Heal the Spirit QLD

06/06/2022

Over-stimulation and the Difficulty in Following Direction

We’re settling into life in Oakey, and enjoying the park and creek outside our back fence, but not without a few challenges. As you can imagine, the water brings many new smells with it and the park is enjoyed by a large number of people and animals, from people walking their dogs to the waterbirds and various insects and small critters that call the park home. This brings us a few challenges as Mr Quiver’s nose takes in all these smells, as well as the sights and sounds that accompany any walk around.

I am sure I’m not alone when I say that walking can cause an over stimulation to Quiver and cause his brain to struggle to comprehend too many messages at once. Any of you that have anxious pets, or pets that obsess about a particular activity will know exactly what I am talking about.

As a result I can’t always ensure Quiver can comprehend any instruction I give him. Sometimes his brain is trying to absorb 100 different messages at once and I just get caught up in the funnel of information being received. This doesn’t mean that Quiver isn’t listening to me, or at least trying too, just that he is struggling with his cognitive functions working in overdrive, kind of like a computer of yesteryear trying to do what today’s phones do with ease.

This can be frustrating, especially when something particularly interesting, or arousing, crosses our paths. But if you are in the same situation as me know that there is hope, things will get better and you can get to a place where you and your dog enjoy walks without everything being overwhelming and overloading their poor little brains.

So how are we working on this? Firstly, when we are approaching another dog and/or person we give them a wide berth, providing space for Quiver to acknowledge their presence without being within the zone that he needs to interact. This can be through moving further up the park, working on attention and rewarding focus, or turning around and moving quicker up the path than those behind us.
Secondly, Quiver is allowed to explore the area without needing to listen to commands or be constantly paying attention to me. He can sniff the areas other animals have been, read the newspaper at the trees and poles, stop if something particular catches his attention.
Third, we are changing the activity to do each day so he isn’t being over stimulated every day. We change from swimming in the creek directly behind our house, walking in the park and surrounding area and staying home and playing in the backyard. By giving Quiver days where he is at home and playing fetch, or the flirt pole, or searching for hidden toys he is able to remain emotionally calmer and have the opportunity to just relax in his yard without the stimulation overload before I head out for the day. This allows him to get used to being an only dog again and not need constant companionship.
Last, but certainly not least, allow time to calm down at home before putting them in a position to get excited again. For Quiver this means staying in the house and not being allowed to chat to the dogs next door until he has calmed down. I know he has calmed when he is finally able to lay down instead of pacing around the house.

Also, as we become more familiar with the area, the dogs that bark as we pass, the smells of the same animals and people frequenting the park, the usual park smells and the water birds that move around behind our home they will all become known and expected. This will reduce the stimulation Quiver is receiving and the difficulty focusing this causes.

For those of you that aren’t sure how to tell if your pet is over-stimulated, a simple test is to use a known, and highly responsive command, like sit. If your dog is struggling more than usual, or if they don’t seem to be able to follow the command, even if you try to guide their body into position they are not able to process the command given. Some times they may move into the position a lot slower than usual, and without paying you much attention at all, other times they may not even hear you gave a command. When this is the case don’t punish their inability to do as asked. Instead know that you need to work more on this, and other commands and behaviours in similar situations, or begin working on focus before you reach the area they loose focus. Also, if you allow them to work through this without getting upset or frustrated and give them time to calm themselves down you will find that they will be able to focus on you better when the stimulation received reduces and may automatically offer the sit when you stop, just like Quiver does when he is able to be in control of himself and notice what I am doing, rather than on everything around us.

We look forward to continuing to explore our new local area, and expanding our exercise areas as Quiver is finding it less overwhelming. In the meantime we will keep our distance from others so all may enjoy the early morning exercise without an overly crazy Mal forgetting his manners!

29/05/2022

I’m sure you’ve all seen the regular posts about missing animals, or animals on the loose. We had a couple across the road from our new home yesterday, as with most animals in this situation they were scared, and didn’t want strangers to approach so I thought it was an ideal time to remind everyone to NEVER chase your loose pet. This only makes them run faster. So what should you do instead?

If your pet has been missing for a while and you see them but are unable to approach them just sit down and talk to them, using all names and nicknames you have for them, the phrases you use regularly and they understand. Talk calmly and at a volume they can hear and allow their flight reflex, the primitive part of their brain, to switch off so they can absorb the familiar voice and words and realise you are the person they have been trying to get back to all along. This may take a while, depending on how stressed they are, but eventually they will realise and come to you, provided they can.
If you have a chance to have another person with you they can slowly make their way around to the far side of the pet to enable you both to keep the distance between you from growing, but only if it doesn’t cause the animal to take off again.
I know this goes against all you want to do, but chasing your pet only puts them in further danger as they aren’t looking where they are going, only wanting to escape when threatened and you can inadvertently push them into the path of an oncoming vehicle or into another danger.

