So Help Me Dog

11/05/2023

➡️ As pet parents, it's natural to want our dogs to always be well-behaved and obedient. Although we often put immense pressure on ourselves to achieve “perfection” with our dogs training and behaviour, expecting them behave appropriately, perform tricks and commands flawlessly.

🙅🏼‍♀️ However, perfection isn't always realistic or attainable. Every dog is unique, with their own personality, temperament, quirks, and learning style, making progression much more valuable than perfection.

📝 Instead of fixating on getting everything right, focus on making small steps of progress, prioritising our dog's well-being and celebrating the small wins along the way.

✅ While we can still aim for high standards in our dog's training, we must also recognise that we can't guarantee their behaviour and not everything goes according to plan. We need remember that they are living creatures, and we need to be adaptable and willing to adjust our training to meet our dog's individual needs.

✨ Remember that each step forward is a step in the right direction. And when we find ourselves striving for perfection, let's take a step back and remind ourselves that perfection is subjective, and progress is the real goal ✨

13/02/2023

Who is So Help Me Dog?

Flip through to see who we are and what we are all about 🐶

13/02/2023

Learn about why we do a 30 minute initial zoom assessment, inside of doing an initial consultation ➡️

13/02/2023

What services So Help Me Dog Provides

Flip through to see which service suits your needs 🐶

07/02/2023

Because dogs don’t speak our language, they communicate through body language and vocalisation. They use these signals consciously and unconsciously depending on how they are feeling and thinking.

Once you understand dog body language and stress signals it can change the way you view your dog, view other dogs, view situations and even strengthen your bond and relationship by giving you a better understanding of how they are feeling.

Humans have uncomfortable stress signals and body language as do dogs. For example, if another dog is approaching and your dog starts licking its lips, it’s not hungry in that moment, it may be nervous, fearful or anxious. Or if it wags its tail when it sees another dog, this doesn’t always necessarily mean it wants to play. *Context and environment definitely matter with each situation.*

Next time you are out with your dog watch their breathing, posture, tail, face, mouth ears and mouth. Comment below what you notice with your dog ⬇️

has a great course for $2 and you won’t regret it!

01/02/2023

20 Likes, 3 Comments - SO HELP ME DOG - Dog Training + Behaviour + Reactivity + Puppies () on Instagram: "What are your dogs triggers? A trigger is an object, person, place or thing that can cause your dog to have an overreaction. They could lunge, bark, snarl or growl when the trigger i...

16/11/2022

STOPPPPP ✋🏼🛑

• EVERY DOG IS AN INDIVIDUAL
• EVERY DOG LEARNS AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS
• EVERY DOG IS AT DIFFERENT STAGES OF THEIR LIVES
• EVERY DOG HAS SPECIFIC NEEDS AND AND WANTS

Dogs are complex animals influenced by many factors such as learning, environment, genetics & self ( L.E.G.S)

Even if you’ve had the same breed before, or it’s from the same parents or relatives they will be different.

Let’s stop comparing our dog to the dog in the park, the dog on socials, our neighbours dog, our friends dog and focus on YOUR dog and it’s needs and wants 🐶

15/11/2022

5 things you can do if an off leash dog approaches

SO HELP ME DOG - Dog Training + Behaviour + Reactivity + Puppies shared a post on Instagram: "5 things you can do if there is an off leash dog Always scope the environment and choose your exit routes 1️⃣Emergency U turns are the best! - They can get out of a situation quickly without your dog ev...

08/09/2022

Distance is your best friend when it comes to reactivity.

A few common things I hear are
- My dog won’t take treats
- They can’t hear me when another dog is present
- I’m struggling to walk my dog is pulling on the leash
- They are lunging and barking at other dogs

If any of these are the case then you are most likely too close. Whatever the trigger may be all of the above tells me that you need distance, and your dog is wayyy over its threshold (and environment could be a factor too)

The most important thing is setting your dog up for win and not throwing them into situations, crossing your fingers and hoping for the best 🤞🏼

The best way is to slowly close that threshold gap, work at your dogs pace where they are able to cope, hear you, engage with you, take treats and take directions.

08/08/2022

Unfortunately dogs are not public property.

