High Five Dog Training

Capri? Porto? Barthelona? No way, for those really in the know, Morristown NJ will be ✨ THE SPOT ✨ this weekend and I am stoked for what is sure to be groundbreaking and applicable content. Heading out on 7/12 back in the office on 7/15.

Problem Behaviors in Dogs: Things we have gotten wrong for so long. How anxiety has blinded us to frustration and why we have put too much focus on triggers.

Animal Behavior Consultants of Michigan Our goal is to prevent, treat and effectively manage behavior problems in companion animals to enhanc

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For all my current & future puppy clients-check it out!

Yes, The 'Puppy Blues' Are A Real Thing. Here's How To Cope. Experiencing these feelings is totally normal ― and no, it doesn't mean you hate your dog.

Just so proud to share that I have completed this course! It has been amazing, both in content & strategies and I feel it has really expanded my perspectives, approaches & toolbox as a trainer.

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I am not sure if this is a controversial topic or not, but it is something that has been niggling at me for a while, after regularly seeing posts along these lines in the positive reinforcement dog training community: “I don’t allow my dog to interact with other people and dogs, because I want to be the most reinforcing/fun/important thing in their lives”.

While I do completely understand the value in having a dog that wants to be with you more than anyone or anything else and that is certainly something I work towards with my own dogs, it is the idea of achieving this through the denial of other social contact that I find a little troubling.

The reason that this concept does not sit well for me, is that is reminds me very much of a couple of other trends in the dog training world, even the positive reinforcement community, which have generally been discarded and are now actually frowned upon. Have you ever heard the following:

Starve your dog before training to make sure he is food motivated
Crate your dog between training sessions so that training is the most fun he has all day

Yes, those used to be common practises in the dog training world before we switched to a more emotions and needs-based approach to working with dogs. I can’t help but feel that denying a dog access to other dogs and people in order to make them like us more, is very much the same kind of thing.

Of course, there are practical and safety reasons for not allowing our dogs to run up to every person and dog that they meet:
• Not all people want to interact with dogs
• Not all dogs want to interact with other dogs
• Dogs that are used to approaching every single dog or person they encounter may become frustrated if they are not able to approach, leading to reactivity
• The environment may not always be safe for your dog to run off to every person or dog

However, denying your dog social contact so that he only ever has fun or enjoyment with you, is in my mind a type of social deprivation for the sake of making our lives easier. While dogs are not human beings, I can’t help but think it would be similar to stopping a teenager from having friends so that they could not be influenced by them to go against your will or stopping your partner from having any social life outside of your home, just in case they met someone else they liked better than you!

If we want our dogs to be closely bonded with us and to choose to be with us, surely we can do this by putting more time, effort and thought into our interactions and relationship with them, rather than denying them any other social connections and interactions? Perhaps it means we will have to work harder to make ourselves more fun, to play more, to make ourselves more available, to deposit lots and lots of great experiences into our relationship bank account and of course to TRAIN for the specific cues we would like them to respond to – but isn’t our aim to enrich their lives and fulfil their needs as much as possible, not to find ways to exert as little effort as possible in order to satisfy our requirements?

Of course it is important to teach dogs to come willingly away from distractions and to cope with not always being able to get what they want when it may not be safe for them to do so, but does this really mean that our dogs cannot enjoy the company of other dogs, that they cannot ever play with other dogs, that they may never engage in greeting rituals with other dogs and that they can never be allowed to interact with willing people and receive attention and affection from them, IF this is something they enjoy?
(Of course, this should be the dog’s choice and some dogs may not want this at all and that is fine.)

Surely, we can find a way to allow our dogs to find enjoyment outside of ourselves, while still being the most fun and reinforcing thing to be around? Surely, we can be secure enough in our relationships with them to allow them to have a life that is rich in many ways and not only in our interactions?

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Dogs are more pessimistic if their owners use two or more aversive training methods - PubMed Domestic dogs are trained using a range of different methods, broadly categorised as reward based (positive reinforcement/negative punishment) and aversive based (positive punishment/negative reinforcement). Previous research has suggested associations between use of positive punishment-based techni...

Check out the "walk in a box" idea!

7am this morning and already nearly 20 degrees C outside. An early, shady potter for us today.
Whilst on the wander I plan the rest of the days COOL entertainment…. mostly resting I imagine.

We re in for a pretty hot week or two in the UK and many of us humans and dogs alike are not adapted to the heat. More dogs suffer from heat related injuries (mostly hyperthermia/ heat stroke) because of exercise rather than being in a hot car. But both are significant risk factors so we must be careful about both.
Walk early … or if it’s too hot already as it may well be for thick coated dogs, dogs with a fair amount of fat coverage / overweight dogs, brachycephalic dogs, dogs who just can’t go slow (such as pull hard on the lead) .. don’t walk at all unless you make plans to get up super early and only walk in shady places. Often it’s still hot at the end of the day too.

