Training with Dognity

23/12/2022

Wishing you a safe and happy holiday 🎄

Thank you to all my clients for your wonderful support this year. You have made my first year of Training with Dognity very special.

I will be taking a break until the end of February while we settle in to life with our new family member. During this time it may take a little longer than usual to respond to emails but I promise I will be in touch as soon as I can! I will be opening bookings again from March 2023.

13/12/2022

I wrapped up my final puppy class for 2022 on Saturday.

We were missing Bambi this week but this is Hugel and Harbi. They are such inquisitive and cute little puppies!

I will now be taking a break from puppy classes while I am on maternity leave.

I look forward to recommencing puppy classes again from March 2023.

13/10/2022

6 years of snuggles from this little man ❤️

15/08/2022

This gorgeous boy is named Boomer. He loves to rest his chin on your leg to ask for a treat. Who can say no to this little face. 🥰

[ID: A dog with a black coat, brown eyes and ears pointing upwards leans his chin on a person’s leg while looking up at the camera.]

01/08/2022

It has been an unseasonably chilly winter this year in Australia.

Many of us have been scrambling to keep warm with extra layers, warm blankets and ugg boots. Our pets are also feeling the effects of the cold weather. So how can we help keep them comfortable?

🏠 Provide warm places to sleep. Make sure they are dry, elevated off hard, cold floor surfaces and away from draughts.

🧣Some dogs may be comfortable wearing a well-fitting jumper or coat.

🛏 Give your dog additional warm blankets and bedding.

🔥 Dogs will often seek out sources of heat such as fireplaces and heaters. Be careful of dry, itchy skin or burns from being too close. Pet heating pads can be a safer alternative.

🩺 If you notice your dog slowing down, looking stiff, having difficulty going up and down stairs, or any other noticeable behaviour changes consult your veterinarian for any potential medical issues or pain.

How has your dog been keeping comfortable this winter?

[ID: A pile of woollen jumpers and blankets. In the middle of the pile a brown dog’s nose is visible.]

26/07/2022

Eddy had another recurrence of IVDD earlier this month. He has been recovering well thanks to plenty of rest, restricted movement, physical therapy, heat packs and a heated blanket, pain relief and NSAIDs.

IVDD (Intervertebral Disc Disease) is a degenerative disease that affects a dog’s spinal cord and causes pain and mobility issues. It is a genetic disease that can occur in any breed but is common in dachshunds (affects 1 in 4).

We had him assessed by his wonderful vet after observing some sudden behavioural changes. We noticed he wasn’t quite himself, and was seeking a lot of reassurance and comfort from us and shadowing us around the home. He also started turning around and trying to chew on his back.

If you ever notice sudden behavioural changes in your dog or think they may be in pain or uncomfortable, please have them checked out by your vet.

[ID: A red miniature dachshund rests his chin on a light grey blanket, while looking at the camera]

22/06/2022

We’ve been a little bit quiet on social media lately due to illness. We are back to normal programming now and looking forward to sharing more with you! 😊

[ID: A Golden Retriever sits looking at the camera, sitting next to the Golden Retriever is a woman in a grey shirt and black cap smiling at the camera]

30/05/2022

One of my wonderful clients over the weekend, this is Slinky.

We started introducing Slinky to recall and some loose lead walking skills. She is very smart so we also spoke about some ways we can keep her entertained with brain games.

[ID: A black and tan miniature dachshund with a red collar sitting on red floorboards looking at the camera]

27/05/2022

This is Theo 😍

We chatted about enrichment, getting enough sleep and puppy biting and mouthing.

[ID: A cream labradoodle puppy lying down on the grass looking at the camera]

25/05/2022

Great post!

Ever wondered why a puppy's behavior seems erratic during adolescence, which occurs between six months and 18 months of age?

The neurobiology of adolescence is fascinating, with some key events that alter both the structure and function of the brain.

During canine adolescence, s*x hormones are changing which effects the animals stress responses. Adolescent dogs have a decreased ability to modulate sensory processing and subsequent behavior.

The connectivity between the frontal cortex (responsible for decision making) and amygdala (responsible for emotional processing) decreases, resulting in less behavioral control.

So what does this mean? This could mean that your dog, who used to come when called, suddenly cannot. This could mean that your dog, who didn't jump up on guests, suddenly does. Your dog that walked nicely on leash is now pulling. Or perhaps it seems like some days your dog responds to behaviors you ask of them, and some days they don't, without any rhyme or reason.

We also see increased risk taking and more sensitivity to fear.

As your puppy undergoes this transition into adulthood their inner world is intense, even chaotic. Many pet owners experience an increase in undesirable behavior and find themselves becoming increasingly frustrated. In turn, frustration and impatience sometimes cause us to act unpredictably.

