Every year our homes are over run with chocolate eggs at Easter time.  With an estimated eight million dogs in the UK, there will be a few drooling mouths as you tuck into your Easter treats.  You may well think; what harm would a few cubes of chocolate do to your fury friend?

Actually, more than you’d realise.  This could be seriously damaging to your pets health.

Research has found that giving dogs and cats human chocolate they cannot digest can make them feel very unwell.

Hanne Grice, dog expert and founder of Walk the Dog™ says: “We think we’re giving our pet dog a nice treat when we offer them a cube of chocolate, but research has found that chocolate contains a compound called xanthines. Ingestion of chocolate can cause muscle tremors, difficultly in breathing, irregular heartbeats and in some cases it can be fatal!  It’s at this time of year that this becomes more possible because there is typically so much chocolate available in the house.”

And it’s not just the chocolate you need to be wary of when it comes to your four legged friends.  Whether it’s the Sunday roast or the Easter meal, most owners like to give their pet the odd titbit, so they feel included.  However, there are a number of dangers for dogs that can lurk within our meals, which Hanne has highlighted below…

Dangerous dinners

Leftovers from the Easter as meal, such as chicken or turkey bones shouldn’t be given to your pet.  Bones can splinter easily causing damage to the intestine and can cause choking if they get stuck in your pet’s throat.

Stuffing often contains onions and garlic both these ingredients contain the toxic ingredient thiosulphate. This can cause haemolytic anaemia, where the pet’s red blood cells burst while circulating in its body.

Avoid giving your pet any fat trimmings too, as this can cause pancreatitis. ‘Pigs in blankets’ (sausages wrapped in bacon) are usually a favourite at any festive mealtime but the high levels of salt can cause a dog to drink too much water, which can develop into a life-threatening condition called bloat.

Nasty nibbles

Entertaining guests over the Easter weekend typically brings with it platefuls of nibbles such as nuts, raisins and grapes.  However, Macadamia nuts, walnuts along with most varieties of nuts contain high amounts of phosphorus which can lead to bladder stones.   And, as little as six nuts are enough to cause some dogs to develop muscular tremors and paralysis in their legs.  Raisins and grapes are toxic and in large quantities have proven fatal.

Certain fruits like clementines contain pips and the kernels of plums, peaches and apricots are easily dropped onto the floor, but these contain a type of cyanide compound that can poison a dog if it eats enough, resulting in dilated pupils, breathing difficulties, hyperventilation and shock.

Ghastly gifts

Pets, especially dogs, are particularly curious of mystery packages especially Easter Egg shaped boxes!  So, make sure you keep any edible treats stored safely away.  If you’re decorating your house for Easter with fluffy chicks or bows, make sure you keep these out of reach from your pet.

Terrible tipples

Most of us enjoy a tipple during the Easter Bank Holiday, but remember that alcohol should be strictly kept in the hands of humans and away from furry paws!  Dogs are much more susceptible to the poisonous effects of alcohol and ingestion can lead to laboured breathing, behavioural changes, hypothermia, seizures and cardiac arrest.

How to Speak Dog and Understand Nutrition Workshop

Saturday 28th May

Now the Bank Holiday is upon us most of us will be spending more time at home with the family and there may be more people around than usual, this could lead to confusion for the family pet.  Some dogs react differently to changes in the daily routine which can lead to misunderstanding and lead to dogs becoming confused and even affect their behaviour.

Hanne Grice is a dog behaviour specialist and runs an award winning pet behavioural company.  She holds specific workshops to help people better understand their dogs and generally help the four legged friends in our lives deal with any demands or changes to the usual routine.

