Behaviour

TERRIFIED OF LEAD
Q. I have a nine month old Staffie that is terrified of his lead and wondered if you could help please? Every time we get his lead out to go for walks, he runs and hides, yet we must have him on a lead as we live near a busy main road. He loves his walks and is more than happy to walk with me if I do not have a lead in my hand, so we have to use the car to get to our walks safely. Can you offer any suggestions please?
Mr. Pritchard.

A. Dear Mr Pritchard,
This phobia will probably go right back to when a lead was first introduced. He may have struggled or hurt himself and associated this with the lead. The best way forward is to throw this lead away and replace it with a completely different lead. A different type, different colour, different material. Changing where you put the lead on will also help, so if normally by your front door, change this to another part of the house or in the garden. If attaching the lead to his collar, try using a harness instead to attach it, so this way all the old associations that make up the phobia have changed.
Gill Minter.

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PUPPY -v- RESCUE DOG
Q:. We wish to have a dog in the family, but we are not sure whether to buy a puppy from a breeder, or take on one of the many rescue dogs that are looking for a home. Please can you advise us as to which would be better for our family. J.G.

A: Dear J.G.
Thank you for the question. I'm glad to hear you are giving serious thought before making any decision, as a dog is for life. Either a puppy or rescue dog can be very rewarding, although hard work at times, so lets take a look at both. A puppy will require being taught from the start, that will include housetraining, playing with toys, socialising to become socially acceptable in the outside world, basic training, to mention just a few. So guidance from the beginning can be quite hard work but well worth it. On the other hand, an older rescue dog may already be housetrained, socially acceptable and received some basic training, but have a behavioural problem such as being destructive when left alone, which will require your patience to overcome. So basically it is a matter of preference, a puppy that comes with a clean slate but needs you to teach it how to behaviour from the start, or a rescue dog that may have some small or large problems that you need to overcome. Both will take dedication, love and understanding to become a rewarding happy conclusion. Good luck!

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CHEWING
Q: We have a Border Collie x that we have had since a puppy, he is now 6 months old and the problem we are experiencing is that he will continually chew things we would rather he didn't have. Tissues, toilet rolls, the children's toys, our shoes are just some of the examples that he will destroy in minutes! We really cannot understand why he does this as he has many toys of his own that we have brought him, but he wont play with these. We have tried ignoring it, hoping he will grow out of it, but he has not, we have also tried scolding him and giving him a slap, but he still insists on chewing these things in full view us! Please can you offer any advice? Mr & Mrs. J.W.

A: Dear Mr & Mrs J.W.,
Chewing is a normal canine activity and a very enjoyable one at that! So, lets look at a scenario in the way the dog would see this problem. "Everyone in the family is watching a favourite television programme, that is apart from the dog, whom is rather bored and fancies some attention. He walks up to everyone in turn in the hope for some petting, but gets told to go away. He eventually settles down and starts chewing on one of his toys, then decides to take the toy to the owner in the hope they will have a game with him. The owner on the other hand is very intent on watching the programme and puts the toy out of the dogs reach and ignores him. The dog wanders over to a pair of dad's shoes that he has failed to put away, he sniffs them and sure enough they smell strongly of his owner, he settles down to see what they taste like, but after a few seconds the house erupts and everyone is now paying full attention to the dog, dad even leaps out of his seat to chase the dog and retrieve his shoe!" The dog has just learned one lesson, if you want some attention dont chew your toys, you are ignored for this, but do chew the shoes you get a 100% attention for that! It is a simple matter of re-training the dog. Go out and buy some chew toys, this may cost a bit, but it is less expensive than replacing shoes etc! A Kong is an ideal chew toy and can be stuffed with some tasty treat to make it more enjoyable. If the dog shows an interest in the toy, praise him immediately, do not walk by and ignore him, even stop and have a short game with the toy, chances are it will chew on that the next time. Make sure you put away things you would rather your dog didn't chew so he cannot keep making mistakes, but if he does chew something you would rather he didn't, bring the dog away preferably using a House Line and give the command as you do so of "leave it", now direct the dog to a suitable chew toy and praise/play with him for chewing it. The aim is to teach the dog that chewing is fine; its only the dog's choice of chewing article that is in question.

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LEAPING AROUND IN THE CAR
Q: We own a Bullmastiff bitch and she is perfect in everyway except in the car. We always take her their favourite walking places in the car everyday, but she gets so excited she will not stop dashing around on the back seat and leaping forwards between the passenger and driver seats. This as you can imagine is worrying us a great deal, as we do not own an estate or hatch back car, so cannot safely put her in the back with a dog guard up. Is there anything you can suggest to help us please? Mr P.L.

