Mainline BC Centre and FOSTBC

    Happy Recall   A dog without a recall is like a car without brakes, it is dangerous! A recall is instant, it is not negotiable and it should be happy. If a dog comes back first time when there are no distractions such as another dog, person or an interesting smell, but not when there is a distraction then it does not have an instant   recall! Rather like children who are well behaved on their own but play their parents up in public when they think (a) they can get away with it and (b) there may be something to be gained, even if only in the short term. These children are not showing respect for their parents, and dogs who only recall when there is nothing better on offer are not showing respect for their guardians. Unfortunately, most dogs who have a poor recall do not realize they are being disobedient. Without realizing it, their owner (or maybe a previous owner) has failed to explain that this command is none negotiable and succeeded in teaching the do...

Whatever Happened to Commitment? I know I’ve done a blog before on dogs coming into rescue but the reasons some people give when applying for a space for their dog beggars belief. Rescue is about taking in dogs that need rescuing, sounds crazy doesn’t it saying that but I mean dogs with no homes, abused dogs, strays, welfare cases, it doesn’t mean rescuing a dog from its owner! Or does it? When a six month old dog has issues does the lack of correct understanding of that dog, and of the commitment needed to bring it up and teach it good manners, amount to the dog needing rescuing from them. There is the argument that says, ‘yes they’re better going to rescue and being rehomed to someone sensible’. But there are a couple of problems there, one is that the dog’s have huge issues, and number two is the problem of finding someone sensible and who is prepared to put in the ongoing training needed. There are loads of sensible dog owners and of course because they’re sensible they rarel...

Caring for an older dog              Most dogs grow old gracefully and, hopefully, with few ailments. Often the hardest part of living with and older dog is accepting that it is slowing up and not able to do the things it could perhaps as recent as a year ago .                 However long a dog’s life may be the time span is relatively short to us. We can remember the dog as a youngster playing and running and suddenly its coat is showing a little grey and its limbs are a little stiff, but dogs accept age without question. They don’t spend time thinking about how it used to be they just get on with their lives, so it is up to us help them to do that as naturally as possible.             When you first notice the natural slowing signs of ageing consider your dog’s diet. If it has been on the same...