Eavings Rehab

30/08/2021

The many faces of Ricky the sharpei mix.

Play and trains for him!

17/08/2021

Today on dogs with the longest tongue going… 😛

Ricky is having some lessons on leash skills before being available for adoption. 😎💁🏼‍♀️

Such a friendly, lovely guy, with plenty of potential.

14/08/2021

Apartment living 🏡

This lovely boy has just moved to a new apartment in the city. He was little overwhelmed by it all (having come from a quiet outer suburb).

When considering major changes to your pets life, always consider making a plan.

1. Make a plan for toileting, exercise, and sleeping needs
2. Consider implementing prior training
3. Keep in mind that pets need time to adjust to new surroundings
4. Get professional advice if you’re struggling

Thankfully, this gorgeous boy is now settling well with some small changes to his new environment.

😃

09/08/2021

Meet Dougal

Believe it or not, him laying down near me and looking in my direction is a really big progression.

Doogie suffered from a lack of socialisation as a puppy (thanks Covid) and too much personal freedom.

When I first met him he would

🐕 Pace constantly
🦷 Constantly be nipping anything that moved
🐶 Jump onto everyone (causing injury)
😱 Run away from people in fear
😔 shut down in fear with minor pressure

He was a really strange mix of being constantly all over you but also terrified of you. Weird mix or not, it had to stop.

His mum has implemented some fantastic changes and today while working he did not

1. No jumping up at all
2. No biting at all
3. Very limited shut down
4. Lots of eye contact

He has a good way to go, but he is such a happier and more at peace dog with the basic changes we’ve made so far. Keep it up Dougal!

14/01/2021

When the weekend is so close you can ALMOST taste it!

Happy Friday from Millie 😊😀

07/01/2021

We’re back ready for a wonderful 2021!

Meet Charlie the worlds most hungry dog! He enjoys a good couch nap once he figures out where his tongue goes 😜😎

03/12/2020

Tani had been struggling with some extremely severe leash reactivity. She went EVERYWHERE on two legs she pulled so badly. If she heard a dog, let alone saw one, she’d break into a yapping/barking frenzy.

With time, diligence, and practice, she has come a very long way. So proud of the work she and her mum have done.

26/11/2020

Meet Dr Snuggles (actual name 😜) with his stellar owners...

This little man suffers from what we know as “too many cuddles, not enough structure”.

I should say, “suffered” because his mum and grandma have made some amazing changes and he’s doing superbly.

When I first met Dr Snuggles, he charged to the door barking hysterically, he had to be picked up and held tightly to not jump all over me, but the second he was let down he did so anyway. During our initial consult Dr Snuggles spent the whole 2 hours alternatively jumping up on me, furniture, and also pacing the room. He would lay down briefly but then get up almost immediately to scan the room.

He was a very unsettled dog who was on the cusp of snapping at people who touched him - even his owner.

We finished the first session and I sent my follow up email. I wasn’t sure if I’d hear back. Often, people are very excited about making changes but can “give up” (especially with little dogs). But, D.S owners doubled down on their training and made great steps in the first fortnight. I was blown away by the progress and commitment.

Today (our third session), Dr Snuggles didn’t bark at my arrival, stayed in his crate, didn’t jump/pace, snoozed as appropriate, and had a fantastic leash skills session. He just radiated contentment. He also diligently looked to his owners for feedback.

With just some small changes to his normal routine, he is quite frankly a totally new dog.

Cuddles never made a dog content. And, Dr Snuggles (ironically) is case in point.

Go Team Dr Snuggles!!!

03/11/2020

😎 Go, Team!

23/10/2020

Great work Poppy and her new owners! Poppy usually pulls on lead constantly, a result of no prior learning and fear based reactivity. She’s so strong her mum can’t walk her without a halti (which she still pulls on). 😫😤

This is at the end of our first session on leash manners. Poppy has a long way to go but today we introduced the mechanical aspect of respecting the leash. They did beautifully! 🥰🤗

From here, we focus on her enjoyment, fun, and (eventually) dealing with her dog related reactivity. 👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻✊🏻

Great work Don and Poppy! 🥳🥳🤩

21/10/2020

Meet George! He’s a 6-Month-Old Great Dane with lots of growing to do.

His Mum and Dad asked me to come help them with his connection to them. In no time at all, George will be far stronger than them, so we started putting foundations in place for him to understand focus, impulse control, and the benefits of both!

