Understanding And Breaking The Cycle of Dog Aggression

  Why Is Dog Aggression On the Rise?

What Causes Our Dogs To Become Aggressive?

Dog aggression is on the rise and more and more pet owners are becoming fearful of their animals unpredictable behaviour, which can cause much upset and upheaval in their families and societies.

More and more pet owners are becoming fearful to take their dogs out for a walk, in case their dog becomes vicious to other people or animals, becoming embarrassed at having an uncontrollable animal at their side, and not knowing what is causing it or how to handle it.

Many pet owners have become prisoners in their own home, becoming fearful of having guest and friends around, having to shut their animals away behind locked doors just in order to protect themselves and their friends.

They search for answer and solutions and often spend a fortune on dog training, and dog products all designed to help control you dog, some of which seem to give a temporary solution but they end up going round in circles and can just put up with the aggressive behaviour or change their whole lives around just to suit their dog. None of which is the real answer or solution.

Many dog owners believe that shouting, smacking, squirting water or throwing chains or tins with pebbles in near the dog will work at combating the aggressive behaviour, but they soon learn that whilst these methods might get a temporary result, the behaviour continues and can continue for many years. It becomes a coping mechanism but in reality none of these methods give the long term result they are looking for which is to completely eradicate this unwanted behaviour.

So the circle continues the dog becomes aggressive, the owner becomes more fearful and lacks in confidence, frustration, worry and anxiety set in and before you know it the dog owner is carrying so much negative and weak energy  that the dog automatically feels it has to protects its weak owner and so learns to become aggressive in order to control its pack and its environment.

Many pet owners give up and re-home their dogs into rescue shelters, they just feel they can’t cope with the problem anymore and the rescue shelter then become full of dogs that find it difficult to find a new home because their problem behaviour has not be addressed and corrected.

Guilt then sets in with the pet owner, often feeling like a failure and this can then affect every area of their lives on a deep level where they find their other relationships in life failing too.

If pet owners could just begin to understand where their dogs aggression comes from, where does it start from, what is at the bottom of it all, then by understanding a problem then you can begin to unravel it all and solve it.

Dog aggression is not something that fixed overnight, there are no quick fixes, it takes some working at but you can help your aggressive dog to turn around and become what I call balanced again.  When a dog is in balance it will not need to show aggression. Dog aggression means there is something that needs to be changed, maybe a combination of things that need to be changed, but make the right changes and you will begin to see a massive improvement in both you and your dog’s behaviour.

Most aggression stems from fear, fear and anger are very closely linked. When we become scared or frightened then our brains automatically go into survival mode. Our defence mechanisms kick in, and “fight” is one of our inbuilt defence mechanisms, it is the same with our dogs.

Even if we don’t express our anger in a moment of defence, anger energy takes place and sometimes instead of expressing our anger outwardly we can turn it inwards on ourselves which can be just as devastating. Many abused children will become abusive either to the outside world or to themselves, often beating themselves up telling themselves they are no good. All of this stems from fear and anger.

Many pet owners with aggressive dogs have aggression issues themselves, they are angry on a deep level, they often beat themselves up with negative thoughts and talk, using words such as “it’s my fault”, or “I am no good at that”. Most pet owners with an aggressive dog have self-esteem issues which need to be addressed.

Our animals work with our energy, they are so highly tuned into our energy and our moods that they can tell what’s going on inside of us sometimes even before we admit it to ourselves. If you are tense or stressed about something then chances are so too is your dog.

Sometimes it’s easy to look outside of ourselves and blame our own insecurities on our pets, saying things like “I don’t know what’s wrong with HIM!” or “Why is HE behaving like that?” “ He does this…” and “He does that…” When you own a pet it’s a two way relationship, The animal responds to what you do and you respond to what the animal does. If we can understand it’s not about blaming ourselves or our pets, it’s about saying “We have a problem here and it’s both our responsibility to work at fixing it” automatically by thinking “we” you have just formed a bond again with each other, something which I notice has disappeared with my clients and their pets. The bond has broken and it’s my job to help you re-bond and start working on your problem together. All successful relationship as about a balanced state of give and take.

Diet is another huge part that plays in dog aggression. I have said it many times before and I will keep on saying it until the message gets through. Commercial Pet Foods are no good for your dog. Simple as that. It is the wrong kind of fuel for them to start with. Dogs are carnivores and need Raw Meat and Raw Bone, Offal and a small amount of vegetable matter.

Humans are the only species on this planet that cooks their food; every other living species on this planets eats raw food. You never see the birds, insects, fish or mammals build a fire and cook their food, so why does anyone think that giving your dog dry biscuit food or meat slush out of a tin which has all be cooked and processed at very high temperatures, is the best way to feed their animals, I really don’t know.

Sugars, chemical preservatives, colours, enumbers, wheat and grain, these ingredients all can upset the balance of your dog massively and cause aggressive outbursts too. I have seen it time and time again and things need to change. Our dog’s diets need to change and go back to what they were eating before this processed pet food ever came out.

Pain or Disease in the body

When we are in pain, our body screams at us, we then want to scream at the world. None of us are in a good mood when we are in pain. So maybe your dog is in pain… maybe that’s one of the reasons why he has become so grumpy.

Get someone to check your dog over, vets don’t always pick up everything, so check with your pet chiropractor, pet massuers and even your animal communicators who are very tuned into locating pain and energy imbalances within the body.

If you really want to be sure and get a complete body scan through hair sample then See the Bio Pets website where your pets hair sample will be scanned for imbalances and this clever machine will pick up things humans may miss. So start making enquiries today and find out whats really at the bottom of your dog’s aggression.

You really do not need gismos, gadgets and food rewards to change your dog’s behaviour, you need to understand what is causing it and then make the small but necessary changes to the situation such as diet and communication.

Achieving a balanced relationship with your pet can be done naturally and once you begin to achieve this balance with your pet you will start to notice other areas of your life come into balance again.

If you would like to learn more about Dog Aggression or how to break the dog aggression cycle with techniques that will work throughout the life of your dog then contact me today through my website: CLICK HERE

How To Stop Your Dog Pulling On The Lead

 Please see the video at the end of this post to show you the

most comfortable method to stop your dog pulling on the lead.

Nikki Shows You The New Fleece Harness & Wrap Around Lead Technique.

As you know I don’t use any treats or clickers when training dogs.  I don’t see the need to use bribery to get a dog to follow your commands, some may call it positive reinforcement I just call it bribery.

If the dog sees and respects you as its natural pack leader and you carry the right energy around your dog, he or she will happily follow your commands through respect and not because it is going to get some food reward at the end. Many people also use commercial pet food treats to train their dogs with which can be high in sugar, wheat, cereals and chemical preservatives. Overloading your dog with these toxins is not going to help matters when trying to get your dog to concentrate on what you are doing.

In order to get your dog to walk to heel naturally with you, the dog must have a level of trust and respect for you and see you as the natural leader of the pack. It is about the energy you carry around your dog and what body language you are using. If you are “off balance” then good chances your dog will be too. Off balance means a negative mind-set which produces negative body language or the chances are that if you are in pain or feeling frustrated, worried nervous or scared whilst walking your dog then you dog will feel these things too.

Let’s think about the lead walk from the dog’s point of view. Ok we have to put our dogs on a lead in public places, it is the law. However dog does not know of human law and all it knows is that it is being tied to you and once of its most basic defence mechanisms is being taken away. That defence mechanism being the right to flee or run away from danger.

Dogs have three main defence mechanisms, Freeze, Flight and Fight. If we understand that when we tie up the dog to us, we take away its right to flee then we need to understand that some dogs will only have two options left, freeze and fight. This is one of the reasons why some dogs show more aggression when on the lead than off the lead.

It is likely that the dog enters a more anxious state of mind when being tied up to the lead, therefore we need to take this into consideration when we go out on our walks. The dog needs to know that you have everything under control should danger arise. They need to know you are their body-guard and protector.

Imagine if someone tied your hands up behind your back and sent you into the outside world. You would feel vulnerable right? Your hands are actually a major source of protection for you,  they stop you banging your head if you fall over, you can protect yourself should someone attack you, in fact without your hands and arms, life becomes quite a scary place indeed. 

Now imagine if someone tied your hands up but sent you out with a body-guard to look after you, you would relax more knowing that this bodyguard was looking out for you and protecting you.

Many humans take on a dog for protection, you see young guys with status dogs and even ladies walking their dogs with the mind-set that should someone attack them their dog will dive in and sort things out. It’s a massive amount of responsibility to put onto any animal in today’s human world. We really should be the ones looking after our pets and not the other way round.  I am sure the dog would do all it can to protects its pack should an attack happen but it should not have to go around thinking this is its job all the time.

Getting your mind-set right before attempting the outside walk with your dog is crucial. If you are worrying before you even leave the house then your energy becomes weak and the dog will feel  the need to take over and protect you.

Remember you set the energy and mind-set for your pack. You are the leader. So you need to go out relaxed, and calm but also assertive. The outside world can throw a number of things your way and you never know what to expect so be alert but just trust yourself that you can handle whatever life throws your way. You have survived this long already haven’t you?