A: Dear Mr P.L.
This is quite a common problem, but as you have rightly stated one in which most owners overcome by using a dog guard if the car allows it. The problem is that for the dog, a car trip is exceedingly rewarding for it will end in a walk and free run which the dog enjoys so much, as for the same reason, it is why so many dogs pull the owner on the lead to the local park, but do not pull so badly on the way home again. It can be very beneficial in this instance to take the dog for lots of small car journeys which do not result in a walk, so the dog drops the association of car trip = walks. Once the dog does not know whether the car trip will end up at a favourite walk or back home again, it will start to quieten down and this should be rewarded. Of course this problem can be very dangerous, for a loose dog in the back of a car could, if the owner had to brake suddenly, end up being thrown against the driver or passenger killing them outright. It maybe a very good idea to invest in a Car Harness which is worn by the dog and strapped into the car seat belts, to stop the dog actually being able to move around in a dangerous fashion. This can be purchased from most good pet shops.

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FEAR OF FIREWORKS & STORMS
Q:. We have two dogs, Misha & Charlie, both GSD's and every year, about this time, we have problems with them due to firework night. Misha gets very stressed and shakes with fear, she wont even go outside in the evening to toilet. We have done everything we can think of, including reassuring her and having her in the bedroom and sleeping on the bed with us, which we dont usually allow. Two years ago, Charlie starting showing fear to fireworks as well as thunder storms, so now we have double the trouble! Last year got so bad I went to see my Vet, whom prescribed sedatives, but they had to stay on them for over two weeks and they were like zombies. Is their anything you can suggest to help please? Mr & Mrs C.W. (dreading 5th Nov!)

A:. Dear Mr & Mrs C.W.,
I get many queries of this time about this time of year, so Misha & Charlie are not alone. Firstly and most importantly I would advise that you return to your Vet and ask to be referred to a qualified behavioural counsellor in order to receive help in the form of a desensitization programme, which will drop the level of fear your dogs have to these noises by using sound tapes and linking them to naturally exciting occurrences. This is done in a very specific way and the counsellor needs to also ascertain whether the sight/smell and environment have anything to contribute with this problem, in order to effect a cure, it is very often the case that it is not the noise alone which the dog finds frightening. Reassurance is a normal human reaction when your dog is fearful or upset, but unfortunately makes the problem worse, as a dog does not understand reassurance and therefore believes your soothing strokes and words mean your rewarding the fear response and so it becomes worse. Some dogs are far more sound sensitive than others and I heard recently that sedatives can make the dog even more sound sensitive but unable to do anything about it, a little like you or I having an operation and waking in the middle of it! The only way to help your dogs overcome the fear is to see a behaviourist, work on a programme of desensitizing and if liked, I've found along with a programme, homeopathic remedies to be most useful. Hope this helps.

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RECALL IN OPEN PLACES
Q: I have been taking my pet dog "Opal", a mongrel that I have had since a puppy, to training classes for a year now, she is 15 months old. The problem we have is walking nice on the lead and coming back when called. This she does beautifully in the hall when we are at training classes, even walking in circles with ten other dogs, although I have had to check her on the chain a few times to start with. I can also walk to the other side of the hall and call her to me, she comes instantly, but when we go on walks she nearly pulls my arm out of my sockets and chokes her way to the park, then when off leash she will not return when I call her. I have mentioned this to my instructor and she replied that I am not hard enough with her and let her get away with far to much, I should check harder and if she doesn't come back when called I should tell her off more severly and keep her on the lead. Before trying this, I heard about yourself and wondered if you could offer me your expert advice please? Miss L.M.

