Dog thieves beware!

A new Pet Abduction Act law has come into effect from Saturday August 24 in the UK. Under the Pet Abduction Act 2024, anyone found guilty of stealing a pet in England or Northern Ireland will face up to five years in prison, a fine, or both.

HOORAY!!!!!!! 🎉

Up to now, animals have not been considered sentient and theft of an animal would be treated as theft of any other property, like a bike or a teapot.

The government says that “The new law recognises that cats and dogs are not inanimate objects but sentient beings capable of experiencing distress and other emotional trauma when they are stolen from their owners or keepers.” 

Here are some useful references:

Are dogs sentient beings?

Pet Abduction Act 2024

Pet Abduction Bill becomes law

Protect your pooch (good advice, but needs updating for new law)

Puppy smuggling & dog theft

New law affecting dog and cat owners

How to prevent theft

Don’t make it easy for the thief

• Microchip

• Have recent photos

• Secure your property

• Train your dog to recall, or keep him on lead

• Don’t chatter on social media - especially if your dog is a small dog attractive to puppy farmers

• Always know where your dog is, and keep your eyes on him!

Imagine your dog is a wallet stuffed with money. Would you leave it on view and unattended in your car, your garden, on the ground outside a shop??

Isn’t your dog more precious than that wallet?

I’ll look forward to hearing about the first successful prosecution of these vile people. The only snag is that at present the prisons are overflowing, so custodial sentences are not easily given. Though many people get suspended sentences that may prevent repeat offending.

Not in UK?

Here’s your chance to start campaigning in your country, with evidence that these laws exist elsewhere!

Need to brush up your recall?

Here are two ways for you to do this:

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A new puppy PLUS a reactive dog: can it work?

I had this query from a reader recently, whose heart is clearly in the right place:

“I have a reactive/aggressive 8 year old I did not have from a puppy. As she has gotten older she has calmed down a bit however, we do not trust her around other dogs and do not even try to socialise her. She will cry, whine and sometimes growl which can be embarrassing.

I have longed for a dog that I can take everywhere with me and can get along with all dogs and people. I am considering getting another dog that is a little bit older than a young pup.

We do plan on introducing them slowly with the new dog being outside and our older dog inside watching through the window, then keeping them behind closed doors in the house etc.

One of my main worries is jealousy and the new dog picking up bad habits from the older dog. I also worry around the unfairness of walking them separately or is this something they will both quickly adjust to?

How do I make sure the new dog does not being aggressive also?”

Lots of questions here! And a few misconceptions too. Here was my reply to this caring owner:

“Well done on helping your dog get calmer - but don’t be embarrassed when your dog shows she’s uncomfortable! She’s giving you information. If others don’t understand, that’s not your problem - they will be impressed by your care.

New dog - I think you’d be better off with an 8wo pup. You’ll bring out the maternal instincts in your resident dog and she won’t see this baby as competition. Follow this article on introducing a puppy to a reactive dog to ensure a safe introduction and development.

Also, the young puppy will sleep so much that you’ll have plenty of time to give to your adult dog!

Walking separately is not unfair - most dogs prefer this undiluted time with their special person. I have four dogs and they all get their special times of solo walking with me.

There are a number of resources - from free to premium - on www.brilliantfamilydog.com/blog/how-best-can-you-help-your-dog-learn to help you. Do take advantage of them!”

As to how to introduce the older dog to the new puppy - and this goes for ANY older dog and puppy, not just a reactive dog - there is valuable information in that introduction article.

You can’t get a puppy and just chuck it into a multi-dog household and let it sink or swim. The outcomes are most unlikely to be what you’d like! There are plenty of parallels with children whose parents abdicate responsibility and the children rear themselves alongside their equally unguided peers. This can lead them down many unwanted paths . . .

So start as you mean to continue! Lots of 1-1 attention for each dog individually, and the puppy is reared more or less separately. After all, a puppy has a completely different physical timetable, with different requirements for training and exercising, so it makes sense.

Having a multi-dog household with the different characteristics of every dog within it is enchanting. They are so different!

And they need to be allowed to be. And not regarded as a pack.

Here’s a good place to start with your new pup:

Want a step-by-step guide to everything you need to know about your new puppy? Get New Puppy! here and start on the right paw!

Those early months are SOOOO important!

Let me know how you get on.

Don’t give up on your dog!

I love tennis! And not just because of having a constant supply of tennis balls for the dogs …

** Actually I don’t make my dogs ball-mad - there are too many injuries associated with ball-throwing. See this post. I work with frisbees and hoops and tugs in the main - but I digress …**

Tennis … and aficionados will know that right now it’s time for the French Open, at Roland Garros. Roland Garros was not, in fact, a tennis-player, but a famous aviator. And this is what he said:

“Victory belongs to the most tenacious” - Roland Garros

This is emblazoned on the main stadium for all to see and constantly remember.

