PDTE 2012 October Newsletter

PDTE NEWs 

October l Issue 19 

www.pdte.org 

Photo: 

Petra van Rijn, Netherlands

MESSAGE FROM 

the CHAIRMAN 

MESSAGE FROM 

the PRESIDENT 

Dear members, 

we live far apart, and most of us do not 

meet very often. Maybe that is why it is 

so important to feel that we belong to a 

community of people with the same ideas 

and interests. Instead of being alone in 

your work for dogs, you can feel strong 

because there are others to ask for advice, 

discuss things, help each other, inspire 

each other, share ideas, and that network 

is so important that I cannot underline it 

strongly enough. My first 30 years of dog 

training was without any network, and I 

missed it terribly. To-day we do have a 

network possibility - use it ! 

Get ideas from each other, - I love it 

when my previous students come up with 

ideas and projects, and we can all do that, 

and share it. 

Hello All 

Welcome to another wonderful edition of our PDTE Newsletter. It’s been a good year so 

far for me catching up with some of our members at various seminars around the UK, 

am really impressed to see so many members making the effort to improve their 

knowledge and skills and it’s been fun to see each other at these events. The Marc 

Bekoff seminar in Edinburgh organised by Max Muir was especially well attended by 

PDTE members from the UK and many from around Europe; it was well worth the effort. 

This year seems to be going past very quickly here in the UK with so many different 

things going on. We’ve had the Queen’s Jubilee and the Olympics so never a dull 

moment. Some people seem to enjoy all the different things going on and some don’t, 

it’s the same with dogs. Recently I saw a list published of the top 10 things that dogs 

love to do, it included things like flyball, agility, rally-o, obedience classes and many other 

activities and I would challenge this. It didn’t, say, include any natural and instinctive 

behaviours such as how much dogs love to sniff and explore, just hang out with their 

humans or dog friends, chew on a big bone, sleep in the sun or somewhere comfortable. 

Obviously what individual dogs love to do will vary but when I set up an agility course my 

dogs don’t run around it jumping with joy unless I encourage them to so how much do 

they really like it if they wouldn’t do it alone? I would like to encourage people to be 

honest with themselves and realise that it’s often them that loves all this activity not 

always the dogs, obviously there may be some exceptions! I do some fun activities with 

my dogs from time to time but it’s not stuff that they would do without me so really they 

are just doing it to please me? What I do know is that they love to play hide and seek 

with treats, they like to find their breakfast hidden around the garden, they enjoy lying 

on the sofa with me and long leisurely walks exploring new places or revisiting familiar 

ground. We all have to do things we don’t really want to do from time to time but it’s 

worth thinking about it from the dog’s point of view. 

Hope you are all enjoying a wonderful summer with your dogs and finding lots of time to 

relax and enjoy each other’s company. 

Winkie 

Chairman - PDTE 

I love the network of dogs and owners 

visiting each other and let dogs explore 

new places and get mental stimulation 

from that and other dogs meeting. And 

the brilliancy about it is that it is so easy 

! and it costs nothing, except a little planning 

and organizing - and the benefit is 

enormous. You can all start similar groups 

in your area. 

Country Representatives, I challenge 

you to promote the idea to your country’s 

PDTE members ! 

Yours. 

Turid 

President - PDTE 

Next newsletter 

January 2013 

Please send materials by 1st December 

at the latest to raili@doi.fi 

Advertising prices 

1/4 page 20 euros 



For more information, reservations 

(latest 1st December) and originals 

(latest 15th December) contact 

raili@doi.fi 

Copyright © 2008. The reproduction in whole or part of any of the contents of PDTE News is expressly forbidden without written consent of the editor.

Contents: 

BOARD’S CORNER 

Board´s Corner 3 

Welcome our new members 4 

New PDTE Forum 6 

What is up in 2012 12 

Book rewiew 15 

Dog gone 16 

Boundaries 18 

Problem dog? 23 

- the basso case 26 

MESSAGE FROM 

the EDITOR 

President 

Turid Rugaas 

Boks 109, 3361 Geithus, Norway 

Phone: +47 (0) 32 780 987 

E-Mail: turidrug@frisurf.no 

Website: www.turid-rugaas.no 

Chairman 

Membership Secretary 

Nelis Verhoeven 

Zandstraat 3 

5984 PA Koningslust 

Tel: +31 (0) 7746 78 619 

Mobile: +31 (0) 6227 55 214 

info@calmingsigns.nl 

www.calmingsigns.nl 

MeetingS Secretary 

Dear Readers! 

In your hands you now have a new issue 

of PDTE News. I hope you enjoy reading 

it. I again wish to thank all of you who 

helped me with this issue by sending me 

materials. The next issue in December will 

be an AGM issue with summaries of the 

AGM talks and workshops. Nonetheless, 

please don´t forget to send me new material 

for the next issue after that one! And of 

course even in the AGM issue we will have 

the normal What´s up in 2013 etc., for 

which we need material. 

In this issue are step-by-step instructions 

on how to join our new forum. Start 

exchanging your ideas with other PDTE 

members! And get to know each other 

better. 

Our main event – PDTE AGM – in Edinburgh 

was a big succes and the next one 

will be in Holland:-). Hope to see you all 

there. 

Have a great dog-oriented autumn and 

winter 

Raili 

Editor of PDTE News 

raili@doi.fi 

Winkie Spiers 

121 Harbut Road, London SW11 2RD 

England 

Phone: +44 (0) 207 924 3744 

Mobile: +44 (0) 7718 332 914 

E-Mail: winkie@winkiespiers.com 

Website: www.winkiespiers.com 

Treasurer 

Sonja Hoegen 

Allmend 18 

DE – 74206 Bad Wimpfen 

Germany 

hoegen@dogcom.de 

www.dogcom.de 

Raili Halme 

Pärehöylänpolku 15, 03220 Tervalampi 

Finland 

Phone: +358 (0) 50 504 2109 

E-Mail: raili@rakkaathaukut.f 

Website: www.rakkaathaukut.fi 

BOARD ASSISTANT 

Adelaide Lönnberg 

Finland 

AdelaideL@me.com 

PDTE NEWS Page 3

WElCOME OUR NEW MEMBERS 

DEBBY LOVELL 

SCOTLAND 

Martina 

Naceradska 

Czech Republic 

Roberto Nicolai 

ITALY 

Hi. 

I am working as a Guide Dog Mobility 

Instructor — training dogs to guide Visually 

Impaired people, and then matching and 

training the dog with the Client, so that 

they are safe, mobile and independent. I 

started working for Guide Dogs in 1977, 

had a brief spell doing something else 

(including helping to run dog training 

classes, and attending regular courses to 

improve my teaching skills and knowledge 

of how dogs learn) and then came back to 

Guide Dogs in 1990. I have attended many 

of the early APBC Seminars (Association 

of Pet Behaviour Counsellors) and attend 

as many courses as I can locally – recently 

these have included Dr Ian Dunbar, Peter 

Neville but also many others. I discuss 

problem behaviour with my Colleagues 

and friends, and have carried out visits 

to pet owners to help with their dogs’ 

behaviour, arranged through word of 

mouth. I have owned dogs since 1970 and 

can’t see myself without a dog now. 

A rescued collie was my first dog, and I 

have had three labrador retrievers since 

then – now I have two elderly dogs - one 

Labrador retriever and a rescued lab/ 

collie mixture. I have learned so much 

from my not-so-straightforward Labrador 

Retrievers!! The biggest lesson learned 

has been that shouting does not work 

for lots of reasons! I used to think I knew 

a lot about dogs, but now I have more 

experience I realise there is so much to 

learn and that at that time I actually knew 

very little - I find learning about dogs so 

interesting. I love getting inside the dog’s 

head to understand it more fully. And I love 

passing on my enthusiasm to my Clients, 

so that they enjoy their dogs more and 

their dogs have a happy life! 

I decided to study veterinary medicine 

when I was seven. During my studies I 

became interested in the ethology and 

behaviour of pet animals and started 

to participate in publications about the 

behaviour of cats. I graduated in 2006 

and opened my own veterinary practice in 

2008. 

In 2009 I founded my puppy school, which 

was the first of its kind in Prague and one 

of the first five in the Czech Republic. In 

2010 I attended a speech by Turid Rugaas 

and it changed my life; her knowledge 

has opened a new world to me: true dog 

language. Since then I have used calming 

signals and the basic rules not only in my 

puppy school but also in my veterinary 

practice to make it “dog friendly”. 

I like sharing new knowledge with other 

vets and people. I write articles for Czech 

veterinary journals, the journal of the 

Basenji club Bohemia, and have made 

some posters in the field of dermatology. 

I love to visit congresses and write about 

them in the Czech veterinary journal 

Veterinářství. The Czech public also see 

me quite regularly on Czech TV channels 

and in fact I will also appear on Japanese 

NTV in the near future. I currently have 

one retrospective study in print about 

using pheromone collars in dogs and cats 

in the treatment of behavioural disorders. 