If you have a pet that took off on a walk, or is playing “catch me if you can” it is so easy to try to run up to them and grab them, or to yell and growl, after all, you likely feel like ringing their neck at this time. However the faster you run, the faster they run, and they can outdistance you any time any location.
There are a number of tricks you can try here, depending on your pet’s personality and behaviour.
1. Pretend to fall over and hurt yourself. The more placid, gentle breeds will generally come over to see if you are okay. Some of the more boisterous breeds may come over to jump all over you. Either way, they are coming too you!
2. Find something interesting and make a big deal of it. The tree has the most fascinating bark, you just can’t stop looking at it and getting up close to it, the hole in the path has something very interesting inside it that you just have to check out, a little path off to the side could lead to such grand adventures. Anything close by that you can seem engrossed in while your pet is missing out.
3. Have a toy on you, or grab a stick if your pet loves sticks and make noise with it to attract their attention. Once they are focusing on you and the toy invite them to play with you.
There are so many more ideas to bring your pets attention back to you and guide them in close again, you just need to work with the pet you have with you and the knowledge of them you possess. Of course, with any of these, I always like to turn my body towards the animal so I can still watch them and gauge their reaction to see if it is working.

The other thing all dogs need, and any pet you take out walking (cats, alpacas, sheep, etc) is a reliable recall. For this we can help you hone your skills, just reach out and we can discuss your needs.

06/05/2022

As we draw closer to our move to Oakey and having our own place to make a home we have started to prepare everything we need for a smooth transition for Mr Quiver. The last few months he has been hanging out with his uncles, but soon he will be in a 1 dog household again. As you can imagine this will need some adjustments to our routine and set up.

So what are we planning? Each day before I leave for work we will head out for a long walk and explore our local area. Giving mental and physical stimulation to help create a relaxed and tired dog before I head off. Then we have the “entertainment” throughout the day. This will be made with toys like food dispensing toys, tug toys that are fastened to an area and meaty bones for his breakfast.

We will also be spending a lot of quality time together when we are both home, allowing access to most areas of the new home, under supervision, after all he is still a pup at heart, and having limited access when I am sleeping.

All of Quiver’s bedding will also transfer into the new home and he will finally be able to have his toy box bought out again.

Another area we will be focusing on is ensuring Quiver learns what he can and can’t do in the new home. This includes areas he won’t be allowed access to like under the house (it’s a stump house so the underneath is very enticing to dogs) and that access to the park and creek behind us is only accessible when he is taken off property on lead.

Whenever you are looking at major changes in your pets life you need to consider how they will feel with the upheaval and what ideas you have to manage or negate these feelings and potential issues. If you know that the changes will also cause emotional distress there are ways to help ease this and make them feel comfortable quicker. If you know this is an issue for your pet please get in touch and we can discuss ideas and options to make the transition easier for all concerned.

In the meantime Quiver and I are looking forward to getting back into a regular routine and spreading our wings in our new home town.

20/04/2022

Exciting news!!

Next month we are on the move. Heal the Spirit QLD will be moving to Oakey.

Once set up we will be offering training sessions at a discounted rate if you travel to us. Of course we will continue to offer training in the comfort of your own home as well.

Oakey residents stay tuned for specials to celebrate having a permanent base for Heal the Spirit QLD

15/04/2022

We hope you all get to relax and enjoy Easter as much this guy.
Stay safe over the long weekend guys

12/04/2022

Nothing better than coming home to an animal companion

The other day I got home from training a puppy to have 3 doggie noses attached to my pants and arms

Today I had a rough day and Mr Quiver is being so well behaved and checking in for cuddles regularly, along with the not so necessary sloppy kisses.

Making life better just by being there ❤❤

25/02/2022

Stay safe out there everyone. Remember, if it's flooded, forget it.

You're too important to loose to these rains and floods. Homes, cars and possessions can be replaced, you can't.

If possible, stay warm, dry and inside, just like Quiver

22/02/2022

Do you know how your pet learns?

Does your pet thrive on learning skills in a low distraction, easy environment, or does your pet thrive on learning on the run, so to speak, out in the real world, with real distractions?
And I don’t mean focusing on the basics like sit, drop and come. I mean ignoring others, learning commands and skills like leave, attention to handler and self control.

Quiver has an issue with the many dogs in our current location that bark at the fenceline and are very worked up in our passing. He loves to mouth off back to them, and gets just as worked up.
Now he is mostly recovered from his recent injury, and getting closer to the adult brain that allows him incredible self control we are working on this very issue.

Normally I would teach the foundations of the leave command using food, toys, the other dogs in the household, anything that attracts his attention but doesn’t get him so hyped up he can’t focus on what I am saying, or give any attention to me. Giving a good grasp of the expected action and allowing plenty of practice before putting it into action. However this just doesn’t work so well with this young man, working in a low distraction area, with items or dogs he isn’t frustrated with is just BORING!

Instead, we are having to take our training out into the real world and work around the dogs that are causing the issues. While this can make the process a little slower, and generally isn’t ideal for most dogs, Mr Quiver is thriving on the intensity required to maintain focus and control while working our way closer to the other dogs.
Depending on which way you look at it, we are lucky enough to have dogs right across the road he takes exception too, they bark at everything that moves past their gate, and get very worked up. We also have dogs either direction we can take that get just as worked up when we pass.
This has made walks less than enjoyable. As the testosterone has kicked in the desire to talk back to these dogs has increased.

