Dog Training Newcastle

13/11/2024

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1 calendar = $30.00
2 for $50 ($10 off) - use code DRNBUY2
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We are taking calendar pre-orders now with deliveries expected early December 2024. Limited stock available. Order today to avoid missing out.

*Free shipping Australia wide

SPECIAL OFFER Buy 2 for $50 ($10 off) - use code DRNBUY2 BUY 3 for $75 ($15 off ) - use code DRNBUY3 BUY 5 for $120 ($30 off) - use code DRNBUY5 Introducing the 2025 Dog Rescue Newcastle Calendar—featuring adorable, adoptable dogs that need a loving home and a second chance. Each month showcases

12/11/2024

Here's something you may not have thought about:
When you take your dog for his annual vaccination, ask the vet nurse to scan your dog to make sure that:
(1) the chip can be found,
(2) that all your contact details on file for the chip are up to date.

It's also a good time to examine your dog's ID tag to ensure it is still readable and the details are correct.

This is an X-ray of a dog’s bent front leg. See that tiny white spec? That’s a microchip! It has migrated down the leg....far from where it was inserted, between the dog’s shoulders. This is actually quite common.....

When lost pets are scanned, the entire body SHOULD be scanned to catch any that have migrated. But, as an owner, IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY AT THEIR YEARLY VET EXAM, to ask for a quick scan to make sure that: (1) the chip is still working, (2) the location of the chip is good, and (3) that the chip info is correct.

Remember microchips save lives and reunite families with their pet.... just have it checked regularly!

30/10/2024

If your dog is itchy and you suspect a food sensitivity or allergy, your vet will probably suggest an _elimination diet_. Since the most common thing your dog is allergic to is a meat which they've been eating regularly, an elimination diet eliminates common meats and substitutes an uncommon meat.

The easiest elimination diet is to feed your dog Lyka dog food's kangaroo or goat variety. You order online and it's delivered frozen. I feed my dogs Lyka and they are thriving on it.

You can get 50% off your first Lyka order by using this link: https://lyka.com.au/join/fergus-29

For more information skin problems in dogs, send me a private message and I can send you a more detailed document.

23/10/2024

Getting a new dog? This article has good advice about how to help a new dog settle into your home. The most common mistake is taking things waaaayyyy too fast! Resist the urge to do too much too soon. Your dog needs time to rest, recover, and learn to trust you before you introduce any non-essential new experiences.

😱 Here are a 5 things NOT to do when you bring a new dog home:
1. Take him to a pet store.
2. Take her to the dog park.
3. Invite friends and family over to meet her right away.
4. Let him off-leash in a public place.
5. Leave him out in your yard unattended.

5 things NOT to do when you first adopt your dog I often try to remember back to when I adopted my first shelter dog. I was so uninformed and inexperienced back then. I had never adopted a dog before. I had absolutely no idea what to expect with an adult dog, especially not one who had a whole histo...

21/10/2024

Get your free, engraved dog tag if your live in NSW. First confirm that your contact details for your dog’s microchip are correct then use the link to get your free tag.

It’s vital that you don’t rely on a microchip to get your dog back if they get lost. The person who finds your lost dog CANNOT READ THEIR MICROCHIP! Do you expect a stranger to drive your dog to a vet to read the microchip? What if vets are closed? If council rangers have to get involved you could get fined.

Keep your dog’s collar with ID tag on your dog 24 x 7 to keep your dog safe.

If you miss out on a free tag, most pet shops have a machine that will engrave ID tags. Quick and easy.

📣 FREE ENGRAVED DOG TAGS FOR NSW RESIDENTS 📣

We want to help more lost dogs return home WITHOUT coming to council shelters.

So, we are giving away 1000 FREE engraved dog tags to dog owners who live in NSW. All you need is a microchipped dog with up-to-date microchip details. Limit of 3 tags per household.

🔹 Not sure if your dog is microchipped? Bring your dog to your local council animal shelter, and the staff can scan the dog for a microchip and check if the details are up-to-date. If not, the staff can assist you in updating it, at no cost. If the dog isn't microchipped, some councils offer free or discounted microchipping, but if not, it can be done at vet clinics for a fee.

