The Great Dog Park Debate

Recently in the area of Dublin that I live in, many dog owners have been canvassing the local councils and trying to reverse the leash bye-laws which state that dogs MUST be on-leash in all areas of public parkland with the exception of the designated off-leash areas, or, dog parks. They advocate that dog parks are inappropriate places to bring dogs, and that dogs should be allowed to enjoy their walk around the whole park uninhibited by a leash. Their argument is that their dogs are happier and healthier having access to the entirety of the park versus the designated area. 

The councils argue that many incidents have occurred with respect to off-lead dogs and other park users, and for the safety of all park users, it is best to keep dogs on-leash. As a compromise a dog-park (or designated off-leash area) is usually present in parks across Dublin. 

Whilst I am also in favour of refraining from using dog parks, my position comes from the way that dog parks are currently used. A dog park isn't inherently bad in itself; it is just a label for a patch of land where dogs can be allowed off-lead. My issue arises from how these areas are currently used, and how their use can affect dogs and their behaviour on a more long-term basis.

As well as that, my experiences walking (with my rule-abiding leashed dogs) in the on-leash areas have been nothing short of miserable. This misery seems to be mine and mine alone. I dread seeing off-leash dogs in these areas; I've been accosted by many bouncing adolescent dogs and pushed, shoved, mugged, pulled at, chased, barked at, splashed at(!), followed and stalked on many occasions. My dogs have had to cope with unfamiliar dogs invading their space, sometimes intensely. All too often the owner is either nowhere to be seen or a long way off, on their phones or just onlooking. Sometimes the

owner, embarrassed by their dogs obnoxious behaviour will rush over only to be then engaged in a game of 'catch me if you can!' as their dog flees in anticipation of being put back on lead. 

I think there is a massive gap in knowledge about dog behaviour. We have transitioned from pet owning as a 'neighbourhood-dog' free-roaming culture to that of having our dogs as close family members who live inside and are treated almost like extra children. The rise of doggy daycares and the spread of misinformation about 'socialisation' has led to this desire for our dogs to be super-social friendly caricatures of themselves who can greet strange dogs and people as if they are already best friends. In reality this couldn't be further from their inherent canine nature. 

I totally empathise with the above pet owners; I was that person once. I didn't know what I was doing or that my dogs needs were different to my interpretation of them. I also believed that my dog Lola (who was a freight train on lead when she saw other dogs) would be better served playing and meeting with other dogs, and truly believed my bouncy adolescent foxhound cross would calm right down with other dogs if she just. Played. With. More. Dogs. Walking her was fine, I believed, because I would just let her go say hi to all the dogs in the park. Many of the pet owners were there for the exact same thing, so we were all right, right? 

In actual fact, Lola didn't calm down. Her behaviour on lead got worse with pulling me towards every dog we saw, so I would spot another off-lead dog, unclip the lead and let her 'get it out of her system' (translation: harass the other dog until she was tired enough/told off enough to come back). Each time she 'played' with another dog, it reinforced for her that other dogs are the source of all fun (regardless

Lola, circa 2008

of whether they liked it or not). I was not even a fleeting thought in her mind; she was all about the other dogs, which was rewarded over and over with each excursion. She was magnetised to other dogs and became frustrated on lead when she simply couldn't be let off. Her recall was non-existent and one had to simply wait for her to return because she wasn't going to leave the addiction of other dogs for me! Other dogs were like a beacon to her; her recall to other dogs was guaranteed, 100% perfect. 

Who knows what nuisance we would have been if dog parks had been a bigger thing when Lola was in my life. I have visions of this hyper-friendly large white cumbersome dog pinning, sitting on and bouncing on other worried, shy or equally exuberant dogs, getting her jollies at the expense of other pets and their owners. She wasn't all bad; she was a sweet dog, and as she aged she became more dog-selective and less interested in greeting other dogs. I put that down to my hard work 'socialising' her. In reality a combination of her health issues, genetics and developmental stage probably had more to do with it. It definitely wasn't my input. 

