Sociable Dog

09/12/2025

There are times when allowing dogs agency, time to evaluate and make choices without our intervention is the right thing to do and the shortest route to learning. No coaxing or attempts to encourage. Just quiet observation. Doing nothing *is* doing something. I love this post.

Let them look !
They need to observe and see what is around them if they should learn to cope.
- looking without being disturbed by us
- time to digest and learn
- first at safe distance
That is how they learn about their environment.
Making them look another way might be more convenient for ourselves, but the dog does not learn anything., except following demands, which gives them no life skills.

So give them time to look and make their choices. They are so much better at being dogs. - polite, social and conflict solving - than we can teach them to be.

That is why my favourite thing on earth is observing dogs. It makes me happy

26/09/2025

There is no reason to use force or fear to train dogs. And make no mistake: e collars deliver electric shock in order to motivate dogs via pain and startle. You don't need them.

27/08/2025

Mika rocking her people skills on a walk with dad this morning. Well done both 👍

24/08/2025

If you haven’t yet read my book “More Than Just A Dog”, it’s on sale on Amazon for the remarkable price of £10.77!! I know. Incredible right? 😁

In the past these opportunities don’t last long so grab it while you can…. Just sayin’ 😉

amzn.eu/d/3m9noFR

10/06/2025

There’s still time to grab a copy of More Than Just A Dog for all those doggy dads out there…… Just sayin’
Show them they’re More Than Just A Dad this Father’s Day 👍😁

01/06/2025

You could be forgiven for thinking that this is a not unusual pic of a dog snoozin’ on a floor. Ordinarily you would be right but for Troy this is extraordinary. Troy has been exhibiting agoraphobic like behaviour for the last 9 months. He hasn’t been beyond the boundaries of his first floor flat. Over two previous visits to Troy I was able to get him going onto front and back terrace gardens where he has begun to settle and watch the world go by. But going beyond the invisible force field of the front door onto the landing has been a bigger challenge. This is an image of Troy chilling out on the next half landing down while his Dad, Peter and I sat on the stairs and chatted and he did it entirely voluntarily (as it should be).Troy’s sense of safety with his key people now means that he can be curious about a widening environment and explore a little. I say “a little” but this is 9 months huge.
There’s more to the story of this milestone so stay tuned.

01/06/2025

This unspeakably handsome young man is Troy. He has two amazing guardians, Peter and Frances (Pablo and King King). Troy, much like is scared and overwhelmed by the world. Things that many dogs take in their stride are major challenges for Troy. But, with patience, a bucket full of gentle kindness and compassion from Peter and Frances, he’s learning to feel safe, loved and protected. Troy has reached some landmarks this week so watch this space to learn more about this wonderful dog and his remarkable people.

16/04/2025

Well this is a first for me and ❤️

07/03/2025

I had a great time chatting to Zazie and Kristi about all things dog and my book More Than Just A Dog. They are fabulous podcasters. If they are not already on your subscriber list then I would heartily recommend 👍

"Many of the stories that come out of a lot of people's lives with these dogs are those little moments of joy that their dog shows."--Si Wooler of Sociable Dog in our recent podcast about his book, More Than Just a Dog. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. And let me know, what causes those little moments of joy for your dog?

Listen/watch/read: https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2025/03/more-than-just-dog-with-si-wooler.html
Listen: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2183505/episodes/16728201
Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/3iKB84NQyZ4

03/03/2025

Just two more days until we welcome Simon Wooler to our store in the Bon Accord Shopping Centre to discuss his new book, More Than Just a Dog, and all things related to dog ownership and dog training!

Tickets are £3 and available for purchase in store. Check out the events page on our website for more details.

Sociable Dog

26/02/2025

Review on Amazon: Get a happy furry friend by reading this new book.

Get a happy furry friend by reading this new book.