TATE Animal Training Enterprises

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Port Macquarie, NSW
TATE Animal Training Enterprises

Professional Animal Trainers: Home consults, media animals, conservation detector dogs, our pets. Jen and Ryan have trained a myriad of animals across all taxa, from Leopard Seals to Squirrel Gliders and Penguins. Their Australian Shepherd, Ari, has the world record for most tricks in under a minute and their pigeon, Alf, is trained to find missing people. Ryan appeared on ABC's Catalyst, as their

expert dog trainer in a 2 part special on 'Making Dog's Happy'. They currently train dogs for conservation work, 'Dog Day Out' demonstrations, narcotic and truffle detection and film and television. This page is used to share their adventures along with free training videos for pet owners.

24/12/2024

On the way back from an important fire ant detection job, Bre thought meeting Santa was just as important for Dash and Maggie.
Wishing everyone a safe and wonderful Christmas with their family and and pets.

16/12/2024

The early bird, gets the worm. 🐛

Or in our case Ryan gets his flight to Melbourne to train sharks.
Steve, Candy and Maggie are out searching for fire ants.
Dave picks up scout and Rafa to look for biosecurity matter.

And Jen wakes early to take pups Kellie and Milo for an adventure!

Cicadas are loud, sun is hot, Summer is well and truly here. Have a nice day everyone!

14/12/2024

We had several breeders on the dog lovers cruise interested in adding our book to their puppy packs.
I’ve done some investigations and stocks our book and is available to purchase at a wholesale price.
Reach out to us if you are a breeder who is interested in giving your puppy owners the best possible start to life. It’s difficult to navigate the internet these days and find the unicorns of the breeding world. Always happy to follow and recommend the good ones and offer discounts to our online courses. It was wonderful to connect with so many over the past week.
✌️✌️✌️

02/12/2024

Who’s ready to go cruising?!! 🏝️ 🐶 ☀️ 🚢 🍹

Only 4 sleeps left until we board Quantum Of The Seas bound for Noumea!
Can’t wait to have a great time with everyone.
Yeoowwwwww! 🤙🤙

18/11/2024

Can ANY dog do detection work?

The short answer is that all dogs are capable of doing detection work. We are big advocates for every dog using its nose as a part of its regular routine: it is the very best mental and physical stimulation. This can be as easy as a scattering of treats to make your dog work for their dinner, or you can teach them to find a specific target - our scent course takes you through, step-by-step how to achieve this.

But there is a big difference between teaching a dog to find an odour and being able to work all day in the field with environmental distractions and the possibility of not finding anything at all, then have them be excited to do it all again the next day.

It’s no secret we’re biased to the working spaniel for field proficiency and enthusiasm.

Here’s why:

Spaniels are gundogs, meaning desire to use their nose is hard-wired into them. They have hundreds of years of genetics dedicated to sniffing prey to the benefit of their handler. This task is always performed at close range – traditionally within shooting range - which transfers extremely well to our work, where we want to be able to see them. The big pay-off for a spaniel when they find their target is a retrieval: shot game, for the hunting dog; a ball for our detection dogs.

The look of a spaniel is also good in the field when working around wildlife and livestock, which find them less imposing than more wolf-like working breeds. It is a body built for running all day, pushing through brambles and mud. In our experience, no breed works harder, longer, or with more enthusiasm than the working springer and cocker spaniels.

There are outliers to our general rule, even within our own team: some locations call for the sensible, steady approach of a Labrador; others the forensic attention to detail of a border collie; sometimes you want a Malinois on the job, because… Malinois.

There is an enormous genetic advantage to starting with the ‘right’ breed. However, their success in the field comes down to the individual mixed with the training and bond between handler and dog!

📣 This week we have 20% off our scent course! Use code “TWENTYSCENT” - link in bio!

13/11/2024

Both of us recently completed the CCPDT-KA which measures a broad range of knowledge and skills in ethology, learning theory, dog training technique, and instruction.

Highly recommend for anyone looking to continue testing their knowledge and gaining some extra quals.

