Behaviour & Training

If you have a dog that's constantly digging up your flower beds it can be incredibly frustrating. Find out why your dog digs and how to stop them doing it with our helpful guide. Dogs can develop the urge to dig at any time in their life: it could be a habit they’ve had since being a puppy, or something that comes on later in their adulthood. Find out more about what drives dogs to dig in order to determine how to stop a dog digging. The occasional scuffle in the soil isn’t a problem, but digging as a repeated habit can be a destructive behaviour. If you don’t discourage digging early on, significant damage can be done to your garden and home, and it will become harder to train your dog not to dig. Find out more about what drives dogs to dig in order to determine how to stop a dog digging.

There are many reasons why your dog may be aggressive, and it may require veterinary advice. Read about the causes of aggressive behaviour in dogs here. Your dog has a personality completely unique to them – and like all dogs, they have different moods ranging from joyful to scared. If your dog is behaving aggressively however – either to people or other dogs - you should address it as soon as possible. Aggressive dog behaviour can include: • Aggression to strangers • Aggression to family members • Guarding resources (such as food, treats or toys) • Aggression to other dogs in the household • Aggression to unknown dogs If your dog is showing any signs of aggression, first of all, consult your veterinary surgeon. Your vet will conduct a full examination to see if there is a clinical reason for your dog’s aggression such as pain, discomfort or any other physical cause. If no medical explanation or treatment can be found, the vet can refer you to a professional behaviourist for help. Although taking your dog to see the vet or behaviourist might seem worrying, you should never attempt to treat your dog’s aggression yourself, or ignore it and hope it will go away. If your dog’s aggression is not tackled quickly and appropriately, the problem can escalate and may result in serious injury to yourself and your family, other people or other animals, and even legal issues – and of course, you want to get help for your dog long before it gets this far! This is a problem that is far better - and far easier - tackled straight away. Why is my dog aggressive? All behaviours happen for a reason and occur as a result of the way the dog is feeling – and aggression is no different. A properly qualified and experienced behaviourist will be able to get to the heart of why your dog feels they need to act in this way, what their triggers are, and how to deal with this. The fear response Aggression in dogs nearly always comes from fear – as the purpose of aggression for a dog is one of perceived self-defence, and nearly always is with the intent of making things the dog regards as frightening or unpleasant stop, make them go away, or prevent them from happening in the first place These fears can arise due to inadequate early puppy socialisation, past experiences, or the perception that valuable resources are under threat of being taken away. Some dog who have been roughly or inappropriately handled as a puppy or put in scary situations when they are too young to be able to do anything about it can also grow up to be more reactive as adults. Since fear is the most common cause of aggressive behaviour in dogs, you should never punish your dog for growling or for any other display of aggression. Shouting at a dog for growling at something he is fearful of will simply compound his fear, may escalate the aggression, and quite likely his aggressive response will worsen next time. What should I do if my dog is aggressive? First of all, learn how to recognise how your dog is feeling. Every dog gives warning signals before they bite or attack – especially the first time - but owners aren’t always very good at reading them. Dog aggression warning signs There are several signals that your dog may give to indicate they are worried, fearful or feeling stressed, and if we recognise these, we can keep dogs feeling safe and stress-free, and so prevent a lot of canine aggression long before it starts. Often dogs bite out of self-defence because they feel that it is their only option as all their other warning signs have been ignored.

Dog muzzles often get a bad rap, but did you know there are actually quite a few benefits to wearing them for certain types of dogs? Find out more about them and our dog muzzle training tips with this guide. Dog muzzles are fantastic! We know that they get a mixed response from people, but we also know how important they are and have written this article to help you with your dog muzzle training. If you read that and thought, ‘my dog doesn’t need a muzzle,’ then this article is for you. Not only are muzzles perfect for dogs that might be a little bit grumpy, frightened or anxious when they’re out and about, they’re also quite often necessary at the vet's or if your dog has been hurt. If your dog has learnt to love their muzzle then all the stress that’s often accompanied by wearing one goes away. Why do some dogs wear muzzles? Some dogs need to wear muzzles and most of the time, it’s not because they’ve ever bitten anyone. Some ex-racing greyhounds wear muzzles because they have endured years of chasing something small and furry and that’s a hard habit to break. Some dogs wear one because vets and trainers recommend it when they are learning not to eat potentially dangerous objects, like stones or litter. Some dogs wear one because they need space and people tend to give dogs a wide berth if they’re wearing a muzzle. There are misconceptions about dog muzzles, there are judgements and there are quite often some unhelpful comments about them, but when did that stop you from doing your best for your dog?! The more we can all raise awareness about the positives of muzzles, the better! You could face a situation where your dog needs to be muzzled. You don’t know what the future holds and if you’re in a situation where your dog needs a muzzle as a matter of urgency; they won’t be feeling excited about one landing on their face. You can prepare them and take that stress away for them. Baskerville muzzles Baskerville muzzles are popular, safe and lightweight muzzles that allow your dog breathe. Never use a muzzle that clamps your dog’s mouth shut as that affects their breathing and leaves them unable to drink. With the Baskerville muzzle, they can take treats and drink, so once they’ve learned to love it, they’re not prevented from enjoying life while wearing one.