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By Bonnie Estridge

IT WAS the eyes you noticed first: pleading and pathetic. the tiny furry bundles were huddled together in the back of an estate vehicle at a car boot sale. there was a water bowl – the contents of which had been spilt – next to them and one pup was licking the remains from the shabby bit of carpet on which they were lying. whimpering with fear or hunger, it was difficult to tell which, these puppies were not the bouncing balls of fun one would expect to see.

Despite the back of the car being open with no one paying much interest in them they seemed too lethargic to escape. With summer approaching car boot sales across the country will be major outlets for the products of “puppy farming” and many will feature adorable-looking creatures that people will find it hard to walk past.

However, according to leading animal welfare organisations, the temptation to buy should be resisted because such purchases will merely fund a horrifying and illegal trade in which dogs are bred for profit only and forced to endure often appalling living conditions. the dogs do not necessarily live on farms – the word “farm” merely refers to anywhere that continuously breeds dogs for profit only.

The dealers sell them via pet shops, classified ads, on the internet and at car boot sales. the Kennel Club recommends only buying puppies from breeders which are registered with it and, because of the terrible problems that arise from the way in which farmed dogs are bred, is desperate to raise awareness in potential dog owners who usually have no idea that this cruel trade goes on.

So-called pedigrees from illegal breeders often sell for the same price as the Kennel Club ones (£600)
because documentation from bonafide breeders has been forged. type in “puppy farms” or “puppy trafficking” online and you will find distressing videos of pups kept in filthy conditions in the UK, the mother nursing up to a dozen at a time, the animals often just walking round in circles in squalid conditions.

All of this stress, poor breeding and inadequate socialisation causes physical and behavioural difficulties.
the female dogs are kept for breeding only and will be pregnant frequently, often before they are a year old (which
is also illegal). They give birth until they cannot have any more offspring and then are invariably destroyed.
at a reputable establishment the females would have only one litter a year until the age of six but in the
case of farming many will be forced to mate beyond this age.

Once ready for sale the puppies, which are often less than eight weeks old (the minimum age they should be taken from their mother), are packed into crates and transported in trucks to pet shops and private sellers across the country. angelique Davies, spokesperson for the UK animal welfare organisation Four Paws, says: “Many people are unaware that by buying a puppy from a car boot sale or pet shop or through an advertisement online they can be supporting the result of factory-style farming where pups are crammed into kennels, often fed just enough to survive and not given veterinary care. “Conditions on these puppy farms are sometimes so filthy – the animals suffer from vomiting, flea infestations, constant diarrhoea and diseases that cause hearing and heart problems when they’re older.”

Puppy farming is nothing new but it is illegal and local authorities have the power to close these places down.

In reality that happens rarely. Dog behaviourist and obedience trainer Stan Rawlinson, who is known as
Doglistener, says that a number of puppy farms buy in litters from Wales. “they give out fictitious pedigree
certificates".

“Most of the dogs from these farms are in poor condition and often end up with severe behavioural problems
because of their early upbringing and handling".

“I have to sort out the serious behavioural problems from both of these places and the local vets have to sort out the medical problems. It is a national disgrace that such outlets still have licences and in my opinion it shows a level of idiocy from the local councils that issue the licences.”

Prospective buyers are seldom invited to the original puppy farm premises to inspect litters as the (usually untrace- able) person who sells them may have outlets far away from the farms. this means people have no idea where they came from and what conditions they have been kept in.

If you see an advertisement (usually online) showing a wide variety of breed types this often indicates that the advertiser is ordering the puppies in, perhaps from a puppy farm in the Republic of Ireland where there is no legislation to prevent, control or monitor the breeding of dogs.

Wales is also a known area for such trafficking but many outlets are found across england too. wherever the puppies originate from the result is the same and they are likely to end up in unlicensed pet shops or more disturbingly at the car boot sales.

Stan Rawlinson has seen puppies, sometimes as young as five weeks, at boot sales. “I’m not suggesting the
organisers were complicit or even aware of the fact but these markets should be better controlled. I’ve
even seen gypsies selling pups out- side the Thursday market at Kempton Park racecourse. They weren’t
in the actual market but were approaching people in the car park to buy Staffordshire-cross pups.”

Often dogs have been cleaned up so as to appear to be in better condition than they are and it is only when
they have been taken home that the problems arise.

Another problem with puppy- farmed dogs is they are rarely touched by humans during early life. “It’s a known fact that if pups are handled during the first two weeks they mature and grow quicker. They are more resistant to infections and diseases, are generally more stable, handle stress better, are more exploratory, curious and learn much faster than pups that are not handled during this
period,” says Rawlinson.