Hanne says: “Most dog owners will recognise when their dog is fearful or happy.  However, the language of dog can be subtle ranging from a glance, tensing of muscles or a slight shift in the dog’s posture to something more obvious, such as a play bow or a loud bark.  And, canine communication can be complex; a given gesture may have multiple distinct meanings depending on the situation and the accompanying behaviours, and if we misinterpret these signals, this may lead to misunderstanding and even dog bites.“

Dogs communicate all the time through a combination of visual, verbal and olfactory cues and signals.  Like humans, much of dogs’ communication is sent through their body language, particularly facial expressions and body posture.  Yet in the language of ‘dog’, there are no language barriers; dogs from different countries and different breeds will typically recognise the visual and vocal signals of another dog when it is feeling upset, anxious, fearful, tired, disinterested, frustrated, excited, happy and playful.

The workshops also cover our pets nutrition.  Recent findings show that when it comes to our pets nutrition its revealed that around 2.4million dogs are mainly fed on scraps or leftovers, instead of nutritionally balanced dog food

Jan Millington is part of the UK team of Oscar Pet Foods Nutritional Advisors and in addition to delivering food, will tailor products to suit an animal’s digestion and age, as well as aid specific problems, such as skin irritation, poor coat, allergies and obesity.

Jan says: “As the owner of several animals myself, I understand that in order for each to be healthy and happy, diet must be tailored to suit their individual bodies and lifestyles. I know from experience that Oscar Pet Foods provides quality produce that can be matched to suit pet’s different requirements.”

Oscar Pet Foods has an honest label policy also ensures all individual ingredients and a 100% analysis of the foods are clearly stated on the bag to help individuals choose the correct lifestyle diet for each pet.

In the first part of this workshop, Hanne will be decoding dog’s communication signals, using video footage and stills, helping owners better understand the language of dog and recognise early warning signs of stress, so they can interpret their pet’s emotional state.  When we have a better understanding of how our dog feels, what he is trying to communicate to us, we can achieve a stronger and happier relationship with our dog

In the second part of the workshop, Jan will be unravelling what the labels on your pet’s food really means, and also discuss the importance of a well balance diet for a happy and healthy pet.

• The How to Speak Dog and Understand Nutrition workshop will be help at The Westwick Room, Leverstock Green Village Hall, Village Centre, Leverstock Green, Hertfordshire HP3 8QG on Saturday 28^th May from 11am and finishes around 1.45pm
• Tickets are priced at £15 and available for purchase from Walk the Dog (t) 01442 878628 / 07976 743031
• Oscar Pet Food products contain no artificial colourants, only natural coloured oxides which act as a source of minerals and are not harmful. Artificial preservatives are avoided and antioxidants, such as natural Vitamin E are used.
• All Oscar Pet Foods products are developed in conjunction with its team of fully qualified animal nutritionists who have over 40 years experience in the industry.

First ever study of its kind revealed today that at least ten million pets in Britain suffer mental and physical stress.

The study conducted by the charity PDSA and YouGov is the first to measure the wellbeing of nearly 22 million* pets in Britain.

Over 11,000 pet owners were interviewed and findings show that at least two million dogs are left alone daily for longer than is recommended with 1.9 million dogs being left alone for more than four hours at a stretch each day.

Meanwhile, around 15 per cent of owners believe it is acceptable to leave a dog for eight hours without attention, and four per cent of owners believing that dogs can be abandoned for more than ten hours without suffering.

The study has also shown that a shocking ten million pets could be suffering mental or physical stress because owners do not look after them properly.

When it comes to our pets nutrition it reveals that around 2.4million dogs are mainly fed on scraps or leftovers, instead of nutritionally balanced dog food and 750,000 rabbits are fed too little hay or grass.

Hanne Grice, dog expert and founder of Walk the Dog™ says: “We’ve seen a steady increase over recent years in the number of stress-related behavioral problems in pets.  Often these problems are caused unwittingly by misunderstanding and mismanagement on the owners behalf.  Pets don’t come with user manuals but fortunately, pet care and behaviour companies like ours, offer owners support and peace of mind as we can not only help inform but be there on a daily basis to give pets that all important love, care and attention when work pressures mean owners cannot be around.

