Ray Ward Dog Behaviourist BCCS Dip Advcanbhv PPG Certified

16/06/2025

MY DOG MILO.

Milo is a rescue dog.
A mix of American Bulldog, French Bulldog,
Native American Herding Dog, Australian Cattle Dog and Border Collie.
When we got him eighteen months ago at about one year old he would chase anything, cars, people, dogs and wildlife.
He would never be calm and sit still when out in the fields.
I knew I had to show him that it's okay to sit and be calm regardless of what's going on in the environment.
The only way to do this is to be calm and relaxed myself.
I didn't use treats, words or corrections.
I used trust. We bonded together very quickly and his love of a ball helped to get that bond and trust.
I let him make choices as you can see in this video.
He can choose to bark, chase the people and dogs in the next field or he can stay with me and do nothing.
He is interested in what's going on in the field next door but remains calm and makes his choice.
Whatch until the end.
Sorry it's a longish clip but I would like you to see everything as it happens.

03/06/2025

More beautiful dogs that I have helped.

31/05/2025

02/05/2025

Judy was a special pointer dog who lived on navy ships in the Pacific Ocean. In 1942, the Japanese captured her and put her in a prison camp. There she met a man named Frank Williams, who shared his small bit of rice with her even though he was very hungry too.

Judy made the prisoners feel happier during the tough times. She would bark loudly when dangerous snakes, crocodiles, or even tigers came near the prisoners. When the prisoners had to go on a ship back to Singapore, Frank hid Judy in a rice sack. She stayed super quiet and didn't make a sound, so the guards never knew she was there.

The very next day, their ship was hit by a torpedo! Frank pushed Judy out of a small window to try to save her. There was a big 15-foot drop to the ocean below. Frank escaped too, but was caught again and sent to a new prison camp.

Frank didn't know if Judy survived. But then he heard stories about a dog helping people who were drowning after the ship sank. When Frank got to the new camp, something amazing happened. "I couldn't believe my eyes! As I walked through the gate, a scraggly dog hit me square between the shoulders and knocked me over. I'd never been so glad to see the old girl!"

They spent a whole year together at the camp in Sumatra. "Judy saved my life in so many ways," said Frank. "But the greatest of all was giving me a reason to live. All I had to do was look into those weary, bloodshot eyes and ask myself: 'What would happen to her if I died?' I had to keep going."

When the war ended, Frank smuggled Judy onto a ship going to Liverpool, England. In England, Judy got a special medal called the Dickin Medal, which is like a medal of honor for animals. She got it for being brave and helping prisoners stay hopeful.

Frank also got an award for taking such good care of Judy. For a year after the war, Frank and Judy visited families of prisoners who had died. Frank said that Judy "always provided a comforting presence to the families."

When Judy died at 13 years old, Frank spent two whole months building a beautiful stone memorial for her. It had a special plaque that told Judy's amazing life story.

01/05/2025

MY FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH A DOG IN LONDON GROWING UP.
We lived in a large shared Georgian house right opposite Finsbury Park.
My mum and dad lived in two rooms on the top floor of the house. We couldn't have a dog even if we wanted one.
One day, I was about seven years old and playing outside the front of the house. A little terrier dog came up to me, and we started to play a game with a little ball that I was playing with. After a few minutes, I went into the house, and the little dog followed me all the way up to the top floor. I explained to my mum what had happened, and of course, I wanted to keep my new little friend.
My mum gave him some food and water, and he ate it all. When it came to my bedtime, I remember the little dog lying next to me, and I was so happy as I stared at his little face with his eyes shut tight. I fell asleep thinking about how my dog and I would spend the next day in the park together. Morning came, and my little dog had gone. To say I was heartbroken doesn't come close. My mum said a man came and took his dog home. I accepted that, but it hurt. Many years later, my mum told me that my dad took the dog to the police station and handed him in as a lost dog. Of course, I understand now that it was the correct thing to do, but I can still bring back both feelings of how happy I was to have a dog for one evening and also the pain of that dog being taken away from me. I truly believe that those experiences shaped my feelings for dogs. I could never live without one. I am driven to help all dogs and give up my free time to help dogs in rescue. Picture of a boy and dog asleep courtesy of an unknown photographer.

29/04/2025

I GREW UP IN LONDON.
I was a child in the 1960s, growing up and playing in the streets, just like in these photos.
There weren't many cars around and you could play football, cricket, rounders and many other street games.
It's a lot different today, of course.
Back then, there were always dogs in the street, and nobody thought anything about it. No dog fights or dog bites, no dogs afraid of children or adults or other dogs.
Sometimes the dogs would join a game, and we would play ball with them, and after a few minutes, the dog would run off home for his tea.
We didn't have a dog at home back then, so the dogs in the street were as close as I ever got to seeing a dog. The dogs all had homes and owners to go home to, and they were all well fed, happy and content with their lives. In a lot of cities back then, people used to open the front door, and the dog was allowed to go out into the street and play. The dogs knew when to go home, tired and happy.

People back then didn't worry about dog socialisation or training classes. There wasn't such a thing as dry dog food (kibble). No such thing as putting a dog in a crate at home.
For me, it's sad today that a lot of people are afraid to let their dog off lead . Dog fights are common, and we are to blame. Trainers telling us we must train our dog, we must socialise our dog, we must take a pocket full of treats out with us, just in case.
All the talk of positive reinforcement by trainers who don't understand what positive reinforcement is to a dog.
Long gone are the days when you could open the front door and let the dog get all the positive reinforcement they wanted.

23/04/2025

This beautiful eight-month-old German Shepherd came to see me after her owners spent a lot of money on ten sessions with another trainer and got nowhere. She is slightly reactive to other dogs, but apart from that, she is very intelligent. We had a one-hour, fifteen-minute session that didn't involve any kind of correction, punishment, or treats. The owners said to me that they learnt more in one session with me than they ever did with ten lessons elsewhere. This is what can happen when dog trainers get involved with dog behavioural issues. They are not qualified or experienced enough to deal with issues that could have serious consequences for the dog and the owner. We all sat calmly and relaxed outside a very busy hotel on a bench, with dogs walking past us, and this
girl took it all in her stride without any reaction whatsoever. She was lying down, calm and relaxed, whilst we had a coffee. One session and one very happy dog, and two very happy owners.

14/04/2025

MY DOG MILO.
How I work with my own dog and all eleven dogs I have had the pleasure of sharing my life with. Eight of the eleven dogs were rescued from a shelter. Most were working breeds, bird dogs or hunting dogs. All of the dogs were off-leash their whole lives.
I never had to worry about recall training with any of them. They wanted to be with me because I knew how to fulfill their lives to the full. I never used treats or tools like shock collars. All my dogs were whistle trained just in case it was needed, but I rarely had to use it.
The clip shows Milo off-leash and doing his own thing. I am not calling him, I am not whistling him, and I don't carry treats. He has a choice: he can go to stare at the goats in the next fenced field, or he can come to me. He chooses to come to me. This is because I am everything to Milo, and the bond is very strong. The thing is, it has nothing to do with training, nothing to do with treats and nothing to do with punishment. It's all to do with trust and fulfilling breed-specific needs.