Hope For Canines

Capturing behaviors, dogs and puppies offer MANY good behaviors throughout the day. Are you there to capture/reward them? When you catch your dogs offering or volunteering any behaviors, ask yourself: do I want to see more of this? Or less? Our timing is crucial, and using fear free and positive reinforcement helps the dogs to feel optimistic and safe about offering behaviors and trying again. From tricks to this useful skill (tucking in under human), can be shaped, learned and reinforced by simply observing, engaging with your dog, playing and rewarding a moment in time. So easy and fun- what are some of your favorite behaviors you shaped?

A late National Dog Day appreciation for all the working dogs out there helping us and making the world a better place.

The goofiest of boys, trying their hardest at being the goodest of good dogs.
Reminders for y’all facing pressure, setbacks, feeling stuck, guilty, not having enough time or a day did not go as planned. Everyone’s journey is unique, trust the relationship you have with your dog, you are a fantastic dog pawrent, doing your very best to love, care, learn, protect and survive in this world. A shoutout to all the doggies that guides us, loves us, forgives, teaches us, leaves paw prints on our heart and put smiles on our faces.

Out about town with these cute boys, learning and maintaining skills and etiquette is key for successful town living and city strolls. Navigating other dogs, passing people, new and scary things, crowds, leash pulling, loud sounds, distractions on the ground, it can be a lot of work, but we can still make it into a fun activity, mental enrichment and adventures for the dog and the human. For many dogs it’s their highlight of the day, for some it can be stressful and unpredictable. Always be kind and respectful, sharing the road and respecting personal space.

So many smooches, I am full of love from all the cuties I got to spent time with this weekend. Hope you all had loving moments and time to recharge with your furbabies. 🐾💛

From fighting and chaos to friendly and peaceful-these brothers were able transition the tension of intradog household conflicts to happiness for both four and two legged members. It’s important to understand that not all household conflicts are manageble and successful, the variables can be many and complex to why a situation is the way it is. In this case, we had difficult conversations and discussed solutions, expectation and limitations for humans and dogs. We used avoidance of triggering and high arousal situations. We had planned for prevention and management to set everyone up for success with drag lead, alternate walk schedule, resting areas and barriers. We also learned about body language when to interrupt, how to interrupt and what to teach as far as skills, replacing unwanted behavior with wanted behaviors that we could reinforce. We addressed the underlaying medical conditions. Guess what? We are in a much better place, as fights went from 6 times a day to 0! Great job! 🐾

It’s a balancing act… both working hard as assistant branch manager towards the Canine Good Citizen title, AND… working on self care and making most of those puppy days. Something tells me he is going to be successful no matter what 🐕 🐾

BARRIERS TO LEARNING – WHY SOME DOGS STRUGGLE TO LEARN

“My dog is stubborn, doesn’t listen to me, a slow learner, not the smartest, tries to be in control, will only do it at home, will only behave sometimes, is uncontrollable……” – these are comments that are often heard.

Just like us, dogs need the right kind of conditions to either be able to learn something new or to bring about a change in behaviour.

Dogs are not robots that can be programmed by a set of specific inputs that guarantee consistent results. They are individual, sentient beings that need to be understood.

If we’re feeling stressed, anxious, tired, over excited, too distracted, not feeling well, have no motivation etc. we will find it really difficult, if not impossible to learn something new, change our behaviour or change a habit. The same applies to dogs.

A dog’s emotional state, the surrounding environment, motivation, age (pups, adolescents, seniors) or any health issues all have a significant impact on their ability to learn.

If your dog is having a hard time learning something, look at these factors and see if there is a reason that may be preventing progress.

Maybe your dog is just having an “off” day, just like we do.

Try again tomorrow or next week and set your dog up for success by having realistic expectations.

Learning or changing behaviour takes time, patience, consistency, understanding and the right conditions.

Dog Play and Dog Interactions Learn how to read dog body language with this short video.

