How to train a dog – part 1 A dog is a relatively straightforward creature, whose behaviour is driven almost entirely by what could be described as gaining reward and avoiding ‘punishment’ (more accurately, avoiding bad things happening). In many ways this is true of humans as well, except that we then moderate our behaviour through cognition. The […]
Why do dogs need toys? Most people that I know, who own a dog, consider their canine companion to be part of the family, and Christmas means presents for dogs, just as surely as it does gifts for children! So are dog toys more than just a momentary distraction? Do dogs need toys? What do […]
The use of meat in dog food Dogs are non-obligate carnivores, rather than omnivores, which means their teeth, digestion, enzymes etc are primarily that of a carnivore, but they have adapted to cope with small amounts of vegetable and grains. Nevertheless it is important for us as dog owners to understand the use of meat in dog […]
We’re still a few weeks away from the shortest day of the year, but dog walking in the dark has once again become a reality for most of us. It’s easy to be overly confident, even blasé, but the reality is that pretty much all of the daytime issues that can arise on an average dog walk, are exacerbated by […]
Get ready for the launch of our new weekly email newsletter, The Dog Zone Review. This is a quality, original content email newsletter, with subscriber led content such as dog related Q&A, FAQ, dog behaviour hints and tips, in depth case studies, an up close look at what’s in your dog’s food, plus loads of […]
Benton Quarry Park – Whitley Road, Newcastle upon Tyne. Category: Green Dog walks, walking your dog, dog walking This is a small, enclosed, informal park, which offers safe off road dog walking and a variety of habitats. The park is well managed and maintained as areas of woodland alongside large flat and gently landscaped grassy areas. […]
Today I did my first walk with Willow who is a beautiful black and gold Hovawort. We’d met on a couple of occassions and got along well, indeed she was positively affectionate at the initial booking visit. I’d done a ‘test drive’ with her human waiting down the street only yesterday, just to be sure […]
Does it matter what we call things? People? Animals? It seems to be human nature to label; to reduce complex situations down to a single word. She’s insecure, autistic, gregarious, selfish, intelligent or a doormat. We do it with our dogs all the time… he’s stubborn, reactive, clingy, friendly, anxious, full of himself. Labelling seems […]
Yesterday I went to a breeders’ seminar at Croft Veterinary Hospital in Cramlington. The main draw was a lecture on puppy development, which proved to be a rich and positive walk through a puppy’s developmental needs between birth and 12 weeks. We covered oodles of excellent information such as the handling of very young puppies, […]
The recent snowfall and freezing weather has brought challenges to all kinds of people simply going about their daily work. I sat in my car the other day watching (with great empathy) a group of burly men trying to manoeuvre unending green bins onto an unruly snowbound bin lorry through deep pavement snow. For many […]
