National Dog and Train Week starts on July 28

Date published: 25/07/2007

A dog bounds across the park, bumps into an excited toddler and knocks her over.

Is this an exuberant, friendly animal or a dangerous dog which is out of control?

The answer is it could be both things at the same time, especially if the owner is attempting to call the animal back, chasing after it, and failing to get it on a lead.

Control is the key word, and owners who have a well-trained dog which obeys simple commands have a happy animal which fits into society.

Pet-behaviour specialist and veterinary nurse Rachel Bean WA Lane’s vetinary practice on Bury Road, Rochdale was pet health counsellor of the year in 2004 and has a certificate in companion animal behaviour issued by the British Veterinary Nurse Association.

She specialises in helping owners train their dogs so that they behave well and become part of the family.

Training starts early - Rachel operates puppy socialisation classes every week, educating owners on the importance of early correct socialisation and habituation to prevent behaviour problems.

Typical problems are dogs jumping up at people or a dogs pulling on the lead.

Rachel said: "You have to give the dog more opportunity to do the right things so we get it out of the habit of jumping up. If the dog starts jumping just turn away, ignore it. The dog is invading your personal space.

"With lead-pulling, it is pulling you where it wants to go and not really paying attention to the person with it. We want to teach the dog to respond.

"What a lot of people do is struggle until the dog is about 18 months old, then decide they need to rehouse it. But there is help out there and you don’t need to rehome.

"If a dog doesn’t come back when you call it, it is out of control. If it jumps up at someone and rears up it is breaching the Dangerous Dogs Act no matter what breed of dog it is."

Rachel is a member of the Canine and Feline Behaviour Association and her techniques are to show the dog how to behave through rewards, fun and patience. She does not use punishment, or choke-and-check chains.

She said: "We have to teach a dog that forward movement only happens when there is no pressure and the lead is slack.

"If the dog puts pressure on it the owner stops and loses interest in the dog. Then the walk starts again. It takes time effort and patience. You have to tune into the dog and the breed."

At the more extreme end are animals with separation anxiety from one particular member of the family or owner, or fear of noise such as thunder or fireworks.

One dog she helped treat suffered both, and was so scared on its own that it hid in the bathroom and tried to dig its way out behind the pipes, flooding the house.

Rachel was able to sort out its problems in about six months by distancing the dog from the one family member, spreading its affection around the family, and making it more independent.

Other dogs can be very territorial, such as German shepherds and rottweilers, barking at anyone who passes the house.

Rachel advises finding out what motivates them - such as the postman delivering.

Shouting is not the answer she said: "The dog thinks you are joining in."

Instead, it is better to interrupt them with a spray of water, and to reward them when they are calm and quiet.

A dog’s early weeks can help socialise them which, Rachel says, is why some breeders are to blame for simply keeping the animals in a shed until they are sold.

She is a firm believer that a blanket condemnation of breeds is wrong: "Blame the deed not the breed," she said.