Awww they want to meet, look at their wagging tails ⚠️
A wagging tail is never a good indicator of your dogs emotional state.
It can simply mean their emotional state has changed, apart from happiness and joy, that can also include changing into a fearful, anxious, angry, confused state. Tail wags are not a good indicator when deciding your dogs (or another dogs) emotions.
I know this is controversial for some to hear but very few dogs are truly dog social....many are highly selective.
They may only like their own breed.
They may only like female dogs....small brown dogs...or curly coated dogs.
They may have their own unique preference.
They have (and are ALLOWED) their own social preference....just as we have our own social preferences.

Or they may just dislike any other dog outside their/your family and friends.

Encouraging dogs to meet a dog walking down the street (even with the best of intentions) can cause some serious issues. If your dog pulls you down the road at the mere glimpse of another dog, your dog is likely in a highly aroused emotional state. Allowing them to meet others in that state is habit forming and rewarding....so they WILL repeat it.
Other dogs can respond badly to over aroused dogs.

Why not just let two dogs meet ?
There can be lifelong consequences to "just letting them meet"
Reactivity and/or aggression.
Anxiety and stress
Injury.
A lessening of the strong bond they may have with you as they can no longer trust your judgement.
Why not take a bit of time and lessen the chance of these serious (and sometimes life altering) issues occur in the first place.

So.... meeting any strange or unknown dogs on a walk, JUST because there is another dog there is something I highly discourage.

However....
There are some circumstances where you may have to introduce dogs. So these are a few tips which have been written about before (separately) in graphics but I have squeezed them together for a clearer reference.

One of the biggest mistakes people make is only concentrating on their own dogs emotional state and not watching the rising stress in the other dog involved....
These cause those "Out of the blue" reactions....

They weren't out of the blue, they were just missed.

🔵Micro meetings are essential.
🔵Parallel walks are a must.
🔵Avoid face to face.
🔵Keep your voices light and happy.
🔵DON'T make a dog sit or lie down.
🔵Tension creates more tension so keep those leads loose.
🔵NEUTRAL territory....not your yard, your house or even your immediate area around your house....go somewhere else.

Biggest tip though (as mentioned) watch the body language of both dogs.....IGNORE the tail wags and watch the whole body and all the little tell tale signs given.

If it doesn't feel right...it likely isn't.
Trust your own intuition.

ALWAYS advocate for your own dog no matter how "friendly" you are told the other dog is.

Please respect that these graphics take time and effort to make. Everyone is free to share on social media🙂, however off social media use of these marked graphics is prohibited.
Unmarked graphics are available for $ 1.20 USD or $ 2 NZD each (approx), these are then able to be used off Facebook for client handouts, posters or for personal use.
Screen shots are a violation of the copyright.
Please visit ABC Dogs Patreon Shop for unmarked graphics. All graphics belong to ABC Dogs NZ and are under copyright.

It’s National Pet Day! Today (and every day), we are incredibly grateful that in good times and in bad, we can turn to our pets for comfort, joy and support.

Help HABRI celebrate by sharing our infographic, “Top 5 Benefits of the Human-Animal Bond”!
https://habri.org/assets/uploads/HABRI-5Benefits.pdf

“Meliorism: the belief that we can contribute to positive change and improve the world through acts of love, creativity, compassion and kindness”

We found a fun park art to jump through today. I love this picture because it reminds me of my heart and how my girl is being the center of it, full of life and love, leaping towards me, always and furever ❤️

https://eileenanddogs.com/blog/2012/08/29/does-your-dog-really-want-to-be-petted/

Does Your Dog REALLY Want to be Petted? - eileenanddogs Newsflash. Not all dogs want to be petted. But you wouldn’t know it from watching videos on YouTube. What you can learn on YouTube is that there are lots of dogs whose owners _think_ they are enjoying petting. But they aren’t. This is another one of those disconnects between dog and people lang....

Some great pointers for the multiple dog households people, consider this for visiting dogs as well.

MANAGING MULTIPLES
Having multiple dogs is challenging and time consuming.

This picture is of my 4 Schnauzers sleeping contentedly and peacefully together, albeit having their separate beds and space.

Pictures can be deceiving though, and this is certainly not always how it is.

Dogs don’t get to choose their housemates. We expect them to just get along with any other dog we choose to add to our home and are frustrated and stressed when this sometimes isn’t the case.