The PDSA’s report shows that rabbits are also neglected.  In the wild rabbits live in large groups, but 67 per cent of pet rabbits live on their own, which risks boredom and stress.  Hanne continues: “Although we are a nation of animal lovers, this new report shows that a large number of our nation’s pets are lacking an environment that is rich in mental and physical stimulation, together with a well balanced diet.  These are key factors pets need to have a happy and healthy life.  Hopefully this report will raise awareness of what our pets really do need.”

With the recent drop in temperature and predicted snow fall this winter, is it important that not only you wrap up warm and take precautions when traveling but also ensure your pets stay safe too.

Below are some top safety tips for pets during the cold weather.

Coats - just because your pet has a fur coat, doesn’t mean he won’t feel the cold. Small dogs or dogs with little to no hair should have sweaters or jackets for protection against the cold.  If your dog doesn’t like wearing clothing, then better to keep them out of the cold and provide them with mental and physical stimulation through play instead.  Check out “Playing With Your Dog” by Hanne Grice for great game ideas for all ages.

Water & food – ensure food and water is provided inside the home to prevent from freezing.  Avoid letting your dog drink water from bowls outside as the frigid temperatures could cause stomach upsets and even hypothermia.

Cold - pets shouldn’t be left outside or walked for long periods of time.  Even half an hour in freezing temperatures can cause problems.  Never leave your pet outside or in the car for more than ten minutes when temperatures dip below freezing. Your pet’s ears, feet and tail are highly susceptible to frostbite, so limit his time outdoors.

Ice and feet – when walking your dog near ice or frozen puddles/ponds/canals/lakes, keep your dog close to you and on the lead.  This ensures your dog cannot run across the ice, avoids his feet getting accidentally cut on the ice and helps prevent falls on the ice which may lead to injury for you and your dog. Always wash your dog’s paw’s after a winter walk to remove any salt.

Shaking - if your pet is out in the cold and begins shaking or shivering, get him back to warm shelter as soon as possible.  Signs of hypothermia include; shaking/violent shivering, slow and shallow respiration, a slower heart rate, gums may appear pale or blue.  The pet may also appear listless. Call your vet immediately.

Eating snow/ground matter – avoid letting your pet eat snow or anything else on the ground.  Dangerous objects or chemicals may be hidden in the snow or ice.  Eating snow can also cause stomach upsets and even hypothermia. Keep water at room temperature.  Pet’s, especially dogs, become easily dehydrated in winter, so make sure he has easy access to fresh water.

Antifreeze - this is highly toxic!  Antifreeze can get into puddles on the pavement and roads and taste sweet to pets, but even the smallest amount is deadly to your pet.  Supervise your pet while outside (even in the garden) and if you suspect your dog has had any exposure to antifreeze, call your vet immediately.

Fire - if you use an indoor or outdoor fireplace, ensure you keep a safety guard around it in order to protect your pet from the flames and soot.  Never leave a fire unattended.

Shelter/bedding – always ensure your pet has adequate shelter where it will be warm and dry.  His bed shouldn’t be in a drafty area and bedding should be kept dry.  Provide extra blankets when temperatures dip below freezing.

Grooming – snow can get easily caught up in the fur of your pet. So, regular grooming will help avoid matter being caught in their coat and a well groomed coat means a better insulating coat for your dog or cat.

In the car – never leave your pet alone in a vehicle.  If the engine is off, he may die from hypothermia.  If the engine is left running, he may be overcome with carbon monoxide fumes.  Better to leave your dog at home in the warm.

Rabbits/Guinea Pigs and other rodents – little furries don’t like the cold, so if possible bring your pets indoors during the coldest winter months.  Avoid placing indoor hutches near radiators or by windows.  Alternatively, move your pets into your garden shed (ideally with some form of heating) or in a garage to avoid the harsh temperatures.  Ensure hutches are away from any drafts and are well insulated with hay and protective coverings.  Check water bottles and food is not frozen.

