News and insights from CDA Pet Food Bank

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A dog walk.

My father had dogs all of his life, he grew up on a farm where the dogs were working animals but when they retired they kept them as family pets. The one he talked about constantly was Bracken a golden retriever that my dad loved. So because of the dogs in his life it meant I had dogs in my life. I will never forget that he told me dogs need to walk, I don't think he understood the science behind the walk, he just knew it was in the best interest of the dog to go for walks, he knew it created a bond between both the dog and its owner. Now with the knowledge from animal behaviourists we know that the benefits are the physical and mental health benefits, weight management and joint mobility, it gives the dog a good brain workout different smells noises, confidence and social skills and is the ultimate stress reliever. So I try in my day to day work to encourage pet owners and help them understand that letting the dog out in the garden to use the bathroom is fine but he needs to experience the world outside the garden, and it's not even that difficult you can tailor the walk around the time available and the area you live in. It builds that unbreakable bond and there is no better feeling than that.

Understanding the secrets of dog behaviour.

When we talk to our dogs what it really is is 2 species trying to communicate with each other and not fully understanding the language used.

When you're dog is barking at something what he is trying to do is tell you something, it may be he has heard a noise or felt something, he's not doing it to annoy you it's just if you don't acknowledge it he will keep trying to tell you, we have to listen.

Dogs also feel scared or stressed, and like us when we are stressed our cortisol levels rise and us humans have the survival instinct of either fight of flight, dogs survival instincts are bark, lunge or hide. So when your dog starts acting like this, stop for a second and ask why, is he turning his head away, and be honest we have all seen a dog do this. blinking, licking his lips and even yawning are all signals and paying attention to your dogs signals makes him feel safe and it is easy what you have to do is just watch his body language, he can't speak his problem to you he shows you, so if he is doing something you don't want him to don't shout "stop it" just remove him from the situation. 
Understanding your dog takes patience, observation and a willingness to understand how they see the world then you build a strong bond that benefits both of you.