Thur 15th March: Positive Partners on Facebook

Popcorn (front) helping to give a school talk

Popcorn was our lucky dog today as his adoption was confirmed after a short trial.  He came to us with Alaskan malamute Hercules after both had been living together in someone's back yard without having had any vaccinations, desexing or heartworm prevention.  As a result both were infected with this mosquito-borne disease, and naturally they will be treated as well as having already been neutered.  Thankfully both are males or there would have been some very funny-looking puppies around.   Size really doesn't matter when it comes to dogs mating, as they will find a way if the female is in season and willing.

Large dogs like Hercules can become dangerous with poor training

Luckily both Popcorn and Hercules are very good-natured dogs, and ironically this may well be because they have have had no human interference since they were puppies.  We have noticed the same with breeder dogs who spend their whole lives living on their own, or away from people.  That's obviously not a good thing in many ways, but it does mean they aren't subjected to bad training which results in a fear of humans, and their hands in particular.

We know that in almost all cases dogs aren't born to be biters and only end up using their teeth as a defence because of the way they have been treated, or mistreated.  Fear is what provokes almost all bites, whether or not that is obvious.  Dogs are very good at picking up on subtle signs, body postures and movements which evade the human eye, so when people say a dog bit without provocation that is rarely entirely true.  It does happen once a dog has developed such a fear of people that they are seen as a threat regardless, and when that unpredictable biting occurs then it's a different matter.  In almost all cases if you ignore a dog it will not bite, and being ignored is the only thing dogs like Popcorn and Hercules have experienced.

Most cases of mistreatment of dogs is down to ignorance, of people really not understanding a dog's needs and basic character.   Training is such an easy thing if you follow the simple rule of reward and no punishment.   Take toilet training, for example, and the still often-used smacking or shouting following accidents.   The puppy is a baby, with no understanding of either human language or punishment, other than learning very quickly to become afraid.  It doesn't understand what the yelling or smacking was for as there is no connection in that puppy's mind with the already-cold puddle.  Most parents don't hit their children when they wet themselves, understanding that it wasn't intentional, and I'm sure successful potty training isn't achieved using threats or by yelling, so why would you think it was any different for a puppy?

Follow this page on Facebook

To help all dog owners, and just as importantly the dogs themselves, we have set up a new Facebook page where our team of HKDR trainers, led by Cactus Mok, will post information and tips on how to create the best possible relationship with your dog(s).  Please check out this link and add to your list of favourites: https://www.facebook.com/hkdrpositivepartners/