Follow the tips to keep your pet healthy and safe this winter.

A new study led by the University of Padua in Italy has shown how much dogs rely on seeing their owners’ faces in order to recognise them.  The study also measured how much dogs prefer to gaze at and follow their owners, rather than a stranger.

This latest research reported in the latest Animal Behaviour journal, has shed more light on how the process of domestication over the thousands of years has affected the behaviour of our four-legged friends.

The research was headed up by Paolo Mongillo who explained that, although many researchers have studied how dogs interact with humans, no one had yet investigated how the animals focused on one person in preference to another, or just how much companion dogs “prefer” their owners.

In the first part of the experiment, Dr Mongillo’s team had a dog in an empty room and instructed the owner and another person who was unfamiliar to the dog, to walk across the room several times.  The people crossed the room in opposite directions, so that they passed the dog repeatedly.  The researchers measured how long the dog looked at one person versus another.  The team then instructed the two people to leave the room through two doors and allowed the dog to approach one of the doors.  Dr Mongillo said: “Most of the dogs gazed at their owners for most of the time and then chose to wait by the owner’s door.”

In the second part of this study, the researchers asked the people to cover their faces, and then the volunteers walked across the room with bags over their heads.  During this part of the experiment, the dogs’ gaze was less attracted to their owners, revealing just how much dogs rely on human faces for recognition.

Although the researchers expected the companion dogs to have a preference to gaze at their owners when they could see the people’s faces, no one has measured this behaviour before.  Dr Mongillo says: “If you imagine a dog in a real setting in the city or anywhere in the middle of a crowd or a crowded space, you can see how the animal must have adapted to give preferential attention to its owner.”  This new evidence together with other studies confirms how domestic dogs have become so attuned to human social groups that they are able to recognise some human facial expressions.  Through studies of mitochondrial DNA, we know that our furry best friend’s ancestor was the wolf and the process of domestication started between 15,000 to 40,000 years ago.

Dogs communicate in a number of ways from visual and scenting signals as well as vocalisations – and they through domestication they have an ability to ‘read us like a book’, detecting when we are feeling happy, sad and angry.  As a dog listener, I help owners understand the importance of understanding how dogs think, learn, what motivates them and how they communicate.  If you would like to better understand your pet, contact Hanne Grice at hanne@doglistener.tv

A new study conducted by the University of Bristol headed by Professor Mike Mendi, has discovered dogs that are anxious when left alone also tend to demonstrate “pessimistic” like behaviour.

The study which was funded by the RSPCA provides insight into dogs’ emotions and helps our understanding of why behavioural responses to separation occur.  While many owners tend to humanise their dog’s behaviour, believing they experience emotions similar to ours, Professor Mendi says: “We have no way of knowing directly because emotions are essentially private.  However, we can use findings from human psychology research to develop new ways of measuring animal emotion…People’s emotional states affect their judgements and happy people are more likely to judge an ambiguous situation positively.  What the study has shown is that this applies similarly to dogs – that a ‘glass half-full’ dog is less likely to be anxious when left alone than one with a more ‘pessimistic’ nature.”

The study conducted by the Animal Welfare and Behaviour research group worked with dogs from two animal rehoming centres here in the UK.  The dogs were trained that when a bowl was placed in one location of a room (the ‘positive position’) the bowl contained food.  But when the bowl was placed at another location (the ‘negative position’) it would be empty.  Then the bowl was placed in various ‘ambiguous’ locations between the positive and negative and the behaviours of the dogs were monitored.  The dogs that ran to the ambiguous locations, as if expecting the positive food reward, were classed as making relatively ‘optimistic’ decisions.  These dogs also tended to be the ones that demonstrated the least anxiety-like behaviours when left alone for a short time.

