THINK DOG

Despite what we might wish to believe, dogs are not little people in furry suits. Treating dogs as people is the source of many problems that our dogs develop. Dogs are their own species and think and act in their own way (all of which was to ensure their survival when they lived in the wild). Dogs have their own set of drives (sources of motivation) and even these can differ greatly between dogs.

What we may consider “naughty” behaviours (in our terms) may be a quite natural instinctive behaviours for a dog. We cannot (and should not) try to shut down a dog’s natural instincts but we can help to direct them into a more humanly acceptable channel eg to prevent digging up the rose garden, provide a “doggy sand pit” with some interesting treasures!

Understanding how and why a dog can develop fears and anxieties is essential to understanding how to implement a treatment program to overcome this fear.