Happy Walks for Happy Dogs
Lots of autumn fun this week!
Always Learning
This week’s learning was a webinar on Resource Guarding by the brilliant The Mutty Professor. Many of us know that we shouldn’t chase a puppy to retrieve the tissue from their mouth because it turns into a repeatable game. In extreme circumstances, dogs may develop a habit of eating an item to prevent us taking it from them. This can even happen with poop! We can help by allowing them sniff and explore items (yes, including poo!), letting them revisit multiple times, which reduces the novelty and the value of the item. [It is wise to do a quick risk assessment first to check that the item isn’t unsafe, or is too valuable to us humans.]
Full webinar available here: https://themuttyprofessor.co.uk/…/resource-guarding…/
Thought for the week – do you know your dog whispers?
Dogs are excellent at communicating via subtle body language signals. As humans, we’re not always very good at picking up on them, which leads to the dogs needing to ‘shout’. In extreme cases, dog communication can escalate to growling and even biting if this is not listened to. How well do you listen to when your dog whispers by yawning or turning away? (Original Facebook post from Dog First Aid West Midlands here.)
Previous posts:
- Heather’s Happy Dogs: Weekly walk photos, doggie emotions and the Cuddles cue.
- Heather’s Happy Dogs: Weekly walk photos, resource guarding update, and cold smells.
- Heather’s Happy Dogs: Weekly walk photos, resource guarding webinar, and dog whispers.
- Heather’s Happy Dogs: Weekly walk photos, the importance of rest, and is bathtime always necessary?
- Heather’s Happy Dogs: Weekly walk photos, wonderful dog professionals, and minding your Ps & Qs
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