Here is a terrific educational video on how to get your dog happy to wear a headcollar. This technique can be used for any type of headcollar, not just the one used in the video.

Little Lamb...

I went to visit this little lamb yesterday.. oops no it was Ruffles the Labradoodle! What a super puppy but is going to need LOTS of mental stimulation and hard work as she gets older!

Today's Puppy Consultation with Sasha!

Today's Puppy Consultation was with the lovely 5mth Sasha! She one of the calmest, most pleasant natured German Shepherd puppies I've ever had the pleasure of working with and now that her owners understand a lot more about her behaviour and her unique needs, I think she is going to grow up to be a smashing dog!

New Facebook Page!

Well, DogPsyche UK has joined the age of Social Networking and put up a Facebook page!

The link to it is on the top right of this blog page and also the official DogPsyche UK website.

The Facebook page will llikely be updated more frequently than any other web presence simply because it'seasier and quicker to put lnks and information on there!

Already there are interesting links to videos on puppy resource guarding, bad dog trainers, Milan getting bitten, the toxicity of most dog foods and so much more!

Please have a look and click on 'Become a Fan' to receive an update whenever something interesting is posted!

A very busy week it has been (said in true Yoda style!)!

The Walk Clubs are so popular I've had to start a new one on Saturday afternoons. It will enable people who work during the week to consider joining a club and socialising their dogs. The venue has a playground so families are more than welcome!

This week I've been very busy with rescue work; helping a Neapolitan Mastiff female who was due to be destroyed at a dog pound in Yorkshire, organising her emergency transport down to to a kennels in Cambridgeshire and then doing a visit to meet her and microchip her. It was touch and go as to whether she had a cancerous growth in her ear but thankfully this proved benign and she can now be found a good home.

The week has also been taken up with Puppy Consultations, follow up consultations, Walk Club Inductions and a consultation to help a very stressed but lovely rescued Golden Retriever. He will need lots of help for the foreseeable future but this boy is very lucky in that he has some very committed, dedicated owners who are going to see it through and I will be there to help them as much as they need.

Today...

Worked with a delightful little JRT today who had simply lost her way a little in the great scheme of doggy etiquette. Sticky & Bailey patiently helped her to relearn her social skills while having lots of fun too!

Enquiries are coming in thick and fast after a bit of a hiatus in April - I presume with people worrying about the credit crunch (myself included!). Walk Club places are filling fast and I've had to put on an extra club session on a Saturday lunchtime!

Sticky continues to amaze and impress me with his impeccable eloquence in doggy social skills and responsiveness to my commands to the extent that I'm wondering if he's not telepathic!

Rob Alleyne on Dog Food

Rob talks about the shocking way that pet food manufacturers mislead us...

Rob Alleyne on Puppy Socialisation & 'Celebrity' Dog Trainers!

Sticky Bunn has settled in so well that we feel he's been here forever! I am always telling people to be patient and take their time finding the right dog for them and their home and Sticky is proof that this works!

We have a very relaxed home and dogs are allowed anywhere they want to go as long as they are safe and they accept that must move if we need them to. Sticks if fine with this but to be honest he's so small he fits in anywhere!

His socialisation training is coming along fabulously; again he has just slotted into the work like he was born to do it. He's spent the first week being 'apprenticed' by Bailey (No, she didn't say 'You're Fired!) and today he took his first solo run with one of the Walk Clubs. I noticed to my delight that he stepped into Bailey's shoes as the confident policeman / group leader very successfully and also communicated with the other dogs very fluently.

Here's a pic of him at one of the clubs last week with new pals, Eric & Ridley



Check back soon for more updates!

Say Hello to... Sticky!

Sticky is the new addition to the DogPsyche UK Team! He is a rescued 18mth Labrador x Dachshund with a bit of collie somewhere in there too! He will be trained in the next few weeks / months to take on most of the behaviour assistance work so that Bailey can go into semi-retirement! Watch this space for updates on how he gets on.

New Assistant...

Exciting news! I have a new 'Assistant' joining me this weekend...

Bailey, my 8yr Great Dane, is getting a bit arthritic in her old age and needs to be semi-retired so I've been on a major search for a dog that can help take some of the workload from her of socialising other dogs (hard life... loads of walks a week, the best food money can buy, loads of play with friendly dogs... Tough eh?). The search has ended and I will be picking up my new 'Assistant' and member of our family this weekend...

Check back soon to meet him!