I understand the need for lifelong 

education, so I attend speeches, lectures 

and such if possible and I have also 

started to study DSP at VFU Brno in the 

field of dermatology in 2011. 

I have three cats at home. The oldest one 

is used to travelling with me everywhere 

and can walk on the leash if needed. 

Mental education for dogs 

One to one behaviour consultations 

Dog training classes / One to one dog 

training 

Training classes for humans 

Puppy socialisation and training classes 

One to one puppy training 

Pre-puppy consultations 

Rescue dog consultations 

Effects of Nutrition on Behaviour 

Behaviour problems 

Canine Communication 

Stress in Dogs 

Hello! 

Hege Håland 

Norway 

My name is Hege Håland and I live with 

my dog Milo in Sandefjord, a town south of 

Oslo in Norway. I work as a flight attendant 

for the Norwegian airline Widerøe and 

have been doing so for 10 years now. I 

am still not sure what I want to be later, 

but I hope it will have something to do with 

dogs although I am not sure what yet. Last 

year, in August, I started a dog massage 

education but I am not sure if I want to 

work with that. First of all I have to pass 

the exam... 

Page 4 

PDTE NEWS

WElCOME OUR NEW MEMBERS 

I have always loved dogs and animals in 

general. In my family when I was growing 

up we had cats and birds but never a dog. 

I visited my aunt and uncle often because 

they had dogs and have had for as long 

as I can remember. They told me I was a 

natural around their dogs and they were 

sure that I was going to get a dog of my 

own some day. 

In November 2006 I got Milo together with 

an ex. Milo was my first dog and I listened 

to the wrong people and read the wrong 

kind of books and his first years were not 

pleasant for either of us. Later I got in 

touch with one of Turid’s former students 

and she guided me in the right direction. 

That was the start of a new, greater life 

together with Milo. 

In 2010/2011 I attended Turid’s dog trainer 

education. That was the best thing I have 

ever done and I really wish everyone could 

get the same information about dogs as 

we did. 

For the future I hope to attend as many 

dog courses and seminars as possible 

because I want to learn as much as I 

can about dogs. I hope to teach as many 

people as possible about dog signals, their 

language and feelings and about positive 

dog training. Every dog deserves to be 

treated with respect and kindness, and 

it is my responsibility to spread the good 

word so it can happen for as many dogs 

as possible. 

Monique 

Schalkwijk, 

Holland 

a French Bulldog puppy named Karel. 

I walked him from then on every day, 

weather or no weather. The owner’s the 

son didn’t like walking him. But with me 

Karel had a very good bond and he never 

walked on the leash. He didn’t listen to his 

owners at all. When I was 15 years old I 

got work at a animal shelter that was just 

starting up 1 km from hour house. I worked 

there every weekend and holiday and on 

special days like Christmas, and I liked 

it very much. After work we walked with 

several dogs. When I was 16 we moved 

and Karel was also going to move. I didn’t 

want to move but then I got my own dog! 

I took Kelly from the shelter, a 9-monthold 

male Labrador/Rottweiler cross. He 

was very fat, had no education at all, and 

could not walk on the leash. He was in 

the shelter because he could not be left 

alone. I went to dog school with Kelly and 

because I always read dog books I also 

taught him things myself. I worked at the 

shelter as a volunteer for 8 years. Then i 

got a paid job there for 40 hours a week 

as an assistant manager. I loved my job, 

from cleaning to getting the animals a 

new home. I did that for 7 years. In the 

meantime I dreamt of getting a job that 

would make pets feel better. I worked for 

one year at a special orthopaedic clinic 

for dogs and cats. There were so many 

operations every day and I didn’t like 

that, so I got a job at a big clinic for small 

animals, with four vets and four assistants 

and fewer operations. I worked there for 

10 years. 

In 1994 I moved in with my boyfriend. 

Kelly lived with us but I wanted a second 

dog. I was still working at the shelter 

and met Roxy, a 2-year-old female GSD/ 

Border collie cross. She was in the shelter 

because she bit people, and they did 

nothing with her. I started to teach her 

things that she liked, and within 3 months 

she was a great dog. After Kelly died at 

the age of 12 we took Mazzel, a 4-yearold 

Labrador male, because his owner 

was too ill to keep him. In 2007 we moved 

to the countryside and took a third dog, 

a puppy this time, a male GSD. Roxy 

educated him a lot and I taught him some 

things myself. I didn’t need to teach a dog 

very much. Only sit, and stay for a wile 

and walking on a leash without pulling. 

The rest I found unimportant. 

In 2010 both Roxy and Mazzel died, aged 

almost 18 and 15. They had a very good 

life. In the meantime we had done many 

things to the house and outside on our 

land. Then I wanted to get an other job 

with dogs. I started my own company in 

2008. LUPO is a dog school, a walking 

service for dogs, and a small hotel for a 

few dogs to stay with us. I also offer my 

help as an animal behaviourist. Now we 

have three dogs again, a new dog Border 

Collie/Retriever cross from a shelter, a little 

cross who had to be re-homed because 

she was so scared of her owner, and a 

5-year-old GSD. We also have sheep, 

pigeons and cats. 

I’m Monique and I am 41 years old. I have 

been married for 12.5 years. I have had 

a special interest in dogs since I was a 

little girl. At the age of six I started to walk 

dogs in my street for owners who had not 

enough time for them. When I was 12 

we moved house but I wasn’t allowed to 

get my own dog. Then my neigbours got 


Dear fellow members, 

new pdte forum 

we have a new forum 

As you might know, the old “Yahoo!” chat room is closed and we 

have a new forum witch offers much more possibilities and ease 

of use. I have prepared an easy “step by step” visual manual to 

help you get started. Most members have already registered, and 

I hope this will help you to 

make better use of this wonderful place. There are two people 

“moderating” the forum: Agnes Prins and Nelis Verhoeven. 

They will maintain the “content” on the forum, and check that 

everyone communicates in a nice manner. I will attend to the 

“administration”, which means I may grant members access to 

the forum after registration and maintain the forum “physically” to 

keep things updated and running smoothly. When you post 

a question in the “forum help” section or email me a question 

(info@doggz.nl) I will answer you shortly. 

There are 3 step-by-step guides that you can follow from top 

to bottom: 

• Registration (to gain access to the forum) 

• First post (how to post your first message) 

• Email notification (how to turn on email notification upon new 

messages/replies) 

I hope to see you all in the new PDTE forum soon! 

Cheers, Ed van den Berg 

STEP 1: REGISTRATION 

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STEP 2: FIRST POST 

1 

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Page 8 



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STEP 3: EMAIL NOTIFICATION 

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What‘s up in 2012 - 21013? 

PDTE Events, Courses, Seminars, Workshops... 

These events, courses, seminars and workshops have been accepted by the PDTE Board. 

Part of the income contributes to the work of the PDTE. If you would like to organize a PDTE event, 

contact Raili Halme raili@doi.fi . 

BELGIUM 

The DOG-ORIENTED INSTITUTE (owned 

by Full Members of the PDTE) is 

organizing the following seminar: 

23.03.2013 

DOG-ORIENTED LEADERSHIP IS 

PARENTHOOD 

24.03.2013 

DOGS´ LANGUAGE AND 

ESPECIALLY CALMING SIGNALS 

International lecture 

Raili Halme, Finland 

More information: 

www.andersvoorhondenzorgen 

ria@doi.fi 

GERMANY 

Turid Rugaas 

International Dog Trainer Education 

2012 - 2013 in Germany 

Teachers 

Best selling author and undisputed star 

of canine behaviour, Turid Rugaas of 

Norway has devoted her life to the welfare 

of dogs. She is best known for her discovery 

of the Calming Signals, and is a very 

sought after speaker. 

In Angola Anne Lill Kvam trained mine 

detection dogs, and reshaped the education 

of scent hounds. Her book “The Kingdom 

of Scent” is very popular worldwide. 

Sonja Hoegen of Germany runs the 

dogcom training centre, and is honoured to 

host the Education. 

Topics 

Communication, body language, learning 

behaviour, observation, ethology, 

breeds, puppies, adolescents, mature 

dogs, nutrition, stress, fears, aggression, 

problem solving, health and body issues, 

studies and research, training techniques, 

methods, instructing and consultations, 

practical skills, creativity, equipment 

The Education covers 30 days, divided 

into 10 units of 3 days each (Friday to 

Sunday). All units except one - held by 

Anne Lill Kvam – will be held by Turid 

Rugaas herself. 

Tuition time: 

9 to 12.30 am and 2 to 5 pm 

Maximum 20 students aged 21 years or 

above. The main language is English. 

The homework will be mostly practical. 

Dogs can be brought along on agreement. 

