Out on walks while Freya was a few months old, I was surprised how many people told me they were spaying their female dogs before their first season. This didn’t feel right; surely it was important for a puppy to at least reach puberty and be fully grown before she was catapulted into what was
While separation anxiety is a well known behaviour trait in dogs, over dependence was something I’d never heard of until I sought professional help recently for Frankie’s lockdown issues. We’d been invited to our friends’ wedding and needed to be dog-free for two days. So I messaged Freya’s carer, who we hadn’t seen for nearly
Putting weight on a skinny dog was not something I’d ever had to think about with Freya. With hindsight, I now realise how chilled she was as a young pup. Even though she behaved ecstatically when greeting people and crazily doodle dashed with other dogs, while at home she was sedate and calm. Frankie, however,
Tip Ten From the Expert: Accepting each otherFrom the series 10 Tips on How to Form a Lifelong Bond with your Dog The good news is that the teenage phase ends, and if you’re lucky it won’t even be much of an issue. As your dog reaches adulthood it’s likely that you will have ironed out any minor
Tip Nine From the Expert: Consistency during those teenage yearsFrom the series 10 Tips on How to Form a Lifelong Bond with your Dog The other thing to think about while your dog is being a nightmare is consistency. The more challenging they are the harder it is – we’re only human and our patience sometimes runs thin.
Tip Eight From the Expert: Tipping the balance in your favourFrom the series 10 Tips on How to Form a Lifelong Bond with your Dog Having waxed lyrical about how incredible dogs are at understanding and loving us, there will inevitably come a time in your young dog’s life when you’re the least of their priorities! You’ll know
Tip Seven From the Expert: Use your attention positivelyFrom the series 10 Tips on How to Form a Lifelong Bond with your Dog There is such a strong bond between our dogs and us, which means they really value our attention. Attention comes in different forms. Physical contact is the most obvious, but your voice and eye contact
Tip Six From the Expert: Being realistic about expectations sets you up for successFrom the series 10 Tips on How to Form a Lifelong Bond with your Dog My absolute top tip when you’re training your young dog – especially when they are going through their teenage phase – is to be realistic about your expectations. It always
Tip Five From the Expert: Getting the most out of your dogFrom the series 10 Tips on How to Form a Lifelong Bond with your Dog Here’s the thing with punishment… It works. However, that doesn’t mean we should use it; behaviour is often an expression of an emotional state. Take the dog that barks at other dogs
So part two on separation anxiety is not the content I’d planned. After writing the first blog, ‘Leaving your puppy home alone – how to prevent separation anxiety‘ I ended with the optimistic words: “At eight months she [Freya] still didn’t like being left home alone, but was able to cope and we had set