Confident Dogs

As much as I hate that my dog was put in this situation by an irresponsible pet parent, I am so proud of Max and his pet parent Pooja for following my programme to the T. There is no other way they could have managed this situation otherwise.

Max is a dog that was traumatised at a boarding facility by other male dogs bullying and getting into fights with him. He had severe reactivity where despite being a Beagle he would pull so hard and put his family in danger.

On days when I get overwhelmed with social media, trainers chasing viral status and the amount of quick fixes and alpha theory going around, messages like this are strong reminders to just keep one foot in front of the other and continue on this lonely path. For the dogs.

If you are struggling with your dog’s aggression issues and tired of short cuts on social media, DM me.

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wishes you, your dogs and your loved ones the happiest 2023!

Here are a few resolutions to help you take your relationship with your dog to the next level!

1. Get GOOFY and play with your dog.
Play is the only way you will strengthen your relationship with your dog. And get goofy - smile, laugh and get silly! All breeds of dogs can be taught to play. So get out those toys and play!!!

2. Understand what YOUR dog's rewards are.
Reward based training is often equated to food based training. But rewards can be toys, games, a walk, massage,excited voice, eye contact, petting and so much more! Spend time with your dog and start making a list!

3. Understand more about Canine BODY LANGUAGE.
Dogs are talking to us ALL the time and it is our responsibility to pay attention and understand what they are saying. Always get in touch with a behaviourist to correctly decipher your dog. Online content can be extremely misleading.

4. Get OUTDOORS more often with your dog.
Life in concrete urban jungles means that our dogs do not get enough opportunities to be their natural selves. Dogs love sniffing, exploring, free running, swimming and more. One of the most common root causes of behaviour problems in dogs is that of chronic stress. Hikes, treks, decompression walks are not only great for managing stress, but are also great bonding activities.

5. Be KIND to yourself.
As a care giver for our dogs we often tend to ignore our own needs. Take time off for yourself once in a while, go for a vacation without your dog, go out to movies, dinners etc. Spending time with dogs is so rewarding that many pet parents tend to avoid this. If you are not convinced yet, this also helps separation anxiety. Also do not compare your training journey with someone else’s. Be kind to yourself and know that if you are reading this today, you are doing the best you can for the BOTH of you.

Which of these do you already do with your dogs? Comment below!

Words cannot describe how grateful we are to you and your wonderful dogs. Your trust, love and support means everything to us and motivates us to do it better and do it right by each dog that comes our way!

Thank you for your patience, understanding and kindness when we did not live up to the standards that we should. It means the world to us!

Wishing you and your loved ones a very happy and prosperous new year!

Lots of love,

Before trying everything randomly to help your distressed dog from cracker noise, let’s first assess them.

If your dog can be easily distracted by toys, food, play or white noise their stress levels are low and you can easily manage them by altering their walk timings and drawing up the curtains.

Ear muffs, thunder shirts, holistic solutions like CBD or h**p oil, chamomile extracts all help with mild to moderate stress.

Please note that certain solutions/medications like homeopathy etc. need to be started much prior to the stressful event. Always check with your veterinarian.

When stress levels are too high due to your dog’s temperament or too much noise, we cannot neglect the physiological effects of stress in your dog’s body. While we see the pacing, drooling, shivering and other behaviourial responses there is a whole hormone factory working overtime in your dog’s body. This process was meant to protect them from actual dangers in the wild.

It is common for dogs to hide, reject food, become snappy, bark or show sudden behaviour changes. Your best strategy is to give them time, space, wait and not force them.

If your dog does not recover even after the crackers have stopped, then it is helpful to remove them from that environment. You can also speak to your veterinarian for holistic solutions.

Comment below or DM us for any further queries! Stay safe!

Wish you and your loved ones a very happy and prosperous Diwali💚

Dogs love freely but earning their trust is the foundation of your relationship.

How not to break the trust of your dog?
🚩Some dogs do not like hugging and kissing. Be mindful of how you show affection.

🚩Avoid activities and situations that cause them to be fearful or frustrated. The more you push them the more they stop trusting you. Dog parks, forcing them to like people, etc.