Exams 

Midway: 1 short presentation, 1 breed 

research, instruction 

End: 1 practical session with dogs, 

1 presentation of a main topic 

Units 

I 15-17. June 2012 

II 17-19. August 2012 

III 05-07. October 2012 

IV 07-09. December 2012 

V 01-03. February 2013 

VI 15-17. March 2013 

VII 26-28. April 2013 

VIII 07-09. June 2013 

IX 23-25. August 2013 

X 04-06. October 2013 

Application 

If you are interested in the Education 

we shall be happy to arrange a free and 

noncommittal practical day, where we get 

to know each other. 

Contact Sonja Hoegen 

Allmend 18 , 74206 Bad Wimpfen , Germany, 

+49 70 63/ 22 85 600, 

hoegen@dogcom.de Please order our 

information leaflet. 

www.dogcom.de 

KEEP YOUR 

EVENT 

AS PDTE EVENT 

and you can use PDTE official 

logo and tell that PDTE 

recommends your event! 

If you are interrested in 

contact raili@doi.fi 

MOVING? 

Remember to tell us 

your new adDress! 

Send your information to 

a.knoblauch@bluewin.ch 



PDTE Events, Courses, Seminars, Workshops... 

These events, courses, seminars and workshops have been accepted by the PDTE Board. 

Part of the income contributes to the work of the PDTE. If you would like to organize a PDTE event, 

contact Raili Halme raili@doi.fi . 

Dog symposium 

with many interesting speakers! 

Welcome to: 

Quality hotell Olavsgaard, Lillestrøm (Oslo), Norway 9-10 February 2013 

A lovely hotel only 20 minutes from Oslo Gardermoen. 

First stop with the shuttle bus from the airport to Oslo, leaving the airport every 30 minutes. 

NOK 2400,- is the cost for the whole weekend, incl. coffee and lunch, excl. hotel room, which 

must be booked separately. Single room cost 995,- and double room 1195,- per night include 

breakfast. Rooms can be booked at: booking@olavsgaard.no, Telph.: (47) 63847700 

Speakers: 

Agnes Vælidalo, Norway: 

Pulse measuring in dogs. A project work 

Amber Batson, veterinary, England: 

The importance of sleep 

Bente Åby, Norway: 

Why do dogs bite? 

Jenny Nyberg, neurologist, Sweden: 

The adaptable brain 

Luis Souto, Spain: 

Motion and emotions in dogs 

A unique group of speakers with lots of competance in their fields, and lots of new 

research on the brain and stress. 

Ther language will be English 

Sign up to:" " Turid Rugaas, turidrug@frisurf.no Tlf. (47) 32 78 09 87 

" " " within 1st December 2012. 

Payment to:" Account 2270 14 92912 

" " " From abroad: IBAN NO27 2270 14 92912 Bic/swift SPTRNO22 

on request - when I confirm your participation and the number of participants are satisfactory. 


Other Events, Courses, Seminars, Workshops... 

AUSTRIA 

International Dog Behaviour & 

Training School (IDBTS) 

In-depth theory and practical study 

foundation 

Further study required for independent 

OCN accreditation 

Teacher: 

Sheila Harper Guest speaker: Sally Askew 

Working towards a nationally recognised 

accreditation. Module 

Topics: Canine Communication and 

Handling, Training, Canine Behaviour and 

Instructing Dog Training Classes. Including: 

Applied learning theory, ethology, 

stress, canine body language, psychology, 

shaping, problem solving, creativity, 

instructing, puppies and adolescents, 

behaviour modification and health & nutrition. 

In-depth case studies with students’ 

own dogs. 



Venue: near Vienna 

Contact Judith Utner judith.utner@hundeforum.at 

ENGLAND 

INTENSIVE BEHAVIOUR COURSE 

in Bristol, UK 13 - 16 December 2012 

with Turid Rugaas to teach people some 

of the methods developed for problem 

solving and behaviour modification. 

The plan is 3 units, 4 days each, and the 

course will have a very limited number of 

participants. 

You can take the first unit only. 

Price max. 500 £ for the first unit, excl. 

stay and food. 

Register 

with Turid on turidrug@frisurf.no before 

October 1st. 

To Do or Not To Do, That is the 

CASTRATION? 

A one-day Seminar for all Dog Owners, 

Vets, Trainers & Behaviourists! 

By Holistic Vet Nick Thompson BSc 

(Hons) Path Sci., BVM&S, VetMFHom, 

MRCVS 


Nick will discuss new research that he 

feels challenges the prevailing view of 

gonadectomy (neutering) being a benign 

procedure. He will present studies which 

demonstrate adverse behavioural 

impact of neutering dogs. He will also look 

at physical effects such as differences 

in bone growth, predisposing neutered 

dogs to increased incidences of cruciate 

rupture; early onset of osteoarthritis 

and increased risk of certain cancers 

(e.g. haemangiosarcoma and prostate) in 

neutered dogs. 

Saturday 16 February 2013 

Venue: Sway Village Hall, Middle Road, 

Sway, Lymington, Hampshire, SO41 6BB 

Registration: From 9.15 am – Start 10.00 

am – Close Approx 4.30pm 

Cost only £35.00 Per head to include 

Coffee on arrival; Mid-Morning Tea/Coffee 

& Biscuits; Ploughman’s Lunch & Afternoon 

Tea/Coffee with special CDT Cake! 

Unfortunately dogs cannot join us on this 

occasion. 

Event organisers: 

CARA DOG TRAINING 

Chrissy Gough MIACE, APDT 653, PDTE 

(F094) & Barry Gough APDT 893, ADTB 

Approved “Heathers”, Gilpin Place, Sway, 

Lymington, Hampshire, SO41 6EU. Tel: 

01590 683 529 Email: caratraining@ic24. 

net www.caradogtraining.com 

NETHERLANDS 

INTERNATIONAL DOG BEHAVIOUR 

AND TRAINING SCHOOL (IDBTS) 

Teacher: 



accreditation. Module Topics: Canine 

Communication and Handling, Training, 

Canine Behaviour and Instructing Dog 

Training Classes. Including: Applied learning 

theory, ethology, stress, canine body 

language, psychology, shaping, problem 

solving, creativity, instructing, puppies and 

adolescents, behaviour modification and 

health & nutrition. In-depth case studies 

with students’ own dogs. 



Venue: Natuurcentrum Veluwe, Ede Gld, 

Netherlands 

Contact Jane Bouwens Info@puredog.nl 

Switzerland 

International Dog Behaviour & Training 

School (IDBTS) 



Page 14 



Teacher: 



accreditation. Module Topics: Canine 

Communication and Handling, Training, 

Canine Behaviour and Instructing Dog 

Training Classes. Including: Applied learning 

theory, ethology, stress, canine body 

language, psychology, shaping, problem 

solving, creativity, instructing, puppies and 

adolescents, behaviour modification and 

health & nutrition. In-depth case studies 

with students’ own dogs. 



Contact Nicole Froehlich: info@footstep.ch 

Rosie Lowry 

Understanding the silent 

communication of dogs 

Book review 

Stefanie Rentto, Finland 

Iris Esser 

Folge mir, mein Freund 

(Follow me my friend) 

Auf dem weg zur Familie mit 

Kind und Hund 

(On the way with family and child) 

(In German) 

My friends in Switzerland were planning 

to get a dog. I was looking for some good 

books to recommend about a dogorientated 

way of living with dogs, without 

having to tell them to ignore certain pages. 

I was happy to find these two new books, 

besides the well-known classics by Turid 

Rugaas and others already on the market. 

Understanding the silent communication 

of dogs, written by Rosie Lowry, is a good 

book that helps the reader develop a better 

understanding of dogs. She takes the 

reader through many important areas in 

the world of dogs, starting from the very 

important good relationship, body language, 

stress, and calming signals. 

In the book she talks about her own 

experience — how she lived with her dogs 

when she “dominated them through ignorance 

of their needs.” She describes the 

changes that occurred in the life, behaviour 

and health of her dogs simply by living 

with them in a good relationship and in a 

dog-orientated way. 

In every chapter she compares dogs’ 

behaviour and their expressions with the 

behaviour of humans, helping the reader 

gain a better understanding of what a dog 

is telling them about its feelings. 

A lot of good pictures and a colourful 

layout make the book easy and enjoyable 

to read. 

I like the way she writes about her own 

experiences, without pointing fingers, but 

more with an invitation to take the first step 

by throwing the dominance theory out the 

window and starting to live a life together 

with one’s dogs and their needs. 

Iris Esser´s book “Folge mir , mein Freund 

“( Follow me, my friend) tells about a dog 

in a family with children. 

The first part looks at the senses of dogs 

and how dogs communicate. The second 

part deals briefly with how to teach a dog 

without punishment or pressure, but rather 

with motivation and breaks. The third part 

has ideas for play — not throwing balls, 

but enrichment through pancake tracking 

and hiding treats. 

