Introducing OSCAR!!

The pack have a new member - 10 month old Oscar, A black Lab mix with a little Springer Spaniel!

Oscar, re-homed to us here at CrystalDogs, has bonded well with most of the pack...Monty the Gt Dane is still a little unsure as Oscar loves to try to play with him - fascinated by his sheer size and slobbery chops!

It took a few hours to get PeterPan to accept Oscar into the pack, we have not had a male younger than PeterP here for a couple of years as PeterP was so aggressive to other younger males. Well PeterP was muzzled to begin with as he relapsed into red zone, I had to step-up my Pack Leader energy and followed Cesar's Way to introduce a new dog to PeterP and then later to the rest of the pack.

We began with much walking exercise - just PeterP and Oscar together, then some supervised discipline time around the home, PeterP relaxed and peace was restored. Now PeterP, I am sure, thinks Oscar is "so cool" as Oscar is a young, high energy dog - he needs more exercise than the rest of the pack and PeterP gets to go along too!!

Oscar did not react to PeterP's aggression in any way - he was not aggressive in response to PeterP's lunging attacks .... I think I have the dog I need now - as Cesar talks of too - we get the dogs we need not necessarily the ones we want! I need a dog to work with me to help balance other dogs - welcome Oscar my "Rehab Assistant"!

Oscar has settled into our routine very well, from day one he began to learn how to rest from the pack! It is strange though having a pup around the place again ..... things go missing .... socks and the empty dog food cans in the trash bin are favourites!

More on Oscar coming soon as we are now a pack of 14 dogs!

Pack Member helps dog with shorter legs!

This week at the seaside the tide is quite high, there is just enough beach to walk along! While out on our pack walk we had to climb over a few rocks to get to a stretch of sand, once across I realised Sadie, the tiniest of the Jack Russels, was stuck on the other side - too short to jump over!

Just as I was thinking "oh no, I shall have to climb back over the rocks to lift her over" ......... Max the Dobey ran off, jumped the rocks and caught up with Sadie, he did not stop he kept on running with Sadie now following him. He found a way round the rocks and led her safely back onto the beach where we all were waiting and watching in amazement!

Way to go Max - he went and rescued his little pack mate and showed her the way. Max completely lived up to his rank of "would-be-alpha" dog - leading the way!! The amazing part is how all this was communicated between the dogs and I in "energy" alone - no vocal from the dogs or me, pure energy told Max to run to help Sadie join us - now that is true pack team work.

Remember our dogs are reading us all the time - they know what we are doing through our energy and body language! Energy truly is the inter-species language as Cesar Millan tells us.

Just as well Max accepts me as his Pack Leader .... else I'm not sure what he would have the rest of the pack doing all day - or maybe I do .... I think they would be running the beaches chasing sea birds all day, stopping occasionally to eat fresh fish washed up on the beach!

It's a Dog's Life at the beach!

Happy "Cesar" Christmas!!

Finally a chance for everyone including us "Brits" to learn from Cesar Millan, without having to live in the USA and be on The Dog Whisperer!






I highly recommend this for all owners and handlers... Cesar trains humans...us the people!

Extra News below so make sure you read on to the end of this post!

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After completing each section of the course work (at your own pace), you take a brief quiz. It's that easy, and it's fun! As a special added feature, Cesar's Pack is an online community forum where you can ask questions and communicate with other dog lovers and Pack Leaders. Cesar's Ambassadors are also there to help guide you through the course and try to answer your dog behavior questions.
For more information, go to http://www.sessionswithcesar.com/

Sessions With Cesar makes a great holiday gift for that "dog person" in your life!

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Join In...Join The Pack...Be The Pack Leader!

Bringing home a puppy...but not a "dog"?

Hello Jen and Welcome - a reply to comment question:

My first question would have to be "why would one not want to treat a dog as a dog"? Even my smallest Chihuahua mix Jack is proud to be "dog", dogs love to be dogs they are not fulfilled being surrogate humans! You should see little Jack running the countryside covered in mud with a feather in his mouth - his entire body language says “proud dog” - he would not want to be “carried around” and “pampered”...he is a dog!

Dogs are pack animals it's in their DNA, so why not be their leader this is nature's way? Being the Pack Leader does not mean we cannot have our dogs as companions or have to change everything - actually it is a very straight forward philosophy and I get to share affection - my pack get loads of affection, but it comes as a reward for being my followers and this makes it even more special to my dogs - they have earned their place in the pack, this is the ultimate reward for any dog!

So what is it about the pack leader way that you do not like or want to follow? What is your dog if not a dog?
Brining a powerful breed such as a Rottweiller into a family ....pack....without following exercise and discipline is a risky method, if the dog is naturally lower ranked "happy go lucky" then with training alone you may have a great family dog BUT if the dog is a social climber then behaviour may become a problem which later requires rehab!

Anyone can become their dog's Pack Leader - anytime - any dog age - this is because dogs live in the now and always prefer to live in the most natural of environments which is a pack.

I know if I was going to bring in a puppy to this pack I would follow Cesar's ways in his book "A Member of the Family" - a friend of mine Greet, in the Netherlands, has just followed this book to bring a Chihuahua pup at 7 wks old into her pack of 14 dogs with great success.

So the only other advice I could give you would be to have one dog as the higher ranked member of the pack - the "alpha", though please note this may well inspire fighting between them as the pup matures! I would also protect the smaller dog from puppy play in case of injury from a heavier boned puppy.

Train the pup from day one with other dogs, socialization is key in as many different environments/contexts as you possibly can. Try to avoid any bad habits developing by having at least some rules from day one. Walking both dogs together would help to create a bond, as would feeding them near each other but not allowing them to go to each other's bowls and balancing your attention between both dogs!

If you can manage to follow a little dog psychology it may well help you raise your pup without him suffering fears and obsessions - don’t reinforce fearful instinct/mind with affection, redirect him if he is becoming fixated on something - prevention is far better than cure!

If you are not following any discipline then you are likely to get more primal behaviour - behaviour which can carry risks and become unwanted later when it is no longer cute! If your current dog is a balanced dog then the positive power of the pack may well transfer to the puppy, if not then behaviour problems can double!

Not everyone wants to be or can be the pack leader , there is always room for compromise but personally I just love the calm energy of my pack now, you can see the contented dogs at walk, rest and play - it's a dog's life. If I cannot convince you to see you dogs as dogs, then all I can do is wish you luck with your new puppy and hope all goes well for you and that you go on to control your Rottie pup through obedience training.

I love to be my pack's Dog Whisperer! I still humanize my dogs for fun between humans only, they are all still my "babies" - my family, but never directly with/to them or in any emotional interaction as I respect their right to be my pack ... my dogs first.

Balance means I can be a dog lover and a Pack Leader.

Don't Be The Boss...Be The Pack Leader!!

When we switched philosophies to being the Pack Leader, not the "Boss", the changes in my pack are truly inspiring - they are with me...they will follow me and they are not all obedience trained! Here are some of my "key differences" between boss and leader:

To be a boss is "human hierarchy" - Bosses make demands, issue orders and expect staff to do exactly as they are instructed - between humans we can have this structure as we understand the rules, but for a dog "a boss" is not a leader, rather they are someone who gives commands and believes that a dog should obey the boss's demands always BUT

• Sometimes dogs refuse to obey the boss..."oh how I remember this one!!"
  
• Dogs have various ranks, while they may not be the boss as you the human are, a high ranked dog can still be the leader of the pack and that can over-rule a boss..."Eddie was the leader of the pack here!"
  
• Middle ranked dogs can feel insecure in such a structure as bosses have various ranks below them, like middle management, with middle ranked dogs = fighting between dogs over status/rank. While lower ranked dogs can feel insecure - Dogs can feel over-powered by a boss and behave fearfully or overly-submissive even using learned helplessness. "3 male Terriers would competitively fight...and fight!"
• Dogs cannot be bribed or negotiated with - a tactic used by some bosses. "Often Max would refuse a piece of food if there was something else he was focused on!"
• A dog does not follow a boss, they may do as they are told but this is not the same as following naturally out of respect, more likely through training obedience or for a "pay rise" which means a dog will only do something for a treat!! Or they do as told out of fear of consequences such as "being ignored" or "time-out" - human psychology dogs do not understand. "I put Alfie outside once as a consequence for not recalling - he just curled up on the bench and went to sleep quite content!"

