MY take on Milan & Shadow...

0-15 secs: 

Shadow is actually facing away from the Border Collie.  The Border Collie turns and directly FACES Shadow which is challenging for ANY dog, let alone one we already know is reactive.  Also, the Border Collie is FAR too close.

18 secs:

Shadow merely raises his nose in response to the Border Collie’s close proximity and body position (head on, direct eye contact).

19 secs:

Cesar taps the dog’s rear quarters with his foot.  As the dog is already aroused, he is startled more than normal by this unexpected tap and re-directs his agitation towards CM.

22 secs:

CM’s reaction is to tighten the leash and string Shadow up by the throat onto his hind legs.  As this is a slip-leash it tightens around the dog’s neck, instantly cutting off it’s oxygen supply.

26 secs:

Instead of releasing the pressure on the dog’s neck, CM has sustained it so Shadow, now in an instinctive state of anxiety, tries to free himself by jumping up again at CM.

26-35 secs:

CM STILL retains the pressure around Shadow’s throat so he feels he has to fight against it.  Most enlightened handlers here would realise that this dog has now gone into a state where it’s in ‘survival mode’ and not actually learning anything other than ‘humans mean pain’ so would have released the pressure on the dog and ended the session there and then.  There is NO POINT in continuing on after this.

35 secs onwards:

CM has now turned this into a fight.

As Shadow becomes more and more panicked due to asphyxiation (as any living being would) and more desperate to free himself, sensing his depleting oxygen levels are soon to render him helpless, he continues to lunge at CM, who continues to strangle the dog.  The situation is on a rapid downward spiral.

1:14 mins

CM knows that Shadow’s depleted oxygen levels are rendering him physically weak so he pins him to the ground.

1.18mins

Note the discolouration of Shadow’s tongue along with his open-mouth as he tries to get oxygen into his lungs after a whole minute of having his airway closed.

1:24mins

The dog tries to adjust his rear body position, possibly to roll over and expose his stomach as an appeasement gesture, but CM still pins him.

CM states that the Border Collie was showing anxiety because he doesn’t like Shadow’s ‘energy’.  However at the beginning of the session, the Border Collie wasn’t at all anxious.  CM then hypothesises that the Border Collie’s anxiety could have been Shadow’s trigger.  The video clearly shows that it was CM’s tap behind with his foot that was Shadow’s trigger in this case.   CM labels this dog ‘dominant’.  The body language and circumstances clearly say ‘panic’.  We are not allowed to watch the rest of this session and observe Shadow’s behaviour when allowed to get up.

Words fail me sometimes (believe me, that’s rare) and this is almost one of those times.  CM is a good talker and talks himself out of many of the disastrous situations he creates on camera.  Take away his ‘narration’ and all you see is cruelty that would be a criminal offence anywhere else…

Dog Breeding - Again

Ah it seems my last blog entry ruffled a few feathers, solely (as expected), from breeders and show people feeling the need to ‘have their say’.

Points made in response to my last blog included:

1. Reminding me that I own / have owned pedigree breeds myself so therefore must agree with selective breeding and accept that all dogs would be mongrels without breeders.
2. Saying they are confused by my statement that I do not support selective breeding, but then say that work needs to be done on improving the behaviour of dogs.
3. Individual breeders taking great pains to inform me of the careful selections they make when putting dogs together, suggesting that these actions are the only way to improve the health of dogs…

Point 1: 

I own dogs, not distinctions.  I don’t give a damn whether they are a specific breed or a Heinz 57 as long as they are physically and behaviourally healthy.  If you go to my website I’m the recent proud adoptee of a delightfully odd and vigorously healthy ‘mixed-breed’.  I’m also the owner of the result of obscenely irresponsible breeding, leaving my dog partially blind and profoundly deaf.  I love and respect both of them equally and if the cost of all dogs being healthy is for all dogs to look the same, I’d GLADLY make that sacrifice.

Point 2:

I’m not confused at all.  If I had my way, all selective breeding and aesthetic dog showing would be banned.  However as that’s unlikely to happen, I at least like to point out what ALL breeders should be doing to put the health of dogs first, instead of just some of them.

Point 3:

I really don’t see the point in informing me about people’s specific breeding practices as if it’s something to be proud of.  It really won’t convince me that it’s doing the dog as a species any good at all.  If people want to practice aesthetic manipulation I wish they’d do it on orchids and bonsai trees and leave wonderful, amazing, beautiful, intelligent and sentient beings alone.

Dog Breeding in the UK

Independent Dog Breeding Inquiry

I've just spend the day burrowing into the report on the Independent Inquiry into Dog Breeding by Professor Sir Patrick Bateson FRS, published at 10am this morning.

