Good Manners Training & Behaviour

13/11/2024

Great info here 🐶🐾🐾
I say “ in order to change behaviour, we must change our behaviour “ very often when working with clients

11/11/2024

Love this little dude

25/08/2024

From the wise folk at PPGA

Click on the pop-out icon ( ) in the top-right corner of the resource to open it in Google Drive. Click the download icon ( ) in the upper right-hand corner of the Google Drive page to save the resource to your computer.

24/08/2024

Paddock all set 🐾🐾🐶
Fingers crossed for a rain free session

10/08/2024

Good info to share

NEW POST in Pets and Their People!
"Some dogs may respond to corrections with aggression, particularly if they feel threatened or cornered. This reaction can create a dangerous situation for both the dog and the owner..." - Kim Silver, owner and head trainer at Building Bonds
Read about 'Why is “Balanced” Dog Training Controversial?' here: https://www.petprofessionalguild.com/pet-owners/pets-and-their-people/pets-and-their-people-blog/why-is-balanced-dog-training-controversial/

08/06/2024

Couldn’t have said it better myself

A dogs neck is a very delicate part of their body!

The neck and cervical spine contain the spinal cord, this is where the nerves of the front legs originate. Excessive paw licking is quite often misdiagnosed as allergies when it is in fact pain.

Putting stress on the neck can cause painful disc damage and shoulder problems

A dog has the same number of vertebrae as a giraffe (think about that before choking a dog)

One of the most important structures of the nervous system "The Vagus Nerve" originates at neck level and this controls life essential organs like lung, heart, stomach, and intestinal tract.

The Thyroid gland is located in the neck. If this gets inflamed the immune system trys to remove the inflamed cells.
The destruction of the Thyroid gland cells can lead to hypothyroidism

Increased pressure put on the Jugular vein can cause seizures
Ear and Eye issues are significantly increased

Being je**ed on a lead causes whiplash and bruising.

The epidermis of a dog is only 3-5 cells thick
A humans is 10-15 cells thick

So WHY would anyone want to use a noose ....sorry I mean a slip lead?

A well fitted Y shaped harness is the safest and kindest peice of equipment to use.

31/05/2024

As a fan of natural diets and TCM , I can highly recommend this Masterclass
Neal is extremely knowledgeable

28/05/2024

This may be of value to some
Susan has lots of great things on her website

29/04/2024

Looking forward to this

29/04/2024

This is punishment based training. Some trainers who say they are balanced trainers also use these methods
I agree with John.
This training is never ok and I will continue to ask…. If you love your dog, why would you let someone hurt him/her
Or why would you follow instructions from someone who says you should

13/03/2024

This is informative

PLEASE SHARE –The San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SFSPCA) has produced an excellent video and article on how prong collars can physically injure your dog and can even cause your dog to become aggressive. You can find a link to those items on my blog, as well as links to other articles which discuss why the use of aversives such as prong, choke, and shock collars are NEVER a good option for training your dog. It is well worth the time and effort to take the time to learn how you can train and manage your dog without hurting them.

FMI - https://www.greenacreskennel.com/blog/2018/07/31/shared-post-whats-wrong-with-the-prong/

17/02/2024

Good info here and I stand side by side with my good friend and colleague Karen Bailey
Good Manners will fly the same flag

Lack of regulation in the animal training industry has meant that trainers have self regulated our own industry through different professional memberships and organisations.

For many years LIMA was Dog Solutions go to regarding explaining our stance on ethics. At times unethical trainers have interpreted least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive to justify inappropriate training practices. LEAST and MINIMAL leave too much room for movement.

For this reason Dog Solutions will be adopting the LIFE code of conduct to explain what we do and do not do.

We do not believe the ends justifies the means mentality to be ethical. Training shouldn't hurt and it shouldn't be scary.
Animal training has come a long way. Our best friends deserve the best from us.

Great trainers create willing participants. Great trainers build strong teams. Great trainers know how to motivate and create enthusiasm in their learner. Great trainers understand what drives an animal to behave in any given way. I have plenty of theories on why some people seem to enjoy harsh training - but that is another post :-).

Image taken from the journal of Veterinary Behaviour.