Being a Pack Leader is dog, not human, psychology = successful communication between species. A Pack Leader is a rank and status a dog respects, the consistent structure and pack dynamics are those a dog understands - so we have follower dogs who respect us and want to please their leader - they want to work for their leader and place in the pack! Dogs do not follow unstable leaders - they only follow calm assertive leaders, to rant at a dog, use angry/frustrated energy or use physical force then these are actions of a boss or a weak leader which dogs do not respect and will not follow unless made to = back to being more of a boss again!

• Pack Leaders claim the alpha, highest rank/status, we have equal ranked follower dogs - we do not acknowledge any dog ranks in our packs = no fights!!
  
• Pack Leaders use calm assertive energy not physical dominance or aggression, "dominant type" dogs become follower dogs no longer acting-out dominance over the pack.
  
• We don't need commands, energy alone can have our dogs following our lead. Our dogs behave with calm submission with "no touch no talk no eye contact".
  
• We can give out verbal "commands" or physical signals (body language) - once we have taught them we can use them to direct and redirect our dogs, not to boss them around!
  
• Our dogs follow us out of respect - we do not bribe them or ask them to do things, the power of positive projection "energy" is a language our dogs understand.
  
• We communicate with clear and consistent rules, boundaries and limits - Discipline.
  
• We understand the need for "exercise first", we don't shower our dogs with affection first, our dogs earn their affection = natural dog pack psychology and behaviour.


• Human Leader with Follower Dog creates a bond of trust, fulfills our dogs need for the natural structure they understand and need.

I believe we should all be our dogs pack leaders, benevolent leaders not the boss!

Peace returns to our lives, chaos gone - balance achieved between people and dogs Cesar's Way! As I said at the start - "inspirational" this is also a great word to describe Cesar Millan - the original, genuine Pack Leader! Make being the "boss" old school, "Be The Pack Leader" - use energy not so many human words ...get in tune with your instincts, avoid humanising dogs and too much human analysis to solve dog behaviour problems over-complicates - So keep it simple, work with nature not against it and live in the now - dogs do!

Stay Calm Assertive - Stay balanced

Pack Leading = Contented Canine Companions!

Good Brush - Good Dog!!

The key here is to change a dogs association with the combination of human and the brush.

This method helps fearful dogs to recover mental and physical stability.

First after exercise, some real energy draining exercise, wait until your dog is truly calm submissive - relaxed body (not tense) and relaxed mind (not focused). Have some treats at the ready or prepare your voice for some gentle praise. Put a leash on your dog so that you have control, we don't want your dog running off to hide now! Sit down or having the dog standing on a table if they are really small, so you can make good warm eye contact. Hold the brush as far away from your dog as you can without letting go of the leash, preferably far enough away that your dog does not show a negative reaction! No talk and No Touch just encouraging yet confident eye contact.

Reward only calm submissive behaviour and mind. You are communicating to your dog this is a good thing - the brush being held by the human!

Gradually, - slowly and this is key, bring the brush closer to your dog, only moving the brush ever closer as your dog does not react negatively. Reward as you go - only for calm submissive behaviour. If your dog carries out unwanted behaviour then go back a step to when they did not act-out but do not give up now else once again they win the context! Keep going until you have the brush touching your dog and reward - as ever only reward calm submissive behaviour...I can't say this one enough as to praise anything else is to reinforce acting-out around the brush! If you do need to break this up into different sessions then always end a session on a positive note - so you still win the context!

Keep exercises short at first, building up to being able to groom your dog using any tool, this is systematic desensitisation and it works! Soon you may well have a dog who loves to be groomed - still having problems then Email me for personal advice.

Believe it or not but I did have to do this with my Gt Dane some 5 years ago who was fearful of the brush! Monty's sheer size made me more wary of a bite and I lost my confidence a little, so I used this approach instead!

Cesar's Way - dogs prefer to return to balance, aggressive behaviour is insecure behaviour, rehabilitation of the behaviour will change their response enabling recovery to begin!

Once again though - consult with a "Pro" if you can - maybe try thinking of it this way - would you expect to learn how to be a top singer without a vocal coach, the same is true for grooming or any other canine behaviour = contact a dog psychologist who can help you to understand your dog and teach you how to achieve balance between owners and dogs.

Cesar's Way - It works when we work it - Stay Calm Assertive

Grooming Gremlin!

This is the name of an episode of the Dog Whisperer Show with Cesar Millan, Season 1, and also the nickname of our Chihuahua mix Jack, who way back was just this - a complete nightmare to groom he truly transformed into a Gremlin!

Jack would snarl and "air bite" whenever I came near him with a brush and as for scissors...then his growl sounded worse than one from Max the Dobey! Small Jack may be but is size only, he is a naturally high ranked dog who given the opportunity will dominate others! This was Jack dominating me, only alpha dogs get to choose who they groom and when/how they do it, Jack thinking he was higher ranked than me was warning me off.

Another reason dogs can become "grooming gremlins" is through fear - they are afraid as they have been hurt before (not deliberately but hair snagged with a comb for example or their mind reads the human's energy which may be over assertive) or they may simply have a general fearful/nervous nature, so they growl/bark basically to protest the grooming/vocalize their fear and it works - the owner stops and begins backing away so "hey" the dog knows this behaviour works to keep human from grooming them so guess what? They keep on doing it!

Either way a dog wins the context so they keep on repeating the unwanted behaviour and aggression indicates insecure dog (unstable mind) who needs our help.

With Jack the rehab began with me establishing myself as his Pack Leader, I would not allow any dominance posturing from this little dog, though he could look cute! Once I made a decision to groom him I had to check first that my energy was completely calm and assertive because any hesitation on my part would mean Jack would win again! Well he snarled, he yapped, he escalated his protest trying to bite me (and managed one time) but I did not back down, eventually he submitted to the grooming and to this day is no longer a gremlin - just ask the Dog Groomer!!

For Jack this process is part of discipline - after exercise and before affection = Jack is calm submissive before and during grooming..... sometimes he falls asleep!

Of course I am a professional - so folks don't try this at home unless you are very experienced with your dog who respects you as Pack Leader first - check out Cesar's Way or consult with a behaviourist first as such behaviour can be a symtom of many other underlying problems! IMPORTANT POINT - Any dog of course who seems to suffer pain when grooming 9aggression can be a reaction to physical pain) should consult with their vet first so the dog be checked-out first in case there is a medical expalantaion.

Remember Jack's top tip - growl and my owner stays away!! - So owners don't hesitate - be calm, be confident, be assertive = Be the Pack Leader and then you can groom whenever you wish! Remember too my top tip - If in doubt have your dog wear a muzzle as to get to practice reactive, unwanted, aggressive responses means the dog gets to practice the behaviour so they just get better at it - get in a pro to help you rehab and Stay Safe.

Another way to help a dog who is afraid of the brush/scissors coming up next.

"Oh no another dog over there!!"

Today I have been watching some of Cesar's DVDs and came to a sudden realization, well actually it was a moment of recollection really!!

In the summer here at the beach we get used to people and their dogs visiting the beach frequently, my dogs are taught to avoid both. So when winter comes we are more used to having the beach "other dog free", so my pack get to run free much more. Thing is when I see another dog at this time of year I slip back into old thinking "oh no there's another dog here on lead everyone"...well I am only human! The dogs pick up on this weak energy of mine, on the outside I am saying to the pack "don't react, be submissive" and yet my energy is clearly saying something else - that I don't want these other dogs on the beach right now this is my time!

In the season 2 of Cesar's DW shows there is an episode called "Spooked Hootie" where the owner is thinking that she is over a previous incident when Hootie was spooked by children, then realizes she is also thinking "oh no children are here" as Hootie has become afraid of children, Cesar explains on how this means she is 2 energies - the superficial energy saying to Hootie "It's all OK" and the real energy which was saying "Oh no chidlren here" therefore holding onto the past issue, unintentionally reinforcing Hootie's fear! Dogs know when we are acting, they know which energy is real. Hootie recovered from his fear really well once the owner truly let go of the past and changed her own and Hootie's association with children.

So my most reactive of dogs the Ratpack Terriers were picking up on my real energy in not liking the other dogs around, ignoring my acting energy of it's all OK. So they have begun acting-out again using aggressive vocalization and posturing dominance!

I caused this "relapse" - just watching this episode has reminded me of this - the power of our energy, I must truly let go of this thinking pattern and believe that it is a good thing to have other dogs around again! All summer when I truly did not mind my dogs passed by other dogs just great, my energy was calm assertive then to keep them all under control and I did not feel frustrated with other dogs being around.