A: Dear Miss L.M.
I'm sorry to hear you are experiencing problems with training and the first piece of advice I would offer would be to find a new training class! All to often we see very well meaning people opening up dog training classes, but unable to offer the client a full back up service in behaviour as well as training, after all you have been attending the classes for a year now and still have not found a solution to the problem, I would doubt if we went and purchased some meat from the local supermarket and we found that meat to be out of date, we would march right back and demand a quality service or our money back! So lets see if we can help you by first of all looking at why the dog is doing this. Firstly, we need to make the dog become successful, so we can reward the behaviour we want and therefore have an increase. You can look at many good products on the market nowadays to help with pulling dogs, like the Gentle Leader, halti, Harness, Lupi etc. These will help to stop pulling so providing you then reward that behaviour, you will see an increase in it. Secondly, if you walk the dog to the same area daily, taking the same route, it will pull to get there, for the reward of coming off leash and free playing is huge to the dog, so changing areas of walking will also help, or walking to the park several times a day, but doing stays and returning home again, can also help. If you imagine your home as "A" and the park as "B", the dog WANTS to get from A to B, to allow him to pull will be to reward that behaviour, so every time he pulls, you must take a few steps backwards and have the dog on a loose lead, rewarding this even if you are standing still on a loose lead, the dog has to learn the consequences that if he pulls, he wont reach B, the only way he will is on a loose lead, that's the only way he gets to move forward. This takes time and patience, but well worth it, as not only will it last for life, but what's a few weeks consistent work, to years of a non pulling dog. As for the recall, once again it must be a pleasure for the dog to want to come back. The dog's name and the command "come" must be viewed by the dog as pleasant, so if you have to do something you know your dog will dislike, like bathing him or clipping nails etc, never use his name or the command. If the dog will come readily in the house or from the garden when you call, but not with distractions, then put distractions in this area first, before expecting him to come back in the park, once it is reliable in that area it is an easy progression from there to the park by simply attaching a long line, which can be a long piece of washing line attached to the dogs collar, but the collar must be the flat type, no chain. Take with you something you know motivates your dog, so his favorite toy, or even his diner split into portions and reward each time the dog returns. As he now has no option, you can successfully reward the correct response, no matter how long it takes, then allow the dog to have the freedom of the long line again as many dogs assume that when the owners call it back, it is to take it home and end the walk, hence a punishment for coming in the dogs eyes. Slowly progress to dropping the line and allowing the dog to trail it behind him, but be careful it does not get tangled (that's why washing line is better than rope for example). Now BEFORE calling your dog, make sure you are standing on the line, so he still does not have an option, continuing rewarding with either his diner or a game with favourite toy, slowly reducing the long line but cutting it a few inches at a time, until you only have a small piece left, drops the association the dog has with control on line. Lastly go onto randomly rewarding, and for this can you use his favourite toy, titbits and love and praise, but don't forget, if he can get these things at home when he demands them, then they will not be seen as rewards in your dogs eyes. Good luck and let me know how you are getting on. If you decide to join some other classes, always ring and ask if you can sit in and watch a class in progress before joining, most instructors are more than happy to allow you to do this. What you are looking for are small, friendly run classes, without lots of barking, whining, panting dogs, which is a sign of stressful classes for the dog, and no shouting, abusive instructors that are having to use forceful methods in order to make the dog comply, due to the fact they have nothing else to rely on but force.

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HOUSETRAINING
Q:. I do not seem to be having much luck housetraining my puppy and wondered if you could help me please? She is now six months old and constantly urinates and defecate all over my house. When ever I take her into the garden she will not toilet and a last walk at night down the road in which we live, for her to toilet has no effect other than constantly sniffing. If we go on a walk during the daytime and I have her off the lead, she will toilet fine, it is just the garden and outside on leash we have the problem, although I must admit she will often come back from a walk off leash and toilet in the house again on return. We are beside ourselves with this problem and the only reason we have kept the dog is because she is so good in every other way. Right from the moment we had her, at eight weeks old, I have always told her she is a good girl when she goes in the garden and if she toilets indoors I have always told her off and shown it to her, before clearing it up. I have had people tell me to rub her nose in it, but this has not helped the problem either and someone else told me to ignore it, which I did try for a few weeks, but she still continued. Any ideas would be grateful appreciated . Thank you. Mrs A.V.

A: Dear Mrs A.V.
Let me firstly explain that the mother of a litter of puppies will teach her offsping that it is unacceptable to go in or around the sleeping and feeding area, but every where else is acceptable. Therefore, one someone takes on a puppy, if they supply these resources in the Kitchen for example, the puppy will feel it is acceptable to go a little way from it and toilet, which maybe the lounge carpet! Imagine now how confused the little chap is when he suddenly finds himself dragged to it and scolded, or worse still his nose pushed into it. Before implementing what follows I would strongly advise a visit to your Vet, to make sure this problem has nothing to do with a physical reason first. We must start by limiting access, so she cannot keep making mistakes all over the house. This way you will find it easier to keep an eye on her and put her in the garden if she has been sleeping, just after a meal and if you see her circling and sniffing as this is a sign she is looking for some where to eliminate. Now you must stay outside with her for a few minutes and the moment she performs reward her with a tasty treat and praise within 2 seconds, so it is of no use calling her over and rewarding her as she will think the reward was for coming to you. It will also be helpful if you have someone that can help you with this as your dog has learnt that it is unwise to toilet in your presence and this is why she will not go in the garden or outside on leash, she thinks her toileting displeases you in some way. Off leash she can move away and toilet if she wishes. If she doesn't toilet within 2 minutes in the garden, bring her in and contain her with you, keeping a watchful eye and repeat the process in 20 minutes or if you see any of the signs mentioned earlier. You will need to be patient to begin with and she needs to learn you will not be cross if she toilets in front of you. For accidents indoors you must completely ignore them, even if you see her do them, for it was your fault, not the dogs that you were not monitoring it close enough. Although you have already been advised to ignore, you didn't do it for long enough and a few more things need to also be applied. You must not clear the mess up in front of your dog and when you wash the area use one part biological washing powder, to four parts water, as this will eliminate the scent, of which she will wont to repeat over. Bleach, disinfectant etc, enhances the scent and encourages the dog to repeat in that area. Attention to this problem is paramount, if you imagine you were a dog and when you toileted outside you got a very calm, layed back owner, saying "Good Dog", but when you toileted indoors you got an owner with a contorted face which went a rather reddish colour, screaming, shouting, arm waving maniac, which would you prefer to see if attention was something you enjoyed? Never forget, to many dogs, punishment in the form of looking at, touching or speaking can be a reward in their eyes.