Lack of human contact coupled with the fear of being crammed into boxes and transported for hours during the crucial five to 10-week period is probably the cause of stress-related behaviour.

Under the Breeding And Sale Of Dogs (Welfare) Act (1999) it is illegal for a keeper of a breeding establishment to sell a dog less than eight weeks old other than to the keeper of a licensed pet shop. Local authorities, from which licences are obtained, must ensure mammals are not sold at too early an age.

“Rather than think that you would be kind in giving these poor pups a home, don’t fuel these despicable people’s trade,” says Angelique Davies. “Don’t buy from markets, unlicensed pet shops or from the internet because of that.

Going to a shelter or rescue centre is a far better idea because the dogs will have been medically checked and
vaccinated. Ultimately, you would be doing a far better – and kinder – service to the puppies by reporting
these people to the authorities. We have to try to stop this desperately cruel trade once and for all.”
l www.fourpawsanimalrescue. org.uk; www.doglistener.co.uk

By EMILY WITHER
LONDON, May 22, 2009

Teaching Your Dog Behavior Techniques Is 'Worthless'

Study Finds Mimicking Trainers Could Make Dog Behavior Worse

Trying to make your dog less aggressive by showing them you are the boss is a waste of time, researchers in a new British study say, especially when using popular new training techniques that urge owners to use physical force to make their dogs more compliant.

California sanctuary takes care of dogs when owners can no longer afford them.According to the study, physical control methods usually shown on TV or touted by celebrity pet trainers like "The Dog Whisperer," Cesar Millan are "ridiculous" and could do more harm than good by making aggressive behavior in dogs worse.

Researchers from the University of Bristol's department of clinical veterinary sciences studied dogs for six months They compared their observations to existing studies of wild dogs, like wolves, and concluded that generations of dog lovers have misunderstood "aggressive canines."

The study asserts that, contrary to popular belief, dogs are not trying to assert their dominance over their canine or human "pack" and aren't motivated by maintaining their place in the pecking order.

ABC News spoke to Rachel Casey, one of the scientists behind the study. She said that the blanket assumption that every dog is motivated by some innate desire to control people or other dogs is "frankly ridiculous."

Casey explained that methods such as instructing owners to eat before their dogs or go through doors first will not influence a dog's perception of the relationship but only teach them what to expect in certain situations.

Many animal scientists also argue that it's far more productive to train dogs using rewards rather than punishment, such as pinning a dog to a floor, grabbing jowls or blasting hooters, all popular new techniques touted on TV and magazines.

Casey added, "we very often see dogs which have learned to show aggression to avoid anticipated punishment. Owners are often horrified when we explain that their dog is terrified of them, and is showing aggression because of the techniques they have used but it's not their fault when they have been advised to do so, or watched unqualified 'behaviorists' recommending such techniques on TV."

One particular dog trainer whose behavior methods have come under fire is Cesar Millan, whose use of dominance-based techniques has sparked fierce debate in the animal world. His show "The Dog Whisperer'" appears on the National Geographic Channel.

Millan defends his methods, which include pinning your dog to the floor to show them you are the dominate one in the relationship, because, he claims, it's the only language dogs understand.

"If what you do is say, "I'm sorry, baby, [your dog] Mommy has to go, blah, blah, blah," the dog doesn't understand what you are saying. He only understands that you are in a soft state and he is dominating you," Millan told the New York Times in 2006.

Casey told ABC News that "punishing techniques" like Millan's are counterproductive. "We feel techniques like these compromises the dog's welfare and could make a dog's behavior worse by increasing fear and anxiety. We really wanted to get the message out there: please don't use these sorts of techniques on your dog."

However, dog owner Katriona Magee told ABC News that sometimes it's hard not to use a dominate tactic to control your dog. "We have a dog that likes to jump off the wall at horses going past and the horses get really spooked. He wouldn't stop so we had to resort to a collar that squirts a strong lemon scent that dogs hate and it briefly worked."

Magee said that for their own safety sometimes you have to be forceful but the key is you have to do it so the dog doesn't know it's you squirting the lemon using a remote control.

She added, "Sometimes my husband gets in the dog bed to enforce himself as leader of the pack and it lets the dogs know who is in charge."

Not everyone agrees with the study's findings. Dog behaviorist and obedience trainer Stan Rawlinson told ABC News that while he agrees in part with the study, he disagrees that dogs do not show dominate behavior.

