Welcome to my new dog blog! This is my poster-boy, Ingot.
He’s an 11 year old Staffordshire bull terrier cross (possibly Beagle - one day we’ll get the money together for a DNA test!). We’ve had him 9 months now, having adopted him from a local rescue and he has been the easiest dog in the world in most respects; he’s impeccably houstrained, never chews anything he shouldn’t, wonderfully affectionate and cuddly and chills out at home most of the day.
However, once we take him outside, the sight of a squirrel, a bird, or god forbid another dog, all his manners go out the window and he becomes fixated. Now let me start by saying he is NOT aggressive.
He displays reactive behaviour and at the flick of a switch, his desire to go charging towards the trigger is overwhelming.
Now, Ingot has doggy friends - those he is excited to see and plays with nicely and by some twist of fate, call it luck or vibes or whatever, but he seems to understand that dogs that I know are alright, and he doesn’t need to fly off the handle.
Passing strange dogs is nigh on impossible without some impressive display of acrobatics at the end of the lead as his frustration takes him over. After months of research and work, his trigger zone is now much wider than it once was, meaning we can spot a dog about 50 yards down the street and he’ll be interested but not ‘over threshold’.
As a budding trainer, Ingot has taught me more in 9 months than I’ve ever learnt in two years assisting puppy classes. He is incredibly bright and eager to please so I know we’ve got loads more to learn together in future and that’s why I’m making this blog.
I’m going to post our successes, our misadventures and my own thoughts and theories on the many aspects to consider in dog training. I’ll post some tutorials on teaching your dogs some basic cues in a kind and force-free manner, and some games and enrichment to help build a loving bond and help you and your dogs live happier and more fulfilled lives.
I hope as I build a readership, this blog becomes an interactive experience - ask me questions and I’ll explore the possibilities!
Anyway, that ends this super long introduction post! Looking forward to the next one - and do let me know if there’s anything you want to see in particular!
