, and start loving your puppy again!!

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With my latest puppy Coco, I would shut him in his crate at nap time, put a blanket over the top and three sides to make a cosy den, leave the room and shut the door. There’d be a bone or chew toy if he felt the need to do something. If there was a lot of noise outside I would play soothing music to mask it.

Any noise from the puppy before falling asleep would be totally ignored, so he quickly didn’t bother to make any. If your puppy is bored, sleep will soon waft over him!

When I returned a couple of hours later, my blissfully relaxed puppy would be stretching and smiling and ready to start the adventure again. Check out this piece for exactly how to achieve this blessed state!

As he grew he was able to manage longer times of being up and doing. 

Getting frayed and fractious, bitey and snappy, is a sure sign of an overtired puppy who is unable to control himself. Time to pop him in his crate or playpen, leave him in peace and wait for him to awaken refreshed. 

Older Dogs

And the same goes for older dogs. They need their beauty sleep! And they need much more than they’re usually allowed. Research has shown that an adult dog needs 17 hours of sleep a day to be mentally and physically healthy. 17 hours! How many dogs get that much sleep?

If your dog seems to be on the go the whole time, running himself ragged, chasing birds, chewing up anything he finds, alert at the smallest sound - you need to organise proper nap times, just as you would for a young child. Make them part of your routine so that your dog’s internal clock gets in sync with them.

At the moment I am working, so my dogs are all snoozing. They no longer need to be confined to a crate as they were as young puppies. There are many beds here and they are free to sleep where they will. 

So Cricket the Whippet is sunbathing on the grass outside. Rollo the Border Collie is dozing in the shade. Coco is on a hammock bed near me, and Lacy is on the floor just behind my chair. 

Not only are they going to awake rested, but I can work undisturbed. I can pay lots of attention to them when I’m ready, and I know nothing in the house or garden will have been damaged.

Early crate training ensured that the only chewing they ever did was of the approved items (bones, toys) which lived in their crates. Establishing early habits like this is hugely helpful later on. The chewing habit doesn’t have to be broken because it never got out of hand!

Start on Day 1

So start as you mean to continue, with lots of naps throughout the day for your young pup or new rescue dog. This will build a lasting routine for your puppy, and help to build feelings of security and confidence for your new rescue dog (who doesn’t need to brave the big bad world yet. Not until she knows this is home and you can be trusted to keep her safe.)

Always start from where you are! We can’t alter the past. We can just assess the present situation, see where it needs to improve, and change the future.

So your present dog, who races round all day and never sleeps, will need to start with short naps - gradually getting longer - with you still around. Feeding all meals in the crate will help her to love the place, and a foodtoy to lick and slurp while dozing off will be ideal. 

Teaching her how to relax on her mat will help her learn how to switch off. This book will show you how, in easy steps.

Yes, you can have a calm house and a relaxed dog. The first step is to sort out sleeping times.

Sleep is the great healer!

Check out our Free Courses and Courses pages to see how else you can help your mad dog become your Brilliant Family Dog!

Hooray! Shock collars banned in UK!

I wish I could say that these inhumane torture devices were banned universally, but sadly that is unlikely ever to happen.

What I can say is that England has just now joined Wales and Scotland in banning the beastly things for cats and dogs. The details of the legislation haven’t been released yet. Sadly the British government stopped short of banning underground electric shock fences and their collars. Why one shock is allowed and another not, I don’t know.

Known as e-collars, shock collars, training collars, they can deliver up to 6,000 volts to the dog’s neck, directly into the holes made by the spikes in the collar, which can last up to 11 seconds. Factor in that some electronic gadgets are faulty, and there are collars that don’t turn off at all, and you truly have an instrument of torture.

Also banned are collars that make a painful noise in the dog’s sensitive ears, or squirt a nasty liquid into his face. Once squirted, this scent remains in the dog’s nose, making this a long and painful punishment.

The use of shock collars is now also banned in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland, Slovenia, Germany, and in some territories of Australia - New South Wales and Southern Australia. 

So civilisation is slowly creeping over the world!

Why are they bad?

Science has proven without any doubt whatsoever, that associating good things with something has the effect of making that thing acceptable to an animal.

The opposite is true: associating bad things with something will make the dog more reactive or fearful of the thing.

Example: A dog is pulling on the lead. Just as the misguided owner administers an electric shock, the dog catches sight of a child. Now children are associated with pain and fear. How long before the dog takes matters into his own paws and bites a child to keep this dangerous thing away from him before he gets another shock? 

It’s simple science - not the rocket variety! 

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What can you do to accelerate this change? 

Many people think that the collars are harmless and just give a tickle to the neck. If you believe this, try one on your toddler. Or your neighbour’s toddler if you haven’t got one. No? Thought not … 

And many people also think that it’s right to change an animal’s behaviour by torture and punishment. Have a look at Amnesty International and see what they think of that! If it’s wrong to do this to people - and I’m sure if you’re reading this post you agree with that! - then how can it be right to do it to animals?

Be aware that people who do use them have a raft of excuses ready to pour out to you. To me that smacks of “the lady doth protest too much”. They know it’s wrong, but they try to justify it to themselves and anyone else who will listen. 

What it comes down to is that people like to dominate others, including animals. Some think force is acceptable. And making their own life easier at the expense of others’ rights and dignity is ok by them. 

I was offered money to promote these

I’ve had a few emails recently from websites who promote these nasty devices, and other collars which I would consider cruel or aversive. They offered me money to advertise them on Brilliant Family Dog. How desperate are they? 

There’s no way I’d advertise them - “not even for ready money” as Oscar Wilde put it! 

You can rest assured that you will never find cruel or aversive, punishing devices or methods promoted here! We know that the results we want can all be achieved by kind and gentle methods. Yes - it sometimes may take longer, but we’re not just looking at the result: the journey itself is enjoyable.

With your own family it’s the daily give-and-take that creates the abiding love and comfort that drives us to make family groups. We don’t just want the perfect, finished, child (or husband!). We live the process daily and enjoy what it brings to our relationships. 

And that is what I do with my pet animals too (and my farm animals when I had them). It’s the process of training, growing understanding, mutual appreciation - love - that is what we want in a relationship with our animals. Taking a shortcut to the desired result cuts all this learning out.

What people miss by doing this!

Other nasty things

Sadly man has devised other nasty things for the animals we choose to share our homes with. Reminiscent of the slave trade collars long since banned, the “prong” or “pinch” (what a euphemism!) collars are also promoted for a quick fix for any dog behaviour problems.

These collars have spikes on the inside that dig into the dog’s neck. “Oh, it doesn’t hurt him!” the deluded owner may say. Again - try it on someone you love. 

Keep in mind that dogs’ necks and throats are physiologically identical to our necks and throats. All the components are in exactly the same place as ours are. The only difference is a light bit of hair-covering, soon worn away by the use of these collars. 

If you need evidence that the people who use these collars actually know that they’re wrong and demeaning, know that there are now disguised collars available. From the outside it looks like a pretty collar. Inside are the rows of teeth. Despicable. 

What can I do instead?

So to end on a happier note - people are now realising how wrong this all is, and governments are taking action to ban their sale and use. 

What else can you use to get the results you want with your difficult or challenging dog? Check out our free courses and start learning a new way of working with your dog which is pleasurable for all parties. Watch your dog blossom!

You could start with this one which gives you simple kind and painfree "recipes" to change aspects of your dog's behaviour which you don't love.