Choose grass over pavements unless you can guarantee shade. (If you don’t have a garden, take a large umbrella to carry to create temporary shade as you wander on local grass). Maybe visit a friend or neighbours garden instead of a walk. Or you go for the walk, collect some plants, twigs, leaves, feathers, sheep fleece etc and bring the walk home: my “walk in a box” idea. You can place the items you collected in a large low sided box or on a blanket indoors, or put them around your garden, and let your dog wander exploring the smells.

In an hour or two, our dogs will do a garden and house treasure hunt where we ll hide a few toys they ve not seen in ages, a few human friends socks and some treats in different places for them to find if they d like. I ll do this within an hour or two of their breakfast so they re not really hungry when we do it, otherwise they ll be more inclined to rush the game.

They ll probably choose to sleep for much of the day after that. I ll put out some damp towels on the hard floor / patio in shade in the hotter middle of the day, and if it’s really hot a couple in the vicinity of a fan. Then they can choose cooler lying places if they d like. We ll keep curtains and blinds down today so the sun doesn’t heat up the rooms.

We ll pop the radio on throughout the day but change stations - a period of classical, versus some soft rock versus some human chat. I might even pop on some rainforest or beach sounds for a while - relaxing for all!

After a smaller dinner, we ll probably do a little food based enrichment such as licki bowls and snuffle mats. Just bear in mind if your dogs hot and panting, to sniff and lick they can’t simultaneously pant so these “use your nose” games are definitely better at cooler times of day.

Avoid water play. For most dogs, jumping in and out of a paddling pool, “playing” with hoses or water pistols is far too arousing. They ll get too hot with increased exertion, and they may consume too much water - yes, water intoxication is a real thing where internal salt levels get dangerously low. Water in static hoses can get to almost boiling temperatures so if you do turn on a hose later in the day for your kids or garden, make sure you run it through safely away from anyone who get burnt.

Summer days can be just wonderful. And there are so many lovely places to visit including country shows or fairs and beaches …. But when it’s this hot, they re just not suitable places to take dogs too.

I hope you enjoy the beautiful weather, but mostly I hope your dogs stay comfortable and safe.

Proud to be an Licensed Educator with Family Paws!

Though it may seem like a fun thing for kids, dogs are NOT meant to sit on. EVER!!! Please do not ever encourage a child to sit or step up on a dog. This can cause pain, fear and conflict. All can increase the chances of a dog bite.

Is your dog “tolerating” what is happening in a situation? Or is the dog really telling them they're uncomfortable and want this to stop? We encourage families to observe their dog's body language so that they can understand what their dog is telling them.

How do I know what to look for if they’re uncomfortable?
❗Half moon eyes, your dog is leaning their body away from what is going on,
❗Yawning when they aren’t tired
❗lip licking

There are many body language signals that dogs display to us if they are uncomfortable, and even if they are enjoying something. Dogs use their bodies to communicate discomfort, stress and joy. Maybe they are happy and content and come over to you while you are holding your baby and get some pets, or they are happily wagging their tail with a loose body.

Recognizing how your dog uses their body to communicate is an important way to build and strengthen bonds.

High Five Dog Training updated their business hours.

I really do love my work with dogs with behavioral challenges and grateful that I was able to take this amazing course.

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Meat Roll Update Happy Howie’s complies with various food safety standards, and we take it very seriously. In the normal course of doing business, periodic compliance issues arise and are addressed to meet changing standards.

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"when used correctly"

"jerk up not back"

"their skin is thicker"

"it's not abuse"

"correct him now"

"just push him off"

"this goes around the neck"

"they will sort it out"

"well I tried it on myself and it didn't hurt"

"muzzle baiting"

"little tap"

"wait till he surrenders"

"just feels like a TENS unit"

"I only have to use the beep now"

"he only needs to see it"

"being dominant"

"gentle corrections"

"does this look like a shutdown dog to you"

"bit of pressure"

"it's just communication"

"guaranteed results"

"like a mother would"

"it's not harmful"

"nature is harsh"

"he needs to know he's wrong"

"top dog"

"this breed needs to know you're boss"

"do it because I said so"

"stubborn"

"it's just a rolled up towel"

"as hard as you can"

"you'll only need to do it once, if you do it right"

"using all four quadrants is science based"

"and then you bring your knee up into his..."

"PuReLy PoSiTive"

No matter what you call it or say about it, if it feels wrong it is.

Booking times for trainers are getting pretty nuts. We are doing our best, will try to get you in as soon as possible and can provide you with referrals/locator engines for trainers & consultants if our wait times are too long. Thank you for your patience & flexibility!

Pandemic puppies turn into problem pooches for many inexperienced owners Trainers nationwide are being inundated as owners try to address behavioral issues that coronavirus shutdowns exacerbated