Guides are under general headings as follows:
Guide 1: Welcome to DTAS
Guide 2: Puppies
Guide 3: Rescue Dog
Guide 4: Recall
Guide 5: Fearful Dog
Guide 6: Resource Guarding
Guide 7: Behaviour
Guide 8: Barking
Guide 9: Separation Anxiety
Guide 10: Multi-Dog/Pet Family
Guide 11: Dogs and Children/Babies
Guide 12: Dog Speak
Guide 13: Loose Lead/Leash Walking
Guide 14: Dominance and Aversives
Guide 15: Finding a Trainer/Behaviourist
Guide 16: Training Solutions
Guide 17: Older Dogs
Guide 18: Useful Information
Guide 19: Videos
Guide 20: Podcasts
Each guide contains between four and 30 articles and links.
Guide 1 is required reading for all members and contains important information. Rules, how the group works, our ethics, etc.
Guide 2 is required reading if you have a puppy, or if you have an older dog that was never taught these key skills as a puppy. Toilet training for example is in guide 2, but applies to adult dogs too.
Guide 2 also has our recommended reading list if you finish the guides with an appetite for more learning.
Guide 3 is required reading if you have a rescue dog, or any dog that you have taken on as an older dog.
Guide 4 covers recall and prey drive, plus how to increase the value of rewards, eg ‘my dog isn’t interested in food’, and how to improve your relationship with your dog.
Guide 5 is very comprehensive, and covers fear-related behaviours, how to recognise fears and work with your dog. Here. you will learn about age-related fear periods, thresholds, counter-conditioning, and desensitisation.
Guide 6 is about resource guarding. If your dog is uncomfortable or snippy around his food or toys, if he likes to keep people or dogs away from you, then that may be resource guarding.
Guide 7 on behaviour has several articles explaining some behaviours and suggested solutions.
Guide 8 Barking. Here, you will find how to work with your dog in various scenarios, using a method called ‘click the trigger’. If your dog barks at the TV, in the garden, at the window; it’s all in there. If your dog barks at anything else then you can use the same methods. Be sure to check out guide 5 first for the section on reactivity. and all the information about fear.
Guide 9 is dedicated to Separation Anxiety. If you are not sure that this is what you are dealing with, the information in this guide will help you decide and give you a way forward.
Guide 10 if you have more than one dog (or cats/small furries), or are thinking of getting another
Guide 11 is required reading if you have dogs and children, or if you have children and are planning to get a dog, or if you have a dog and are planning a family. There are lots of great articles and some fabulous stuff to read and watch with your children.
Guide 12 is required reading and has many links and articles about dog language, eg how they communicate, how they feel, why we should listen to them, and much more.
Guide 13 for everything about walking on a lead/leash. Several different articles, videos and links.
Guide 14. If you have been told by well-meaning but misinformed friends, family, trainers, or random dog owners, that your dog is dominant, and that you need to be the pack leader, then this is a must read for you. It will be like a breath of fresh air and equip you with the knowledge to educate well-meaning but misinformed friends, family, trainers and random dog owners. You will also find further information about why we don’t use aversives or positive punishment here in this group.
Guide 15 has links to credible organisations that we would recommend going through to find a professional. We may also be able to give you a personal recommendation if you ask. These organisations are also who you should look to if you want to find out more about being a dog trainer.
Guide 16 for all your training solutions from teaching a lie down, a retrieve to hand, or solving problems like counter-surfing and begging.
Guide 17 looks at problems associated with dogs getting old.
Guide 18 contains a few articles that don’t come under training or behaviour, such as moving house, and a very useful (off topic) food discussion thread.
Guide 19 is a collection of great videos that we often refer members to.
Guide 20 is where you will find our favourite podcasts.
The purpose of the Guides is not just to help you find an answer to your current question, but to provide answers to all your future questions about dog behaviour, and to hopefully inspire you to be the best dog person you can be.
Any fool can know – the point is to understand. Albert Einstein.