🚩Do not use punitive tools or methods in training them. For every ‘No’ you should be saying ‘Yes’ atleast 50 times.

How to earn the trust of your dog?
✅Do more of what your dog loves

✅Play with your dog EVERYDAY. They love to see your goofy side.

✅Give them opportunities to be a dog - be in nature, swimming, digging, rolling in grass, hiking, chewing, etc.

✅Give them the gift of time! Dogs need much more of your time than material things. So many pet parents feel that their dogs are not understanding their gestures of love. That's because dogs value quality time, purpose and companionship over materialistic things.

Try this - For every 100 rupees you spend on your dog via online shopping spend extra 5 minutes with them doing the things THEY like. Thank us later.

Leave a 💚 if you agree!

No dog is “fully trained” or “completely trained”. Yes! I said it! Some of the most well behaved dogs also have their days.

Even dogs that are selected through careful breeding and who go through rigorous training to be guide dogs/working dogs, still end up not meeting the criteria and not making it to their ‘job’.

And to think we expect soooo much from our pet dogs. Whose genetics we know nothing about and who have learnt undesirable behaviours while young or worse been traumatised.

I remember putting so much pressure on myself and Phoebe because of our profession and everyday sessions started becoming a chore. Until one day I just chucked everything aside and only did things that made both of us happy. Believe me it changed the whole game! And now we both look forward to working together everyday as though it is the first time ever!

All your dog ever wants is to be happy and enjoy your companionship. Dog training should enable and work towards this while keeping in mind the safety of your community.

Stop chasing perfection. Appreciate your dogs for who they are and focus on progress.

Does this resonate with you? Comment below!

I have been spending a lot of time recently reflecting on how far we have come. Where we started 10 years ago and how we have evolved and continue to learn and grow everyday.

Nevertheless one aspect of our training philosophy has never changed. We always aim to bring out the best in THAT dog without losing their puppy spirit.

Training should enhance the communication you have with your dog and the process should be so fun that they eagerly look forward to every play and training session with you. This is the only way to handle distractions and reactivity as well. And we have ensured painstakingly that each dog-pet parent team that comes to us learns this.

There is so much misinformation and over complicated information on the Internet and pet parents come to us with so much chaos and confusion, not to mention anxiety of whether they are doing everything right by their pet. Our approach is always to keep it simple, listen to our dogs and meet them halfway. But more importantly, to allow our dogs to be dogs!

Despite the many advancements in science and the boom in information online, there is SOOOO much work to be done in terms of busting myths. And if not us, then who?

If you have any question or topic that you want us to address on this page, comment below. It can be anything related to dog training and behaviour. No question is silly.

Here’s to many more happy, calm and confident dogs!

The more I talk to pet parents the more I realise that their dogs’ behaviour problems could have been prevented if they had chosen to come to us the day they got their dogs.

A puppy’s developmental cycle is way faster than a human child’s. Every week is crucial.

Training a puppy involves setting a routine, preventing separation anxiety, leash manners with and without distractions, preventing resource guarding, preventing dog to dog reactivity, socialising the right way and so much more!

Professional training is not just sit, down, stay and recall as it is wrongly portrayed to be! And YouTube CANNOT assess your dog or pup.

More number of dogs have turned aggressive to people or other dogs just because pet parents felt that it was not the right time to get a professional involved and now are spending tons of time and money in managing a problem that may take months and years to settle down.

Get professional help on day one. Better seek them out when you decide to get home a dog and prepare yourself!

Can you relate to this? Comment below!

Retrievers love picking up items around the house and have you chase them. Beagles pull hard on the leash and forget the world once they go outdoors and are enticed with all the smells. Indies start barking at the doorbell at just a few months of age. German shepherds lunge at cycles, scooters etc.

Sounds familiar?

These are not ‘behaviour problems’ but each breed doing exactly what their DNA is telling them to do.

Before getting a puppy it is important for us to understand the breed specific behaviour traits and plan their entire training programme accordingly. We channelise all these breed instincts into games and mentally stimulating exercises and can easily prevent severe behaviour problems like resource guarding and reactivity.

