The Holistic Hound Dog Training

21/11/2024

Me: fills up water bowl at the park, using all the water I had left in the car

Bane:

20/11/2024

🖤 Ferris - The Big Man 🖤

No one is immune to the peaks and valleys of raising a dog through adolescence.

You have probably heard that dogs will go through different periods as they mature and you should expect your dogs behaviour to change throughout this time - this much is true.

Navigating fear periods, exposure to the world, ensuring social interactions are positive and safe learning experiences on top of functional training & relationship building is a lot already, but throw hormones into the mix and you've got a volatile little party!

Interestingly, Ferris is right in the middle of some big changes and is reaching social maturity it seems, and I've observed some interesting behaviour lately...

> Increased energy (excess energy and normal activities were not wearing him out as they were before)

> Increased skin sensitivity/discolouration/itching & chewing

> Increased hu***ng towards Glory (despite her not being on heat) and sometimes us - rude!

> Retaliation towards Glory (she told him off for coming too close to her toy - standard in our house, I monitor it heavily, but it was the first time I had seen Ferris puff himself up in response to that)

> Overtly dominant behaviour towards our other male Bane (7 year old entire male) particularly with what Ferris considers "his" (eg. my bedroom, my bed, me - areas that Ferris frequents and Bane doesn't) - including posturing at/over him, resting his chin on Bane's head/neck/back, reluctance to allow Bane space/movement, body blocking Bane when he tries to snuggle with me, overall obnoxious behaviour

> Risk taking with 1 other entire male (outwards reaction in response to the other entire male posturing over him - the first time he has ever responded in any way other than playful/indifference)

> Change in body language when interacting with males - particularly other entire males - his stance is less "hey i'm just a happy pup lets play" and more "ok.. who are you and what are your intentions..."

Originally, I thought that the skin/increased energy had something to do with food/gut issues - however, I have adjusted his food, his stools have been 10x better, but the energy still remains (he had cytopoint for skin, so I guess we can only ignore that now..) - BUT with the additions of the behaviours popping up over the last 3 months too, it just seems like too big a coincidence for me and it makes sense that he is having a fluctuation in hormones/testosterone, and is socially maturing at this time (he's 2.5 years old currently).

When it comes to Ferris, no one need worry - luckily, most of these behaviours I've already started to target and all the bad behaviour is now being managed/corrected. As with any change in behaviour - I've reduced his freedoms in situations I think it's necessary and am ensuring I can enforce training when needed and really guide him through what is appropriate and what's inappropriate in each context. This will just be a hump in the road that we carefully ride out until he is settled in who he is as an adult dog and understands his place a bit better.

But! I did want to take this opportunity to mention that

> It's totally normal that between about 4-5 months and 2.5-3 years you will see lots of changes in your dogs behaviour (I'm talking males here today) - some of it as a result of hormonal changes, growth stages/changes, some of it due to fear periods and their individual experiences with exposure/learning about the world. Some of it is simply testing of boundaries! (fun). This is totally normal. It's not the end of the world, simply something that you should take note of and have a clear plan to work through when it happens, so that certain undesirable behaviours don't stick around longer than they should.

> Obviously the "whether to neuter or not" debate is massive and I won't go into detail here (this includes any chatter involving the dog amendment bill and also includes the effects of sterilisation on health - that's an entire blog post on it's own), but obviously, whether your male dog is neutered or not will affect hormonal changes and therefore behavioural changes too. Eg. the removal of testosterone via castration can have a direct effect on a male dogs confidence, depending on his personality before the fact, so a plan to work through this in the weeks/months following castration is important.

> Every dog is an individual and whether they have their balls or not will not mean they are innately more "aggressive" - what is likely to happen though is that your entire male, especially when testosterone peaks (approx 10-15 months of age give or take) is likely to attract more unwanted aggression/reactions from neutered males - simple fact of the matter is that entire males smell male, and that smell is very different and tends to set off a lot of neutered males who don't know what to do with that scent.