Warm Regards,
Ryan and Jen Tate CPDT-KA 😜

11/11/2024

Morning routine with a puppy and kids.

I set my alarm somewhere between 5-6am (depending on what time I put Kelly, the puppy, to bed) so I can wake her up before she wakes herself up and starts barking.

I don’t pay her much attention at this point aside from a calm ‘good morning’. We just walk around the garden to let her stretch, wee and wake up. This morning was raining. I still walked with her because I don’t want her to feel indifferent when it comes to variable weather conditions. Thankfully it’s nice a warm. (10 minutes or so)

I then put her back in the crate for 5 minutes while I make myself a cuppa, organise a few things for school lunches, check on the other dogs. (10 minutes or so).
Going in and out of the crate at any given time has been a common practise since Kelly was 8 weeks. It makes parenting and puppy raising much easier if I can count on being able to put her in a space/contained location without manic barking if s**t hits the fan.

Now she comes out and we play. A bit of fetch, hide and seek in the garden, maybe some socialisation with the bigger dogs or a training session with dinner leftovers. (Roughly 20 mins).

This brings us to this photo. A tie-up exercise in the lounge room while I get breakfast happening. Kids are about to wake up. Puppy is happy and life is under control… for now!

***full disclosure***
Raising a puppy while managing kids, work life and your own sanity ain’t alway this easy. It took a few sleepless nights, early wakes, sitting/sleeping by crates to get here but from my experience, the time and effort you invest in the early days and weeks will set you up to have more time and less chaos down the track.

30/10/2024

Some more gold from the Alfie Archives!
I think we need another pet pigeon. (And another Ari 🥹).

These days a lot of people see pigeons as pests, but throughout the 19th century pigeons were domesticated and lived alongside humans, with the job of carrying important messages across battlefields. Next time you cross paths with a pigeon, throw him or her some love and respect. Although this video doesn’t really prove that point! 🤭pigeons are epic little animals. ✌️✌️

29/10/2024

Once upon a time we had a protection pigeon, named Alfred.

We miss you Alf!

28/10/2024

No more than 10%.

That's how much of the waking hours we allow and advise puppies have access to the established dogs in the household.

Why?

Rafa is an amazing puppy raiser, incredibly tolerant but you can see in this video the pup is pushing his buttons. We wrap this now and he will be happy to see her tomorrow.
The pups will remember and seek out where their fun and reinforcement comes from, we want the majority of it to be from their trainers and handlers, not other dogs.
The pups will never be independent adult dogs if they spend all their time following the lead of another dog.

18/10/2024

Meet Kelly everyone!

The newest, tiniest member of the Tate clan.

Dearly named after the late Mel Kelly who should have been with us in Western Australia chasing Phytophthora. Mel was an integral part of making a federal project happen that this little pup will be the first of many detector dogs for. The Landscape recovery foundation created the Melanie Jane Kelly Memorial Fund for trailblaizing women in conservation and we hope that’s exactly what this little girl will be, a trailblazer, learning from the dogs who came before her and really take the canine abilities to identify pathogens to the next level.

She is 11 weeks old and has the fearlessness of a lion and the playfulness of a Labrador.

Looking forward to sharing her journey with everyone.

13/10/2024

What a wonderful week with the department of biodiversity conservation and attractions die back team at the kings park and botanic gardens. The dogs had a rough flight over west and for the first time we were completely out of sorts on day one, but by day two they found their groove and were helping map die back, locate sick plants, clear tube stock and be blind tested hundreds of times on wild soil samples. Alice and Echo are really the test pilot, pioneer dogs that are already doing incredible work BUT the next generation of pups are just about to start their journey learning from all our mistakes and victories.
Watch this space!

01/10/2024

Wauchope Vet Puppy School IS BACK!

It’s been a long time coming but October marks the return of TATE in-person puppy school at 💃💃💪💪 🐶

Commencing Tuesday 15th of October 5:45-6:45pm for 4 consecutive weeks.

