Hi folks, a couple of things have intrigued me recently about how we view dogs behaviour. I am just back from my first trip to Finland to give a Dog Listener talk. As usual, great feedback and as a result the Dog Listener by Jan Fennell is to be re-printed, and the Seven Ages book will be out there in 2011. Not a bad bit of work...

At the talk, we always run a Q&A to discuss dog behaviour problems and dog training problems and one dog owner asked me how to stop her dog from "stealing" bread from the kitchen worktop while she was not there.

This reminded me of a TV show of which I caught a few minutes last week. Not sure what channel (I was surfing - it's a man thing apparently), but it was a programme in which contestants have various tasks to perform with dogs, in front of judges.

This particular test involved the dog ignoring a LOT of sausages on the floor.
This is a tricky one - as asking a dog not to at least be tempted by food lying around is like expecting a cow to obey the "Keep of the Grass" signs.

A dogs nature tells them that abandoned food is an opportunity to eat, and therefore survive. If food has been left, it means that the coast is clear to behave quite naturally and eat it. If there is someone already at the food, it is a different situation (do not even get me started on the food test sometimes used to determine the "aggression" of the dog in rescue centres etc.)

My quick and easy dog training advice to the lady in Vaasa was - make sure the bread is out of the way. When she said she liked the look of the bread out on the surface, I suggested a glass container over it. Attractive and functional...

We have to understand - and therefore manage - the nature of these animals. Cows can't read, fish do not survive out of water for long, and dogs are opportunist eaters.  Why spend a lot of time and effort correcting dog behavior, when there is a simple solution.

I have this at the moment with my old girl Pru. If Mr. Dyson wants another revolutionary idea for his vaccuum cleaners, he is more than welcome to study her. At the moment there are loads of nuts and fruit on the ground, and although this could be seen as a healthy diet, the fact that they are rotting means Pru has been getting sick.... or drunk, whichever it is.

The solution is again simple - I keep her on the lead so she can't go off hoovering (should that be Dysoning now?) the ground clean. I could spend hours teaching her that she should not eat them, but I am lazy and choose instead to manage my dogs behaviour .

Of course, knowing that a dog is an opportunist eater -  and that this dog behaviour is driven by natural instincts, it is a good idea to discourage dogs from eating when outside, in case of possible poisoned food laid out, but once again the lead is the quick and easy solution to any doubt you may have, and I prefer quick and easy to long and complicated.

Cheers, Tony