The Happier Dog

Say "hello" to this beautiful kid, Jack🧡. So smart, funny and eager to learn. Best🧡 Job🧡 Ever🧡.

Happy Father's Day to you all!!

While it's tempting to use a ball launcher to keep an energetic dog entertained, too much of this kind of exercise can lead to unhealthy obsession. Dogs are naturally inclined to chase and retrieve – it stimulates their prey drive and provides athlete level physical exercise.

However, when pursued excessively, this can become an obsession, often leading to behavioural and joint issues. Dogs with ball obsession can become overly focused, engaged in constant anticipation and pursuit. This over-stimulation and anxiety can lead to negative impacts on their mental and emotional wellbeing.

Instead of solely relying on a ball launcher, consider a variety of exercises to keep your dog physically and mentally stimulated. There are over a dozen creative, fun, and effective ways to exercise your enthusiastic dog without causing them undue stress or obsession.

Want to learn healthy and effective ways to exercise your energetic dog? Join the Canine Principles Skill Hub, a training platform led by canine professionals committed to enhancing your pet's physical and mental well-being through tailored care, wellness play and exercise routines.

https://www.canineprinciples.com/subscription/skill-hub-membership

When considering the ethics of how we treat small dogs, it's crucial to take their growling as seriously as we would with larger breeds. This approach respects the emotional state and communication efforts of the dog, regardless of size. Growling is a clear expression of a dog's discomfort, fear, or stress. By acknowledging and responding appropriately to these signals from small dogs, we validate their feelings and provide them with a sense of security and understanding.

Ethically, it's important to recognise that all dogs, regardless of size, have the same basic emotional needs and ways of communicating. Dismissing a small dog's growl can lead to a misunderstanding of its emotional well-being and potentially exacerbate their distress. This can result in a dog feeling misunderstood, ignored, or not taken care of, which is contrary to ethical pet ownership principles that emphasise understanding and responding to an animal's needs.

Furthermore, by taking a small dog's growling seriously, we promote a more compassionate and empathetic approach to animal care. It reflects an understanding that a dog's behaviour is a reflection of its emotional state. Addressing the root cause of the growling, whether it be fear, anxiety, or discomfort, shows a commitment to the ethical treatment of animals, where their emotional and psychological well-being is given priority.

In essence, ethically responsible dog ownership involves recognising and respecting the emotional expressions of all dogs, big or small. It's about creating a nurturing and understanding environment where dogs feel safe to communicate their feelings, and where their signals are respected and addressed appropriately.

Looking at the why behind a behaviour is the best thing we can do for our dogs, and ourselves.

When we see behaviour for what it really is, we realise it’s not personal, just practical for our dogs at the time.

The Pet Professional Guild holds that all training should be conducted in a manner that encourages pets to enjoy the process, which will, in turn, lead them to become more confident and well-adjusted pets.
Discover more at: https://petprofessionalguild.com/

SENTIENT - NOT STUBBORN!!!

When animals just want to do animal things, it's not because they're stubborn, it's because they actually are animals! Not humans, not robots, ANIMALS!

Excellent dog trainers understand that the field of dog training is ever-evolving, with new research and techniques continually emerging. They recognise that each dog is unique, with its own set of behaviours, experiences, and learning styles, which means there is no one-size-fits-all approach.

This diversity necessitates a commitment to lifelong learning and adaptability. By staying informed about the latest advancements in canine psychology, behaviour modification methods, and training tools, they can provide the most effective and humane training for each dog. This openness to learning and evolving ensures that they can meet the diverse needs of dogs and their guardians, fostering better relationships and enhancing the well-being of the dogs they work with.

Their continuous pursuit of knowledge reflects their dedication to their profession and their deep care for canine welfare.

How dog are you?

Great post from Evolved Dog Training ❤️❤️

Today's challenge: count how many times you tell your dog "no" today, and compare it to the amount of times you tell them "yes".

"No" is confusing for dogs. We use it in all kinds of contexts: we say "no" when they jump on the counter, chew our shoes, p*e in the house, pull on their leash, bark at a stranger... for our dogs, this gets really confusing because we say it for so many different reasons. Words like "sit", "down" and "off" make sense, because we're telling our dogs to do something. But "no" doesn't make much sense - it could mean don't pull, get off the counter, stop barking, and so much more. Rather than telling them "no" and confusing them, find those "yes" moments and reward the behaviors you want to see!

Graphic by Dog Latin Dog Training & Lili Chin

A great reminder from Lizzy and the Good Dog People ❤️❤️

Our beloved canine companions experience a range of emotions, similar to humans. Dogs are capable of expressing joy, fear, anger, and love, which are essential to their social lives and relationships with us.

Their happiness is evident in their wagging tails and excited playfulness.

Fear can manifest in behaviours such as cowering, trembling, or avoidance.

Dogs may display anger through growling, baring teeth, or posturing.

Love and affection are conveyed through cuddling, gentle nuzzling, and seeking physical closeness.

Understanding dog emotions is key to fostering strong bonds, identifying their needs, and creating a harmonious coexistence. So, let's pay close attention and respond to our dogs' emotional cues with care and empathy!

Learn more about ethical dog care and training with your free Canine Principles courses. https://www.canineprinciples.com/free-online-dog-course

Let’s consider this idea that extreme dog behaviour needs more extreme methods for a little while.

It seems to be based on dogs who show aggressive responses needing a stronger hand. A firmer approach. Even counter threats.

First let’s look at what an aggressive response is shall we?

Aggressive responses happen as a result the stimulation of the nervous system.

