Questions and Answers

We have a lovely 18-month-old Bassett Hound who we adore. However we cannot leave George on his own as he howls the house down! Our neighbours have now complained to the Council about his noise levels and we are naturally very concerned. We would like to be able to leave the house to go out on occasion but don’t know how to solve George’s anxiety about being left on his own. Can you help?

Let’s get one thing clear first. Separation problems usually have more to do with dogs thinking you need them than them needing you. Remember they are pack animals and it is the leader’s job to make sure everyone is safe. If George cannot see you, how does he know you are safe? Bassett Hounds are pack hounds; they normally live and work in a group so generally enjoy company. Dogs are social animals that prefer a hierarchal structure within their group. There has to be a leader. I would suggest George believes that you cannot cope in this world without him

One of the problems with getting a new pup is that we can accidentally start patterns of behaviour, which we don’t want. If we come in the door and greet the dog instantly or go out of the door making a fuss of the dog, he starts to assume that you have a problem with going out of the door without him. You have to also think about what impact this is having on the dog’s stress levels. Is it fair on the dog to be put in this position? The longer you leave the problem, the more potentially serious it could become

First and foremost I would look at who is training whom. By this I mean how much attention does George get during the day for being George and how much does he work for it? Reducing free attention can often help a dog to relax knowing that someone else is in control. Secondly I would look at signal training. This signal tells the dog that social contact is being switched off. I suggest you use either a radio or a specific object that you will remember to take away/turn off at the end of the exercise. To learn more about how to implement these changes click here for more details.

We have recently brought our 7-year-old male Labrador over to London from The US where he lived outside the city on a large property. We are looking for some advice about turning him into a city dog and in particular, lead training, as he is not used to walking on the street. He is not neutered and although he met other dogs, he has never been off a lead in a public park

Dogs pull on the lead because they can, simple as that. As a male Labrador he is physically strong particularly if he is ahead of you. His body will be completely out of balance with all his weight in the front with little movement in the back. If your dog’s shoulders are ahead of you he has the weight advantage and it is like trying to stop a train. First you should look at rebalancing his body so that his weight is in the middle. I would suggest you might possibly have to invest in some helpful equipment such as a Halti and balance leash. Another helpful hint is to only allow your dog 2 or 3 places to stop, sniff and lift his leg. Entire males will mark their territory several times during a walk often leaving you trying to get them back by your side. To learn more about lead work and rebalancing... click here for more details.

Once your dog has learnt the basics of walking calmly I would suggest that everything else would become easier. As far as meeting other dogs and general park behaviour, this is best resolved by going out with a dog walker on a fairly regular basis. Your dog will get used to interacting with other dogs and will learn from them how to come back when called

<< BACK