> Neutering will not fix problem behaviours by itself - it will only really "turn down the volume" and whether this is best for a dog will depend on their individual personality. I have recommended in the past 5 years that 3 of my clients (male, entire) consider sterilisation, and those clients have taken my advice, and it has been a massive help for those dogs, but the procedure itself did not "fix" anything, it was a combination of turning down the volume dial, along with continuous training, confidence building and guidance through the adolescent stage. The males I suggested this for were big risk takers with other dogs when it came to showing aggression as a first option, particularly other entire male dogs. All 3 of these males, were halfway through a program when I suggested it, and so the foundations were already set and the confidence was already built. It did not fix the issue alone, but it did make the process much easier to navigate and the dogs much easier to influence in the right direction.

> I have never recommended that a dog lacking confidence or showing excess nervy behaviour be sterilised, if they are majorly lacking confidence and their testosterone is one of the only sources of this confidence, taking it away prematurely could be majorly detrimental to behaviour following, I wholeheartedly believe it's best if can wait and manage heavily, do so.

> Behaviours that are often considered problem behaviours like hu***ng/marking can often start when the dog is younger and testosterone peaks, but quite often will become behavioural (rather than hormonal/sexual) the more the behaviour is practiced, so even these things won't necessarily go away with sterilisation (sorry to say!).

Anyway, Ferris and I will work through his "big boi" stage - I'm actually not at all upset about it, as much as I loved Ferris' baby energy, having a little more of a presence is never a bad thing in a helper dog. Wish us luck! :)

20/11/2024

Client Spotlight - Goji!

20/11/2024

The lovely Kenai practicing his down-stays around little boi Glen ❤️ Kenai loves little dogs and wanted to say hi so this was a good test! (which he aced) - something had to give though 👅😛

09/11/2024

Hey all! Apparently I've been having some technical difficulties and my form on the website hasn't been working for a lot of people :( if you've sent me an eval form lately to enquire about training and haven't heard back you may want to shoot me a text, email or FB msg to check in/whether I got it.

Here's a cute photo from group class this morning of Cooper making friends with little Glen for tax 🤣💘

As far as I'm aware, the link directly to the form as per below (not via the website) is working fine.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1b0gqTSfWoyp4ONtaCUEqVWedd1c_vNCSRMJ5GF9ZgLg/viewform

08/11/2024

Another puppy class done and dusted 💘 go forth and thrive little ones!! 💪

My last puppy class of the year is already full & starts in 2 weeks. If you are very keen feel free to hit me up in case anyone needs to cancel last minute.

08/11/2024

Share to help find this boy a home! He's lovely 💘

08/11/2024

Rest In Peace one of the OG helpers of my business.

Ruby came to me with her brother Rusty for a program involving off leash reliability and teaching Ruby how to be a bit less of a bitchy-poo to her brother 🙈 when she ended up laying a decent bite on him over resources.

Anyway, we got through the program with leaps and bounds thanks to her owner Deb's hard work, and she ended up (along with her brother) becoming a core helper dog in my business and at my group classes for others.

She helped sooo many dogs, and it was especially lovely watching her bounce at the dogs she really took a liking to at group class - and even though it was chaotic - it was also quite hilarious seeing her run the odd zoomie through our social walk, forgetting who she was and where she was... and where her mama was too 😂 which always resulted in Deb putting her hands in the air to flag her down.

She was the most gorgeous girl and I'll miss giving her snugs at group class and seeing her in her dobie pj's on early mornings.

Sending all my love to Deb, Stephen & Rusty at this horrible time. Losing a dog is never easy but to lose Ruby so suddenly and unexpectedly is just that much worse. I still can't believe it.

❤️🤍🕊️🌈

07/11/2024

Very proud of the little community I have built 💘

It's a judgement free zone, support for days with dog owners and awesome dogs always willing to help others when needed.

My clients are the best!

"Thanks to a wonderful new friend who introduced me to Lorri. Life has come so far with Finn.
I’m so very lucky to be able to call Rachael a dear friend and a walking buddy most Sundays around Lake Monger.

We have our own training session at the Lake together with Finn & Chester both doing so well.

Thanks Lorri for all that you do for us all it is appreciated 🐾💜"

- Libby with Finn 🥰

03/11/2024

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE MOST GORGEOUS GIRL IN THE WHOLE WORLD!

💘 GLORY TURNS 4 💘

G Bean - I can't believe you're 4 already!? How??? The time has flown by!

I adore you little dog.