Separation anxiety is a problem I deal with regularly in my role as a dog listener, separation-related behaviours include toileting indoors, barking and destroying objects around the home when dogs are apart from their owners.  According to Professor Mendi, around half of the dogs in the UK may at some point perform separation-related behaviours.

Dr Samantha Gaines, Deputy Head of the Companion Animals Department from RSPCA, said of the University’s study: “Many dogs are relinquished each year because they show separation-related behaviour.  Some owners think that dogs showing anxious behaviour in response to separation are fine, and do not seek treatment for their pets.  This research suggests that at least some of these dogs may have underlying negative emotional states and owners are encouraged to seek treatment to enhance the welfare of their dogs and minimise the need to relinquish their pet.  Some dogs may also be more prone to develop these behaviours, and should be re-homed with appropriate owners.”

If you’re experiencing problems with separation anxiety and would like the help of a certified professional, then contact Hanne Grice at hanne@doglistener.tv

As autumn approaches, this can be a worrying time for an owner whose dog has a fear of noise, as celebrations such as Halloween and Bonfire Night bring along the sights and sounds of fireworks.

The temptation is to comfort our dog when he is afraid and shaking, however, this is the worst thing you can do.  This is because stroking your dog or making a fuss when he is frightened will unwittingly re-enforce and reward the dog’s fearful behaviour.   So, it is as good as telling him “yes be afraid and I’m afraid too.”  What your dog needs is reassurance, however, in a ‘canine way’.

So, here are some top tips to help your dog calm down.

Ensure you’re in the same room as your dog.  Shut the door so the dog cannot escape the room.  Put any cables or breakables out of the dog’s way, in case he panics and gets tangled up or knocks into any ornaments.

Sit on the floor and read a book, this distracts you from looking or reacting to the dog.

Concentrate on your breathing rate, so your pulse rate is steady.

Now, ignore your dog!  This means avoid eye contact and stay quiet no matter how hard your dog tries to get your attention.  By showing that you are not bothered by the loud noises, you will help your dog calm down as he will, over time, mimic your behaviour and settle.

However, if your dog tries to sit in your lap or lean on you, gently push him away without saying anything or making eye contact.  By avoiding any reaction to your dog’s behaviour, you avoid unwittingly re-enforce this unwanted fearful behaviour.  If your dog continues to fuss around you, continue to move him gently away from you , each and every time.  Your dog will eventually realise his behaviour is not going to get your attention and he will give up.

Once your dog has calmed down (e.g.) he has stopped pacing* and panting, he has sits down and you see his breathing rate steady, only then calmly call him over to you for an interaction.  Then gently praise him and give him food reward when he comes to you.  Your dog is now being rewarded for his quiet behaviour.  * See stress signals to look out for below.

If this interaction kicks off the unwanted behaviour once again, repeat the instructions above.

Herbal remedies

There are some great herbal remedies that work brilliantly on dogs.  Although there is no substitute for proper veterinary attention where health is concerned, from a behavioural point of view where health is not an issue, natural flower essences are an asset when dealing with fearful or phobic dogs.

Try ‘ Dr Bach Rescue Remedy’ ‘, ‘Bach Mimulus’ or ‘Bach Rock Rose’ solutions are good options and can be added to your pet’s drinking water or food.  Available from most good health shops.

Note: The time it takes for your dog to calm down depends on his temperament and learnt behaviour.  With consistency and putting into practice these top tips every time there is thunder, fireworks or any loud noises that stresses your dog, soon he will learn there is nothing to fear.

Early warning stress signals to look out for

• Lip lick and nose licking
• Panting
• Pacing
• Sweating through the paws
• Whining/Whimpering
• Standing crouched
• Tail tucked under
• Creeping away
• Stiffening
• Dilated pupils
• Barking

Avoid touching your dog when he is in a highly aroused state, as he may mouth or bite due.