The book is written clearly, so you can 

read it together with your child. It explains 

that a dog is a dog and doesn´t change 

into a toy just because the dog happens 

to live in a family with children. As she 

underlines more than once, the dog is the 

responsibility of the adult and everything 

a child does with a dog must always be 

under supervision. 

I like the book; it is very approachable in its 

design, and having a dog in the family is 

a very important theme that should not be 

ignored. 

I am sure that all dog trainers who are 

members of the PDTE will be happy to 

help, guide and give dog owners advice 

on how to follow the path they started by 

reading this books on how to live respectfully, 

responsibly and in a dog-oriented way 

with our friend, the dog. 


DOG GONE 

PENNIE CLAYTON, ENGLAND 

Briar´s arrival to our place. 

Pretty much the only thing we can be sure 

of when we take on a dog is that he or she 

will have a short life span compared to our 

human lives. 

Yet we go ahead and take that on. Then 

when the inevitable happens we grieve. If 

we are lucky we have a few lovely human 

friends who know exactly why we are 

grieving as hard as we are. 

When we chose a dog we choose a best 

friend- often all that we need is that one 

“look” and we then start a new chapter in 

our lives. If we are lucky that chapter will 

last more than a decade but sometimes 

we are short changed and our dogs leave 

us before that. When they leave us we 

look down the years and see memories 

and markers of our shared time, precious 

memories that are poignant and 

sometimes momentous because we were 

together and we shared those times with 

them, very often there is nobody we would 

rather share that time with. Our lives can 

change immeasurably during this time and 

our dogs may even be the catalyst for that 

change. My dogs have had an impact on 

my life that I could never have dreamed of, 

and my choices are always based on all of 

us as a team. 

I lost my lovely girl Bella yesterday and 

among my grief at her rapid and unexpected 

departure there is so much to remind 

me of her. There is newspaper scattered 

around the floor as she was not able to go 

through the night for the last month without 

peeing on the floor. I didn’t always hear 

her get up and ask to go out. She couldn’t 

get up the stairs with her amazingly long 

legs and always slept downstairs. The 

newspaper remains today while I get 

myself together but as we walk about it is 

swishing around on the floor but I really 

can’t bring myself to pick it up yet. There 

is so much space too, she was a big girl, 

who when she was asleep on the couch 

spread herself along the length of it and 

refused to move. A short time after she arrived 

(only a year ago) I bought a new sofa 

so she would be comfortable and this was 

quickly followed by a second so I could sit 

down too although that is generally filled 

with a dog too. Now we all fit in nicely but 

what I wouldn’t give to have her here, sofa 

or no sofa. 

In the last few days I have not just been 

grieving I have been wondering what is 

so special about the nature of our love 

for them. My heart is broken in a way that 

differs so much to grieving for a person. 

Dogs become our very BFF’s. Those of us 

who treasure our dogs make sure that they 

have choices, to deny that would lead to 

a very different relationship. This is why I 

have very evolving emotions towards “dog 

training” -do we train our best friends? 

Our human best friends are very tolerant 

about our deficiencies, they very rarely 

gripe and complain about our behaviour, 

and if they do it is usually because we 

need to change and we eventually listen 

to their criticisms which are inevitably 

right. Overall our human best friends 

tolerate our shortcomings and love us for 

our idiosyncrasies. If that did not happen 

they would never have been elevated to 

our best friends. Do we accept that our 

very best friends will always agree with 


us-absolutely not and we treasure and appreciate 

them all the more for that. It is far 

more about giving though than taking. This 

is I think why our hearts fracture into the 

tiniest pieces when our dog best friends 

die. Something very important and integral 

goes, never to be replaced. 

After their passing the smallest thing can 

cause us to break down, love and grief 

floods our hearts out of nowhere. I took 

the most breathtaking walk today, the sun 

was setting and a fiery glow appeared on 

the horizon and one of my dogs was just 

snuffling and running for the sheer joy 

of being. It was so peaceful and special. 

What I wouldn’t have given to have shared 

that with Bella. These are the moments 

that pierce your heart. Bella had such a 

short time with us and she spent such a 

long time in kennels. There was very little 

time left to her to have the kind of life she 

deserved. She should have had more 

time hogging the sofa and being walked 

into her very old age and I would have 

adored this. 

I do think that truly loving a dog adds another 

dimension to us and that we become 

all the better for it. Forget the concept of 

them giving us unconditional love. I think 

that this is wrong, anthropomorphic and it 

is just too simple, they are sentient beings 

that experience the world in a similar way 

to us. They get frustrated and irritated with 

us at times just as we do with our human 

friends but they have the same range of 

emotions, emotions are not an exclusive 

human thing. Unconditional love is not 

why we should love them and we have no 

right to expect it. If we think they are here 

to veto our continual needy demands we 

are very wrong- love is a two way thing 

and we should constantly look at whether 

we are fulfilling our side. Dogs do not owe 

us their loyalty as many people think, why 

should they? Why should we not remember 

that it has to be earned? If we work 

hard enough we will balance our expectations, 

making sure that it is not always our 

dogs that “pick up the tab”. Through our 

dogs we become better people, people 

that recognise that the balance between 

us and our dogs is weighted heavily in our 

direction and we owe them more than they 

ever owe us. 

DOG GONE 

We very rarely have the same relationship 

with dogs as we do with humans, 

and I have to say that is such a blessing. 

It makes me cringe when I see people 

dressing their dogs up, this would be bad 

enough but dogs are not children and 

they should never be treated like children. 

There is a kind of parenting role that we 

undertake when we first meet our dogs but 

I feel that becomes obsolete as time goes 

on. Treats should not be given to make 

us feel better and to be used as canine 

blackmail (I believe dogs see through this 

quicker than many owners would ever believe). 

Yes I use the word “owners” in this 

case as that in essence is as far as the 

dog /human relationship in this scenario 

ever goes. They do not need compliments 

and superficial affectations, they are happy 

with us as long as we choose to let them 

show us what they need. 

Human relationships can be so loaded. 

My relationship with my mother for instance 

is complicated and I am often stuck 

between guilt and resentment. I am often 

compelled to do chores for her because of 

one of these overriding emotions. This is 

never close to any emotion I have about 

my dogs, I never resent them and the only 

guilt I have ever had is failing them- but 

they are never going to criticize me for 

that. 

If I can’t do my very best then I had better 

start shaping up because that is what they 

deserve, not because I feel an element of 

emotional blackmail. I think we grieve for 

the very best of ourselves when they pass. 

If we are lucky we are blessed with another 

special and very precious best friend 

who yet again will be with us through thick 

and thin and who will ride the waves of 

life with us. The next BFF will support and 

help us if we seek to balance the debt we 

already owe them. The life we spend with 

them is lived together and becomes embroidered 

and stamped with their presence 

and may be why we grieve so very much. 


Boundaries 

Rosie Lowry in association with Marilyn Aspinall 

A typical training scenario: 

Several dogs come into a training area. 

Their owners stand, waiting their turn. One 

dog, restricted by a short lead, has nothing 

to do. This dog doesn’t cope very well, but 

tries to use what is available to him. This 

may be appropriate coping or not, like 

chewing bags, clothing, chairs and so on. 

There generally isn’t much to occupy his 

attention in a training hall. The situation is 

static with other dogs in close proximity. 

Some people will be chatting and others 

listening to instructions. It won’t be long 

before one or two dogs are unable to cope 

in this barren environment. Having tried a 

repertoire of subtle coping strategies, the 

dogs may try communicating vocally to 

each other or to their owner, requesting 

help. The owners may feel embarrassed 

and try to hush the dogs by moving or 

patting them, resulting in the dog picking 

up on their distress. Giving the dogs 

instructions such as “sit”, “down” and “wait” 

further restrict them, as do playing with or 

feeding them. People often act in agitation 

because they are concerned about bothering 

others nearby. Many dogs get excited 

and demand more treats, picking up on the 

owner’s frustration and anxiety, and so the 

whole thing escalates for both the owners 

and the dogs. The most sensible thing 

anyone can do is walk away from the situation, 

which helps the individual dog, his 

owner and everyone else too. Of course 

they could also read “Understanding the 

Silent Communication of Dogs” written by 

Rosie Lowry in association with Marilyn 

Aspinall in order that they can better understand 

what their dogs are trying to say. 

A few two-year-olds come into a sterile 

hall or field and are restricted by having to 

hold their parents’ hands all the time they 

are there. The environment is bland and 

the parents are focussed on what is being 

said. The toddlers may sit still for a short 

time, but it won’t be long before they begin 

fidgeting and wanting to move around. 

The situations are similar and, behaviourally, 

the same thoughts we have about 

these children also apply to the dogs in the 

training class. Children and dogs need occupying 

and, going back to our scenarios, 

may start playing with whoever is closest 

to them if they can. It is unimaginable to 

expect any two year old child to remain 

quiet and inactive. Why would we, anyway? 

But that is exactly the behaviour we 

expect of our dogs. It is just as unnatural 

for them too. 