What you think about you attract.

Worrying about your dog walk will make things worse

If you start worrying about the walk with your dog before you leave the house then you are more likely to attract negative situations to you both which will just reinforce your fears even more.

It is important to get yourself into a really positive mind-set before you leave the house. Take 5 minutes if you have to and close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and imagine what sort of walk you would like to have. See yourself calm and assertive, see your dog relaxed and happy. Plan the route you’re going to take in your mind and notice the joy around you on your walk. Imagine you see other nice dog owners and other nice dogs on your walk. Imagine your dog playing with these other dogs happily. See your dog walking nicely to heel with you, looking up at you and looking for the next direction or command from you.

As you take 5 minutes to do this positive mind-set exercise, you will feel more calm and in control, and so too will your dog. Your dog will pick up on your mind-set and images in your mind and you will be communicating what sort of walk you would like you both to have.

If you find you mind is thinking “fear thoughts” and “what if ” thoughts then just let them go, let them pass and concentrate on your image of a nice walk. If you do this every day for three weeks you will soon be noticing an amazing difference on your walks.

The correct walking equipment for your dog is so important.

There are so many leads collars and harness on the market, it’s hard to know where to begin, and you may have already spent a fortune on trying different ones out.

I have tried and tested many and found some better than others, but this system that I am going suggest to you really is the most comfortable and safest  equipment for both you and you dog.

You can see the massive strain on dog's neck, back, hips and legs.

First things first ok. Leads should never be attached to a collar. I see way too many dog owners  attach the lead to the collar without much thought for the poor dog.

Collars should be used to attach ID tags to only, and look for a comfy collar like the Air Collars that I use and sell. They are made from breathable material and dry out if they get wet.  Leather collars cause so many irritations to the dog skin and neck, they might look nice but they are not comfortable for the dog.

The reason why you should never attach a lead to a collar is because it can cause some serious damage to your dog’s neck, spine, hips, legs and paws. Just think about if someone yanked your neck time and time again. Many nerves travel through the neck and down the spine and constant yanking can cause a whole host of problems. Not just that but nearly every dog owner who has a lead attached the collar also suffers with back, neck and shoulder pain. All that yanking at your dog also can put your body and system out of balance.

Notice how both dog and owner are out of balance

Dog owners who have a dog that pulls on the lead has an unbalanced relationships with their dog. Both dog and owner are usually very stressed and it’s where the bond can really break down in the relationship with your pet. He pulls, you yank, both of you are in pain and frustrated. It is really important to take time to lead train your dog and get it right at the very beginning, the time you put in now will pay dividends in the future of your relationship.

Ever see those dog owners who have their dogs happily trotting by their side and you think “I wish my dog was like that!” Well just know that the dog owner has done a lot of work behind the scenes to gain the trust and respect from their dog and achieve a balanced relationship like that.

If you are suffering with back, neck shoulder or knee pain when walking with your dog then book yourself both in for a treatment with a Chiropractor, Kate Walder (see info at end of post) is a lady who I highly recommend as she is qualified in both human and animal chiropractor. She will have you both back in balance in no time at all.

Harnesses

Harnesses are much better than lead attached to collar but you still have to be very careful when choosing the right harness for your dog. Most of the designs on the market do not seem to have the dogs comfort in mind. They are made of rough webbing and plastic clips that can rub your dog and cause sores. We all know how grumpy we get if we get a pair of shoes that rubs, well it’s no different for your dog. One of the reasons why your dog is playing up on the lead is because it’s in pain with the equipment you have chosen for him.

Annie Shows The Fleecy Harness Here

 I have tried and tested many different harnesses, but the only one that I recommend and sell is the Fleecy Harness. It is amazingly strong and well designed so that even the very large breeds such as Huskies, Cane Corsos and St Bernards can wear them safely. All the webbing is covered in a soft but durable fleece making it really comfortable for your dog. I have seen many dogs calm down instantly when one of these have been put on them. It’s almost like they are putting their dressing gown on.

The Fleecy Harness comes is 8 different sizes ranging from very small for puppies and tiny dogs to very large for the largest of breeds. They come in 12 amazing colours too!

I have produced a video below of my showing you this Fleecy Harness and how good they are. What I really want to teach you though is the “Wrap Around Lead Technique” I developed to stop your dog from pulling in the lead. The video shows this lead technique and it is very simple and easy to follow. 

Each dog is different and will learn the new technique at its own pace. Patience is the key, and take thing step by step.

The Wrap Around Lead Technique

Remember that when a dog is wearing a harness and pulls it will still hurt the dogs chest, back sides and under the legs. The New Wrap Around  Lead Technique ensures that all pressure is moved to the front of the chest where the dog is the strongest. It also creates a natural barrier for the dog and helps to put you both in balance.

You can see here in this picture how wrapping the Fleecy Lead around your dogs chest creates a system that both dog and owner can feel comfortable with and gives you both a sense of control and balance.

With Annie being an Ex racer, she has a very strong instinct to chase, and would squeal, somersault and slip her collar and lead and head off at high-speed for the chase. This system and technique I developed has enabled her to remain calm and balanced when she sees a trigger to chase such as a cat or squirrel and has made my life a whole lot easier too! Annie is a big girl and is very strong when she wants to pull and chase. This system enables me full control and full balance when those situations arise.

In the video below I show you how to put on the harness and apply the wrap around technique in easy to follow steps. Please enjoy.

Should you need help with your lead pulling problems please contact me through my website and I will be happy to help.

Keep Those Tails Wagging

Nikki Brown

The UK Dog Whisperer

To Visit Kate Walders Website for all your human and animal Chirproctors needs CLICK HERE

A dog’s point of view, Annie’s Poem by Nigel Lowe

My last post about my relationship with my dog Annie touched so many of you and I received so many wonderful comments, feedback and stories about your own personal relationships, so thank you  to everyone who shared those with me.

Nigel Lowe who is the founder of SONGS OF LIFE wrote this wonderful poem about things from Annie’s point of view after reading my last post and I wanted to share it all with you, so please enjoy Nigel’s words below.

Love ‘n’ Light

Nikki

Annie and Nikki

Annie’s Story by Nigel Lowe.

My story starts a while ago,infact quite a way back,

You see I was a race dog,you know, on a greyhound track.

It seems so many years ago, another time, another place,

That all I did was be prepared for my next competing race.

Until one day I stumbled, I hurt my leg, it got real sore,

My racing days were over, no chance of winning anymore.

I was now worried I could not run, I could no longer earn my keep,

I feared what happened to injured dogs, was it for me the big scrap heap?

I started to get angry, for my racing days were bust,

They said that I was being sent, to the retired greyhound trust.

But I thought they cannot do that to me, its a place that I will not stand,

I thought I know, when they come to get me, I will bite their hand.

They put me in the kennels, and back into a cage,

I became so scared and angry, I was always in a rage.

They sent me to different people, I knew they would not cope,

I was now feeling oh so nervous, I was losing all my hope.

Was this now my life, I felt so scared, so nervous and in pain,

I just wanted someone to rescue me, and let me run again.

Then one day as I was laying there, feeling sad and in despair,

There came the sweetest lady, with such a nice smile and lovely hair.

They took me out to see her, I looked poorly and needed rest,

But I saw a twinkle in her eye,which told me this lady was the best.

I don’t know what she thought of me, I was shaking and very rough,

With recent events, I felt so weak, I had really had enough.

I heard them call her Nikki, the day she came for me,

I had been through this before though and thought, oh well, we’ll see.

Nikki took me in her car and for a walk we’d go,

I was not too impressed that day, coz the ground was deep with snow.

Soon though Nikki realised that this was not so neat,

So we got back in her car and up she turned up the heat.

Then this lady took my muzzle off, at which I thought was pretty cool,

I tried to thank Nikki with in my doggie talk and I thought, wow she’s no fool.

The months went on, she changed my diet and everyday we would train,

I was so glad to be with Nikki, even walking in the pouring rain.

We learned so much from each other, she would whisper in my ear,

“Let go of the past dear Annie, your with me now, have no fear”.

Then one day it was decision time, would Nikki send me back,

The thoughts flooded through my head about the days at the greyhound track.

I stared Nikki in the face and thought look into your heart,

We have been through so much together, we both need a brand new start.

It was that day that Nikki became my owner forever,

As we rode off in her car, I am sure I heard her singing,

“I love you just the way you are”.

Now we spend our days together and go long walks in the countryside,

I hold my head up high now, for with Nikki I have so much pride.

She’s known as “Canine Angel” and helps other dogs like me,

So all you owners out there, call Nikki, then you’ll see.

That we as dogs have problems, we want to be part of a pack,

It’s in our genes please understand, that our ways are from way back.

So Nikki I must thank you, its like you were sent from above,

You are “The Canine Angel” and for all dogs you give your love.

Cheers Mom ;0) x

Written by Nigel Lowe – Songs Of Life

Visit Nigel’s Facebook page by CLICKING HERE

Please leave your comments and feedback below

The Secret To A Strong & Lasting Relationship With Your Dog

A partnership between two souls, joined for a reason, a season and a lifeltime

Happy Anniversary Amazing Annie, these last two years have been the best in my life, and it’s all thanks to you!!