This can apply to any context, a dog who gets excited upon seeing another dog can lead the owner into thinking "oh no another dog we have to pass-by" and then their dog does exactly what they do not want them to do..jump about! Think about it and be totally honest is your energy truly calm assertive or are you saying something else to your dog from your inside energy?

Positive projection works - when we are truly seeing and believing in the picture we want rather than the one we do not want...we leave behind the old energy - we move-on by changing our thinking patterns as well!

Fireworks...And The Dogs!

When the bangers go "bang" so does Peterpan!

Peterpan, being an anxious type dog, fireworks = stress for him ... particularly the bangers on fireworks night ...tonight the 5th of November, ....and unfortunately "bonfire night & fireworks parties" go on for many nights afterwards! This can be a tough time of year for some of us animal owners! This is how we get through this nightmare of seasons...and I am still at a loss to understand why humans like fireworks anyway?!!

Most of my dogs are not bothered by fireworks but we still drain as much energy as we can do to make sure all are resting when it gets dark! We begin the day with exercise...we then exercise some more and for Peterpan even more!

Here are my top tips:

• Drain energy from your dog - exercise! Try faster paced exercise such as running or cycling or even games of fetch it...over and over again!
• I Feed just before it gets dark as my dogs naturally rest after food.
• Take your dog out for another walk just before it gets dark or as close as you can to a display if you know when it is due, allowing time for a dog to get settled into the resting zone pre-fireworks!!
• Have the TV...radio...stereo on and loudish - but "Watch out" as some soap programmes do indeed feature "fireworks" so keep the remote handy!
• And - if there is a lull in this distraction noise - try singing, laughing or coughing loudly ... I do!!
• Use Dog psychology to overcome unstable mind - Ignore any acting-out e.g. protests like whining, shaking or pacing around - as to acknowledge or try to comfort a dog is using human psychology - with dogs to do this and share affection when the mind is unstable is to reinforce the wrong energy, mindset and acting-out behaviour...so don't be tempted to cuddle! Trust me - dog psychology enables your dog to move-on and out of the fearful-zone much more quickly - this is how I help my dogs to recover from fear of fireworks. If you must "cuddle" find a human instead...or a teddy bear :-)
• Humans - Clam Assertive energy please! Picture the calm scene you do want and don't even think about the fireworks as a dog will know if you are anxious or focused on them in any way!
• If the acting-out is too much e.g. aggressive/destructive/toileting/vocalization - then I step-in with calm energy to correct, for the most nervous of dogs it is best to have them leashed to avoid getting accidentally hurt by a dog who is frightened, give a leash "pop" and remember to redirect the dog - what do you want them to do instead?
• Remember too that it is very hard for an excited or nervous dog to sit/down calmly - have something else prepared for them to do instead! - Have a way for the dog to release pent-uo nervous energy - I have a chew toy for Peter so he can displace his frustrated energy!
• Reward relaxed behaviour with your mind - think "good dog" as your dog does understand this energy as rewarding from us and keep your facial expression "happy" - smile so you are communicating "relaxed human relaxed dog"!

I have some Rescue Remedy for Peterpan which helps him to calm down, I take some too :-)
Off for another walk now - Peterpan you will be tired!!

Stay safe - Stay Calm Assertive

Breed....BOB!!

Introducing you to a "Mix of breeds" dog - BOB! In this picture he is "in touch with his Border Collie side"!! And here he is with 3 Tennis Balls...each one is "Bob's Ball"!!! Bob ...check out his colour and markings .... you will not grow up to be a real Border Collie ... you are 6 yrs now!

Thankfully Cesar believes dogs as "Animal first" then "Species Dog" then "Breed" then "name" = which means that I can fulfill all my dogs through exercise even if I do not know their true breeding!

So how do I fulfill Bob's "breed"? Bob who is Border Collie (BC) mixed with a Jack Russell Terrier (JRT) ...well he goes on two walks every day - one where he seems to be more BC so he plays ball over and over again, the other with the Terriers brings out his JRT side so he sniffs around, goes under vegetation searching, digs holes in the sand and much more that Terriers do - today he chased a hare across a field..no chance of catching up with this fast animal but he tried - totally in tune with his JRT instincts!

All my breeds for sure see themselves as animal then dog, but will "breed pack up" when resting - the Setters lie together and the Terriers next to each other as well as on top of each-other!

There are so many ways we can fulfill our dogs or their breed through exercise without having to "give-in" to their more primal instincts or behaviour! I mean though I do work some of my Terriers to catch rats I am not going to turn this into a sport by giving them a bunny each day to fulfill their instinct! So instead I drain their energy through walks and far more appropriate sport like chase it games - back to that trusted tennis ball...oh man do I get through bags of tennis balls thank goodness they are sold in a £1 shop!! Oh and Bob just loves the squeaky toys but they do not last long - he gets the squeak out in seconds! He will go into a pet shop and not act like most dogs he leaves the food and treats alone but picks up all the toys he can to see if they have a squeak!

To end with a little humanizing between us Human Pack Leaders - if I could say what Bob's dream would be it would be - Wimbledon - a job as a "ball boy"!!!

When Two Packs Meet!

We walk as one pack, we migrate together all in tune with each other one human and 52 paws!! So how then for another owner and dog to join us? This is how we do it...a step by step or should that be a paw by paw guide!

1. I walk my pack alone first, especially important for my higher energy dogs, to release excess energy and get them in the mind-set of migration walking.

2. We meet up with my friend and her dog, all dogs are on leash. Once all dogs are calm we allow the dogs to politely greet each other through scent - the "sniff"! They are not allowed to greet face to face as this could be understood as canine confrontation, rather they greet approaching sideways with relaxed body language.

3. If any of my dogs are not in the right mind-set they only get to look, no greeting and no focusing is allowed, their energy must be calm submissive and we simply wait until it is - say one is excited...oh OK so I am referring of course to Peterpan who is fearful/excited when he first sees another dog, as this negative energy can quickly turn to aggression he does not get to greet ...yet! - read on!!

4. Then we begin to walk, humans heads held high and no looking at the ground just straight ahead projecting positive images of the lovely walk we are going to have altogether. Not one paw is allowed in front of either human! At this stage we are each holding the leashes of our own dogs so we are still 2 separate packs!

5. Agan any focusing on the other dog from my pack gets a quick leash correction (to focus is to begin acting-out problem behaviour hey Peterpan!) So we keep going - moving the minds of all dogs forwards into calm or alert submission.

6. Once all dogs are migrating well then my friend begins to hand off her dog to me, I have all my dogs on my left hand side and take on her dog to my right - we do not stop she hands-off to me as we are still moving forwards - no change in energy.

7. I keep walking with my dogs on one side and her dogs on the other - now we are one pack! Gradually once all dogs are in true migration zone, I move my friends dog to the same side as my pack, again we do not stop, this dog goes around my back to join-up with my dogs.

8. Once we have walked this way for a while, say about 30 minutes then we stop for a rest and let the dogs off leash together for some "directed play time" - this means they get to sniff about, run around, play etc but still no excitement as we humans correct this energy as it can so easily change from play to fight! This is the time when Peter can greet the other dogs as we are all one pack Peter accepts this and socializes well as he feels safe under my leadership!

9. Back on leads and we all walk home together - then it is just fine for my friend and her dog to come into my home - as dogs live in the now and "just for now" we have united the dogs as one pack under our human leadership.

These steps, and not even 10 steps, are the only way Peter can learn to greet another dog without fear or aggression and accept them in our home as well, once he knows a dog through this process he is very relaxed around them.

A similar process to this also works to re-bond two or more dogs from the same home-pack who have been fighting previously but are ready to unite as one pack - always consult with a canine professional first though when faced with aggression rehab!!

That's it - this is how I can turn two packs into one pack, whether it is a friends's dog joining us on a walk or a new dog joining my pack the routine works. So once again I see Cesar's Way triumph here...as always!

New Dog - An existing pack member rehabilitated!

I have been reading a little more of Cesar's new book, A Member of the Family by Cesar Millan. So I will be talking about some of the ways I adopt what he says into life with my pack as I go through this book - join me?! BUT I am not going to give too much away, it's all in the book!!

In the beginning Cesar talks about getting a new dog and introducing this dog to the family - other humans, dogs, cats and so on - the pack! But I am not getting a new dog, well not just yet anyway, so how does this apply to me? Let me tell you as indeed it still does!

