CANINE carers at North-East kennels have called on owners to train their dogs after receiving 580 calls to rehome mischievous pets.

Research carried out by Dogs Trust Darlington has revealed that 61 per cent of owners of badly-behaved hounds have one pair of shoes destroyed each month.

More than 80 per cent of dog owners deny professional help to manage their pets, however the Dogs Trust charity has set up a Dog School to prevent more dogs being given up.

Dogs Trust North East head coach, Helen Kay, said: “Behaviour problems are a massive welfare issue for dogs.

“They are the most common reason for dogs to be relinquished to Dogs Trust Rehoming Centres –we had 580 calls in 2016 from dog owners looking to hand their dogs to Dogs Trust Darlington alone.

“Dogs Trust Dog School was set up to deal with this problem at the source. We want to give owners the right information and skills to be able to live happy and fulfilling lives with their dogs.”