As I am sure you are all aware, there has been another dog attack in the news which has resulted in the awful tragedy of a toddler losing her life.
At the moment, it is still rather unclear how the attack happened but the toddler died from severe head injuries whilst the dog’s owner was absent from the home.
Many people are scared and some believe dogs attacks are on the rise (personally I would think it more likely that more dog attacks are being reported now rather than that there are …

When looking for a dog, either as a first time owner or experienced dog lover, you need to ask yourself a few hard questions:
1. Why do you want a dog?
2. Are you financially able to look after a dog?
It’s not just the initial cost to the breeder or rescue, it’s the vet bills and monthly food costs…not forgetting toys, treats and bedding…
3. Does everyone in the family want a dog?
If someone isn’t prepared to put in the hard work and be consistent with the training, it can potentially lead to …

I always hear lots of stories of ‘encounters’ that dog walkers have with either other dogs or other people that leave a mark in their memories and a somewhat bitter taste in their mouths.
The story I tend to hear most often is of the ‘offlead dog’ and there are two variants.
Story one, is that they were walking their fearful/dog aggressive dog ON THE LEAD when a bouncy dog comes over wanting to play and gets a bit ‘in yer face’ - obviously this is detrimental to the fearful/dog aggressive dog …

Tail positions are another means by which dogs can communicate a ‘message’. There are some tail positions which have more than one meaning depending on the circumstance. For example, when a dog’s tail is down, it could be that the dog is resting or relaxed but, depending on the other signals, it could also mean that the dog is stressed. Aloff explains stress signals by stating ‘This animal is stressed: eyes averted, ears held out to the side, tail down. There is a rigidity…that tells us these are not signs …

There are various approaches that try to explain canine aggression. The nature approach argues that canine aggression is inherited from the parents and therefore part of the dog’s genetic make-up. As Fogle states, ‘Dominance aggression is primarily influenced by genetics…the dog’s natural genetic predisposition is to find his place in the pecking order, the dominance hierarchy.’ (Fogle, 1990, p. 11-12)
This would indicate that the behaviour is innate and therefore difficult to resolve. Fisher asserts that ‘There are two areas of aggression where a complete cure is almost impossible, we …