16/10/2020

Meet Benji 🐩

I met Benji and his mum a fortnight ago after he developed some fairly aggressive tendencies towards select people. 🤔😳

When I first arrived, Benji demonstrated some behaviors that would have been really concerning and dangerous from a large dog. 😬

Often, little dogs are given a lot more slack than bigger dogs (which is very unfair). 🤨🧐 The reduced “risk” is where they often are allowed to get away with things for an extended period of time.

Benjis Mum has done a great job in the past fortnight. He’s got the basics down pat and will be building on them in the next fortnight. 🤓😎

Great work!

14/10/2020

It’s always interesting how you meet people and their dogs when you first arrive at a home. Here, you can see Ringo way down the end of the hallway.

When I first arrived in the home, Ringo and his sister were jumping up and scrabbling at the door. If I’d come in, he would have jumped all over me and possibly nipped me (he’s about at that point behaviorally).

By the time we finish the first session, I often show clients how to simply and easily “show” their dog what we’d like them to do when there’s someone at the door. Not a long term solution, but a nifty little technique that helps clients gain confidence and dogs to learn a little respect.

Ringo is a great dog. His mum is super keen, I’m sure he’ll go far and I look forward to keeping you posted about his progress.

08/10/2020

I met Tani and her mum last week. They’ve been kicking goals and today we introduced leash walking.

Tani is a qualified, certified leash puller. She’ll go everywhere on two legs and that is something she’s used to doing.

Leash skills are actually quite straightforward in a lot of cases. The complexity arises when you add in distractions or triggers. Thankfully, Tanis Mum lives in an apartment complex with a perfect space for practicing loose leash walking.

She’s got a way to go, but I know they’ll get there in no time. She’s a great little dog.

07/10/2020

Building an amazing relationship with your dog includes being 'aware' of the information they are giving you. All dogs communicate via body language. All of them! It's their primary method of communication.

In the majority of cases we see, clients are unaware of the feedback their dog is giving them. This is simply due to a lack of understanding of dog body language.

Basically, you don't speak dog.

Over a period of time, this results in your dog being less interested in paying attention to you. You aren't speaking the same language. You're using words the dog doesn't understand and you aren't paying attention to what the dog is saying to you with their body language. So, they just disregard you.

You can't have a relationship without effective communication and this is where problems arise.

In many small breeds, issues like biting, air snapping, and growling, can often (not always!) be traced back to overhandling in puppyhood. Small puppies are constantly cuddled, hugged, petted, etc, and eventually, they get jack of it. They use small signs to signal their displeasure, but people ignore them due to not knowing better. Over a period of time, the dog comes to learn that the only way people will leave it alone is by using their teeth.

We believe, fundamentally, in clients obtaining empowerment through education. This is why it is important that all dog owners learn how to speak dog. This is an excellent resource for just this. I recommend it to everyone!

After all, if you don't want to learn how to speak the native language of your pet - go buy a stuffed toy. https://www.aspcapro.org/training-webinar-series/webinar-series-canine-communication-behavior

With this webinar series you can significantly build your skills in interacting with dogs and identifying canine behaviors.

06/10/2020

02/10/2020

We were so busy with clients this week we didn’t take any “on site” photos! Plenty of great initial consults with some new clients.

A mid week lull with a day-board from Lola. She’s used to being the centre of attention at her house, so here she is practising her natural “calm” skills between training sessions.

Teaching your puppy to be calm is as important (if not more) than being excitable with them. Adult dogs who don’t know how to chill out tend to anxious - and this leads to plenty of issues.

This weekend, practise chilling out with your dog - on your terms!

30/09/2020

Meet Yogi,

A few weeks ago when I arrived to have a consult with Yogi and his mum, he tried to break through the front door to get to me. His dad had to wrestle him down the hallway and I was quite worried Yogi was so stressed he might redirect bite his owner!

During our first session, Yogi stayed in the bathroom while I sat outside with his mum and dad.

Unfortunately, Yogi had developed some fairly concerning behaviours stemming from;

1. A lack of clear structure and boundaries
2. A lack of exercise and play
3. No outlet for his breed drives

He was on the edge of being completely unmanageable and dangerous.

Over the past few weeks Yogi has had a complete turn around. With some basic changes to his daily routine and excellent work by his owners, he is on the path to being able to;

1. Walked on a leash outside his yard
2. Inside on his mat
3. Able to focus on his owners around distractions (like children).