Two years ago, on January 12^{th 2009,} “Amazing Annie” stepped into my car and into my life. It was in that moment, that I knew we were going to be best friends forever and some amazing times were going to be shared!

Today I wanted to reflect back on those last two years and give thanks for those times we have shared. There is a video at the end of this text, a collection of some of our most treasured moments together so far and a way to say Thank-you, you are amazing and I love you just the way you are!

It was not just dear sweet Annie that needed help, I did too!  We both agreed on a mutual partnership right from the very beginning.

It had been Twenty years since I had last had a dog and I felt it was now the right time I bought one into my life again.

For anyone that knows the story about my last dog, Jake, you will know why this was such a hurdle for me to climb. I felt it was time to let go of the past and embrace my future with both hands.

I didn’t want any old dog though, I wanted a dog that would help me to learn more, grow some more and to teach me new things about myself and how dogs are kept and treated in today’s society.

On my amazing journey to become The UK Dog Whisperer, I had spent many years studying and volunteering in rescue shelters around the world. It was in these rescue shelters, that I had met some of the most traumatised dogs you could possibly imagine. You will always hear me say, that whilst the written information on dog psychology I was studying, had its place and importance, it was the time I spent sitting for hours on end with these dogs that taught me the most about the canine and human species and how they are evolving in today’s world.

I can remember every single dog I have ever come into contact with in my lifetime, but more importantly, I can remember every single lesson each dog has taught me.

With the experience and skills that I had learnt over the last 8 years in dog psychology and animal communication, I knew I wanted a dog that needed help, one with psychological and health problems. I wanted to test my skills and see if I could turn a dog like this around and help it to heal, gain true balance and live life to the full.

It was on a cold January day when I wrote a letter to all the local rescue homes in the area, explaining that I was a dog psychologist and that I was looking to foster and rehabilitate problems dogs so they could find new homes.

I asked the rescues shelters to give me their “worst case”, a dog that they had in their care which was having real problems finding a home. I wanted a dog that had been in kennels for a long period of time and so desperately needed to see the outside world. I wanted to free one of these dog’s spirit, let it come out from behind the bars and reach its full potential and lead a full and happy life.

I was completely open to what the universe would send my way, I trusted with my heart that the right dog would come forward for me. I knew I would attract a dog that reflected some of my own self doubts and fears. I knew which ever dog came to me would come with lessons and teachings of its own.

I emailed the letter to all the dog’s homes that morning and felt really excited about what dog might come along.

A new dog was coming into my life and I knew my life would be about to be changed in a magical way.

I didn’t have to wait long at all, almost immediately I received a phone call from the Retired Grey Hound Trust (RGT) which was located two miles down the road from me.

A lady on the other end of the phone sounded so very excited and started to tell me about how they were only wishing this very morning that a behaviourist would come and look at one of the Ex Racing dogs called Annie. She explained how they did not know what to do with her and was running out of options. She said ” You are an answer to our prayers! ”

In that moment I knew The Secret and law of attraction was at work and this was meant to be.

She begun to tell me about Annie’s background and explained how Annie was an Ex Racing Greyhound who was being retired from racing due to an ankle injury and was looking to be transferred into the RGT to prepare her to find a forever home.

She explained how they couldn’t take her into the RGT fully as she was being aggressive towards people who entered her kennel. They described her as having “dog fear based aggression” and explained it was proving to be very difficult to find Annie a home whilst she continued to display aggressive outbursts.

They asked if I would come and meet her and see what my opinion was, so I jumped in my car and headed down to her racing kennels.

My first sighting of Annie was when one of the kennel girls bought her out of her kennel to me.

This girl had been in her battles but was a survivor!

Here was this slender black dog, her head hung low and nerves quivering, her face was covered in scars, her coat was  dull and flaky and her eyes were bloodshot red. I could see instantly past all of this though and could tell that she had something special about her, something wanting to come out and wanting to be expressed.

I took the lead from the girl’s hand and gentle whispered to Annie,  “Come on girl, let’s go for a walk and let’s get to know each other.”

Annie came with me, I looked at her and in that moment knew I wanted to help her. I felt a real energy about this dog and I could feel my heart opening.

Two days later I went to pick up Annie to bring her home, I remember the day well, it was a very deep snowy and cold January day. She climbed into my car nervously and we drove off the Wasley Hills for a walk and bonding session.

As I trudged up the snowy hill in my wellies, the bitter freezing wind was biting at my face and my knee was really hurting. It was an old injury that seemed to get worse on cold days, but the pain was very intense on that day for some reason. I looked down at Annie with her pink coat on, she didn’t look to happy with the situation either, so I abandoned plans for a walk to bond with her and said “Come on let’s go sit in the nice warm car!” Annie seemed to have a spring in her step on the way back to the car but as I looked down at her, I noticed the  bright pink muzzle that was attached around her face.

All racing dogs come with muzzles, it is so that if they get into a fight with each other, the trainer will not have any injured dogs that he cannot race and will ultimately lose money on. I looked down at her and thought “It’s pink, but it’s not pretty, and how on earth are you going to grow in confidence with that thing attached to your face?” I thought this animal has been caged up enough of her life and it was time to start setting her free, I wanted to begin to set her spirit free.

I gently removed the muzzle and said “You won’t need this anymore girl, you  have got me now to defend and protect you!” As I took off the pink muzzle, I could feel a sense of relief come from Annie, I could feel a sense of freedom and I felt her say “Thank you!”

“It’s you and me from now on and I am going to help you get better.” I said as I put Annie into the back seat of my Black Toyota Celica. I remember thinking that Annie looked good in this car!! :0)

I turned on the warm air heater in the car and put some nice chill out tunes on the car stereo. Annie was on the back seat and we just spent time together listening to the music and getting to know each other. We started to bond and connect in that time in the car, I could feel her energy emerging into mine and we were starting to become one.

I heard Annie say “Thank-you” and in that moment my heart melted and tears strolled down my face, it had been Twenty or so years since I last was responsible for a dog. Memories of Jake flooded into my mind.

“I promise you, I will do my very best for you Annie” I said as I wiped my tears away.

They were tears of happiness, joy, sadness, and relief all rolled into one. I knew at that moment Annie was here to help me heal too. Our partnership started in that moment and has continued to grow in strength every day since. I knew this was going to be an amazing journey and I felt so thankful and so grateful that I had never given up hope or given up on my dreams.

I got to work on Annie’s fear based aggression straight away; it took a change of diet and months of consistent Dog Training and

Canine Behaviour Therapy to help Annie with her fears and nerves. It took a lot of dedication from both of us.

Annie responded well to me gently "whispering" in her ear

We worked as a team, like I said she helped me as much as I helped her. She taught me so many lessons, she introduced me to

Raw Feeding For Dogs and she helped me too see the amazing benefits of feeding your dog this way. She taught me about nervous and aggressive behaviour in dogs, and which natural treatments and methods had the best success.

As I taught Annie to show her confidence and remove her fears, so I grew in confidence and my fears melted away too. We worked hard at achieving a balanced state of mind and a balanced reaction to life but more and more people were commenting on how much of a change they could see in both Annie and myself.

Everything I gave to Annie, she reflected back at me.

The more I became calm, the more Annie did, she was like my mirror, I would only have to look deep into her eyes to see how I was really feeling. She would reflect right back what ever was going on deep in my subconscious mind, hell Annie knows me better than I know myself. She even knew a week before I found out I was pregnant and she instinctively knew when I had lost my baby and had a miscarriage too. She was my rock through those times and helped me through my tears and grief.

Annie has sure helped me through some times and in return I have helped her through some times. I have taught her many lessons about how to behave nicely in the human world and Annie has taught me many lessons about what dogs really need in today’s society. She also taught me alot about myself.

I think one of the biggest lessons Annie has taught me is about commitment in a relationship, something that had seemed to elude me before. I had been working for Ten months with Annie and up until this point had just been fostering her with the view to rehabilitate her ready to find her a forever home, somewhere where she would feel safe and loved and someone who would understand her needs. The RGT asked me what I wanted to do with Annie?

Was she ready to find a permanent home with me or with someone else?

I looked into Annie’s eyes and asked her “What do you want to do girl?”  Do you want to stay or do you want to go?

Annie’s big brown eyes sparkled back at me and she replied “Look into your heart Nikki, the answer lies there!”

I knew the answer already, I wanted Annie to stay, I knew our bond was too deep and we had formed a solid friendship and trustful relationship like I had never had before. We had shared some amazing times together and I knew there were even more to come. I felt gratitude, love, joy and happiness when I was around Annie and I know that’s how she felt too.

I will never forget the day I signed Annie’s formal adoption papers, the staff at the RGT were delighted and overjoyed at the news that Annie had at last found her forever home.

The journey Annie and I have taken together has been full of amazing experiences, some that have made us laugh until our sides split, some that have made us cry, some that have pushed us to the limit and beyond and some that have moved us deeply.