Now - it’s not just tennis-players who benefit from being tenacious!

Whatever it is you truly want to achieve requires tenacity.

🐾 Things will seldom go as you expected.

🐾Things will fall apart regularly.

🐾 Something you thought you had done will mysteriously become undone.

🐾 It all seems too difficult!

And nowhere is this more true than shaping your pet dog to become your Brilliant Family Dog.

A living being!

We are not dealing with an inanimate object, like a tennis racquet - we are working with a living, sentient, being who has his own ideas about how things should go!

Now it’s true that, as Susan Garrett says, dogs are always doing the best they can with the information they have in the situation they find themselves in.

They are obliging souls!

But they are not superhuman (supercanine yes, superhuman no). They cannot give you the right response without some clue as to what you want.

And with the things you thought you’d taught breaking down, and your dog producing new behaviour with each passing month as he grows and learns, you need to keep those clues coming!

Keep in mind that this dog you’re working with is not set in stone. He’s a changing, developing, person.

Development in the dog

It would be a mistake to think that your 8-week-old puppy is the finished article. He’ll go through many changes as he develops physically and mentally. Just like our own children, there’s a huge learning curve for them to travel before they reach 2.

But what are they learning?

Ha! This is where you come in. Just like our own children, they need constant guidance. You can’t just leave this pup alone and expect him to turn out as you’d like - as the perfect family dog.

This is where our friend Roland has it right!

It’s persistence, consistency, perseverance - all those hard words that you perhaps don’t want to hear - tenacity!

It’s formulating your training plan and sticking to it! That’s what will bring you the results you want.

I’m so pleased when I see people who do just that - stick to their plan - and succeed.

All teachers will be familiar with those who drift in, thinking that just having the idea of training your dog - perhaps enrolling in a course or studying some books - will be sufficient.

It is not.

You have to do the work!

And it’s YOU who has to do the work. Your dog just comes along for the ride. You’re the one with the input.

Commitment to your dog training

If you’re ready to commit to REALLY helping the animal in your care have the best life, and you to have the best life along with him, then I have some resources for you:

Start with this free Workshop, with its important and valuable lessons.

Then you can decide which suits you better - joining us in the vibrant Brilliant Family Dog Academy with video demos and full individual support, or working on your own through my series of books.

It’s all there for you.

The only thing I ask - as your dog can’t ask you - is that you STICK WITH IT!

Toffee is ready to learn!

Do you ask your dog’s permission for handling him?

There are things we have to do to our dog. Let’s make them into things we do with our dog!

There’s grooming, hunting for ticks and other beasties, claw-clipping and grinding, perhaps administering eye ointment, drying feet … there’s a lot we have to do to keep our dogs fit and healthy.

So it’s important that you don’t just grab your dog (like vets often do) and inflict “treatment” on them!

I appreciate that vets are always in a hurry. But there are some excellent ones who clear it with the dog first before touching them … and then there are the smash-and-grab ones, who can set up a lifelong fear of the vet in a couple of hasty and ill-considered seconds.

So to get this going smoothly, you need to get buy-in from the dog, and make it easier all-round.

Here’s an excerpt from one of my Growly Dog Books

Is it you that’s causing the pain?

The key here is that your dog will associate something with any pain or discomfort he’s feeling. That something he’s latched on to may be the approach of a person holding a broom. It may be entering the vet’s surgery. It may be being manhandled so you can reach his claws. So if you have to administer a treatment which may be uncomfortable, it’s a good idea to get him to associate something else with this pain, and not you!

There are various techniques about that focus on the dog giving you permission to treat him - having him become a party to his own treatment.

Picture this: you go to the dentist for your appointment. While you’re talking to the receptionist, the dentist creeps up on you, grabs your jaw and forces it open to poke instruments in. Horror! This is an assault! And yet isn’t this what people often do to their dogs?

A better scenario would be that you go into the dentist’s surgery. He indicates The Chair. Now when you get into that chair you are effectively giving the dentist permission to open your mouth and start poking about in there. It’s just as unpleasant as before - but this time you gave your consent.

So get your dog to give you consent by transferring the “this may hurt” feelings onto something else. Some people use a pot of treats on the floor. As long as the dog sits or lies still in front of that pot he’ll be given a treat. Gradually you can pick up a paw or start brushing a tail while you dish out the treats. If your dog leaps up and flees, let him. When he ventures back he can choose to station himself in front of the treat pot again. He’s saying, “Ok, you can brush me now”. You could also get out the implements he’s worried about - the nail clippers or the claw-grinder, and perhaps use a particular mat for him to sit on, which you only use for treatments. When he comes to you, you can reward him for his bravery. He knows what’s going to happen - you’re not going to jump him.

