08712 317415 (national call rate) or email: training@safepets.co.uk
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08712 317415 (national call rate)
or email:
training@safepets.co.uk
Back
to Homepage
Frequently Asked Questions
We are very successful at what we do and we want to tell you about
some of the dogs we have helped. Firstly read some Questions and answers
from our Founder, Debbie Connolly
Q Can we train every dog?
No, I don't think anybody can. I know some trainers claim to, but after 20
years in my industry, I find it hard to believe. I have had cases that
have been put to sleep, even after every effort. Thankfully this is rare,
but it is a fact of life at this level of training. Sometimes problems occur
because owners don't keep up the work or don't come back for follow-up.
Q Which option is best for my problem?
This depends on a lot of issues. Your own ability and time available, your
circumstances and your confidence. We recommend you call and chat about it
first. I would rather work with you in your home but this is not always
possible. Sometimes coming to stay a few days is better as it gives us
longer time together to train and be able to test what is working. If you
have a dog that is aggressive to your children for example, it may be better to
let us have the dog and do some work first rather than practising with an
unreliable dog and vulnerable kids, the same can apply if you have other pets.
So it is different every time.
Q Who should be involved from my family?
Ideally everyone. Some children are too young and couldn't handle the dog
or cope with long training sessions. We sometimes have in-laws, dog
walkers and friends included in the sessions. Ideally everyone who spends
significant time with the dog should do some training.
Q Why train dogs that are so bad, why not just put them down, there are
lots of other dogs that are nice and need homes?
When someone buys or adopts a dog they take it very seriously and the dog
become family member. You don't walk away from your family when they
need help. Owners have to live with their decisions and it is understandable
that they want to have tried everything possible before making the difficult
decision to put a dog to sleep. Dogs are not always to blame for their
problems, people are. It is only fair that they get a chance to live a
normal life if it was humans that got them into the problem in the first place.
Q How many times do I try to solve my dog's problems before I accept
defeat?
There isn't an answer to this. I can only tell you to keep going until you
are convinced that everything has been done that can be. Very few dogs I
train have not already been through two or three trainers at least and several
different methods unsuccessfully before we work with them. You just have
to trust your gut instinct.
Q Won't my dog only work properly for you, and just carry on
the same when we take it home?
Only if you don't follow the advice or behave like you used
to. We are here to ask if you are struggling with anything.
Q Will you force my dog to be good?
NO! You have to be very tough with some dogs, especially if they bite you
and you need to stop them, but it never means injuring them. I do get
bitten sometimes, it is in the nature of the dogs I am prepared to train.
Unlike some trainers, I don't walk away from these issues or advise you put to
sleep your dog because I am afraid of it as some trainers do.
Q What methods do you use?
We use a lot of very effective body language that involves showing the dog that
we are more dominant and therefore a leader. Someone once watching me work
with their dog told me it looked like horse-whispering! It is a very
effective and natural way of getting a dog to co-operate with you.
I believe that teaching owners to present a calm and
confident appearance to the dog is the root of the training. A dog needs
assurance that you are not afraid, can protect him or her and
We also use gadgets like training discs and clickers. A lot of play is
built into sessions, we're not just going round and round in circles for an hour
like in some training classes.
I do not use any form of shock collar or prong collar.
We do NOT use food for training. Too many dogs are trained like this and
it usually results in a dog that ONLY works for food and nothing else. The
dogs get lots of treats and chews when in a kennel to give them something to do,
but we never use food as a reward. The exception is if a gadget needs food
to bond the dog to the process or nervous or young dogs who sometimes lack a bit
of concentration.
Lots of affectionate handling is encouraged, kissing is almost compulsory! Don't let anyone tell you
that if you pet and love your dog it won't respect you-come and see mine.
Bach Flower Remedies have formed part of our work for several
years and very successfully.
Q Where will my dog stay?
If you come on a residential holiday, your dog will
usually stay in your cabin.
Some Examples of successes of typical problems, general aggression, sheep killing and fighting within the household:
Barney – Basset Hound
Barney was originally homed to
the
This is Max, a lurcher. Like a lot of sight hounds he was not
safe with small furry creatures including other dogs. Although he was with
the same family from a puppy, at about 4 years old they couldn't cope anymore.
Max had twice badly injured another dog in unprovoked attacks and they were told
just to put him to sleep as it was "his nature" and nobody could stop it.
He would react on sight and would throw himself around, screaming blue murder.
Like most Lurchers he was also a very sweet and affectionate lad who loved to
lie out in the sun with me. After a couple of months work he now lives
with a lovely family and his best friend is an 11 year old boy, they adore each
other.