Rawlinson also said that academics are slow to suggest alternatives usually because they don't know any. He thinks that many dog trainers have been "getting it wrong."

"They have been incorrect in their methods and beliefs for many years but they have not kept up with new ideas and techniques. In many cases, they are what I call one-trick ponies."

He added, "The problem with the people who advocate the Alpha and rank reduction route, is either they do not understand or they choose to ignore the fact that behavioral problems in dogs often have wide and differing backgrounds. Pack dynamics only involves approximately 15 percent of the cases that I have to treat."

Another view on the film Dean Spanley
by Stan Rawlinson

Interview by Paul Arendt
The Guardian, Wednesday 17 December 2008
Article history

If someone tells me a dog understands every word they say, I think they're out of the loop of reality. Dogs see us effectively as resources. We feed, comfort and look after them, but if they found someone else to do the same, they would change their allegiance. They are creatures of advantage.

Dean Spanley is a little like Scrooge with a twist: instead of the ghosts of Christmas, a churchman, played by Sam Neill, is visited by memories of his previous life as a dog. The dog in question is a Welsh springer spaniel called Wag, who mysteriously disappeared, leaving his owner (played by Peter O'Toole) bereft.

The dean's friends ply him with wine, and he enters a kind of trance state, describing all the splendour and exhilaration of life as a dog. I enjoyed the deep affection and understanding shown by humans for their pets. I didn't feel the film went over the top in anthropomorphising Wag.

I loved the idea, expressed by the dean, that there are deep, scholarly messages in smells. When a dog smells urine, it doesn't just think: "Another dog has weed here." It might think, "male, uncastrated, dominant, probably travelling from east to west, healthy", and so on. Neill did a great job of conveying these attitudes - the way he sniffs his wine is especially canine. But I was slightly confused by Wag's obsession with the moon. Wolves and wild dogs might exhibit that behaviour, but not domestic dogs.

In the film, the dogs' "language" is barking and yipping, but in reality, dogs communicate mostly through body language. The film should have concentrated on that a little more. Dogs are beaming messages to us all the time, and we usually miss them.

• Stan Rawlinson is a dog behaviourist and obedience trainer. Details: doglistener.co.uk. Dean Spanley is on general release.

Dog and owner

We've been told dogs sometimes look like their owners but now scientists reckon many sound like them too!

According to a new study dogs develop a bark or "voice" similar to the sound of their owner's regional accent.

For example dogs in Liverpool communicate in a higher pitch than other dogs and Scottish dogs tend to have a lighter tone to their bark.

And the closer the emotional bond between a dog and its owner the more likely it is they will sound similar!

Click here to try our dog quiz

In order to complete the study owners were told to record messages on an answer phone then get their dogs to do the same thing.

Experts then compared the pitch, tone, volume and length of the sounds.

Dogs are copy cats

Not only do dogs pick up their owners' accents they also mimic their behaviour according to dog Trainer and Behaviourist Stan Rawlinson.

He said: "A terrier with a young family with kids will probably be manic but put it with a little old lady and the dog will end up old before its time, shuffling along like its owner."

How do you tackle a dangerous dog?

Zoe Williams
Wednesday January 30, 2008
The Guardian

The story of James Rehill's death, mauled by his own rottweiler, has a horrible familiarity to it. It is only a month since Archie-Lee Hirst was killed by a family pet of the same breed; in the intervening time, a dog kennel worker, Mandy Peynado, had to have her arm amputated after a savage attack by a stray with predominantly rottie traits. This emphasis on breed is misleading - all dogs can be dangerous, given the wrong training and the right conditions. But rottweilers, along with bull breeds, have extremely strong jaws, and it will give even the most hardboiled dog-lover pause to note that nearly 20 people went to help Rehill, and none were able to get the dog off him. So if a dog is attacking someone else, what technique should you use?

Behaviourist and trainer Stan Rawlinson (doglistener.co.uk) says, first of all, "Don't try to grab the dog's head, because you could get redirected aggression." Instead, follow the techniques you would use to break up a dog fight, namely: "Lift the dog's hindquarters off the ground and then drag it backwards by the tail. This will confuse the dog and may cause it to relax its grip. For dogs without tails, don't drag by the hind legs, as the dog can easily turn around and bite the person holding it."

You can also throw a blanket or a coat over the dog's head, or you can spray it with water, though this is not always effective and will probably not be fast enough unless you have a hose on you. Rawlinson says he personally would use the hindquarters method, with the option of going nuclear with a kick in the groin. Things are much harder if the dog is attacking you - bear in mind that movement stimulates their prey drive, so stay as still as possible, having first curled into a ball with your arms over your head.

