Training your dog to settle quietly on a mat is one of the most important and valuable exercises you can teach your dog. It teaches impulse control and promotes calmness. The benefit of mat training is that it can be applied in many situations and for the management of many

So, you’ve got a new puppy for Christmas. Now what? Where is it to sleep and, more to the point, how am I going to get some sleep?! Never fear, these ‘tricks of the trade’ will help you get your little fluff-ball settled happily in no time. The first

The atmospheric pressure drops, there is a low rumble in the distance, the wind picks up and there is a smell of ozone in the air. By now, long before we can detect it, your dog becomes clingy, trembles like jelly, paces restlessly, pants, and tries to hide or, in

Sleepless nights? Neighbours complaining? It's offical, your dog is driving you mad! Excessive barking is a common reason people seek professional help for their dog. Forget yelling, forget anti-barking collars... solving the problem means looking at why your dog is barking in the first place, not punishing it for barking.

Behaviour changes might not be just due to old age. Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (CCD) is a dementia-like syndrome that occurs in approximately 12-14% of older dogs more than 10 years of age. It is similar to human Alzheimer's dementia. CCD is caused by physical and chemical changes in the brain

A common misconception is that a dog behaves badly because it is getting back at us. We think this is so because it looks guilty when we come home and discover the mess. But dogs don't actually have the capacity for complex human emotions such as guilt and revenge. Unfortunately,

Dogs rely primarily on non-verbal communciation from us, such as reading our body language. To effectively train your dog it is much easier, more effective and more humane to teach it what to do by rewarding it for appropriate behaviour than it is to teach it what not to do