Calm, Confident Canines

If your dog is terrified on walks and you don’t have a yard, consider a balcony or porch potty.

House Training Success on a Balcony or Patio - Santa Monica Dog Coach I’ve had great results coaching puppy guardians on using real or artificial grass pads for house training.

There’s nothing natural about being alone for dogs.

Separation related problems are so distressing for both the dog and their people and helping a dog who struggles with separation is a long, slow process.

When we bring a dog home it is important to help them feel safe and secure in the home and with us and only then gradually start teaching them that alone time is nothing they need to stress about.

This can be time consuming and awkward to start as it means organising life so that the dog does not need to be left for extended periods before they are ready.

The time put in during these early stages is absolutely worth it, however - helping a dog who has developed separation related problems can mean a long time of the dog not being able to be left, and working on helping them to feel comfortable in very small increments (seconds at a time to start) takes a lot of work and effort.

Dogs with big feelings are a lot! Go easy on you.

Think about it from your pup’s perspective.

RECALL: Barkworthies and Best Bully Sticks Green Tripe treats! Possibly contain metal shards.

TDBBS LLC Recalls Green Tripe Dog Treats Due to Potential Foreign Metal Object Contamination Richmond, Va. - TDBBS LLC is voluntarily recalling 3,551 bags of Green Tripe dog treats due to the potential presence of foreign metal objects in the dog treat. The recalled product was distributed between February to May 2024, and sold nationwide in retail stores and through online mail orders. T

Summer is here. Protect your dog’s paws!

Summer is HERE 🔥🥵🐾
Stay cool! ✌️🧿
And know how much I LOVE the sound of breaking glass if I see a dog in distress😉

So true.

I know a Shih Tzu who does this. Do you have a dog that “fronts” on their height?

DO LITTLE DOGS TELL BIG LIES?

As people, we are likely completely unaware of the actual content and intention of the many messages left by dogs when they urinate.

“Pee mail” messages allow dogs to communicate their size, social status, health, gender, age, reproductive status & even their current emotional state.

This is conveyed through pheromones present in their urine, which other dogs are able to read and interpret.

Urine marking is generally a very “honest” and accurate scent-based message, but little dogs may have found a way to make this less accurate and less honest by aiming much higher than would be expected.

Many male dogs prefer to mark vertical surfaces. Releasing urine as far above ground level as possible allows air currents to carry their “mail” much further.

The higher the marking also makes it less likely that another dog will mark over it and delete or dilute the original message.

Although this is mostly seen in male dogs, I have a female miniature schnauzer that consistently performs really impressive handstands against vertical objects to p*e at the park, often losing her balance and falling flat on her face in the process in her attempt to mark as high as possible.

Maybe her less than trim and slim body shape plays a part in her lack of balance.

She avoids conflict or interaction with any dog that is bigger than her probably due to her being attacked by a big dog some years ago.

I believe she is telling “lies” about her size to avoid conflict, interaction and to tell dogs bigger than her to stay away – “I am bigger and stronger than I look”

Have you noticed your little dog telling “lies”?

GREAT advice!

How many times do we see someone say not to comfort a scared dog because it will reinforce their fear? This is an incredibly damaging myth, and one that will not help your scared dog at all.

Fear is an emotion, not a behaviour, and it cannot be reinforced in the same way as a behaviour can. That's not to say that how we respond can't have an effect on the dog's fear - it's important to sound and remain calm and soothing - but emotions cannot be reinforced simply by offering comfort to the scared dog.

Behaviours that we reinforce to encourage them and make them more likely to happen are the result of a conscious choice by the dog. That is how positive reinforcement works - the choice to do a particular thing results in something good, something the dog likes or wants. That could be an extrinsic reward like treats, fuss, or a toy, or an intrinsic internal reward such as being able to carry out a natural behaviour that is self-rewarding for the dog.

Emotions like fear are not based on conscious decisions. Fear is not something the dog chooses to feel. Something has triggered the dog's survival instinct, their survival mechanism, and the dog's body and brain leap into action to protect the dog from this thing.

It doesn't matter if the thing the dog is scared of is a real threat or not - for the dog it is perceived as a threat and it's important for us to help them, whether that is getting them more distance from what has scared them, or providing comfort and attempting to help them to feel safer if more distance is not possible (for example fireworks, thunder, or gunshots) or we can't see what is triggering the response.

A scared dog is not being silly or trying to be awkward. They are scared and in survival mode. They need empathy and understanding, and it's up to us to provide those for them.

Be patient with your pup. They’re usually doing the best they can with the information they have.

If a dog is repeatedly not following a cue, it's important we don't decide they are being 'stubborn'. Dogs are not stubborn because they choose to be.

It may be that they haven't actually learned the cue properly.

They may be feeling unwell.

There may be distractions in the environment that mean they can't concentrate and respond to the cue.

The reward on offer might not be motivating enough for them in that moment.

Look at the environment for distractions, look at the coaching history to see if the cue has been fully established and proofed in the wider world, and look at the value of the rewards you are offering.

Science doesn’t support the idea that spaying or neutering is actually beneficial for our dogs, but it’s very difficult to find that information. US dog welfare organizations and the veterinary community pressure dog owners into accepting castration (medical term for spaying and neutering) as mandatory when in reality they’re serving their own agendas, not what’s best for our precious companions.

There’s a lot of good info in the article, below, if you’re interested in educating yourself.