The thing is, you need to ask yourself what do you really want from your dog.  Do you want them magnetised to other dogs like Lola, or would you prefer your dog to believe that YOU are the source of all the fun? Certainly I have chosen the latter since Lola. She taught me a lot, and the knowledge I've gained since then has shown me that walks can be pleasant, relaxing and full of joy when you teach your dog that you make fun happen. 

Dog parks are still places I visit. When they're empty. An empty dog park is like finding a crock of gold, and lets me safely unclip the lead and allow my dog to.... run back to me. Sniffing, playing fetch, practicing appropriate skills on walks are things I now spend more time doing. I continue to reward my dogs when they look away from other dogs, and try and teach them that other dogs aren't the be all and end all; I am. This helps me with loose lead walking, recall, appropriate greetings and interactions when they DO get to meet dogs (and they do! appropriately...). A well-socialised dog can ignore other dogs and people 99% of the time. 

And for off-leash experiences in on-leash parks?? Get a long-line. 

For Ireland-based readers, the WonderPaws off leash dog park in Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow is a great off-lead park, totally fenced in and can be booked for private hire if you need a safe space for a good run. 

Puppy socialisation and the pre-vaccination period

I hear from lots of new puppy owners on a regular basis that they aren't going to take their puppy outside until the vaccinations are complete, as directed by their veterinarian. From a health perspective, this reduces the risk of your puppy contracting an illness that they are not yet protected against. The fear of our new puppy getting ill is a real one; the risk is higher when they are exploring public places where other unknown dogs (possible carriers) and animals may have wandered. 

However there is another aspect of our puppy's health that is just as important; their behavioural health. Getting your puppy out into the world so they can see the going's on of everyday life is paramount, particularly in that 3 to 14 weeks of age window. There is a long-standing belief that puppies can't be 'socialised' until their vaccinations are complete. This is down to a common misconception that in order to socialise a dog, they must meet and interact with as many dogs and people as possible.

This isn't the case at all! In fact, let's look at what 'socialisation' means. When we use that term, generally we refer to the developmental window of 3 to 14 weeks of age (some may argue even shorter than that, ending at 12 weeks). During this time, your puppy is more receptive to new experiences, and new experiences may have long lasting effects on their behaviour. Whilst our dogs are able to learn new things at any age, what we really want to see happen during this developmental stage is our puppies learning that things exist in the world, it's normal and that's okay. What things you want to expose your puppy to will vary, depending on what you would like your puppy to be able to handle throughout their lives. Bear this in mind when considering what your puppy will need to cope with. There's no point in only exposing a puppy to the countryside and all that entails if they're destined for city life, and vice versa! 

For most of us, our puppies will need to cope with the hustle and bustle of outdoor dining and coffee shops, with car journeys, with walking in urban or suburban areas. They will need to be able to cope with passing unfamiliar dogs and people of varying descriptions. They will need to cope with guests coming into the home, children, seeing birds and other animals. They may need to cope with traffic, and other motorised and wheeled objects from pram to pushbikes to scooters. 

They will also need to cope with different environments and textures underfoot. Sand, grass, concrete, tarmac, steps, stairs, different levels and heights, water, rainfall, autumn leaves, forested spaces and open green parks etc. 

The list goes on, and it is massive! We quite simply cannot expose our puppy to all of that in a few short weeks without overwhelming them. 

What we can do, however, is we can carefully expose them to as much as possible in a controlled way, so they build up the resilience and confidence they will need. Whatever new things life throws at them as they grow up and mature, we can begin to buffer that and give them coping skills whilst they are young, and yes, whilst they are still waiting on vaccination completion.

Get them out and about

Car fun

Your new puppy needs to start seeing the world. Bring them out in the car, sit in a local carpark (such as Tesco on a Saturday morning or the beach carpark on a bright day) with them looking through the window or in a crate with the door open. Let them watch the world go by, from a distance. Provide a chew such as a stuffed Kong or a pizzle stick if necessary, and let them just be in the hustle and bustle of it all. They will see dogs going by, people, bicycles, scooters and cars etc all from the safety of your car. 20 minutes is all you need, then head back home for a nice nap.

