Dogs have an incredible sense of smell, many enjoy nothing more than a good sniff when out for a walk. This is important for a dog; it gives them much information and mental stimulation which is vital for their psychological well-being. Encourage sniffing by hiding some treats in the grass for them to find, turn it into a game for them if they don’t understand what’s required and cue them to find it. Try leaving a blood trail for them along their favourite countryside walk-use a bag of blood from the butchers and carefully leave drops on the ground and then just watch your dog go nuts for sniffing!

Remember, dogs have personalities and requirements individual to them. While one dog may be fine with being left alone, another may not. One may be ok with a visit from a dog walker during the day, another find this distressing. Do what’s right for each dog.

Young children often want to play with their dog; the dog may not want to play with the children though. Ensure you supervise interactions between young children and dogs and explain that if the dog signals that it wants to be left alone that they listen to it, respect its needs. Please also explain to children that kind and sympathetic handling is important. Dogs sometimes find younger children bewildering so keep play to a minimum; just a few minutes to ensure that stress levels do not rise in your dog. If in doubt as to what a dog is communicating, consult a qualified professional.

Contrary to popular belief it is not necessary to give your dog hours of exercise every day. Apart from certain breeds such as working strains and Huskies, most pet dogs have individual daily requirements which change depending upon mood and energy levels. If you have had a busy few days with your dog then give them a day or two off with only mild exercise instead. By allowing them to rest you give them a chance to not only recover physically but mentally as well. Give your dog a variety of exercise throughout the week, vary your routes for added stimulation but don’t forget to allow them to fully rest after. Observe your dog and discover what they prefer and what makes them anxious and adapt your routine accordingly. Don’t force a dog to go out if they really don’t want to-this could bring on a stressful reaction at a later stage. Adjust the exercise to weather conditions and seasonal fluctuations to ensure your dog remains in good health.

We are all aware of not leaving dogs in hot cars, but what about in hot homes? If your home is prone to getting stiflingly warm during the hotter weather ensure your pet has plenty of clean water to drink and somewhere cool to lie down. Perhaps invest in a fan or air conditioning unit; some dogs enjoy lying on a cold floor being wafted by a cool breeze. Some don’t like the vibrations on the floor from the floor standing units so perhaps a small fan is plenty or even a ceiling fan. A word of warning though; please don’t be tempted to feed your dog ice cream or lollies, ice cubes etc as this can send their stomach walls into spasm and cause bloat which can kill. Try walking your dog at cooler times of the day such as early morning and late evening as the hottest parts of the day can increase the likelihood of heatstroke. If you suspect your dog of having heatstroke you must act swiftly; call your vet or nearest vet hospital for advice and help cool your dog by placing wet towels between their legs and gently pouring cool water over their heads and paws. Dogs don’t sweat like us, they pant to lose heat and sweat through their pads. Give water slowly, if they gulp it too quickly it could make them vomit. Take water with you on walks in case your dog gets thirsty too!

There is a plethora of items available from all over the world claiming to either stop a dog from doing something or to aid training. Please think carefully before parting with your hard earned cash. Many of these devices can cause dogs stress, pain, fear and anxiety which is often transferred onto the owner through frustration. Some are considered abuse and some are perfectly fine for short term assistance when in a re-training program to get you on the right track. We are all time poor, sometimes we don’t have time to spend on training but put yourself in your dogs’ shoes and think how you would feel if made to wear or tolerate something you ask of them. If in doubt about any training aid you are thinking of buying, consult a qualified professional first for advice. It could save you a lot of money in the long run!

There is currently a trend for feeding raw and home cooked foods. This is something you need to discuss with your vet or qualified canine nutritionist as each dogs’ requirements are unique and what works for one may not work for another. Feeding a home prepared diet requires dedication and commitment and not everyone wants to follow such a regime. Pet foods vary considerably so if feeding a dog a manufactured food or treat choose wisely; avoid added colours, salt, sugars, cheap fillers, derivatives and additives which are unnecessary. Choose a food which labels the ingredients, especially the proteins and look for ingredients which you can recognise such as chicken, lamb, beef. Be aware of your own dogs’ daily needs and adjust accordingly. They may not be so hungry one day and ravenous the next. Balance the diet over a week and if you follow a home prepared diet then ensure you are giving the right levels of whole foods and fats plus essential vitamins and minerals. Consult a qualified professional if you need help choosing a diet for your dog.

