4. December 2011 by admin.

I am at Bristol airport for the last trip of the year.  I am teaching a two day seminar on dog behaviour and posture in Holland and will then spend a day in the largest rehoming centre in Holland on Monday.  I have a court case next week but was handed an email when I called in at the farm which hopefully means the outcome in court will be positive, which is great news as I found the dog to be charming. The prosecution were pushing for a Destruction Order but having seen the video of my assessment of the dog the Prosecution will hopefully now agree that a Control Order is put in place instead.  If we win the case it will be a nice early Christmas present for the family.

I am also involved in another case and drove up to Liverpool to assess another dog last Wednesday.  I will post more about that case as it progresses but it has raised some important issues that I think need to be addressed.  I can’t write any details here but as I am sitting in the lounge my brain is working over time. Hmmmmmm. Lots to consider and lots to discuss with other professionals involved in similar court cases.

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4. December 2011 by admin.

We have a new young mare on the farm.  She is a sweetie and will be brought on over the next year or so by Shelley who has helped to look after my horses for 17 years.  Shelley’s lovely old boy Bertie was put to sleep earlier this year and I am thrilled that she now has a lovely young Cob cross who will bring her a lot of joy over the coming months and years.  Shelley’s daughter Maisie has had great fun with Rusty through the summer and took him to Pony Club Camp amongst other things.  She was awarded a cup for the highest score in her E Test the other day and we are all very proud of them both.  Shelley had a tough start to the year and lost one of her dogs as well so I am very pleased that the end of the year is ending on a more positive note for her family.  Shelley is such an incredible person and deserves all the good things that are coming to her and Maisie has such a wonderful rapport with Rusty I really enjoy watching them working together. I am so pleased that her excellent handling and riding skills with her equine friend have also been rewarded.

Students from Norton Radstock College Equine Academy came out to the farm this morning to learn more about the way we work with horses. The girls were great and had a good time learning about posture and its links to behaviour and also had the chance for some hands on work as well giving them more tools for their own horses and those that they handle on their course. We are going to work with them again in the future so that we can share more techniques and tips as they continue with their studies.  I enjoy working with younger students and Tina and I are more than happy to give up our time to educate as many young people as possible. I think it is important to pass on the skills that we have acquired over the years and with funding at an all time low think we should play our part in helping those who have a desire to broaden their education for the sake of the horse.

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4. December 2011 by admin.

I have a new career! I was a guest on Radio Europe with David the Dogman and then drove off to Bristol with Tony to be a guest on 3Geese for BBC Radio Bristol.  I have been a frequent guest on Radio Europe over the year and thoroughly enjoy my time on the show with David but 3Geese was a new one for me.  I had met the 3Geese (Jo, Livvy and Chrissie) when they came out to interview Tony for the show at the farm in the summer and we laughed through the whole afternoon.  I was invited to be a guest on the show today and had a great time discussing light hearted headlines.  One was on men commentating on their partners ‘wobbly bits’ as some brave women had stripped off for the national press and their partners were discussing their stomachs etc! No mention of personality! I said that if Tony started to comment on my wobbly bits I would take his wobbly bits and tie them round his head! Tony came with me and as the theme of the show was based on The Beatles he sang an acoustic version of We Can Work it Out.  Of course, he was fantastic.  Who cares about Wobbly Bits? That man can SING!

At the end of the show Livvy asked me if I would like to be a regular guest on the show.  Hurrah!  I love doing radio shows and I am very happy that I have a fun new project for the coming year.

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4. December 2011 by admin.

