Dogs

This is an excessive training method that has been shown to be nothing more than a pointless act of cruelty. It involves grabbing the puppy and holding it on its back while staring directly into its eyes, until it stops wriggling and crying and gives up. Trainers will tell you that this is how bitches deal with naughty puppies. This is not true. Bitches don’t have the hands to physically inflict this on the puppy.

This sort of treatment can either make the puppy scared of its owner or more aggressive. People who do this to adult dogs to assert their dominance are in serious danger of being badly bitten. Biting in puppies should be redirected to a toy and/or the time-out method used as described.

Does my dog know when he has done wrong, because when I come home he looks really guilty and I think he expects to be punished?’

Studies have proven that dogs do not remember having done something wrong earlier in the day as their association span between the ‘crime’ and the corrective measure is less than three seconds. The dog that has soiled the carpet or chewed a piece of furniture does not think to itself ‘oh no, here comes Mum. I’m really going to be in trouble for making a mess.’

It will not make any association with what it has done earlier in the day and your reaction on finding the mess. It will not understand why you are pointing and yelling, but will slink away in response to your body language, confused and upset by your behaviour. There is no point in punishing a dog in this situation.

VETERINARY ANIMAL BEHAVIOURISTS

Experts with a veterinary degree and further qualifications in the field of animal behaviour, are fully versed in the use of medication with behavioural modification and have In-depth knowledge of neurophysiology.

Veterinary animal behaviourists are qualified to assess whether an animal is neurologically abnormal and are able to prescribe appropriate treatment if it is. They are the equivalent of human psychiatrists.