Dickie's Diary - Meeting Small Hoomans

Hello fellow pupstars! Dickie Hill back again with another of my recent adventures. Whilst walking with mum, we met a lady with a pup. Apparently hooman pups are called 'children'. They have a really interesting scent to them. It makes me want to roll around in it, but also a little bit icky.

The child noticed me and became so excited that my mum stopped and asked if it would be ok to say hello. She explained that we don’t get many child visitors to our house and I need to feel comfortable around children. I realised that mum had spotted another life skill learning opportunity. The big words in that phrase no longer worried me as they once did. I'd learned that being a clever boy usually resulted in delicious treats.

They replied, and stated that they'd love to say hello to me. Who could blame them? My mum told them they could only fuss me if I had “Four on the floor” and that they had to wait for me to go to them. She gave me the cue to say hello and waited for my response. 

Of course I went straight over for a fuss. I think she worries too much but apparently some pups can be a little overwhelmed meeting new people. She forgets that not only am I clever, but also a very brave boy. Naturally I did get a bit excited at one point and so technically all four feet weren't on the floor at the same time. Of course mum noticed straight away and told the two strangers to stop fussing me, 

It seemed a bit unfair to me, but as soon as I settled, the proper attention to me resumed. The lady said she didn’t mind if I jumped up, but my mum explained that when I've grown to a 40 kg dog it won’t be so cute. So I had to learn the correct behaviour now and do so before I grew into a big dog - I think I'm going to be the biggest dog, as well as the fastest. 

After receiving a good fuss my mum called me to her and I ran straight to her. Apparently this was good because I got a treat. We continued our walk and with my mum making the click sound and rewarding me with treats again. Along the way, we encountered We saw a big dog, but I was very brave and just walked past.  

Another cool change is having to wear a  big dog harness when out walking! It's not just any harness though. It has to be a Y neck one with a clip on the chest and one on the back. The Y neck ensures that my movement wouldn't be restricted. While in the pet shop I saw a big boy's collar with studs which looked super cool and I thought would make me look grown up. My mum said that a collar like that could press on important and fragile parts of my neck. It didn't seem so cool after I thought about that.

I'm feeling rather tired now after all that walking, and a superhero needs their  power nap. Lots of love Dickie 🐾🐾🐾

Virtual Easter Egg Hunt Winners

A huge thank you to everyone who took part in our first Virtual Easter Egg Hunt we've raised some vital money for the German Shepherd Rescue Fund. With over 90 dogs to care for it is sadly an expensive business so all contributions are valuable.

Congratulations to Natalie Palmer who won the hunt with a perfect score and so the collection of hooman and doggy Easter goodies will be on their way to you soon.

The Bonus Egg

No-one managed to find the bonus egg, which was a sneak peek at our updated logo. The version shown is the standard colour variant, with different version to suit different situations. With no clear winner we randomly drew a winner from the pool of those submitting their hunts and congratulations to John Tandy. He will receive the metal GSD head wall ornament.

Well done to our winners, and thank you all for your support.

Tia's Pupdates - A Triangle Forms

Hello everypawdy. Tia here with another pupdate. It’s been a good morning. I’ve enjoyed some play time and then did some clicker work. Apparently the hooman thinks I need to use my brain.  I have to work out what she wants me to do without her telling me. Simple. 

Maybe I should try it with her, although I don’t hold out much hope it would work. Hoomans are rarely as clever as they think they are.

The problem is that I have a bit of a dilemma going on at the moment. Things were going really well between me and Rodney, but the hooman had to go and upset it all. She moved another dog called Tony into the kennel on the other side of me. Now I am torn between them and don’t know which one to choose. 

Tony is very handsome, extremely very kind and caring, so it'd be all too easy to fall for him. Rodney is also a perfect physical specimen, but more rugged.  He is also a 'treat them mean, keep them keen' sort of guy. And I do rather like a bad boy. It’s  like a  hooman trying to choose between Sean Connery and Brad Pitt.   One possible problem is that Tony will probably find a home quicker than Rodney and me. So if I pick him and then he leaves, then Rodney may not want me then. 

