rescue Archives - Sarah Whitehead

Theory V Practice

Thought for the day – theory versus practice The Theory Behaviours that have been taught have been brought under the owner’s control simply by putting them on cue. What this means is that in the initial stages of training, the handler refrains from putting a

Games Day

How often do you play with your dog? Is it part of your routine together, or something that gets sidelined depending on your mood and motivation after a hard day? Do you prioritise training or physical exercise over games with your dog? Perhaps now’s the time

The worst things you ever taught your dog?

Ever regretted training your dog to perform a specific task or trick? Now, before you say it, I know that in theory the dog should never offer the behaviour once it’s under ‘stimulus control’ unless you ask for it, but real life and theory don’t always

Stress In Perspective

The credit crunch, global recession, bad news on the TV, too much work, not enough time… we all experience stress, don’t we? As humans, we know all too well what the symptoms can feel like – and how it can make us behave. What causes dogs

Social ‘Networking’ or ‘Not Working’?

No, this isn’t a reference to the fact that when most of us are on Facebook there are a hundred other things we ought to be doing instead… it’s my thoughts on dogs that are frequently and regularly walked in a group…. Social dogs enjoy interacting with other

The Wonders of The Baby Gate

The baby gate. Does anyone apart from dog owners buy these? Baby gates are wonderful because they allow access, whilst offering a physical barrier to give safety or simply restriction. OK, I appreciate that these contraptions may be slightly annoying for humans because they often require

12 Of The Best (Furry) Christmas Memories

Ah, Christmas. The time of year when friends send cards and… the inevitable Christmas letter… Now, you know the type of thing I mean. Their son just graduated with flying colours at the age of 12, their darling daughter just passed grade 6 on the flute

Stress Doesn’t Have To Be Stressful

When stress isn’t stressful Much is now written about stress in dogs – in fact it has become a bit of a trend for dog trainers to be told that dogs should be greeted sideways on, with narrowed eyes and a substantial amount of lip licking. The idea

Practical steps for polite lead walking

Gently does it There’s no need for punishment or harsh equipment when training your dog to walk nicely on the lead. Prong collars and choke chains have no place in today’s training and can cause behavioural and physical injury. Let’s be more imaginative. Modern training techniques

Pulling on a Lead – The Secret Your Dog Doesn’t Want You To Know

Want to know a dog-training secret? One that your dog would rather you didn’t know? Shhhh! Dogs like pulling on the lead. There are lots of reasons for this. Some breeds are simply designed to pull: Staffies and Huskies spring to mind, but lots of other

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