Our puppies don't need to be interacting with others to be learning about the world. Simply hanging out in real and normal life is good enough.

Carrying your puppy

If you don't have a car, or if you prefer and your puppy is comfortable, carry your puppy somewhere. This might mean taking a short stroll in the town, sitting near a cafe and watching all of the goings-on, or sitting on a park bench and watching the Saturday morning football. Whatever will be relevant to you and your life with your puppy, they will need to spend some time experiencing that. 

Each day, bring your puppy somewhere new and just hang out for a short time. Prevent other dogs and people from approaching and touching your puppy; it's all about watching for the moment. 

We have to remember that the vaccination age of our puppies occurs at such a pivotal time in their lives, and we have to do all we can at that age to help them continue to grow into happy, well-adjusted dogs. 

Contact a local qualified trainer if you require more help with your puppy, or email us at info@politepaws.ie for more information.

Labels and alternatives - How to effectively describe your dogs behaviour

Have you ever called your dog something like "cheeky", "bold" "stubborn" or "hyper"? I know I have previously. (I've also applied those labels to family members at times, sorry sis!) However, when it comes to things our dogs do (or our human relatives..) and our desire to possibly change a certain behaviour or set of behaviours, labels can sometimes actually hinder or prevent us from fully understanding or helping them, or effecting real behaviour change.

What does this even do?!

The definition of label is: a classifying phrase or name applied to a person or thing, especially one that is inaccurate or restrictive.

Words like those above don't really describe what is happening, and can also lead us to add extras to the picture. For example, the label of stubborn can also lead us to anthropomorphise and think of the individual as 'doing it on purpose, out of spite'. It restricts us and applies other beliefs to the dog. Stubborn isn't a behaviour, it doesn't describe anything in a helpful way. Labels also place the responsibility on the individual, which also can hinder us in working out what is going on. "Well it would be fine if he just wasn't so stubborn!" 

What words can we use?

Instead of labeling your dog, use descriptions of what they are doing, and what is happening in the environment too. For example, I might say "When I reach my hand into my pocket for the tennis ball, my dog will stand quite still, mouth closed, ears forward, looking at my hand/pocket. There is tension in her legs and shoulders. When I lift the ball out of my pocket and into the air, she will begin to back away from me slowly, taking one or two steps backwards. She continues to look at my hand, ears forward, body tensed. When I move my arm backwards in preparation of throwing the ball, she will turn away from me and begin to run in the opposite direction to me. If I throw the ball further than where she is, she will continue to run towards the ball. If I do not throw the ball, she will slow her pace and stop running, and then turn her body towards me and look at me."

I know that is a descriptor of playing fetch with a dog, but it is easy to spot where the environment has cued behaviour. My hand going into my pocket cues the dog to look at my hand. My hand going up in the air cues the dog to begin running away. The ball appearing in front of her cues her to run towards the ball and take hold of it in her mouth, and so on. 

I could label her as "hyper when we play fetch", but hyper only works if it describes the exact behaviours we see above. If a dog was described as hyper to you, would you picture the above? Or would you picture different behaviour? 

It is so much more useful to describe rather than label. It is absolutely something that needs practicing, and I have to correct myself sometimes and say "Describe what is happening, Niamh!" 

The next time you contact a dog trainer, describe the behaviour, no matter how detailed and irrelevant you may feel it can be. Your dog trainer will thank you for it!

Online "challenges" and dogs: Should we participate?

Not being able to see our friends and socialise in real life has led to most of us turning to the internet and social media in order to stay connected. Throughout this pandemic, and even before lockdown, participation in online trends has been a common theme across social media platforms. From the Ice Bucket Challenge in 2014, to the Mannequin challenge in 2016, people have been coming up with all sorts of different and creative activities for charity or just for the entertainment factor. This year we have seen a surge in TikTok users creating clever dance routines and copying each other in fun inspiring ways.