When I rehabilitate problem behaviour in any one of my dogs, I start over again and the best place to do that is from the beginning - as if this were indeed a new dog, afterall once rehabilitated it is just like having a new dog who has learned new discipline - rules, boundaries and limits!

So you see Cesar's early chapters do apply here, we go back to basics, teach my dogs the new rules of behaviour, we have zero tolerance for in-pack aggression or dominance posturing, we begin again to teach the walk, the rules of the home, socialisation, that all dogs here are my equal follower and the list goes on. So I "begin again" and it works!

Even the chapters about how to select the right dog for you can still help us with our current dogs - at least we can learn how we may not be fulfilling the breed we have and how to change this while keeping our dog of course! Or that, for example, a high-energy dog is not a perfect fit with a more "laid-back" lifestyle - BUT - when anyone owns such a dog in such an environment, one can accept to do things different another time, look in the mirror to see what one can indeed do now and improve life for all - make changes in the now to accommodate and fulfill the dog you do have already - this is your responsibility - not to give up on a dog...any dog! Here is a brief look at how this applied to me and the pack:

As I read these points Cesar makes I thought of my pack - "oops" some of my dogs would not be a "best fit" in terms of their energy needs matching my natural energy drive! - So I did have to change and become more of a walker, more of a cyclist, and ...well OK not more of a jogger ...running is just not my thing!! Though I am sure my pack would love an early morning run on the beach...this is not for me! So I take some instead, the higher energy dogs, to play ball on the beach first before the walks begin for the day - that way they run .. I throw the ball!! Though I add if any of you have read the quote "You threw it go fetch it yourself"? I think Peter looks at me like this sometimes!! (Just a little humanizing between us humans here for fun!!)

So if you are experiencing problem behaviour then I would get this book and let it guide you to counter-condition your dogs current behaviour into the dog behaviour you do want - a "new" your dog!

Peterpan is such an example here, we have spent months re-conditioning Peter on how to behave within the pack, home and outside. Of course it is much harder work to teach him change than to teach new, but with consistency, time and above all Cesar's Way he is beginning to act like a completely different dog, but still he is Peterpan, my beloved dog!

Stay Calm Assertive, Be The Pack Leader and fulfill your dogs - my pack are contentedly resting now all tired out from the day...me I am exhausted, high energy dogs I have but I think I need some energy food...drinks...tablets myself! Though I add that when off-lead as a pack they do exercise eachother...and "chasing sea birds" is one great way to "high energy exercise" my Doberman Max, he still just doesn't "get it" - they fly away you cannot fly to catch them Max!

CESAR'S NEW BOOK IS OUT!!

A Member of the Family - Cesar's new book is on sale from today!!

As one of his Ambassadors I was honoured to receive an early copy of this most excellent new book. For anyone who follows Cesar's Way, anyone who has a dog I urge you to get this book and read it ...not once but at least twice as it is so full of just the information we all need to live with our dogs as part of the family - part of our packs! This book is also essential reading for those of you or your friends "thinking of getting a new dog" - trust me there is no other book like this you really can begin life with a new dog Cesar's Way - in tune and in balance!

Oh and look at the Acknowledgements section in the front - you will see a note to Cynthia Anderson - CJ - our Ambassador Program Manager!! CJ leads us Ambassadors by example as well being our co-ordinator for activities and projects, she works tirelessly in support of Cesar and helps save many dogs lives, she is an inspiration as well as a success story herself - "CJ and Signal Bear", in the book "Be The Pack Leader"!

Through my work with dogs and their owners, we are seeing much sucess with problem behaviour, inlcuding for owners who were told by others that the behaviour could not be rehabilitated - it has with thanks to Cesar's Way and indeed continues to be a success story of my own here at Crystaldogs - Packs are returning to balance...fighting behaviour is ceasing to be a way of life - peace returns .... chaos extinguished!! All through calm assertive energy and instinct, no forceful methods, no harsh punishment, no intimidation - such archaic ways I, like Cesar, do not follow, I never use aggression and now neither do my dogs!! Cesar saves lifes, last chance dogs have hope and as his proud Ambassador International I follow his lead, I am here in the UK so I too can help you to have the life you want with your dogs, all you have to do is ask me - I am the Canine Coach!! More News coming soon - I need a Team here in the UK and Internationally to help me spread the word in our communities! - Watch here for more information very soon.

Look out for future posts reviewing this book - for now I must go and finish reading this wonderful experience - My "Cesarised" pack are truly success stories themselves, I really appreciate Cesar's unique insight as I lead them to fulfillment! Cesar, Illusion and their children too have contributed to this book, thank you. Happy reading everyone!

Ruff n Tuff Dogs we are!

Patsy, Eddie, Mickey and Timmy - 4 Terriers are go! Click on photo to enlarge the rat-pack!

Meet the ladies either side of my knees ...."Eddie" my first pure bred JRT.....and "Patsy" my Parson Russell Terrier - my first two dogs and my "introduction" to the world of Terriers...some time back now! And then along came "Macho Mickey", with his tan and white face - another pure JRT, standing to my far right side - suits his name, hey?! Which led onto...

Timmy, standing next to Mickey and almost pure white (apart from tan spots on his ears and a splodge above his eye!) .... Patsy and Mickey's son! So Timmy is half Parsons and half Jack, 5 years old and a little odd - Why? Because he is not truly a Terrier...by breed "Yes" but by instinct "No"! Timmy helps me in the small animal enclosure here, daily he comes in with the rabbits and the closest he gets is to rub noses with the dominant male bunny! He walks freely about in their run, no harm on his mind at all and these small animals know that so they are not afriad of him, he is the same way with the cat and the chickens! I don't think Mickey, Patsy and Eddie are very "proud" of him - I sure know what these other 3 would do in such a place as many rats and pigeons would testify if they hadn't lost out on run-ins with these dogs!

Eddie and Patsy will be 9 next year - Patsy slowing up ...well she never really did "quick" in the first place - unless she hears the "Eddie Cry" from somewhere in the garden out back which roughly translates to "rats!!" - though usually means flying rats - pigeions! I think Patsy's kennel club name "Right You Are" means "right on human, I'll be there soon ... sometime....when I am ready...right you are!" But Eddie is not slowing up - she still managed to chase a hare across 3 fields this week...no real chance of catching this fast mover but that didn't stop her trying!

Patsy, Eddie and Mickey are all "ruffntuff" pure bred Terriers - a truly great breed line. If you check out their web site you will see some fabulous pictures of some great dogs ... who look very similar to my lot here and may well be some of their exteneded family members! ... enjoy: http://www.ruffntuffterriers.net/

Many remark on how Eddie "is such a cute puppy" even now and Mickey "such a great looking boy"....Timmy however has been told "he is a very pretty girl"! Ooops never mind Tiny Tim, just as well I am not a breeder hey everyone at Ruffntuff!

I just love my Terriers...this truly is a "ruff n tuff pack" here at the beach! - in the background you can just see little Jack and Bob (well his tail anyway) trying to get in on the terrier photo shoot!!

Hey Mickey!

Hey Mickey you're so fine...you're so fine you blow my mind..hey Mickey!

Words from a song I know but this is very true of Mickey! This is my chap just recently 6 years old....but why does he blow my mind -

I am a dog psychologist and Behaviour specialist BUT why does he sit up in his rocking chair and wave both front paws at me with his tongue sticking out?!!

Actually I do know why - and "no" it is not a trick I taught him - he figured it out all by himself .... it is because it gets my attention - result Mickey wants! One of the ways dogs learn is through obeservation, so he trys something he has seen us humans do - wave, then copies it which makes me smile and say "who's a clever boy then" which praises his actions = reinforcement...so now he does it all the time!!!

Nothing Changes If Nothing Changes!!!

Peter, as some of you know, was red-zone aggressive towards other dogs - now he is not!

Just today he played "doggie tennis" with me on the same beach where another pack of dogs were sitting with their owners, he ignored them focusing on me his Pack Leader!

Cesar says "we don't get the dogs we want - we get the dogs we need" - So - Why did I need a very aggressive Fox Terrier called Peter Pan in my pack??!

To show me that I needed to change from being just an owner of a large pack of dogs, some with problems, into a Pack Leader owning and sharing my life with balanced, happy dogs! Peter taught me that he was not an aggressive dog, he was not born aggressive - he was an insecure dog with too much anxious, frustrated energy - which led him to act-out aggressively encouraged through lack of structure and leadership - I had a lot of work to do back then!