For example, by teaching a Labrador puppy how to retrieve and playing with appropriate toys from day one, you will prevent them picking objects around the house.

Start training early! Get a professional involved BEFORE getting your puppy and AVOID behaviour problems.

wishes you, your dogs and your loved ones the happiest 2022.

Here are a few resolutions you can take to help you take your relationship with your dog to the next level!

1. Get GOOFY and play with your dog
Play is the only way you will strengthen your relationship with your dog. All breeds of dogs can be taught to play. So get out those toys and play!!!

2. Understand what are YOUR dog's rewards
Reward based training is often equated to food based training. But rewards can be toys, games, a walk, massage,excited voice, eye contact, petting and so much more! Spend time with your dog and start making a list!

3. Understand more about Canine BODY LANGUAGE
Dogs are talking to us ALL the time and it is our responsibility to pay attention and understand what they are saying. Always get in touch with a behaviourist to correctly decipher your dog. Online content can be extremely misleading.

4. Get OUTDOORs more often with your Dog
Life in concrete urban jungles means, that our dogs do not get enough opportunities to be their natural selves. Dogs love sniffing, exploring, free running, swimming and more. One of the most common root causes of behaviour problems in dogs is that of chronic stress. Hikes, Treks, Decompression Walks are not only great for managing stress in your dogs, but are also great bonding activities.

5. Be KIND to yourself
While being a care giver for our dogs we often tend to ignore our own needs. Take time off for yourself once in a while, go for a vacation without your dog, go out to movies, dinners etc. Spending time with dogs is so rewarding that many pet parents tend to avoid this. If you are not convinced yet, this also leads to separation anxiety. Speaking of which if you are working with a severe behaviourial issue like anxiety or aggression,it can get quite hard on a daily basis. Be kind to yourself and know that if you are reading this today, you are doing the best you can for the BOTH of you.

Stay tuned! We have lots of exciting stuff planned for you!

Santa Paws Phoebe and wish you a holly jolly Christmas!

If your dog could ask Santa one thing, what would it be? Comment below!

would 100% ask for a beach that she can access all day😂

Your dog’s temperament is primarily influenced by their genetics and life experiences before they come to you and only then is it influenced by your relationship and environment.

In order to set puppies up for success a good breeder ensures that the puppy has good genetics - selection of the right male and female dog. Yes it starts there. The breeder also starts educating the puppy for the life it’s going to lead. Depending on whether the puppy is going to a farm, police squad, narcotics detection, guide dog for the blind or a pet home they start acclimatising them to all these experiences. Desensitisation to human touch to make grooming easy, monitored play time with litter mates and other well tempered dogs in their house to learn dog body language, socialization with people, sounds, surfaces, isolation training, toilet training and so on. All this before they are 8 weeks old.

So if you bring home a puppy that has no proper genetics and missed this education and has already learnt a lot of other unwanted behaviours then if you do not start training them from DAY ONE, you set them up for failure!

Due to bad breeding practises, puppy training has changed from being the traditional “sit, down, stay, retrieve, recall and heel” to a full fledged behaviour modification programme. Where we first assess the puppy and then fine tune the entire programme keeping in mind their breed, age, genetic dispositions and lifestyle of the family.

In simple words the purpose of dog training is to make your dog predictable and easy to live with. Wouldn’t you love to leave your dog offleash on a hike and not worry about them running off? Or enjoy your daily walks without them being reactive to sounds, people or other dogs?

Contact a reward based trainer BEFORE you get the puppy home, prepare your home and family for the puppy and then start the training on DAY ONE!

"When can I stop giving my dog treats?"

My answer - NEVER !

Consequences drive behaviour. If you remove the consequences that reinforced the behaviour in the first place, then over time reliability will be affected.

No animal (or human) will perform any behaviour merely out of loyalty. Disney dogs do not exist. Read that again.

However, we can definitely reduce the frequency of treats and predictability for our dogs over time. Along with that, find out what other rewards your dog likes and substitute them - car rides, going for walks, toys, games, petting, praise etc.

This also makes it fun and exciting for them - like lottery or slot machines at a casino!

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Wishing you a very happy and prosperous Diwali!