In Flanders Fields - by John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep,
though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

For the Fallen

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres,
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.

Little Gemma!

Couldnt resist taking this pic today of little Gemma, a 10wk Standard Schnauzer puppy. Meeting little cuties like this is one of the best parts of my work!

So Sad....

I've been to quite a few Fun Day type dog shows lately as I've been socialising my foster pup, BluBelle and I've been so saddened and at times angered by the use of choke chains on dogs... Just when I think that dog owners are becoming enlightened and more sensitive to the feelings of their friends, I see a whole range of dogs being literally choked to breathlessness by their owners yanking their dogs by the throat, ignoring the fact that they are doing massive soft tissue and blood vessel damage...

Please, if you currently use a choke chain, do some research on the damage you are causing your dog who trusts you to provide their care and keep them safe.

I can provide research on the negative effects of choke chains... Its not too late to change the tool you use and there are brilliant alternatives available.

Think about your dog. Chuck away the chain....

Busy Times!

Again I have had problems logging into my blog so all I've been able to do lately is post photos! Apologies for this. I'll try and get you up to speed with things at DogPsyche UK.

Meet Ozzy... A spirited, sweet little baby Staffie that I visited the other week for a Puppy Consultation. He was super-intelligent and very quick to learn.

Puppy Consultations are the ideal way to get your and your puppy off to the right start in life, learning from day one how to successfully communicate with each other, how to get your puppy to listen to you, how to understand your puppy's needs and generally make sure that you get the best foundation for your relationship that will hopefully last the rest of your dog's life.

Ozzy's owner was very committed and experienced with the Staffordshire Bull Terrier's 'unique' character and I'm hoping that he'll be ready to join us at one of the Walk Clubs soon.

This little sweetheart is Berkley.

He was another puppy whose owner wanted to give the best start in life and had a Puppy Consultation with me.

At the time of this photo he was barely 9wks of age and had only been in his new home for a couple of days.

This was the perfect time for the Puppy Consultation because we could nip bad habits in the bud and form brand new good ones to take their place!

Other recent news is that I was a judge for 'Britain's Brightest Dog' at the recent 'All About Dogs' show at Brentwood, Essex a couple of weeks ago. Although crossbreeds, Collies and Terriers were well-represented, the unanimous decision of the panel of judges was that a Springer Spaniel by the name of Sullie performed all of the tests beautifully. A brace of Hungarian Viszlas were the 2nd and 3rd brightest dogs of the weekend, working out a series of tests of intelligence at an astounding level. Congratulations to all of them and their owners!

It was fascinating for me to see the wonderful relationship that can be formed between dog and owner when the owner puts in the time and effort not just to train their dog but to enjoy time with their dog in the form of games and other mentally stimulating tasks. All of the judges agreed that it was wonderful to witness...

There is more info on the competition here:

http://www.allaboutdogs.org.uk/page59.html

The Walk Clubs continue to go from strength to strength with big successes with some dogs who have previously been quite stressed around people and other dogs learning gently to accept their place in the group and relax. Tillie, a young female German Shepherd has made huge steps forward in learning to trust her owners and relax around other dogs to the point that she is intermingling in the group amongst the other dogs now very calmly. Wonderful job, Paula and family!

One of the breed types I specialise in is the Cane Corso and we recently had a rescue join one of our Walk Clubs called Herman. Poor Herman hasn't had the best start in life and had his ears cut off (illegally) to make him look tougher. Thankfully Herman is a gentle, loving soul who loves other dogs and humans, despite having every reason not to. He is responding beautifully to training and his owners know how lucky they are to have such a special dog...

My Gus

I was sitting with my dog Gus and if woke up with this expression on his face! I couldn't resist taking a pic!

Poor Little BluBelle

My little foster pup recovering after her major eye surgery. Still sore and raw but ravenously hungry so obviously feeling better!

Little Blu

This poor little soul is the latest foster pup to come under my wing...

BluBelle was found on the Yorkshire Moors, we suspect dumped by her breeder because she was very ill, suffering from severe secondary infections all over her body but mostly on her feet due to extremely bad demodectic mange caused by a poor immune system. She had not been well cared for by her breeder in the first place but to be dumped on the moors to die in winter...

As if that wasn't bad enough she is almost blind due to one of the worst cases of cherry eye I've ever seen in such a young pup (20wks).

I'm not only the behavioural consultant for Neapolitan Mastiff Welfare but a foster carer too so she has come down here to Kent where she will be given the right to fight for her life...