The report can be downloaded and read by clicking the link above so I won't discuss the whole 64 page report.  I do however want to say things about some of the findings presented as many of them I recognise as laments of those of us working 'at the sharp end' of breeders' mistakes!

Firstly, I'm happy to see behavioural welfare being a topic fairly well represented.  Those of us that work with puppies see first-hand the kind of socially unbalanced examples from breeders who either don't bother with socialisation and habituation programmes or, as the report describes... 

"...reckon that they have nothing to learn and resent bureaucratic interference"

I am no fan of selective breeding or showing for very definite reasons;  the minute either ego or money enters the equation, the worst possible side of humanity shows through.  If animals are involved, they are the innocent victims and I'm really pleased that this report is quite strongly-worded in places regarding the lack of integrity they have noted in breeders, albeit accompanied by the disclaimer that this is a generalisation and does not apply to all, of course.

I fully expect to be reading and hearing the all-too-familiar complaints regarding the feasibility of implementing the recommendations etc but for me, the whole process of the Kennel Club and breeders finally taking responsibility for their past (and present) actions has to start somewhere.  

Yes it's going to be tough-going.  

Yes it's going to involve us dog professionals keeping this ball rolling and getting passionate about it.  

Yes, it's going to take time.

Complaining about it is merely taking up more of that time!  We have got to get the Kennel Club, Breed Clubs and individual breeders to listen and learn without prejudice.  We need a common motivator such as that provided by Cesar Millan in the recent coalition of major European canine health & welfare charities and organisations to pull together and condemn aversive techniques (link below)

Welfare in Dog Training

That common motivator should be animal welfare, but unfortunately as previously said, ego and money are often the primary motivators in dog breeding and showing and I believe that these are mutually exclusive to canine welfare.  

As said earlier, the Inquiry has discovered things that many of us have known for ages.  I've been trying to change breeder attitudes for many years; here's a link to an article I wrote back in 2006.

The Breeder's Legacy - Laying the Foundation 

I'm still astounded at the sheer volume of the general public who have NO IDEA about choosing the right dog for them.  I was speaking to someone today who has bought a historic fighting breed for the first time and when I asked why they bought it, they replied that 'they just like the look of the breed'.  Yes, I'm taking them under my wing and will be helping them as much as possible, especially as this is the 20wk pup's THIRD home...

Bottom Line:  (In this the Inquiry agrees with what I've believed for years) if the public are better informed and educated, they will ask the right questions and hopefully stop buying from the breeders and other outlets that are not complying with the rules and regs which are there for the welfare of the dog.  Let's pull together as dog-lovers, professionals and enthusiasts to help the general public help the welfare of the dog.

We can't do it without them.

They can't do it without us.

The Sense of Loss...

Some really lovely friends of mine have just lost one of their dogs to old age.  They emailed me to ask whether dogs miss their doggy companions when they die.  This is what I said to them:

“I know exactly how you’re feeling right now as it’s nearly a year since I lost Gus and the pain has never lessened. 

I think that dogs do miss someone they’ve lived with for a long time, but show it in different ways.  It also depends on how much time they spent together and how close they were, i.e. whether they shared the same bed all the time, whether they followed each other around and whether they spent regular time apart and alone in the house quite happily. 

I’ve found though that the owners’ inevitable sadness at the loss of the other dog far and away is the biggest cause of different behaviour from the dog left behind.  I have absolutely no doubt that K.. is picking up on your sadness because no matter how good we think we’re hiding it – they know us much better than we think they do.  They spend their lives watching us and learning about us.  It stands to reason that when we are going through something traumatic, they will be wondering what the hell is wrong.  We can then make the mistake of thinking they are mourning as painfully as we are and trying to comfort them, which in turn will make them more anxious because our normal behaviours have changed again.

We can have more of a talk about it when I see you if you like, but you’re doing all the right things keeping up with the normal routine for her.  It’s not going to be possible to simply forget about F……. just to keep K..from seeing your pain, so don’t beat yourself up if you do need to give her a hug to help you through a bad moment.  If she starts to behave oddly, like the howling the other night, ask yourself how you would have handled it if F......... was still here and handle it the same, i.e. don’t go to her assuming she’s missing him; it’ll make your behaviour alter in her eyes and that will unsettle her all the more. 

Also, as cruel as it sounds, don’t feel sorry for her.  She may have been close to F……., but she feels closer to you and now she has you all to herself.  That’s actually what most human-orientated dogs actually want more than anything else in the world so if you think about it, this could be a good time for her!   Crazy I know but that’s just because it seems wrong to us humans not to grieve for the loss of our loved ones. Animals are far more transitory in their relationships so don’t grieve for her too and she’ll be fine.  You will all be fine – in time”