🔹 Do you have the microchip number already and want to verify if it's up-to-date? Contact your council with the microchip number, your full name, address, and phone number, and they can check for you.

If you are a NSW resident and have already confirmed that the microchip is up-to-date (including your name, phone number, and current address), get your free engraved pet tag here 👉 https://bit.ly/free-engraved-dog-tags

This is a www.findmyowner.com.au initiative, proudly supported by the NSW Government.

12/10/2024

Emma’s young, new dog was sometimes a bit too boisterous for her older dog and it could escalate into fights. I advised her to call the dogs apart before they got too worked up when they were playing or barking together.

Rather than “correcting” your dogs, or getting stern or angry with them, the best way to interrupt undesired behaviour such as conflicts or barking is to do some training to teach each dog to come running to you when you call them.

Call your dog to you in a happy and fun tone of voice and reward them well with their favourite food or toy. You need to teach this reliable recall during training sessions before you can expect it to work when you need it outside of training sessions.

06/10/2024

Dog related links from Newcastle City Council.

04/10/2024

🐍 Follow this excellent advice to keep your dog safe from snakes.

It's that time of year when snakes are more active in Australia. The best way to avoid pets getting bitten is prevention.
- Keep grass short and gardens tidy.
- Block holes that snakes may use to access your home.
- Use rat (and snake) -proof chicken sheds and compost bins.
- Use a snake proof house-yard or dog-run outdoors on rural properties, or keep pets indoors when you can't supervise.

If you walk your dog off leash or on longlines through the bush, or areas where snakes are likely to be present, then you may consider 'Snake avoidance training'. This can be taught using positive reinforcement for a behaviour like "When you see a snake, return to me and nudge my leg with your nose". There is no need to use shock, force or fear.

Regardless of what training and prevention program you put in place, snake bites can still happen. Know the signs of snake envenomation (dogs may show one or more of these signs):
- Sudden weakness followed by collapse (even if the pet then seems to recover)
- Shaking or twitching of the muscles
- Vomiting
- Dilated pupils
- Blood in the urine
- Weakness or paralysis
If you see any of these signs, bring your pet into your veterinary clinic immediately.

If you find your pet with a snake and the pet may have been bitten, then have them checked by the vet just in case. Don't try to capture or kill the snake.

Pet health insurance is worth considering as snake envenomation can be life-threatening and often requires extensive treatment including anti-venom and hospitalisation.

23/09/2024

It's soooo very important to teach children how to behave respectfully around dogs. Many dogs will ___tolerate___ inappropriate behaviour from children but this doesn't mean it's ok!

One day, if the dog is feeling unwell, tired or stressed he may no longer tolerate it and will bite. Also, if a child gets used to risky handling with a familiar dog and then they try it with a less tolerant dog a bite can happen.

For the sake of the dog and the child, please don't let children
• lean on,
• lay on,
• hug,
• lift, carry
• corner,
• disturb a sleeping or eating dog,
• take a dog's food or toys,
• get in a dog's face

Dogs don't like it and one day they may not be so tolerant.

When you can't supervise young children around dogs, then separate them.

23/09/2024

I recommend that a dog wear a collar all the time, but the purpose of a collar is to hold an ID tag, not for walking. If you don’t like a dangling ID tag you can get an embroidered collar or a silicone tag. It is a legal requirement in NSW that all dogs must wear a collar with identification when outside their own property. For safety's sake, I recommend keeping the collar on 24 x 7 because you never know when someone may open your door or your gate and your dog will make a run for it.

If you’re worried about your dog being entangled or choked by his collar during play then you can get a break-away collar. Links in comments.

I always recommend the use of a harness (rather than a collar) for walking dogs. This is because when dogs get excited they tend to backup and then a collar can easily slip over their head. Another problem with using collars for walks is that when a dog pulls on the collar it causes serious damage to their throat, thyroid, eyes, spine and other delicate structures.

