It's with great sadness we'd like to share the news of Mobypassing on. He was a loving, strong and playful boy; always looking forward to playing and getting treats. Unfortunately in the past few months he was found to be very ill but still going strong, yet as the days went on it became more and more a struggle for him and the difficult decision was made. He will be missed greatly.
We have been quite busy over the past few weeks with new dogs joining the Bruff's Bark Band but also we've also got new toys for all the dogs! Toys are very important in the a dog's life and no matter what breed there will always be a toy for the them to enjoy. They provide enjoyment, exercise - physically and mentally - and most importantly help create a natural bond between canine and owner. It's best to remember not to overwhelm your dog with too many toys as they'll not know what to do with them all.
As you can see above Moby is enjoying the new Colossal rope we've got but even Merlin, Abbey and Eigg - who are all shorter than it - enjoy it! But keep in mind that toys should be taken away when the play has ended and they should be used as treats. We have a certain chocolate Labrador who likes to bust up our toys much to our displeasure.
Secondly - though the most important of all - dogs should know their family and their position in it. Either in a single dog or multiple dog household, there should and must be a hierarchy in which the dog(s) are at the bottom of it - even below other family pets! Dogs are natural to pack leadership, the owner must always be and act as a leader. Dogs who believe they are the pack leader will become troublesome and possibly aggressive to other canines. As you can see from these photos there is a general feeling of who's the top dog: Abbey is showing her dominance to the rather posing Eigg and Starsky is showing his by checking on Hutch who constantly looks up to his brother. Once a dog knows their place, there will be times when they will challenge either the owner or other dogs in the house for dominance - this is natural of pack animals. Always remember to show them that you are the boss and harmony will return.
These two are chalk and cheese. Moby didn't like wee dogs and Millie (an
eight month old Boston Griffin) didn't like big dogs. How things change!
Giving
these two the opportunity to play, walk and learn together has brokent
he need to be defensive or aggressive. The more you are able to
'immunise' your dog to situations that alarm them, the easier it is to
have a good walk and play.
Moby has made a great
deal of progress over the last few weeks has I have been taking him out a lot
more and working with him has has his mum and sister. I had him out last week
with his new friend Merlin and he is so much better at playing and socialising
with other dogs.
There is still a lot of work to do and things to get right
with him but he's a great boy and in this video he was playing with Kai (a
staffy/collie cross) who was a rescue and came from the Edinburgh Cat and Dog Home.They had loads of fun playing and most importantly Moby didn't try to
domainate Kai as is an occassional problem with him. Merlin couldn't get
involved too much as he is so small but his wizard powers couldn't help him
overpower his larger friends.
Moby has come on leaps and bounds, he loves a good play. I have been
taking him to different places and so he has been making new friends,
smelling new smells and walking different streets. Taking dogs out of
their comfort zone (their territory) can change their behaviour - if
they trust you they'll understand it's a good thing and enjoy
themselves.
It does help when you have a dog that is set in a walk and as behaviour
on that walk is to change. Moby has learnt that behaving well gets
treats and praise. He also has learnt that naughty behaviour gets him
put on the lead and taken away from him friends or whatever he was
interested in. Moby has become more relaxed, not as defensive on walks
and this is due to exposing him to different situations and
environments. Getting him to make friends properly with other dogs has been a success story I'm really enjoying and Moby and Baxter here get on so well.
Child's Play! I love it when I got get really responsible kids who want
to learn something different. Moby's sister Rosy (the girl with Rhu) and
her best friend Rebecca (the girl with Skye) came out with me on the
Queen's Jubliee to do something fun and educational.
These girls only needed to be shown once and they understood the
commands, which made working with Rhu and Skye much easier. Rhu and Skye
know what they need to do and help the person at the other end of the
lead do it. By working with my girls, these girls will be able to work
with Moby - understanding is the key.
I am happy to take owners, friends, and family out with my dogs.
Introducing new and fun training is the way forward, if you can keep a
child and animal amused you have cracked it!
Moby is a 4 year old lab, who as you can see is a big boy. I have been working with him so he doesn't pull his poor mum and sister over. He doesn't know his own strength but he does want to 'work'.
By changing what Moby is used to I am able to move forward with him slightly quicker. He enjoys working, although like most males he gets distracted easily ;)
