Wuff News

  THE HEIRARCHY OF CANINE NEEDS   The Hierarchy of Dog Needs® is an adaptation of Maslow’s Hierarchy of (human) Needs™ . We must first meet our dogs’ biological needs, emotional needs and social needs. Once we feel assured that these foundational needs have been met, we can easily and painlessly work with our dogs to change unwanted behaviours and teach them to live harmoniously with their human pack. We start at the bottom of the pyramid and work our way up.  The idea is that we make sure all of the lower level needs are met before we can address and work on the higher levels. BIOLOGICAL NEEDS A dog’s biological needs are the most basic things it needs in life to thrive and maintain good health.   This includes proper nutrition and water and a place to sleep that is warm and comfortable.    Dogs need a life free from pain and fear, this includes gentle grooming, adequate exercise and health care.    It also includes a training programme that is based on rewarding the dog for

  ⭐ Help Your Dog to Build Confidence with a  Doggie Star Chart ⭐ Some dogs are very reactive, which means that they frequently show barking, growling and lunging behaviours. This is often due to a lack of confidence.  Dogs are just like humans and can suffer from low self-esteem.  A dog who lacks confidence is filled with anxieties and this can lead to aggressive behaviours or be displayed as them. Luckily there is a lot we can do to help improve a dog’s confidence which in turn helps them to become more relaxed and less reactive. Dogs love to solve little puzzles, and I teach them to play “Find It” .  I make puzzles with any junk such as toilet rolls or cardboard boxes.  The idea is to hide a couple of tiny treats inside then ask your dog to “Find it!” Your dog will smell the treat and then has to work out what to do to get the treat out!  A great tip is to use a very smelly treat, something that your dog really loves so he will be very motivated to try to get it out. Every