Our dogs do need to learn how to fit into 

our lifestyle, but there are other, more 

realistic ways of teaching them than these. 

Before starting, it is worth looking at what 

is really necessary and why we set our 

chosen boundaries: Can we be flexible 

in our views? Yes, we will all benefit from 

our dogs knowing where our boundaries 

lie, but what do we mean by a boundary 

anyway? Before trying to teach the dog, 

we need to understand what they are for 

ourselves. 

What are boundaries? 

Boundaries are limits that separate one 

thing from another and enclose to provide 

both protection and limitation. 

Boundaries for people 

For people boundaries may be physical 

like doors, locks, gates, fences, roads, 

pavements, walls or lines on a map as with 

villages, towns, cities and countries. But 

we also create boundaries through use 

of body language and words, even looks. 

The saying “if looks could kill” springs to 

mind. That tells others not to encroach 

on the boundary of our personal space, 

whereas a smile can break down and 

remove boundaries. 

Notices make us aware of boundaries as 

do people when they speak, and more so 

when they shout. But how do we feel when 

we are shouted at? If you were in a foreign 

country and couldn’t speak the native language, 

as well as being blissfully unaware 

of the customs and social boundaries, how 

would you feel when spoken to or shouted 

at? Would you understand that you had 

crossed a boundary? Maybe you would 

stop what you were doing but would you 

actually learn what was wrong and how 

to act in future? Probably you wouldn’t be 

too sure. But, most importantly, does it feel 

good to be stopped like that? We need a 

clear indicator if something is inaccessible, 

as a locked door shows when a shop is 

closed for business. We are brought up 

with these obvious boundaries, learn them 

and come to accept without a second 

thought. 

Boundaries for dogs 

Let’s think about dogs. If puppies are with 

their parents for long enough they learn 

about their own social boundaries and how 

to communicate them efficiently. But more 

often than not, puppies are taken away 

from their mothers at a very early age 

(far too young, in many cases) and these 

matters are left to us. So, how are pups 

supposed to know OUR boundaries, when 

they haven’t even accessed their own? 

That is, unless we create the opportunities 

for them to learn. 

If you observe sensible and mature dogs, 

you will notice how they find and use their 

own boundaries. They take advantage of 

the environment they are in using objects, 

natural or otherwise: bushes or trees, people 

and cars, etc.. If there are no physical 

barriers available, then they use their body 


Bullying behaviour, something seen in 

many parks. Owners blissfully aware of 

the situation. 

language in certain ways to tell others to 

stay where they are, to keep away and 

when they want to be left alone. This is 

shown in various forms: moving slowly 

(keeping peace and exiting without drawing 

any attention to themselves); the look 

that could kill (dogs do it too!); growling if 

not listened to; freezing, often ignored by 

humans; biting, which above the others 

usually gets the message across, but only 

at a risk to the dog’s own life. 

As we would respond to a child who was 

worried about their situation, so should we 

with dogs when they communicate through 

their body language that they are anxious. 

While on a walk dogs will find their 

boundaries, but the owner must give them 

the chance and allow them to move away 

to a distance which they feel comfortable 

with, or maybe using a barrier such as a 

bush or vehicle. We also need to respect 

them if they clearly indicate that they don’t 

Boundaries 

want to go out of the house (or back in), if 

they try to hide, or if they show reluctance 

to go in a particular direction. 

Dogs don’t use speech as we do, instead 

they use subtle signs and the environment 

to communicate. A dog that goes up to and 

greets a human could be breaking down 

boundaries and showing pleasure at their 

owner’s return, whereas a dog that walks 

away and hides under a table or behind an 

object may be reinforcing his boundaries, 

asking to be left alone. 

How do we set boundaries 

for dogs? 

How do we set boundaries for ourselves? 

We have laws and social boundaries and 

most of us have a structure within our 

homes to ensure that we all get along. 

When a dog comes into the home, does 

he understand this? It is unfair to expect 

the dog to automatically know our 

“house rules”, so what is the best way to 

ensure the dog understands our boundaries 

without them becoming a negative 

experience? If we take the earlier example 

of being a foreigner in another country, 

then you can imagine the dog’s potential 

confusion. It might be better to set up 

some boundaries within a small area of the 

house so that the dog can feel safe and 

secure, while observing what everyone is 

doing and what goes on in the household. 

By keeping the dog fairly quiet and placing 

few demands on him, he may be in the 

position to relax and if he does he is then 

capable of learning about his environment. 

Use barriers like gates, doors, curtains and 

so on to avoid behaviour that transgresses 

our boundaries. For example, if the dog 

jumps up onto work surfaces, by using 

objects to block access to them, we can 

prevent the action, and the dog still gets 

the message because he can’t perform 

the behaviour. There is absolutely no need 

to say a word; far better to take action 

and stay quite. Prevention truly is better 

than cure and if we remain consistent for 

long enough (how long depends on the 

individual dog), he is less likely to perform 

the behaviour because he doesn’t have 

the chance to practice it. This really does 

work so much better than using words in a 

negative way. 

As a child, my parents prevented me 

from doing things they thought were 

dangerous in the home and outside; I was 

taught most boundaries in a positive way. 

Children continue to learn from parents, 

from experiences and through education. 

Sometimes though, when done in a 

negative way, it can feel intimidating and 

humiliating, undermining self-confidence 

and our personal sense of security. For 

some, and depending on how often these 

messages are given and by whom, it can 

have a long-lasting effect with the individual 

not feeling able or not wanting to 

speak up. They learn to conform and suppress 

their emotions. Over time, this can 

potentially result in behaviour and health 

issues such as intolerances, allergies, skin 

and digestive problems, heart disease, 

cancer and other stress related diseases. 

Body posture can also be influenced immediately 

or in the future. 

Whether bringing up children or looking after 

dogs, we need to look at what boundaries 

we are setting, who they are for and 

why. Are they simply what is familiar and 

what we grew up with or are they set from 

a standpoint of really looking at the situation, 

and are reasonable rather than just 

for the sake of it? 

Developing strategies 

These scenarios relate to children, but 

apply equally to animal and dog behaviour, 

so it is helpful to bear in mind the both 

when thinking about them. 

As the child ages, they can be offered 

choices within wider boundaries. Parents 

have a number of strategies available to 

choose from when bringing up a family. 

Some protect their children from unsafe 

things in the home environment, opting 

for management and prevention. This is a 

way of limiting the child to making sensible 

choices until they have the skills to choose 

from a broader field. Most of us do this to 

a certain extent anyway. Say we take an 

under-two-year-old out. The boundary we 

use might be to strap them into a pushchair 

or, when we have more time, encourage 

the child to walk while holding our 

hand. Later, as the child becomes clearer 

about traffic dangers, we may trust them 

to walk in safe areas without holding our 

hand all the time. It is a gradual process 


Boundaries 

and in time the child understands that the 

road is dangerous and that he needs to 

stay on the pavement and hold an adult’s 

hand before crossing it. In years to come, 

when the child has gained sufficient experience 

of traffic and has observed others 

crossing roads, it will become appropriate 

to trust their judgement to cross roads 

unaided. It is all part of building up their life 

skills. 

Presenting guided choices avoids having 

to nag the child with negatives like “come 

here”, “leave that”, “no” and “don’t do that”, 

which, as most of us know, draws attention 

to what we don’t want, and usually the 

child then goes toward that very thing. Not 

only that, but when constantly told “no”, 

“stop it” and so on, children recognise 

what they can and can’t do without understanding 

why, perhaps it even prevents 

them from learning how to make decisions 

for themselves. Negativity can seriously 

affect a child’s emotional development, 

which leads onto behavioural problems 

and health issues, low self-esteem and a 

stronger tendency toward depression. 

A child has just started pulling itself up 

onto furniture, opening cupboards, reaching 

objects inside and grabbing at items 

left on work surfaces. The table and plug 

sockets etc are no longer out of bounds. 

The parents, putting down valuable items 

such as laptops and mobile phones, now 

have to consider changing their behaviour 

to adapt to their child’s development. Doing 

so with acceptance and openness will 

benefit the child and increase the chances 

of a positive and productive future. All 

these explorative behaviours are natural in 

order to learn about life, as is the feedback 

the actions provoke. How we react 

to the child’s choices makes the world of 

difference to his development. If we give 

children chances to explore safely, they 

develop a sense of self worth and become 

able to make good sensible decisions for 

themselves. It is confidence building and 

gives the child a positive outlook on life. 

If we manage the environment to make 

choices available within safe boundaries, 

the child will have more opportunities to 

develop a positive attitude within himself 

and towards those he comes in contact 

with in the future. Later on in life, they are 

more likely to make good choices even 

though the boundaries are no longer in 

evidence. Obviously, if we are too cautious 

or rigid in setting boundaries, the child is 

then over-protected and doesn’t learn, and 

may grow up clingy, needy and with little 

confidence. He may also be unwilling to 

try anything new because he hasn’t the 

appropriate skills to cope. On the other 

hand, he may rebel and try everything 

without awareness of what is appropriate 

and socially unacceptable. 