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FUSSY EATER
Q: We have a Yorkshire Terrier called "Pippin" whom we love very dearly. He is three years old and perfect in every way except with his food. He will not eat what we offer him and is becoming more and more fussy about what he has. We have tried best cuts of beef and chicken, but if he doesn't feel like it, then he walks away and no attempts from us will get him interested in it. Are there any suggestions you can make to help us? Mr & Mrs Wilmot,

A: Dear Mr & Mrs. Wilmot
This is a common problem, normally seen in smaller breeds, although also seen in the larger breeds as well. Firstly it must be stated that any sudden changes in a dogs eating habits should be reported to your Veterinary Surgeon immediately, to make sure it is not being caused by health reasons.
Many owners give their dogs treats during the course of the day and when it comes to offering a main meal the dog is very often full and so refuses the food. This is especially so in a small breed of dog. So, until the problem is rectified, all treats between meals should be stopped. The dog also learns that it worries the owners if it refuses to eat its daily food and gets offered an awful lot of attention for doing so, along with more and more human food in an attempt to entice the dog to eat. This in itself can sustain the dog's behaviour to refuse a lot of the food that is offered. We must also make sure the dog is not getting food from another resource, as this will also lead to it refusing its food when offered.
This always reminds me of the day I was in the middle of a counselling. I came to the question about food and the owner expressed a great deal of concern, saying her dog wouldn't eat anything no matter what they had tried, and had gone without food for over two days recently. I looked at the dog, an English Spaniel, and it looked right back at me and I swear I saw it wink! It was enormous, no way was this dog going without food. I then asked the owners if they had any cats and was told they had six. The story unfolded that the dog was getting the cats food and wouldn't eat its own food when offered. So this is something else we need to watch out for!
Providing the dog looks healthy and normal, then we need to find a well balanced diet, in the form of a complete food, which offers the dog all the daily requirements. You can add some stock or gravy to enhance the flavour if wished, but this must be the only food the dog is offered twice a day. Place the food down for the dog and at the end of 10 minutes if the dog has walked away and left some, pick up the uneaten food and do not offer anything else at all until the next mealtime. You must stick to this rigidly and most dogs will eat much more readily by day 5. If the dog refuses every meal that is offered, do not worry, it will not harm him. If he has not touched any food for three days, then take him to your Vet immediately.
If you have any more concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch or take your dog to the Vet for an examination, good luck!

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SUBMISSIVE URINATION
Q: Our dog "Joy" is a Border Collie x that we rescued in the early part of last year. We are sure she has been badly abused because if we have to tell her off or ask her to move out of a chair, particularly when we have been out without her and arrive back home, she rolls on her back and urinates in lots of dribbles. She doesn't seem to be able to help herself and the problem is really getting us down, as we do not seem to be able to stop her and show we mean her no harm. Mrs A. Cuckson.

A: Dear Mrs Cuckson,
This problem is called "submissive urination" and is either caused by having a dog that is naturally very submissive, or one that has been punished after offering appeasement signals to the owner. The dog becomes fearful when it realises that the appeasement signal/s are being ignored and the threat to the dog is still very apparent.
The only successful way to treat Joy is to totally ignore her when she shows these submissive, appeasement gestures, do not look at her, touch her or talk to her at this time, as to do so will continue the behaviour. With this kind of dog there should not be any need to "tell her off " or use any kind of reprimand in your voice at all. Calling her from a short distance away and really rewarding her for coming and sitting should defuse most situations, and will get her off furniture if you want to sit there yourself. I add the word "sitting" after you have called her, as this kind of dog will often come to you, but then go back to appeasement on reaching you. You may need to teach the recall and the sit using rewards and a gentle approach as a separate exercise beforehand. I also would advise whispering the commands, and in general talking with Joy, as she wishes to please you and the tone of our voices can often be misunderstood by a dog and cause submission again.

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HABITUAL SCRATCHING
Q: During the summer months, our dog Toby had a bad case of fleas and would bite and scratch himself continually, losing quite a lot of his hair in the process, in fact it was a terrible thing to watch and we were all very upset. We took him along to our Vet who diagnosed the Flea problem and also said he had a flea allergy. He gave Toby some treatment to rid him of these awful parasites and thankfully it worked very well and he has not had fleas since. The problem is that he is still biting and scratching his back and flank area regularly and has made himself bald in patches. No matter whether we tell him off for this or not, he continues to do it. He even does it when we are out, so it makes no difference whether we are present or not. Have you ever heard of this problem before please? Mr Charles Johnson.

