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

24/12/2021

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, may it be a safe and enjoyable day for you all.
Remember, not all Christmas food is suitable for our furry friends.

05/12/2021

The Importance of Time Away in Multi Pet Households

When introducing a new pet into a multi-pet household it’s important to ensure all animals have a chance to have time away from each other. Older animals don’t always like to deal with the enthusiasm, energy and intensity of younger animals. Young animals need to learn that they don’t need to be in the face of the other pets or demanding attention all the time.

The responsibility of teaching a young animal to leave the older pets along and controlling the interactions they have fall on the adults in the house. The older pets should never have to be the one to constantly correct the behaviour of the younger animal, nor should they feel the need to get really grumpy or aggressive towards the younger animal. The people in the house should always intervene when they can and direct the energy and attention of the younger animal to something more suitable.

Remember, many older pets, particularly when there is a large age gap, may end up exhausted or sore from trying to keep up with the youngster. One of Quiver’s “uncles” has been receiving treatment for a sore back/neck. When he is particularly sore he can’t handle Quiver’s zoomies, or the constant jumping. However, when he feels good they run around together and play chasey with Quiver trying to not get tagged by his uncle.
If I was to leave him to deal with Quiver on his own the relationship between them would be damaged, Quiver would likely get injured and his uncle would aggravate his back and neck, requiring more treatment than necessary otherwise. By stepping in and ensuring their interactions are acceptable injuries are avoided (as much as possible), they get along really well and continue to enjoy each other’s company.

Time away from each other can be as simple as using a crate or separate room, one inside one outside, or taking the youngster out for a walk or training. Cats can have somewhere high they can jump up to. Teaching youngsters that specific areas are no go when the older pets are there. Each pet having their own bed or rest area that the other isn’t allowed on.

24/11/2021

Monday afternoon was extremely mentally draining, so I really wasn't wanting to walk Quiver somewhere I needed to really work on his focus and behaviour. So we headed to a park I knew we wouldn't see many people. Thankfully there was only 1 other person with her 2 dogs, also wanting on easy evening walk.

Along the way Quiver discovered the joy of puddles (well technically a drain 😏) and helped make all the stress melt away. Gotta love the power of our animal companions to lift our spirits.

20/11/2021

Soon many people will be welcoming a new furry or feathered companion into their lives, and wanting to have an amazing relationship with them, so what are some of the key points to remember when welcoming a youngster into your family?

Firstly, it is important to remember that for many youngsters, arriving into your home is likely to be the first time they have ever been away from the only home they have ever known, where they have been with their mum and litter/nest mates. This is a scary step for any youngster and you need to have patience with them while they get used to loosing everyone they have ever known and trusted.

Then we need to look at giving them a comfortable and safe place to be able to rest. Remembering, the younger they are the more rest they will need and you need to either have a secure area for them to be able to sleep, or to be around when they wake up to ensure there are no accidents that will need to be cleaned up.
The rest or sleeping area should be free from drafts, in a quiet area and allow for being either curled up or stretched out dependent on the animals desired position (and species). If this is a puppy or kitten you could look at a crate or puppy pen to keep them in while sleeping, for a guinea pig, ferret or rat a nice soft nest in their cage, for a bird a couple of different sized perches, preferrable natural, so they can decide how wide they want their grip to be.

Toileting, remember when most youngsters wake up they need to toilet, it is best to take them to or show they their toileting spot quickly to prevent them from toileting anywhere they feel is suitable. Youngsters will also need to toilet after a big play session and every couple of hours, so you need to factor this into your interactions with them, and ensure you give them the opportunity to make correct toileting choices, without just going wherever they happen to be at the time.
Always reward them for toileting in the correct place, even if it is only a good boy/girl and a pat, let them know they have done the right thing.

Teaching the behaviours you want, and taking time to prevent the behaviours you don’t want. It is just as important to prevent the behaviours you don’t want learnt/practiced as it is to teach and reward the behaviours you do want. If this is something you need help with please give me a call on 0400 004 725 and we can book a time to help.
Remember to keep all training sessions short, especially with the very young animals, and extend the time and complexity as their age and mental ability grow.

