Hi Iryna. To find a trainer in your area, the best resources are the websites of the Pet Professional Guild or the Delta Society. It’s worth chosing someone close to make repeated visits more practical.

Hi Henry. Until we can get all dog owners to respect the space of the dogs that need it, problems like this will remain very hard to fix. My only extra advice is to find a local member of the Delta society to assist (they should mostly understand dog anxiety).

My dog is a rescue, staffie cross bull terrier and around 5 years old. She shows aggression to other dogs but is visibly anxious prior to most encounters (crying and pulling on the lead). Recently she was bitten by another dog which was off it’s lead while we were on a walk. After that encounter she has become even more anxious. Is there anything I can do to make her more calm on walks? I’m trying to get her to sit down or walk behind me. She gets so anxious that treats do not interest her at the time.

Thank you,

Henry

Hi Lesa. You can start with any of the schools on this list of force-free trainers (they should have or know good local people) but Ian McBryde at Salisbury Highway vet is also very good.

Hi Jean. I’m sorry that my only other suggestion is to engage an experienced dog walker. Getting a good dog trainer out to look is, of course, ideal, and probably not as expensive as you fear. Any other advice than in the article could be too risky to give for you or your dog.