When it comes to our furry friends however, it is totally understandable that some trends will include them. They're part of the family after all! Don't get me wrong; a few of these trends are adorable. One of our particular favourites is the #notmorebeautifulerthanyou trend, which usually ends up with the camera moving from some footage of gorgeous scenery to that of a puppy. If you look up the hashtag you'll find tonnes of cute puppy videos. However, some of the trends are concerning. Others could be okay if they were amended significantly. Some of the trends are downright dangerous and shouldn't be replicated at all. So lets dive in a little to what we need to consider when including our dogs in viral videos. 

With any activity we create for our dogs to participate in, we need to understand what the goal is, and what we want to achieve (i.e. is the activity enriching for our pet?). It's not really fair to only consider what WE want; what is your dog getting out of it? With little choice in what happens to them daily, as their caretakers it is our duty to provide them a happy safe life.

"Enrichment can be enriching if:

• Enrichment is individualised
• Enrichment is goal oriented
• Enrichment provides choice
• Enrichment allows the animal a little control over what happens to them
• Enrichment facilitates the demonstration of species and breed typical behaviours"

(AniEd Ireland, Enrichment must be enriching, 2019)

Lets apply this thinking to two of these popular trends; the toilet roll challenge and the hotdog game. 

The toilet roll challenge

When considering participation, 

• We have to ask ourselves can we individualise this challenge for our own pets? Can our dogs step over even one toilet roll? Can they clear the rolls easily without strain? Does my individual pet have any issues with mobility that might be cause for concern? Has your pet accrued the level of fitness and mobility required to clear a jump of even low height? 

• What is the goal? Is it to practice recall with obstacles? Do we need to teach recall with obstacles for safety? Does our pet want to participate?

• Can we amend the challenge to give our dogs options to participate? Can we amend it for their specific abilities? This might mean making sure the toilet roll wall is open ended so that our pet can walk around it rather than jumping if they don't want to, or limiting its height to just one roll if necessary.

• Does our animal have control over some elements of this? This might mean giving them the treat regardless of whether they step over the rolls or not. 

• Can our pet do this behaviour? Is it appropriate to them? Is is appropriate to their breed? Also consider that some pets will push through discomfort just for the treat. This needs to be a consideration when putting together a challenge.

Here is a video of an amended version. Can you see where the amendments for each dog were made? What choices did the dogs make? How high did the challenge go in relation to dog size? 

The hot dog challenge

When considering participation,

• How can we individualise this challenge for our pet? Does this challenge increase our dogs frustration level when they cannot win? Can we fix this so our pets can win?

• What is the goal? What are we teaching our pets when we play this game?

• How can we amend this challenge for our dogs to reduce frustration? Can we amend this so our dogs can win the game? Maybe each time we show our dog the hotdogs, they get to bite off a piece or consume the treat, keeping them interested and letting them enjoy participation.

• Can our dog control what happens to them here? Are they unable to access the food that appears and disappears in front of them? Does this benefit them?

So what challenge can I participate in with my dog safely?

Whilst assessing how beneficial a trend is for your dog is entirely up to you, you can use this information to help you make decisions that benefit and truly enrich your dogs life. However, there are safe challenges to get involved in, and we look forward to your safe, happy videos with happy dogs!

(One great place where your doggy videos will ALWAYS be appreciated is this facebook group here: #100daysofenrichment. It's linked to this blog here (AniEd's 100 days of enrichment) and it's jam-packed with 100 days worth of challenges. You literally have so many ideas, and not one involves scaring or deliberately frustrating your dog. Win win! Plus, your dog will thank you for it.)

So you want to get a dog, Part 1: Puppies

Bringing a pet dog into our homes is a decision that needs to be made with great thought. Of course us dog lovers will see cute puppy pictures online and get drawn in by their adorable factor; completely normal! Dogs were made to appeal to our nuturing side, literally. They've evolved large round eyes and heads, just like human babies amongst other things, and thus we feel the urge to pick them up and cuddle them as we would a vulnerable infant, and to nuture and care for them. Being 'adorable' is part of the dog package; they simply would not have lasted as long as human companion animals if they did not have some sort of allure or draw. Many of us get dogs for our mental wellbeing, or for the kids (prepare yourself; kids will need constant active supervision with dogs!). Whilst the jury is still out on whether having a pet dog does in fact affect our mental health in a positive way, there are tonnes of welfare issues to consider from the dogs point of view.

