We've gone to the dogs
Every Friday I go to Gerri’s to work on her huge garden, and she has recently gotten the most adorable puppy. But said puppy is so enthusiastic that I am yet to get a photo! They are currently training him (his name is Teddy), and every week he is pretty keen to jump up or bark at me. I freeze and don’t really know what to do. So this week is… The Dog Issue.
Because I can’t get a photo of Teddy, here is my old dog Guin being extremely civilised at Gerri’s.
What staff learnt about this week
Our weekly focus was really dull- process stuff. You know when you have been working somewhere for ages and slip a little in your practices? Every day we have all scoured our brains for little annoyances and asked each other to, say, lock the car when on a job, or not to put green waste bags on top of the lawn mower. No one has killed anyone all week, woo!
Highlights:
This photo from Sophie, of one of our favourite dogs (Amy’s dog in Khandallah)
Also highlights:
This is Trig. The previous gardeners used to hurt Trig when he was a puppy, so he had a fear of gardening tools (and gardeners) which led to him trying to attack me on multiple occasions. It took about 3 months before he became my bestie. I remember being very aware of how close his teeth were to my face in this photo! His choice obviously!
Also highlights:
Greg’s extremely relaxed dog (yes, he always sits like that)
An interview with a doggy legend
I have such a cool interview today! I had a chat with Cheryl McDonough, an animal behaviourist about the various questions we have faced in our work lately. She tells me that a part of her work is supporting families whose dogs have been considered untrainable, and she came highly recommended.
Cheryl and her dog (left) working with an aggressive dog (far right). Check out the smile on that doggo! 10/10 happy doggo!
One of the first things I did was refer to Cheryl as a dog trainer, and she gently pointed out that she trains humans more than dogs. Cheryl supports people to understand how to interact with their dogs, ensuring the dogs and owners form a more trusting, confident relationship. She also works with dogs who have experienced trauma or have high anxiety, supporting them into a calmer, happier life. The result is a dog that listens, and a human that knows how to care for the dog.
What are you known for?
I am an animal behaviorist specializing in reactive, aggressive or anxious dogs, working online globally or at my place to help people and their animals with any behavioral issues. 6 years ago I did a diploma in the Trust Technique and now work full time with dogs. My fb page is Cheryl Trust Practitioner NZ and website here.
I got into this work because I had a dog that I adopted, and she aggressively attacked two of my resident dogs and put them into the vets. I got a top wellington trainer in to help her, and he said to put her to sleep that she wasn't worth the effort. That broke me. So, i went looking for an alternative solution and found the trust technique. I immediately started to practice with her and within 3 weeks I had a different dog. I was so astounded! I wanted to know more....so I applied to become a practitioner and did a 2-year study. Now I work with about 12-15 dogs a week, helping them come back to being their best, its gold.
Is there a key thing that you would like the general public to know about interacting with dogs?
Yes, stop patting (or asking to pat) strange dogs you don’t know. Stop going towards strange dogs - if you are going to interact with them let them approach you, don’t put your hand out, don’t lean down. Just relax in a standing position and let them say hi first. Then if appropriate and the owner says yes you can pat him - stroke his back, don’t donk him on the head (they hate that!!) they love a back scratch.
There are so many times that we first come into contact with a dog, and it won't stop jumping up or barking. Do you have any thoughts on what is going on for the dog, and what we should be doing in response?
Dogs get really excited to see people and people get excited to see dogs, so unfortunately the dog is responding in the first instance and gets rewarded with cuddles and squeaky voices when they are a puppy....then they are trained in it, so it’s hard to undo and get the dog to understand that's not what you want now that they are bigger.
Best thing you can do is pat the dog before he jumps up, sometimes easier said than done. Or wait for the jumping to subside and then give attention to the dog. Most people get frustrated and then the dog feels this so he gets frustrated too and jumps more....!
Do you have any gardening questions for me?
Oh! dogs like catnip so if you have dog clients, ask them if you can put in some sensory smells in pots for the dogs.
I want to plant out my dog park with hardy plants that will be okay with dogs running through over etc. Ive planted flax and toitoi so far. Any suggestions?
Some tips for gardening with dogs
If your dogs wrestle, jump everywhere or bowl through your garden, plant it with hardy plants like corokia, coprosmas, grasses, flaxes. Specifically, anything which won't easily snap (look for more wiry or woody stems, not thick, wet looking green stems).
Dogs will learn to avoid roses, but enthusiastic dogs will be learning the hard way (through injury). I find they cope ok with carpet roses, because the thorns are smaller and the odd fall into them is fine for both parties. Keep them trimmed quite large (so they are not tiny sticks in Winter).
Ground covers are your friend- things that are planted en masse like calendulas, alyssum, lobelia, prostrate rosemary, violets. They may be damaged, but a few spots of damage won't be noticeable, and it's unlikely that you'll need to replace anything.
I like to do slightly taller plants in dog properties- consider 150cm small trees and bushes, the dogs will immediately see them as an obstacle as opposed to a thing to mess with.
When planting, it is better to use big, tall, heavy wooden stakes and hammer them in really deep, make sure the top is higher than the dog at standing height. If you use bamboo stakes or smaller, thinner stakes they are likely to either be jumped on or snapped (which hurts the dog). When I put in hedges for doggy houses, I put windbreak mesh up on one side surrounded by thick stakes either end. This stops the dog from running through the hedge and causing damage. When the hedge is stable, after about 3-6 months, you can remove it.
If your dogs dig, use 3 stakes around the plant when planting. Dogs will go for easily dug dirt, so they love to dig up whatever you have done. Simple staking will stop this. If you dogs are small or not jumpy, you can just use bamboo stakes. If your dogs are really enthusiastic, use coconut coir or jute weedmat squares pinned around the base of the plant. Don’t use wool because dogs go for the smell and might tear it up.
Accept that some areas are dog paths, and some areas are garden. Chill out on the dog path, and plant out the garden. This is also a time when you should reserve an area of lawn or lawn alternative- dogs need exercise and a place to run around, and the confidence to know which areas are for them to ramble through.
A long one this week! Show us yer dogs and have a good weekend!