The nervous system is a beautiful part of the physiology of all sentient beings. It works so hard to keep us safe. It’s like a very special friend to us and has kept us safe for so long. It regulates its own responses. It’s the reason we go into fight or flight response - not on our own, out of nowhere, but in response to a threat.

Dog and human nervous systems are very similar.

They both respond to threats and they both become dysregulated if they experience trauma.

Dogs who have experienced trauma might have very dysregulated nervous system responses.

These responses might be aggressive. They might not be.

Trauma doesn’t have to be big by the way. It can be just a dog losing control of their environment and getting scared.

To achieve safety in a dysregulated nervous system a dog needs to heal from the trauma that caused it.

We can think of internal trauma like a tightly wound nervous system that is at constant threat of snapping.

This is why some traumatised people may be defensive or even combative.

The dog who snaps more may actually be the most traumatised dog.

And the dog who needs safety the most.

This dog is the one who needs less training not more, for the moment anyway.

Because they don’t have the baseline of safety.

They don’t have a healthy and well-regulated nervous system.

They need to feel safe.

They need gentle care.

And educated understanding.

Can you imagine treating a traumatised child the way that some people treat traumatised dogs?

The world would be in uproar if someone did that on social media.

But people are doing it to dogs all the time.

In the name of training.

And building a vast crowd who are doing it too.

Because it’s the ‘only thing that works with aggressive strong dogs’

But it doesn’t work.

It’s victimising the biggest victims.

And that’s why it hurts so much to see it.

And that’s why educated people never meet force with force or threats with threats.

And that’s exactly why the dog trainer who can ‘make’ a dog do something by using intimidation, force, fear, prong, shock or just their presence…

Rather than working with a dog and meeting them where they are.

The dog trainer who silences dogs regardless of how they may be suffering.

That's the the worst dog trainer of all.

Here is one of the biggest mistakes I see clients making, they ignore good behaviour. I know they don't do it on purpose, because it's easy to forget about a really well behaved dog, but it's something we need to make an effort to remember.

Reward the nothing.
Reward the boring.

Otherwise, our dogs also learn they only get attention and treats when they misbehave and go crazy.

For example: You have a dog that loves people. You've been working hard on getting them to be calm around guests and for the most part, it's working.
A friend comes over and your dog is really calm, greets them for a second or two and comes back to you. Your friend exclaims "Wow your dog is so well behaved" and you go inside.
Your dog starts getting frustrated because he didn't get attention or praise and now starts nudging your guest only for your guest to push your dogs head away with their hand. Behaviour rewarded as a lot of dogs find this reinforcing. Your dog now gets excited because this is also how you play when you rough and tumble, he starts with some small jumps and escalates to big jumps which also leads you, mum or dad, to get some treats out and redirect the behaviour.

I see this happen all the time. Good behaviour gets ignored so often.

If this dog was rewarded with a treat scatter when he made the first calm greeting, he would have been thrilled and would have repeated that.

I see so many people work hard at loose leash walking, only for them to start ignoring their dog when the leash is actually loose. It's so easy to forget about a dog when our shoulder isn't being yanked, and that's the problem. A simple, "Good boy" and a treat for walking by your side and ignoring a dog behind a fence builds up a good reinforcement history which leads to them repeating that behaviour more often.

So.
This week, I challenge you to reward the boring behaviour, reward all the good behaviour you want your dog to repeat and watch them flourish!

Repost from last year♡

There are some great ways to prevent food aggression, but messing with, taking or putting your hand in your dogs food is not one of them.

The more we mess with our dogs stuff, the more likely they are to become defensive around it. Just like we might!

It's really important to know that if you walk a dog directly towards something that worries them, they are likely to react in a way that shows their concern.

Let's put ourselves in our dog's shoes for a moment…

We humans love all the fun, gifts, and relaxation, but for our pets? They might not be so eager to participate…

By empathizing with our dogs, we can start recognizing the things that stress them out or cause them to react.

And when we understand our dogs, we can better prepare the environment for them. We can keep them safe at all times. We can make sure that they are enjoying the holidays with us!

🔔 REMINDER: Less than a week left til our Surviving The Holidays webinar! We're going to share our top strategies so you and your pet can both enjoy every holiday season from here on out. Register today for only $17: https://petharmonytraining.com/holidays/

YES!! ALL BRAINS! Human, Canine, Equine, and so on.

This is something we have been sharing with clients for years. Feeling safe is EVERYTHING. Feeling loved is EVERYTHING.

Meet these needs FIRST AND FOREMOST and you create trust and an environment where your dog can not just learn but also shine. ☀️

This!!

Unlike humans, dogs have very limited control over their external environment, which can significantly affect their well-being and behaviour.

Dogs can't alter the noise level in their surroundings, choose their own meal times, or decide when to go for a walk. Their daily lives are largely dictated by the routines and decisions of their human companions, leaving them with few choices about where to go, what to do, and when to do it.

This lack of control can sometimes lead to feelings of stress, anxiety, and frustration. For example, a dog may become anxious if constantly exposed to loud noises but can't retreat to a quieter space. Similarly, a dog may display signs of stress if their routine is frequently disrupted without warning.

However, as dog guardians and primary caregivers, we can help mitigate these feelings of stress by creating an environment that caters to a dog's need for safety, predictability, and stimulation. While we can't give dogs full control over their environment, we can aim to understand their needs and preferences, and adjust their surroundings to make them feel more comfortable and secure.

Helping our dogs to feel safe is the most important part of being their guardian in this World.

Way more important than changing their behaviour.