Train your dogs, says animal specialist
Residents were taught more about dogs and using them for their protection at the latest Bulwer Community Safety Forum meeting.
BULWER Community Safety Forum held its monthly community meeting on Tuesday, 12 May at Glenwood Community Church
Guest speaker at the meeting was a man who wears many hats, newly elected Berea CPF chairperson, Grant Smith.
At the meeting, Grant spoke on another topic close to his heart, animals.
Grant is also a dog behaviourist and training specialist and spoke to residents about how to train their dogs to protect them in their homes.
“A dog needs to be around one year old before it can protect a house. You can train your dog to protect your family,” he said.
Grant mentioned courses which would build a dog's character and make the dog stronger in a situation, and mentioned ways dogs could be encouraged not to react to gun shots, fire and how to teach them food refusal, in the case of a criminal throwing poisoned food into a property when trying to break in.
“Even if you have a big garden, your dog needs to be walked, they need mental stimulation. Dogs need to know their territory, the environment around their house and where they live. Play IQ games with them like hiding and seeking, to find treats in your garden. Your dog also needs to be allowed in your house. If there is a situation when someone breaks in, they need to know they are allowed into the home to protect you. Dogs learn through positive reinforcement, but also need discipline,” he said.
Grant said having a small dog and a big dog is a good idea, as a small dog is an early warning system, and will bark to wake the bigger dog up in a crisis situation.
He also spoke of residents doing the Canine Good Citizen tests in order to protect themselves in the case of a situation where their dog has bitten someone.
“If you can prove your dog is not dangerous, and has done these tests, it will discourage the police forcing you to have your dog put down,” he said.
When it comes to what dogs were best suited for protection, Grant said the number one dogs were Rottweilers and German Shepherds.
Chairperson, Heather Rorick, also addressed those present on the crime in the area.
“With winter approaching, more people are staying at home in the evenings, and the incidence of home invasions rises, as criminals know they can get more from residents such as bank details and so on. People need to up their security a lot more in winter, change timers on your lights as it is getting darker earlier,” she said.
Heather said she would keep updating the Bulwer Community Safety Forum page with safety tips.
