Professional Dog Trainer.

The relationship to which I aspire with my dog is one of respect and trust. However I can only gain that trust if I respect my dog. Respect can never be demanded; it has to be earned and this means thinking about the effects your actions have on your dog all the time. When you need to put your hands on your dog - and it is important that dogs learn to be handled allover you should be extremely careful. Many owners cause their dogs a lot of discomfort without even realizing it, by using their thumbs and fingers in a pincer-like grip.

This is an instinctive grip for humans to use and few of us are aware of the amount of force it can create. Put your thumb on the lower part of your shin and wrap the rest of your fingers around the back of your leg; now squeeze your thumb and fingers together so that you are gripping your lower leg. You will be surprised how quickly this hurts, yet many owners hold their dogs' legs like this when they are cleaning or drying him. The dog then pulls back because he is uncomfortable, and our instinctive reaction is to grip tighter and pull in the opposite direction, which inevitably means even more discomfort. For good measure the dog is then often told off for not standing still! To pick up a front leg, put your first and second fingers at either side of the stop pad without touching the dog's leg with the remaining fingers and thumb; make sure that you do not pull the leg sideways. If your dog puts his paw down again, let him, but next time you try, give him a tidbit immediately his foot is off the ground. Soon you will find that your dog starts to anticipate and then you can put a sound to the action ('Paw!') just before you put your hand in place. When your dog understands what the sound means, put the cloth you are using to dry him with on the palm of your hand, say 'Paw!' and let him put his paw on the cloth and then reward him.

Gently does it!
Professional dog trainer Sheila Bailey says  it is then an easy matter to wrap the cloth around the dog's paw and leg so that the absorbency of the cloth dries them. If your dog is clicker trained and has been taught to use a target, then you can use the palm of your hand or the cloth as a target without touching his leg. To pick up a hind leg, let your dog's hock joint rest in the angle made between your thumb and first finger and do not grip it. Once again make sure that you do not pull the leg out sideways.When you are drying your dog, the object of the exercise should be to dry the hair not the skin! Some owners are far too vigorous in their drying actions, and appear quite oblivious to the discomfort they are causing their dog. Next time you dry your dog, show him respect by being aware of the effect your actions are having on him, and try to make it as pleasurable an experience as possible.

Being aware of the effect you are having on your dog should also apply when you are petting him. It never ceases to amaze me how rough some owners are when petting their dogs. They often thump them on their sides, rough up their coats or make vigorous rubbing movements over their heads. If your dog likes this kind of treatment then you have nothing to worry about, but stop and watch his reactions next time you pet him. See if he is enjoying it as much as you are! One of the most common ways for humans to show affection is by hugging, but this behaviour is not in
a dog's repertoire. Dogs do not understand it, do not like it, and may even panic, so no matter how much you may want to hug your dog to show him how much you love him, remember that it is very unlikely that you are giving him any pleasure. Unfortunately, as soon as most owners have a lead in their hands, respect goes out of the window and the dog gets dragged around.

The lead should be used in the same way as a safety chain is used on a brooch - only brought into action as
a last resort. If you want to stop your dog from investigating an interesting smell, then try anything rather than dragging him away with the lead. Surprisingly, all most dogs need is an enthusiastic 'Let's go!' to persuade them to continue their walk. If you respect your dog you will learn to communicate with him, and if you can communicate with him you will not need to pull him around.

However your dog's safety is paramount and in this modern day and age it is necessary to use a lead in many public places - and always if you are walking on a road where there is traffic, or if there is livestock around. Walking a dog on a public road off-lead, however well behaved he is, may boost your ego but shows little respect for your dog's safety.

Dogs 'see' the world through their noses, and although it is acceptable to expect your dog to walk at your side without smelling all those interesting messages for part of a walk, you should also make sure that he has some time to use his nose to investigate the environment. To deny him this is the equivalent of you going for a walk wearing a blindfold!

Once again it is a question of respect; respecting the right of another species to have the freedom, as far as possible, to express its natural behaviour. You must give your pet the opportunity to be a dog and use his basic instincts.

