Ssshhhh! dog whisperer at work; More and more owners are turning to dog trainers for help thanks to the popularity of television star and dog whisperer Cesar Millan, who calls in at Cardiff International Arena as part of his UK tour on March 6. Alison Young spoke to Cardiff trainer Caroline Cowan about understanding a pet's mind.

Byline: Alison Young

WHEN an owner has to climb in through the window because his dog won't allow him to use his own front door - that's when Caroline Cowan gets a call.

The self-confessed lifelong dog lover lives and breathes her four legged friends as she is a dog warden by day, runs dog training classes at night and at the weekend carries out home visits as a canine behaviour expert.

It all began when she was five and her father brought home a dog which he saw being dumped in the city.

That border collie called Shep was the first of a long line of rescued dogs taken in by Caroline.

"I've always had an affinity with dogs and loved them - whether it was my own, neighbours' or friends'," explained Caroline, 40, who lives in Cardiff.

But it wasn't until about nine years ago that Caroline took the first steps into turning a lifelong passion into a new career.

Having stayed home as a full-time mum when her children were small, it was an advert for someone to run a pilot dog training class at Coleg Glan Hafren on a Saturday morning that first caught her eye.

She got the job, and before long was also running her own evening classes and embarking on a distance learning course in canine behaviour and training. She is now close to completing her degree after completing a HNC and a foundation course. And if studying, running evening classes, looking after her civil engineer husband and raising their two children, now aged 18 and 19, wasn't enough, Caroline also took a full-time job as a dog warden with the Vale of Glamorgan Council eight years ago.

"It all seemed to happen at once but I love every aspect of all the work I do," said Caroline, who currently has three rescue dogs - a bullmastiff, a rottweiler cross and a Skye terrier cross.

"I'm a great believer in rescuing dogs that we already have rather than breeding more dogs all the time.

"Sometimes rescue dogs do have problems, although I find that most cases of aggressive behaviour that I am called out to is in dogs which have had the same owner since they were a puppy.

"It may seem cute that a 12-week-old puppy growls when you try to take it's toy but it's not so funny when he's a fully grown rottweiler.

"Some of the more serious problems I am called about are due to things not being nipped in the bud when the dog was young.

"Rescue dogs are more likely to suffer separation anxiety rather than aggression, as quite often the new owner will take a week off work and almost smother them with affection to start with and then , go back to work and leave them alone all day.

"The dog will think it is being abandoned again and get anxious and misbehave - the owner might beat it when he gets home as he might think the dog has done something such as chew something it shouldn't have or lost bladder control out of spite.

"It creates a vicious circle as the dog becomes more and more anxious and is also worried about being beaten. Each dog is different and often I would suggest different solutions for different owners - one might be to leave the dog for shorter practice periods of time to help you win its trust.

"People tend to think that one size fits all but it doesn't, and the relationship with the owner is the most important thing.

"Owners will watch television programmes and want their dog's behaviour turned around instantly but it doesn't work like that, you have to put the time in. It's like wanting a home cooked meal when you only have the time to pop something in the microwave.

"I get calls about all sorts of problems such as one owner who had to climb in through the window as his dog wouldn't allow him through the front door, and others where a dog won't allow one partner onto the bed."

Unless the problem has got to that sort of level, Caroline recommends people attend a local dog training class with their pet.

"I would advise people to chose a trainer who is both experienced and academically qualified and then to go along to a class and trust their instinct.

"Dog training classes are good as they teach your dog socialisation and obedience in different situations. Your dog might sit nicely for you in your garden but he also needs to do it in an environment where other things are happening.

"Dogs will get up to mischief so it is your job to teach them what is right and what is wrong - you need to treat them very much like toddlers in a way.

"I think the most important thing to remember is the opposite of reward is no reward, not punishment. You don't need to hurt a dog to get it to behave, there are far better methods to do this."

For details of Caroline's classes visit www.cardiffcaninecitizens.com 'Caroline showed me Bayleaf was afraid' DESPITE having had dogs all her life Wendy Jordan was at her wits end when her greyhound Bayleaf started showing severe aggression to larger animals.

Whenever she took him out for walks he would go berserk, barking at and trying to attack any larger dogs they came across.

"He was bad when he was on the lead and when he was off the lead he was even worse," said Dr Jordan, 63, a director at Coleg Glan Hafren in Cardiff.

"He was also bad with people and would lunge at them, but he was OK with children."

She tried restraining him and pulling him away and even spraying him with air, but nothing worked until she called in Caroline.

"Caroline was fantastic. She came to my home once and then came back another time when we took him out - she explained to me that he wasn't being a thug, that he was simply afraid of larger dogs and it was my job to protect him.

"She showed me how to walk him by putting him behind me and protecting him and then to reward him whenever he passed a bigger dog without lunging or barking at it.

"He showed a big improvement immediately and then it was a case of maintaining the training to build up his confidence.

"I think the most important thing was that Caroline showed me was that he was scared not fierce and that he needed protecting.

"Instead of punishing bad behaviour the secret is to reward good behaviour," said Dr Jordan, who has a number of other rescue dogs.

Dr Jordan, who lives in Cardiff, had her first dog as a child - a reject labrador guide dog - and has had reject or rescue dogs all her life.

Bayleaf, now four, came to her as an eight-month-old puppy who she saved from being shot. It was after a long spell living in his new home that his aggression first appeared.

"When he first came to me he had terrible separation anxiety and would scream the house down if left, but the aggressive behaviour only appeared later," added Dr Jordan.

CAPTION(S):

Wendy Jordan with her rescue greyhound Bayleaf Caroline Cowan, who works as a dog whisperer, with her Skye terrier cross Alfie