Annie is my partner, she is my best friend, and I think she is beautiful, amazing and wonderful. She truly is a gift that I treasure every day and wanted to say Happy Anniversary Annie!

Annie you’re amazing just the way you are…. and I love you more than words can say.

May our journey take us to some more amazing places and may we continue to grow, learn, love, trust and respect each other just as we are.

My video below is a collection of some of those wonderful moments in time we have spent together, please enjoy !

Nikki Brown

The UK Dog Whisperer

Dog seizures and how to combat them the natural way

Please view the video above for my review on Cory’s Story by Sandra DeMers

Just over a year ago, I met Jayson DeMers on Facebook and we quickly became firm friends, we had so many things in common and just clicked right away. One of those things we had in common was our love for dogs, the other was that we both knew the devastation that commercial pet foods can cause our beloved pets and were campaigning to spread the word about a more raw and natural diet for dogs.

Jayson told me about his wonderful dog Cory, who had over come his battle with Canine Epilepsy through switching his diet to a raw food diet of Raw Meaty Bones and he told me how he wanted to share the story with as many dog owners as he could.

Jayson then asked me if there was anything I could suggest for Cory, as Cory was now old and was starting to have problems with his waterworks. Cory lived at home with Jayson’s mum Sandra, so I suggested that Sandra contact me and we could see what I could do.

I received a lovely email from Sandra and we began to form a deep friendship also. Sandra is one of the most warm-hearted people I have ever connected with, She is full of love and light and I begun to really warm to her.

Sandra already believed in natural therapies and methods, It’s what she had been using to help Cory overcome his battle with Epilepsy. She knew that anything that I suggested would be totally natural and in line with her beliefs.

Sandra was interested in my work as an animal communicator and asked if it would be possible for me to connect with Cory to see if there was anything he needed or wanted.

Even though Cory was all the way across the Atlantic ocean, I felt an amazing connection to this dog. There was something reallyspecial about him. I felt like he was an old wise soul that had been reincarnated many times before. I felt he was a magician or a wizard as he just carried this magnificent energy around with him.

I felt his urinating in the house was a way to get a message through to Sandra. It was his way of say ” Hey I got something very important to tell you”. Dogs send messages to each other through urinating and I felt very clear that Cory wanted to be heard on some very important matter.

I suggested that Cory might try some homeopathic treatment to help with his liver and kidneys, so I suggested a Bio Resonance practitioner here in the UK that Sandra could speak too.

Sandra followed this advice and sent some of Cory’s hair sample over to the UK so his DNA could be scanned for any imbalances that needed correcting.

A couple of weeks later, Sandra received a Bio resonance pendant programmed with homeopathic treatment that specifically matched Cory’s DNA.

For more information on Bio pendants click HERE

Sandra received the pendant and attached it to Cory’s collar and reported back to me that he had started to urinate in the garden again. On receiving this news, I felt another strong message come through from Cory.

I received a very clear vision in my mind, of Sandra sitting and writing a book.

I contacted Sandra and told her what Cory had communicated with me and said he wants you to write a book and call it Cory’s Story! He wants to share his remarkable story with the world!

To my delight, Sandra thought it was a great idea and got writing her book straight away.

Jayson started to build Cory’s Story website and I felt so excited, I know Cory did too!

I kept in touch with Sandra and Jayson every step of the way through her journey of writing her first book.  When Sandra sent me over the first draft, I cried that day.. I just knew something special was happening.

About 8 months later Sandra announced that the book was finished as was going off to the publishers..  We were both so excited. At this point however Cory’s health was starting to deteriorate again and he had to have a spinal operation which meant he couldn’t get up, walk or run again. Old age was upon Cory and Sandra felt like Cory would not make it through until the book launch.

Sandra asked me again if I might connect with Cory and see if there was anything else he needed or wanted.

I closed my eyes and connected with Cory in my mind, He showed me the most beautiful picture, it was a sunny day and the sun was sparkling on a lake, the birds were singing and there was peace, happiness and excitement in the air.

I emailed Sandra and said “Cory says he wants to go to his favourite lake and that there is still lots more magic to come!” I chuckled to myself when I wrote this as I could feel the wise wizard in Cory coming out.. He had some magic left him in and he wanted to share it.

So Sandra, her husband and Jayson took Cory to his favourite lake that weekend. They did not know what to expect as Cory had not been able to walk for the last couple of months.

Jayson took his video camera and captured the magic.. Cory walked into the lake and swam… walked back out of the lake,  played fetch with his favourite ball and then went back in for more swimming.

You will see in the video where he back fur has been shaved where he had his spinal op. Cory had not walked in months so this was an amazing moment for us all to see.

When Jayson put the video up on the website I cried with happy tears.. the magic sure was happening. There was peace joy and happiness down by that lake that day, and I know the DeMers family were very happy that day. So too was Cory

Its moments like this, that you treasure right through your life, something we can look back upon and smile, I know for one that this memories will be etched in my mind forever.

Sadly, Cory died a couple of weeks later, but he died at home and in peace surrounded by the ones that loved, him, in his favourite spot in the house and with all his favourite things around him.

I  really felt  for Sandra and her family, I cried buckets too, I could feel their loss, I had never met these people or this dog but after spending the last year on their journey with them I felt every ache in their hearts.

Sandra and Jayson had the book launch to keep them going, they were excited about getting Cory’s story back from the printers.

Sandra sent me a copy, personally signed by her and placed Cory’s paw print inside the front cover.. I cried some more that day when the book finally fell into my lap.. What an amazing bit of magic, I thought. I knew Cory was looking down on us smiling too, his story was about to be shared with the world and his magic was really beginning.

The great news is Cory’s Story is now available in hard back in the UK!

It was Sandra’s wishes that Canine Angel is to distribute her book in the UK, I can only say that I feel extremely privileged and grateful to be able to help spread Cory’s story and help many more dogs to heal and get well again.

If your dog is having seizures, then this book is a must read for you. Cory combatted his Canine Epilepsy WITHOUT taking any Anti Epilepsy Drugs, he did it through a combination of switching his diet from commercial dried pet food to a raw meaty bones diet, natural therapies and great vet care and assistance. But NO DRUGS!

And even if your dog is not having seizures then this book will still be a great read and an important part of your book collection.

It will make you laugh and make you think.

Sandra is beginning to see the magic that she, Jayson and Cory have created, she receives emails from dog owners all over the world that say they have read her book and been totally inspired to try raw diets and natural therapies to help their dog live life seizure free.

Cory is a magician, he is magic and I dedicate this post to his loving memory, we miss you Cory, but your story lives on forever.

Love and light

Nikki Brown

The UK Dog Whisperer

To read more about Cory and visit his website please Click HERE

TO ORDER YOUR COPY OF CORY’S STORY Click HERE

Dog Psychology: Who is the leader and who is the follower?

 

Dog psychology – what is it?

Psychology means study of the mind and behaviour in a particular environment.

Let’s start off with the most important message,  Dogs are an animal, they are not human. So ok this is an obvious statement that we all know to be true but how many people including yourself treat your dog as if they were a human?

We humanise our dogs. We bring them in to a human family and environment and we expect them to understand what we are doing and saying, we expect them to feel the same as we do about things.

We give them names and personalities, we even give them breeds. Dog doesn’t care about any of that, all they care about is “Am I the leader or am I the follower? “

Dogs live in the moment, humans live in the past and the future, we only tend to live in the moment when a near death experience occurs and then we start to see life as it really is and think everything is beautiful.

What I have learnt from dogs is to live in the moment… If a dog attacks somebody or something yesterday, then they are given a label as being aggressive and that’s the reputation they get and have to live up to. People become afraid of them and the dogs then react to that fear and are likely to bite again. Dogs bite fear.

Just because they attacked and bit yesterday doesn’t mean that is who they are today.  We need to look closer at why they have attacked and change something within ourselves.

Once we understand the needs of our dogs we can fulfil our roles as great dog caretakers – great pack leaders.

Let’s look at dogs as animals

Animals do not communicate by using words. They communicate through constant energy and vibrations. They communicate through body language and thought.

Every thought has a vibration. A happy thought will have a high vibration and a sad or negative thought will have a low vibration.

We humans are sensitive to these vibrations as we know when our partner or boss is in a bad mood. But as humans, we can hide our emotions and feelings to suit those around us, where as animals do not so this and will express who or what they are feeling in that moment. They are more highly tuned into these vibrations than most of us are.

Dogs in particular can tell what’s going on inside of you as you will be emitting vibrations and body language that accompanies your subconscious thoughts. There for if you are feeling afraid or fearful then a dog will pick up on this instantly and may see it as his job to protect you.

It is never the dog’s job to protect you. A dog is no more intelligent than a one or two year old child, we would never give the job of looking after us to a one or two year old so we should never give this role to our dogs. They just can’t cope with it. When a dog thinks he is the leader of a human pack this is when he will become stressed and misbehaviours will begin.

To be the natural leader of your dog, you need to look after him and show that you have everything under control. The best leaders of any army, company or family are the ones that show calm assertive energy at all times even when everything around them is in chaos. This is when you look to your leader to provide you a way out of the sticky situation and the best ones do so in a calm but assertive manner.

