Written by Sue Gilmore, these articles were published in “Dogs Monthly” and other popular dog magazines, blogs or publications.
Help your dog with a hand signal
Getting a dog to focus on the handler can be demanding, especially if she is reluctant to give much eye contact. Using verbal commands is the usual way to train a dog, but introducing a hand signal to show the dog what we want is a useful technique to which most dogs respond quite readily.
Dogs in Hot Weather
PLEASE think of and for your dog: keep them cool. They wear fur coats 24/7! *Let your dog lie in shade under trees on cool ground or on a tiled floor indoors. *Hose him off and let him cool or soak in a paddling pool filled with cold water (it will heat up if it’s
Why Does My Dog: Spin around when greeting me?
Dog spinning / greeting Do you return home to a dog that spins in circles, jumps up and generally gets very boisterous? It’s a classic example of we humans interpreting such behaviour as the dog being very happy to see us. We emotionally reinforce the behaviour with a show of happiness and joy that the
Why Does My Dog: Seem reluctant to go out walking on lead?
Q Alfie, my collie, seems to be reluctant to go out walking on lead now. He’s 5 years old and used to get really excited when it was time to go for our regular walks. I take him out for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening. We used to go
Why Does My Dog: Get So Boisterous?
Q My puppy Jack Russell is very boisterous and goes mad when I put a collar and lead on her. She’s ten weeks old and bites me when I pick her up. Perhaps I got the wrong breed? Will she always be so aggressive? A Our approach to puppies of any breed is generally
Why Does My Dog: Pull on the Lead?
Q My dog pulls on the lead; it’s always tight when we’re out on the walk. It’s as if I’m not there, because he takes no notice of whatever I tell him. Even if I stop I’m hindering his progress to wherever we’re going and sometimes it’s such an awful experience I wonder why I
Why Does My Dog: Bite Me?
Q My puppy Jack Russell is very boisterous and goes mad when I put a collar and lead on her. She’s ten weeks old and bites me when I pick her up. Perhaps I got the wrong breed? Will she always be so aggressive? A Our approach to puppies of any breed is generally the
Why Does My Dog: Ignore Me?
Q I give my dog everything she needs: love, care, the best food, exercise – she lacks for nothing, yet I feel there’s a missing link. It’s as if she decides not to hear what I tell her and she sometimes chews things like my shoes or chair legs! I just don’t know what more
Dogs in Cars
Dogs in Cars Most dogs are happy to jump into cars knowing that journey’s end will bring excitement, new terrain and the chance to explore. Laws have been enacted to safeguard children when travelling in cars, however, no such provision is made for dogs, so here are a few suggestions that may just make your
Why does a 6 year old GSD Bitch often mount 5 year old GSD Male?
Q My six-year-old spayed German Shepherd bitch often mounts my entire male Shepherd, who is a year younger. She shows no aggression, but why does she do this? A Quite simply she is asserting herself over the dog. By placing her paws on the dog, she is sending a message that she is dominant
Why Does My Dog: Fear Men?
Many dogs are apparently fearful of men, even those dogs that seemingly have no reason to be. Perhaps the most common reason is that as a puppy he was not socialised with men so they are an unknown quantity. Men are generally bigger than women, have deeper voices and are often physically stronger, which may
Why does my puppy Jack Russell chase her tail?
Tail chasing is quite common in puppies; some seem to not realise that it is actually attached to their body! It can be a way of expending energy or an expression of boredom. Most puppies tend to grow out of the habit, but not all. When people laugh at the dog, they are actually