I don’t know which one to choose. Who do you think is best for me?

Anyway, I must dash back to my kennel now. There may be treats waiting, but their scents are also kinda exciting!    Love Tia 🐾🐾🐾

Puppy Care Topics - Calm and Confident Puppies

Expert dog behaviourist Lisa Hird from the Dog Behaviour Clinic has provided this latest Puppy Care Topic concerning how to best ensure that your puppies are as calm and confident as they can be.

To learn more about Lisa's background, experience, qualifications and services visit her website - https://www.dogbehaviourclinic.co.uk/

Calm and Confident Puppies

Socialising

There is a lot of information about how important ‘socialising’ puppies can be. Many puppy books and social media sites encourage new puppy owners to socialise their puppies by exposing them to as many different things, places, people, and dogs as possible in the early weeks of their lives so that they become used to everything they encounter.

Socialising is a vital part of training your puppy to cope with every situation she may need to face as she gets older, but it is the way that you socialise your puppy that really matters. How you approach socialising makes the difference between a calm, confident puppy and an over excitable, or stressed and anxious puppy.

Socialising Rather than Experiencing

A puppy’s first experience of something new needs to Feel Good.

Then the next 10 experiences of that same new thing need to Feel Good.

Only then is it ok for an experience of that new thing to just Feel Ok.

You need AT LEAST 20 good experiences of something before one of those experiences can Feel Bad, otherwise your puppy may develop fear issues.

If your puppy sees something in the house, garden, or street that she is afraid of, you will see some of the following signals:

❖ Lip licking

❖ Yawning

❖ Panting

❖ Drooling

❖ Penis-crowning – the further out it comes, the more stressed he is

❖ Stiff tail

❖ Shaking off shows he has felt stressed and is trying to calm down

❖ Chewing ‘hard’ on a bone or toy

❖ Obsessive sniffing of the ground

THESE SIGNALS MEAN YOUR PUPPY IS UNCOMFORTABLE - YOU NEED TO GIVE THEM DISTANCE FROM WHATEVER IS BOTHERING THEM.

Signs of Stress and Anxiety

Try to be aware of any signals that show your puppy is stressed or anxious, either inside or outside the home. If you see any of the signs, then your pup needs distance from whatever is making him feel uneasy, so take him away, or make sure that he can get away if he feels crowded by somebody at home.

Do not say anything when he needs to move away – try to remember that reassurance will not make him feel any better. Unlike children, puppies are rarely soothed by owners trying to reassure them. The only thing that makes most puppies feel safe is distance from the thing that is bothering them, so create that distance without saying anything.

Once he has enough distance and you can see your puppy feels ok and is calm, praise and treat him. This is a way of making his calmness Feel Good.

It can seem a bit counter-intuitive because it might seem as if you are treating him for moving away. You are waiting until he is calm and can preferably look back at the thing that has upset him.

Calm methods always use Feel Good to reinforce calm reactions. So, we ignore any fear, whining, trembling etc. We just give the puppy what he needs in that situation, which is distance.

By reinforcing a calm reaction with the Feel Good of a treat, your puppy’s brain starts to become programmed to react more and more calmly to things that bother him, building his confidence.

THESE SIGNALS SHOW HIGH LEVELS OF STRESS OR ANXIETY IN THE HOME

❖ Shredding toys or bedding

❖ Chewing furniture

❖ Suckling for a long time on his bed. He’s doing it to self-soothe, which is good, but he needs to self-soothe because he feels stressed.

❖ Pacing

❖ Licking any part of the body obsessively

❖ Repeated scratching of any part of the body

❖ Whining

❖ Panting

❖ Inability to concentrate

If your puppy regularly does any of the above, please let me know so that I can help you work with him to reduce his anxiety levels.

The Fear Period

For many puppies, the world will become quite a frightening place during the first 3 months of their lives. All puppies go through a ‘fear period’ at anything between 5 ½ weeks to about 20 weeks. Even puppies who have previously seemed confident in every situation can suddenly become scared of new things, or even familiar things.

How you react during this fear period will help your puppy become a calm, confident teenage dog:

❖ Stay calm.