We have all had a boss that shouts and screams at his team, gets aggressive and barks orders at them. They struggle with leading the team in an efficient way and they become agitated and fearful. No one respects a boss like this and no one trusts a boss like this. It is the same when it come to our dogs, if they think we are not up to the job of leader then they will feel obliged to take over the role and this is where the problem begins.

Let’s look at dogs in their natural habitat with out the humans. The wild dog pack.

The wild dog pack needs a hierarchy system in order to gain order, control and survival.

Each wild dog pack will have and alpha male and an alpha female, and then the lower ranking dogs which are there to help to look after the pack and baby sit the pups.

Only the Alpha Male and Female are allowed to mate in the pack. It is vital that the strongest genes of the pack are carried forward. The alphas of the pack work together and make all the decisions for the pack. They are the pack leaders. They are the first to head the hunt, make the decisions about which prey to kill and give the commands for the kill to take place .They then are the first to eat on the kill. They will take all the best bits of the kill to ensure they survive over the others.

When the wild pack does have pups then the mother will enter the den and no other dog even the alpha male is allowed into her den until she say so. The rest of the pack will wait outside the den and protect it against any danger or threat.  The alphas of the pack never show fear and always have calm but assertive energy around their pack. If any of the pack act out of balance, then it will be up to the higher ranking dogs and the alphas to discipline the dogs and teach them what behaviour is acceptable in their pack

Let’s look at the mother and her pups.

The pups have to find a place in their pack and that becomes their status. They either become the leader or the follower. They do not have names to identify them like we do, they have status.

The mother or father of the pups will always project calm assertive energy towards their pups, they will not project nervousness, anxiety, tension or fear. What they project is calm assertive energy. This is what we call balanced energy.

All animals behave in this way with their young. It really is only the human that has unbalanced energy from their world leaders. They show and teach us fear, greed, guilt, and anxiety and get the rest of us into that state of being too.

When we invite the dog into our home and we take in the puppies we want to look after them like they are our babies, we start from day one to humanise them. This is only fulfilling our human needs and we are forgetting what the dog really needs.

This is when the puppies first get to start to know about the energy they are sharing with you. They don’t know your name, your race, what or who you are or what you have achieved, all they know is the energy you share with them on daily basis.

Puppies will not follow an emotional leader, they will not follow a lovable leader, Puppies and dogs will follow a calm assertive leader.

You see homeless dogs and they follow their leader, they go where their leader goes and do not need to be kept on a lead. Domesticated dogs are taught with extendable leads to go out in front on their leads putting them into a leadership state of mind and creating a dog that is uncontrollable.

Pack leader qualities

How does the mother of the pups create calm assertive energy?

They create rules, limitations and boundaries from the moment the pups are born. This is how the mother creates respect from her pups. She will tell them how far they can go from the den, make them wait for their food, she will bite their necks to keep them line and carry them by their necks.

So the start of becoming a great and natural pack leader is to start by creating rules, limitations and boundaries.

This is often the hardest thing for the human to do as they just want to love their new puppy or rescue dog and show it masses of affection.

The simple rule to follow to create rules limitations and boundaries is exercise, then discipline then affection. We must exercise our dogs first to drain them of their excess energy and keep their body and mind fit and healthy.

We must then give discipline, we must create rules for them to follow and stick to them. We discipline calmly when they are out of line or out of balance.

When the dog is in a hyper state or leader state of mind then we must not give them affection as this will only reinforce their unwanted behaviour. We only give them affection when they are in calm state of mind. Affection must come last.

It is typical of the clients and dogs that I see, that the dog owner is giving maybe love, then exercise and then discipline in that order, sometimes they are only giving affection and the dog does not know any rules limitations or boundaries and is infact trying to control the roost.

Most dog owners find the discipline the hardest to give and often say “What correct my dog?”. “but I feel sorry for it or it is hungry or it needs my attention”… it is ok to give affection or food but at the right time and it must be on your terms and only when the dog is in a calm state of mind.

The dog must never demand things from you. This will put him in the leadership position and this is when aggressive behaviours can arise.

Dogs as Breeds.

Let’s look at Breeds of dog. Many people put unwanted behaviour down to the breed and believe it is natural for a breed to behave in a certain way.

For example if a German Shepherd is being aggressive, it is not his breed that makes him that way, it is because his energy is out of balance.

Every breed of dog is just a dog, an animal. It is the human that gives the dog a breed.  The breed is just the skill or outfit he is wearing, it’s about how they look not how they behave right?

Let’s take a look at the Siberian Husky, they have the ability to travel over long distances over a period of days, but all dogs can travel, it’s just that the husky can do it for days without tiring.

We have to remember that we have invited the closest descendant of the wolf into our homes and we need to treat them as an animal and not a breed.

Dogs are ANIMAL, DOG BREED THEN NAME

Us Humans like to think it is NAME, then BREED, then HUMAN

This is how a dog becomes a human in our eyes.

So unblanced behaviour is not the fault of the breed, so do not focus on the breed, focus on the animals energy and find solutions that will balance and correct the energy.

STRONG BREEDS

Any dog can cause damage when they bite, but the larger the dog the larger the damage.

It is important to recognise the power of a strong breed, the Staffordshire Bull Terriers, the Mastiffs, Rotwiellers, German Shepherds come in. These are the large dogs that can lock onto their prey and destroy.

These are the types of breeds that it is vitally important that we learn how to become pack leader with.  Even if you do not own that type of dog it is important that we learn how to handle them should they come into our lives.

Even smaller breeds like Jack Russell can do some serious damage so we must learn to become pack leaders with all breeds of dog.

For more information onhow to balance your dogs energy and become the natural pack leader by learning calm assertive techniques:

Visit www.canineangel.co.uk

Check Out the Canine Angel Website for more information on how to be a great pack leader to your dog, including videos, radio interviews, Blog,  free tips and lots more at

Dog Raw Food diet: Frequently asked questions

Nikki Brown Is the UK Dog Whisperer and is the Raw Food Systems Diet and Nutrition expert.

Many dog owners are now waking up to the fact that commercial dog food is not doing their pets any good and are looking for information on the Raw Dog Food Diet.

Here Nikki answers some of the most frquently asked questions she recieves on how to make the switch from comercial pet food to the Raw Meaty Bones Diet.

 

Q: I am planning on making the switch from dry kibble food to Raw Meaty Bones. Should I switch gradually or should I just make the change straight away?

A: In most cases I would advise a complete switch on raw meaty bones diet straight away, throw the dry kibble food away especially if it has been causing health and behavioural problems in the dog.

The sooner you remove the commercial pet food from your dogs diet, the sooner you will begin to notice the changes the raw food diet will have on your dogs general health and well being.

I always advise that the dog will need to go through a detoxification process as a change of diet will cause his body to respond differently for a while, but this is entirely normal.

The detoxification process is highlighted in The Going Raw Guide and will help you and your dog take these necessary steps safely.

Q: My dog has been on dry food all his life; I leave it down for him in his bowl all day whilst I am out at work. I have tried feeding him the raw meaty bones but he just leaves them in his bowl and does not seem interested. What can I do?

A: Dogs that are graze fed (food left down all day) are often the ones that are a bit fussier about eating their raw meaty bones to begin with. They have become accustomed to deciding when they eat their food and their digestive systems have learnt that food is always there and never really feel a sensation of being hungry.

Also bear in mind that a lot of the commercial dry foods contain sugars which your dog may have got addicted to and he will need to detoxify the sugars from his system before his pallet will become accustomed to raw food.

As the dog’s pack leader, it is your job to provide its meal and your dog needs to learn that when you put food down he must eat it.

Wild dogs that hunt and kill prey, eat their meal there and then as they know another predator will come and take it if they do not eat it straight away.

Therefore I would advise that your dog’s feeding habits need to be changed as well as the diet.

Try fasting your dog for 24 hours. Leave him plenty of water but let his digestive system digest all remains of the dry food diet. Then let him feel hungry as this will kick start his digestive system into gear and his body will start to produce the right digestive enzymes in order to prepare for his next meal and he should take his meal without any fuss when he is hungry enough.

Do not feed Raw Meaty Bones from a bowl. It is important that we also stimulate the dogs mind and fulfil his hunting instincts, so try to recreate the natural hunt as much as possible by throwing his raw meat out onto your grass and then leave him to it. Do not fuss around your dog at feeding times, any anxious feelings you are feeling will be transferred to him and he will pick up on this and want to eat later on when you are not around.  

To train your dog to eat when you want him to eat, throw his RMB down and leave him to it. If after 5 minutes he has not eaten it, then pick up the meal, wrap up and return to the fridge. Feed him again at next meal and continue to do this until he gets the idea that when you throw down food he must eat. He will soon get the hang of it.

 Q: I have heard that it is not good to feed my dog chicken bones as they might choke on them?

A: It can be very dangerous to feed your dog any sort of bone if it is cooked!

Remember wild dogs do not build a fire and cook their bones before they eat them. They hunt and kill prey and tuck into it straight away.