If not given the chance to practice making 

appropriate decisions when young, a 

person will often make poor decisions in 

later life. 

Use of sensible boundaries, planning, 

management, prevention and guidance 

will maintain a good, positive relationship 

for both child and parent. Parenting that 

uses commands, punishment, control 

and other restrictive methods promotes 

negativity, reactivity or a compliant child 

who is too eager to please and unable to 

speak up for himself for fear of making a 

mistake. In such cases, the parent-child 

relationship may deteriorate with the child 

unable to trust or becoming over-reliant on 

the parent. Parenting that sets unrealistic 

boundaries or ones that change to suit the 

parents’ mood also invites problems. The 

child never knows where he is, what to 

and what not to do. 

Dealing with the earlier cupboard situation 

could be as simple as removing the items 

that are unsafe or of value and putting 

them out of the child’s reach, temporarily, 

until the child has the capacity to be guided 

to knowing what is safe and what isn’t. 

Alternative play objects can replace those 

which have been removed. These can 

be other household items that the child 

has little experience of and is allowed to 

explore: pots, pans, wooden spoons, rolling 

pins, plastic mugs, cushions and every 

now and then things that are a little more 

A boundary (gate, harness along with a long lead) gives both dogs a choice of 

being able to walk away, security and a safe way of meeting. Encourages a 

positive, safe introduction without putting either dog at risk. 

challenging. Generally, but depending on 

the individual and item, children prefer to 

have things that we use as opposed to a 

toy equivalent. However, some replicas 

are very realistic and give the child a taste 

of what it is really like to have them, a mobile 

phone for example. Perhaps parents 

also need to reduce their habits, such as 

putting in their own boundaries of where 

and when they can use their phone, and 

limiting its use, though still not preventing 

it totally so that the child still has the opportunity 

to learn that it is not their toy. 

We need to take responsibility for our 

prized possessions and store them out of 

the way, and mainly use them at the times 

when the child is not around. By organising 

ourselves and limiting use in the child’s 

presence in the short term, they can learn 

that it is okay for mum or dad to use these 

items without their involvement. For this to 

have the best chance of working, choose 

a time when the child is calm and most 


likely to cope. You may need to provide a 

distraction to start with, and then gradually 

build up tolerance. As the child grows older 

he will learn to have self-discipline, as long 

as he is not overwhelmed by an abundance 

of new things. Too much and too 

little can be equally detrimental to development. 

Think of times when you have had 

too much choice or not enough, and try to 

strike a balance. 

The time frame for this acclimatisation 

can be weeks or months. It may suddenly 

dawn on a parent that their child no 

longer bothers to reach for items in the 

cupboards or from work surfaces. This is a 

very satisfying way for a child to learn and 

the relationship between parent and child 

is positive and feels good. Though most 

importantly, trust and respect are intact. 

Children really benefit from one to one 

attention, but it is important that it is made 

clear to them when they have it and when 

they don’t, for example when the parent 

Boundaries 

has something else to do. We all want 

to feel that our needs are met because it 

builds self-worth. Parents are required to 

be very observant and really get to know 

and understand their child so that they can 

predict what the next step in development 

may be. Noticing their child taking interest 

in something or other may give a clue to 

what might be on the agenda. As the child 

realises they can trust the parent it becomes 

possible to expand the boundaries, 

continuing guidance and support, now with 

a little less restriction, as is appropriate. 

This is exactly how an equally satisfying 

relationship with our dogs can develop. 

There will be times when matters don’t go 

to plan but the wise parent uses influence 

rather than force to resolve the situation 

before a crisis develops. Acting promptly to 

distract and move the child away is more 

likely to produce a satisfactory outcome. 

Becoming angry will not help and can be 

detrimental to the relationship. Working 

on your anxiety levels so you are in a 

position to think rationally will be helpful in 

coming up with a solution to the situation. 

It is only natural for us to become a little 

fraught at times, but being aware of it and 

preparing a management strategy for such 

occasions is a great help. Becoming angry 

instils fear and perhaps even aggression in 

the receiving party, and so it has a negative 

effect on the relationship, damaging 

its ability to flourish. Think about relationships 

based on fear and control from your 

personal perspective. How would you feel 

if you were on the receiving end? 

To responsibly parent our child, we apply 

planning and forward thinking to neutralise 

potential dangers in the house and garden: 

we close doors, prevent the child from putting 

their fingers into sockets, move items 

from surfaces and shelves, rearrange 

furniture etc, and perhaps leaving safer 

options around for exploration. Young 

children lack the skills and knowhow to be 

safe, so we apply boundaries and adapt 

our behaviour using prevention, management 

and guidance rather than issuing 

commands. It feels good as a parent to 

raise children avoiding conflicting situations. 

Pogo on a bridge - After months of this boundary (the long line) being in place 

Pogo has calmed enough to be able to think clearly, preventing her from running 

around and becoming over excited. She makes sensible choices now and can 

explore with safety. Gives her a sense of security too. 

What about our dogs? 

As you no doubt appreciate, there are 

many parallels with having a dog in the 

household and what I have said about 

raising young children. To understand children 

and dogs, being observant is critical. 

Again, I usually recommend clients to read 

“Understanding the Silent Communication 

of Dogs”, in order to help them when they 

are observing their dogs. 

We can carry out similar education and 

management techniques to those I have 

put forward for children to prevent our 

dogs getting into trouble, using boundaries 

to keep them safe while they learn our 

rules. Inside the house an indoor kennel 

introduced in a positive way over time and 

not used to confine or as a punishment 

can be very helpful. Dogs can choose to 

use it as their safe place when they need 

to. Taking time to show the dog that a 

closed door also reopens and is not for 

punishment or isolation provides another 

boundary once the dog is accustomed to 

it and when it is used in the right way. Dog 

gates, safe rooms, blocking items from the 

dog’s reach and vision, closing curtains 

and positioning furniture all offer bounda- 


Boundaries 

ries and permit management strategies 

whilst we devise ways to guide them to 

making sensible decisions. Giving dogs 

items that are safe for them to chew on 

rather than taking things away can prevent 

a dog “stealing” our prized possessions. 

Our reaction to a dog or child when they 

do have something of value to us also 

comes into the equation. Being aware 

of our own behaviour is always of great 

importance. 

There are many positive ways in which 

we can show our dogs what we want in a 

manner that they understand. Isn’t it better 

all round to use these methods instead of 

conveying the negative emotions which 

come through when we speak to them 

after they have already done something 

we don’t want? By looking at the way they 

communicate to us and other animals and 

emulating it, we have a better chance of 

them understanding what we want them to 

do, while still keeping our relationship with 

them intact and positive. As with young 

children, we need to consider what we 

want our dogs to do and why, and if all our 

rules are reasonable and necessary. Must 

the dog be on the floor and not on the 

sofa? Do we need to take the dog’s food 

away from him? Why does the dog have 

to have its bed in the kitchen? These are 

often things we have heard said but not 

actually analysed why we use them. If we 

are happy to share the sofa with our dog, 

why not? Can the dog have a choice of 

places to sleep? Shouldn’t we simply give 

the dog his food and let him enjoy it? 

heels as a result of being taken to task. 

Once we become stubborn it gets harder 

to back down. Well, sometimes I do feel 

that dogs have those same kind of reactions 

and feelings too. 

Some dog owners seem to apply the same 

rules for dogs that were used for children 

brought up in Victorian times. Others 

employ the principles that were used on 

them when growing up. That may be fine 

if you had parents that gave choices, 

options and allowed for self-confidence 

to grow, but if you were raised with either 

very rigid boundaries or none whatsoever, 

or perhaps inconsistent ones that couldn’t 

be relied upon, the outlook for your dog is 

less rosy. That’s not to say that you can 

never vary the boundaries. It depends 

on the dog, the communication he shows 

and the situation and timing. You need to 

monitor the dog to see if he is ready to 

move on and accept further responsibilities 

for his actions. Just as children need to 

learn that there are consequences to their 

choices and behaviour, so do dogs. Again, 

that’s how they learn, but we need to give 

them guidelines which will vary according 

to their development. 

Just as we do, dogs learn from the 

outcome resulting from the choices they 

make. Take Pogo, the newest edition to 

my canine family, as an example. She 

likes to chew on marrowbones now and 

then but because Hagrid, my Mastiff, is 

not able to have bones for health reasons, 

Pogo is not allowed to bring her bone into 

the house, where Hagrid might be. It is fine 

for her to enjoy them in the garden or the 

garage where her night-time bed is. Sometimes 

she picks the bone up and tries to 

come in with it. When this happens, the 

kitchen door is closed so that she accepts 

that she chews it outside. If she drops the 

bone, I let her in, so the boundary for her 

is the kitchen door. She can choose to 

be in the kitchen, but the consequence is 

that she leaves her bone in the garage or, 

if chewing is more important to her at the 

time, she can have her bone in the garage. 