Today the media have been focusing on the issue of ‘how best to train your dog’ with traditionalists such as Cesar Milan advocating the use of hard line training methods to show your dog who’s boss compared to modernists such as Victoria Stillwell and Jan Fennell who focus on positive reward to teach a dog what is and isn’t wanted through calmness and consistency.

Last year I led a research study with 100 people (50 dog owners and 50 non dog owners) to see if there was a difference in the way owners and non dog owners interpreted dog behaviour and actions.  One question included the “You have to be in charge of your dog, or he’ll dominate you.” I asked respondents whether they considered this to be True or False.  Interestingly, 79 per cent of those polled answered ‘Yes’.  However, this isn’t the case.

The idea that all dogs are dominant and want to dominate us is simply untrue.  Studies show that often, when owners use dominant or aggressive behaviours towards their dogs to “show them whose boss” or to teach them that growling, mouthing, snapping is unacceptable; the owners are likely to cause escalation the dog’s behaviour.  Thankfully, more and more research is coming out proving that these forceful methods, in most cases, do not work.  A recent study led by Dr Rachel Casey from the University of Bristol, involved the study of dogs freely interacting at a Dogs Trust rehoming centre over a period of six months, and re-analysing data from studies of feral dogs.  Their research concluded that individual relationships between dogs are learnt through experience rather than motivated by a desire to assert “dominance”.  The study proved dogs aren’t motivated by maintaining their place in the pecking order of their pack.  As many of my behaviour clients know, what our dogs want is calmness, consistency and reassurance.

The idea of dominance has really become a popular over recent years, spurred on by the rise in dog behaviour ‘experts’ TV using and recommending confrontational methods.  Some of you may know that I wasn’t always a Dog Listener.  I spent nearly ten years working in television as a Producer while studying animal behaviour to qualify as a canine specialist.  So, I know how to make television programmes – what ‘looks’ good, how pull at the heartstrings of viewers and create dramatic scenes.  However, what may appear impressive on TV such as, pinning down a dog to show him ‘your in charge’ as favoured by Dog Whisperer Cesar Milan or rattling chains or shouting at the dog, as favoured by the trainers from Dog Borstal, often make unwanted behaviours worse.

Often when I’m called in to assist a client who’s dog is exhibiting unwanted behaviours, the client may have attempted to replicate what they have seen on TV in order to ‘teach’ the dog he’s done wrong.  While other owners have attended dog training classes, where owners are encouraged to shout at their dog or jerk them on the lead.  However, confrontational techniques like pinning the dog down, grabbing his jowls, blasting hooters or air sprays into his face, yelling at the dog, jerking him around or using choke collars as means of control, will make a dog anxious and stressed – often about their owner, and potentially lead to an escalation of aggression.  Dr Casey says, “The blanket assumption that every dog is motivated by some innate desire to control people and other dogs is frankly ridiculous.  It hugely underestimates the complex communicative and learning abilities of dogs.  It also leads to the use of coercive training techniques, which compromise welfare, and actually cause problem behaviours.”

So, how do you get a calm and responsive dog if not by dominating him?  Easy!  By understanding how dogs think, what motivates them, how they learn, how dogs communicate, owners can then begin to successfully train their dog and reduce down and even stop unwanted behaviours.  I use reward based training – praise, touch and food reward to get repetition of the good behaviour and teach ways of dealing with the unwanted stuff in a calm and consistent way.  Many owners ask me, “What’s the secret to successful dog training?”  My response, it’s understanding your dog, being consistent, managing your environment, and having a bucket load of patience!

If you’d like to know more about Hanne’s research, or find out more about dog behaviour and how to deal with problem behaviours, contact Hanne at hanne@doglistener.tv

Photo: Cesar Millan by Melissa

A new study has added weight to the growing evidence that dogs posses theory of mind, in other words, dogs are self aware and likely to perceive what we see and know.  This would allow dogs to take of advantage of us when the opportunity arises.  A classic example of this would be when we place that all important cheese sandwich down on the coffee table, turn our backs and the dog steals our lunch from under our noses!