I totally get it dogs are the cutest and you want to pat every single one. But what if I told you some of them don’t actually want to interact with you. I know that can be hurtful to hear, but not all dogs like strangers. We as humans don’t interact or hug every single person we pass we on the street.

A lot of people also still stick their hands in dogs faces, don’t understand body language and mis read cues. Dogs also may try to dodge their head or move away, this is not an invitation to keep trying. When they aren’t being heard is when they have to result to using their voice. If we don’t respect the dogs space when it asks, the dog starts to loose trust in humans.

If you want to pat a dog, ask permission first before approaching. If the pet parents says no then it’s for a good reason. Please don’t be offended by this and continue on.

04/08/2022

SO HELP ME DOG - Dog Training & Behaviour shared a post on Instagram: "This is Furlock Bones 🔎🦴 & Wolfie the cocker spaniel. Wolfie has had some previous bad experiences with dogs. We couldn’t quite figure out Wolfies threshold, so as a safe way we bought in the stooge dog. When he first saw...

04/08/2022

Flashing light warning

Late to the party on this one but it’s too good not to do

19/07/2022

We are back!

Things are new for So Help Me Dog ⬇️

- Group Classes
- Teach & Trains
- New Puppy & Reactive programs
- Online initial assessment
- Reactive Course coming soon

10/06/2022

❌🍗&🍚❌

Boiled chicken and rice has been a staple veterinary recommendation as a bland food for dogs with GI upsets for decades. And I am finally at my breaking point with this! For the love of all that is good and holy, stop feeding boiled chicken and rice to your dogs with diarrhea and vomiting!

09/06/2022

Watch these videos about dog play and body language

08/06/2022

⭐️ GIVEAWAY ⭐️ head to to find out how to win these amazing prizes

21/05/2022

Good as Golden Dog Training beautifully said 🙌🏼

Your trainer doesn't need to see the behaviour.

"How can you possibly help unless you see my dog lunging at other dogs/nipping the postie/pinching food from the side?!"

I promise, it's never necessary to set your dog up to fail for us to be able to help you.

You see, we BUILD behaviour, we don't correct or suppress behaviour.

If you want something; build it!

By making the new option more rewarding for your dog and removing the potential for them to rehearse the old behaviour, that's how we shape lasting behaviour change.

You see, practice makes permanent.

The more your dog practices barking, nipping, lunging, counter-surfing etc, the better they get at defaulting to that particular behaviour.

Neurons that fire together - wire together.

This is the opposite of what we want to achieve!

We build skills out of the context the original behaviour occurs in, digging the foundations.

Then we put the bricks on top, by slowly slivering down the stimulus gradient, ensuring the dog has all the skills they need to succeed.

Setting dogs up to fail to demonstrate behaviours is potentially really dangerous. Frustrated, stressed out dogs don't often make good decisions and situations can escalate.

It's not unusual to hear,

"Oh he's not doing it now you're here!"

That's because we always set dogs up to succeed.

We control the environment; not the dog.

And you'll never see demonstrative before and after videos here. It's not in your best interests or your dog's best interests.

We believe you when you say they lunge and bark - and we know exactly what that looks like!

If the day we visit you is the last day you ever see that behaviour - surely that's the absolute best outcome?

20/05/2022

A lot of people that reach out to me ask “Is it too late to train my dog as they are *insert age*” My answer is always the same, it’s never too late.

If we want a change behaviour, we can’t keep doing the same things over and over again and expecting a different result. Sometimes it’s a few little changes that can result in the desired outcome, and hiring a qualified reward based professional trainer or behaviourist is the first step.

There are a few things you have to factor in when training an older dog

- How quick the dog can learn
- The environment in the home and outside the home
- How much effort you as a pet parent are willing to put in with training and practice
- How many times the behaviour has been repeated and reinforced.
- The dogs Health

If you want to start, you can do it today. Every little bit helps 🐶

06/04/2022

Did you see it? 🛸 Lickimat

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cb_b-TihXtV/?utm_medium=share_sheet

Sneaky Sound System • UFO

04/04/2022

30/03/2022

Damn right it’s irresponsible and dangerous.

First off it’s actually illegal in NSW to walk your dog off leash in an area that is not designated off leash. You can also get fined minimum $330.

