DOG owners have been warned to sometimes skip a daily walk with their beloved pooch, and instead use the time for training games at home in order to improve their pet's wellbeing.

Canadian animal trainer Melissa Millett has a novel way of desensitising the cats she works with: she stages mock film shoots at home.

The channel, which is already available in other countries, will also feature programmes for dog owners, including shows by celebrity dog trainer Laura Nativo, who will provide tips on how to live better at home with a pet, as well as programmes that provide simple recipes for dogs.

It’s no surprise then that canine behaviourists and trainers across the country are flooded with calls to sort out issues related to socialising, separation anxiety, loneliness and aggression in pets.

The increasing demands for therapy dogs in the last year is prompting pet parents to train their pets as cuddlers."I called a pet trainer to train my dogs to help people in need.

‘It takes two minutes for someone to watch a short video on YouTube and purchase a shock collar with no knowledge of how to use them,’ said Ryan Neile, head of behaviour at Blue Cross.

“I’ve always had a crazy entrepreneurial mind,” he says, “and I’m a third-generation trainer and I’ve worked with dogs for more than 20 years, but I never put two and two together until that morning.”.

Kelly DiCicco, manager of adoptions promotions at the ASPCA Adoption Centre, says “there’s no doubt that the response from people across the country willing to open their homes to animals in need during this challenging time has been enormous and unprecedented.”.

However, it was also time for the working dogs ’ to shine, with a trainer revealing that one of the dogs she worked alongside actually detected her early-stage breast cancer.

Lavesh Mishra, a Delhi-based dog trainer, shares, “Generally, parents bring their pets to us at the age of six months for basic obedience training, and we keep hearing that most of them do not respond to the commands when they are back home.

Joe Collings Nutkins ,40, had been meaning to set up the course for a while, but as she has Myalgic Encephalitis (ME), which causes extreme pain and fatigue if not managed, and often needs to rest between playing and training her dogs, she had yet to find the time.

Best of buddies: working with the dogs helps many of the prisoners deal with their own past traumas I join in the second week of the 14-week course at North Kern, together with two dozen inmate students, head trainer Robert Villaneda and Skow.

Katie Rogers said she euthanised Tanner five years ago because he was a ‘bad dog’A dog trainer has been slammed as a ‘murderer’ after trying to explain why she euthanised her healthy pet.

I was surprised at Chitra Ramaswamy’s strongly worded condemnation of C4’s Train Your Baby Like a Dog (G2, 21 August).I think the programme was stimulating and interesting and showed positive results without talking to the baby like a dog.

This is a day to celebrate the importance of guide dogs and how they help people who are blind or visually impaired reach their personal goals of independence. It's also a way to honor all the paw-some people who dedicate their time, funds and love to creating guide dog partnerships.

A good trainer will use gentle, dog-friendly and progressive reinforcement means instead. But pet parents need to witness the training, so that they also learn how to train their dogs. Learning basic commands like ‘sit’, ‘stay’ and ‘stand’ is just the ABC of dog training.

Professionals in the pet-behavior field fall into four main categories:TrainersCertified Professional Dog Trainers (CPDTs)Applied Animal Behaviorists, Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists (CAABs) and Associate Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists (ACAABs)Diplomats of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (Dip ACVBs)Here are some frequently asked questions from pet parents who are seeking professional behavioral help for their pet:What are the differences between pet-behavior professionals?TrainersPet trainers use a number of different titles, such as “behavior counselor,” “pet psychologist” and “pet therapist.” The level of education and experience among this group of professionals varies greatly.

Static correction dog collars, like PetSafe’s Remote Trainer Dog Collar, are designed to interrupt and decrease negative behaviors, including your dog barking, running away, digging or jumping.

In response to the findings, Personal Trainer and Nutritionist Dan Osman started Doggy Bootcamp - an exercise regime to put dogs and dog owners through their paces – a way to get man and pup pumped in a tail-wagging workout when the weather gets chilly.