Each dog is different, but let’s discuss the general requirements of dogs, in order to foster some self-reflection in your decision to acquire a dog.

Picking your puppy

Puppies are not clean slates, as many would believe. Indeed, where you acquire your puppy, their health, their living conditions and greater environment, their parentage, their parents health both prior to conception, post birth and during gestation, and their genetics can all influence your puppy's behaviour. That's a long list, isn't it?!?

Puppies should be born ideally to confident, happy and healthy parents. You want to make sure the parents of your puppy are living in a similar environment to you. It doesn't have to be identical, but by knowing how the parents behave on a day to day basis, how they cope with day to day life and how their behaviour is managed can give us an insight into how your puppy MAY behave as they grow. Some behavioural traits may be heritable, so it's good to know what mum and dad are like. 

Mum and dad should also be health checked, and checked for specific ailments if they are pedigree and their breed is prone to certain conditions. Your breeder should be able to provide you with information on all of these things for both parents. When looking for specific breeds, you can look up the kennel club online either from your own country or from others where you know there are reputable breeders. The Kennel Club website should have links and references to breeder databases. From there you can find a few different breeders of your choice and can contact them all to ask questions. Be aware that great breeders will also have a waiting list and loads of questions for you too!!

Puppies also need to be reared in an environment similar to the one it will be living in. For example, if your puppy was reared outdoors in the shed or a kennel environment up until the day you brought it home, then there are so many things that puppy didn't experience or prepare for in its new life with you. The sounds of washing machines, TV's, radios, the action packed energy of children in the home. It didn't experience the smells and sounds of meals being cooked, homework getting done, people going by the house, sirens, traffic, bicycle bells, postmen, a family routine.

The list is endless; trying to manufacture those experiences in a class or home environment between the ages of 8 and 14 weeks is likely going to be a challenge that you're going to need support with, and we don’t have time on our side to fit it all in. We simply cannot make up fully for those deficits (though there are things we CAN do to help if this sounds like your puppy!). Life needs to just happen, and puppies for the most part need to just be reared in the middle of it all from before birth.

Socialisation and where it goes wrong

From 3 to about 14 weeks is the window of puppy development that we call 'socialisation'. Most of that age bracket is spent with the breeder. See why the rearing environment is so important now?? Socialisation is a buzzword that encircles the dog owning community with lots of misconceptions and beliefs about what it means, mostly around ‘social’ contact, with both people and dogs. The definition in the dog world is different than in the human world, hence all the confusion. Socialisation doesn’t mean meeting, interacting and playing with as many dogs and people as possible. In fact, we DON’T want our dogs doing this! The reason being is that if we let them play with everyone, we can risk magnetising our puppy to other dogs; meaning they will be frustrated at times when they cannot go over and say hello. As well as that you can also unknowingly put your puppy in danger if the other dog isn’t as receptive to its boisterous playful antics, which most adult dogs will not be. Just like children, puppies can behave inappropriately with other dogs. They aren’t born knowing what is appropriate or not; we have to help them learn. Investing your time in teaching your puppy that checking in with you is amazing, staying close by is fun, and that passing dogs and people is no big deal is a much better way to spend your time rather than searching for new pals on every walk.

Instead of going to the dog park to 'socialise' your puppy and get them used to other dogs, it would be better if you hung out regularly (once or twice a week) with a friend and their calm adult dog. That way your puppy has a confident social model to watch and learn from, rather than the high octane, inappropriate play that often accompanies the dog-park.

Just like we humans have friends that we see regularly, so should your dog. We don't need our dog to be magnetised to other strange dogs and people when out and about.