Michele Hanson
Tuesday September 25, 2007
The Guardian

Dog Magician

Until last Tuesday I had a difficult life. My harsh, no kissing, no fussing, no speaking dog-training routine was not working. My dogs were darlings at home, but monsters when out and about. Every morning I rose at first light and schlepped both dogs out for walkies, separately. They were too frightful to go out together. That meant two-and-a-half hours on red alert, arms wrenched out of their sockets and returning home emotionally and physically wrecked for a few brief hours of respite until tea-time, then out for more ghastly walkies, keeping to the quieter streets, because I had become a pariah, feared, loathed, ostracised and occasionally even screeched at by local dog persons. What sort of a life is that?

It isn't the dogs' fault, of course. "It's you," says everyone who knows better. "You're anxious. You're making them anxious, which makes them aggressive. Just relax." Oh, ha ha. How do I do that, with Miss Foaming Chops on one side and Miss Snap-Jaw muzzled on the other? Why not muzzle both, you may ask. Because one has a deformed jaw that no muzzle on earth will fit. So I was stuck in a cycle of anxiety and aggression.

Then I heard of a dog miracle worker. He had cured a dog that screamed with fear at anything that moved in the street. Within minutes, he had that dog strolling along the high road, completely mellowed out. Could it be true? Can this fellow succeed where others have failed? Can he stop my older dog from eating lurchers and the younger one from having a go at any dog in sight? Can he stop them bonking each other in front of visitors, squabbling over chewies, raging into the street ready to kill or maim and draining my life of all pleasure? I doubt it, but I am a desperate woman, so I give it a try.

The dog magician turns up. He has some rattles, some leads with jingly bells on, some dog snacks and four of his own dogs. He jingles and jerks a lead, shakes a rattle, slams a door, gives an instruction and a treat, and bingo, the dogs obey. Now I offer my dogs a snack and they turn their heads aside until given permission. I open the front door and they quietly contemplate the street. No bristling, no snarling. Fabulous. My dogs meet his dogs. No pulling, no rigid, threatening pose, no growling, no bonking, no fighting. Not a flicker. He has turned my dogs into saints. How did he do it?

But what will happen when he's gone? Can I do this alone? Will the tricks work for me? I go for a walkie in the street. Yes they do. Magic. Now nearly a week has passed. The magic is still working. I go for a walkie with my friend Rosemary. Violet, the ex-killer, trots along beside her like a subdued lamb. Rosemary is gobsmacked. So are the vet, visitors and all dog-walkers. It isn't often that I can dredge up a happy ending, but I feel confident that this is one.

This week Michele read A Girl's Guide to Modern Philosophy, by Charlotte Greig: "A student in the 70s has difficulties with work and love. Funny, thoughtful and gripping." She also read Yiddish with Dick and Jane, by Ellis Weiner and Barbara Davilman: "Exquisite. I wept with laughter, especially through the glossary."

Michele Hanson is an author and regular Guardian columnist.

Are you happy?
Stan Rawlinson, Dog Behaviourist
Craig Taylor
Saturday August 25, 2007
The Guardian Weekend

I have this habit of breaking bones. I broke my leg in 18 places and partly ripped off my ankle after falling down a collapsed rabbit warren. I ended up in a wheelchair for a while and began studying dog behaviour. Over the years I had been in the armed forces, a musician and worked in sales, but I was never happy. Since working with dogs my wife said I've changed completely.

Dogs can feel the stress of owners. The lead is like an aerial and the dog can sense what's happening through it. Dogs are affected by their owner's reactions.

I've lost my father, my mother and that truly affected me, but I was really affected when I lost a young springer spaniel. Next to my desk I have a little coffin-shaped box with a model of him on it and his ashes inside. We had to put him down at five because of bone cancer. I was devastated. I cancelled everything for a week. Before he died I had him with me 48 hours straight. I'm over William but I still get upset thinking about him.

My dogs are an extension of me. When I watch them work and see the pleasure on their faces I feel a sense of reflected happiness.

Humans hold grudges more than any animal. We allow unhappiness because we can't be like dogs. You can tell a dog off one minute and the next minute you smile and it wags its tail. If we could give absolute love and loyalty to other humans we'd be happier.

Could you counsel troubled pooches?

If you love animals and psychology, why not combine the two and be a dog behaviourist?

By Hazel Davis

Published: 05 July 2007

I have a new dog, a "troubled" rescue dog. Last week it mastered "sit" and "please". "I am a genius," I thought, "It understands me. We have connected."