This leaves us with 2 options, train focus around distractions, or drive somewhere quieter. As you can imagine option 2 doesn’t allow Quiver to be helpful with clients in the future, nor does it add much of a challenge for a trainer. So we are training around the distractions and working through the desire to back chat and tell them how big and tough he is now.

Knowing that Quiver gets more out of training near these dogs, and having them so close, means we are doing a lot of training in the front yard at the moment. Instead of putting Quiver through his paces and learning new skills in the backyard we are moving the training area to the front yard and the dogs across the road. As Quiver gets better at ignoring them and focussing on the work we will move further away and closer to the next group of dogs. Slowly extending the time we train as Quiver will be required to focus for longer and longer periods past these dogs before we reach an area he can just relax and enjoy the time and exercise.

One thing to remember though, this training does require a fair amount of treats to reward the behaviour I want. So it is important you take this into consideration with your pets daily dietary intake.

17/02/2022

Recently Quiver and I were enjoying an evening walk along the farm tracks near home, and on our way back I noticed one stalk in the crop was a fair bit higher than all the rest. This had me thinking about tall poppy syndrome, and how we automatically make judgements whenever someone is achieving more than those around them.

When someone close to us starts to strive for more, to be greater than they are currently, or work to improve any or all aspects of their life we have a choice to make, support them in their efforts or give our opinion on what they are doing, which, in most cases isn’t overly supportive. For the person involved, they can choose to stay small and be who everyone expects them to be, or they can be true to themselves and goals/dreams/hopes they have and go for it no matter what happens.
Many times simply by following the path most important to us we will loose people from our life. This can feel scary, but it also opens us up to a whole new group of people that have the same joys, plans, ideas, interests, etc and gives our lives greater joy than we could have imagined.

The same is true when we introduce a new pet into our home that is totally different to any we have owned before. Especially if that species or breed is a lot of hard work. People think you’re crazy, it’s a ridiculous idea, and you should steer clear of it. In Quiver and my case, it involved us moving out of where we were living as the flat mate decided to change the rules as he wasn’t as open to a puppy in the house as he claimed. Instead of capitulating to the new rules and dealing with the consequences, which would have been considerable given the extend of the changes, we stayed true to our beliefs and what was important to us and moved out. Luckily a very good friend allowed us to crash there until we find the perfect home, but staying true to who we are is far more important than damaging the relationship we are building by living with the separation placed on us by another.

If you have a strong sense of how you should spend your time with your furry family member, or what is best in your life you should always stand up for those beliefs. No one has a right to make you do something against your belief system, or what you know in your heart is best for you and your best friend.
This includes people you are paying for help. If they can’t give you a good reason why following their advice, especially when it goes against your desires, is best, find someone else. Over the years I have heard so many people say “I can’t have my dog on my bed, but I would love them to sleep there” or “animals aren’t allowed on the furniture because ### said so”. Honestly, this is non-sense, if you want them to sleep in your bed, or lay on the furniture you can. Though if you are having major issues having your pet listen to you, especially when aggression is involved, you may be advised to discontinue this freedom until there is greater harmony and respect in the house.

With all advice, it is just that, advice, you choose what you will listen to and practice, no one can do the work for you. No matter how good their intentions are.

14/02/2022

13/02/2022

I know I’ve been a little quiet lately, the last few months have been rather busy, and poor Quiver managed to injure himself requiring rest and quiet, not something a 7 month old Malinios believes possible!

But yesterday we headed out for something new, learning to ride beside the bike. I have used a device called a Springer Bike Attachment for many years, in fact the photo above is of myself with Narloo and Marty, who unfortunately both departed my life over a decade ago. Yesterday saw Quiver start to learn to run beside me as well.

To say we had a shaky start might be an understatement. He crashed within the first 5 metres, but then things started to go a little smoother. He ran probably 3km with me, from pulling hard to just running beside me before getting his second wind and pulling again.

We’re not yet ready to run with distractions around, he pays more attention to them than the bike at the moment. But we will get there and soon he can really stretch his legs beside me. And the best part, if he’s running well I don’t need to pedal much as he pulls me along for the ride.

Once Quiver’s wound is fully healed we will get back out and working hard again, for now we will pick when we exercise and how, and when he takes it easy to allow the last of the skin to heal over fully.

I hope you are all well and enjoying getting out in the sunshine with your animals.

07/02/2022

Animals have amazing senses we're only just beginning to understand

A turtle released after nearly three years of rehabilitation has had another lucky escape — performing a giant U-turn just before January's volcanic eruption in Tonga.

Tilly the female green sea turtle was released off the coast of Cairns in November, before promptly embarking on a journey east towards the Pacific islands.

A tracking map shows the little turtle travelled 1,867 kilometres over 47 days but began turning back days before the eruption on a volcanic island north of the Tongan capital Nuku'alofa on January 15.

https://ab.co/3Lk66ac