So what exactly is socialisation then? It refers to an age bracket; a period of time during which the experiences your puppy has, good and bad, can have a long-lasting influence on how they view and behave in the world. There are also different developmental stages throughout the socialisation period and beyond that we need to look out for. By ensuring we monitor puppy behaviour on an individual level (even when still with littermates!) we can be aware of any issues that may crop up. Puppies also need to experience different things, from floor textures, sounds and problem solving puzzles to levels, temperatures and smells, whilst still with the litter, and during their different developmental stages. This all needs to be handled carefully, so your best bet is to contact a trainer and get your puppy signed up to a private program or class group setting where helping your puppy develop confidence and life skills is a big part of the curriculum. We can teach sit, stay or fetch later on; we need to be ensuring our puppies are growing into resilient and happy dogs with good welfare first!

Resources and help sourcing your puppy

• The Irish Kennel Club 'find a breed'
• The UK Kennel Club 'find a puppy' site
• Irish Pet Advertising Advisory Group (a great list of questions to ask your breeder or rescue!)
• Before you get your puppy - Free EBook!

Remember, your breeder should ask you lots of questions; they'll want to know their puppy is going to a 5 star home! They will also likely be happy to let you visit the puppy more than once. If your breeder wants cash up front, wants to meet in a carpark or is eager to sell their puppy now without meeting you, they're likely not legitimate.

Co-operative care & joyful vet visits

I'm not going to lie; my dogs don't like the vet. There are very few procedures with which they are totally comfortable, and I feel guilty every time they need vaccines, routine exams or medications involving a vet. That being said, I have begun a few simple things with them to reduce their discomfort, and that counts for something and provides a foundation on which we can build comfort with increasingly more invasive procedures. There are also a few different things that YOU can do with your dog to build their comfort with different examinations.

I'm first going to outline a few different things that your dog might be uncomfortable with, and then I will discuss what you can do and train to alleviate a bit of discomfort with these procedures.

"My dog doesn't enjoy the following..."

The weighing scales

I used to attend a vet with Ivy when we lived in Dublin City Centre, and they had the worlds most awkward weighing scales. It was a normal flat weighing scales, but for some reason they had built a box around 3 of the sides, so the dog had to step in uncomfortably, making it easier for vets to pen in the animal to get accurate weight measurements. Horrendous for many reasons, and scary for the dog.
Since then we have switched to a different veterinarian, with a large waiting room, tonnes of space for anxious dogs (and owners) to hide or be hidden, and space to access the surgery rooms without running into another pet. Fab. The weighing scales is still the same flat platform, but without the box, meaning it is easier for the dogs to both step on, stay on, and step off.

Taking your dogs weight shouldn't be a stressful experience, yet many dogs find it uncomfortable to use a scales. This can be down to the stressful environment itself, memories of getting jabbed previously, being in discomfort or pain when visiting the vet, or even the social pressure of being asked (and then forced) onto the scales, even briefly.
The benefits may outweigh the negatives in this scenario, but every little stressor in the vets adds up. With something simple like a weight check, it makes sense to train our dogs for this so that they feel less uncomfortable with at least one regular procedure.

Calm in the vet waiting room

Walking into the vet, and waiting there with your dog can be a nightmare sometimes, especially during busier periods when there may be three or four other dogs in there too. Some dogs find it hard to be in close proximity to other dogs, and throw in feeling unwell on top of that you have a disaster
scenario waiting to happen. Often, people will want to chat and talk about your dog; "What is he in for?" and touching your dog or getting their dog to say hi to yours is likely. This is often the last thing a poorly or anxious dog needs! It could be a great idea to teach a certain 'go-to' behaviour; a behaviour your dog can practice lots and lots in the vet waiting room that gives them something to do and helps keep them calm. This can help lower stress levels of everyone involved!

Ear, eyes and body checks

Whilst the more invasive procedures are often things like vaccines, the dreaded up-the-nose kennel cough, or the thermometer-in-the-bum; being manipulated and handled for examinations can be just as uncomfortable for our dogs. We may assume that our dogs don't mind this part as much; after all they love a cuddle on the sofa! But for us, when the doctor takes our blood pressure, listens to our heart beats or looks in our ears it's a very different feeling than cuddling up on the couch with your best bud. Though simple, these procedures invade our personal space, coming into our bubble and making us feel icky. It's no different for our dogs. Building our dogs confidence with these procedures, increasing comfort and helping them cope can be effective at lowering our dogs overall stress levels at the vet.

"So what we can do is..."

Targets

Targeting is a term used for when we teach an animal to touch or target a part of their body against something. So for example, we can teach our dogs to touch their noses off our hands, or to give the paw, or to go to bed (yes their bed is a target for their body!). There are plenty of other ways that we can use targets, and we will go through some of those here.

Weighing scales: There are two targets that may be most handy in teaching your dog to like the weighing scales. One is a hand target or 'touch', and one is a place to stand, or a floor target. We can use either of these, or a combination of both.

Hand targets is simply teaching our dogs to touch their nose off our hands when cued, and then building on that behaviour and training them to follow our outstretched hands, WITHOUT food as a lure. This means we can hold out our hand and guide our dogs onto the weighing scales without physically lifting them onto it. See our video tutorial here for part 1 and here for part 2.

Training a place target, or a spot your dog should stand, is a bit different. What we want is our dogs four paws on an object, such as a yoga mat, blanket or vet bedding. You could even make a pretend scales out of a large rectangle of wood and use that. If you've taught the hand target above, use that to move your dog onto the object, and once all four paws are on it, say 'yes!' and give a treat. See the video tutorial here. Note that in the video, I use a clicker instead of saying 'yes!'. It is still the same.

Calm in the vet waiting room: Teaching our dogs to lie down on a mat can be a beneficial behaviour, as it gives our dog a behaviour to do, and if taught correctly the mat can be a lovely place to be. Having a specific mat for settling means that you can bring your mat everywhere and use it to station your dog, giving them a spot to be and a signal that says "we're just hanging out on our mats
now!". When at the vet office and waiting for your appointment, you can place the mat down away from other dogs and people, and let your dog hang out on the mat until your name is called. Here is the initial teaching of this behaviour, and then helping your dog learn how to do it for longer duration of time, with distractions, and even if you have to move away from them.

Ear, eyes and body checks: Getting our dogs used to being handling is a vital life skill; we may assume our dogs love being touched and petted but as animals without thumbs, grooming and touching isn't as common or as appreciated as we would like! We can build up our dogs comfort though, by playing a simple game for thirty seconds to a minute at a time. Touch for a treat! Taking treats in one hand and putting that hand behind your back, you briefly and gently touch one of your dogs body parts with your free hand, take your hand away, and make a treat then magically appear from behind your back. Video tutorial here. This teaches your dog that each time a body part is touched, something lovely happens afterwards!

Another option for examinations can be practiced at home. All you need is a tile or glass wall or window (or a helper and a Kong!), something spreadable like cream cheese, yogurt, peanut butter or pate, and a peckish dog. Smear stuff all over the tile or glass pane (or in your Kong), and let your dog start licking at it. Whilst they're licking, begin to touch them (gently!) all over. If they stop licking, immediately take your hands OFF the dog. As soon as they start licking and lapping again, you can begin to re-examine them. This teaches your dog that they can control when exams start and stop.

When they are uncomfortable, they stop licking and you stop touching. When they feel a bit better they continue to lick and lap at the foodstuffs and you can examine. See? It's all about consent. Consent builds confidence and helps reduce your dogs stress levels associated with exams and veterinary procedures.
You can try this in the vets office too with a lined Kong or a wooden spoon dipped in something lovely. Hold it in front of your dog; whilst they eat your vet can proceed with heart rate, body or ear exams. When your dog takes their face away from the Kong, your vet should be instructed to STOP. There is a fantastic video from our friends at AniEd Ireland (www.anied.ie) here about happy vet visits!

From these small tips you can build up to more behaviours aimed at helping your dog at the vets. Chin targets can be another useful one, as seen in action here, or even work with a trainer to help your dog reach consent for blood draws as seen here! Whatever small action you take, you will be making a big difference to your dog. Get in touch for more information should you require it. Happy training!

