Coastal Pet Dog Training

30/08/2024

This is something I definitely recommend

02/07/2024

Puppies are not clean slates !
You often hear people say 'get a puppy they are a clean slate'

As a behaviourist and breeder I can confidently tell you this is not true. Both nature and nurture has a huge impact.
A puppy will inherit genes from its parents and these genes will impact the puppies genetic potential to behave in a particular way.
Such as :
Using aggression as a strategy to deal with difficult situations
Sociability towards people and dogs
Fearful responses
Sound sensitivity
Strong instinctive behaviour to hunt, chase, grab, hold and guard.
Trainability which includes the ability to learn self control as humans desire it.

When people breed dogs they sometimes select for specific traits and sometimes not. If someone is breeding for a particular look, colour or just money then these traits can become altered becoming stronger or weaker or unbalanced. This can make a dog dangerous for example breeding a dog with gameness and reducing human sociability.

Then the puppy is born and the first 8 weeks learning with the breeder will have an huge impact on the development of all these genetic traits.

My five puppies have all come from the same parents and been reared in the same environment. They have very individual personalities. The training and socialisation they receive in their new homes will only influence the genes and first learning, it won't change their personalities.

So if you are looking for a puppy
Firstly learn about breed traits and instincts and make sure you pick a puppy that will suit your lifestyle. For example there no point getting a breed that is 'aloof with strangers' if you have 3 young children and lots of friends visiting.

Secondly meet the parents or (genes), see what they are like. Make sure you are meeting the actual parents, some people buy in puppy farmed litters and then 'hire' an adult of the same breed to pretend the puppies were bred there!!

Thirdly make sure the puppy has had plenty of early neurological stimulation and learning before it leaves the litter. Ask these questions.
1) What have the puppies seen?
2) Who and what have they met?
2) What have they learnt?
3) How have they learned to play?
4) What do they do if they get frustrated?
5) What do they do if they get bored?

A professional trainer can help support and guide you on the process of looking for a puppy. Don't wait till afterwards for help.

Prevention IS better than Cure. This goes for training and socialisation too, get a professional to help and guide you.

Puppies are building neural pathways with every experience, every day, make sure they're building ones you like.

First Learning is the strongest, make sure you get it right first time.

Written by Jane Ardern BSc (Hons) KCAI (WG)
WaggaWuffins Canine College
Bury Lancashire

*Permission to share this post from this source. No cutting and pasting please and pretending you wrote it yourself 🙄

23/06/2024

How to Relax Your Reactive Dog In 10 Min A Day

24/04/2024

Bone Gold is an awesome product that I use with my dogs with great results, friends that use it have also had great results, dogs that have stopped jumping can jump again, dogs that have stopped playing are playing again, so I’ve decided to sell it as I believe in it so much. $42 for 250g, let me know if your interested, I only a have few until I see how popular it is.

05/04/2024

ADOLESCENCE:
As dogs go through adolescence, it’s safe to say things turn a little topsy-turvy! 🙃

If you’re currently at this stage and feeling like you’ve taken one step forward and two steps back, don’t panic! During this stage of life, there’s a lot going on in their busy little brains.

Here are three facts about the adolescent brain 🧠👇

1. The inhibitory neurons of the amygdala that help to dampen down emotional responses don’t fully mature until the END of adolescence.

2. Communication between the frontal cortex and amygdala, which is essential for skills training, decreases during adolescence.

3. Extinction memory is impaired during adolescence, so if your dog has a bad experience it’s much more likely to lead to a ‘hard wired’ fear memory.

Have patience and compassion as you support and guide your dog through this vulnerable period of brain development.

03/04/2024

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.

14/02/2024

BRAIN UNDER CONSTRUCTION!

The challenges of teenage dogs

The saying - "Parents with teenagers understand why some animals eat their young" is something that many parents of teenagers will relate to.

Many people are unaware that dogs also go through a teenage stage and are frustrated and unprepared for the changes it may bring.
Statistics show that many dogs are surrendered or re homed during this phase as their owners no longer “like” the way their dogs behave, can’t handle them and just give up on them.

The teenage brain is going through many changes. Think of it as being “rewired”. The rewiring process can cause some parts not to work at all, work sporadically or have too much current. The re wiring process often causes new, out of character or unexpected behaviour.

There are many similarities to the changing human teenage brain. There’s a valid scientific reason why car insurance premiums for young adults under 25 are more expensive. The brain is not fully matured – irrational decisions, risk taking, poor choices and accidents are more likely to happen.

Be patient, understanding and most of all consistent with your teenage dog.

Don’t give up on them. They are feeling just as frustrated as we are.

Being aware of what is happening in their brain as it develops to full maturity helps us to be more accepting.

Remember that this is just a phase and it will get better.

27/01/2024

Problems such as pulling on lead, clinginess or aggression were most prevalent among the pets studied

23/12/2023

Adolescent dogs can have big feelings about things in their environment, while doing some Nosework Scruff sees a toy that he is worried about so I let him look and react then I show him he can move away if he needs to, he then gets brave and approaches and decides it’s nothing to worry about and eats grass instead. I kept calm and quiet and let him work it out himself.

