Embark Pet Care

23/08/2024

Well-said! 👌👀 🐾

07/08/2024

Lovely Maggie is totally dominating me😅 (OK, relax, I invited her to jump up on me).

We've been working on her dog-to-dog interactions and she's been so responsive to previously learned cues even at a cafe with so many dogs around (but at a safe distance) - high five Maggie 🐾

18/07/2024

👏 Such great news for Story Dogs and I am so proud to be helping out with dog assessments.

Thank you Qantas for the support, go Macy! 🐾

(Click on the link below, it is not a spam.)

10/06/2024

📖Story Dogs is an amazing volunteer program whose vision is to "make reading fun for children, so they become confident lifelong readers."

I've been an assessor for Story Dogs since 2017 and my role is to help find suitable dogs that enjoy the company of kids and are able to calmly "listen" while the kids read to them.

Feel free to share it far and wide - it would be great to see a Story Dog in every primary school. 🐾

Dive into the heartwarming world of Story Dogs with our brand-new video! Prepare to be enchanted as we unveil the magic behind this extraordinary program th...

29/05/2024

🏝️ While on holidays, I can't help myself not to interact with the local dogs and cats. They have a very different life compared to Australian or European pets. Most are living as free ranging pets, no collar, no leash, but I've also seen untreated skin issues, fleas running around them and they mate whenever they have the urge...

Most of the islands of French Polynesia don't even have a medical centre, let alone a hospital for humans. There are a few vet clinics on some bigger islands, but not on smaller ones, so veterinary care is not as accessible here.

Despite the odds, I've seen some very happy dogs splashing around in the ocean for hours or snoozing on the beach, so I feel they do have a good life here... 🐾

08/04/2024

✈️ + 🐶 =❓After Virgin Australia's earlier announcement regarding travelling with pets in the cabin, many pet owners got excited that they will be able to fly with their dogs and cats...

Before we get too excited, let's look at the reality. Even if cats and dogs will be allowed in the cabin, they will have to fit under the seat in front of you in an approved pet carrier. There will also be weight limits, but if you can imagine the space in front of you, it will only fit small (tiny!) dogs.

"We are still working through the specific rules of the service, but can confirm that only small dogs and cats will be allowed onboard, which must be able to fit comfortably in Virgin Australia approved pet carriers, stowed under the seat in front for the duration of the flight."
https://newsroom.virginaustralia.com/release/cats-out-bag-virgin-australia-signals-intent-launch-nations-first-ever-pets-cabin-flights

Looking at suitability to fly - besides temperament -, we also need to consider the health of dogs (and cats). Qantas has special conditions for booking brachycephalic breeds such as Boston Terriers, French Bulldogs, Shih-Tzus and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels:

https://freight.qantas.com/pets/brachycephalic-breeds.html

27/02/2024

Great post from the Pet Professional Guild Australia. With all barking problems, we should address the underlying emotion, not just the symptom.

That's why we always start with a behaviour questionnaire and a thorough assessment of the problem behaviour. Once we identify the triggers for excessive barking, then we can work out a plan how to reduce it using evidence-based, force-free methods.

If barking is driving you mad, get in touch:
https://embarkpetcare.com.au/home/dog-behaviour-consultation/

TRAINING TUESDAY
Barking can be for a number of reasons; to alert you, social interaction with other dogs, make someone (or something) go away (e.g. fear), from pain or illness, for attention, for frustration, to protect, when they are excited and happy or from boredom.

Firstly we need to treat the problem and NOT the symptom.

For example, if it is for attention, then we train the dog that quiet behavior gets attention. If it is for alert barking, then we train the dog that one bark is sufficient and sometimes even then a recall back to you. When it is for attention, we train an alternate behaviour (e.g. bring me the toy, go to your mat) and if it is fear based we look at desensitizing them to the triggers.

14/02/2024

I never thought this would be possible one day.

Bindi relaxing inside with friends (including kids) who she hasn't seen for a while. She is quietly observing us play a very animated game called "Activity".

Love you my girl! 🥰

10/02/2024

🌎 Mr P is a world traveller. Born in Guatemala, he's been to Mexico, the USA, lived in the UK, visited Italy and now a permanent doggie citizen of Australia.

We've been working on dog-to-dog interactions, not chasing wildlife and management around unfamiliar visitors.

Despite having a rough start to life, he is one very lucky chap to have been rescued by his humans and taken on so many adventures around the world.

Now it's time to get used to kangaroos, bush turkeys and all the Aussie locals...

09/02/2024

Love the information handouts from "The Family Dog". This one is called "Pat Pet Pause" and is available in multiple languages, including Hungarian 🐶

Often we don't ask for consent from unfamiliar (or familiar) dogs and just go up to them, thinking they sure want to be petted. But think about it... Do you want to be hugged or even touched by a total stranger?