❖ Give distance if he wants to move away.

❖ Allow him to approach the scary thing at his own pace.

❖ Reinforce any moves towards it by praising him and giving tiny, tasty treats so that he gets strong Feel Good associations for approaching the scary thing.

❖ Let him move away at any time if he needs to.

❖ Sometimes touching the scary ‘thing’ yourself can help, but make sure he still has room to move away on a loose lead.

❖Try approaching the scary ‘thing’ from different directions once he is comfortable with it.

❖ Try to approach the scary ‘thing’ over a period of several days, repeating the experience until you know that he is completely calm and confident with it.

Meeting New People - Don't Touch Me Signals

❖ Turning her head away or leaning away

❖ Lip licking

❖ Panting with a tongue that is tense, rather than loose and lolling out of her mouth

❖ Yawning

❖Trying to hide behind you/furniture/anything or anyone that makes her feel safe

❖ Drooling (other than for food)

❖Penis-crowning – the further out it comes, the more stressed he is

❖ Stiff tail

❖ Shaking-off shows she’s felt stressed and is trying to calm down

❖ Chewing ‘hard’ on a bone or toy

❖ Obsessive sniffing of the ground or of hands that come towards her

These are the first signs that a puppy gives to say, ‘Please don’t touch me’. If you see these signals, give the puppy a break from people and put him in a confinement pen/den if he is at home. If you are out with him, take him away from whoever is trying to talk to/touch him.

These pens are ideal to allow you to get on with household jobs and not have to worry what your puppy is getting up to. It also helps teach puppies independence. Place puppy toys, water bowl and a bed inside the confinement area so your puppy can amuse himself.

Following the Socialising Code will teach your puppy how to be calm, content, and confident in all areas of his life. If you allow him to approach things at his own pace, use treats and praise to help him Feel Good, and ensure that this is used for every new thing that he encounters, he will trust that you will always keep him safe. There are bound to be things that he finds a bit difficult in his life, but, giving him this strong foundation in the early days and weeks in your care means that he will always feel secure as he grows into an adult dog.

Final Day Enter the Weekend's Virtual Easter Egg

There are over 90 eggs to find and
this image does not count in the hunt!

ENTRY FOR THE VIRTUAL EASTER EGG HUNT IS NOW CLOSED - BEST OF LUCK TO THOSE WHO ENTERED!

Time is swiftly running out to enter this weekend's Virtual Easter Egg Hunt supporting the GSD Welfare Fund. Unfortunately we experienced a technical fault with PayPal yesterday, so people were unable to enter. The issue is now fixed and we're extending the deadline slightly to compensate. The cut-off to enter is now 9am (BST) tomorrow  (Saturday 9th April).

Entry is only £3 and you can enter using the PayPal button below, but hurry - time's running out!.

Find all the hidden eggs and win these
Easter delights ideal for hooman and doggo

The hunt will take place on our blog, and start tomorrow at 10am (BST), and finish at midnight Sunday 11th April. A special page and form will be provided to record your finds and submit your entry. Whoever finds the most wins. In the event of a tie-break, then one of the winning entries will be drawn at random for the prize.

Bonus Egg and Prize

We've received another amazing gift and this can be won via a raffle between those who found the bonus egg. The winner of this draw will receive this amazing metal GSD wall piece.

Please like and share this post to help raise funds for the German Shepherd Dog Welfare Fund to rescue vulnerable GSDs and help them enjoy the lives they deserve, and not what they've endured.

Dickie's Diary - Sprinkle Delight

Hello fellow pupstars! Dickie Hill here to tell about this super awesome new game I'm playing. Well, it's not really new because I first played it nearly a month ago, which makes it ages old. It's still good though - in fact it's best of games because you get treats!

It's an easy game too, but so much fun, and mum says it's good for me too. Apparently it helps me develop my brain and work with my senses. I'm not convinced it does make sense, but mum knows best I suppose. Anyway it doesn't matter as it's still great fun, even if it is good for me.

Mum walks about and scatters small, but delicious treats around the garden and I have to find them the fastest. Which I do of course, but it does help that they're extra tasty treats, otherwise, why bother?