Secondly I have seen so many dogs cross roads, attack other dogs or people, been hit by cars, running into traffic, or chasing owners around while another dog is on leash.

Thirdly it’s really hard to walk reactive or anxious dogs on the street as is. When an off lead dog approaches friendly or not, you have zero control over the situation. It can also really affect the anxious or reactive dog in the long run.

If the reason why your dog is off leash is because your dog can’t walk on leash, hire a trainer or behavourist to help.

17/10/2021

Recently I went through surgery for endometriosis. The pain afterwards was pretty awful. When I went to the supermarket for the first time I was using my partner as a human shield and protecting my stomach. I was so terrified someone was going to run into me and it was going to hurt. I didn’t want to stand by anyone or be in crowds and I was ready to react.

Now let’s think about this from a dogs POV, when they have a sore paw, are teething, an upset tummy, a broken leg, recovering from surgery etc. They too are experiencing pain and may anticipate interactions and may respond defensively in their efforts to protect themselves. Painful conditions can also wax and wane, so what is tolerable one day may be intolerable the next.

They may be less likely to get up and walk away from unwanted interactions because their painful condition makes moving uncomfortable, and instead rely on other forms of communication such as growling or baring their teeth.

If your dog has had a sudden change in behaviour and you think it is experiencing pain please go and get a full vet check.

05/10/2021

🥰

Season 2 of is live and this season we’ve got guests coming at you from all angles!!

To start things of in style we had the privilege of talking to the Expert Dog Trainer on Amazon TV series ‘The Pack’ and professional dog trainer with his company in the UK

Nick has contributed a lot to this industry and in this episode he talks to us about the two areas that he is most passionate about, keeping the dog engaged with you and aggressive and reactive dogs.

Nick is a seasoned pro and nicely breaks down some of the techniques he uses and teaches to his clients. We talk about why engagement is more important than working on recall and what the difference is in the first place. We also dive into reasons our dogs might be aggressive or reactive and how the motivation behind the dogs behaviour will change the way we approach it as professionals.

This season we are so thankful to our sponsor

It’s good to be back 🐶🐶

30/08/2021

Why are dogs the only animal that some people believe need a heavy hand and force?

I encourage you to take a look at how zoo animals are trained. Can you imagine doing what some people do to dogs to a tiger? Oh hell no! 🏃🏼‍♀️

We don’t want to break our relationship with our dogs. By constantly be correcting them and telling them off can break the relationship. They can also go into something called learnt helplessness and shutdown and not be able to express how they feel.

If you are getting frustrated and having to use a heavy hand, I encourage you to stop and think about why that behaviour is occurring. Is the dog overwhelmed, is it the environment, did you not make your destination, is it not good at leash walking, is the dog scared/nervous/anxious/fearful?

We need to understand why this behaviour is occurring and understand our dogs body language, so we can help them.

Whatever size, breed or dog you are there is no need for a heavy hand. Ever.

22/08/2021

Teach it before you need is something I teach all of my clients. We want to practice with the dog before the situation occurs in a quiet environment, not whilst it is happening as we won’t ever get the response we are after. If we know our dogs are nervous or scared of something we can teach an alternative behaviour. The more we practice that alternative behaviour the more the dogs is prepared for when the situation does occur.

For example - If your dog is reactive towards other dogs I would suggest practicing emergency U turns - practicing “this way” and turning the dog around when no triggers are present teaches them to come with you and to change direction quickly. When the time comes that a tigger is up ahead and you do the emergency u turn the dog knows the drill and follows your lead. Trigger avoided and everyone is happy 🙌🏼

17/08/2021

WAG 🙌🏼

If you’ve ever owned a dog the chances are you’ve come across some form of training in your life. And with pet ownership soaring during the pandemic, making sure dogs are properly trained and socialised is more important than ever. So, whether you’re new to dog ownership or just need a refresh...

16/08/2021

I want you baby! Always ask for advice from a professional. Sometimes advice from other people can be outdated, or detrimental to your dog in the long run. We have studied, worked with all types of dogs, aware of body language, and to work through challenges. We are there to help you understand your dog and it’s needs and set you both up for success

04/08/2021