Always:

🐾 let the dog choose if they want to come up to you - if they don't approach, that means "no thank you" (even if they just come up for a quick sniff, it doesn't mean they want to be touched)
🐾 pat with one hand, where the dog likes it (some are head shy, some have arthritis, so always check with the owner)
🐾 stop petting after a few seconds and wait if the dog wants more or had enough

If you're an owner of a shy/fearful dog, it is OK to say "no" to people wanting to pat your dog straight away ⛔️

More info and additional resources:
https://www.thefamilydog.com/stop-the-77

29/01/2024

🏠 This gorgeous young Border Collie x Kelpie is looking for a new home (based near Sydney).

Her story and contact info in the post. Please share so she can find the right home 🐾

25/12/2023

22/12/2023

What a difference a few weeks can make!

Maverick has attended puppy lessons and has grown so much! Enjoy your puppies while they are small - they become teenagers way too soon ⏳

Check out our Puppy School course for pups 8-16 weeks of age:
https://embarkpetcare.com.au/puppy-school/

02/10/2023

📆 So excited to be presenting at the Online Vet Nurse/Tech Conference 2023, organised by Vet Education on Thursday, Oct 5 at 7:30 pm (AEDT).

I will be talking about how veterinary staff can help reactive dogs and their owners cope better in stressful situations.

The conference is free to attend - to check out the topics and register go to: https://veteducation.com.au/online-veterinary-nurse-technician-conference-2023/

28/08/2023

🌍 Taking a break until Sept 25, but will be back fully charged 🐾

Appointment bookings for existing and new clients are available at:

Schedule your appointment online Embark Pet Care

16/08/2023

Cody is available for adoption (in Brisbane)! He is very special to my heart as I've seen him blossom in care and I am sure he will make his new family very happy. Just look at him! (Although you shouldn't choose dogs based on looks 😏).

Honestly, if I didn't have an only child (Bindi), I'd take him home in a heartbeat. Go Cody! ♥️🐾

https://www.adoptapet.com.au/pet/920624

13/08/2023

📰 Interesting article about dog food myths and how to choose a diet that works for your dog (and not just fall for marketing tricks or uneducated advice...).

https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/food/dog-food-myth-busting/?utm_content=buffer9618f&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer&fbclid=IwAR1k6jbyBVH_BJ9ay9syttEZoivChe__6ROqlfoIJ92tT3ucuxxaOdL_IM0

Whole Dog Journal‘s mission is to provide dog guardians with in-depth information on dog food, training, behavior, health, and more.

05/06/2023

Great article by the Australian Dog Lover magazine on cruciate ligament damage in dogs. What causes it, which breeds are more prone to it and how to prevent it?

(Hint: try to avoid zoomies and other sudden twisty movements and keep your pets at a healthy weight.)

24/05/2023

🐕‍🦺 Another happy post this week to show off some of the lovely assistance dogs who recently passed their Public Access Test.

Even professionals confuse assistance dogs with therapy dogs (or emotional support dogs, but that is not an official term in Australia). So what is the difference?

Assistance dogs help their handler with certain physical or psychiatric tasks while therapy dogs help other people feel better (by visiting them in hospitals or helping kids develop better reading skills).

Both assistance and therapy dogs have to be assessed by a suitably qualified professional to make sure they don't show signs of stress in various situations and are safe to work in public places.

More info on the mindDog program: https://www.minddog.org.au/

StoryDogs: https://www.storydogs.org.au/

11/05/2023

Let's start the good stories with this little champion and his committed owners.

Benny is a lovely adolescent pup, but has been pulling on the lead and just been all over the shop on walks (he also lives in a busy area, with lots of distractions - people, dogs, buses, bikes, leaves blowing in air... 🍃).

After just one session, there has been a marked improvement - Benny is much more focused on his handlers, responds to the marker word ("yes") immediately, he is able to "leave" things on cue and is generally much easier to manage on walks. And of course he is allowed to sniff, explore, roll in the grass and do what dogs do on walks 🐾

Well done Benny and parents! 👏

(p.s. yes we know the harness is loose, but he will soon grow into it)

10/05/2023

Oh wow... I have taken a really long break from social media. 💤

I've always been a bit asocial when it comes to social media as I try to save my sanity. There are less posts from friends and acquaintances and more advertisements from companies that I just talked about with someone, didn't even search on the internet... Spooky.

Anyways, it's been a busy year so far with some exciting new projects in the pipeline, so here we go - bring on the good stories!

24/12/2022

Merry Christmas to you all!

Thanks for your support this year. See you and your lovely pups in 2023!

🐾🎄🎅

14/10/2022

"Great pets start with YOU" 👌

09/10/2022

🌏 Today is World Mental Health Day...

Most of you know that I am an assessor for psychiatric assistance dogs in QLD and NT through a not-for-profit organisation called mindDog. I also help handlers prepare their trainee assistance dogs for the Public Access Test (which all dogs need to pass to be certified as an assistance animal).