That's it for now everyone - there are new scents to sniff, and treats to find. Until next time pupsters! 🦴🦴🦴

Welcome to Lisa & Tony and a push for dogs in long term care

The madness that the pandemic has brought to the world of rescue is showing no sign of easing. We welcomed three more dogs into our family yesterday with several more booked to come in this week! As you all know, we have been on a bit of a mission of late. 

We want to do more than just "rescue" dogs. We want to be proactive instead of just reactive. We are battling to get help and information out there that may just stop a dog having to come into Welfare. This may be advising how to select a responsible breeder, or how to choose a trainer/behaviourist, or the training methods to use and so forth. Many of the dogs coming into Welfare are the results of bad trainers/behaviourists.

Many of the dogs in our care have behaviour issues that inhibit their chance of successful homing. Several have been with us 7 years or more. Obviously, our main aim has to be to rehabilitate these dogs in the hope that they are lucky enough to find their own home one day. Not only is this the best outcome for them, but it also clears space for dogs needing help from us in the future. We are limited at how many dogs we can take into our care.

This has been an ongoing discussion amongst the Welfare committee members for some time as we try to make decisions that will take us down the right path and lead to some solutions. After much thought and discussion, we made the decision to try to centralise our "problem" dogs or dogs that have been here for too long for their own good. By doing this we can then utilise the expertise of our lovely Lisa Hird who has very generously offered to help us with our mission. 

Lisa is one of the best behaviourists in this country. She has written some of the most advanced courses in dog behaviour for colleges etc. and we grabbed her offer of help with all hands. We are hoping that after an assessment from Lisa and a training plan to follow, we can help some of these dogs on their way to finding a place to call home. She will also advise us how best to "show case" the dogs that are continuously over looked. We cannot thank Lisa enough.

 

The weekend saw us starting to put this plan into action, by moving some of the Welfare dogs into appropriately sited kennels.

 

We are also thrilled to welcome Tony into our Welfare family, after he agreed to be an "uncle" to the dogs. Tony has extensive experience with German Shepherds and with rescue dogs. He is a very knowledgeable trainer using positive reinforcement methods, which as you will all know, are the only training methods we use and endorse. It is not about taking the softly softly approach, but about following the science. Welcome Tony and thank you.

When selecting kennels to use, it is so important that they are happy to liaise with us so we can all be on the same page to help the dogs move forward with their progress. It is so much more than just boarding our dogs and we are vey lucky to have some wonderful aunties and uncles for the dogs, on board with us.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff at Connifer Lodge kennels where we have just moved some of our problem dogs from, especially the girls that spent time with our dogs and showed them love.

Ramsay

Amongst the dogs we have relocated is Ramsay who has a police order against him, meaning that he can only go out in public when wearing a muzzle. Ramsay is a lovely boy, the police incident really was just a mis-fortune. A dog came to attack him whilst on lead. The other dog owner came over and tried to get their dog off and got bitten in the process, Ramsay got the blame and his police order. At present he doesn't like wearing a muzzle so this limits his chance of a home. Lisa will start some muzzle habituation work with him. 

Lily

Kerrie

Kerrie and Lily are mother and daughter, victims of a cruelty case. Both of them are understandably very nervous and totally dependant on each other. Lisa's plan is to try to build their confidence, teaching them how to problem solve, thereby making it easier to cope with life for them. They will also learn how to be independent of each other to give them a chance of a finding a loving home.

Ghost

Ghost came in with bite history, so he will need a full assessment so we know if it is safe to home him. We believe part of his problem was a noise phobia (hoover). Lisa will again, start by building confidence and habituating him to noises. 

Poor Ted is a lovely boy but is one of the unfortunate ones who has been overlooked for several years. Lisa will guide us how best to "show case" him.

Ted

We will keep you updated on their progress.

As you can see, there has been so much going on with Welfare behind the scenes, as well as dealing with the daily calls for help. We are proud to say we feel like we are moving forward and addressing the problems we are facing.

 

We thank each and everyone one of ours supporters for your understanding and support. Without you all, we could not progress with our mission to help the many GSD's that need our help 💖