Wisdom for Wags Dog Training

24/11/2024

If online dating was a thing for dogs. 🤣🤣🤣

24/11/2024

I am counting down the days to my next dog training conference.

This one is on Cooperative care training tasks, a topic that I believe is important to add to all companion pet's lives.

If you could make your dog's visit to the vets, groomer or rehabilitation centre less stressful and easier wouldn't you jump at that opportunity.

Cooperative care training tasks allows you to train your pup on tasks that the vet or groomer might expect of it during an examination or clip.

23/11/2024

This is Piper having an epic sniff of another pup's mat.

At puppy school we allow the pups to move around and sniff the other dogs mats without the pressure of the other pup being on the mat.
This allows scent transfer, so the pup knows what that Puppy smells like without the pressure of face to face greetings.

I have found this to be extremely beneficial for puppies who are anxious or nervous about direct greetings. They become more confident in approaching that Puppy later on in the class.

puppy

23/11/2024

Do you want your puppy to be a graduate of Wisdom for Wags just like Luna?

We have one spot left in our final Puppy Pre School course for 2024.

I would prefer a small to medium breed for socialisation purposes of the pups enrolled.

This course starts Thursday 12th December 7pm and is a combination of Thursdays 7pm and Sunday's 4-5pm.
🐶
If you or anyone you know has a pup and wants to give them the best start to life please contact Sam 0410 498 290.

22/11/2024

October Puppy Pre School Graduation

Congratulations to Winston, Bobby, Coco, Lola and Indy.

Such a wonderful group of puppies and guardians.

It was wonderful to see these puppies develop into close play mates. Their confidence grew with each interaction.

Well done to all puppy guardians for their commitment to the course.

🐶🎓❤️ 🐶

20/11/2024

I am sure most would agree that a few hairs on the ground are worth it for the gift of unconditional love from a dog or in this case dogs. 😉

❤️

18/11/2024

Over the weekend I have been inundated with Puppy Pre School enrollments.

At this stage, there may only be one other course to start before Christmas.

If you or anyone you know were considering attending one of our courses before the end of the year please contact Sam 0410 498 290.

bomaderry

15/11/2024

For those of you that share your bed with your beloved pooch you may relate to this post. 🤣🤣🤣

s #

11/11/2024

Tuesdays funny 😁

Dogs do tend to bring a sense of humour into our lives.

11/11/2024

November's Puppy Graduates 🎓

Congratulations to Ted, Boss, Indy, Peggy and Sona for completing their Puppy Pre School adventure.

The group were missing Peggy and Sona for the final celebrations at our Graduation class.

All puppies and their guardians had a great time getting to know more about positive reinforcement training. This group of puppies played very well with each other.

Well done to all for starting their Puppy off on the right paw. Giving clear directions and training to our puppies can take a huge amount of frustration and confusion away from them.

08/11/2024

Dog to Dog introductions

Have you ever heard of the 3 second meet and greet rule for dogs?

When meeting unknown dogs start with a 3 second meet and greet rule.

Below is a great post that I have shared on why the 3 second rule is important alongside great observations of body language.

Thank you Dogs Disclosed for such an informative post.

WHEN SECONDS COUNT

This post is not advocating that dogs meet every other dog, but about how to go about it, if and when it does happen, in a safer way.

The 3 second rule for dogs meeting each other is used as a guideline to help foster positive introductions, prevent either dog from feeling overwhelmed or trapped and prevent any potential reactivity and stress.

A short 3 second introduction is enough time to provide important information to both dogs.

Enough information for dogs to know – “are you a threat?”, “do I like you?”, “do I want to learn more about you?”, “do I really dislike you?”, “do I need you to go away?” etc. Both dogs may not feel the same way – one may not be happy to engage while the other may want to.

All interactions should ideally happen like this, not just initially. Just like us, dogs can have off days – things like pain, trigger stacking, lack of sleep or a host of other reasons can influence whether a dog wants to interact or not.

There are countless times I have witnessed meetings or introductions between dogs that have gone on just a few seconds too long and have not ended well. This can have long lasting effects on future behaviour when meeting other dogs.

Understanding body language is critically important. If we are going to share our lives with another species, protect them, advocate for them and help them feel safe, then we need to understand and respect their language.

The examples in this post of red and green flags are just a few general ones to look out for – there are many more and these will differ depending on the individual dog, context and circumstances.

Here are some resources and links to learn more about body language -
On Talking Terms With Dogs - Calming Signals, 2nd Edition by Turid Rugaas
https://www.dogwise.com/on-talking-terms-with-dogs-calming-signals-2nd-edition/?srsltid=AfmBOoqj8ruQJx5bCP7qWb03TqCyAGfmAvCj988UuWk_L1_UHbYcZsES

The Veterinary Behaviour Centre
https://www.heska.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/TVBC-Canine-Dog-Body-Language-handout.pdf

Make sure those first 3 seconds count – they can make all the difference.

07/11/2024

Puppies and young adolescent dogs explore the world with their mouths.

Anything in their sight is considered an opportunity to mouth or chew.

Sometimes this exploratory behaviour can become unintentionally reinforced by the pet guardian chasing them to retrieve the item.
This then turns the behaviour into a game of chase for the pup which will then encourage them to seek out items to initiate play.

Managing your pups' environment is a great way to prevent them from practicing unwanted behaviours. Anything they should not have access to should be put away. Create a safe environment for your pup where it has ample opportunities to chew appropriate chewtoys.

You should also teach your dog a 'Give or Drop' Cue for when they have things in their mouths. This is a much better behaviour than wrestling the item from their mouth.

teachyourpuppy

06/11/2024

Puppy Pre School Graduates 🎓

Congratulations to Bear, Otto, Max and Luna.

All puppies and their guardians did a great job at learning their new skills.

It was wonderful seeing their confidence grow with their play interactions.

All the best with your puppies in the future. 🥰

🐶

25/10/2024

Looking for somewhere to take your beloved dog for a Santa photo? 🐶🎅🤶

The local Animal Welfare League is holding its annual Santa photo fundraiser.

PLEASE NOTE
Please ensure that your dog can cope with this event before taking them. If they are anxious of people, other dogs or new places it may not be the right environment to take your dog.

IT'S BACK!! Our annual Christmas Pet Photo Shoot fundraiser organised by Vinny Cannon - Ray White Nowra is back on Saturday 16th November so make sure you pencil it into your diaries!!

A big thank you to Vinny and Innovisuals for their time and support!

24/10/2024

Today whilst out walking Jenga a thought came across my mind. 🚶‍♀️🐕

How motivated would I be to go for a walk if I didn't have a dog?

Give me a thumbs up in the comments section if your dog is one of the main reasons you get out of the house and exercise.

24/10/2024

Introducing August.

August just recently completed his Puppy Pre School journey.

Can anyone guess the two breeds that make up this beautiful boy?

23/10/2024

October Puppy Graduates 🎓

Congratulations to August and Sadie for being little stars in our recent Puppy Pre School program.

August and Sadie were always so excited to see each other. They had similar play styles and loved romping around the floor with each other.

Both dogs did an incredible job learning their new behaviour skills.

All the best with your puppies. 😊🐶🌹

🐾