🤔 But what is a psychiatric assistance dog? What do they do? They are definitely not "emotional support animals" (this term is not even recognised in Australia), and are not "therapy dogs" either (dogs who help improve kids' reading skills, who bring joy to aged care residents, help patients in hospitals, etc).

Please read the story of one of the 1400+ mindDogs and the amazing work they do. Thanks for reading, sharing or donating! 🐾

Today is World Mental Health Day and we are sharing a story from one of our teams. Please note this story may contain words that can cause sadness, distress or trigger traumatic memories for people.

If you need to talk to someone, support is available.

Lifeline: Call 13 11 14 anytime for confidential telephone crisis support.

The Beyond Blue Support Service provides 24/7 advice and support via telephone (call 1300 22 4636.

“I got my mindDog from a sheep farm. She was a runt and I was undiagnosed with a correct diagnosis. People would always guess I had Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and depression. Therefore I grew up in a fairly invalidating environment, bullied at school, kicked out of home, cheated on several times and worked in a toxic environment. I ended up being diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).

So what does my mindDog do for me? She keeps people around me safe, my flight, fight, freeze instinct is so skewed, a threat doesn't have to be real to trigger a response. She keeps me safe from me from suicidal ideation and self harm as I looked at her and realise I can’t abandon this dog who has done so much for me.

She allows me to walk through the shops and her and I can bounce back and fourth between a situation and that helps me self regulate emotions. I can pat and cuddle her to diffuse the adrenaline of a situation, she is a distraction when my boundaries are crossed to the point that if I lose it she will react and I will turn to her, to tend to her needs. She cannot fully mitigate the fact I have BPD however I am much safer with her by my side. No longer I am driven by fear. Yesterday was the first day in my life that I am putting myself first. Thank you to everyone in the mindDog team.”

If you would like to forgo your morning coffee today and donate that money to us instead it would be so appreciated. You can donate through our website of via Facebook. Thank you for your continued support.

05/10/2022

100%. Repeating cues over an over again in quick succession loses their meaning.

Say the cue ("sit", "come", "wait", etc.) once, then wait a few seconds. If your dog doesn't respond for the first time (and otherwise they have good hearing...), you can say the word again, more enthusiastically. If still no response, there may be a few things going on:

🤷 They don't understand the word yet. You will need more practice in a less distracting environment and reinforce your dog for responding.
🐽 They are busy exploring something that is probably more interesting than you (sorry). Be realistic with your expectations and give them time to sniff on walks.
⚠️ They may be in "fight or flight" zone and can't respond because they are in survival mode. You need to move them out of the situation quickly.
🗣️ You repeated the words too often and they learnt to ignore you like the dog in the cartoon...

It’s in our nature to repeat a cue over and over until we get a result.

But giving your dog time to think and process, just like you would another person, can be incredibly powerful.

15/09/2022

🩺New anti-cancer drug trial for dogs with B cell lymphoma💊

Jindalee and Sinnamon Park locations in Brisbane (but they have participating clinics in Sydney, Perth, Auckland and Texas).

If you know anyone who has a dog with untreated lymphoma, please spread the word. More info:

PharmAust is a clinical-stage biotech company developing drug discovery IP to treat cancer, viral and neurological diseases. ASX: $PAA FSE: $ECQ

12/08/2022

📢 Calling all dog lovers, guardians, wanna be dog owners...

Dogs and humans are very closely bonded through our shared history dating back 15.000+ years. Yet, we often misunderstand each other because we don't speak the same language. We talk to our dogs as if they understood all the words we have to say, although they are non-verbal communicators... (Yes, they can learn many words, but we have to teach their meaning first.)

To understand how to read dog body language and much more, please tune into this FREE webinar presented by Kerryn Martin, professional member of the PPGA on August 29 (Monday) - "Understanding Your Dog." ▶️

FREE WEBINAR Monday, August 29, 2022, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM

PPGA's August webinar is a FREE webinar for all those pet owners out there and our pet owner members.

Join us and continue to learn more about our dogs. They are wonderful and intelligent animals that share a huge part of our lives, so understanding how they learn and how they communicate is such an important skill to have.

Understanding Your Dog - how dogs communicate - understanding their body language & how dogs learn and how to help teach and change behaviours.
https://www.ppgaustralia.net.au/event-4928307

11/06/2022

Those Saturday morning feels 💤

03/06/2022

❄️ Jumper or no jumper for your furry friend in winter?

Great article based on body/coat types, how to tell if an animal feels cold and when NOT to use a coat...

They might be the furriest members of the family but that doesn’t mean they don’t feel the cold when it really bites. So here's how to tell when dogs and cats need that extra layer. What size, age and breed need the extra help. It's all revealed here...

15/05/2022

Sunday funday! Sea lion taking over pool and... Must watch! 🦭 🏖️ 🤭