I truly believe that to do nothing then nothing in our dog's behaviour will change - dogs with problems will go on acting-out.

Some say: " But just last year" ..... or .... "just six months ago Peter was dangerously aggressive to other dogs" - I say: "That was then - this is now, move-on - Peter has!!!" - Peter has moved on thanks to the inspiration I gained from Cesar Millan plus a lot of hard work from me and Peter too, who is successfully rehabilitated living his second chance in life - returning to nature's way as a balanced dog.

For people who stay stuck in the past they not only stop themselves from moving on but they stop others including dogs! = Nothing Changes If Nothing Changes!

I believe every dog is entitled to balance - so if you have a dog with problems then first look to yourself - our dogs are our mirrors - in some way they reflect back at us our own energy. I did, accepted what I saw (that was the hardest part) and changed!.

Everyone has to start somewhere/sometime - Why live in last year....Why not live in today - you can start "your today" at any time?! My personal drive was to give my dogs a balanced life through commitment - being open and honest, willing to learn from past experiences, studying to fill the knowledge gap and rehabilitating Peter!

Much Changed ... SO ... Much Changed - I am who I am today ...not yesterday....training other owners and rehabilitating dogs, I share my journey with my rehabilitated pack, you and your dogs too! To enjoy coaching from me - you just have to ask me for help!

Meet the whole pack!

If you check this photo - you truly can see all 13 pack members! Enlarge by clicking on the picture - enlarges the photo not the pack! - Don't miss Jack - the little Chihuahua mix who is the sandy coloured dog by my feet! Or the "flying" English Setter "Loopy Lucy" to the far left - being black and white she can seem to merge in with shingle!

So this is how we walk 13 dogs in one go - We lead-up, all dogs get a little excited so it's leads on and sit back down again in our courtyard! Then we "wait" and "wait" ....until all dogs are in a calm mind-set! Any other energy would be unstable energy and not the beginning of a migration walk with all dogs taking follower position. I mean could you imagine, I dare not, if we left with the dog pack leading the walk??!!!

Off we go - humans first that's be me and Simon, after about five minutes of slow paced moving forwards, a few "waits" to get the dogs to focus on us not each other and then we're into the walk. We walk for about 20 minutes on lead, a few are off but walk behind us. Then we get to a beach I have nicknamed "Russell's Cove" - it is the Jack Russell's favourite beach with cliffs which have very interesting grass and holes! Here the whole pack go off lead - a reward for having walked in follower position so well. They get to play around while us human Pack Leaders keep watch ready to put leads on if any unsuspecting passers-by happen upon our pack! - Remember I always go "leads-on" to show to other humans that the pack are under control - at CrystalDogs we lead by example!!!

Then it's back home in the same way we came out - 20 minutes migration walking, humans back in first, dogs get to rest ... then eat ..... then rest some more....

WOW This truly is a dog's life at the beach!

Once agian - HAIL CESAR - we could never have got the pack this balanced without you!

Nancy's Dog - A New Relationship!

And finally...........

Kaela will need to be conditioned to having a Pack Leader as this philosophy - Cesar's Way, is probably a new way of living for her , training a dog in obedience is very different, and her energy on a walk tells me she has probably not been too well socialized within the contexts you meet on your walks. So the more you practice these walks with her the way I have described the more she will move-on acting the way you want her to, and the old behaviour gradually becomes extinct. That is why you need to correct her behaviour when she begins to show the first signs of acting-out, then redirect how you want her to behave - if not then she cannot understand that what she is doing is unacceptable or what she needs to do instead - be very clear and keep it simple.

With structure - rules, boundaries and limits this will lead to a balanced life together. It takes time, patience and consistency to convince a dog you are in charge as their Pack Leader, with a 4 yr old rescue many old behaviours may need to be counter-conditioned ("re-learned") to your rules -this is discipline and dogs love to live within such a structure that is nature's way. Remember too that dogs live in the now she will have moved-on to her life with you now, but will still need to learn your rules etc. Any excited energy she displays is not a natural state for a dog, so they always prefer to return to balance with our help and calm assertive energy.

Also, Husky type dogs need plenty of exercise - this is a strong working breed - they can go for hours of walking/running work! Adding a back-pack and mental challenges during the walk such as changing direction or indeed teaching them to pull something via a harness can help to release energy from this breed mix. It maybe that you need to release some of her pent-up energy before going for the migration walk e.g. running her/treadmill/retrieve games etc They can also be very vocal so you are lucky there!

So the philosophy for you I suggest is "Cesar's Way" (have you read the book?) and for Kaela his formula to rehab her behaviour on a walk and accept you as her Pack Leader is "Exercise and discipline before affection".

Remember you are doing great in the home - harness that energy you use inside and take it with you outside on the walk - be confident, firm yet kind, walk tall keeping your eye level above that of your dog and remain calm - no tension on that leash, relaxed smile (but not over happy as a dog can read this as a human signal to get excited) and breathe steady it works!

Helping Owner understand Dog Behaviour

HI Nancy - Kaela is lucky to have you give her a new home and for her to be in a home who follow Cesar's Way is great news! Along with Cesar, Kaela will help you learn so much about achieving balance and what a wonderful relationship human/canine is. One good thing about not having had experience of owning dogs before is that you won't have picked up any bad habits!!

When dogs pass by other dogs, or indeed are confronted with any context out on a walk, it is up to the Pack Leader to choose the dog's option of reaction. Remember dogs only have 4 choices - their mind works by choosing fight/flight/avoid/submit, as Pack Leader you never choose fight that leaves 3! Lets use passing by another dog as the context - So be very decisive and either "avoid" - teach your dog to ignore the other dog and allow physical space for this keeping your dog's attention focused on you, "flight" - move away from the other dog e.g. turn and go in a different direction, "submit" - have your dog relaxed and calm preferably either in a low phsyical position e.g. sit or down when the other dog passes by or keep walking, moving forwards confidently leading Kaela this moves the mind on from acting-out/protesting. As the pack bond builds, she will learn to trust and follow your choice of response, ignoring distractions.

Sometimes other dogs who have unstable energy prompt a reaction from my dog, for example in your situation faced with an approaching aggressive dog may mean your dog responds with a growl, to a playful dog they may want to join in etc. This is a dog making its own choices of response - you need to correct this and choose another response - the one you want, I teach all my dogs to "avoid" - ignore everything! In order for a sound "pshht" correction, touch correction or leash pop correction to work it must be done as soon as a dog changes from alert energy to fixed energy (begins a stare/focus on the other dog), or indeed from the migration energy to alert - a follower follows - a leader is alert! The correction needs to be done early before the acting-out gets too intense otherwise it may not work as the dog is totally focused on what she is doing. These corrections need to match the dog's intensity - not to low or too high and never with frustrated human energy - always calm assertive: I find I say to myself "I am your Pack Leader, I protect you so I am dealing with this"! With an over-excited energy dog I tend to stop and "wait out" the acting-out (This is No Touch No Talk just pure calm assertive energy), once the dog is again calm submissive then I "reward" with carrying on with the walk.

Nancy - I hope this helps you to understand - feel free if you need more to ask more after I have posted the next part for you on how to help your dog to balance with you, either here via comments again or personally via my email suzie.crystal@yahoo.com

Mastering The Walk

Hi Nancy, Welcome and thank you for your question. Firstly I would like to say that to master being a dog's Pack Leader outside of the home is harder and can take a little longer because of all the distractions, changing contexts etc, any dog needs firm yet fair, calm discipline and time to learn how to follow their owner and trust in their direction as leader of the walk - this is the special bond crated by walking in pack migration style.

To master the walk here are some of Cesar's tips from his book "Be The Pack Leader" and my top 5 - they work for me!

1.Ideal time for a walk is when you are not in a rush. A good point I have also made is how we "see" the walk - it is to be an enjoyable journey not a chore. If you feel it is something you need to "get out of the way" then a dog will pick-up on this and the bond will weaken.

2. Wait until the dog's mind is calm before beginning the "going for a walk" ritual - excitement is not the right energy to begin a walk - Calm Alert or Calm Submissive is the right energy!

3. Keep your human energy strong, calm assertive - know what you are doing you as the Pack Leader always has a mission or intention - you are the leader of the walk!