I had a thoroughly enjoyable weekend in London.  Saturday and Sunday were spent judging the Companion Dog classes with Carolyn Menteith at Discover Dogs at Earls Court.  Tony came up to London with me on the Saturday to judge some Scrufts classes as well and although we technically had the day together we only met once in the Press Office as we were judging in different rings!  I also gave a seminar on TTouch and saw Tony in the audience for the start of the talk but he was whisked off to judge another class part way through and we only hooked up again at the end of the day.  Such is the madness of our lives!  We both had a great day though and we are more than happy to support the Kennel Club Scrufts and Companion Dog classes.  I get a good work out judging Companion Dog classes as some of the classes have over 30 entries and as I like to meet and greet each dog I do a lot of squat thrusts over the course of the weekend!

Tony was in the Twenty Four Hour plays at the Old Vic Theatre on the Sunday and I met up with Emily and Daisy on the Sunday (after another 150 squat thrusts!) in a wonderful new hotel in Whitehall.  We headed over the Thames to Waterloo and had a great evening watching the Twenty Four Hour Plays.  Writers, directors and actors meet at 9pm on the Saturday.  The actors bring props and the writers then sit up all night writing a short play with their choice of actors. The props have to be included in the storyline. The groups meet up again early on the Sunday morning and the day is spent rehearsing the plays and learning lines before performing the plays in front of an audience on the Sunday evening.  The money raised from ticket sales goes to fund new writing projects and new talent and of course the evening is highly entertaining.  The night was rounded off with a lively party back at the hotel.

I had a wonderful new client today who drove quite some distance to see me.  Her dog is wonderful and I am glad that the session was productive for them.  The owner is really switched on and I really enjoy working with clients on a one to one basis as we can obviously go into more detail than when I am working with several animals on a workshop.

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11. November 2011 by admin.

I left for Suffolk early on Sunday and spent three heavenly days with Cookie Dough and Jon working on my cottage. Jon has done an incredible job refurbishing the living room and bathroom and he continued with the renovations whilst I painted, dog walked, and painted some more (and more!).  Cookie Dough loved every minute of the trip and enjoyed exploring Snape Maltings and the woodlands that surround the cottage.  We got home late on Wednesday and I am now catching up with office work and getting ready for the weekend as Tony, Daisy and I are off to Discover Dogs.  I am judging some of the Companion Dog Club Classes with Carolyn Menteith and giving two seminars on TTouch so come and find me if any of you are going.  Tony will also be judging some classes before he leaves for the Bristol Old Vic.  I am also judging on Sunday and will then join Emily and Daisy in Waterloo to watch Tony in The 24 hour Plays so it’s yet more packing and more good fun! 

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11. November 2011 by admin.

It has been a really good couple of days.  The conference was a great success and the speakers were excellent.  I am going to put a website together with Carrie Humble so that we can collate all the information shared at the conference so that other people who could not attend the conference can access the relevant links.  We started the day with a presentation by Sharon Newsome from the IHWT talking about the charity’s education projects and the vision for the future, I then gave a presentation on the link between posture and behaviour and then Jo White from World Horse Welfare gave a fascinating presentation on transportation from the horse’s point of view. Some of Jo’s research is on the World Horse Website and is well worth a read.

Lunch was followed by more presentations by Dr Andrew Waller from Animal Health Trust on strangles, the witty Carrie Humble MBA gave a talk on ex-racehorse welfare, Steve Goody from Blue Cross discussed the Equine Health Survey (which I participate in and I would encourage other horse owners to do the same) and Nicolas de Brauwere MRCVS from Redwings talked about the veterinary perspective on managing equine welfare challenges and shaping the future.  All the presentations were well received, informative and entertaining and I really hope that Sharon, Carrie and I can build on the success of this first conference next year.  The delegates ranged from vets, people working in equine rescue including members from the donkey sanctuary and other Irish charities, representatives from the Department of Agriculture and the ISPCA, horse lovers and owners, staff from UK based charities, a journalist from The Field and many, many more.   In all I think over 60 people attended the day and the feedback had been excellent.  It really could not have gone any better and I am indebted to Carrie for all her hard work that made this conference such a success and I am looking forward to working with her on future projects.

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11. November 2011 by admin.