According to canine behaviourist Stan Rawlinson, this naivety is part of the problem that many owners have when trying to communicate with their dogs. He says: "Some people imagine that their dogs are able to understand complex thought patterns and comprehend our moral and ethical codes."

But, says Rawlinson, animals work on drive levels and instinct. They do not have the capacity to comprehend the complex thought processes that bring us to understand human emotions, language, and behaviour.

"A dog trainer trains dogs in general obedience and works with dogs that are showing abnormal behaviour," he says. "A dog behaviourist might intervene if a dog's response to certain stimulation is out of context with what we would expect from a dog."

Rawlinson runs a successful practice in Greater London and is the founder member and chairman of PAACT, the Professional Association of Applied Canine Trainers.

A life-threatening accident made him decide to strike out full-time as a trainer and behaviourist. Having studied human psychology, he began to do courses in animal care, canine behaviour and animal psychology. Rawlinson says, "I never stop studying. I am taking a number of advanced courses just to keep up with the latest scientific findings."

There are different approaches to dog behaviour training. Rawlinson's own is in contrast to the "act like a dog" ethos. "We do not have four legs, a tail, anal glands, nor are we covered in fur," he says. " Dogs know we aren't like them. They can form an incredibly close alliance with humans but we cannot be an alpha male or female."

Whatever route you take, to become a dog behaviourist, says Rawlinson, formal training is very important. "But it's like learning to drive from a book. I see many people leaving university with a degree and no practical experience, in fact some have never owned or trained a dog." He adds that you need to be patient, understanding, gentle and a good communicator – with dogs and humans.

Clare Ackroyd is a dog behaviourist in Queensbury, near Bradford. She says she showed an affinity with animals at a young age and always wanted to work with them. "I was always drawn to watching how the animals behaved and what they were saying," she says. "I wanted to be a vet but ended up becoming a scientist, took redundancy and qualified through open learning as a canine psychologist." According to Ackroyd, the skill and brain power required to fix some cases is underrated.

"Dogs have made the transition to cohabiting with humans look easy," she says. "But in terms of basic genetics they live their lives to predetermined rules. It is humans who control the dog's basics of life: sleep, play, food, reproduction and environment."

For animal behaviourists, the work is not about the money. Ackroyd says that she will never be a millionaire. She works unsociable hours in a not very glamorous job. But the rewards can be manifold, she says.

Rawlinson agrees. he says that he has a little Jack Russell/ Dachshund cross called Charlie whose early experiences were so horrific that he should have every hang-up in the book. "I decided to treat and rehome him with me. He has now made a full recovery, his confidence has soared, and once again he loves and trusts people."

If that's not enough to make you want to become a behaviourist, I don't know what is...

Stan Rawlinson: www.doglistener.co.uk; Clare Ackroyd: www.healthidog.com

How to get in

* Make sure you are used to dogs and don't just want to stroke the nice ones

* Spend time observing dogs' behaviour

* The Academy of Dog Training and Behaviour (www.dogtraining-online.co.uk) offers a range of courses and links to local trainers

* The Open College (www.opencollege.info) runs canine psychology courses

* Many universities offer degrees in animal psychology

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Kids Mistaken For Prey

Updated: 14:13, Tuesday January 02, 2007

A dog expert has told Sky News Online that hounds may attack children because they mistake them for injured animals.

Stan Rawlinson explained how screaming, whimpering or crying youths could set off the canine predatory instinct.

He said: "Their predatory instinct may have then taken over, the sounds stimulating the part of the brain that deals with hunting and chase.

"They were hunters at some time."

The dog behaviourist said it was crucial that powerful canines were well-trained and "socialised" early with children and adults.

He blamed many attacks on owners who buy dogs to be a "masculinity extension" and fail to have them properly trained.

Mr Rawlinson said: "They want their dogs to be aggressive because they are sometimes aggressive themselves.

"And dogs mimic their owners. If you put a dog in with a little old lady with a Zimmer frame the dogs will start creeping around itself in two years.

"Put the same dog in a family with three children, and it will be climbing the walls in no time."

He also slammed owners who leave their animals on their own for long periods in the day because they start guarding things, including their own body space.

Mr Rawlinson warned body language was crucial when confronted by an aggressive dog.

The trainer advised:

:: Do not make eye contact. Turn you head away slightly from the dog.
:: Lick lips and yawn.
:: Do not run or scream - "it will stimulate the dog's predatory instinct".
:: Make yourself as small as possible.

For more dog handling tips, visit Mr Rawlinson's website: www.doglistener.co.uk.