22/12/2023

Yep adolescence is a challenging time for everyone

Ah, adolescence.

Carson is approaching seven months of age. She is bold and fearful. She is friendly and conflicted about social scenarios. She is sure she knows everything and indeed knows very little.

All in one day she found herself terrified of leaf blowers and confused that they would be wielded by humans, which she typically likes. Later she thought running up the A frame might be more fun than the handling exercise she was learning and when the thing rattled on her descent she found herself less thrilled by this choice. What an alarming and confusing place the world is!

We just had a nice talk about how docile fuzzy horses behind fences are nothing to yell about. She is a a coiled spring of emotions. Her reactions are, by definition, overreactions. Her choices are more daring than she can actually handle, and every startle feels like armageddon.

If this is your life too, trust me: this too shall pass. It is common for people to panic and label their young dogs; do not fall into that trap. Support them. Laugh. Cry if you need to. They will be adults eventually (if their poor judgement doesn't kill them).

07/12/2023

More of scruff being a good boy

07/12/2023

Scruffs first run off lead at the beach, he did pretty well, checking in and coming back to me regularly.

22/11/2023

Scruff is about 1yr so he’s an adolescent, and teenagers of any species can be hard work, it’s important to give them time and to be patient with them as they are struggling too. We have been going on doggy dates walks to help him learn how to be calm and thoughtful around other dogs and people, we are not worrying about obedience and cues at the moment I am purely reinforcing good calm decisions from him and it’s paying off he was so good today on his walk with mostly small dogs.

16/11/2023

EMOTIONS MATTER!
Dog’s emotions really do matter, far more than we may realise.

Emotions matter because emotional states drive behaviour.

Think about how our emotions have a direct affect on our behaviour – we may lash out at others because of the emotions of fear, anger or frustration. Be irritable if we are tired or in pain. Struggle to focus or learn something new if we are stressed or anxious, shut down or over react if we feel insecure or unsafe ….

When a dog’s emotional needs and well-being are not supported and not addressed, behaviour problems are often seen.

Unwanted behaviour shouldn’t be looked at independently or as a specific problem that needs to be fixed.

When needs are met, when emotions are recognised, when body language is understood and listened to, a dog’s emotional state will change, which will in turn bring about positive changes in behaviour.

These are the foundations on which behaviour change is built.

19/10/2023

Scruff is a new edition to our house, he’s a 1yr old kelpie x wolfhound and he’s gorgeous. As a dog that has come from a rural pound I don’t think he’s seen much of the world or been taught anything so we are working on his skills of living in a busy household. When he arrived I treated him as though he no toilet training and hence have had no accidents inside. I taught him to sit and wait while the other dogs got a treat or attention so there were no squabbles. He has learnt to ride in the back of the car as there’s no room anywhere else, he now waits calming and quietly in the car for up to an hour while I teach classes. We still have a long way to go but he’s doing an amazing job at being an awesome companion. I’ll try and share our journey together and I’m happy to help make your dog an awesome companion too.

10/10/2023

Have you ever thought about trying some dog sport agility moves with your dog?, why not try our 2 hour give it a go agility workshop - this Friday afternoon!

🏅 Agility Introduction*: Unleash the athlete in your dog! Discover the excitement of agility training and as we teach you and your dog the basic foundation skills needed to pursue an agility dogsport future🏃‍♂️🐾 (*prerequisites required).
📆 Date & Time:
Friday, 6 October 2023, 4 PM - 6 PM or,
Friday, 27 October 2023, 2 PM - 4PM

10/10/2023

30/09/2023

TRIGGER STACKING – WHEN BEHAVIOUR HAPPENS “OUT OF THE BLUE”

We’ve all had those days when nothing seems to go right and one frustrating thing after another happens to us, leaving us feeling wound up, stressed and ready to explode at the next unsuspecting person who dares to ask us something.

This “unsuspecting” person may think we have a serious behaviour problem or need anger management coaching, when the truth is that we’ve just had a really bad day or even a few bad days and don’t usually behave like this at all.

Dogs are no different and a behaviour that seems completely out of character or happens “out of the blue” is often caused by “trigger stacking”.

A trigger may be anything that increases a dog’s stress levels and has a negative impact on their emotional, mental or physical state.

These may be small things that we may not even notice or seem insignificant to us, but they are all adding to an increasing “stack” of events that may culminate in out of character behaviour.

When stress levels reach a certain point, the next stressful event, however small, may cause a reaction that is completely unexpected.

Instead of just focusing on a particular behaviour and seeing it as a problem that needs to be prevented, take a step backwards, look at the bigger picture, look at events, circumstances or environmental factors that may have played a role in causing that particular behaviour.

Being aware of potential stressors and allowing your dog time to decompress, relax and unwind for a few days will often mean the difference between “normal behaviour” and a behaviour that seems completely out of character.