Just like people sharing a home, dogs certainly don’t always get along – at some time, there will be conflict and sometimes this can become a serious problem.

Different personalities, different needs, energy levels, ages, conflicts over resources, spaces, people, entrances, exits, health issues etc. are just some of the things that can lead to issues.

The importance of learning, recognizing and taking note of body language is so important, especially when caring for multiple dogs.

When we ignore the “whispers” of body language or simply don’t understand or notice, the whispers may soon become shouts or screams and we have missed an opportunity to manage and diffuse a situation.

Over time, sometimes just seeing the other dog becomes the trigger where initially it was only the specific circumstance or situation.

Prevention is always better than trying to “fix” a problem.

Being proactive instead of reactive is so important in managing multiple dogs.

Check out these sharp and fancy looking brothers! Yes littermates, so we got our hands full. After warming up at their speed and gaining more confidence by rewarding any good behavior, they blossomed quickly into curious and smart students. They learned sit, down, come so fast and did not want the session to end. Smitten by these fun boys.

Loving these adult updates from puppy clients. Keep up the good work! So proud of your progress!

“Success is 70% perseverance, 30% talent.
Happiness is 50% mindset, 50% gratitude. Creativity is 70% curiosity, 30% embracing failure. Effective communication is 90% listening, 10% speaking. Personal growth is 80% stepping out of your comfort zone, 20% reflection” -unknown

“A nice long walk, a comfy bed,
A squeaky toy or two.
A faithful friend, a patch of sun,
A good old ear scratch too.
Some extra treats, a space to play,
And peace the whole day through.
Whatever makes you wag your tail,
That’s what I wish for you”

-Bron

We are pretty much perfect, but still brushing up on some life skills in the world of therapy work, very close to the official “test”.
We have so much love and healing to give, and happy to share it with anyone who needs it. We can make you feel calm, comforted, seen, less stressed, feel joy, accepted, less alone, less sad, less judged, more loved.

Let’s appreciate all the doggies around the world and what they do for us ❣️🐾 .

“...in the moments between our first reaching out to an animal and when we finally let go, what we receive is riches beyond measures”.
-Suzanne Clothier.

Another Puppy STAR ⭐️ Award, starting off on the right paw. Congratulations to this handsome boy and mom. No, he is not bleeding, just a victim of some lipstick from his excited and proud mom kissing him as they completed puppy classes. Casper also knows a handful of cute tricks! We wish them good luck in the future.

Having a Reactive Dog is Difficult and Costly, Study Shows When dogs lunge, bark, and growl at other dogs or people, the dog is having a hard time—and so is their guardian. More awareness of this is needed.

Walking Etiquette 👌

Love when I get updates from past clients 🙂 This sweet girl is now a trained therapy dog, in this picture doing rounds at the airport spreading loving, calm and supportive energy to people.
This team started off on the right paw with puppy classes and continued training for Canine Good Citizen, congrats to Shadow and her humans.

How are you and your best friend starting off the new year? Have goals? Want to learn something new? Can your dog benefit for more exercise, mental enrichment and fun activities with you? Puppies and seniors, big and small, I am here for you all 🐕🦮🐩🐕‍🦺🐾🐶

It is such an honor when the resident cat decides to join the puppy training. This is a great way of building trust, calm and appropriate behaviors, especially in new situations when the dog and cat are still getting used to sharing the same space. Notice we have a leash on to prevent chasing. Learning and practicing fun and rewarding behaviors such as sit, down, stay, eye contact, name games, target, leave it keeps the puppy focused on the game and learning self control and to relax in the presence of kitty cat. It’s a good idea to start this with barriers such as x-pen and gates first to gradually adjust, keep in mind all dogs and cats are unique.

Thank you to each and one of you for the support, kindness and dedication to your dogs, and for trusting me to be a part of your journey. May 2024 bring you and your best friends immense joy, love, health and protection, along with unforgettable memories. Whatever your goals are, know that the struggles, tears and setbacks also comes with wins, change, love and success. Follow the paws to your heart, trust the relationship you share with your dogs, be proud, advocate, nurture and cherish the moments to make the most of life and the time with get with our pets.