4. Only leave the home/garden when the dog is again calm submissive, else stop and wait. Walk with the dog behind or beside you - never in front else the dog is leading the walk!!

5. Allow some time for a "sniff break/toilet break" then begin the migration ritual - moving forwards in tune with each other - the challenge is to not allow sniffing, looking round etc, this is all about migrating ignoring distractions! Once the dog is in the "zone" their body language will be ears back but not pinned back or tense, movement forward at a steady pace, tail hanging naturally, body relaxed not tense with the muscles working to walk and the mind focused on/commited to the migration.

I allow a "reward" for good behaviour which is some off-leash time, this is still with my dogs under my control I still direct them what to do - this is not "their free time" though they can pretty much sniff away and play too - but I am in control of starting and stopping this activity which both begin and end with calm submissive behaviour - that is key!

I'll put up another post next to more specifically answer your questions.

Wolves, Domestic Dogs and Martin Clunes

We have been watching Martin Clunes and his dogs in the documentary which talks of how dogs descend from wolves, I'll tell you Eddie agrees - she watched the whole programme and particularly interested in the "howling", thankfully my pack didn't join in!!

I completely agree that we need to be our dog's Pack Leader! Cesar's Way, The Dog Whisperer, is "Be The Pack Leader" and that is why he has such huge success treating dogs and their owners, rehabilitating back to balance. So I for one am pleased Martin referred frequently to the need for a Pack Leader, this is how I live with my pack and help my clients achieve balanced relationships too. Even if there is just "one dog" and one human (or many humans - the family) the human and dog relationship is a pack - the human(s) must be the Pack Leaders! This programme reached many I am sure who may now understand more about dogs needing to be dogs, not surrogate humans!

One thing that was not explained was in the second episode about the release of the wild pack of dogs - you may be wondering why so many males (7 I think) were released into the wild with just 2 females? It is because in nature the pack dynamics are "more males than females" to avoid fighting among females who can fight on until death, the ratio needs to be higher in favour of males. In my pack the ratio is 8 males to 5 females - this works to help avoid my females fighting. Many people have multiple females without realising the "potential behaviour problems if two females are social rank climbers - dominant energy dogs, especially if they are also similar in age", it is common for this to lead onto aggressive inter-female fighting - the problem is that even 2 females alone can be too many in an environment and this is not about the physical size of the environment, it is about dynamics - the psychological space within the pack. BUT there is a way to have two such females in balance living together - Human You Need To Be The Alpha - Be The Pack Leader and have both females as equal ranked followers - it works!

Also, I hope a bonus from this documentary is that people will stop breeding dogs with physical problems and mental health issues - Let's get dogs back to nature and being/looking like dogs - Oh and that includes "dressing them up" - there is no need and I assure you any dog prefers to romp in a field rather than "wearing a designer coat and being carried around"!!

So anyone with any comments on this programme?

Pack Fun in the Sun!!

As you can see from the August feature picture it is a beautiful day for "Terriering" across all the fields around the top of the cliffs - don't worry they know how to avoid the edge actually its not that steep as Eddie and I have gone down that way before as a short-cut used by a few locals onto the beach...OK we slid down on our bottoms!!!

Now this is Timmy out front "checking out the ground scent first", Eddie and Peter raring to go and about to be set off - leads off and away they went! Notice our Bob here hanging back - not into Terrier racing today as he is Jack Russell Terrier mixed with Border Collie and today is clearly a "Border Collie Day" - now if I had !! Now if I had a tennis ball that would be very different hey Bob - that is a Border Collie thing with Bob!!!

All worn out or so I think...back home we have just taken on rehoming some more Cockatiels from a chap who could no longer cope with them...so the Terriers now have their own version of a "treadmill" - they run up and down the outside of the aviary as the birds fly up and down the long flight deck! Of course they can't get at the birds but they sure do spend ages watching them and the birds couldn't care less about the Terriers - they don't scare our birds one bit but Eddie believes they should be terrified of her as a Jack Russell and proud to be one who has hunted many times in the wild fields!!

Dogs, their leads and school!

Welcome Chloe and Eddie to the pack - No not new dogs into my pack but a new Pack Leader Chloe and her Jack Russell Eddie!

So Eddie is mis-behaving at school - this may remind some of you of Peter's School Days, so I know I can help you here as Peter did graduate class! So this is not an unusual problem - you are not alone so I am posting some feedback on this subject.

Training school is not a natural environment for dogs...a necessity for a well-trained dog but my point is that their behaviour there can vary greatly from other "normal" responses. In such a school they are usually on a lead and that limits the choices a dog has to act, normally a dog has 4 choices of flight/fight avoid/submit. When in a training environment the choices are limited, thus some choose fight and put up an aggressive display, these are insecure dogs as such they act aggressively dominant over other dogs or they are insecure afraid acting aggressively to keep other dogs away from them!

When they are on a lead as well as decreasing their choices it acts as a tool to transfer our energy - if that is negative energy such as fear of how they may behave or human anxiety then a dog sees this a week energy and takes over as Pack Leader making their choice fight rather than submit! This is when the association takes place - the dog learns that at training school on a lead + other dogs = aggression, so each time they go this learned behaviour is reinforced, so they keep on acting out! But to avoid school is to give-in to the dog - we don't do that as Pack Leaders!

So to change the response change the context - the training school is the environment and does not need to be changed, the lead needs to be on so this cannot change either - What CAN change is the human's energy and the dog's response. Picture how you want the experience to be - keep focused on this while you hold the lead. Keep the lead as loose as you can. Now teach a new response, in this case "submit", every time the dog acts out be confident and firm while calm - correct the display with a vocal "pshhht" which says to a dog "hey I disagree with what you are doing" (or whatever noise you are comfortable making but it should not be a command as such) and if need be follow-through with a pop of the lead - this is a quick tighten and release action. This interrupts the behaviour and gets you access to the dogs mind - then be sure to redirect the dog what you do want e.g. submit is to be in a relaxed physical position. Any interruption needs to be timed so that it stops the behaviour before the dog escalates to a high level response - watch the body language and react BUT at the same time avoid anticipating the dog as else you run the risk of the self-fulfilling prophecy!

Practice Makes Permanent - the new calm behaviour when carried out regularly in the context of the training school in time substitutes the old - so that training school with the lead on + other dogs = calm, the old behaviour gradually becomes extinct. The point here is that dogs cannot have conflicting emotions so cannot be aggressive and relaxed at the same time, so they move on and behave differently.

Tellington Touch is a good way to calm an anxious dog BUT it has a major drawback potentially - in this situation you would be applying touch which would initially reinforce the unwanted behaviour, so I do not recommend it unless a dog is in a calm submissive state first then it is applied to increase relaxation, unlikely in such a situation you describe.

The reason that in other situations with the same dogs your dog may behave well is because the lead is removed and the environment is different - a complete change in context so a completely different response! When a dog is on-lead and near other dogs they cannot use avoid or flight, they can only choose fight or submit - we have to be their Pack Leader and teach them to submit, or we can change the situation by choosing avoid giving the other dog space or flight by turning to walk the other way but these we only choose when a dog is calm submissive - WE always own the choice and make that choice for the dog they then follow our lead! As responsible humans we NEVER choose fight!!!!


IF you try this and it isn't working then you need to look again at the context - what else is going on? Is this really aggression as in a dog's "fight" choice or is it in fact "over-excitement" which is different requiring another approach? How do you enter/leave the school - if it is when the dogs is acting-out and not calm submissive then you are setting the scene. As you see there are so many variables here but I hope I've given you some ideas to start with, please feel comfortable with asking more, I had exactly this problem with my rehab dog Peter!

This is dog psychology....not training but it should help you to handle any such displays in future! I am able to help more just let me know as this would need a more one-to-one approach than here, anyone can contact me directly through my email address see my profile on the here on dog-blog!

What Not To Wear!

An interesting comment was made about how some owners think dogs don't like/or fear colours such as a high visibility coat - it is not the colour it is the way it changes your appearance that causes a different reaction!

Take an example from my pack - One time I put in a hat and scarf and came downstairs, a number of my dogs went into guarding overdrive! Barking at me and some backing...off some coming closer staring - which from a Doberman is the only warning one gets before they carry-out their role of serious guard dog! So very quickly I spoke to them .... nothing changed apart from slightly more inquisitive looks! I took off the hat an scarf and all was back to normal and they came over to me much more relaxed. So the hat and scarf was not something I normally wear or that they had seen me in before. I had changed my appearance yet was too far away for them to pick up my recognisable scent so they only had their eyes to use - dogs use their nose first then ears then last of all eyes. So by getting them to use their senses backwards this was not normal behaviour and their eyes are their weakest of their senses - so they did not recognise me!

