Author Archive | Stephanie Hedges

Some of the ways humans handle dogs, such as putting a hand on the dog’s head or neck, can seem threatening even if they are not intended to be

Dog Aggression to Owners

If a dog is showing threat towards or biting family members it is perhaps one of the hardest problem behaviours to live with. Not only does it place the family at constant risk, but it can also be very hard to understand why a dog that is loved and well cared for behaves this way. […]

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Fear Aggression in Dogs

Fear is one of the most common triggers for threatening or aggressive behaviour in dogs. But what is fear, why do some dogs become fearful of things that won’t actually harm them and what makes some of them go to the extreme of using threat or aggression when they are feeling afraid? What is fear? […]

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Dog Aggression

Most dogs live happily and peacefully with other dogs and people. However if a dog does show aggression it can be very worrying for all concerned. Recent changes in legislation also mean that owners can be held criminally responsible if their dog behaves aggressively towards another person. So how can dog aggression be prevented and […]

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Separation Anxiety in Dogs

Dogs are social creatures that have evolved to live with humans. It  isn’t surprising therefore that unwanted behaviour sometimes occurs when a dog or puppy is left ‘home alone’. However, whilst it is often assumed that the problem behaviour is triggered by ‘separation anxiety’, this is not always the case. It is therefore very important […]

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Understanding Your Dog Part 2

Pack or family? The idea that dogs live in strict dominance hierarchies and that dog behaviour can be prevented or managed by establishing yourself as ‘pack leader’ was well established for many years. However many behaviourists now question how accurate this theory is and even whether it can be harmful. In the first part of […]

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