The Dog Dynamic - Behaviour & Training

05/11/2024

🐾 Meet Lola! 🐾

Today was my first session with this lovely girl, and we focused on recall and engagement. Lola was full of enthusiasm, and she quickly picked up on the exercises, showing just how eager she is to connect and learn. Watching her respond so well to these foundational skills was a joy!

If your pup could use a little help with recall, engagement, or any other training, I’d love to work with you both. My approach is all about creating a fun, effective experience tailored to each dog’s personality and needs.

Message me to start building that bond and trust with your furry friend today! 🐶💥

04/11/2024

Remember Ruby the Chihuahua? She now has a sister, Queenie!
I gave some tips to help these two integrate well with each other and develop a strong and happy relationship
Adding a new dog to the family is not quite as simple as just letting them work things out.

Contact me to get your dogs to have a happy and harmonious relationship too!

[email protected]

01/11/2024

Does your dog love to sniff? Scent work is a fun activity that harnesses the power of your dog's nose to search and find a scent. It builds confidence, burns up mental energy and is great fun for dogs and humans.

We will be running an Introduction to Scent Work Course from Sunday 10 November to Sunday 1 December. The course will introduce dogs to finding the odours used in ANKC Scent Work Trial.

This is a group class, dogs do not need advanced obedience skills, but they do need to be comfortable around other dogs.

Places are limited and you can book at the link below. https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=19953262&appointmentType=70360789

16/10/2024

Check out how pleased with herself Gemma is after passing her Introductory assessment with ! She can now get a learners assistance dog jacket to wear when training!

09/10/2024

Teddy is going from win to win, when just 3 months ago she had never left the backyard of her previous home! She is becoming comfortable around people and dogs at a closer and closer distance and is becoming a pro at disengaging from triggers. Today we looked at some people playing tennis, some dogs in the dog park, and some people out enjoying the sun. She is happy enough out and about now to just lie down in some grass and chill out!
Absolutely proud to be working with this team. 🙌

01/10/2024

Huge Congrtas to Gemma and her awesome human for passing their first assessment with !

24/09/2024

Gus is a young Bulldog x, and like many bully breed types, he is actually a lover, not a fighter! Gus gets so overexcited and enthusiastic when he sees other people or dogs and as he is quite strong on lead, his owner contacted me to help with some strategies and training for when this happens.

23/09/2024

How cute is Sadie!? Sadie is a young Kelpie x Border Collie with bucket loads of energy! It's super important that Sadie's owner gives her appropriate outlets for her energy, but equally important to teach her how to chill out.

11/09/2024

🐾 Meet Sandy! 🐶 Sandy is 15 years old and has dementia, arthritis, and some anxiety issues as symptoms of these things.

Sniffing and enrichment activities like snuffle mats are perfect for older dogs—they stimulate their minds, reduce stress, promote self-confifence, and keep them happy and healthy. Plus, it’s a low-impact way for Sandy to get a little "brain workout" without over-exerting herself physically. 💪🧠

Not only does it help with cognitive function, but it also allows her to indulge in natural behaviors like sniffing and foraging, which is a great way to combat boredom and provide some mental stimulation. 🌿🐾

10/08/2024

Management is something of a dirty word in animal training. It is often viewed as a cop-out. It's something you do when you can't "train" an animal well enough. And there are a lot of discussions around how “management fails”, often as a means to discredit the use of management in behavior modification strategies. But the truth of the matter is that management is a key first step to behavior change in any species. This includes humans.

When we are trying to make different choices in our own life; such as eating a more balanced, and nutritious diet, the first thing we do is implement management strategies to facilitate those changes. We make sure to give away the foods that we know don’t serve our new goals, or stop buying them from the store. If we are looking to engage in less screen time we set timers and screen time limits on our devices. If we are hoping to spend more time engaged in exercise to benefit our health, we might sign up for a sport, work out classes, or even designate a gym buddy to go with us to encourage us to develop and maintain those habits. We utilize management in our daily lives to help us make positive changes, or maintain certain necessary behaviors. We pack a lunch the night before, so we don’t spend extra money on eating out. We set a budget to help us save for a rainy day, or a vacation. We set up management strategies in our own lives, and never think twice about it as a form of ‘failing to change behavior.’ We absolutely see it as a necessary and fundamental part of behavior change. Hell we have entire careers dedicated to “management.”

So why do we treat management solutions as a less-than option for animals? Why do we expect dogs, horses, or cats to simply change their behavior with out first modifying their environment to facilitate that change?

In learning the sequence of events is : Antecedent. Behavior. Consequence. This refers to how learning occurs with in the brain. That is that the antecedent of a behavior is everything from a cue (“Sit”) to the environment in which it happens, these proceed the behavior (the dog sits) which then prompts the consequence of that behavior (a reinforcer is given for the dog sitting.) In behavior modification the antecedents are often less about verbal or concrete cues, and more about the environment in which certain behaviors occur. A dog who struggles on leash with other dogs present, who over reacts and becomes reactive or presents with aggressive behavior, our first step to helping them is to stop putting them into situations where those things occur. This is management. We alter the environment (we chose to walk at low traffic times, or in areas with minimal others present etc) to better serve the dog’s learning to manage their emotional overload in a more desirable fashion. If we have a cat who becomes aggressive towards new people in his home, the first thing we do is provide that cat with a quiet , comfortable space away from company that he can be in to avoid perfecting his ninja cat attacks on our visitors. This is managing the environment to avoid rehearsing the undesirable behavior. Management is a vital part of behavior change, using it is not a failure to “Train the animal”, it’s a key component to ensure they are able to learn new behavior patterns.

05/08/2024

Meet Duke! Duke is a young Goldren Retreiver who came to me with separation distress. He was becoming so frantic and upset when left alone (even with his doggy brother around) that he had chewed these giant holes in the couch! 😱

A few months later though, with some adjustments to his lifestyle, vet support, and some dedicated training from his owners following the plan I set out for them, Duke is living his best life (and so is the couch) anxiety- free.

🥳

03/08/2024

02/08/2024

A huge congratulations to this team on passing their Intro assessment with ! 👏

It's been a bit of a journey over the last few months working out the best way to do things with limited hand function, and also untraining a few behaviours. 😆

It's such a pleasure for me to work with someone who has such an unfaltering "can-do" attitude and a willingness to give anything a go, regardless of the obstacles in his way. 🤩 he may be in a wheelchair, but he's still kicking goals!

A well deserved pass, and thank you to for assessing. Thanks also to Darlene for being a total superstar in supporting.

30/07/2024

Need Support?

Train your own Assistance Dog 🐾

✨Reach out to start your journey with Care Dogs & Co✨

Tasmanian owned and operated with 9 trainers statewide!

📸: Leith Young Photography

08/07/2024

Teddy is the most goodest, most fluffiest boy ever 🥰