It is well know in dog psychology that big winter coats can have the same impact on a dog whose owner comes home with the coat on they can get startled and even run away or worse go into attack!

So as high visibility coats are exactly that - highly visible to dogs as well!! They make you look different to a dog as your outline is how they recognise you via their eyes alone - you look different = you are different in a Dog's mind! Outside where there are so many other smells/sounds to challenge their nose/ears the chances are they may well react with an unusual behaviour towards you...it's not you...it's not the coat...it's the mixture!

So owners - "What not to wear" - remember that when we look different we may recognise ourselves (or not as the case maybe - we humans rely heavily on our eyes first and I for one have walked straight past a work mate at a weekend as they weren't in their suit I didn't recognise them!!) - so too then our dogs may not, for me I take that big winter coat off before I go inside..and the hat/scarf! For sure though a dog will get used to an owner wearing different clothes etc but others they normally greet with a welcome they may not if they look different! Oh you should have seen the Gt Dane that day - he shot off to try and hide behind a small kitchen chair - he truly believed I couldn't see him! And Gt Danes used to be guarding breeds...not anymore well not our Monty..now "hiding breed"... .Oh Yes that would be him!

Remember dogs live in the now - every single moment the context of an event may change that event making it unrecognisable - to a dog it is not completely the same as another time/similar situation - it is new and so they may act differently - more on that soon!!

Ambassador Human...Ambassador Dog!

Hi all, SORRY I have been "absent" but I'm back in the NOW!!!! - Well I have been very busy working and participating in the Dog Whisperer Group which had led to an incredible honour - I have been given recognition by Cesar Millan Inc as an Ambassador of Cesar's Way - The Dog Whisperer(DW). Now this is truly WOW, I join a great group of people also recognised for their ability to follow, understand and promote Cesar's philosophy by effectively communicating his ways - train the owners and rehab the dogs. So I am the UK/Europe Ambassador and this will help me to help you all in becoming the Pack Leader - remember my original goal when in January I set up this blog was to promote responsible dog ownership and this is how I came across Cesar The DW! By explaining...translating communication between humans and dogs I hope to encourage all to learn "how to behave around/with dogs" making this " common knowledge" so it can become "common sense"! Thereby helping to PREVENT accidents, unwanted dogs, unhappy dogs, dogs with problems, breed bans, dogs being unnecessarily being euthanized e.g. for triggered aggression and the list goes on....we do this through gaining a greater understanding of dog behaviour - our relatioships with them and their psychology - I can tell you "what dogs really mean"!! I love helping you all on-line, those in the DW group have really helped me and my pack too, it's like an "extended family"!

Anyway, back to my pack - I have appointed 2 dog Ambassadors!! Sadie and Bob are two balanced "follower" dogs, who if I meet a loose dog out on a walk I send out to greet that dog first. The "power of the pack" from these 2 helps to calm a "stranger dog" before they come near the rest of the pack, actually usually they don't approach the rest of us as these 2 distract them and keep them from approaching by blocking the other dog using their energy - quite incredible to watch! They are Ambassadors because they advocate my ways - to use the dog's option of "avoid", they are super cool dogs! I teach all my dogs to choose "Avoid" when seeing another dog, this is a large pack walk there are 9 of them now on one walk and it is far better to avoid than risk any confrontation and the dog's choosing their own options e.g. "flight" as I would disappear into the distance being dragged behind them at the other end of their leads!! If another dog were to carry on towards us then as Pack Leader I stop the dog from coming close - it is my job to protect my pack, they trust this now and do not react on their own they await my direction - I direct my dogs to choose submit while I take charge and move the other dog back/away from our space...my dogs they follow me!

Oh and for those of you who watch the DW show - hey you should all be doing this by now :-) I have my very own stooge dogs like Daddy, not only Sadie and Bob but Alfie the English Setter, Jack the Chihuahua and Monty the Gt Dane! Max the Dobey thinks he is in retirement now except for chasing those sea birds!

So Happy Pack Leading All - Stay Calm Assertive!

Greet and Meet - Dogs are not human!!

When meeting a dog to be "dog polite" you have to think the opposite of how us humans say "Hi" to someone we want to greet.

If we see someone we move forward, smiling maybe waving and start talking with our arms often flying about as if driving our excitement - this is fine for humans but not good for dogs! In fact it will either excite them or scare them, neither of which will make for a "dog polite" meeting and may result in a bad moment for both of you!

So to meet a dog first rule is "No touch No Talk No eye Contact"! No touch - as dogs don't use touch to greet each other with a paw shake! No talk - dogs don't use words to convey their emotions - ever heard a dog say "Hi I'm Max great to see you" :-) No eye-contact - this can be read as a challenge by a dog, anyway even a human can read your eyes to see if you are friendly or not! Follow this rule and a dog will give you respect and not anxiety or over-excitement, neither of which is a balanced state for a dog to be in.

To invite a dog to come over to you - lean back a little not forward, this says you are happy for them to come into your personal space. If they are all "so-excited" then ignore these antics they are trying to manipulate you to get your attention! Then allow the "dog greeting" - "Yes" I'm afraid that is the "sniff thing" :-) Once the dog has done this and is calm/submissive then add in a touch (stroke) but don't reach over their head or bend over them as this is a dominant approach and may incur a dominant response - remember it takes at least "two to have a dominance situation"! If you really must be "ever-so-human" then speak away but keep the tone soft and calm.

Even if you regularly meet the same dog don't change your ways as a dog does not change how they understand us, still go for the rule above it will just be much quicker before you can directly interact.

So don't greet a dog in the way you would a friend else you may get more of a response than you bargained for, not necessarily aggressive but probably over-excited with all that jumping up which can put us owner/trainers into a set-back after all our hours of work!

Think Dog...Greet Dog.....Meet Dog...they really don't need your paws all over them and that constant "Chit-Chat" to know you like them they will know from your energy and if they give you calm submissive respect then they like you!

CRYSTAL DOGS - We're Here!!!

We're "Open"!!Hey Peter that's right read that - Pack Leader is all trained up in dog psychology! I have just completed a refresher course in dog psychology, mind you I think though it provided me with a great deal of knowledge about our canine companions and communication, I call it the "science thing", that learning from the Dog Whisperer (Cesar and in particular a group of people who follow his ways) and my own pack has provided the real-life experience I needed to rehabilitate problem behaviour. For the record Peter is doing great with no aggressive displays upon seeing other dogs now, not the best at socializing with them yet but much improved. Rehab is an on-going process and not a cure, so as someone said on our Dog Whisperer Group: "Practice Makes Permanent" - and Scott I couldn't agree more!

My studies continue both formally and informally, of course within my pack too - life for me is about learning from experience and improving, I shall continue studying canine behaviour as there is always more to learn and with my dogs the lessons just keep on coming - and all my dogs have something new to teach me each day :-)

Jog and Dog.......Stop and Go

So when should a jogger stop for a dog…when the dog is giving chase! Keep running and they’re sure to keep chasing - it an adrenalin thing! Most dogs can out-run humans :-)

Stop and turn side away from the dog - make no eye contact and don’t turn your back just ignore and remain calm while hopefully the owner will retrieve their dog. If the dog keeps approaching then hold an arm out with hand signalling stop - like a laid back traffic cop (it can help to imagine you are that calm cool traffic cop) and say a firm “NO”, not a shout or panicky the tone is all important - say it and mean it! Though don’t actually lean back rather lean slightly forward but not exaggerated, and definately follow the "no touch" rule! Most dogs understand the word as meaning stop, the key here is your energy - stay in the moment and in control - calm and confident own your space. It can help to think about how you may react if someone gets to close to you and you think “hey you’re in my personal space” - keep that energy but without any anger, if you like be “aloof” this will get most dog’s respect.

Go and keep going if there’s dogs about but not chasing, slow to a walk as you move into their focus - keep that “owning your space” feeling and just walk on by, then when clear pick up speed again. The best advice I can give is to get in touch with your instincts and trust them…that’s what dogs do they don’t think “oh shall I chase that jogger today” they just react to what is going on around them. That’s why it helps to understand their mindset and language - to communicate in non-human ways!