24/12/2023

Merry Christmas everyone
We hope you have a safe and happy festive season and wish you all the best for 2024

16/12/2023

A good reminder

*On Lead Areas Aren’t Off Lead Areas*

We often visit spaces that are designated as ‘on lead’ by law. This means that dogs must be on lead at all times. However, we often come across owners with their dogs off lead, ignoring the rules and putting their own dogs plus other people’s dogs at risk.

People take their dogs to designated ‘on lead’ spaces for different reasons. They might not have a reliable off lead recall, might want to prevent encounters between their dogs and wildlife or they might want to feel confident their dog won’t be approached by other dogs as their dog is fearful of unknown dogs approaching them, they are in training, recovering from injury or elderley. Just a few of many different reasons.

If you visit on lead areas with your dog, please help others by respecting the law to keep everyone safe and share this post to spread the word.

Wishing you and your pup happy adventures together! 🐺💖🐾🌲🐍

15/11/2023

Some good information here

In Chinese Medicine, every organ system has a much broader meaning and role. Liver imbalances can present in various aspects.

😡 Emotional stress, anger, irritable = Liver Stagnation.

🐾 Pododermatitis. Ye**ty inflamed paws = excess Liver Damp/Heat, whereas persistent paw licking without yeast may suggest Liver Qi Stagnation (stress, pain).

😴 1-3 am belongs to Liver in the circadian clock, also when Qi is the strongest within the channel to perform detox functions. Dogs waking up or vomiting bile around this time is a red flag for Liver disharmonies.

👀 Liver opens up to the eyes. Recurring conjunctivitis (“allergies”) is a sign of the Liver overheating. Heat rises! 🔥

👂Ears belong to Gallbladder, as the meridian circles around the ears. GB is the paired organ to Liver, like husband and wife. Recurring ear infections is also a sign of Liver/GB Damp Heat.

🍽️ Digestion. Liver’s role in digestion is crucial. It harmonises and regulates the entire digestive tract. Stubborn gut issues that have concurrent stress/anxiety triggers are often a reflection of Liver-Gut imbalances.

Most dogs with allergies have a combination of anxiety, yeast overgrowth and inconsistent gut health. These are strong signals for us to look at the root cause - the Liver!

Tips to help the Liver out:
✅ reduce unnecessary chemical load,
✅ feed a fresh diet; cooked or raw depends on the gut at the time,
✅ medicinal herbs such as Milk Thistle. Chinese herbs are formulated based on individual’s needs as every dog is different.
✅ Reduce your own stress levels as dogs feed off human emotions. Sometimes all it takes is to be aware & mindful. 😊

07/11/2023

A great post from a great supportive organisation

Training Tuesday

Language matters. That is why we use cue instead of 'command' when we ask our dogs to do something.
A cue is an opportunity for a reinforcer. A command is a threat, you either do as I say or else.....
If you need help with your pet, check our website for great resources and qualified and experienced trainers www.ppgaustralia.net.au

14/09/2023

These are my thought too

I'm tired of being told that my repulsion for punitive and aversive training is a lack of knowledge or skills. I'm tired of being told that my 7 years of studying, qualifications and experience working with dogs couldn't possibly stand up to the Facebook expert.
I'm tired of being told that force free training is limited and that it only works with some breeds. I'm tired of seeing friends and fellow force free trainers being accused of abuse because they refuse to defend those that would abuse dogs in the name of training.

I choose not to use aversives because I know how they work and their purpose. There is no magic or skill involved, it is designed to be unpleasant and its purpose is to intimidate, control and suppress. I choose to avoid punitive training because of my education and experience. Countless studies demonstrate the harm that aversives inflict and how they impact learning and welfare. Force free training is being used worldwide with a variety of species. If it works with gorillas, tigers and crocodiles, it works with any dog breed.
We will not empathise with abusive dog trainers because we do not want to give them a platform, whereby they can destroy even more dogs. We have plenty to learn from qualified trainers that do not compromise training ethics.

Qualified dog trainers shouldn't have to compete with trainers that only care about tik tok videos and forced compliance. Every force free trainer could use aversives with the same outcome. We choose not to because we understand the consequences and prioritise welfare and long-term results over followers and profit.

-Holly Leake

Please feel free to share but do not copy and paste without credit.

08/09/2023

This is food for thought that I’d love you all to share
I’ve never used a pinch/ prong collar but have used a check/ choke chain
I regret that I also was told how to train
I found positive training and will continue to promote fear free and choice when training
My question is always…..
If you love them, why would you hurt them
💕🐾🐾🐶