Ideal for puppies aged between 8-12 weeks but we accept puppies up to 16 weeks.

Topics covered: Training basic behaviours, tackling problem behaviours, independence, social skills, puppy management, resource guarding, on-lead walking, games, outlets and more!

COST - $160 for the course.

Contact [email protected] to book your puppy in.

24/09/2024

Dave, myself (Ryan) and the phyto dogs, Alice and Echo, spent today surveying for Phytophthora at sites that contain threatened plant species.

If this wasn’t a rewarding enough task in itself, we had Tim and Gandalf from the NSW Fire and Rescue join us to talk dog breeds and training techniques for invisible patchy target odours.
Gandalf is an 8 year old Lab who is an expert in finding small, residual amounts of accelerants such as petrol and methylated spirits that may have been used to start fires.

20/09/2024

Appreciation post for this pack of talented pooches!
The natural world is a better place because of you.
🌱 🐨 🌱 🌎

16/09/2024

Great to catch up with a bunch of old friends/colleagues tonight. 10 years between drinks for some of us! 😟
We are all currently working on koala conservation projects.
The future looks bright. 🐨 🌱

12/09/2024

Yesterday we had the pleasure of being invited to Parliament House for their ‘Threatened Species Day’ event.
Dash demonstrated her skills in finding endangered species, like koalas, while we explained the critical role detection dogs play in ensuring their protection and future.

Alice showed off her expertise in finding Phytopthora cinnamomi, a soil born pathogen decimating native plants and bushland.

Thank you to the hon. who recently announced a 1.3 million dollar ‘Saving Native Species Grant’ for die back detection dogs to be trained in WA, NSW and Tasmania. Healthy soil is needed to produce healthy habitats. Healthy ecosystems are pivotal for protecting all our native creatures.

It was a pleasure also to meet Dr Fiona Fraser as well as connecting with local MP’s who share a strong interest in environmental protection.

The dogs weren’t the only stars. They got to rub shoulder with tassie devils, quolls, shingleback lizards, woma pythons, earless dragons, corroboree frogs, an eastern bettong and a very loud and opinionated glossy black cockatoo. A species to only recently join the endangered species list.
📸-

07/09/2024

We walk through the bush and make our way into the forest. The trilling of cicadas is momentarily deafening but the longer we spend in the bush, the more we acclimatise to other sights and sounds. We spot a platypus foraging along the muddy river bank and hear the haunting call of a pair of glossy black cockatoos flying overhead.
We keep walking. I’m alerted to the sound of rustling leaves nearby and scan the ground in search of snakes. A huge goanna is sauntering through the forest floor. It sees me and climbs up a nearby gumtree. My trusty companion runs on ahead and stops at a Forrest Red Gum. She jumps up at the trunk where I can see distinctive scratch marks and then sits perfectly at the base looking at me, then looking up, then looking at me, then looking up. I follow her gaze and there she is. A koala and her Joey, quietly munching on leaves. All in a days work.

Koalas are an indicator species. This means their health and population trends reflect the overall condition of their habitat. As koalas are highly sensitive to changes in their environment, such as habitat loss, disease, and climate change, their well-being provides valuable insights into the health of the ecosystem. When koala populations decline, it often signals broader environmental issues that may affect other species as well. Therefore, monitoring koalas helps in assessing the ecological balance and in making informed conservation decisions.

Finding Koalas and being a part of a nationwide effort to protect them and save their habitat is one of our favourite parts of the job. Today on threatened species day we’re reminded of how important the job is to protect all species and how proud we are to be doing our best to make a difference.