During my last session I was able to play with and walk Yogi, which is a fantastic turn around - thanks to the dedication of his owners.

14/09/2020

You CAN camp with your dogs 🐕

When Eavie was a pup she used to get out a lot. She’d disappear for days on end in the bush, hunting and chasing.

It did my head in. I was always stressed she was going to run away and she was always looking for ways to escape. Part of this was age, but part of It was because I was always putting her in situations where she COULD make a bad choice - a situation where I had no control. Didn’t matter how much work we did, because I didn’t have control she could simply run far and fast enough away to escape.

Here she is near barking dogs, a bunch of cows, a kid flying over her head, and with me a long way away.

How have I gotten here? Through small steps, a mindset shift, and patience.

You can overcome anything to get to your goals.

04/09/2020

Learning to listen is tiring stuff! You’ll be right Lola.

You just need to learn how to cool those jets when we say 😉

01/09/2020

Leash Matters

What does putting a leash on your dog mean?

A lot of clients come to us with leash problems. There’s always a variety of reasons why dogs have “trouble” on lead, but often it starts with over excitement.

This morning, while walking out the door, I received an important phone call. This meant we stood on the front porch for some time. The GODs (good old dogs) lay down and went into stasis for a while.

Training isn’t always about training for an active behaviour. A lot of my training involves showing clients how to get their dogs to chill out.

You should be able to pause during a walk and have calm. You should be able to have calm before going on a walk. It’s possible, you just need to add a few techniques to your training toolkit!

31/08/2020

Awww Yiss.

Little Mossie getting her teeth into the new rolled leather tug from K9 Pro!

Absolutely in love with these tugs. Very easy on the hand and also the jaws of littler dogs.

22/08/2020

Little Obi has had a lot of changes lately. His mum recently moved to a new home and he’s been flexing his opinions about the upheaval!

Obi did really well at learning to be calm before coming inside. His mum is also confident with a new plan to help Obi feel more comfortable being alone at the new place.

Onwards and Upwards!

13/08/2020

Go Tink - 😀

11/08/2020

Does SIZE matter? 😳🤔🤷‍♀️

How BIG should your tug be?

Some people think a tug should be bigger so there’s less chance of being nipped during play.

There’s a 4 foot long Target tug that I have seen people use and they STILL get nips!

Tug is a game. It has rules, boundaries and consequences for breaking them. Nipping is a breach of the rules, so if we skip the part about enforcing rules in play, you’ll find you’ll get a bite or a nip no matter the tug size.

Eavie loves tugging with tiny little loufas. No idea why, but they’re tiny and we still have a great time! As always, get out and play with your dog (with rules).

11/08/2020

Meet Baz! 🐕

This poor guy has had an extremely hard start to life. He’s been abandoned at a vacant property, in a country pound, and then in a few foster homes.

When I first arrived at the property today he spent over an hour trying to break into the house to get to me.

I don’t take it personally, he’s just really into protecting his newest foster mum. She’s become his lifeline, which means he isn’t a fan of new people being near her.

This is near the end of the session. We’d done a lot of hands on work, with me at a big distance so he stayed comfortable. He’s not a truely “aggressive” dog, but he’s fearful and unsure, and this is dangerous.

We’re showing him what we want from him when something is new - orient back to the handler.

This is the first step in a lengthy journey for Baz. We’re sure he’ll go far with his committed foster family.

08/08/2020

COVID Pup Alert 🚨

Yoda went to his new home exactly when COVID struck. Aside from some walks around his family’s property, he hasn’t left his home before.

He has excellent focus when sitting on place, but is still a little excited on lead.

Thankfully, we got some excellent practice in on respecting the leash and building calm/positive near other dogs.

Kudos to Yodas family for reaching out early to me. He has no real developed leash reactivity because they took my advice and are taking his “world experiences” slowly.

A lot of leash reactivity is due to dogs being exposed to things without prior focus work or faith in the handler. Today, we could show Yoda the positives he experiences for focus on his owner.

08/08/2020

Dog Won’t Bring Back A Ball in Fetch? 😖

Meet Wes and his mum. Poor Wes has been passed around some uncaring homes in his past. He is lacking in all the basics we look for.