I am often consulted regarding the need for owners to have their dog walk nicely on a lead. Sadly, many still believe a dog should rigidly ‘heel’ and not be allowed to explore their surroundings or greet strangers and dogs. This can build up stress levels in a dog and can often lead to inappropriate behaviours. It boils down to meeting the needs of your dog as an individual and what your requirements are for each outing. Do you need to teach an obedience style walk for showing? Do you want to enjoy a country walk? Do you just need to pop down the road to the post box?

Some dogs have learned to pull for a number of reasons. For example: Dogs walk at a natural trot; we simply don’t keep up with them! They use the force of the collar against their body weight to gain forward momentum, much like a draft horse uses a head collar to pull a cart behind it. Dogs pull when not taught to walk with a loose lead; they pull because they can. They want to get to where they want as quickly as possible. The list could go on. If using a choke, check, half choke or even a normal collar and lead the pulling can permanently damage the dog. Sometimes the pain itself is enough to cause the dog to pull as it instinctively wants to get away, not understanding that they are hurting themselves further. This in itself can cause behaviour issues so a pulling dog is not as funny as it looks at times.

Dogs need to investigate their surroundings, it’s important to understand that their view of the world is different to ours; theirs is world of scent so let them smell it! Letting your dog utilise this sense of smell will give it mental stimulation, which leaves your dog feeling satisfied and happy. Sometimes a dog will want to smell constantly, certain breeds were bred specifically for this purpose and it would cruel and unfair to not allow them to investigate to their full potential, constantly yanking a dog away from a sniff or keeping its head away from the ground can lead to psychological issues including anxiety type behaviours. Look at it this way, if you were not allowed to do something which you were gifted and talented at, such playing guitar or designing dresses or creating culinary dishes how restricted would you feel? Would you eventually become frustrated?

Walking your dog should be a pleasant and joyful experience for you both. Getting some fresh air and exercise is important for both species. If you constantly giving leash corrections under the misguided impression that you are in charge, it puts a lot of pressure on you and your dog. It leads to feelings of anxiety and frustration for both of you. There is rarely need to buy head collars and other anti pull paraphernalia, a well made and fitted harness and knowledge of how to walk your dog on a loose lead is all you need. RELAX. There is no need to be a ‘pack leader’ as you are allowed to enjoy your dog naturally. Let your dog practise its social skills with other dogs and situations: would you like it if prevented from doing the same? If your dog pulls the only thing to stop it is training. Of the many techniques I find very few work in all situations but sometimes just slowing the walk down and relaxing can be enough to help. Persistent pullers need help professionally though!

Start as you mean to go on, when training your dog to walk on a loose lead be prepared to take out some treats with you, don’t be afraid to put them in your pockets, you can always wash your clothes. Take your time, don’t expect miracles. Enjoy yourself, your dog will thank you for it. Try stopping when your dog pulls. Make a sound to gain their focus and raise or reward them when they orientate to you. While they are looking at you they aren’t tightening the lead so move off, add a cue of you wish. Slow it down, you will be surprised. If you practise until perfect at home in a distraction free environment and gradually introduce distractions and go further then you will have longer lasting results. Do this in bite sized chunks and don’t up the ante until you are certain your dog has understood the current stage in your training. Dogs learn at different rates, take no notice of the dogs that do it all the time or perfectly first time. Try side stepping, turning around, figure of eight movements to keep your dog interested in you. Feed your dog treats as you are walking, if you use its daily rations as training treats they will quickly enjoy the idea of walking by your side-use a double ended training lead around your waist to give you a hands free kit.

Another trusted method is the 2 step; begin with your dog in a sit, have a supply of treats ready and use a good lead, preferably a double ended one for hand free rewarding. The key is to be quiet. Watch your dogs’ body language and go slowly. Take one step forward and gauge your dogs reaction, if they surge forward go back to the sit and practice waiting patiently. If the initial step is good then take another step and turn carefully and take another 2 steps and turn again, all the time watching your dog. If there has been no pulling issue a sweetie calmly. Next take 3 steps then 4 steps before turning, during this time you can use the sweets while the lead is loose to help reinforce the behaviour. This method helps prevent the pulling from occurring as the dog has learned that rewards and forward motion come while the lead is loose. If the dog pulls at anytime, stop and encourage your dog to sit. Go back to the amount of steps you could take before the pulling occurred e.g. if your dog pulled at 16 steps then begin at 15 steps and go from there. Do this a little and often everyday as practise makes perfect and work from where you left off to build up the behaviour. In just a few days you will find you won’t need the treats or the lead!

If you are having problems then there other ways of preventing pulling so contact myself or a qualified professional for kind, safe methods of teaching your dog not to pull.