Let Them Sniff - Canberra

22/12/2024

Some tips to help you and your dog have a harmonious Christmas together

05/12/2024

One of my favourite super high value treats to have on hand for emergency recalls are these little licky puree treats for cats. They are long-life so you can always have one sitting at the bottom of your treat bag so you are prepared just in case your dog does something amazing 👏

28/11/2024

Escaping the heat today ♨️

- Miley had a shady sniffari under the Himalayan Cedars at the arboretum
- Maggie went for a swim in one of the dams in Farrer Nature Reserve
- Prim and Rigby did some nosework and games under the lovely large shade trees in Eddison Park
- Baudie attended bravery school at the Stromlo Forest Park Memorial

30/10/2024

586 likes, 20 comments. “SHOULD YOU WALK YOUR DOG EVERY DAY? You can…But it’s not required for a fulfilled dog! In fact the classic dog walk around the block that is so accepted as an every day thing isn’t that common in my dog’s daily routine! It’s because there’s so many other more f...

18/09/2024

George: "Do I eat the whole thing... or?"

18/09/2024

Nothing happier than Possum in a pond 💕🐟

18/09/2024

Crashing over the mid week hump Baudie style 😎

18/09/2024

Iggy love ❤️

18/09/2024

Did someone say "Find it!"?

17/09/2024

17/09/2024

We'll be closed for in-person services
September 23rd - October 14th

22/08/2024

Treat!!

01/08/2024

18/07/2024

Baudie was joined by "confidence coach" Umi on his outing today. Sometimes it helps to have an older dog show you the ropes. It turns out that sniffing and exploring is actually a lot of fun. He followed her around like a bad smell, despite her disinterest in him 😅

18/07/2024

Incoming catch of the century!

16/07/2024

Custard hopes you are also enjoying the small moments of winter sun today

15/07/2024

⚠️ “𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘃𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱?!”

😅 I can not tell you how many times over the past 5 weeks a random member of the public has stopped me to inform me that my puppy is not fully vaccinated. I mean, I book the appointments, so really you’d think I should know 😉

😏 Let me tell you why I don’t really care.

🧠 A puppy’s first critical learning window is from the age of 3-16 weeks. During this time, they are making rapid and lasting associations between themselves and the big wide world around them.

❗️It is vitally important that we expose our puppy to a variety of novel sights/sounds/situations within this window of development in a fun and positive manner.

😱 For puppies that have negative experiences at this age, the lesson learnt will most likely be permanent and have an impact on future behaviour.

➡️ The best way to create confidence and avoid teaching your puppy to be overly excited by everyone around them, is to practice indirect exposure.

👀 This means going places where they can watch people and other dogs without meeting them face to face.

✅ As they watch the things going on around them you should be marking and rewarding them for calm behaviour.

🎈 The best experiences involve brief positive exposure to something new - sound/place/sight/sensation etc.

🏠 You don’t always have to leave your house to practice positive exposure.

💡You can set up a puppy safe obstacle in your backyard.

🎶 Play the soundproof puppy app during play and/or meal times.

🕵🏻‍♂️Have a friend or family member dress up in something strange.

👉🏽 You’re only limited to your imagination, but remember to keep these experiences brief and positive.

🎥 I have shared a stack of Maggie’s exposure experiences.

😬 At all of the places we have gone, my puppy was not riddled with canine cough or parvovirus.

🦠 One of the main reasons people avoid taking their puppy out until it has had its final vaccinations, is due to the fear that the puppy will contract a deadly disease.

💉 Don’t get me wrong, disease prevention should be a serious consideration, but when we act with common sense these risks can be managed.

✅ 𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘷𝘦𝘵

Your vet will be the one that is on top of outbreaks in your area. Ask them directly if they know of any suburbs that are best avoided at that time.

✅ 𝘈𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘥𝘰𝘨 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴

The dog park is an obvious one, but many public parks and ovals are probably being regularly used by dog owners. Depending on the local conditions, parvovirus can live in soiled areas for anywhere from a few months to a year.

✅ 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘷𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘴

Ensure your puppy receives the appropriate vaccinations at the right times for their development. If unsure, consult with your vet.

✅ 𝘐𝘧 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘵, 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘺.

Your puppy can still have valuable experiences from your arms. If you are out with your puppy and unsure whether it is safe, carry them.

🤒 While physical health may seem a more immediate concern for our puppies, we cannot forget that long term behaviour problems can also wind up having deadly consequences for some dogs.

👉🏽 Early positive exposure training during a puppy’s critical period is very important for their developing minds and future behaviour.

𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 - 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁.

➡️ The word socialisation gets thrown around a lot when talking about puppies.

🐕🐕 For many pet owners it conjures images of dogs playing with other dogs. For this reason I generally refer to early critical training as positive exposure experiences instead.

🙅🏽‍♀️ In all the places we visited, not once did I encourage Maggie to interact with other random dogs we encountered.

🐩 She has only ever met familiar dogs that we know and can control.

🤕 Not only are there big risks for disease transmission from dog to dog, but there is also the potential that your puppy could have a negative social experience.

🏠 When your puppy first comes home there should be a heavy focus on creating new and novel experiences, including taking them to places where they can safely view the world and all of the weird and wonderful things in it.

💪🏽 Bolstering our dogs genetically inherited traits with good training is super important.

🧠 We should be considering the effects of nature and nurture, rather than constantly asking ourselves which of the two is more important.

🙌🏽 Giving your puppy a variety of early positive experiences gives them the best chance at developing into an adult that will have the kind of mental resiliency to navigate the human world with minimal stress.

#𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐞

04/07/2024

Little Baudie has deemed the following:
🏍 - 👎⛔️
🦢 - 👎⛔️
🌊 - 🤔🟠
🧍‍♂️ - 👍✅️
🦆 - 👍✅️
🦆💩 - 👍✅️✅️✅️