When I arrived at the home I got to see his behaviour in all its glory. Jumping, light mouthing, barking, and a complete unawareness of his handler. 😳 😨

After some short focus sessions, an introduction to leash pressure, and the beautiful concept of tug, it started to rain super heavily! 🌧

Now Wes is a Lab. He is genetically hardwired to Retrieve! But, he’s learnt the “game” is to chase a toy and run off with it. 🏃‍♂️

This is not a game that we want! So, we started to break down the process. We controlled what we could, took it slow, and voila! 👏🏻

Here he is, bringing the toy back and learning that THIS IS THE GAME. 🏅

Still early days, but wonderful progress for a brief stormy afternoon session. ⛈

Break things down, create wins, and achieve results you want 🤩

07/08/2020

Meet Lionel 🦁

He’s an example of a Covid Pup. His mum spent a lot of time with him when he was little, so he struggles with being alone.

Lionel is a beautifully tempered dog and his mum has done some really fantastic work in some areas, but today we worked on bringing it all together.

- Focus Exercises 👁
- How to play for trust 🤝
- Enrichment 🍖
- Staying on place 🛌
- Introduction to markers

I have no doubt Lionel will do well. His mum is super dedicated and on the right track to help him feel more settled at home.

05/08/2020

Being Hand Shy 😞

Chi’s are known for being bitey little dogs. They’ll bite, nip, and snarl at the slightest provocation and, often, get away with it (because they’re so small!). James here is no exception. He bites and holds his bite when he’s in the mood.

I have a bit of a theory that one of the reasons these guys can be so bitey and snarly is because from day one they are picked up and handled without consent. They’re so little, people often ignore their teeny “give me space” signals and they learn (very quickly) that hands don’t go away without a snarl or a bite (which often works).

You’d probably snarl too, if every single person you met was 50 times larger than you and wanted to pick you up & squeeze you!

Today, we started James being comfortable with touching. This is just the first step of many in helping him feel comfortable around hands/touch.

This skill is very important for future vet trips and emergency handling.

31/07/2020

😂 Saturday Morning Memes 😳😉

30/07/2020

Tennis Ball For Scale 🎾

Just because a dog is smaller than your average ferret, this doesn’t mean you can skip the training.

In fact, some mini toy dogs develop some fairly severe behaviours that they get away with simply due to their size!

This little guy is on the right track and his parents are super committed! We all had to pause during the consult several times to just LOOK AT HIM 💝 🥰😍😂

Remember; if a behaviour a dog demonstrates wouldn’t be acceptable by a 50kg dog, it isn’t fair to let a smaller dog get away with it simply because it has less impact. Focus on mindset and acceptable behaviours!

30/07/2020

Progress 👊🏻

Oh boy, Tinka is awesome. When I first met her she was a little pup with a big personality. Her mum was super keen on doing something with her, but wasn’t sure what! I recommended Herding and they’ve been going diligently for several months now. Tinka is a pro! 🐑 🐑

Unfortunately, part of sheep herding in the city is a fair bit of waiting around for your turn. Tinka has developed a bit of a problem with being over aroused and excited while waiting! 🔈 🔈

Very excited to be using my new training space to help Tinka overcome her over arousal. She’s learning to focus on the handler. 👁 👁

If you look closely, you can see Bobby is on the other side of the fence. Just chilling.

At first, Tinka struggled to even be near Bobby. She was barking, lunging, crying, and all sorts of things - even at a big distance. 🐶 😜

But, very quickly we were able to show her that it is far more rewarding to focus on me - not the distraction. This is near the end of the session. She did super well!

Overcoming behaviours like Tinkas takes time, she isn’t magically fixed. But, she’s on the right path and will soon be able to participate at herding without the behaviours we don’t want 🐕🐑

Go Tinka!

27/07/2020

When We Say ‘Chew Things’ 🍖

Often, when I ask clients if they give their dogs things to “chew” they immediately reply “yes”!

Often, the “chew” items are non-food based toys or the occasional Kong.

Kong’s are great! They’re a very useful tool for keeping dogs busy and their mouths engaged.

But! They don’t REALLY deal with the innate ‘gnawwy’ needs that many dogs have - especially, young fat head dogs like Pepper.

The issue is, a lack of gnawwy stimulation can lead to your dog chewing things you DONT want them to chew!

Destruction can be fixed by removing the dog from areas with access to items they might like to chew, but ALSO by providing Daily edible gnawwy chew items. A hard toy isn’t enough, a kong isn’t enough (for many dogs). Marrow bones are too rich for many dogs, too (and can cause digestive upsets).

Pepper here is demoing a Bully Stick by Wag. She’s been going at it for about 5 minutes and is only an inch in! They’re deceptively long lasting.