Still crazy, neurotic, non-stop and a tad feisty just like me 🤣 we are the perfect match and I love training your smart little brain. 🧠

Your softness is beautiful. But you will stand up for yourself when you need to. 💪

Your tail never stops. I think it propels you forward. 🛩️💨

You had the most beautiful relationship with Bun and it filled my heart with love to see you spending time together especially in his last months 💔🥹

You trust me implicitly, because I told you from the beginning I'd always protect you ❤️ and I've kept my promise. 🤝

You literally would rather hold your bladder and run around for an extra hour (even if you literally haven't toileted ALL NIGHT) before having to stop to toilet. Running is life. Pooping is for duds. 💩

You're LITERALLY the prettiest springer I've ever set my eyes on 😍💁🏻‍♀️

You're super sly and super naughty at group class and like to crawl around instead of holding your down-stay when mama has her back turned 🙈

You tremble when I make you hold a down-stay near the chickens because your energizer bunny energy has no where to go. 🐥⚡

You're a natural at scent work and can't wait to get back into it. 🐽

You're a massive bully to your little brother but he's super annoying and attention seeking so as a fellow older sister I get it 🤣

YOU STILL WON'T GIVE ME SNUGS WHEN YOU'RE BUSY but when we are in bed, you offer such good snuggles that it makes up for all of it 🤗🩷

Today i'll take you to the river to see some duckies and later you'll get 4 pieces of bacon for 4 years of G! 🥓🦆

Glory, G, G Bean, Little G, Baby G, G's, Evil Naughties, Babi Guling, Pot Belly Pig.... You're the best. Don't EVER change.

Yet again thank you to Steve and team at Glaston Park Spaniels for introducing me to the love of my life and picking the perfect little girl for me. So much appreciation for you.

28/10/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/YvujTpnRBbBGu4bL/

This is a post from that came across my feed a few months ago. I saved it because I noticed how similar children and dogs actually are.
This is an extremely accurate representation of some reasons your dog may be struggling during a training session, or even in general.
It is so important to ensure your dog is in the correct headspace to learn before starting a training session where they will be learning new things. If they aren't understanding something I hope you'll refer to this to get to the root cause of why, rather than getting frustrated with your dog.
You can also just send me a message and we can figure it out together 😊

13/10/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/gyFi6i3ptBLGi2JZ/

⭐Introducing Breed Spotlight!⭐

This month is the English Springer Spaniel!

Ft. 2, Glory and Ferris.

Such a cool little breed!

12/10/2024

Half of this puppy class is already full, so if you're wanting to grab a spot make sure you do so now, I won't be taking more than 6 pups for this class to ensure I have time for everyone :)

$220 inc. GST - Sign Up at the link below

https://forms.gle/dDh5z7QjQ9Awh9d3A

Fri 22nd Nov 6pm
Fri 29th Nov 6pm
Fri 6th Dec 6pm
Fri 13th Dec 6pm
Fri 20th Dec 6pm

🤎 Roleystone Location, easy parking
🤎 Any breed from 10-22 weeks old (must have had second booster vaccination)
🤎 45 min class + questions answered at the end
🤎 Limited numbers - small class to ensure extra 1 on 1 help to each client
🤎 My helper dogs available for socialisation
🤎 Chickens & Ducks available on the property to watch/experience

INCLUDED: Puppy Passport Booklet (everything puppy related you need to know) sent out prior to class commencing so you can get a head start at home + online support through the duration of the course PLUS entry to interactive Facebook group where we discuss common questions in more detail.

We will be putting a large focus on raising confident, well-rounded pups...
> Will include proper socialisation with other pups
> How to create focus on handler around distractions
> Basics of obedience & creating recall
> Playing with your pups & how to fulfill their genetic needs
> Lots of interactive items to play with & a course for your pup to run through & conquer 💪

Questions can be directed to: [email protected] / 0400 064 191

https://forms.gle/dDh5z7QjQ9Awh9d3

12/10/2024

If you're interested in adopting Neo please go meet him today! He deserves a good home! ❤️

11/10/2024

Puppy Class started again today! Second last class of this year.

Making sure these pups are as brave and bold as they can be 💪🖤

✨ Hulky, Harry, Daisy, Mabel & Jay ✨

06/10/2024

Just a cute Sunday morning at home with my doggos 🤎🖤🤍

Neo still needs a home if anyone knows anyone. He's a premium little dog and I love having him here.