If you call your dog over for a cuddle then grab him and swing him over onto his back so you can check his tangles, how’s he going to feel next time you call him?

Choice, choice, choice! Think of that dentist and let your dog have a say in his own care.

📖 Read more here: www.brilliantfamilydog.com/growly-boxset📚

And here’s a video of my Border Collie Yannick being introduced to Chirag Patel’s excellent Bucket Game. Note that he is free to come and go and take whatever position he likes.

We moved on quickly after these sessions, and I’m now “allowed” to hold all Yannick’s paws and clip his nails without any of the fear he was showing previously.

Should you ignore your dog?

This is the question I received from a follower recently:

“Most trainers say that you should ignore your dog when you come home and they are happy to see you. Do you agree with this?”

It’s something I hear quite often, so I thought I’d address it here.

And I have to say it’s one of the battier things some so-called dog trainers promulgate.

When you arrive home, in the bosom of your family, and they greet you - the children running to clasp you round the knees, your partner calling out an offer of tea from the kitchen - would you ignore them? 

Would you walk past them, ignore them, see their faces crumpling with confusion? 

OF COURSE YOU WOULDN’T!

If you’re the slightest bit normal you are enchanted by this warm homecoming, and respond with delight and appreciation.

Same for dogs

Cricket is first in the queue for a hug after my trip away

So why on earth would you want to ignore your loving dog, who greets you with delight on your return?

I suspect some people get confused between love and discipline.

If you come home to find your possessions shredded, this is NOT your dog’s fault! He may have been lonely, distressed, bored. He may have smelt you on the object he chose to love to death and just wanted to be near you.

Whatever the reason: who left the dog with access to things you didn’t want him to have? 😳

This is simply a case of mismanagement. Fix that and there will never be any need for you to feel anything but delighted when you arrive home.

I have dogs because I love them, and their genuine pleasure at my return home is always important to me. 

Isn’t it for you too?

Comment below …

If you’re finding it difficult to establish the love and boundaries your dog needs so that you don’t need to worry about separation anxiety or dark deeds while you’re out, check out the books here: www.brilliantfamilydog.com/books 

Slow change works well for dogs

Change can come so slowly.

Too slowly for us rushers! We’re always in such a hurry to be in a hurry.

WHY? … But that’s for another day!

We try something once, then say “That doesn’t work!”

And sometimes things don’t seem to change at all. We seem to have been labouring over the same problems - for ever!

But if you look back - honestly look back - you’ll see there has been change.

“The only constant is change” As Heraclitus said, so long ago.  “Everything changes and nothing remains still; you cannot step twice into the same stream.”

Nothing stays the same - it’s always getting better or worse.

So.

This is where we have to take a dispassionate view.

Recordkeeping can be very helpful here. It’s undoubtedly useful, but few people stick to it. It doesn’t suit many people - too much navel-gazing!

But look what people who only see your dog occasionally say!

Perhaps they got all four paws in the stomach last time you met, and now your dog is sitting quietly.

They are impressed, and will tell you so.

Perhaps your dog was on full alert when you met last time, and is now able to mooch about and sniff.

So people feel more relaxed round you, and will let you know by stopping to chat.

Or maybe it was a full-on barking and lunging meltdown they witnessed, and now you have the sense to recognise trigger points and manage the situation so much better - so that your dog can pass this hornèd monster without reacting.

They smile and acknowledge you from a safe distance.

Compliments

I remember a lady I didn’t know passing me on the road one day, years ago, with my then challenging puppy who wanted to get everywhere at the speed of light.

“I’ve been watching you,” she said. “You’re doing so well!”

Wasn’t I pleased! And I’d had no idea of her existence while she watched me every day from her kitchen window.

People aren’t all judging us - as we may feel when our dog is acting up.

Most are actually sympathetic.

After all, who’s brought up children without a public tantrum in the supermarket?

Who’s not had to apologise to a neighbour for their small boy’s - shall we say “over-exuberance”? 😳

Who shall cast the first stone?

We’re all in the same boat

Relax!

You are doing the best you can.

Your dog is doing the best she can.

Your neighbours are doing the best they can.

It’s all just fine.

And really?

So much better than it was a year ago …

If your dog is of the Growly variety - barking, lunging, terrifying the neighbourhood and making you blush! - take a look at the Growly Dog books you’ll find here: www.brilliantfamilydog.com/books

You really can make a big difference!