While we enjoy with our loved ones, do spare a thought about the animals on the street.

The crackers affect them the most. Allow them to take shelter in your building or parking lot. Please leave fresh water outside your gates for them. Stress causes thirst and they will search for water. Keep refreshing this so it does not collect dust or cracker residue.

Leave food outside in different locations everyday. Let them scavenge and eat when they are ready. Do not hand feed them and make them dependent on you.

Please keep a first aid kit at home to tend to injured or burned animals.

If you can, put collars and tags with your phone numbers on them. It's most useful when they get misplaced to another area.

Lastly, advocate for a noise free Diwali in your community. If not, encourage everyone to atleast clean up after they are done.

Stay safe everyone. Lots of love to all your doggies💚

Dogs are a privilege, NOT a right!

We CHOSE them to be a part of our lives. It is OUR responsibility to take care of their health - physical, mental and emotional.

Not providing an outlet for natural instincts or breed instincts is detrimental to their emotional health. Constant scolding or "correcting" them without teaching and reinforcing desirable behaviours makes them lose their trust in you. It also causes chronic stress and leads to behaviour problems like hyperactivity, anxiety, frustration, excessive barking and even aggression.

I see many pet parents complain that their dogs are not "well behaved" but do not spend even 2 hours with their dog on a daily basis. Without investing your time into them, please do not expect them to magically grow into your dream Disney dog.

Do you agree? Comment below!




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“One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say.” - Bryant H. McGill

When our dogs say that they don't like other dogs, are we listening?

When they say that they like ONLY their family and not outsiders, are we listening?

When they get overwhelmed in "pet friendly" places, are we listening?

When they do not like punitive training methods or equipment like choke chains and prong collars, ARE WE LISTENING?

If you said NO to even one of the above, you are disrespecting your dog. You lose their trust. And they will not see you as a friend or a partner. You will find them "stubborn", "reactive", "hyper", "disobedient" and what not.

Let's listen to our dogs first and then decide what's best for them, for us and for the community around us.

Did you know that the chances of a female dog getting adopted is significantly lower?

Yes, even in this day an age with the advancement of technology and veterinary care the statistics always suggest that more people opt for male dogs.

All the three dogs here belong to the trainers in our team and are adopted and are FEMALE! Sufi was adopted after she met with an accident on the road, Mishti is a foster fail and Phoebe was rehomed to me due to the family not able to handle her behavioural issues.

None of us have faced any specific issues raising these beautiful souls.

So if you have a sassy bitch at home, adopted or not, comment your dog’s name below and show everyone that they are no less!

***es

Dogs are always talking but ARE WE LISTENING????

Dogs communicate using body posturing and vocalisations. Not all of them are "bad behaviours". If you learn to listen carefully they are actually communicating. Address their concern and automatically these "issues" get resolved!

So the next time they are barking incessantly or toileting in the wrong place, ask yourself if you are listening enough!

Communicate. Don't dominate. Dogs are much cleverer than that.

In the picture are a pack of street dogs that used to charge at one of the puppies I used to train during the early days of my professional training. I spent a few days understanding what they wanted and we worked out an agreement and soon they started accompanying us on walks and never barked at us again. However their asking prices were too high. As you can see, they were the local thugs and very tough to please!

"I like dogs
Big dogs
Little dogs
Fat dogs
Doggy dogs
Old dogs
Puppy dogs
I like dogs
A dog that is barking over the hill
A dog that is dreaming very still
A dog that is running wherever he will
I like dogs."

- Margaret Wise Brown

Thank God for dogs! Imagine how dull and boring this world would be without them!!!!!




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2020 and 2021 were some of the hardest years of my life. I lost everything and was in a dark place for many months and had to find myself again and motivate myself to be my best version. Still learning and experimenting BUT what made me keep going is this doll face.

Dear Phoebe, Thank you for teaching me
to live in the present,
to find happiness with what we have,
to strive to be the best even when the days are hard,
to never give up on the people we love,
for waking me up on days where I did not want to even face my days,
to stick to a routine and be disciplined, assisting me in all my classes and working hard even on days where you were in pain but most importantly for loving me unconditionally and healing me with your love.

