For years, dog behaviour and dog training specialists have insisted that to train your dog properly you need to be seen as the pack leader and so asset dominance over your dog.

Yet in an interesting study released earlier this week from the University of Bristol’s Department of Clinical Veterinary Sciences, there are reports that this theory is incorrect and there is no such thing as the ‘leader of the pack’ and dogs should be trained using reward rather than punishment.  The old thought process stated that the ‘top dog’ dominates the pack all the time and as such, dog owners were encouraged to be seen as the dominant leader to ensure they were in charge of their ‘pack’.

The study says that this ‘top dog’ notion varies in different situations and (more…)

To make bath time pleasant for your puppy take extra care in preparation and allow plenty of time so your puppy will associate his bath with being a happy experience.

If you are washing your puppy in the family bath or a baby bath you will need the water to be warm and not too hot.  Have ready and near at hand the puppy shampoo and a towel for drying off the excess water. Do not use human shampoo as they are not good for a puppy’s coat.

If you are using the family bath try using a hand held shower to rinse off the soap. If you are using a baby bath have a plastic jug handy.  An old towel in the bath will stop your puppy slipping.  Always (more…)

Whether or not a dog, or a particular breed of dog, will be good with children is a question dog breeders and people who work with dogs come across on a regular basis.

Any individual dog, or breed of dog, can be good with children if raised properly around children in the same way that any dog can be bad with children if they are not properly socialised or raised with children in the wrong way.  The responsibility lies with the owner.

Each breed was bred for a particular purpose and there are some aspects of a breed that may contradict behaving and interacting well with children.  An example often quoted is herding breeds – these were bred for their herding ability and as such they will attempt to herd almost anything, including children!  A natural way to herd is to nip gently and this can be alarming for children.  Similarly, a guard dog may not realise that a visiting child playing roughly with ‘his’ child is not a threat and so (more…)

A puppy that constantly moves around when you are trying your best to give him or her medicine can be quite tricky. It is essential to keep the experience stress free so the puppy will not learn to hate any form of medication and treatments given by yourself at home.

If you have been prescribed liquid medication by your local vet, ask for a large syringe without the needle. Place the tip of the syringe in the side of the puppies mouth (not the front) and squirt a little of the liquid gently into the mouth area.  Do not attempt to force open the mouth as the medication is more likely to end up all over you instead!

Tablets and capsules are the most popular form of (more…)