A: Dear Mr Johnson,
In answer to your question, Yes, I have heard of this problem before and I know how distressing it is to both dog and owner alike. After the flea problem has been treated we can sometimes get a habit-forming problem, which is made worse if the dog receives any form of attention for it. So, the first thing is to make sure you give no attention for the behaviour whatsoever. I realise this will be difficult, but if necessary get up and walk out the room when it starts.
As you have also stated, it makes no difference whether you are present or not. I would be very inclined to go back to your Vet and ask if you can be referred to a Homeopathic Veterinary Clinic to help with this problem. As far as the success rate in treating this particularly problem, they have excellent results. I believe the Bach (pronounced Batch) Flower Remedies are also very useful in this area, in my experience, Crab Apple in particular, but this should be left to the experts within this field. It is common courtesy to ask for the remedy through your Vet first, but if he/she does not know of such a Vet offering this alternative practice within your area, please feel free to email me again and I will endeavor to put you in touch with one. The very best of luck to all of you.

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BEER DRINKING DOG
Q: I appreciate this must seem like a very small problem but it is driving our family insane! We recently have adopted a dog from a rescue centre. She is a neutered seven year old Mastiff and we have a called her Misha. The problem started when my husband has his evening drink, he thoroughly enjoys a can of bitter most evenings as a means of relaxation, only so does Misha! She waits by the fridge most evenings at about the time my husband arrives home and just whines. The moment he has come in, settled and got his beer from the fridge, she refuses to leave him alone, literally crying for the beer, just the mere smell sends her into raptures and us round the bend!
We have friends and family staying with over the Christmas period and quite frankly we are dreading it, with Misha constantly after their drinks all the time. I suppose I should explain that she came, originally from a Public House, which had to be closed down, and this is how she found herself in the rescue centre. My husband totally refuses to stop having his nightly beer, so Im afraid Im turning to you in despair. A harassed Mastiff owner!

A: Dear Harassed Mastiff owner,
I can sympathise with you greatly here as I have also had a dog with a similar problem and to begin with it is quite amusing, but after a while it can wear a bit thin, can't it? This type of habit can be a hard one to break, especially when it's at roughly the same time each day. Often changing the times can have a positive effect in breaking the habit, but in my experience it does not eliminate the problem satisfactorily.
We did not wish to just stop our dog from completely consuming this tipple he loves so much, therefore I looked for a compromise, as I didn't want him to experience "cold turkey" especially as Christmas was approaching (pardon the pun, couldn't resist it!). It was decided we would start by watering the beer down gradually, but still give him some at the usual time. Once we had completed this and the beer was extremely weak by watering down, we started offering the beer earlier and earlier and thankfully this seemed to have the desired effect. This left my partner alone in the evenings to enjoy his beer in peace! Whilst our dog still enjoys his tipple, very much watered down and at different times of the day, he no longer demands it and can even go several days without any. I hope to eventually wean him off it completely, but its still early days for us, so patience and perseverance are the key factors in this habit. Perhaps I should consider setting up an alcoholic clinic for dogs! Best wishes

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BARKING IN A VEHICLE
Q: Our dog Gromit is lovely in every way and we would never part with him, but he is an absolute devil in the car and will not let me in, acting in a most aggressive manner. I put him in the back and as I walk round to the driver's door, he starts barking at me through the windows. Once I open the driver's door, his barking escalates to the point of me getting in the seat and having him barking right in my ear. He has never snapped or bitten me, but it seems a different bark to the one he uses when he is excited. The only way I can stop him and get on with the journey, is to give him a chew stick, he then goes quiet and I have to try to get to my destination before he finishes it! We have no trouble with him at home what so ever. He is extremely well behaved and we have been to dog training classes, which he did very well in and came first at the end of term. Do you have any suggestions that might help me please? Mr.J. Kerry.

A: Dear Mr Kerry,
Although you have found a way to manage this problem and are now able to drive to your destination, it is simply because Gromit has been rewarded for his barking display with a chew stick and this is why he continues to exhibit this behaviour. I would be more inclined to get a Dog Stop Alarm, which can be purchased from The Company of Animals, or even a rape alarm which will do the same thing. As you open the car door and proceed to sit in your seat, be ready with the alarm and give one, short burst the moment he starts barking. You now need to time two minutes on your watch, we call this the dissociation period, and providing Gromit has been silent for the two minutes, the silence may be rewarded with the chew stick. If, on the other hand, he starts the barking up again before the two minutes have elapsed, another short burst of the alarm is needed, along with timing the two minutes again, until you can reward the two minutes of silent behaviour. It is very important you have the 2 minutes of silence before giving the chew stick, otherwise Gromit will think he is being rewarded for the barking again, rather than his silence. If you have any other problems, do contact me again, Gill.