It is only when the human interferes with the dog’s diet and cooks the meat and bones that problems can occur.

Cooked bones become dry and brittle and can splinter in the dog’s mouth or intestines.

Cooked bones can be very hard to digest and cause constipation or ripping of the bowl. Teeth can be chipped or cracked on cooked bones given alone.

Raw Bones are much softer and the dog’s teeth and digestive system are designed to rip, tear and shred meat and bone.

Its vital to give your dog the right size and type of Raw Meaty Bones, and

The Going Rawr Guide will help you with this.

Another important fact to consider is that meat and bone must be given together and not separately. The two are needed together for the teeth and digestion system to work properly.

It is often that the dog can swallow large pieces of bone and many dog owners worry about this. The dog’s digestive system will break the rest of the bones down as long as they are raw and not cooked.

I always advise every dog owner to do their research on this diet switch and The Going Rawr Guide will take you step by step on how to feed this diet safely. 

Q: My dog has been on the raw food diet for a week now and he has runny diarrhea and has been sick a couple of times? Should I continue with the raw diet or should switch him back onto his dry food?

A: If your dog has been fed a diet commercial dry food and sugar filled treats up till now, it is possible that his body will be going through a detoxification process and its s entirely natural from his body to want to clear out any residue of the old diet.  It can be very common that your dog will have some sickness or diarrhea in the first week when switching onto this diet.

These foods may have contained high levels of wheat and grain, chemical preservatives and sugars all of which is not good for your dog and his internal digestive system.

I would recommend that the dog stays on the raw food diet and you give his body time to adjust.

I would suggest on fasting your dog for a day and only give it water or a vegetable broth or some raw eggs if he still needs some protein.

There are some good herbal remedies on the market that can cleanse the liver and kidneys to support him through this detoxification process.

After about 10 days you should notice that the dog is taking to his new raw food diet and that his faeces become solid again.

If the sickness and diarrhea continues for more than a week then it would be advisable to seek further veterinary advise to rule out any internal infections.

 Q: My dog’s faeces have turned powdery and white is the normal?

 A: When a dog is fed raw meaty bones his faeces should turn to a nice solid but powdery format. If left to dry the faeces will turn white.  This is a sign of a very healthy balanced diet in your dog and is what we all should be looking for.

The white powder is the digested bone matter and this will show that your dog has digested the bones and absorbed all the vital nutrients such as Zinc, Calcium and Glucosamine that he needs.

Coprophagia is a term used to describe when a dog eats his own faeces. It can be very common for a dog on commercial pet food to eat its own faeces. This is because the dog is not getting the vital nutrients its needs from the commercial diet and it is trying to get the live bacteria in the faeces as a way if getting live nutrients into its body. Dogs on a raw meaty bones diet will never eat their own faeces as they have absorbed the right nutrients in the first place.

You will also notice that your dog needs to eliminate far less waste on the raw diet and will drink a lot less water too.

If you have any more questions on the  Dog Raw Food Diet  please email me at nikki@canineangel.co.uk or visit www.canineangel.co.uk today.

The Going Raw Guide is an excellent source of up to date information on the  Dog Raw Food Diet.

Download your copy today and start feeding your dog as Mother Nature intended.

 Nikki Brown

The UK Dog Whisperer

Canine Angel – A helping hand for you & your dog.

How to use “The Slight Edge” and create a totally new feeding habit for your pet that will improve his health and behaviour massively!!

Is feeding our cats and dogs from a bowl the right thing to do?

During the last 10 years I have been working  as a dog psychologist. I am now known as the UK’s leading expert in Canine Behaviour and many refer me as The UK Dog Whisperer.

Over the years, I have learnt a lot about how diet can play a major part in how a dog or cats behaves.
It is not much different than how we see diet affecting our children’s or our own behaviours.

We are what we eat as they say!

We all know that a diet consisting of too many artificial preservatives, chemical processes, e numbers and sugars can play havoc with our health and behaviour and it’s no different when it comes to our pets.

I think the difference is though that many pet owners out there are still not aware of how dangerous some of the ingredients are that are contained in some of the commercial pet foods on the market.

In every consultation with my clients, I witness an alarming pattern emerging.
When I ask the pet owners what their dog or cat is fed on, out comes the great big sacks of dry food and tins or packets of wet foods.

I often see the same top brands emerging from the kitchen cupboards. Brands we have grown to know and trust.

Yet in every case that I am called into see, the dog is hyper, showing some aggression, and nervousness. Some cases are worse than others but in every single case I see it’s the same thing over and over again.

I see the common brown staining around the mouth, the brown chewed paws and more alarmingly I smell bad breath and see cases of Mouth Rot, gum disease and tooth decay. I see sloppy feaces and coats that are dull, flakey and itchy.
These pets on the commercial pet foods are all carrying a little too much bloated weight and their eyes are bloodshot.

Most, if not all of these dogs have suffered with skin, ear or eye allergies at some time and have all had course of antibiotics ort steroids given to them by the vets.

What is shocking is that most pet owners just are not aware of these signs of ill health in their pet and it’s only when the dog starts to misbehave that I am called in.

Our pets can’t speak the English language are most of them are suffering in silence, trying their best to communicate in some way to us that they are not feeling great.
They chew on furniture, they urinate in the house and they start to become aggressive towards us and other dogs just to try and communicate that they are not feeling well.

And what do we do in response? Most of the time we become frustrated with them and shout at them! We give them labels as “naughty” or “aggressive” and complain that we dont know why our pets are behaving in such a manner.

Our pets are animals. Yet in today’s society we are trying to make them more like humans all the time! My clients often feel guilty and say “I know it’s something  I have done, I have spolit him!”

We have become busier and busier with our lives and are reaching for quick easy and convenient foods to feed ourselves and our pets, but what are we really doing? How much damage are we really causing? How many years are we knocking off our own and pets lives by living this way?

I recently read a book called “The Slight Edge” by Jeff Olson. It’s a great book and one that I recommend you read. He explains how by doing the same thing every day causes us to create habits. He explains over time we will compound results of that habit.
This is great if we are creating positive habits of say, exercising our dog on a daily basis, the results will be a fit and healthier dog.

But what about their feeding habits? What happens if we give our dog a meal of dry biscuit every day for a number of years? What will be the result of that habit?
On a day to day basis, we do not notice much difference at all and everything seems to be fine with our pets.
But over a number of years feeding our dogs this way, we suddenly realise our dogs are getting ill and we don’t automatically link it to what they are eating.

We say “Well I have fed him that for years and he has been fine on it!”

But has he been fine on it?

What is really going on inside of your dog when you feed him this commercial pet food consisting of cereals and grains? 

Let us take a closer look at this daily habit most pet owners are creating for their dogs.
Dry and wet tinned foods are grain based; most dogs are very allergic to grain and cannot digest them properly. The internal organs have to be over worked at doing their job to eliminate these grains from the dog’s body.
What about the number of preservatives sugar and colours found in a lot of these foods? What are going to be the results to the dog’s health and behaviour if these are given repeatedly over a period of time?

The results will be that the dog’s body will eventually reject them. The internal organs will start to fail and the build up of toxins in the dogs system will come out in all sorts of health problems and allergies.

This i what mouth rot in a dog looks like

Then there is mouth rot. Every single dog I see on the dry and wet food diet has mouth rot and gum disease.
The biscuit and wet food builds up on the teeth and never cleaned off and over time the bacteria grows and grows and grows. The body’s immune system is weakened by the dog not getting the right nutrient s and cannot fight of the bacteria.

I have seen puppies of 5 weeks old with the first signs of mouth rot. It starts at a very young age on the commercial cereal based diet.

If left untreated, what will the dog’s mouth be like in 2 or 4 or even 6 years time?
How much will your dog have suffered in silence?

There is no doubt in my mind and from the evidence I have seen over the years that commercial pet foods are slowly poisoning our dogs. It’s so slight, that very rarely do we even notice or make the link of our dog’s health or behaviour to the diet it is on.
Why should we?
Our trusted pet food companies tell us that they are giving our dogs everything they need in the sacks and tins of food.
“Balanced nutritious diet” they tell us.

How many of us actually read the ingredient labels on our pets foods? And if we do how many of us know what the terms and labels mean?

We just trust what is written on the front of the pack and away we go.

Like I said before, our dogs and cats are animals. They need a natural diet. Like they would get in the wild. Not this junk food in a sack.

Puppies tucking into a raw meaty carcass

What if we started to create new feeding habits for our pets? Started to feed them a raw meaty bones diet every day? What would be the sight edge and compounding results of this new habit over time?

Clean healthy mouths.
Ripping tearing and shredding raw meat and bone cleans and massages the animal’s mouth removing any plaque and tartar build up, which does not let the bacteria settle and grow in the mouth.

Strong immune systems, healthy internal organs, strong joints and muscles.
The meat and bones contain so many nutrients, minerals and vitamins, everything your dog or cats’ needs to stay healthy.

Shiny coats, bright eyes, clean ears and an inner glow.
Dogs fed on the raw meaty bones diet just glow and shine!

