Your+Dog++May+2019

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TRAINING

BEHAVIOUR

She’s scared

of noises

Quick-fire

quest ions

Nitrogen is an essential part

of healthy soil, but too high

a concentration of it can turn

your grass yellow or brown.

Dog urine is naturally high

in nitrogen.

Highly acidic or alkaline

urine may cause grass

damage as well, by altering

the pH of the soil.

Many people think that

female dog urine causes

more problems than male,

but this is probably down

to the way dogs’ urinate;

females tend to squat and

urinate in one place, while

most males lift a leg and

mark in multiple locations.

A dog’s skin has a dif erent

pH level to that of humans.

It is best to use a shampoo

specii cally designed for dogs

when bathing your dog, as

human shampoo can upset

the pH balance.

WHY DOES DOG

WEE DAMAGE

MY LAWN?

IS IT OK TO USE

HUMAN SHAMPOO

TO WASH MY DOG?

Jack Russells are an

intelligent breed and need

plenty of stimulation.

Handling experience is a vital part of

training for a would-be instructor.

Q

We have a six-year-old Jack

Russell; we got her at seven

months of age. She had gone to

a family with a child, and they didn’t get

on, so she was kept in a cage and not

taken out. She is very noise sensitive, and

during Boni re Night she gets so stressed

she runs around barking constantly.

We have tried anxiety coats, medicine,

tablets, and playing i rework noises in

the house, but nothing has helped her.

Any suggestions? 

Wendy Haley, by email.

Tony says: It is worth being aware that

a dog’s barking is often made worse

by his owners shouting or ‘shushing’

him. To the dog, this must sound like

the owners joining in, and makes him think that

perhaps there is a problem.

Ideally, with your own dog, you need to establish

if it is now an attention bark or a way of coping

when anxious. This method can address both

problems: every time you hear a noise, show your

dog a treat, or part of her meal, and place it in her

bed or another safe area. You are training her to

identify sounds as the predictors of good things,

and teaching her to move to a safe place, rather

than running around and getting more fi red up.

You also need to ensure that an intelligent,

active breed like a JRT is getting adequate exercise,

mental stimulation, and is on a good diet. The

old adage: ‘a sleeping dog is a good dog’ is very

often true!

Getting as much

experience as possible

with lots of dif erent types

of dogs is a vital part of

establishing a career as

a dog trainer.

TOP TIP!

Tony says: A career

as a dog trainer can

have its challenges

but is exceptionally

rewarding. Some study is

necessary to understand canine

behaviour. Knowledge of topics

such as motivation, genetic

behaviour, and conditioning

are important to help develop

and sometimes change the

behaviour of a pet dog.

Dog training is an unregulated

business; consequently some

organisations use methods

that are not always positive or

up-to-date. Two organisations

I can recommend, which off er

courses, are the Association of

Pet Dog Trainers (APDT ) and The

Institute of Modern Dog Trainers

(IMDT ). For practical skills, why

not volunteer at your local

rescue kennels? Walking all kinds

of dogs can give you handling

experience, which, paired with

the science, will help make you

a better dog trainer.

Q

What is the best career path for a would-be dog trainer?

Any advice or help much appreciated!

Susan Gorman, Somerset.

Careers advice

ARE THERE

DIFFERENT TYPES

OF BARK?

Yes, and the dif erent types

have dif erent underlying

emotions. For instance,

a lower pitched bark ,

mixed with growls, signals

aggression, while a string of

barks with pauses in between

is typical alarm barking.