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FOOD BOWL PROBLEM
Q: We have had Toby, our Labrador cross for two years now, but he has a problem that we do not seem to be able to overcome. He really loves his food and always has, we have used food for training him and this has gone very well indeed, with no aggression shown. But we were told that we should be able to put his food bowl down and be able to take it away again without any aggression, so we tried this and although he did not seem keen, he showed us no aggression. After a few months of doing this however, he started to growl, which we told him off for. He now no longer growls, but just snaps viciously if we so much as get near his food bowl. He has bitten my husbands hand on more than one occasion, when he was trying to get the bowl off the dog, and now we do not get anywhere near him when he is feeding. This concerns us a great deal as our grandchildren come to stay with us some weekends and we are worried sick he will bite them one day if they approach his bowl by accident. Incidentally, he is very amicable and well trained, showing no other aggressive tendencies at all, and dearly loves our grandchildren. Mrs. Joyce.

A: Dear Mrs Joyce.
In the wild, our dogs would work together as a "pack" to get the food they need for survival. They would then protect the food they were eating as their survival depends on it. The domesticated dog is not much different, especially if food resources play an important part in its daily likes. The fastest way to teach this kind of dog to become aggressive around its food bowl, is to try to keep taking it away, to see if you can. You confirm to the dog, that you are a threat around its food and besides if someone gave me my diner and then kept trying to take it away whilst I was in the middle of eating, I, like the dog, would give them a firm slap!
The way to deal with this problem is before mixing the food up attach a "Houseline" to his collar. A Houseline is a long, light weight lead without a loop or handle and can either be purchased or made by yourself. It must not be the lead you would normally use to exercise your dog. Now, with your dog on the Houseline, mix his food up in full view of him and on three separate saucers put something very tasty. For instance, saucer 1 may have some chicken, saucer 2 a sardine and saucer 3 some small chopped up dried liver. Now, holding the end of the houseline, place the dogs ordinary food bowl, containing his normal daily food, onto the floor and allow him to have a few mouthfuls. Using the Houseline, walk away from the food bowl to the other end of the room bringing your dog with you. There is no need to say anything. Shorten the lead and keep the dog behind you, approach the food bowl, pick it up and empty the first saucer containing the chicken into it, allowing the dog to see you do this. Place the bowl down again and let the dog eat the chicken. Then again, walk away bringing the dog with you, shorten the lead and keep the dog behind you as you retrieve the bowl. Empty the second saucer into it, place it down and allow the dog to eat the sardine. Repeat again until all three saucers have been used.
After you have been doing this for a week or so, you may remove the houseline as you should see the dog is more than happy to move back when you approach the bowl in anticipation of receiving something in it tastier than he is normally fed. Gill.

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COPROPHAGIA
Q: We have a rather embarrassing problem with our Labrador cross. He absolutely loves eating his own toilet, which we find absolutely disgusting. We have really shown our displeasure of this awful habit, but still he insists on doing it. We have a large garden and although we supervise him in the garden to try and catch him in the act, he is so quick to the point of even turning round and catching it as he is dispensing it! Please help! Mrs Ashes.

Dear Mrs Ashes, Firstly, please let me assure you this is not an uncommon problem and it has even been given the name of Coprophagia. Although disgusting to us humans, to the dog it is a natural behaviour of scavenging as faeces can contain some undigested nutrients in them. Treatment includes making sure areas are cleared up immediately and as you have a large garden it may help to reduce the areas the dog has access to whilst dealing with this problem. Teaching the dog to toilet on command is very useful in these cases and that involves being with the dog when he naturally wants to toilet. The moment he toilets use a word such as "be quick" and reward with praise and a titbit as soon as he has finished. If he has been reprimanded for toileting much patience will be needed in teaching this as the dog will have made the association that his toileting displeases you to the point that he eats the evidence! Once you have taught and rewarded this behaviour it will give you more control over the problem, as you will be able to clear it up easier. The dogs daily diet needs to be looked at, making sure it is suitable and balanced, but your Veterinarian will be able to give you guidance with this. Lastly, adding just ONE of the following into your dog's daily food will make it taste less appealing when it reaches the stool stage: pineapple juice, grated courgettes or an iron tablet (available from a pharmacist). A negative reaction on your part will make the problem worse, even though it is understandable to react; it can become an attention seeking exercise on the part of the dog. Gill

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TUGGING AT THE LEASH
Q: We have a Staffordshire Bull Terrier called Onslow that we acquired when he was 18 months old, he is now 22 months old, so as you can see we have not had him that long. He has settled with us very well and we love him to bits, but could really do with some advice on a problem we have with him and we came across your web page, so thought we would e-mail you and ask, hope this is convenient? When we go for walks with Onslow he is very excited and all the way to the downs where we walk he keeps tugging at the leash and nearly grabbing it out of our hands. It makes it so difficult to walk with him when he is doing this and we were advised to stop walking and stand still until he lost interest and let go of the lead, then continue on. This unfortunately has not worked and he continually tugs harder and harder, pulling us off our feet. Do you have any suggestions that could help us please? Debbie Collins.

