Focus Dog Training

According to Dogs Trust up to 91% of dog bites to children happen at home with a known dog*

Bites to children significantly increase during the summer months.
This is partly because our behaviour changes, routines change, houses get busier, kids are at home more, and we have more visitors. Not to mention the discomfort at lack of sleep dogs, and people, feel in warmer weather.

There are some simple steps you can take to reduce the likelihood of a bite.

⚠️The most important: Learn to read your dogs body language⚠️

Dogs often give us multiple signs they’re uncomfortable long before they bite, but if you don’t know what to look for they can be hard to miss.

We love Lili Chin’s Doggie Language. The illustrations are fantastic and it's accessible enough for children to read too.

Have a look through the pictures used in this post, do these dogs look comfortable?

Remember, never punish a growl!
A growl is a dog’s way of asking for space and telling you they’re uncomfortable.

If we don’t listen to that growl, our dogs only choice is to escalate behaviour in order to be heard

What comes after a growl? A snarl, snap, or bite.

If we punish dogs for growling we can remove that important warning signal.

What do puppies need to learn when they first come home?

That they're safe
This is the single most important thing your puppy needs to learn. When we bring a puppy home for the first time it’s important to remember that we have taken them away from everything they’ve ever known. The most important thing you can teach them in the first few days of arriving in your home is that they are safe

How do we teach this?
- Comfort them when they need comforting
- Don’t leave them alone before they’re ready
- Respect their space
- Let them explore at their pace

Formal training comes later
Your puppy doesn’t need to learn skills in those first few weeks. In fact teaching them anything will be much harder if they don’t already feel safe.

Need help with your puppy? Get in touch