My new pup is now with me just over a month. She is living up to her name with lots of attitude and confidence. Although she barks to be fed she also lets me know when she need to go out so her behaviour is rewarded for now! She is almost house trained. Sits before she gets her food. Waits before she is given permission to eat it and will sit before a door is opened for her. So although she is quite a vocal dog she is also learning to ask for her needs to be met. Eventually the barking for her food will be ignored or it will be put on a command. We are on the right track.

I am the owner of a ten week old farm sheepdog that came out of the Ennis pound. She is a little live wire and is reminding me of the need for it and is testing it …. patience. Puppies are adorable but it is so important to start as you mean to go on. This means that I must set the house rules now and not fall for the puppy love trap. So I must practise what I preach , patience patience and persistence. She is now and alone in the kitchen after screaming for the last twenty minuets but my pateince and persisentce has paid off as I write all is quiet and well.

We had a very successful course over the last week with all students passing their British Kennel Club Bronze good citizen test. Congratulations to one and all and keep up the good work. Please keep an eye on the website www.thecaninecollege.ie for more courses.

On Saturday last I went to see a man about his aggressive dog who he had stopped walking as he could no longer bear the embarrassment.  I sat with him as he talked about how aggressive his dogs was. As I listened I observed how calm and quiet this dog was even when the lead was being put on.  When we got outside I tested this dog on three of my own dogs and I eventually decided to allow nose to nose contact with the safety of a muzzle.  What I saw was a dog who barked with excitement and then after the initial investigations wagged his tail and then walked away.

This was not an# aggressive dog .  His owner a first time dog owner described as a terrier but to me he looked very similar to a dashund terrier cross.  As a #breed# Dashunds are known to be vocal# dogs so I think it may be a case that the owner did not know the breed of the dog and consequently the traits of the breed.  It is very useful to know the breed traits of your dog even if the dog is a mongrel. To find more useful information check out #thecaninecollege.ie

This morning I received a telephone call from a distressed owner who went on to describe the scene of a typical family situation.  The time is 8.30 am.  He is in the shower when he hears his eleven year old daughter scream.  As quickly as possible he goes into the kitchen to dicover his two daughters upset and the one year old poodle dog .  The story goes that the older confident daughter had the dog in her arms when the younger daughter who is wary of the dog approached the dog to pet him.  When he snarled viciously.  My caller, the father of the girls told me that he then threw the dog in the garden in a fit of fury and tried to restore some calm so that the day could resume and that he and his family get ready for the drive to school.
I as a normal person can completely understand both his and his daughters reaction and behaviour.  As a dog lover, trainer and behaviourist  I can also understand the dogs behaviour and reaction to the approach of a young girl who is wary and not so sure what she is doing.   I described her behaviour to her father as similar to that of the approach of a student doctor with a shaky hand about to administer an injection.  I know my responce would be exactly the same as the dogs….If you do’nt know what you are doing please leave me alone.
The dog was also trapped in the arms of the other daughter who was holding him at the time of the incident.   If he was free he would have had the opportunity to walk away.  However all the explanations does not change the fact that in the hustle and bustle of everyday life these things happen and that children are not expected to be experts on dogs.  So this situation is a very normal situation and there is no-one to blame.  Not all dogs and families are suited to one another.  Especially confident dogs and nervous children. http://www.thecaninecollege.ie

Hello this is Samantha Rawson of www.thecaninecollege.ie and www.irishdogtrainer.com . On Monday evening myself and my sheepdog aka a collie accepted an invitation by Saint Patricks football club in Inchicore to perform at halftime.  We arrived before kickoff so that both myself and my dog could get used to the environment and the festival atmosphere of the grounds and the excitement and passion as the match commenced. As we sat in the designated family section, the children asked if they could say hello to Pele and with my permission patted and stroked him much to his enjoyment and mine.  Both the children and Pele behaved very well.  As the passion increased from the football supporters and various noises of whistles cheers clamping, stamping and drumming erupted Pele became a little concerned but was quite quickly distracted by the smell of burgers and hotdogs !

Finally it was our turn to step on to the pitch.   I was a little worried that my dog Pele named after the great football  star would be distracted by all the footballs flying around as the under 8’s played their match and the big boys also practised at the other end of the pitch.   My fears were allayed by my wonderful dog as he performed so well and obedyed all my commands with so much distraction all arond him.  To my mind his performance far exceeded any competition we could contemplate.  This was the biggest test that we could have ever faced and we succeeded.  Oh I of little faith.  Thank you to St. Pats for the invitation we both had a wonderful time and came home with a smile bigger than the Cheshire cat.