Balanced emotions
Dogs fed on the raw meaty bones diet are happy contented, well balanced and well behaved dogs.

What other results would we see if we created this new raw feeding habit every day?

Far less visits to the vets..
Resulting in a healthier bank balance for us. I don’t know anyone who likes to have to pay out on vet’s fees and feel they are getting value for their money.

A better relationship with your pet.
Lets face it, we have made our dogs our slaves. We have taken the role of hunting off most them and then put down biscuit in their bowls.
If my family provided my biscuits everyday to eat, I would soon get annoyed with them. It really important we meet the most basic needs for our pets and provide them the best diet we can.

Feeding raw meaty bones in the back garden recreates the hunt and kill for our pets. Something they need to do.

We can apply The Slight Edge in either a negative or positive way. Create healthy new habits for your pets and see the fantastic results of a happy healthy and well balanced dog! Create unhealthy habits for your pets and the results will be an unbalanced dog and cat.

If you would like to start feeding your dog the raw diet today and want to know how to make the switch safely, visit this link

http://www.canineangel.co.uk/

Nikki Brown
The UK Dog Whisperer
Canine Angel

So what is the best diet for your dog?

Our dogs enjoy their meat and bones too!

Being a dog psychologist, it is my job to go and visit so called misbehaved or badly behaved dogs in their homes. It is my job to asses what is causing this behaviour and find a solution to the problems that dog owners are facing today.

Over the years of visiting clients and dogs in their homes, I started to observe a familiar pattern forming, I was witnessing a very obvious link with what these dogs were being fed on to the behaviour they were showing.
A shocking 98% of the dogs that i am called out to see for general hyperactivity or severe aggression towards other dogs or people were being fed on the number one Brand for Dog food in the UK,
Bakers Complete made by Purina.
Other Well known brands are causing the same problems but Bakers has got to be the worst i have come across yet!

On seeing this pattern emerging in my consultations, i wanted to investigate further so began my study into the pet food industry.

These pet food manufactures are claiming on their brightly coloured packets “complete dog food! and “Healthy balanced diet!”

On closer inspection of the ingredients going into these dried, produced foods I was beginning to find out what really goes into them.

Cereals is the main ingredient, its first on the list and most of these kibble or biscuit foods contain high levels of wheat, maize or gluten.
They are only added as cheap fillers and do not give your dog the correct nutrition they need to succesful get through the day.

Dogs do not need wheat, maize or gluten in their diets, Infact it can really upset their systems and cause a whole host of skin complaints and allergies. Gluten puts a GLUEY like substance in the stomach lining which doesn’t allow any nutrients to be absorbed… Not that there is any nutrition of any value in most of these foods anyway.

Wheat and cereals also cause bloat in the gut.. With so many over weight dogs out there if they just came off the cereals we would see a much leaner healthier dog.

lets take a look at some of the loose terms these pet food manufactures use today to hide a whole host of nasty stuff being used in the foods.

Meat and Animal derivatives… (4% chicken or maybe lamb) 4% !!!!!!! How on earth is a dog supposed to survive on 4% meat?

How is your animal supposed to function properly on 4% meat?

And lets face it the pet food manufactures use human waste to put into their pet foods, so we know its not good wholesome chicken, we are talking the leftovers that are not fit for human consumption like the feet and heads.

Vegetable derivatives: This is not nice vegetables as we would like to imagine, its vegetable residue or even charcoal, sawdust or ash..

Who in their right minds would give their dogs rubbish like that if they actually knew?

Now comes the real nasties that these dry and tinned pet food manufactures throw into our dogs food..

E numbers.. Colours and preservatives..

EC preservatives are made up of a range of 4000 different chemicals!!

Which ones are in your dogs food? Who knows?

These are all added by the pet food manufactures for their own benefit not the health of your dog. They want their product to sell so they can make billions of pounds profit…They stick a load of colours into the food so it looks appealing to their buyers which are human….

The EC preservatives are added in there to keep the product on the shelf for a long time.. enough time to sell it through and make mountains more profit.
These EC Preservatives are toxic to our dog and are upsetting the natural balance of your animal, these ingredients do not agree with our dogs health or behaviour.
Man has messed about with the breeding of dogs and alot of disease in dogs is blamed on the breeding programmes, which to some extent is very true but what about these chemicals we are now adding to this problem.. Lets face it, alot of health concerns these days are caused by adding to much toxicity to the body!

Various Sugars… This is another loose term you will see in your dogs food and treats….
Why an earth does a dog need sugar?? it doesnt!

Sugar is causing not just aggressive and hyper behaviours in our animals but more worryingly sugar is massively contributing to severe mouth rot.. Yes good old tooth decay.

Mouth rot is the most common problem vets see in their surgeries…
what re they doing to combat this problem??
Creating more products that they can sell such as pet toothbrushes and toothpaste, tooth decay tablets.. you name it they have created a product to help alleviate the problem….
How absurd is that? Have you ever tried brushing a cats teeth or a dog that is aggressive? In the wild animals dont need dentists and dont need toothbrushes… they tear meat off the bone and that cleans their teeth.
They are not subject to artificial sugars either…

So why are most vets not telling us to feed our dogs and cats raw met on the bone… ?? well they wouldn’t make any money from that would they!!

In the meantime though what about our dogs health and suffering?
Max cant tell us when he has a tooth ache so to get our attention he might mouth or bite us, only to get told off or told to go away..
The mouth rot then gets worse and the toxins have nowhere else to go other than to go back into Maxs body, causing a complete imbalance in the bodies immune system and a whole host of disease can then show up in the body.

Look at an animal that has some major disease and look in his mouth… The mouth is a sign of what is going on in the body… You can bet there will be signs os mouth rot!

Costly vet bills are on the increase and why?
Because of the diet we are feeding to our dogs.. simple as that…
All this rubbish that is in these dried and tinned foods is criminal really.

Now even the vets will tell you that their dried food is the best diet, its been scientifically formulated for complete diet and nutrition for your pet..

But my question is why do you need to scientifically produce food for dogs when they are simply animals and simply carnivores?

Why do we need to spend £45 upwards on a bag of food that we don’t really know what has gone into it?

We trust our vets know what they are talking about but what if the information they have been taught is wrong?

What if they know this food will eventually cause some disease in your dog and they know you will head straight to them for treatment for these diseases, thus them making more money by selling you drugs that the pharmaceutical companies have sold to them.

These drugs often cause a whole host of nasty side effects, and weaken the immune system further thus creating more disease somewhere else in the body…

How many dogs and cats are on Metacam? drug pain relief when all they really need is a natural diet. Breeding is blamed for alot of todays diseases in dogs but what if its acutally just the diet??

Its crazy!!!

Isn’t prevention better than the cure.. wont Max be happier if he never got the disease in the first place or didn’t feel so rubbish on the diet he is being fed on that he has to get aggressive towards you just to try and reach out to you to get you to understand?

Won’t your bank balance look more healthy with out horrendous vet bills that could have been avoided if only someone had explained what these so called complete foods actually contain!

Won’t you be happier to see you dog out live a junk food fed dog?

I have had two cases in the last week of dog owners ringing me up and saying their dog has been diagnosed with epilepsy and is having fits… when i asked both owners what they were feeding their dogs ( i already knew the answer!!) both owners said to me Bakers Complete!
Is that not proof enough that these added sugars and chemicals are producing imbalances in our dogs and causing fits..
The vets had said to both owners that the dogs would need to go on monthly medication for 12 months costing £55 a month!
I said take your dog off Bakers and feed it a raw diet… Much cheaper and your dogs epilepsy will completely disappear!

So that is the Answer… The best diet to feed you carnivore pet is Meat and Bone! Simple really …. nothing new, its what animals have been doing for years… Its us that is messing around with them.

Dogs are carnivores… Vets will argue this point and say they are omnivores and they need vegetables in their diet..
Whilst dogs can and do eat a little vegetable in their diet, they are far more carnivore than omnivore and could live totally without vegetable in their diets!

On the other hand, dogs will and are suffering terribly because we have removed their natural diet away from them and taken most of the meat and bone out of their diets.

Some of these pet food contain as little as 4% meat (what is all that about! it horrifies me to think we have cut out the main thing out of our dogs diets and replaced it with rubbish that the dogs does NOT need or really want!! )

I had another case of dog being sick 6 times every journey and the vets had tried medication but had no success. a simple change of diet onto raw meat and the dog stopped being sick completely!

It does not take a genius to work out really!

Anyone who knows me by now, knows i work with the natural instincts and behaviours of our fellow pack friends the dogs.
Our dogs are still far more in tune with nature than their fellow human friends…

Back in the ice age when we first domesticated the wolf, we bought the wolf cubs into our camps so to help us catch prey and keep our packs safe from intruders and to keep us warm in the cold nights.

Today we still like our dogs to keep us warm and to warn of us potential danger to our homes but we have taken the job of hunting prey off of them.
Country dogs still might go out and hunt but most city and town dogs do not.

We go to Tescos and bring home a sack of food for them and put it in their bowl…
The dogs use their front teeth when feeding from a bowl.. there is no chewing or jaw action going on… It just slides down unnoticed
There is no hunt and there is no kill.. Nothing left for our dog to do but eat out of a bowl.

