Just wanted to let you all know I am going on this course this next 4 days.

I can't wait.

I have just been on his Rescue and Rehabilitation course - it was FANTASTIC what an eye opener.
Worst thing is it made me realise that the problem in dog dumping and abuse is just so huge - its scarey
never mind
at least we learned some things and off for some more

i am down as the Spectator - none of those aggg. doggies for me please and put my chair at the back of the class

see u all after Sunday
jaq

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I was pretty impressed with John's approach!

too many trainers are more interested in putting across their training programme or their favourite method and technique of training, but John goes right back to first principles... read the dog!!

we all seem to spend too much time these days lapping up the junk we're presented with on TV that masquerades as dog training, but which has been so heavily edited that we're missing all the important bits. The camera is invariably pointed at the trainer rather than the dog, so we've no idea that the most important part of the whole thing is the relationship between the dog and the owner

probably the biggest point made on the whole course was the scotching of the idea that if you have one unruly/unmaneagable dog, the last thing you need is another dog 'to keep it company'! By introducing another dog into the equation when you don't have a firm relationship between you and your dog, you're going to give both dogs no reason at all to ever want to interact with you, and you'll wind up with two wild dogs!

Now could this situation have anything to do with the number of 'unmaneagable' dogs we see being foisted on rescue centres?

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Wasn't it good Strix - i thoroughly enjoyed both the courses - albeit very brain dead by the end of the second.

I picked up a fair few points that John had said and yes that was definately one of the main things he was saying - bond with your dog - let it know you and who you are -

Lots of things to go over in my head about it all - but after the Welfare and Rehabilitation course I don't know if i came away more depressed or upset than I went into it. I was depressed and sad before hand - he just confirmed it i think.

The problem of dogs being abandoned throughout the UK and basically nobody knowing what to do about the problem - so quietly brushing it under the carpet - basically shows the state of society today.

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now if we could just persuade the dog owning public that it's the way they are bringing their dogs up that's a problem!

the number of people ruining a perfectly good dog, dumping it on the street or in rescue as they blame the dog for it's behaviour, and then getting another one to start the process all over again is pretty frightening!

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Yep, you are right there Strix. Unfortunately the people that don't understand their dogs and end up with problems seem to be the ones that don't want to learn. How can this message get put across to the public? I saw a presentation earlier that a woman in America has produced. Her son was badly attacked by a dog because they didn't know enough about dogs and didn't recognise the signs. She is trying to get her presentation shown is as many schools as possible to teach dog body language and how to treat a dog to children. I thought this was a great idea, if only this sort of thing was included in the national curriculum

and isn't it sad that we've come to a point where kids don't get to grow up with dogs any more, so don't learn dog body language as second nature?

I grew up with dogs in the family. I have always known not to 'disturb' a dog, not to play with the dog's toys unless it's with the dog, and that running about screaming is a great way to get bitten

I don't care what some people say about 'dogs shouldn't bite', they are right, they shouldn't, but who in their right mind puts a child in a risky situation like that needlessly? Cars aren't supposed to run kids over, but we don't send them out at five years old to play in the road any more - think about it!

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I thought one really memorable thing that John said about the bites he had witnessed lately was this

All the dogs who had recently bitten - had always been due to the owners carelessly allowing the child to be alone with the dog without a parent present.

so in otherwords - neglect or carelesness.

Just tonight - my eric was asleep in his bed - fast on - snoring his head off.
I had children around - he had forgotten they were there, i walked in with my young nephew at the side of me - made eric jump and he leapt up in the air barking and growing. now specifically at my nephew - but just thought there was some riot going on, and he was going to be involved if he could.

I grabbed his collar, and he realised it was us.

If my nephew had wandered into my sleeping dog on his own - this could have been a different situation.

My eric isn't bad - he isn't lethal and he is fine around kids - it was just a situation that could easily have gone the wrong way if an adult hadn't been supervising the situation.

Poor dogs - its a pity they aren't given the rule book to read before us isn't it.

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That's another reason for us crate training any dog we foster

if a dog is used to a crate when it goes to a new home, it has somewhere safe and familiar to snuggle up when it arrives, and can be safely contained when new people come to be introduced, or if children and the dog are not yet used to each other

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