5 Tips to survive the festive period with your dog

Christmas can involve a change in routine with family visiting, new smells and temptations from all of the goodies and lots of toys in the form of decorations. Here are some simple tips to ensure that your holidays go by without a hitch and your dog is safe, happy and relaxed.

1. Festive food
Christmas treats contain a range of ingredients that are toxic, poisonous or a choke hazard to dogs. Keep your dog away from chocolate, alcohol, dried fruit (mince pies) and cooked bones. If you do find that your dog has eaten something they shouldn't have, try to establish how much they have eaten and call your vet immediately.

2. Tinsel town
Christmas decorations can make wonderful toys! If your dog hasn't had much experience with a tree/lights/tinsel then supervise them at all times when they are in the same room. If you usually leave your dog in a particular room, perhaps don't decorate that room or just have decorations that are out of reach.

3. Get some rest

A busy household and lots of visitors can result in an overexcited and overtired dog. Make sure that your dog has a safe place to rest and relax where they can be away from guests if they want some peace.

4. Chill out
If your dog is used to having free access to you and the entire house and you want the option to shut them away from the party, now is the time to start practising so that your dog is relaxed and happy in another room. You can use a crate or baby gate as this is sometimes a better option than a solid door blocking visual access. Start to feed your dog their meals in there, play calm scentwork games in there and spend time with them in there for short periods over the next few weeks to create positive associations.

5. Train your guests
Humans are often more difficult to train than dogs! Even if your dog loves people, it is easy for them to become overwhelmed by the attention from visitors. Have some 'house rules' for your visitors - no feeding dangerous snacks (see above), no approaching the dog if they are resting and no disturbing the dog if they are in their 'safe place'. Keep an eye on your dog for signs that they may be uncomfortable (http://www.thebluedog.org/en/dog-behaviour/behaviour-problems/why-does-my-dog/ladder-of-aggression) and remove them from the situation before things escalate.


Happy holidays from all of us at Natdogs! 

5 'E'asy steps to a happy relationship with your dog

5 'E'asy steps to a happy relationship with your dog

Experience
Providing your dog with a range of experiences from an early age and matching them with positive associations will inspire confidence in social situations. Whilst genetics has an influence on how your dog feels about and deals with the world, early and continued experiences at a distance, duration and frequency that your dog can cope with will develop important life skills. 

Engage
Being mentally and emotionally present for your dog will ensure that you can read and react to their behaviour and redirect it to something more appropriate if necessary. Most dogs find eye contact, touch and verbal praise from their owner highly rewarding so pay attention to what your dog is doing and let them know that you're with them.

Empathise

Dogs are capable of feeling a wide range of emotions; fear, happiness, frustration, excitement, anxiety to name but a few. Much like us, the mood and behaviour of our dogs will depend on a range of factors and they may find some social situations difficult to cope with. Being mindful of this and ensuring that they have a safe place to rest and aren't overwhelmed by their environment will build trust and reduce the need for fearful or aggressive reactions.

Enrich
Boredom is often at the root of many behavioural problems. By providing activities that cater for our dogs' needs, we can minimise the likelihood that our dogs will find alternative, undesirable outlets for their highly motivated natural behaviours. Giving appropriate opportunities to dig, sniff, run, chase, scratch, chew and bite will keep your dog satisfied and happy. 

Enjoy
Research shows that living with or being in the company of a canine companion can be extremely beneficial for our physical and emotional wellbeing. Make quality time for you and your dog to enjoy an activity together everyday whether it be walking, playing or simply sitting together and watching the world go by. 

No bad dogs, only bad owners . . . right?!

I work with all of my dogs to ensure that they can be the best version of themselves that they can be. However, I'm also realistic about how much I can actually influence and change in each of my dogs. Yes I can build confidence and resilience in social situations by setting up desensitisation and counter conditioning exercises and using effective management when out in public, but I cannot change some fundamental characteristics. Mouse will always be small, Gru will always be slight and fragile and Jack will most likely always have sensitivities about his back end (due to his dodgy hips).

For the reasons listed above, there are some dogs that I will actively avoid with each of my dogs in order to keep them safe, maintain trust in my ability to manage situations and to avoid them practising behaviours that I find undesirable. By knowing my dogs' personalities, capabilities and drive I can

observe, assess and interpret the behaviour of another dog and establish whether that dog will be a good match for my dog in a social situation. This is a skill that I have developed over decades as a behaviourist, but any dog owner should endeavour to learn enough about canine communication to do a mini-assessment of a dog you meet on a walk and decide whether that is a suitable play mate for your pooch. If your 5 second assessment throws up any concerns, you can then manage the situation by making your excuses and leaving. Kendal Shepherd's 'Ladder of Aggression' is an excellent place to start with observing behaviours and assessing emotions http://www.thebluedog.org/en/dog-behaviour/behaviour-problems/why-does-my-dog/ladder-of-aggression.

Knowing what your dog enjoys and is worried by can also help you to decide whether the approaching dog is an appropriate play mate. For example, I know that Gru does not enjoy being body barged in play. He's fast enough to get away but I don't want to put him in that situation and risk him not recalling back to me in an attempt to avoid the other dog. Mouse weighs 4kg. She is not going to enjoy being pounced on by a larger dog (most dogs are bigger than her!) or chased by a dog with a predatory drive that might see her as a prey item. Jack is a bit of a wonky old man and isn't up for engaging in rough play so unless a dog is going to keep themselves to themselves, we stay on lead and bimble on our way.

There is no shame in knowing your dog's limitations and avoiding situations that may put them in danger or make them uncomfortable. In fact, I implore all dog owners to do more of it. In my behaviour work I see more and more dogs that have been completely overwhelmed by social encounters with 'rude' dogs that bound over and are not able to read the situation and react appropriately. To me, a well socialised dog is one that can walk with, play with and coexist with other dogs and people by conversing, establishing boundaries and building a relationship based on trust. This requires effective management from the human half of the partnership in every social situation and a knowledge of what your dog can and can't cope with.