No commands are required, it is simply a 

matter of choice. 

Dishing out commands whenever we feel 

the need creates tension because the dog 

must remain alert to the owner’s every 

move, never sure of what is going to be 

asked of him or why. Whereas setting 

boundaries in a preventative way offers 

the dog a chance to relax, assured of his 

place in the family and what his choices 

are. It makes life easier for dogs and us 

too. My dogs certainly seem to like this 

way of being with us. 

www.laidbackdogs.com 

www.understandingthesilentcommunicationofdogs.com 

However, if the dog presents a real 

problem to you or someone else in the 

household, then avoid contentious areas 

by using preventative measures such as 

restricting the dog’s access by closing 

doors or blocking seats on the sofa. Such 

actions ensure that you still have a positive 

relationship with your dog and that he feels 

good about you. You’ve not had to say 

“off” or “down” or manhandle him, so in 

the dog’s mind there has been no conflict. 

Recall the example of breaking foreign 

rules that are unknown to you, incurring 

anger without gaining understanding, and 

how you might feel being prevented from 

doing something that seems perfectly 

normal and comfortable to you. Perhaps 

you might be embarrassed and dig in your 

Neither dog has had much experience of being in this environment, with use of a 

long lines and harnesses supplies by Dog Games, they can view beach life at a 

distance and in comfort. A positive experience for first exposure. Hagrid has had 

big issues with people and seeing them at a distance is something that helps him 

cope better. 


Problem dog? 

RAILI HALME, FINLAND 

Original article published in CityLemmikit magazine 1/2012 Finland 

A lot is said about problem dogs and dog problems. But rarely is any thought given 

to what a problem dog is, and why it is a problem dog. 

Every dog, whether a puppy or an adult, 

that causes problems for people, the environment, 

or itself, is a problem dog. But 

defining a problem dog is difficult, because 

every person experiences it differently. For 

some people, the problem is a 10-weekold 

puppy splashing around in the mud. 

For someone else, it’s not the least bit of a 

worry to have an 80 kg dog jumping up on 

a visitor. Often the problem is not noticed 

at all if the dog is causing itself a problem, 

for example by licking its paws raw. Or 

when a dog mounts another dog, which 

many people attribute to it being dominant, 

whereas in fact the action is often stressrelated. 

The dog as an animal 

In order to understand a dog’s behaviour, 

first we need to understand it as an 

animal. A dog is not a furry child. It is by 

nature and omnivorous carnivore. The dog 

is a predator with a need to hunt. However, 

the dog is also a prey animal. It is therefore 

also shy and careful. It needs to know 

at all times what is going to happen next. 

This can cause different fears. 

A dog will only attack in self-defence. It 

will do everything it can to avoid conflict, 

and attacks as a last resort. Unfortunately, 

we often fail to interpret our dogs correctly 

and allow situations to develop much 

too far. Many of us even cause difficult 

situations by our own behaviour. Dogs 

on the other hand understand each other 

extremely well, and are very skilled at 

avoiding conflict, if given a chance. They 

are very polite towards one another, if 

given the opportunity. 

Sick and stressed dogs, and dogs that are 

in pain, defend themselves far more readily 

than healthy dogs. People are the same. 

I am totally convinced that there is no such 

thing as an aggressive dog. There are 

dogs that do behave aggressively, but it is 

a totally different thing from an aggressive 

dog. There are only sensitive, defensive 

dogs, that have been pushed much too far. 

In their experience, the only way to survive 

the situation is to defend themselves. And 

dogs are not the only ones; also people, 

lions, elephants, tigers and other animals 

are the same. If an impossibly difficult 

situation does not arise, then there is no 

reason for the animal to defend itself. 

Dogs do not try to tease us or behave 

“naughtily” on purpose. Nor do they try to 

dominate people. Dominance problems 

only emerge when dogs feel bad, just as 

with people. Often, so-called dominant 

behaviour is a defence mechanism. When 

a dog is respected as a dog, is treated 

consistently and in a dog-oriented way, 

when its species specific needs are met 

and it is allowed enough rest, in general 

things go well. 

Whose problem? 

When talking about a problem dog, we 


Problem dog? 

tend to forget that for the dog, often it’s not 

a problem at all. The so-called problem behaviour 

is part of the dog’s normal way of 

acting, which the person experiences as a 

problem. The starting point of these problems 

maybe health problems, hormones, 

bad experiences, poor communication, 

and of course species-specific behaviour. 

Common factors 

Very often one hears people talking 

about leadership problems with their 

dogs. However, most of the time these 

are problems related to resources or 

communication, which had nothing to do 

with leadership problems. In addition, the 

leadership–hierarchy school of thought is 

being increasingly challenged by scientific 

research. Furthermore, hierarchy only 

occurs between members of the same 

species. Think for a moment about a 

family with dogs, cats, birds and people. 

Is the dog the cat’s boss? Or is the horse 

bossing the dog? The most important thing 

would be to understand the dog as a dog, 

which means bearing responsibility, giving 

the right kind of love, and fulfilling the dog 

species-specific needs. 

Take into account: 

Every dog is an individual, every problem 

is individual, and the treatment for each 

problem is individual. There is no such 

thing as a tailor-made package or easy, 

quick solutions if we want lasting results. 

Fear, punishment and subjection do not 

resolve problems. Quite the opposite; 

such methods only increase the problems 

and cause the dog unnecessary pain and 

frustration. The more dog- oriented our 

approach, the better the results we get for 

everyone concerned. 

The first thing we must ascertain when 

setting out to treat a problem is its root 

cause. All too often, only the symptoms 

are treated, and the results are temporary. 

Although symptoms can often be resolved, 

they are replaced by new problems. For 

example, if the dog is barking because 

he’s alone, and you hit him with a spray, 

he will possibly stop barking but the 

reason for his barking remains untreated, 

and the likelihood is that he will develop 

another behavioural trait related to his 

sense of loneliness. If the reason for his 

barking is fear, then we need to treat the 

fear if we want the barking to stop. One 

of the best ways to determine the cause 

of the problem is to keep a diary of your 

dog’s daily life. Often things will pop-up 

that had been unnoticed before. 

A significant number of behavioural 

problems are related to the dog’s health, 

or at least are triggered by a problem with 

it. It is always worth paying the vet a visit 

to check that the dog is not suffering from 

illness or pain that would raise its stress 

levels. 

Stress is something that is frequently 

forgotten in the treatment of behavioural 

problems. However, if stress levels are not 

brought down, the dog is unable to learn 

new behaviours. In the stressed dog, all 

the memory slots in its brain are full and 

there is no room for anything new. When 

the dog’s working memory is full, there is 

absolutely no way it can learn anything 

new. Therefore, before beginning any kind 

of treatment for behavioural problems, it 

is highly worthwhile giving the dog a rest 

period of several weeks. This means stopping 

activities that cause stress, such as 

ball or stick throwing, fast paced activities, 

and any kind of agitation. When the dog is 

given a sufficient break, this frees up the 

memory slots in its brain and it is ready to 

learn something new. Often a behavioural 

problem will resolve itself during this time. 

Then it becomes clear what the original 

problem was and this can be avoided in 

the future. 

When possible health problems have been 

checked for, and stress levels brought 

down, and when the root problem has 

become clear, then treatment can begin. 

This is usually successful, because the 

dog is now able to assimilate new things. 

If the dog is afraid of umbrellas, we can 

desensitise it to umbrellas through good 

experiences, and the fear will gradually 

disappear. If the dog has separation anxiety, 

we make being alone a totally wonderful 

experience for the dog. Once the fear 

Health 

Health problems can trigger all kinds problems such as lunging, biting, separation anxiety, 

barking, so-called “aggressive” behaviour, and various fears 

Stress 

Not only is stress itself a cause of problems, but it also makes problems worse. Symptoms 

can include jumping up, barking, pulling on the lead, restlessness, humping, and 

health problems. 

Species-specific behaviour 

The need to hunt – digging, chewing, chasing, barking, and burying “prey”. 

Survival – self-defence against fears such as threats from above, fear of other dogs, fear 

of people, fear of losing something. 

The need to reproduce – Escape during heat, false pregnancy, and competition between 

members of the same-sex. 

Social needs – separation anxiety, various fears, barking, howling, and destructive 

behaviour. 

Relationships and lack of trust 

Often we teach the dog undesirable behaviour by rewarding the wrong behaviour. Examples 

are barking, refusal to come, jumping up, pulling on the lead, and various fears. 

Misunderstanding communication can also create a whole range of problems such as 

growling, attacking, and biting. 


Problem dog? 