“Because of the often repeated belief that neutered dogs are less likely to be aggressive, many dog parks, apartments, and dog boarding kennels, require that pets that use their facilities be surgically desexed. The picture in Europe, however, is quite different. A Swedish study found that 99% of the dogs in their sample were not neutered. A Hungarian study showed 57% intact dogs, and a British survey found 46% intact dogs. In fact it is against the law to neuter dogs in Norway, unless there is a specific medical reason.”

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/canine-corner/202404/spayed-and-neutered-dogs-show-more-signs-of-aging?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR15PZrVMFGjeqB3uIl6sb9DRAwg3F_C6N8d9t8LhWTEgu6sPjOwf4I6GXc_aem_AYIJ9eExpUbuWMIG96MDHxLCr-3kHB3Xz2jgSJ0oOko2d1xa0KAQtqfjVXjSPFGusHbpavmy2pMHfY7o1qSQpAJ9

Spayed and Neutered Dogs Show More Signs of Aging Desexing dogs doesn't control aggression but exposes them to physiological risks.

“SPD is caused by an infection, not a poison, and most cases in California are caused by trout, not salmon. “Dogs in Southern California usually become infected after exposure to raw trout, specifically trout that has been caught for sport fishing in local lakes, or water used to rinse raw trout,” Karen Ehnert, director of veterinary public health for the Los Angeles County Department of Health, said in a recent health advisory.

“On March 22, 2024, an emergency veterinary practice in Pasadena, in Los Angeles County, reported four cases of Salmon poisoning disease in dogs that had become seriously ill,” Ehnert said. The dogs were hospitalized and all survived the illness. Each of the dogs had been exposed to raw fish fished from lakes in San Bernardino County, Orange County, and LA County.”

Dogs Are Contracting an Illness From California Lakes and Rivers Dogs Are Contracting an Illness Called Salmon Poisoning Disease From California Lakes and Rivers

Children under 10 are the most common victims of dog bites.

An important post we had to share for ⚠️
・・・
As our children grow, it’s important to teach them the skills to interact with dogs safely. And, petting dogs is one of those skills to teach properly. We like kids to learn the phrase “one hand enough, two hands too rough!” from an early age.

When a child puts two hands on a dog, even if the interaction begins gently, it can escalate to rougher petting, grabbing, or hugging very easily. Teaching kids to pet a dog with one hand on the dog’s shoulder or back at the closest point relative to the child (i.e. NO reaching over the dog’s head or back) is a safe option and even something we adults can remember as well.

Remember to keep interactions brief and allow dogs plenty of opportunities to say “no, thanks!” (for kids and dogs!)

Dogs are constantly communicating their feelings to the world.

Are we paying attention?

Continuing the Bite Prevention Week theme.

Children represent a massive proportion of reported dog bite cases. These pictures, selected from a massive library of similar stock photos of children with dogs, show some of the reasons for this.

Humans like physical contact. We're generally huggers, particularly with a gorgeous animal like a dog - that soft coat and gorgeous faces just look perfect for a hug, especially to a child.

Dogs are definitely not like us in this way. True, there are some dogs who may enjoy cuddling up with their people, and even like or don't mind hugs. One of my dogs is very much in favour of physical contact. Importantly, however, it is only with the people he chooses. The ones he knows and trusts.

Kids often cannot read canine body language. The signs are here in the photographs used of a tense and unhappy dog, but the children in these pictures can't see and interpret them.

It's up to us as adults, whether parents, dog caregivers, or both, to make sure that we are educated on canine body language and can see the signs of stress.

That we make sure to advocate for the dogs so that they are not put in this position.

To make sure that the children around us are educated and taught about the likes and dislikes of dogs.

To stop putting children and dogs into potentially dangerous situations for the cute photo or video (the videos of babies propped up against dogs make most behaviour professionals shudder because that is so not fair on either species!)

Let's be fair to both dogs and children and use education and understanding to keep children and dogs happy and safe together.

💯 agree. The lack of socialization, or lack of effective socialization is behind a lot of reactivity, anxiety, fear, etc.

Socialization is only effective when the puppy or dog enjoys it.

Socialization that ends in triggering or trauma can be virtually impossible to undo.

When you leave the house, does your dog lose their mind?

Tools for Addressing Separation Anxiety - Balanced Dogs The relationship between a dog and their human(s) will do more to lower anxiety and build a dog's self-confidence than any other single factor.

Worth a re-share.

“If your dog was trained, you could just tell them to sit and be quiet!”

This is not how reactivity works. It’s a fundamental misconception that a well-trained dog is not a reactive dog … or that a reactive dog is not well-trained.

Whether or not a dog is reactive tells you nothing about the amount of skill training they have received. A dog can *both* be able to perform challenging and complex behaviors … and have intense responses towards certain triggers.

Skill training cannot always overwrite a dog’s emotional state. A dog may be able to “sit and be quiet” with food distractions, while you’re throwing a toy or even in the presence of wildlife … but not be able to do this at all in close proximity to a trigger.
This is really important to understand for both owners of reactive and non-reactive dogs:
If you own a reactive dog, your dog is not missing “obedience training”, as reactivity is not a lack of obedience … it’s a surplus of stress.
If you do not own a reactive dog and think that reactive dog owners just don’t know how to train their dogs to behave … that is also not true. The dogs are *not* poorly *trained*. The dogs are *feeling* poorly near triggers.
Reactivity (or lack thereof) and skills (or lack thereof) are not inherently linked.
There are …
💙 Reactive and very well-trained dogs
🩵 Non-reactive and very well-trained dogs
💚 Non-reactive and poorly trained dogs
💛 Reactive and poorly trained dogs

Don’t discount a reactive dog as one who just didn’t get trained … the topic is much more complex than this.