I am tired but really happy.  The three day Cool to be Kind workshop was great fun and already the feedback is extremely positive.  It is not possible to separate posture from behaviour and I love teaching with Marie as we both understand this inextricable link.  Our students have new information to pass on to their clients and new tools for the training classes that some of them run.  The dogs were all fantastic of course and I am looking forward to teaching part two in the spring. I am going to do more workshops under the name Cool to be Kind for both horse and dog lovers and start a programme for children as well.

I have managed to see some new clients this week, have assessed another dog for an impending court case and am now putting together a power point presentation for the next new project which is on Friday.  The Equine Health and Welfare Conference is being held near the Curragh in Ireland and is looking very promising.  We have several delegates attending from both Ireland and the UK and I am really hoping that we can make this an annual event. Carrie Humble (founder of the Thoroughbred Rehabilitation Centre in Cumbria) has organised some excellent speakers from the Blue Cross, Animal Health Trust, World Horse Welfare and Redwings.  Redwings are also joining me and Tony in sponsoring the event. So it’s more typing, more packing, more flying and more public speaking but Tony is back from the USA and will be coming with me which makes a very nice change as I am usually on my own when I travel.  We are looking forward to meeting up with Carrie and our dear friend Sharon Newsome (co-founder of the Irish Horse Welfare Trust) who are also both giving presentations on their work. 

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11. November 2011 by admin.

I am now chained to my desk finishing work on some information for a new project I am setting up.  I am teaching a new course under the name Cool to be Kind this weekend with my great friend and colleague Marie Miller.  The course is aimed at professionals working with dogs and we are covering several topics including the power of the nose which is something that many people over look when working with companion dogs.  I am also writing a piece on behaviour as the two words dominant and submissive are often used to label dogs. These words are also used to describe horses but they are incorrectly used and certainly over used and once a label is on an animal it is really hard to remove that label. The focus is then on the label and any other positive behaviour that the animal may display is often overlooked. I am suggesting that instead we look at behaviour from a different perspective and have put together a spectrum that would give people a greater understanding of how animals respond in different situations.  As the words dominant and submissive are also rather negative and certainly very limiting I am suggesting that we instead describe behaviour as either Extrovert or Introvert.

Behaviour is a continuum and just like people, animals have many ways of expressing themselves and at times may be more withdrawn and at other times more expressive.  I am not implying that we should simply re-label an animal as either extrovert or introvert but do want people to start looking at the animals body language and responses to stimulus at all times so am using these words to describe behaviour rather than general temperament although of course it is likely that an animal will be more one than the other.  Ideally though there should be times when an animal is more extrovert in expression and times when an animal starts to become more introvert such as when it is resting (if in fact it can even do that) and by studying the animal at different times and in different situations people may start to see their animals with new eyes and make any adaptations to the way they train, handle and manage the animals in their care.  Problems arise when an animal is stuck in one phase of the spectrum as ideally an animal should be able to move through the phases without much intervention from the handler depending on many factors including the time of the day. The more extrovert expression would be volatile, explosive reactions and the more introvert expression would be an animal that is shutting down.  I certainly see plenty of horses and dogs that display these behaviours and the more I look at animals in this way, the more I see. Both extreme responses are reactions to stress.  I am interested to see how this is received when I present this at the workshop on Saturday.  Below is chart that makes up some of the written hand-out I am putting together to help people start re-assessing the dogs that are currently in their care but the same applies to horses as well.