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Port Macquarie, NSW
2446

Website

http://www.tateanimals.com/

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Videos

The Tate twins take on the spaniels! #dogtraining #dogsofinstagram #kidsanddogs

THIS is the most important ‘training’ a future detection dog can have. Why? Because having fun promotes confidence and an overall enjoyment for life. AND having that fun be with us, means we become Kelly’s favourite thing. Not other dogs at the park, not chasing birds, not running off to explore weird smells.A confident dog that loves being with us and learning new things will achieve great things in life!#dogtraining #puppylove #puppyplay #puppytraining #puppiesofinstagram #futuredetectiondog

Some more gold from the Alfie Archives! I think we need another pet pigeon. (And another Ari 🥹). These days a lot of people see pigeons as pests, but throughout the 19th century pigeons were domesticated and lived alongside humans, with the job of carrying important messages across battlefields. Next time you cross paths with a pigeon, throw him or her some love and respect. Although this video doesn’t really prove that point! 🤭pigeons are epic little animals. ✌️✌️#pigeons #animallover #dogsofinstagram #dogtraining #birdsofinstagram #carrierpigeons

Once upon a time we had a protection pigeon, named Alfred. We miss you Alf! #rockdove #commonpigeon #pigeonsrule #birdlover #lovethypigeon #protectiondsports #rayallen

Puppies and adult dogs

No more than 10%. That's how much of the waking hours we allow and advise puppies have access to the established dogs in the household. Why? Rafa is an amazing puppy raiser, incredibly tolerant but you can see in this video the pup is pushing his buttons. We wrap this now and he will be happy to see her tomorrow. The pups will remember and seek out where their fun and reinforcement comes from, we want the majority of it to be from their trainers and handlers, not other dogs. The pups will never be independent adult dogs if they spend all their time following the lead of another dog.

I’d never done this exercise before, the first time I took her in there she nailed every toy as quickly as she could, this was the second session where I put her under stimulus control, then the cue and obedience to odour takes over. Alice.. you are such and hard-working, honest, lovely dog. #detectiondogs #workingdog #scentgames #springerspaniel #tateanimals

This pup is such a delight to train. The sleep training has been a slightly different story.

I just LOVE this dog. Scouty 🤍Scout is a front-of-house biosecurity dog doing passive indications for food rewards 5 days a week. This retrieving exercise is a bit of fun and genetic fulfilment, I’m not sure who enjoys it more.#cockerspaniel #detectiondog #biosecuritydog #dogsPS Where did spring go?!

PLAY NOW… TRAIN LATER!! A very important part of training a successful detection dog….. (or any dog for that matter)✌️#dogtraining #puppylove #springerspaniel#havefun #bond #roughhousing #playnowtrainlater

Detection dog Alice politely persuading Costa to stop talking and give her the ball. 😅

Brolgas and Bromfield Swamp

For the birdo’s (and Tor), Whilst this may not be the most stunning visual of a wild encounter, it captures the raw emotion we all felt watching these brolgas fly in and bond through dance. (Videos were never going to properly translate the feeling and the raw beauty of this place.) The experience was made greater by sharing it with an older German man in camouflage, equipped with binoculars and a thick accent. He has been coming to this spot, every day, for the past 20 years to watch the brolgas come in at dusk. He said some days up to 1000 brolgas would make their descent into the swamp. We saw approximately 80 fly in, cannot fathom how spectacular 1000 would be! The Bromfield swamp is a shallow crater of an extinct volcano found in the Atherton tablelands. Lennox also spotted a wild dog hunting around the edge of the swamp, moving swiftly between the open paddocks.

Found this Salty resting underneath a bridge.

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Our Story

Professional Animal Trainers: Home consults, media animals, conservation detector dogs, our pets. Represented by One Management. Jen and Ryan have trained a myriad of animals across all taxa, from Leopard Seals to Squirrel Gliders and Penguins. Their Australian Shepherd, Ari, has the world record for most tricks in under a minute and their pigeon, Alf, is trained to find missing people and more recently, Taylor their Springer Spaniel is helping to locate injured Koalas across NSW in the current fire affected areas. Ryan appeared on ABC's Catalyst, as their expert dog trainer in a 2 part special on 'Making Dog's Happy'. They currently train dogs for conservation work, 'Dog Day Out' demonstrations, narcotic and truffle detection and film and television. This page is used to share their adventures along with free training videos for pet owners. @tateanimaltraining