18/11/2021

Are you having people over on Christmas Day, or in the lead up to Christmas and not sure your pet will cope? Now is the time to start preparing them for the excitement and visitors to arrive.

Firstly, will your pet be involved in the festivities, or are you looking to find them a suitable place to relax and be away from the activity and emotions of the event?
The option you choose will greatly affect your preparation.

If you have a highly excitable or anxious friend you may choose to provide the perfect relaxation space away from the buzz and excitement of the day. Choosing the right place is crucial, will it be a bedroom, or laundry that visitors won’t have access too? Is there a section of the backyard that can be or is fenced off for their security? Do you have to move their cage or hutch for the day?
Once you have your location, and a back up in case the weather isn’t conducive to that location on the day, it is a great idea to get your pet used to being in that area, and not whining, barking, or scratching to get out. A great time to do this is their dinner time and also when the household is at their usual hive of activity, so they can get used to the area and noises happening outside this area that they can’t investigate. Give them their dinner or a tasty treat (preferably a long lasting meal/treat), water and a bed and leave them in there.
Come back shortly after and let them out, slowly extending the time they are locked in their area. Remembering, the family/friend gathering will likely last a few hours.

If you are planning to have your pet around all the festivities and people the preparation is a little harder, but no different to how you would like them to behave on a normal day anyway, just with so many more distractions and opportunities to get pats and treats from everyone.
Firstly, greetings, no one wants to be jumped all over, scratched or bitten when saying hello. Practice nice calm greetings with your pet over the next few weeks, and always reward all feet on the ground, and being patient.
If necessary, keep your dog on lead as people arrive, or give them a place to wait until everyone is there and the initial excitement has worn off. Don’t let dogs, cats, guinea pigs, rabbits, etc be picked up if they would prefer to remain on the ground, get the visitors to kneel down or hold them yourself, not everyone likes to be in the arms of someone they don’t know.
Also, teaching your pet not to rush out of doors is essential. People will be carrying platters, presents, kids, etc, you want them to be able to come inside without fear of your pet charging outside and having to catch them.
Always allow an escape route if your pet feels the interactions are too much and don’t allow them to be followed if they do use their escape route.

Secondly, begging and food stealing. We all know those individuals that just LOVE food, and being surrounded by people they can convince to hand off their tasty treat, but that doesn’t mean they have to be a nuisance, especially when everyone is sitting down to a nice meal. Teaching a pet to leave everyone in peace while eating is a valuable lesson for all pets, and one they should all know. Quiver learnt this by being tied with a thin rope where he could only get up to 1m away from me while eating but was still in the area and had the freedom to choose where he lay down and what he did while I ate. He now just patiently waits for me to finish and see if I happen to leave anything behind for him.
Next, stealing, no animal should take food from the hand without being offered it first, and they should do so gently. Same goes for taking food off the table. Only food they are given should be consumed.
We all have those family members that think just a little treat won’t harm your pet, but when multiple people do this over multiple hours the small treat can add up to a large, your gigantic, meal for your pet. An easy way to manage this, and prevent your pet from eating food you don’t want them to have or are harmful to them is to have a special “pet treat” bowl on the table. Let everyone know, especially those you know will sneak the treats, that you have prepared a special treat bowl for your little one, so you can keep track of what and how much they are eating as you don’t want them getting sick over this time (you will be surprised by the number of vet trips over this time due to snacking). Ask them to only treat from this bowl. If necessary prepare for the day but only put part of the treats out, so as more human food is bought out you can also top up the pet treat bowl.

Another really great idea, again for everyday life, but perfect for gatherings, is teaching your pet to go to their bed or a specific place on command. This is perfect for when the food is about to come out, the pet goes to their bed and is released from being there once everyone has finished eating and the food is cleared away. If, like me, you have a young pet that hasn’t had to behave with a very large gathering before, especially as many of us have been restricted with covid, you could place the bed somewhere you can tether your pet with a lead during this time to help them to control the urge to get off their bed and say hello to those they know will share their meal.

There are plenty more ideas to help take some of the stress out of the festive season with your pet, if you need help let me know and we can work on creating a plan for your specific requirements and situation.