This adds to your puppy’s inner turmoil. When the inside and the outside are both unpredictable it can be difficult for puppies to adjust.

By understanding this we can gain greater compassion and understanding. When we approach adolescence with patience we can help create a world that is predictable and gentle so our puppies grow up to be their best selves.

24/05/2022

Prepping training treats for the week.

I love these treats because they are clean on the fingers and suitable for sensitive tummies.

What are your favourite training treats?

[ID: A white cutting board with half a roll of Prime100 Salmon and Prime100 salmon chopped into small pieces. Next to the chopping board is an aqua training pouch.]

23/05/2022

I had a great cooperative care session with Wilson on the weekend. His guardians want to help Wilson feel more comfortable with grooming including nail trims, ear cleaning, and teeth cleaning. Look how he chooses to stay still lying on his side so his guardian can look in his ear! Great work Team Wilson. 😁

[VD: A golden retriever lies on his side, his head and chin resting on the ground, while his guardian touches his ear, before marking “good” and giving the golden retriever a treat when he sits up.].

19/05/2022

The sun has been sorely missed in Queensland lately!

Pebbles is in the socialisation window so we don’t have time to wait until the nice weather returns!

We had a chat about how we can stay dry but still do some great socialisation with Pebbles.

[ID: A white and light brown moodle puppy lying down on a blue towel looking at the camera]

19/05/2022

I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to get reviews like this from my wonderful clients. Thank you so much!

It is really important to me that my clients feel supported and empowered to achieve lasting behaviour change and have a fulfilling and cooperative relationship with their dog.

If you need help with your dog, I would love to hear from you!
☎️ +61493 234 833
✉️ [email protected]

18/05/2022

This is Levi. On walks he can be a little too enthusiastic to greet other dogs and this can be tricky for his parents to manage with a pram. So we are working on some skills to help Levi ignore other dogs on walks. He is going great so far!

[ID: A black labrador retriever sitting on grass looking at the camera]

30/04/2022

Introducing Pebbles! Isn’t she just divine! 🥰

I will be helping Pebble’s amazing guardians with puppy training and socialisation.

Stay tuned to see further updates on Pebbles.

29/04/2022

29/04/2022

I had a session with Wilson this week. He has young children in his home who like to share their food with him at meal times. Unfortunately sometimes this food is not good for his health. So we started teaching him that while the kids are eating, he can choose to go relax in the living room instead. This gives Wilson the chance to have some downtime from the kids but also gives the kids the chance to focus on eating their meal instead of donating it to Wilson. 😁

17/04/2022

17/04/2022

13/04/2022

We had a bit of fun doing an Easter hunt at Victoria Park today.

10/04/2022

Very early start this morning to go to Tracking.

Tracking is a dog sport where dogs learn to follow the scent trail and path of a person and find any discarded articles of clothing until they find the person. In Tracking the person is pretending to be lost or missing, so usually he has never even met the person before!

Eddy really enjoys going and it has helped him build confidence. I love watching him work the track, it is seriously impressive stuff!

One of the hardest things about Tracking for a handler is learning to just trust the dog. We learn to watch their body language so we know when they are struggling and need a little bit of help getting back on the track. But usually we leave the dog to do what they do best, use their nose!

09/04/2022

We went for a walk at Mt Coot-tha today.

First day of school holidays meant it was busy with many people and dogs enjoying the area.

We are so lucky to have such beautiful forest trails to explore in inner Brisbane.

We hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

08/04/2022

We had a fire evacuation today (fortunately turned out to be a false alarm!).

I know when the alarm went off I felt scared and stressed. I can only imagine what the feeling and noise must be like for our pets. So during the evacuation I was reassuring Eddy that everything was okay and giving him treats. It is perfectly fine to comfort our pets and give them treats when they are frightened! You can’t reinforce emotions like fear.

After we were able to go back into our home we focused on some calming activities - a for Eddy and a tea for me while listening to “Through A Dog’s Ear” calming dog music.

07/04/2022

We went for a lovely walk with some of Eddy’s friends today.

We have noticed lately that Eddy can get a little excited during walks with his friends and sometimes shouts hello to people.

So today we arrived a little early and played some sniffing games before his friends arrived. The sniffing games helped him feel more relaxed, he was still able to feel joyful about being around his friends but didn’t need to shout at people. 🐾

30/03/2022

This is my dog Eddy. He is a mini dachshund.

Eddy is the reason I became interested in dog behaviour & training.

He can get worried about being separated from us and about some things he encounters in the outside world.

He also has some amazing skills in nosework, tracking and problem solving.

I have learnt so much from him (and am still learning every day) and I’m so thankful to have him in my life.