Saint Roch - Patron Saint of Dogs!

On holiday in Madeira recently I made a special journey to a little town called Sao Roque, just outside the capital Funchal. Just one church in the town and not much else. The reason for this visit, you might call it a pilgrimage, was to visit the church. Saint Roch is the patron saint of DOGS! If you look closely at this photo you will see the dog with a loaf of bread in its mouth!
Saint Roch, also named Rocco or Rock was born in Montpellier. On his way to Rome he was ministering to the sick and poor when he himself fell ill. Struck down with the plague he was expelled from the town of Piacenza in Italy where he went into the woods to try to survive on his own. He would have died but for a dog that belonged to a local nobleman. This dog brought him a loaf of bread each day and gradually licked his wounds clean! Saint Roch survived and was hailed a saint! (personally I think the dog should have some recognition..)
So, according to the Catholic church, Saint Roch is the patron saint of DOGS!.. also the patron saint of knee pain, diseased cattle, the patron saint of falsely accused people and of surgeons! and about a hundred other worthy causes!

Sign of the Times

Dog walkers in my local park are outraged at this sign which was put up on the gate last week. I have been dog walking in this park since 1981. A wonderful, beautiful local resource. A huge open space with ancient oak trees, tennis courts, playgrounds and football pitches. It is a lovely open space and dogs have been getting exercise off lead for years without bother... until now.
I can understand fining people £80 for allowing their dog to foul and not pick up after them - fair enough. But to fine them £80 for letting their dog off the leash to have a run? You're having a laugh!
There may have been individual cases of dog aggression, young people in gangs with bull dogs seem to be everywhere these days. Penalising the rest of us is just not fair. Why not bring the problem individuals to justice, and not Mr and Mrs Normal and their elderly Golden Retriever. Actually, you are likely to see more dog to dog aggression if they are always on a leash.

By being on a leash, you may have cut down on their 'fight or flight' options if they feel uncomfortable or threatened by a strange dog. If they are off the leash then their body language is natural and they can show appeasement and run away if necessary. If they are on a leash their body language is strained and more threatening, and you have cut off their option to run away.. so theymay feel that they have to fight if they feel threatened. A sad state of affairs, but a sign of the times I'm afraid.

Modern Thinking

Just look at this dreadful contraption. I found this on sale in a Calais pet shop yesterday. This is a prong collar. It is supposed to inflict pain on a dog so that it obeys your commands. The harder you pull or jerk the leash, the more pain is inflicted on the dog. It doesn't bear thinking about does it?
Modern research and modern training methods are always only kind, fair and reward based. These are not airy-fairy, namby-pamby ideas; the scientific research has proved that if you reward a dog for performing a required task then you substantially increase the likelihood that it will do it again. If you punish the wrong task, then you achieve nothing positive. Your dog will not learn how to behave if you punish them for doing something wrong. Your dog WILL learn how to behave well if you reward the correct behaviour.
If you are looking for a trainer or a behaviourist for your dog, then please look for someone who has recent professional qualifications and experience. Reward based training is the way forward. Rolled up newspapers, threats, shouting, pointing and prong collars are history.

The Importance of Chewing

I bought Leo a new chew toy yesterday. This is a piece of deer antler. I have been reading about this product available for sale (at huge inflated prices) and I came across one at a show trade stand (The Doggy Snack Shack!) and decided to try one. He loves it! Hard enough not to splinter or break off, despite much trying! and natural enough to keep him interested for long periods of time. 24hours later, still chewing and hardly a mark on it.
Chewing is a necessary part of a healthy dog's daily activity. Chewing is immensely enjoyable for a dog, it produces happy and relaxing feelings for a dog. Chewing enables a stressed dog to calm down. Very often a dog that is stressed or anxious will chew something to try to calm itself down. Best you provide them with something chewable rather than them choosing something from inside your house that they think looks interesting and chewable!

I had a brilliant day last weekend at the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home annual reunion in Battersea Park. Lots of interest from owners of mixed breed dogs about DNA testing.
I have a couple of shows coming up in the next few weeks. This Sunday 11th September I will be at the K9 Capers fundog show at Dogs Trust in Harefield.
But on Saturday 17th September I will be at a fundog show at Kingston Maurward College in Dorchester, Dorset.
Then, on Sunday 18th September I will be attending a big event, the PupAid 2011 in Brighton. This is a big show to raise awareness of puppy farming. Supported by some big rock stars and musicians as well as some major dog rescue charities. I am particularly looking forward to this one.

New Beginnings

It is all happening so quickly now! My new business Blackdog is going from strength to strength. I took delivery of some new point of sale material this week. A pop up counter and an outdoor banner to take around to the shows with me. I will be selling my DNA tests for mixed breed dogs at the fundog shows around the country.
My first big show will be at the Battersea Dogs Home Annual reunion on Sunday 4th September in Battersea Park. Looks like there might be a few customers there!

Separation Anxiety

What can you do when your dog gets anxious and frantic when you leave them alone at home?
This is not an easy thing to deal with, trust me, we are going through it right now at home with Leo! Well, for a start, dogs are a highly social species and they love company. But like human individuals they vary enormously in their personalities and in their capacity to be self confident and self contained when they are left alone.
Dogs can be destructive when left alone in the house, but there can be many different reasons for it, perhaps not separation anxiety but perhaps boredom or sometimes even separation elation! so it is wrong to make a diagnosis without further investigation. A good place to start is to set up a video camera on a tripod when you go out and see how your dog reacts. Just general chewing and destructiveness is probably boredom. When the destructiveness is aimed at the doors and windows in an attempt to escape, then this is a more serious problem, and you should seek professional help.
The indications of anxiety start way before you leave the house, your dog is watching you for clues that something bad is going to happen. Picking up keys, putting on shoes, or even looking at the clock at a certain time of the day can start to get the dog anxious. They are expert at back-calculating your actions to predict your future movements!
Sometimes dogs that are over-bonded with their owners can get especially anxious when separated, this can be a common problem with rescue dogs that bond with new owners! These type of dogs follow you around the house, up the stairs, down the stairs, into the kitchen, into the toilet.. you get the idea? Known in the trade as 'velcro dogs' because they stick to you like velcro!
These problems can take a long time to get better, your dog must get used to short absences, even not being in the same room can make them anxious, so a start might be a baby-gate in the house where they cannot be with you but they start to get used to being further distances from you. Just shutting back doors and front doors as you go out into the front or back garden without them for a minute or so might get them used to short periods of absence. Little and often, and don't go too far too soon or you will spoil all your hard work!
Give your dog a comfy, safe den for a bed, hidden in a corner. They will like to go there when they want to feel safe. Give your dog a chew toy or puzzle to solve while you leave for a minute - they might not even notice you are gone!
There is no quick fix!! I know! 4 months and counting - but we are getting there!