Professional dog trainer Sheila Bailey says "I like to use a 6ft lead so that if my dog is walking in front of me, I am not in danger of falling over her! This applies even more to small dogs. I also make sure that my dog walks on both my left and on my right. Dogs that are always walked on one side only - and this is impractical if you walk on roads with no footpaths as you should always face oncoming traffic, putting yourself between your dog and the traffic - risk suffering skeletal and muscle damage from being one-sided. It is important that you hold the lead safely so that your dog cannot drag it out of your hand; even quite small dogs can catch their owners off balance with dire consequences! Most people feel, quite rightly, that if they hold the lead with their fingers through the loop it is not very secure. However it is equally important that you do not hold the lead in a way that can jeopardize your own safety, so never hook the lead around your wrist or wrap it round your hand. To be secure and safe put the loop of the lead over your thumb with the remainder across your palm. Close your fingers and you will find that it is virtually impossible for your dog to drag it out of your hand. In an emergency, however, the lead will fall away.

It is not the lead that controls your dog but the piece of equipment to which it is attached. With so many alternatives, I see no reason for using any kind of collar that chokes a dog, with the exception of trained working dogs. However, any equipment is as kind or cruel as the hands on the other end of the lead. I have seen dogs choking on a flat collar, sore noses caused through the incorrect use of head collars, and sore armpits through the incorrect use of harnesses. Whatever equipment you use, make sure that it is not a hazard to your dog. It is not safe to leave your dog unattended if he is wearing any kind of collar as he could get hooked up on a cupboard door or on something in the car. I heard of one tragic case where the dog managed to get his collar hooked up on a cupboard doorknob, pulled back, and broke his neck.

A flat collar should always be as tight as possible without causing the dog any discomfort - as you would wear a wristwatch. A half-check collar is useful, particularly for narrow-headed dogs, but it must be easily adjustable, and adjusted each time it is put on the dog so that although it cannot slip over his head, it can never tighten enough to pinch the dog's skin. When interacting with your dog make sure that any clothing you are wearing does not dangle into his face. This is particularly important with coats which should always be fastened. If you have a medium or large dog it is all too easy for a coat to brush against your dog's face or into his eyes. This could even apply to small dogs when you bend down to praise them.

A Wise Investment.
If you have a dog that is too large for you to pick up, it is prudent to invest in a car ramp. The growth plates on a dog's leg do not close until he is about 14 months old, so it is imperative that large breed puppies are not encouraged to jump into and out of cars, unless they are low to the ground, until they are about one year old.It is also essential for older dogs that may be arthritic but will continue to jump - even if it is causing them some discomfort - because they do not want to be left behind. In between puppyhood and old age, it is comforting to know that in an emergency you can get your dog into the car and to and from the vet without having to rely on others.

I always try to communicate to my dog what it is that I am going to do rather than leaving her guessing. When I start getting ready to go out I tell her what to expect. If she has to stay at home, I say the sound which means: "I am leaving you alone but I am coming back" and she goes into her indoor kennel (the door is rarely closed but it is one of her favourite places to sleep), lies down and waits for the treat she knows she will get on my departure. This saves her all the stress of thinking: "Am I? Aren't I?" and she makes plans accordingly. I can do this because she has been taught to stay on her own, an essential for any dog. However if you have a dog with separation problems the advice, initially, may be slightly different. If you have taught your dog a sound for your departure then you can utilize it in other situations. On weekend courses, people often ask me to hold their dog while they fetch their coffee or go to the toilet. Often they give me the lead and rush off at the speed of light without a backward look at their dog. This, no doubt, is out of politeness to me, but their poor dog has been brought to an unfamiliar location, with unfamiliar dogs, and left with an unfamiliar person! They have no means of knowing that their owner has not abandoned them for good and often they show signs of distress, particularly if they are a re homed dog.

If you have a sound which can communicate that you are leaving but will be returning, much of that stress will be relieved. Imagine how you would feel if you were in a strange country whose people spoke a language that you did not understand and your best friend, who you thought you could trust, suddenly dashed off and left you without any explanation!

If you truly respect your dog you will find that it will go a long way to keeping him happy and stress-free.

_{source Your Dog Mag.}