• Extrovert                                                                                  Introvert

• Warmth                                                                                      Coolness

• Sun                                                                                              Moon

• Day                                                                                             Night

• Expanding                                                                                   Contracting

• Vocal                                                                                           Quiet

• Expressive                                                                                  Reflective

• Releasing                                                                                     Accumulating

• Exuberance                                                                                 Lacks enthusiasm

• Drive                                                                                            Hesitancy

• Enthusiastic                                                                                Reluctant

• Movement                                                                                    Stillness

• Colour                                                                                          Paleness

• Confident                                                                                     Unsure

• Interaction increases energy                                                    Interaction saps energy

• Thrives on company                                                                   Prefers solitude

• Appears energetic and keen                                                      Appears aloof

• Becomes more active when stressed                                        Withdraws / stressed

The trip to Holland was a great success and I had around 50 people from various rescue organisations at the workshop which was organised by a friend who I met at ICAWC several years ago.  I am due back in Holland at the end of the month and will be presenting this concept there as the audience is going to consist mainly of people working in the field of behaviour. 

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11. November 2011 by admin.

I am back home and packing again as I leave for Holland tomorrow.  At least I only need to take out my work clothes, wash them and fold (shove?) them back in my suitcase.  I had a fantastic time in Latvia at the International Companion Animal Welfare Conference working with Steve Goward from Dogs Trust who has a natural gift with dogs and we picked three young puppies from the local shelter for our behaviour workshop.

My favourite was a shy little black GSD type who was really nervous.  In the taxi on the way back to the conference venue he was shaking and vocalising. He was also really touch sensitive which is not uncommon in nervous dogs or horses.  We took him and two of his friends into the room before the delegates arrived so that we could accustom them all to their new surroundings and had great fun playing with them.  My good friend Carolyn Menteith was also with us which was a great help and the pups were hilarious.  They had never had a collar on before the seminar and had never been on the lead either (obviously) so the learning curve was rather steep, bless them, but they were AMAZING.

We had excellent feedback from the workshop which was packed but the best response was from my little GSD pup.  When I took him back out to the foyer to wait for a taxi back to the shelter he was as calm as anything.  He had learnt so much in such a short space of time and had significantly grown in confidence.  He was calm and relaxed and watched everyone coming and going without a murmur.  He was happy to be handled all over his body and seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed his first outing.  I love this work.

I also participated in a presentation by Ian MacFarlaine dressed up as a young Bristolian dog owner without any canine knowledge seeking advice from a mobile welfare unit and had a great time on stage dressed in plenty of gold with fantastic fake eyelashes which I have become strangely attached to wearing.  I am seriously tempted to re-invent myself although it was rather disconcerting walking from the hotel to the conference venue as no one gave me a second look - clearly the residents of Latvia think I always dress this way.

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15. October 2011 by admin.

My statement and those made by Victoria Stilwell, who has spoken up for Lennox on several occasions, are now on many internet sites across the world and rightly so. Thank you to everyone who is taking the time to learn the truth about dog behaviour.  Lennox will probably be put to sleep unless the Court agrees that he can re-homed to a country, or a state in the USA, that does not have BSL.  Can you imagine a world where horses are seized and destroyed because people believe that their breed and stature is associated with the majority of fatal accidents to riders, owners and members of the public?  Of course irresponsible dog owners must be held accountable but seizing a dog based purely on its measurements does not address the true issues with problem dog behaviour.

I think anyone reading this blog can tell how all consuming this case has become over the past two weeks and the madness is continuing which I won’t go into here.  I have never experienced anything like this in my life and I was more than ready to jump on a train to London on Thursday to watch the opening night of a play that Emily is in at the Trafalgar Studios.  It was a fantastic evening and of course I am ridiculously proud of my beautiful daughter. Tony and Daisy are heading home from LA next week and I am looking forward to seeing the play again with the rest of my family.

I am off to Latvia next week to teach an animal behaviour workshop at the International Companion Animal Welfare Conference and then I am home for a night before flying out to Holland to teach a two day workshop for shelter staff near Amsterdam. November is busy with seminars at Discover Dogs, private clients both equine and canine to see and another court case where again I will be an expert witness.  I am looking forward to the Equine Health and Welfare Conference in Ireland but I make no apology to those who may have missed out on a decent summer when I say I am now actually looking forward to December and the end of what has been a busy and somewhat challenging year.

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