Dear Debbie, I am only to pleased that you e mailed me for help, that's what I'm here for. Personally I have had more success using a body harness with this breed, as they have all the power contained in the shoulder area and a collar enables them to use this more efficiently. A head collar type product does not fit very well, due to the shape of the muzzle of the breed. Using a chain lead, rather than leather or webbing is beneficial, as most dogs dog not wish to have metal in the mouth to tug against, so I will use a chain lead on the harness and a leather or webbing lead on the collar. The moment the dog goes to chew or tug at the leather or webbing lead drop it and continue walking using the chain lead whilst not giving the dog any attention. This leaves the dog with nothing to tug against and it quickly stops and walks along nicely with you at which stage you can reward and praise it. Gill.

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SNATCHING FOOD
Q: We have a five month old Bearded Collie called Pagan. Having joined some local dog training classes recently, we find we are enjoying them immensely and Pagan is learning everything we have taught him, we are learning a lot as well! The only problem we are having is that he will grab the food treats we offer as rewards in training and this is becoming worse due to our eight year old daughter wanting to help with Pagan's training, but finding his snatching habit rather painful. Can you give us any tips or suggestions to train Pagan to take food gently please? Maureen, Ron, Kirsty & Pagan.

Dear Maureen & Family, This starts in puppy hood, before the dog learns to judge where to aim his teeth and can become a little clumsy with those sharp little teeth, making us pull our hand away when he does so. The effect of pulling our hand away, encourages him/her to start snatching food before it is pulled away and of course this is very common practice with children, as there fingers are more sensitive than that of an adults. So, we firstly have to stop moving our hand away and the best way of doing this is to hold the titbit between our finger and thumb and curl our hand round to make a fist before offering the dog the back of our hand. As the dog goes to snatch the titbit he will bump against the back of the hand and then usually take a step back or hesitate. The moment he does this uncurl your hand and give the titbit on your flat fingers, which will stop him from biting them. He will soon learn to wait until the hand is uncurled and the titbit is presented in this fashion which will have the desired effect of stopping him snatching the food reward. Incidentally, many dogs learn to snatch food from children's hand as they are walking around eating. To prevent this either make sure the children are sitting down to eat, or restrain the puppy until the food has been eaten by the child as it is not good practice to allow. Never tease a dog with food or he will start to lunge for it and could, unintentionally bite, which would not be the dog's fault at all. Gill.

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GROWLING
Q: I thought I would write to you to ask for help with our crossbreed that is normally quite well behaved, apart from when you pass his bed and then he growls at you. We have had him since a puppy and he is now six and half years old. His bed is contained in our hallway were we have a recess and he has always chosen to sleep their in preference to anywhere else. I cannot remember when it started, but he suddenly began a low growl whenever we passed this area and he was resting in it. I took hold of his collar and brought him away whilst verbally reprimanding him for this behaviour and he then stopped instantly. But every time you pass this area with him resting, he will growl and this has become worse, although the moment I pull him out and reprimand him he stops. Last night, as I passed by the hallway on my way upstairs, he started growling, but the moment I went to get him out he bit me on the hand quite hard, leaving puncture wounds. You can imagine how shocked I was, he has never shown any aggression of this kind before. I decided to leave him alone, were he continued growling until I had left the area. He is excellent to visitors and other dogs alike, so this behaviour is completely out of character and most disconcerting. I wont say he is the best trained dog in the world, he wont come back when he is called so we mostly have to have him on an extendible lead, but this is satisfactory to us. Have you any idea what we can do to stop this from happening again please, as we are now rather worried about passing him when he is this area? Mr F Smyth.

Dear Mr Smyth, Firstly I must explain about growling, as I get many posts of this kind and the results of the dog biting are then common. Growling is a warning; it's a warning something is not right and it must never be reprimanded or punished in anyway, otherwise the problem remains but the dog learns you dislike him/her growling, so bites instead. If ever a dog growls then the problem of why it is growling must be addressed by a professional, so that problem can be removed and the dog no longer needs to growl or act aggressively. In your instance, the first thing I would do would be to block of the recess in the hallway and move the dogs bed to another, more open location as your dog may well be protective of his sleeping and resting areas. The next step would be to visit a professional so that he/she can look at the dogs behaviour more closely, as this type of behaviour is very often caused by a misunderstanding in the human/canine relationship and needs addressing in order for the problem to be cured. Lastly a good dog training class, using kind, positive methods will help you a great deal so have a look in your area, a dog trainer that operates under the A.P.D.T. (Association Of Pet Dog Trainers) would be ideal. Gill

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BARKING IN CAR
Q. My dog is driving me quite mad with her constant barking every time I
take her out in the car for her daily walks. I have tried giving her a chew stick in the car, in the hope she will chew and not bark and I have even resorted to shouting at her, but still she continues this barking. She is always much quieter on the way home though, so do you have any ideas to help please?

