Yesterday afternoon there was a faint tap,tap,tap on the kitchen window. Taps on the kitchen window that faces the lane are always from Trelawnyd-ites Locals are always told they can get my attention that way.
It was a chap from Well Street and he was with his large and floppy footed setter dog. I had suggested that they call around several months ago but I think he was embarrassed to do so... I was glad that had eventually turned up. Better late than never. The setter is a nervous type and so, it must be said is the owner especially when other dogs are involved and so a vicious circle of anxiety and reciprocal agression had been set up when they walked around the village and met up with one of the 100 or so dogs that live here.
I offered the dubious owner a bit of common sense dog therapy and yesterday he decided to give the winnie-therapy ago. The plan was simple He held his dog close when I brought Winnie out on her lead and I told him to loosen the tension of his lead and follow us. Winnie would take the lead and he would follow and down the lane and into the old churchyard we went. At first the settler held his head high and gazed nervously at Winnie waiting for a moment to lunge but Winnie gave him a brief stare which said " oh do fuck off" and turned her back on him . She cant be doing with nervous dogs..... their skittishness is lost on her sanguine nature
The setter's nervous agression just had nowhere to go. And so we walked, walked indian file around and around the Church with the setter following Winnie by a few inches much to the wide eyed astonishment of his owner. After ten minutes the anxious setter looked as bored as Winnie with the whole situation whilst more importantly the owner had shed much of his own anxiety .
It was as simple as that!!!!!
After we walked I told the owner that we should stop by the lytch gate and chat about bollocks in order tomakie the dogs wait until we were ready to go home. I dont think he quite got it but the dogs understood for both yawned and stood bored as the Alpha males talked above them.
Its not rocket science Youve just got to think on a dog's level
when we got Harry and he was a bit aggressive I got a trainer to help us out and you're right, it's pretty basic but without someoe to help me I wouldn't have figured it out.
ReplyDeleteThe trainer spent two hours with us at each of three visits and spent a LOT of time on pointless chit chat. I later realised that he was keeping an eye on US rather than the dog!
You sound just like my friends in Wisconsin who have the kennel. I love watching them deal with dogs--from my perch on the tall chair at the counter.
ReplyDeleteQuite a few years ago we had a trainer come in - who ended up teaching me to be the pack leader. All pretty much fell in place after that.
ReplyDeleteThats the biggest important job for the owner to do. Take charge.
DeleteVery interesting therapy. I guess many people overthink and overmanage things. You weren't literally talking about bollocks? Pretty alien word to us down under.
ReplyDeleteFascinating, especially for someone like me who doesn't have a clue about dog behavior. We had one when I was growing up but we lived in the country and didn't have other dogs nearby, so interaction wasn't an issue.
ReplyDeleteMy trainer used to say “your emotions travel down the leash” if you are stressed or anxious in a situation, you dog will be also. Be relaxed and confident and your dog will be.
ReplyDeleteI love talking bollucks and say the word as often as I can.
ReplyDeleteI just couldn't help thinking if only it was that easy for humans...or maybe it is if we let it? Speaking for myself...going thru a little hard time.
ReplyDeleteDo you think Winnie could work with politicians?
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ReplyDeleteTrain the human and the beast doth follow.. or some bollocks like that...
ReplyDeleteI'm never too sure how Rick will react with other dogs in our new village. I try to be relaxed about it but I'm sure he senses my anxiety sometimes and then tries to defend me. It's tricky.
ReplyDeleteWill the man and dog have to do this again for it to work or are they set up now?
ReplyDeleteNo we need to repeat the process in different areas then introduce Mary to the mix
DeleteJohn the dog whisperer, lovely.
ReplyDeleteOur pup is going through adolescence now and we are having to be a bit firmer with him though he still has those sweet puppy dog eyes !
Another string to your bow, dog training. I joined my friend on a lesson with a dog trainer, for her choc lab. It helped.
ReplyDeletePS. Love that picture at the top under the header.
DeleteI used to love watching the Barbara Woodhouse programs. She just scared the shit out of dogs - and their owners.
ReplyDeleteCommon sense dog therapy is my new go-go phrase. Very wise advice, though. Not having pets (I have yet to decide if I'm a dog or cat person) this is something that never occurred to me.