Another advantage of owning a dog harness is you can use it to transport your dog safely in your vehicle by attaching a seat belt tether to the harness. Never use a seat belt tether attached to a collar because in an accident it could snap your dog's neck!

22/09/2024

Unfortunately, applications for $40 desexing are now closed. But please check back regularly with Maggie's Rescue for when applications open again.
https://maggiesrescue.org/outreachprogram

$40 desexing for dogs through Maggie’s Rescue. This is a very good opportunity to ensure your dog doesn’t contribute to the dreadful situation of pounds overflowing with unwanted pets.

21/09/2024

Cesar Milan has set dog training back fifty years. Just when we were advancing science-based and force-free training he takes us back to the dark ages simply because of his TV platform.

BEYOND CESAR MILLAN

20 YEARS LATER.....The following review was submitted to National Geographic by Dr. Andrew Luescher, DVM, Ph.D, DACVB (board-certified veterinary behaviorist).

Dr. Luescher, former director of the Purdue University Veterinary Behavior Clinic was asked to provide feedback on "Dog Whisperer" tapes prior to the show's airing.

In this letter to National Geographic (date unknown), Dr. Luescher writes,

"I think this series, if aired, would be a major embarrassment for National Geographic. It is not stimulating or thought-provoking, since none of the presented techniques are new. They are outdated and have long been abandoned by most responsible trainers, let alone behaviorists, as inappropriate and cruel. I very much hope National Geographic will pull the plug on this program."

Please read the entire letter (It's not long.) and share: http://beyondcesarmillan.weebly.com/andrew-luescher.html

This program and trainers who have mimicked the behavior seen in this program have done so much damage to the dog training industry, dogs, and the human-animal bond.

I have met and spoken to Dr. Luescher personally, and I share his sentiments, as do all other trainers in the evidence-based, best practice camp. Meanwhile, much of the unsuspecting public still looks to National Geographic as an authority and has no idea it has thrown science to the wind, at least in terms of dog behavior and training.

Cindy Ludwig, MA, BS, RN, KPA-CTP, CPDT-KA
Canine Connection LLC
Willard, MO

Image copyright Valder Beebe Show, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Cesar_Millan_Mar_2018.png

18/09/2024

We control every aspect of our dogs lives. Think how much they would enjoy having some safe choices in their lives. Giving our dogs some choices such as where they walk and at what pace, who they interact with, what toys they have, cooperating with grooming, etc. is a simple and easy way to increase their happiness...and isn't that what we want for our dogs?

More ideas in this article by Dr Jen Nesbitt-Hawes

Today was a really enjoyable day! I dropped the kids to school, went on a trail run, voted in the local council elections, cleaned out the fish tank and the cat litter tray and got to work on my laptop. It may not sound that exciting, but there were two things that made this day particularly enjoyab...

12/09/2024

When your dog is doing something you don’t want him to do, instead of trying to tell him NOT to do it, ask him TO DO something else. You’ll find it much more effective and humane.

*instead* = a.k.a. DRI - Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible behavior, or DRA - Differential Reinforcement of Alternate behavior

09/09/2024

🛑 Singleton Residents who have cats or dogs.
Free Microchips
Free VACCINATIONS 💉
Free collars
Free ID tags.
🐶🐱
TOMORROW! Tuesday 10/9/24 at Singleton Council
12-14 Queen St Singleton from 10am til 2pm.

Take proof of Singleton residency but take proof of Singleton residency.
Check full details: https://www.singleton.nsw.gov.au/Experience/Events/Whats-On/Free-pet-microchipping-and-vaccination-day

08/09/2024

I’ve been training dogs for more than 10 years and this is the first time I’ve been bitten. As a trained professional I know how to read a dog’s body language, take simple precautions and not provoke a dog in order to minimise risk.

This happened due to a confluence of conditions:
* I wasn’t expecting any bite risk based on previous phone consultations about the dog. My mistake. Always be prepared for the possibility.
* Two dogs at the door when I arrived but I couldn’t see them through the security screen door to read their body language.
* Door was opened by a child not an adult and he didn’t know how to manage them. The adult in the house wasn’t available.
* Two excited dogs in a confined space, the doorway. Confined spaces are a risky because the dog can feel trapped and two dogs together can lead to redirected arousal.
* The main contributing factor which I learned much later: the boy stepped on the dog’s tail. The dog bit me because I was closest person.