Watching you do all of this so effortlessly made me realise how we humans complicate life and how easy it would be if we could learn to live like dogs. This world will definitely be a better place.

Happy teacher’s day .

A common question people always ask me is "How does reward based methods work for "ferocious" breeds? Should we use choke chains or prong collars for safety?"

Firstly, breeds are not ferocious. They are evolved to do certain jobs. If that job requires the dog to display aggression, it becomes a part of their genetic makeup. Without proper handling and lack of early training these instincts can go out of control. Also, If you rely on a tool to establish a desired behaviour, what happens when the tool is not present?

The tool I use is the dog's brain. Creating neural paths and strengthening the learning by stimulating the reward centre of the brain and releasing dopamine. In simple terms - reward based training.

You don't have to be big, macho or muscular for that. Just have patience and respect for another species that trusts you so blindly.

Here's one of my favourites - Diesel - who was the King of focus. No amount of dogs, people or other sights and sounds would deter him from learning and training. He LOVED to work and we gave him what he wanted.

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Happy International Dog Day!

Today let us pledge to :
✅ Respect dogs
✅ Accept them for who they are
✅ Set realistic expectations
✅ Celebrate their uniqueness
✅ Learn more about their species
✅ Raise good canine citizens
✅ Be our dogs' voice
✅ Spend more time than money on our dogs!

But most importantly to never forget that WE CHOSE THEM TO BE A PART OF OUR LIFE! So it is our responsibility as a community to help each other in and !

And by doing so, YOU become a part of the solution. A solution to end animal abuse, cruelty, poor breeding practises, harsh training methods, cheap quality pet products, dogs being banned in public places and SO MUCH MORE!

This International Dog Day, pledge to be the advocate for all dogs. Be their voice.

We hold all our working breeds of dogs to the standards of a companion dog. That is such a disservice to them. That includes breeds like Labradors, Golden retrievers, Beagles, Poodles, Cocker spaniels etc. as well. Just because their temperament is pleasing to humans, it does not mean they were bred to be companion dogs.

While we all agree that a Doberman puppy grows up to LOOK like a Doberman. We struggle with understanding that their behaviour traits also are true to breed. It is absolutely normal for them to display territorial or watch dog behaviours.

So when we get a young puppy, we keep this in mind and condition and channel these breed instincts so these breeds are well adjusted to our society where they are expected to be simply companion dogs and not brought home to serve their original breed purpose.

Choose your breed wisely! And start training on the day you bring home your dog!

No monday blues when my job looks like this.

When I was working as a techie, mondays were a nightmare. I hated going in to work. Dont get me wrong, a lot of my friends love their jobs. It was just not what I wanted to do.

Thank God for dogs and pet parents like you!

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Dog training is ALWAYS a two way street.

Old fashioned dog training is all about controlling the dog, reward based methods teaches you to simply control what your dog wants and make them work for it!

When we work on a common objective AND give our dogs a reason to participate, "obedience" becomes a pleasant side effect.

Throughout the world working dogs are taught using games and play. It motivates them to do their jobs better and more efficiently.

Why should companion dog training be any different?

Happy Friendship Day!!!

What according to you makes dogs a human's best friend? Comment below!

What our weekends look like 🥰

Have a great one everybody!

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Dogs love us freely but earning their trust is the foundation of your relationship.

How not to break the trust of your dog?
🚩Some dogs do not like hugging and kissing. Be mindful of how you show affection.

🚩Avoid activities and situations that cause them to be fearful or frustrated. The more you push them the more they stop trusting you

🚩Do not use punitive tools or methods in training them

How to earn the trust of your dog?
✅Do more of what your dog loves

✅Play with your dog EVERYDAY. They love to see your goofy side.

✅Give them opportunities to be a dog - be in nature, swimming, digging, rolling in grass, hiking, chewing, etc.

✅Give them the gift of time! Dogs need much more of your time than material things. So many people we meet feel that their dogs are not understanding their gestures of love. That's because dogs value time, purpose and companionship over anything.

Try this - For every rupee you spend on your dog via online shopping spend extra 5 minutes with them doing the things THEY like. Thank us later.