ReplyDeletexoxo
Were you talking about human bollocks or animal bollocks? I guess you covered size, hairiness, colour and the swing factor.
ReplyDeleteAs an experienced dog owner, there's nothing worse than people who pass their nervousness on to their dogs, which can then end up as fear aggression.
ReplyDeleteI took my well behaved Staffy pup, to the vets this morning.An old biddy came in with a Yorkie, saw my Zeus , n pulled the lead tight.It then started kicking off barking 😈😈😈
This is great. Youll make a permanent difference in both their lives.
ReplyDeleteYou and Winnie -- what a team!
ReplyDeleteI have a 90-pound dog that I absolutely could not walk unless he behaved on leash. I needed a cane for more than two years, although I'm past that now, and rabbits, deer, and once, a bobcat sometimes cross across our path. I get so exasperated when people with chihuahuas or similarly sized dogs are literally letting those tiny dogs pull them while they run at my dog, snapping and snarling. (He's bored by such behavior.) For heavens sakes, the moment a dog pulls, I just turn my back on them. As long as they are pulling, I stand my ground, looking bored, and paying them no attention at all. I'll stand there 30 minutes if need be, and when we adopt from rescue organizations, sometimes it is 30 minutes before the dog ever gives up and lets off the tension. The moment the dog lets off the tension, off we go again. Big dog, little dog: it doesn't take many such sessions for them to get the message.
ReplyDeleteI take my Chihuahua for a walk at the park everyday and he's more interested in where other dogs have been than actually meeting them nose to nose. He's a lover, not a fighter. Several weeks ago we were attacked by a large dog that got away from its owner before he could put a leash on it. I think it was a young dog, not a vicious one, but I had to scoop my dog up and hold him over my head while the much bigger one kept leaping up on me in an attempt to get at my little guy. The owner finally caught up with us and apologized profusely, but it was a very scary moment for both of us.
DeleteI certainly wasn't disparaging the breed in particular. I was just trying to come up with a dog of a certain size. I often see small dogs of all sorts of breeds whose owners don't bother to train them. My dogs (including one who was a pit bull mix, although I didn't know that when I first adopted him from a kill shelter on the day before he was scheduled to be put down) have been bitten more than once by uncontrolled smaller dogs, while I put my dogs in a sit whenever other dogs come along. I marvel that the small dog owners laugh and think it's cute when their dog has just bitten a dog with huge jaws. I love all dogs but not all dog owners are doing their jobs as well as you are. Congratulations! My grandmother had a beloved Chihuahua who loved her, too. How could I not want to protect them and all small dogs from such encounters?
DeleteLike the Dog Whisperer and the Man Whisperer.
ReplyDeleteA simple truth that dog owners are most of the problem when it comes to aggression. Too bad more people don't take a course for themselves to learn this from the gitgo.
ReplyDeleteLead and dogs will follow, and Winnie is a natural winner. I recall my fist encounter with a bulldog. I was about 5, the dog was tied in the garage next to the air-compressor, I was terrified.
ReplyDeleteBravo for taking the time to help them solve their problem!
ReplyDeleteBrilliant!
ReplyDeleteHugs!
I must say John that walking round the estate with my TERRIER there are times when I wish i\ could think at a dog's level.
ReplyDeleteJohn, you are clearly a natural at this sort of thing.
ReplyDeleteCareer move? Could be just the thing for you
Tess x
You're a DOG WHISPERER, John. Great work.
ReplyDeleteI can see Winnie having a Dog Yoga and anxiety class going on there!
ReplyDeleteJust googled it. Lych gate - why didn’t I know that? M x
ReplyDeleteJust perfect. Perhaps you could do dog therapy on weekends.
ReplyDeleteAs you said it's just common sense with most dogs.
ReplyDeleteWe were recently told how lucky we are that our cats, dogs and chickens all get on so well. I responded very firmly that it's not luck, any animal that joins our pack is very firmly from day one told and shown what is expected of them, as newbies they want to fit in with everyone and everything and so they do.
Although I do have to admit to Mavis being very naughty and literally biting a chicks head off last Summer ... that's a big bloody OOPS!!
Wow fantastic result John.
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