Some guidelines for 

a problem-free life 

Never do to your dog what 

you wouldn’t want anyone to 

do to you 

l Dogs feel pain the same as people do 

Reward the good, 

ignore “the bad” 

l A dog learns through reward 

l A dog does not learn by punishment 

l We often teach our dog bad behaviour 

through our own poor behaviour 

Forget the “No” word! 

l Learn to predict, reward correct 

behaviour 

l Constantly saying “No” leads to 

frustration and stress 

l Saying “No” becomes a reward 

l Saying “No” makes people aggressive 

Never force your dog to do 

anything 

l Desensitise with patience 

l If you force your dog once, you will 

always have to force it always 

Always speak to your dog in a 

nice voice 

l The relationship improves 

l The dog hears you and wants to listen 

to you 

Don’t touch your dog unnecessarily 

l Remember calming signals 

(Turid Rugaas, Calming Signals) 

l What is fun for you is not always fun 

for your dog! 

The dog is an omnivorous 

predator 

l Remember to fulfil your dog’s 

species-specific needs 


Problem dog? 

of being alone is resolved, the symptoms 

disappear as well. If the dog jumps up 

on visitors, we can teach him an alternative 

behaviour, like asking him to come 

towards you instead. The dog is an animal 

that will always choose the alternative that 

is most pleasant for it or that gives it the 

best reward. Therefore the only thing we 

need to do is reward the dog at the right 

time – sometimes a kind look is all that is 

required. 

Building trust 

One-way to avoid many problems in the 

first place is to create trust between you 

and your dog. A trusting relationship is 

very, very important. It is like building the 

foundations of a house; when the foundation 

is strong, you can build as many storeys 

as you wish. But if the foundation is 

weak, it will not even carry one floor. The 

same is true of your relationship with your 

dog. A strong relationship and trust will 

lead you far. But these must be earned, 

and they are earned by treating your dog 

well. When your dog is not afraid of you, 

whatever happens, he will feel safe and 

lead a peaceful life with you. 

This is about a problem dog called Basso. 

He is a Grand Bleu de Gascoigne, a hunting 

dog originally from France, from where 

he was brought as a small puppy. 

In the summer of 2010, when Basso came 

to live with us, he was a 2-year-old really 

stressed young dog. We already had an 

Italian pointer by the name of Nella, and 

10-year-old twins of the human variety 

in addition to my husband and myself. I 

had never before re-homed a dog, having 

always preferred to start with a puppy. 

However, my husband and I have always 

been in love with the “big blue”. 

We heard that Basso had started growling 

at his owner so severely that the family no 

longer dared to keep him. It was possible 

that Basso would have to be put down, 

THE BASSO CASE 

about a month to get to know him. 

First we went to meet Basso in his home, 

to see in what kind of environment he 

lived. During that first visit he was sleeping 

peacefully on his own bed, so I saw 

no problem behaviour. Right from the 

start I had told Basso’s family that if Nella 

didn’t accept him, we could not take him. 

We introduced the dogs to each other 

on several occasions, and everything 

seemed to progress well enough that we 

decided to offer Basso a new home. Thus 

our walk through life with him began on 

a hot summer’s day two years ago. From 

the moment he moved in with us, it was 

very clear that Basso’s stress levels were 

extremely high. His previous owners had 

been given the advice not to give him any 

attention at home. The man in the family 

If you feel that you and your dog have 

problems, contact a good dog-oriented 

dog behaviourist as soon as possible. 

Many people wait far too long before seeking 

help. Remember that the longer you 

wait, the worse the problem gets. Good 

advice gives good results if the advice is 

followed. Results should be visible within 

a few weeks; if this is not the case, it is 

worth considering why. Is the right problem 

being treated, or could it be related to your 

dog’s health? 

Every problem that the dog has can and 

should be treated. I have yet to find a case 

that is impossible. Only a health problem 

can sometimes prevent a dog from making 

progress. 

For further information contact 

raili@doi.fi 

Page 26 

which was a horrible feeling. We thought 

very hard for a few days about what it 

would mean in practice if Basso were to 

move in with us. At the very least we would 

need a new car in which we could carry 

two large dogs plus a family with two kids. 

I also spoke with my mentor, Raili Halme, 

who promised to help. However, although 

I did my best to prepare myself for his 

arrival, I had no idea what living with a 

problem dog would mean. This was to 

become a steep learning curve for a future 

dog behaviourist! 

We got in touch with Basso’s family, in order 

to find out how they lived. I wanted to 

progress slowly and on both dogs’ terms. 

For various reasons we were unable to 

take Basso with us immediately, so we had 

had also used a shaking tin to interrupt 

unwanted behaviour. They had done their 

best to obey the given advice, but the end 

result was that Basso had started growling 

threateningly at his owners. 

Basso was also growling at my husband. 

This always happened when Basso felt 

constricted space-wise, for example if my 

husband wanted to come inside the house 

through our hallway, or if he wanted to go 

to bed and Basso was already sleeping 

there. Knowing his background, we understood 

that Basso’s growling simply meant 

that he was afraid of my husband’s proximity 

and needed more space for himself. 

My husband observed Basso’s signals 

and gave him the space he needed. He 

approached Basso slowly and in a curve, 


Problem dog? 

He got good meat and fat and ate regularly 

from places other than his own bowl. 

Nowadays his coat is black and shiny. 

Another way to lower stress levels is tracking. 

We laid down several tracks around 

our cottage, and Basso’s first blood track 

was so exciting that he slept for a full day 

afterwards. This was the best possible 

thing for a stressed dog! 

with his back to the dog when necessary, 

and he always went away when Basso 

growled at him. In my canine studies I 

had learned about calming signals and 

they were now extremely useful. I warmly 

recommend the book Calming Signals by 

Turid Rugaas. 

It took about four months before Basso 

stopped growling at my husband. Even 

today, however, Basso can occasionally 

growl if he is startled from a deep 

sleep and doesn’t instantly recognise my 

husband. 

In addition to growling, Basso had other 

stress-related problems. He was very restless, 

moved quickly, and reacted strongly 

to new and even very small things. At 

home he drank from the toilet bowl and 

often stood on the living room table or 

jumped up on the windowsill whenever he 

heard voices outside, like dogs passing 

in the street, and he would do his best to 

scare off and stare down the passer-by. 

With a 52 kg, 75 cm tall dog, this is not 

exactly fun. As his name suggests, he 

also has a deep bass and his voice carries 

a long way. The neighbourhood quickly 

realised that we had a new dog! 

At first I tried to walk the dogs together, 

but it didn’t work. I also made the mistake 

of keeping the walks too long for Basso, 

even though they were only half an hour. 

He was so stressed that he reacted to the 

tiniest thing around him at all times. He 

lunged howling towards other dogs and 

pulled on the leash so hard that I had to 

use gloves to keep hold of it. I also had 

no contact with him outside; he simply 

couldn’t hear me. During our first autumn, 

walks with Basso were taken in short 

periods and when there were no other 

dogs around. 

Gradually the contact improved. I used 

what we called the attention signal, and 

thanks to that I was able to predict situations 

early enough to intervene before 

Basso’s stress levels shot up. The attention 

signal is a sound that has a very 

pleasant association for the dog. Usually it 

is made by clicking the tongue and without 

equipment. It is an excellent way to get 

a dog’s attention in order to calmly avoid 

stressful situations. 

Since Basso had joined our family in June, 

we went on holiday together. He was not 

used to travelling in a box in the car, so 

things didn’t go that well. He tried to be 

everywhere else except where he was. He 

barked at every dog he saw through the 

window. I remember with horror the first 

trip to our cottage, when Basso climbed 

out of the back compartment, around the 

safety net, and jumped up on the dashboard 

of the driver’s compartment. We 

were driving on the motorway at the time! 

When Basso joined our family, he was only 

eating dried kibble. One of the best ways 

to bring down a dog’s stress levels is a 

through enrichment with food. We therefore 

offered him food that took a long time 

to work through. Basso was fairly skinny 

and his muscles had not yet developed. 

Now, nearly two years later, Basso has 

become the relaxed and friendly dog he 

probably was when he was young. I don’t 

always notice the profound changes that 

have occurred to him, but other people 

do. This walk together, however, has not 

always been easy, even though it may look 

it now. There were days when blinded by 

my tears I regretted having offered him a 

new home. 

We continue working with him. He is still 

afraid of big black dogs, and easily lunges 

on the leash when he sees one. But he 

has also got new canine friends, which is 

a great achievement for a dog that was 

afraid of all others. 

This has been an important experience, 

not only for me as a dog trainer, but also 

for the whole family. Basso is a deeply 

loved member of our family. We know how 

to live with our dogs on their terms, read 

their calming signals, and predict various 

situations before they occur. 

We keep in touch with Basso’s former 

owners, send them photographs, and tell 

them how we are getting on. They have 

also met him and seen for themselves 

what a great life he has today. 


Photo: Petra van Rijn, Netherlands 

www.pdte.org

PDTE 2012 October Newsletter

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