So "Happy Jogging and Doging" all. I “power walked” with my Terriers today, at one point I wondered how we would all get on with a jog….two steps into the movement and I tripped over a lead! Back to a fast walk pace I think is best can‘t really have their Pack Leader face down in the sand :-)

Terriers and anything that moves quickly!

For Terriers a jogger can prove too much of a temptation to chase after!

That is a rather sweeping generalization but worth keeping in mind that many Terriers have a strong prey instinct - genetically bred to chase, catch and kill vermin they just love their work but when this instinct is miss-directed it can transfer to anything from bikes to joggers! - Rarely though is this anything more than the thrill of the chase - as this is a diluted instinct to chase moving things, though can prove risky for the dog especially if it‘s a motorbike or similar. Unlike with the real thing say a rat which drives prey instinct via their senses which will end in doom for said rat!

3 of my Terriers Eddie, Mickey and Timmy have very strong prey drives, they are pure bred Jack Russells and from a breeder with the appropriately named “Ruff n Tuff Terriers” and they sure are both! Small furry animals and birds beware - that’s anything from cats to pigeons or if they think they’re up for it then best is the pheasant chase! Though these birds usually fly off leaving the Terriers looking a tad bemused!

So when I happen upon joggers and I have the Terrier Pack with me it’s "leads on" in record time else they’ll be off on the chase! They wouldn’t do anything if they caught up they are all very people friendly dogs - again the reward is in the chasing not the catching here! This is when I prefer a jogger to stop and give me a breathing space to regain control. By this I mean stop running - walking confidently past is fine always ignoring the dogs though.

So I have to be extra vigilant on behalf of anything that moves with speed when out with these Terriers else they would “Terrierize” the beaches and lanes! Don’t be miss-led by size - they maybe small but they are “rough and tough” dogs and more likely to miss-behave than all my others put together!

Interesting though that I did not mention Peter hey?! That is for once he has no problems with chase drive either real or miss-directed - with people even if they are jogging he is not inspired to chase, he is a Fox T mixed breed with less prey instinct, though my cat Socks would probably not agree here!

All Terriers walked for the day so cats, birds, rabbits, cyclists, joggers etc you are all clear to go forth with speed on the beach!

More on "Dog and Jog"

Life is full of coincidences!! Off out on our “large dog walk” today this is a mix of breeds varying from the Extra large GT Dane, Large - Dobey, Medium - English Setters, Medium-small English Setter x, Small - Border Collie x and Jack Russell, V.Small Chihuahua x…What a strange sight we must be!!

Anyway along the beach out in front of us are two joggers…they had that energy of calm (or maybe that was exhaustion) and appeared confident so I only recalled the Dane and Dobey plus one Setter - back to the “why” in a minute. The pass-by was just fine as all dogs ignored the joggers and the joggers ignored the dogs. So it does go to show that jogging by a large pack of loose dogs can be safe - if the dogs are under control and everyone, including the dogs, pointedly ignore each other!

Now with this mix of my dogs who do not have a particularly strong “chase instinct” the chances of them giving a jogger a “run off” is very unlikely. So too they are all well-trained to ignore people when passing by on the beach - else it would be a nightmare to walk them in the summer when it can get a bit busy…it’s not exactly Benidorm even then though :-)

Why did I call the Dane and Dobey back?? - Only because people have a mistaken impression of these guarding breeds and can get scared easily so out of politeness I make visible my contact with their collars! As for the Setter Alfie - well that’s his track record - he is in his own world when running about and can’t hear or see much as he’s so focused on the drive to run free - so what did he do? He sent a jogger flying last summer - not just his fault as the jogger was listening to music and totally unaware of Alfie’s presence zigzagging about - so that resulted in the jogger tripping over him! No one hurt all was well but I don’t want a repeat accident!

More next on “Dog and Jog” as to when to stop and go - and how to pass by! Plus a story about the Terriers and how they would react to a jogger - let’s just say it would not be in the same way as this pack of 8 behave and there’s only 5 of them!!!

Off to take the Terries out now - along a quiet lane with no joggers!!

Joggers be dog aware! Owners be "jog" polite!

Jog and dog…unless this is as a team with the owner jogging with their dog then it is not a good combination. Dogs see jogging as a human running which can inspire a dog to give chase -, they see the jogger as running away which is what a weaker/fearful animal may do so they chase and this activity is self-rewarding. If they were to catch up the outcome could be an attack though as I said before and stress this is not a normal reaction.

So - what to do if you are the jogger? In my experience if you are a calm assertive person who pointedly ignores dogs and carries-on-confidently by not focusing on the dog at all, then keep on jogging. This though would rely upon you giving plenty of space to the dog so avoiding any inadvertent interaction, the dog not being aggressive towards people and the owner having total control over their dog….not always something a jogger can be assure of though hey?! The energy of the jogger is key here, anything such as nervous energy will encourage a dog to give chase - and you can’t fake it they can read energy even from a distance! Of course this said there is still a risk that a dog will give chase!

If in doubt then to stop is the best course of action, but don’t turn this into a challenge - do not focus on the dog, turn away, leave space, claim your own space by standing still and tall - I have found that folding your arms can help a human to feel assertive and “own” their space. Do not run up behind a dog, or pass close-by running - dog walkers don’t always see/hear you coming and surprise can provoke an unwanted reaction from a dog and us owners don’t have eyes in the back of our heads! Give the owner a chance to get their dog on a lead and under control, which in my opinion is what all owners should do when joggers are close - that is polite dog ownership! Sometimes it is necessary to say to the owner that you are waiting to pass - do this calmly and do not make any contact with the dog.

What should dog owners do? Get your dog back to you - remember they shouldn’t be off lead unless you have a good recall anyway. Put them on their lead and let the jogger pass on by. Make sure they are not in your dog’s sights - the dog is not focusing on the jogger before you let them off again.

I always lead-up when joggers are about - but they don’t always give me a chance before shooting on past which is a bit inconsiderate and dare I say a risk - as this is a large pack of up to 8 loose dogs on the beach and they don‘t know that I have total control! Just a thought - joggers and dogs…maybe that is where the expression “run the risk” comes from - over to you on that one Dad :-)

So why do dogs chase joggers this is the psychology bit: mis-directed prey instinct - human runs - dog gives prey chase - adrenalin surge in dog is a reward - they don't need to catch up with you and many won't bother! Or territorial chase off: they think human is running away from them - that is what the dog wants to happen - there is the reward the dog has chased off the intruder on their perceived turf!! Or - as in the case of some herding breeds such as Collies they could be herding you even though you are not a sheep :-)

Bottom line - it is up to the owner to control their dog - no human can control the environment e.g. other dogs, joggers etc. Unfortunately some owners don’t or can’t, keep yourself safe jogging at all times and do not run from a dog they can out-run us - change direction or stop! If the dog is on a lead then pass-by but slowly and by giving space. Remember the “chase thing” is instinct in dogs and we can’t fight nature only work with it.

Judge each situation as you come upon it - every instance of “jog and dog” is different - get in tune with your instincts and go with them.

See the next posts on how to meet a dog and how to stop a dog approaching you!

Jogging and doging! Meeting a dog!

Hi all and Welcome Holyhead!! Holyhead in North Wales hosted a "dog fun day" recently and with my Mum and Dad Pack Leading the event it was a great success - they have been well-trained by me :-)

Thank-you for your comment - I have been asked a question about humans out jogging and dogs - which is a coincidence as I am about to write a post on that very subject as it came up recently in email discussions with fellow dog whisperer followers in the USA. This was prompted by a very unfortunate incident where a jogger was attacked by a large pack of loose dogs, so joggers and dog owners recommended to read my post to all stay safe when out and about. Worth mentioning that such incidents are very rare but again one is too many - so check back in soon for the real story on the mix of joggers and dogs from my view, and that of my dogs too!! Tips and advice on what to do if out jogging or out walking your dogs with joggers passing by.

Let's make how to "jog and dog" or if you prefer "dog and jog" common knowledge!!

Then we can look at how to meet or not to meet a strange dog, or even one you already know! Guess what - this is so not the way us humans do as this can actually cause an unwanted response from a dog! For a quick example - if you lean forward towards a dog this can make a dog stop or not approach...if you lean back then that is inviting them into your space so encouraging an approach, so you see what I mean it is the opposite of how us humans would naturally react when meeting each other by moving forwards.... so we can confuse a dog and ourselves!!

ps. We're not on Facebook ....yet!!!