Now, I myself have been a vegetarian for almost 30 years, at age 8, I decided i did not like the taste of meat and never ate it again.

I know however that My dog is not a vegetarian or omnivore like most vets would like me to believe.. no my dog is a carnivore and needs meat.
My job as pack leader is to provide my pack with the best food i can.
So I provide my dog Annie with Raw meat and bone..
yes RAW.. I dont cook her meat and bone.. i give it to her raw just like if she was still in the wild she would do.
Annie LOVES her RMB.. I throw it on the grass for her and she gets stuck in straight away.
She picks up the raw meaty bones and moves it to the back of her of jaw and starts chewing.. Her whole jaw, shoulders and body get a workout.. Her natural bodily chemicals get to work in preparation for digestion, I can see “happy” endorphins being released through her whole body as she does what nature intended her to do.. Chew meat and bone together!!
I can hear her pleasure when she her teeth crack through the bones.. She is getting the best teeth clean she will ever have, ripping and tearing meat off the bone is what keeps a dogs mouth free from bacterial rot.

Now Annie had been in Kennels for almost four years being fed on a really rubbish diet of dried complete greyhound mix…
Annie had the most dreadful mouth rot at age four.. her teeth were yellow and tartar stained, her gums inflamed and sore and she would dribble when she ate as she couldnt chew properly.
He poo was a bright yellow colour and came out runny. She had bad breath, bad guts and bad mouth.

She also came to me with severe aggression problems.. no wonder with all that going on… she was crying out for help..

I put her on the raw meaty bones diet and you have to see the video for your self to believe it.. She is a completely different dog today.. No more aggression at all.. her poo is thick and solid and goes white in the sun, her coat is gleaming and her eyes sparkle, and most of all her mouth rot is completely gone.. no more bad breath or sore inflamed gums.. her teeth are white and gleaming.. amazing and all from a bit of simple meat on the bone!

Wild animals do not need dentists in the wild for this very reason.. They dont have sugar either!
So Bones.. Bones are needed in a dogs diet for digestion of the meat and all the nutrient in the bones,
Can someone tell me.. where is the marrow bone in these so called Complete foods we see in cans and sacks? They have NO bone content at all!

Do you remember white dog poo 30 years or so ago? Well that is digested bone, that what healthy dog poo looks like.

30 years ago we were feeding our dogs more scraps off our plate, more meat and bone from the butchers..
30 years ago.. vets were not as busy as they are today and did not charge as much….. and 30 years ago who had heard of dog behaviorist.. Dog trainers yes.. Dog psychologists No!
30 years ago i wouldn’t have enough clients to make this a full time business.. Today i do and i totally believe its starts with the diets we are feeding our dog.

Its my mission to educate as many dog owners to just read the labels on their dogs food and do some research of their own to find out what the hell is in this so called food.

I have had an amazing amount of clients swap to RMB and see a total change in their dogs health and behaviour!

Purina who make Bakers Complete are a sister company of Nestle Rowntree who are one of the largest sugar manufactures in the world.
Purina contacted me a few weeks ago to ask if i would endorse their products in my consultations and on my website. In return they were going to give me a years worth of feed for Annie my dog..

I told them in no uncertain terms that i would ever endorse their products and that, I infact warned my clients of the dangers of feeding them their rubbish.

I explained to them, how I had only just got Annie back to a full state of health and there was no way i was going to risk her health or teeth by letting her eat a years worth of their food…

So after reading my blog today.. i have 2 questions for you?

Are you going to continue to put sugar, wheat, gluten, EC preservatives and colours into your dogs body or are you going to go back to what nature intended our animals to eat? Raw meat on the bone?

Go and chat to your local butcher and ask him to save the chicken carcasses he would normally throw away.. Put him back in business,

Change your shopping habits when in these big supermarket stores…
Forget the pet food aisle.. I have checked already, there is not one make of pet food there that is completely natural, all the products contain some sort of colour preservative or sugar!
go done the meat section instead and fill up on raw meat and bone instead, Check out the reduced section for some bargains on meats…

Your dog will love you forever if you provide the right kind of food.. think about it…

If your dog could actually ask you for what it wanted to eat what do you think he would ask for??

And dont think about cost of meat, its far cheaper in the long run…
You buy the best tv you can to watch, you buy the best clothes you can wear, your dine in the best restaurants you can so why not feed your dog the best you can!

Its what being a Great Pack leader is all about.

to see Annie eating her raw meaty bones visit You tube

to read more on Raw meaty bone feeding visit
http://www.rawmeatybones.com

ADOPTING ANNIE

Me and Annie in the early days of knowing each other...

This special Girl came into my life and we became the best of friends

Back in January this Year i wrote to all the dog homes in the Birmingham area asking if they had any special needs dogs that desperately needed a home. I wanted a dog that had been in kennels for a long time and couldn’t find the right home due to having behavioural issues.
With my job as a Dog Psychologist and having shed loads of experience with rescue dog rehabilitation, I wanted a dog that I could help to rehabiltate and turn around.

Much to the Retired Grey Hounds Trusts’ delight they recieved my email that day and responded to me straight away saying that they had a very special dog called Annie that needed a second chance and knew with the work i do that she could indeed havea chance at getting a forever home.

I took Annie on as a foster dog with the thought in mind that i would rehabilitate her and find her a new home.

Annie was an ex racer, her name on the track Was Anne Champ. After 3 or so years of doing very well on the race tracks and winning most of her races she accquired an ankle injury which put an end to her racing days and she was given to the RGT.

Annie was found 2 new homes but suffered with fear based aggression and had bitten both new sets of owners and they returned her back to the Home saying they couldn’t cope with her.

Annie then got a Label as “An Agressive dog” as found it near on impossible to find a suitable new owner.

The day my email came in the RGT was only saying that that wished someone special would come and give Annie a home.. My email arrived and thier prayers had been answered.
Annies prayers had been answered and so had mine. It was oneof those things in life that was just meant to be!

On the first day i picked Annie up from her kennels she had a bright pink muzzle on and she layed down in the back of my car and went to sleep.
I looked down at this dog and promised her there and then we would help her to get better. I felt an amazing connection to Annie and shed a little tear. As much as Annie wanted and needed a home.. I wanted and needed a dog to be my best friend. I had a feeling right there and then that we had found each other for a very good reason!

I took off her bright pink muzzle and said you wont be needing this anymore. I am here to look after you and you dont need to ever feel scared again.
I knew Annie’s confidence would never grow if she kept her muzzle on.

When we arrived at my house Annie came in and i let her smell out her new territory. She happily went and marked every room with a small wee as if to say this place is mine.

I let Annie setlle in and find her feet and on one of the first days i gave her a bone and went to take it off her, She growled and beared her teeth at me but i showed no fear back at her and said “that is mine thank you” and took it from her. From that day on she new i was her pack leader and i gained her trust and respect.

It took a good 8 weeks to bond with her on the lead and i took her to new places every week, so she could grow in confidence. This dog had spent her life in kennels and the outside world was indeed a scarey place for her.
Her fear was based around men and anyone looming over her as she laid down. Her reaction had been to lash out and bite anytime anyone came into her space and invaded her.

I taught her by calm but assertive diciplin that this was not acceptable behaviour in my pack and that she wasn’t to feel scared if I was around to protect her.

After nipping a couple of my male friends she soon learnt this was not the way to behave. I also taught everyone that met Annie to approach her in a way that she wouldn’t feel threatend by giving her no direct eye contact and letting her come to sniff them out before she interacted with them.

Annie would sniff someone and either come in closer for a for a pet or back away. if she backed away we let her and i said to my friends to just give her time and she would come round when she wanted to.

Annie did bite my very good friend Kevin at first but he showed absolute patience with her and now she absolutley adores Kevin… she will roll over when she sees him and let him fuss her. He can even put his head down to kiss hers without any fear that she will bite.

Over the last 9 months Annie and i have bonded so much that it would be impossible to let her go now. Her home is here. This is where she feels safe and settled.

I have decided to Adopt Annie and give her her forever home.
She is a completley different dog to the one i first bought home and it just goes to show what love, patience and dedication can do with rehabilitating dogs.

Its the most rewarding feeling to see the changes in both her and myself and know that my hard work and leadship skills have paid off.

Dogs need to follow a human and not take on the job to lead them. This is when a dog feels overwhelmed and problem behaviours can occur. Even though Annie is a natural leader around other dogs she is more than happy to follow my leadership.
Annie has taught me many things too. We have both helped each other grow in confidence. She is a little Angel and i love her dearly.
Its so great to be at last giving her her forever home.

Now Annie has come through her rehabiltation i plan to foster more greyhounds and get Annie to help with rehabilating them to find them new homes. (no…. i wont bond with the next dog i bring home..!!) LOL….Easier said than done but it is my job to rehabilitate dogs and it will give me and Annie great satisfaction to start to help other dogs with behavioural problems find their forever homes too.

If you would like any information about fostering or adopting a rescue dog please feel free to contact me. The rewards are many!