23/07/2020

Do you have clarity in your relationship with your dog?

21/07/2020

Absolutely in love with WAGs Bully Stick Chews. They take these two a fair time to get through - Bobby can chew a braided chew in 3 minutes flat.

I always like to finish a good exercise - play -wind-down with a bit of place/chew. Post activity chewing always settles a dog down ready for the day. Think of it as ending your sentences with a full stop! It just rounds everything up nicely. 👍🏻🤟🏻

We sell them wholesale, if you’re interested.

16/07/2020

That Moment When It Clicks 👏🏻

These two gorgeous Cavadoors have a habit of barking at everything, especially when someone new comes to the door. It’s been causing a lot of stress for their family and also the neighbours 😮

Their family were at their wits end about how to “stop” the barking behaviour. We all sat down and unpacked a bit of what was going on, and since our visit they’ve been doing very well. 😀

9 times out of 10, a behaviour that we want our dogs to ‘stop’ doing is actually dealt with in a round about way. Be it working on confidence, structure, or (mostly) showing the dog, effectively, what you’d like them to do instead. 🤷‍♀️ ✋

In this moment, these two didn’t rush off their mats to bark at the front door when someone was knocking. In this moment we were able to reinforce what we DO want them to do. This is training. Showing a dog what you’d like them to do and making it in their interest to do 😁

23/06/2020

Working on impulse control. 👏🏻👌🏻

Java can get extremely aroused when other dogs are excited. He goes from 0 to 100 very quickly, which can make him unmanageable since he’s a strong boy. 💪🏻

A dog running on the mill makes him break into a fit of barking & lunging, so we worked today on basics of impulse control. 🥳🤩

BUT we have to rely on prior learning to get results. This means, we leveraged his learning on ‘place’, ‘look’, and also in respecting handler pressure (verbal markers and eye contact). 😎

Without basic learning, it is hard to make changes to behaviours when a dog is excited or aroused. Even if we create distance, the dog still doesn’t know what you want - so how do they know what is a good choice? 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

With our prior learning, Java made excellent choices today. He was able to stay on his place even without pressure by the end of the exercise and even stayed calm when offered free movement! 😧

Amazing work ☺️😍

19/06/2020

Passive Learning 👌🏻👏🏻

People are always asking me for “tips” to help a dog achieve a fairly major behaviour - for example, over coming leash reactivity etc. 😳🤷‍♀️

Overcoming major behaviours outside of the home always starts in the home. 💪🏻 It’s the small steps we take in our everyday interactions with our dogs that have the greatest, long-term impact. Every interaction with our dogs is a chance for us to build our relationship. To build confidence, to show them what we’d like.

Take this situation, for example. Java is used to being the centre of attention. He is a big, boisterous, goofy adolescent who demands to be in the middle of everything - that means attention from a human or another dog. It’s exhausting because he’s been reinforced for 7 months to do it! 👎🏻

Today, we did some grooming and this presented the opportunity for me to show him that sometimes he ISN’T going to be the centre of attention. 😳🤣 Sometimes, it is Eavies turn to be brushed (oooh, she loves being brushed) and that means he doesn’t get pats, attention, or the chance to be a pest (personal space invader that he is). This wasn’t a formal exercise, but it was an important one. Just one of dozens during the day that Java is facing on his journey to being the best dog he can be.

Do your dogs demand your attention? Are they especially insistent when you’re patting another dog? Often, this attention seeking is related to insecurity. Your response to the behaviour will affect your dogs state of mind...

As always,

14/06/2020

Pfft, Natalie. Why are you posting a photo of a napping dog? 😴

I’ll tell you! 😁

Buster has been suffering some pretty strong separation related anxiety. He finds it hard to be away from his mum, either inside or outside. Unfortunately, due to his behaviour and her close neighbours, she’s been having to have him with her at all times to keep the peace... Which is something that ends up reinforcing that anxiety (and making the behaviours stronger!).

Today, we worked on some activities that can help reduce Busters ongoing stress levels.

✅ Basics of Place Training
✅ Basics of play, especially chase and catch
✅ Basic verbal markers and communication skills
✅ Enrichment items we can provide for when mum is away
✅ Recommendations on changes to his area and routine to minimise stress
✅ What to expect during the process, and how to meet those challenges.

As you can see, by the conclusion of the visit Buster was laying down outside, away from his mum, snoozing. This was a really good first step for him and we look forward to sharing future updates with you all.