Reach an understanding with your pet

We've seen it on television recently, the pet owners desperate to stop their neurotic dogs chasing their tails, chewing the furniture, worrying the postman, biting the neighbours... Tomorrow night it's the turn of Def, a crossbreed with a strong dislike of strangers.

The harrassed owners of these excitable hounds call in Jan Fennell, Channel 5's Dog Listener. She lays down the ground rules and within weeks the dogs are transformed and postmen everywhere are safer ­ or so the programme would have us believe.

Fennell practises a form of "dog whispering", the canine equivalent of the horse whispering that Monty Roberts made famous in print and on film. The basic idea is that if you understand the psychology and body language of the animal, then you can "talk" to them in their own language.

First, pet owners need to understand what their pets are trying to tell them through body language. By understanding their dogs they will be able to get the best out of them and get to the root cause of any behavioural problems, rather then treating the symptoms.

Aileen Clarke, who runs dog behaviour classes at Barnard Castle, says that the new form of training has nothing to do with the traditional master-servant relationship between owner and pet, or teaching dogs by barking commands at them, like "sit" and "stay".

The idea of the training is that the dog learns through positive associations, which Aileen says are much more effective.

"There is no place in dog training for harsh handling and punishment, because it simply doesn't work. The dog doesn't like or respect you. It only does what it's told because it has to," she says. "Most training treats the symptoms, but I go to the cause. If you show people how to understand their dog and read what their dog is saying, you can relieve all their stress and problems, so you have a much happier dog and a much happier owner."

Her own five dogs are testament to the success of this type of training; they can retrieve named objects, take part in agility competitions and even load and unload the washing machine.

To learn her trade Aileen went on a course with Turid Rugaas, a Norwegian who has spent many years studying wolves and dogs. Through her studies she has worked out that dogs and wolves use 29 different calming signals, which they use to avoid conflict. These include turning away, blinking and sniffing the ground, smiling, yawning and tail wagging, as well as lip curling, snapping without trying to make contact or growling .

Aileen says that dog owners have often confused these calming signals with disobedience or aggression.

"We have been telling the dogs off for using these calming signals, which creates more stress, and is where we have been going wrong," she says. "If you're shouting and shouting for your dog to come to you, but he starts walking slowly and sniffing the ground, people often think he's being disobedient and shout more, when actually he is just trying to calm the situation down."

Being able to understand the signals can be very useful for people who don't own dogs as well. The best way to react to an aggressive dog is to quietly turn away from it, stand still and blink, as it will recognise this as a calming signal," says Aileen. "If you shout at it to go away, the dog will see it as aggression, but using a calming signal will help calm most dogs down."

When a child is attacked by a dog, Aileen says the dog has usually used the 29th calming signal called pin-down. Pin-down happens when a dog gets hold of another dog's face to pin it down and let it know it has had enough.

Aileen explained that if a dog does this to a child, it is usually because the child has been tormenting it, and it is normally harmless.

"Nine times out of ten the child has only been physically hurt because an adult has seen what has happened and has tried to drag the dog off, which forces its jaws to close around the face," she explained.

In this situation Aileen says the correct thing to do is stay calm, and quietly call the dog, using food to entice it away and, when possible, remove the child from the dog, rather than the other way round.

Many people shout at dogs which are fighting to get them to stop, but this only adds to the stress of the situation, encouraging them to continue, says Aileen.

"Other people hit or kick the dogs, but this is completely pointless, because the defence mechanisms used mean endorphins are released in the dog's body, which is a pain killer, and they can't actually feel much. Most dog fights are over by the time you have counted to eight, so it's best to let them finish on their own, but if you have to step in, you should do it with great care."

According to Aileen, no dog is a lost cause, as dog whispering can bring improvements to even the most aggressive animal, which may have lost some of its calming signals.

She works with the problem dogs at the National Canine Defence League and believes firmly that there is no reason for any dog with behavioural problems to be put down.

"If we can understand them it opens up a whole new world," she says. "It's like Dr Doolittle."

The dog whispering classes will be starting on October 2 at Barnard Castle Rugby Club Hall. For details and to book a place contact Aileen on (01833) 650460. She will be offering a variety of training, from a canine first aid course, agility and flyball to dancing with dogs, and is also looking into setting up a dog sitting service.