A. This barking is excitement due to the fact she has come to associate
that the car journey on the way out is going to end in a walk and she cannot
wait to get there! I find giving her plenty of energetic games in the garden
before a car journey can help. Along with some mentally stimulating games during the course of the day also, which can be in the form of hiding a favourite toy and teaching her to "find it" or some basic training using positive methods.

When you put her in the car, take her on some boring journeys, do not always go for a walk, so she drops the association of car journeys mean walks. At the end of the journey wait 5-10 minutes before letting her out,
certainly do not let her out if she is barking. Have patience when doing this, as it may take her sometime to understand and realise car journeys are
not always the prelude to walks.

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INTRODUCING A DOG TO A RESIDENT CAT
Q. I am considering adopting a small dog and I have a resident cat living
with me. I do not wish to upset my cat so could you please advise me how
best to introduce the two?

A. I usually start by giving the cat an area of the home where the dog does
not have access, so upstairs maybe ideal. If the cat is not use to dogs
then the introduction must be slow and controlled and I may also keep the
cat indoors for a week and supply it with a safe area, putting a litter tray upstairs for it as well.
When you bring the dog home do not allow either to meet until the dog has
had a chance to explore downstairs or the rooms in which it is allowed and
has become accustomed to them and settled. Both dog and cat will be more than aware of each other presence through smell. I get two old towels,
washed well and then rub one over the dog so that it has his scent on and one over the cat. The dog's food is put on the cats towel and the cats food
is put on the dogs towel to further enhance the smell in a positive manner,
linking it to food and eating.

One the first meeting, which can take place in the evening when everyone is
relaxed, have the dog on a lead and allow the cat downstairs, making sure
the cat can run away if he does not wish to meet the dog. Encourage the
cat in the room using some food, but keep the dog under control, either sitting or lying down, he must not learn to chase the cat. Reward any relaxed
behaviour for either animal with food and quiet praise. It may take several
days before both animals reach a point of being relaxed near one another,
but once you see this you can just leave a line on the dog so you can
easily stop him if he decides to chase, but be there to supervise.

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CHASING CARS
Q. We have a young Border Collie that chases anything that moves. As we live near a main road we are very worried that her car chasing is going to get her injured or killed, even on a lead, she leaps out at every passing
vehicle.

A. Movement is one of the main triggers to this predatory chase behaviour.
Many dogs have a high chase instinct; some having been bred to herd. This
cannot be shut down, so it's very much a matter of what the dog chases,
rather than stopping it chasing.

You need to get this problem under control and satisfy the chase instinct. Have one or two very special, chase type toys that the dog does not have free access to by herself. You get these out as many times a day as
possible and engage in chase type play, putting the toy away again before the dog loses interest. Its important you keep the games exciting, whilst
maintaining control. If you do not have control of the games, then you will
not have control if your dog is trying to chase other undesirable moving
objects. Training classes that use positive reinforcement will help you in
teaching control, whist having fun. Look out for classes that are run by
the A.P.D.T. (Association of Pet Dog Trainers) in your area.

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BARKING
Q. I have a young dog called Rufus who furiously barks at people and other dogs when we are out walking. When she is on the lead, she tends to lunge and bark. This is much worse than when she is off the lead, as she will then keep her distance and bark at them, with her tail carriage low. Its makes our walks a misery, can you help?

A. This is a common problem in under socialised dogs and nervous dogs,
always made worse when the dog is on the lead or cornered in a small space. All dogs have a Flight, Fight and Freeze syndrome that they will put into action to see which works. If we take a dog, on leash or cornered we will see that the dog may first try to freeze and stand motionless, but the owner will continue walking bringing the dog out of this position. Flight is to run away or avoid, but this is not an option to a dog on a lead. So the only option left is to Fight, by barking and acting aggressively as it can. This always works as the owner shortens the lead and pulls their dog towards them and away from its fear, sometimes speaking or pacifying as they do so. This rewards the aggressive behaviour, so it will increase. Treatment depends on how established this problem has become, but the dog needs to be desensitized to its fears in a controlled manner with an experienced Behaviour Counsellor. Teaching the dog to focus on you and gaining control through reward training will start to help with this problem. Never get physical or verbally reprimand in this situation as you can exacerbate the problem.

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