Happy Dogs

18/09/2025

Tackling reactivity yourself?
✅Stop using low value rewards.
They don't help at all.
High value rewards is where the real "success" lies.
What causes your dog to salivate and do "anything" for?

That's your superpower.
Use it.

✅Successful families know this will take time.
Reactivity is not your "typical" training.
Emotions require effort and consistency to change.
If you don't see it this way, you will become frustrated and your progress will be stalled or lost (your dog knows exactly how you feel!).
Worse, you will push your dog too far too soon in the "hope" they can cope.

✅Take a good hard look at your dogs stress.
Their baseline stress matters enormously.
Look critically at why they do what they do in your own home and keep an open mind to just how anxious your dog could actually be.

✅Sleep.
Very underrated and so critical to success.

✅Your home environment matters.
Is it hectic?
Always something happening?
Children coming and going and a bit "chaotic"?
Your dog does not need to be in the midst of it.
Right now they shouldn't just "fit in" to the chaos.
They need rest, quiet and some true down time.

Look at all these areas.
That's hard to do for many people as it requires making change and change is hard.

If change isn't made?
Reactivity just won't get better.

17/09/2025

12/09/2025

Balanced trainers often tell us positive trainers that we should “find middle ground” and be more open to their methods.
Here’s the thing though, this isn’t just a difference in style, like choosing between Coke or Pepsi. It’s a difference in ethics.
Using pain, fear, or intimidation in training crosses a welfare line.
Asking for “middle ground” on this is like asking people who oppose child abuse to compromise with those who use it. If you believe something causes harm, you can’t ethically meet halfway on it.
We can absolutely have conversations about goals, science, and effective teaching. But “compromise” only works when both sides agree that the other’s tools are safe and humane—and that’s exactly where we don’t agree.

Decades of research in animal behavior show that aversive methods may suppress behavior in the short term, but they come with risks: increased stress, anxiety, aggression, and damage to the human–dog bond. On the other hand, positive reinforcement not only teaches dogs what to do but also builds confidence, trust, and long-term reliability.
Meeting halfway on the use of pain and fear would mean ignoring what science and welfare tell us

NO actual POSITIVE TRAINERS would ever be willing to cross that line!

31/08/2025

If you’ve ever felt like dog training advice is one big game of “he said, she said,” you’re not imagining it. TikTok says one thing, TV trainers another, your neighbour has their own opinion - and meanwhile, your poor dog is left trying to keep up with the mixed messages. No wonder dog guardians feel overwhelmed - and dogs end up confused too.

Here’s the truth: the dog training and behaviour industry isn’t regulated and a lot of what’s out there is still based on outdated myths. And when we follow them, our dogs often pay the price. Let’s take a look (and myth bust) three of the big ones:

✨ Myth 1: You need to be the Alpha.
Your dog isn’t plotting a household takeover. They don’t want the mortgage, the Wi-Fi password, or the car keys. What looks like “dominance” is often anxiety, confusion, or simply needs that aren’t being met.

✨ Myth 2: A wagging tail always means a happy dog.
If only it were that simple. A wag can mean joy, sure - but it can also mean stress, uncertainty, or “please give me space.” When we slow down and read the whole dog, we can catch the full message of what they’re trying to say.

✨ Myth 3: Bad behaviour = bad dog.
Chewing, barking, lunging, growling… these aren’t acts of rebellion. They’re coping strategies. Your dog isn’t “being difficult.” They’re doing the best they can with the tools they have in that moment.

👉 The shift?
Dogs aren’t problems to fix - they’re partners to understand. Partners who are constantly communicating with us - if we’re willing to listen. When we drop the myths and meet them with compassion, everything changes.

Because it's not about winning or losing, or competing for status with our dog. It’s about understanding, trust, and finding a way forward together.

So, over the next two weeks we’re going to bust a few more dog training and behaviour myths. Because the gift of clarity isn’t for us - it’s actually for them.

With calm, care, and a whole lot of heart,
Sarah 🐾

28/08/2025

Happy Dogs - Come join one of our group classes starting in September!

Doggie Manners Starting Saturday 6th & Sunday 7th September 9 - 10am $480 8 week course Bangalow Public School Would you like your dog to have better: Recall, impulse control, calmness around dogs & ability to walk on a loose lead? This course is for you!

24/08/2025

Upcoming group classes;

Puppy Class
Saturday 30th August
🐶 2pm or 3:15pm
🐶 5 puppies max per class
🐶 for baby puppies 8 - 15 weeks
🐶 must have proof of first vaccination
🐶 located at Petcare Byron Bay Pet Store
🐾$285 for 5 weeks

Doggie Manners
Saturday 6th / Sunday 7th September
🐶 9am -10am
🐶 6 dogs max per class
🐶 choose Saturday or Sunday
🐶 for any dog over 3 months old
🐶located at Bangalow Public School
🐶 Class themes:
- Calmness / focus on you around other dogs
- Recall /come when called
- Bed games/ relaxation
- Impulse control/ self control
- Loose lead walking foundations
🐾 $480 for 8 weeks

Tricks & Agility Prep
Sunday 7th September
🐶 10:30am - 11:30am
🐶 6 dogs max per class
🐶 for any dog over 3 months old
🐶 beginners class with more advanced options
🐶 Builds on skills learnt in Doggie Manners
🐶 Teaches easy tricks like waving paw, perch work, leg weaves
🐶 Teaches fun agility obstacles like tunnels & jumps
🐾 $480 for 8 weeks

Scent Games
Saturday 7th September
🐶 10:15 - 10:45am (30min class)
🐶 4 dogs max per class
🐶 for any dog over 3 months old
🐶 Beginners class with more advanced options
🐶 Class themes:
- Calmness around dogs / new environments
- Teaching dogs to smell & search with permission
- Builds confidence, resilience, optimism, grit, drive, motivation
- Strengthens the bond between dog & human!
- Great for dogs with some anxiety, fear & reactivity
🐾 $240 for 5 weeks

Crate Games
Saturday 7th September
🐶 11am - 11:30am ( 30min class)
🐶 4 dogs max per class
🐶 For any dog over 3 months old
🐶 Bangalow Public School
Class themes;
- Teaching dogs to LOVE THEIR CRATE!
- calmness around dogs / new environments
- Impulse control - self control
- Door manners
- Teaching a solid “Sit - Stay”
- Ignoring distractions
🐾 $240 for 5 weeks

20/08/2025

Fear ➡️Reactivity➡️ More Fear… the cycle continues.

That person walked away or backed off after the bark.
Excellent result....for your dog.
It "worked".
Those barks and lunges "made" that threat back off or move on.

It can also work in a different way.
When we remove them.
When a dog is barking or lunging (oh that word always looks so wrong written down)...but when we remove them, the same connections can be made.

The reaction got the desired result.
Why wouldn't they repeat it !

It was reinforced.
They got the distance from something they were very unsure of.

What is reinforced will be repeated.