Jill O'Sullivan - Busy Bee Dog Training & Behaviour

Without a doubt living with 5 dogs is a lot but not necessarily for the reasons you'd expect.

There is definitely more hair and dust that needs cleaned up. Food, insurance, and vet bills are eye watering. Some practicalities are time consuming. Leads on, leads off, grooming, feed time all take 5 times as long. Every cupboard in my house is overflowing with dog paraphernalia!

However, living with 5 dogs is surprisingly peaceful (most of the time.)

Here's how we do it...

✅️ We pay attention to disagreements and tensions and use management to prevent issues.

We don't wade in with corrections and increase resentments. Instead we respect individuals preferences and needs for space and make sure they get it.

This lets arguments blow over rather than simmer and grow.

✅️ We make sure each dog gets the attention they need. Without doubt some dogs are needier than others but some dogs, like Louie the greyhound, won't push their way to the front for cuddles and affection. We still make sure he gets alone time with humans for his butt scratches and cuddles every single day.

✅️ Individuals have different needs for mental stimulation and training. It's not helpful to over do "enrichment" for dogs who actually love to chill out. Equally, dogs who've been bred to have a high desire to engage with humans often need training and work to feel satisfied.

✅️ We have "micro" routines and stick to them.

Meals times vary depending on schedules but where, and in what order, each dog gets fed is treated with as much priority as what they get fed.

Getting in and out of the van always is the same.

✅️ We're mindful of resources. This can be beds, people, food, dinner plates, a discarded ice cream wrapper.

Particularly when we were introducing Max and he felt insecure and unstable, those things could spark tensions. We just diffused the tension and then later, worked on removing any sense that there is scaricity of resources. Using corrections would just increase resentments and likelihood of aggression.

Joking aside, it's hard watching your dogs get older. 2 of mine are officially old and 1 is currently unwell and not as agile as he was.

They don't 100% need it yet but we're preparing them before they do. Steps to get on furniture and a ramp for the van. Little mobility aids that will help them stay as safe and as independent as possible.

Velma is getting older and I'd noticed she's sleeping more, is less playful with her best friend and is just a bit quieter.

Nothing dramatic. She's still her naughty wee self. Just a bit less so.

I decided it was time for a review with her vet. Velma is on medication for her arthritis. The vet noted at her appointment she has a greater range of movement and less stiffness than at our last appointment.

However, her fabulous vet listened to my concerns about her change in behaviour and prescribed a 2nd, low dose pain medication.

What a difference it's made to Velma's quality of life.

I hadn't realised she'd stopped playing the breakfast time game, but today she's back at it with renewed enthusiasm! I'm so glad to see signs Velma's feeling good.

Signs of pain in dogs can be subtle and not always fully apparent at a vet visit. This is why I'm so grateful to the team at who take the welfare of their older patients seriously.

I was contacted by my client when his litter mate puppies hit adolescence. They previously had good recall but now they were running off after deer and fox scent. Sometimes for long periods and on a couple of occasions they got on the road. The female dog in particular needed to be tracked down and brought home.

My client lives right next to fabulous fields he loves walking in but the concentration of foxes and deer is high!

We've been working together for a few months and both dogs are able to be off lead daily for their whole walk and show reliable recall, even around deer and foxes.

This has all been done force-free. We wouldn't dream of using e-collars on his wee best friends.

As with all complex training plans, its not just about understanding which reinforcement is going to be effective, it's also about understanding other factors like...

✅️ What might be causing the dogs to avoid coming back.
✅️ Meeting species, breed and individual needs.
✅️ Management to prevent unwanted behaviours, without increasing frustration.
✅️ Understanding and meeting age appropriate developmental needs.
✅️Recognising what interventions actually reinforce and increase recall skills.

Really proud of this little duo ❤️