What I should have done was stayed outside and asked the boy to put the dogs on lead and put them in the backyard or in another room until I entered and sat down. Then when an adult was available she could have brought one dog in at a time, on lead, to meet me. Lesson learnt.

07/09/2024

Like that other famous TV dog trainer, this guy is a fraud. He has no qualifications and was only chosen for the show for entertainment value, not his expertise.

Don't get dog training information from an entertainment show. Consult a dog training professional who is a member of Pet Professional Guild Australia or APDT Australia or the Delta Institute or ask me for a recommendation.

⚠️ 𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏 𝑫𝒐𝒈𝒔 𝑩𝒆𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 (𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒚) 𝑩𝒂𝒅𝒍𝒚

Yesterday, I received the following email from a researcher for the TV programme *Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly*:

"𝑀𝑦 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑠 (redacted) 𝐼 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑇𝑉 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑤 ‘𝐷𝑜𝑔𝑠 𝐵𝑒ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 (𝑉𝑒𝑟𝑦) 𝐵𝑎𝑑𝑙𝑦’.

𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑠 ℎ𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑛𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑚 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝑤𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑛𝑒𝑥𝑡 𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑘 𝑖𝑛 𝐿𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑎𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝐿𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑚.

𝑊𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑑𝑢𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑛 𝑇𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑑𝑎𝑦 10𝑡ℎ 𝑆𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑜𝑔 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑟 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑏𝑜𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑚 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑢𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑛 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑜𝑜𝑛. 𝑊𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑓𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑜 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑤𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑑𝑜𝑔𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑎 𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑝ℎ𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑒.

𝑊𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑑𝑜𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑛𝑜𝑛-𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑏𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑙𝑦 ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑔𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑠.

𝑃𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝑚𝑒 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛. 𝑂𝑓 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦’𝑑 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑐𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑎, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑎 𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑠𝑘𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑠!"

My first thought was to delete the email. I'm not a fan of Graeme Hall. I've watched a few episodes of his show, and in my opinion, he seems to make things up as he goes along, relying on outdated training methods.

However, I was puzzled. Was the “cravat” unwell, and they needed a stand-in? I'm a nobody – why on earth would they want to film me training a dog when there are so many high-profile trainers out there? Curiosity got the better of me, so I decided to give the researcher a call.

I'm still in shock as I write this. The researcher explained that they wanted to invite me to Lytham with my Border Collie to "demonstrate" to Graeme Hall how I would train my dog not to respond to a phone ringtone.

Graeme would then take my training method and use it to teach the Border Collie of the family seeking help – all while filming it for his TV show!

WTF 😳😳😳

I decided to dig a bit deeper and reached out to the force-free dog training community to see if anyone else had experienced something this bizarre.

It turns out that many trainers had also been asked to attend filming sessions to show Graeme how to train dogs before the cameras rolled. Most reported that they refused because of his methods, but a few had shown him and his team how to train a dog, only to be dismissed without any credit for their expertise.

I then did some open-source research on "The Country’s Best Dog Trainer," as the *Daily Telegraph* calls him. He has no formal training in canine behaviour or training. He’s essentially winging it with the help of whatever trainers are willing to show up and assist him.

According to his website, he charges £875 per session 🤔😧

Now I’m not someone who normally criticises other trainers. I prefer to let my clients decide if I’m the right trainer for them based on how I work with their dogs.

However, I couldn’t let this pass without making it public knowledge.

If you're looking for a dog trainer, please avoid this programme and this man. You have no idea whose techniques he’ll be using week to week, and given that most qualified and accredited trainers want nothing to do with him, the quality of training you’ll receive is questionable at best.

Instead, do your own research and find a local trainer who aligns with your own dog training ethics. Organisations such as The IMDT or APDT - Association of Pet Dog Trainers can help guide you to qualified & accredited trainers in your area.

𝑷𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒅𝒐𝒈𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒔!