Alpha Dog Behaviour

Not only do I work as a full time dog behaviourist, I am a proud dad to my lovely daughter and there's my better half Sara. Our daughter is now 13, and since her birth we have become firm advocates of holidaying within the UK with our dogs.

So often I find in my work that clients are falling into the same kind of ‘traps’ that make my phone ring with someone saying, “Help!”
On average, a first visit will last about three hours covering many issues, but here are a few top tips to ensure you dog sees you as ‘a leader’ and to avoid some of those traps.

As a full time dog behaviour specialist, my role is to help owners whose dogs are showing undesirable behaviour. In my work dog aggression is relatively common, falling into three broad categories: dog to dog aggression, aggressive behaviour towards people, and finally aggressive behaviour focussed upon guarding food, territory or toys etc.

Not all dogs require a daily flogging until they come back wet and exhausted. I think it's just as easy to do too much as it is to do too little.

About 18 months is in my mind the best age to start opening the throttle more and exposing the dog to longer and more strenuous exercise. By this time the muscular and skeletal systems are well established, and able to take the strain.

Firework season is a nightmare…I know I see it frequently in my work as a dog behaviourist and trainer. Maybe if it were one night you could accept it, but no, it seems to go on for weeks; creating misery for the dogs and owners alike.
There have been campaign efforts in the past to reduce the volume of fireworks, but this seems slow to take effect. There also seem to be more and more shops opening specifically to sell fireworks at peak season, with little or no control on how much people can buy, or where they are let off.

Hi I’m Nick Jones, and I run my own dog behavioural consultancy covering the West Midlands and surrounding counties. I am often asked about the subject of leadership, as it does seem to be a current ‘buzz word’ at present. So, I would like to address some of the areas you can look at with your own dog that can help if you are experiencing any difficulties.

When a dog is on the lead, it has had one option removed when under stress…. this is the chance to move away from what is concerning it. I regularly hear that the owner’s dog is ok off the lead but unsociable when on it. You may require some more detailed help from a professional trainer, but in the mean time you could try this simple procedure. In this sort of scenario it would be as well to break it down into three steps for you to try using the following simple method I have developed over time.

This is a very common issue!

Below are a few thoughts simply laid out to provoke
further thinking on this subject.

Well I’m sure that most of you know this one, but for those in a student role this is a must on every visit as far as I’m concerned. Looking at the behaviour in the dog's home, the hub of its life is essential to have the benefits in the outside world.