Findings published in the latest issue of Applied Animal Behaviour Science presents evidence made by a group of researchers at Hood College in Maryland.   The researchers worked with 20 dogs to see if they gave the dogs the opportunity to take food from one of two containers (one container being rigged for sound), what would happen.

The containers were placed within proximity of a human ‘gatekeeper’ who was either looking straight ahead or not looking at the time of choice.  One container was silent when food was inserted or removed, while the other was noisy.  The vast majority of dogs approached the silent container that was being ‘ignored’ by the human.  Then the researchers adjusted the experiment to see how the dogs would react if the food container was noisy, but the human still ignored this, or if the dogs weren’t particularly quiet when grabbing the snack.

The scientists said “the dogs preferentially attempted to retrieve food silently only when silence was germane to obtaining food unobserved by the human gatekeeper.  Interestingly, dogs sourced from a local rescue centre evidenced similar outcomes.”  Shannon Kundey of Hood College said that this latter finding “conflicts with other recent data suggesting that shelter dogs perform more poorly than pet dogs in tasks involving human social cues.”

Such research suggests that food stealing skills are not necessarily learnt through repeated experience.  This sneakiness may have evolved in wolves, dog’s ancestor, and could have therefore have genetic components.

So, next time your dog nabs your dinner don’t be harsh on him – it’s no different from nicking that last French fries off your partner’s plate when he’s engrossed with the football on TV.

Many of my clients and puppy class students will often hear me discuss how their behaviour can impact their dog’s behaviour and this often through observational learning.  The idea that our dogs behave like us has been backed by research conducted in a collaborative project by biologists and psychologists at the universities of Vienna and Oxford.  The study has shown that dogs, like children, can learn through observation, which means they can mimic humans’ actions.

The researchers designed an experiment to test the theory that dogs do have “social” capacity to copy what they see, using a wooden box.  Ten owners showed their dogs how to open a sliding door, sometimes using their hands to push the handle, and sometimes their head.  In the first part of the experiment, five dogs, including three border collies, an Australian shepherd and a cross breed, were rewarded with a tasty piece of sausage for copying their owners’ actions.  The remaining five dogs, four border collies and a cross breed, were rewarded for not copying their owners method, but for using an alternative way of opening the door (using their paw having seen their owner use their head or hand).

The experiment was repeated with each dog hundreds of times and the time taken for a dog to copy the owners’ action, or ‘get it right’ on 85 per cent of attempts was recorded (17 out of 20 times).

Then, the second part of the test saw all ten dogs only being rewarded for copying the same way of opening the door as their owner had done.   The five dogs that had previously been rewarded for copying their owners reached the 85 per cent mark almost twice as quickly compared to the other five.

Researcher Dr Friederike Range, a cognitive biologist at the University of Vienna, said: ‘The dogs brought with them to the experiment a tendency automatically to imitate hand use and/or paw use; to imitate these actions even when it was costly to do so, when imitation interfered with the efficient performance of an ongoing task.’

Writing in a paper published today in Proceedings of the Royal Society, they concluded: “This suggests that, like humans, dogs are subject to ‘automatic imitation’.”

Like humans, dogs cannot help imitating actions they see.

The dogs break down what they see into an “order of elements in a novel sequence of body movements”, they explained.

Critically, “observation of each element automatically activates a corresponding motor programme”.

Going further, they said the results “suggest that the imitative behaviour of dogs is shaped more by their developmental interactions with humans than by their evolutionary history of domestication”.

Caroline Kisko, from The Kennel Club, says “The findings confirm what many owners and people involved with dogs have known for years.  A dog’s behaviour is influenced much like that of a child; through socialisation, learning right from wrong and adopting similar patterns of behaviour.”

Such research helps highlight the importance of dog owners understanding how their behaviour and actions can set good examples and positively influence the behaviour of their dog.