Your dogs nose (and why you should let them sniff)

Your dogs nose is amazing. Fact. But how do we know it is amazing? How does it work? How good are humans at following scent trails compared to dogs? Read on for all of these answers and more.

A scents journey from air to brain

We know dogs can smell all sorts of different scents in great depth, and are far more sensitive to smell than we can comprehend. Our noses pale in comparison. But why? 

Well, in the dogs brain, the olfactory centre that is responsible for controlling all things smell is three times larger than in human brains. That means that even though a dogs brain is smaller than a humans, the part in charge of smell is way bigger. This size difference means they can pack tonnes more neurons and pathways in there; fitting in lots of equipment for understanding, processing and responding to scent.

The nose

How scent gets to the brain is a fundamental part of olfaction. You can't smell anything if the scent doesn't travel in your nose in the first place! Dogs noses are wet to allow scent to stick to it, and to provide liquid so that when the air moves inside it becomes warm and humid like a vapour. This makes it easier for scent to travel into the nasal passage and for scent to be detected. 

In order to smell stuff, dogs have a unique way of inhaling, or sniffing. They can inhale and exhale rapidly, due to the structure of the nose itself. Either side of your dogs nose, there are two slits; these spiral out from under the nostril. Air will be inhaled through the nostril itself and is exhaled through these slits during bouts of sniffing, allowing the exhaled air to kick up some of the scent from the ground but lessening the impact of disturbing and further diluting the scent underneath the nostril itself. This is how your dog can sniff so rapidly. The next time your dog is sniffing the air or looking as though they're simply looking around them, watch their nose, and see if you can see it moving as they smell the breeze.

The vomeronasal organ (or how dogs smell with their mouth)

Inside your dogs mouth, just behind their front teeth, is a small segment of tissue that is called the vomeronasal, or Jacobson's, organ. Chemical compounds that arrive into the dogs mouth in liquid form can be detected with this organ, and the 'scent' of these transferred to the vomeronasal bulb in the brain. Whilst these liquid 'smells' are not processed by the olfactory bulb, the vomeronasal organ is still considered part of the olfactory system as it helps dogs detect pheromones and other information from the environment. Some dogs will even taste the urine or faeces of other dogs in order to gather more information through the vomeronasal organ. Humans have vestigal versions of this organ at the roof of our mouth about a centimetre behind our front teeth. You can feel where it should be with your tongue!

Nasal cavity cells and tissue

Once inside the nose and nasal cavity, each cell has little legs called cilia. Cilia are present in lots of cells, but the ones in the nose have tonnes of scent receptors that can receive the scent chemicals and send that information all the way up to the olfactory bulb in the brain. The surface area inside the dogs nasal cavity is huge, much greater than a humans, helping to translate all of those scent molecules into readable messages to send to the dogs brain. Whilst we may have less than 10 million scent receptors helping us decode smells, dogs have hundreds of millions, so can understand and interpret scent in ways we simply cannot comprehend!

Tracking, trailing and scent plumes

A study carried out in 2007 (Porter et al) found that humans could learn to track scent, but whilst they got a bit better with practice, their noses still were not as sensitive as the dogs. However an interesting note stood out from this study, one that highlighted a certain behaviour that dogs do that was seen in the human test subjects. Often when trainers get calls about dogs that pull on lead, weaving side to side across the footpath is a big part of that. "Oh he pulls left to right, right to left, he's all over the place!" However, when mapped out, how animals follow scent tends to be in a weaving pattern. When scent is dragged in a straight line across land for tracking purposes, the scent from the line will travel with the breeze, or gather like smoke rising from a flame. These scent plumes can veer left or right in the air, and the individual who is sniffing them out will follow each plume, losing them then veering back to try and 'catch wind' of it again. This leads to what we see as a zig-zagging motion. The next time your dog veers off course to go and smell something, take a second to appreciate their nose, and what must be an incredibly interesting scent to suddenly change direction for. 

If you would like more information on scent, airflows, competitive/detection dog work or another aspect of scent that we didn't cover here, let us know and we can create another post going into more depth! Follow along on Facebook, Instagram or on our website for more information and for training or dog walking services.