AbiK9 Training Services

25/08/2024

2 spots left in our 3 day scent work workshop starting this Friday! Get tonnes of hands on experience with a range of dogs, work through common training systems and learn how to teach critical search and response skills.

https://www.abik9dogtraining.com.au/book-now

24/08/2024

I’m so glad it turned out to be dogs. 🤍🐾

22/08/2024

What dog breeds are the ‘type b’ and which are ‘type a’?

22/08/2024

2 places left in the nosework instructor's course beginning next Friday.
This course is suitable for anyone:
- Wanting a solid introduction into scent work.
- Looking for an in-depth exploration of the current popular methods for training sport/pet dog nosework.
- Interested in running their own classes with clients.
- Hoping for a PRACTICAL course where you'll get to handle and train a variety of dogs and their humans.

This three day program is very intensive, and though we're focusing more in the common principles of scent work that will enable you to dip your toes into a variety of detection applications, you'll also get a good grounding to start your own classes and dogs.

To book, click here: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule/0f3e16e8/?appointmentTypeIds[]=66892224

Want to know more? I've published a best-selling book on Scent work (The Complete Guide to Nosework and Scent Detection, Jackie Abikhair) which is sold on Amazon. I also have a youtube channel where I have some (admittedly older) videos on scent work, such as: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLOva80aBVA

20/08/2024

For more information and to book your puppy in, head here: https://www.abik9dogtraining.com.au/puppyclasses

17/08/2024

!Wednesday training day this week is online!

Our Wednesday drop-in classes are designed as a 'pre-class' for dogs that might not be quite ready for actual classes, and for owners who want the opportunity to work their dogs in a distracting setting.

The drop-ins are un-directed - meaning that there will be a trainer present but you're welcome to do your own thing. You can practice obedience, take a walk around the large, open field, practice settling behaviours while other dogs work around you, etc.​

All dogs MUST be on leash the entire time, and dogs are not allowed to interact with one another. This makes it very suitable for dogs working through reactivity and social issues.

https://www.abik9dogtraining.com.au/dropinclasses

16/08/2024

a nice, quiet day

Let your car and apparel do the talking. ShopCanineAesthete.com

13/08/2024

Did you know that puppy classes were invented by dog trainers Margaret and Milo Pearsall in the 1970s? They were also amongst the first trainers to offer seminars to other trainers (an honour beginning with Blanche Saunders in the 1930s - the mother of competition obedience), and it was these trips that had them realizing that *fixing problems* was a lot harder than *preventing* them in the first place.

With collaboration from Clarence Pfaffenberger and a half dozen other trainers, they developed a curriculum aimed at just that; prevention. It was called Kindergarten Puppy Training (KPT) and it was a roaring success! They discovered that when puppies are introduced to classes when they're very young, they fell into adult formal obedience training classes much more easily.

Back then, the standard was for training to begin no sooner than 6 months (and often as late as 18months). By then, dogs were out of control. And to take them to dog training classes to *begin* their education?? They were completely mad! And they required a very, very hard hand to suppress their excitement and force them into line.

The Pearsall's found that KPT puppies required no such harshness. In fact, these little known trainers are responsible for the first steps towards a less compulsive, gentler training industry.

Over time, puppy training classes have become a bit warped in their goals of preventing problems. They're sold on every corner, often marketed to beginner trainers as a fantastic entry point into the industry when it should be the opposite! Trainers and other pet professionals have lost sight of the actual goal of puppy training and are instead buying into relatively new fads of what a dog *should* be and not nurturing who they actually are. One-size-fits-all curriculums based around a tonne of pointless (and hazardous) 'play parties' and 'pass-the-puppy' exercises that are very clearly NOT helping puppies grow into well mannered members of society.

Which brings me to the point of this post: ***breed 'types' and how that might effect development, and thus how socialization should be approached. *** Part 1: the floppy-eared 'family' breeds. Think; labs, doodles and goldens.

These 'friendly' breeds have been created (as they are now, at least) through generations of selective breeding for non-aggressive, friendly, pro-social behaviour. They come out of the womb believing that every man and his dog is a friend, which is what makes them such fantastic family dogs.

*However*, these traits are a bit of a double edged sword. Yes, we might have a friendly dog, but we also have one that takes a long time to mature. By selecting for 'neotenous' traits (puppy-like behaviour), we often see just that: these dogs acting like puppies well into adulthood.

So if we have a genetically social dog being taken to generic puppy classes that offer and advise a tonne of dog-dog play and for strangers to give them treats, the outcome is obvious! It's something trainers are seeing every day; these dogs have ZERO chill out in the world. They think everyone is their friend and they cannot read the room to save their life. And simply waiting for them to grow some sense and maturity does. not. work. That is, unless you're willing to wait 10 years!

The problem is compounded by the erroneous belief that puppy school is the only early education a dog should receive. And that obedience/further training is needed only when there are issues.

The question then is; what *should* socialization look like? Well, if I got a Lab tomorrow (which I'm NOT, I swear 😅) I would take that puppy out and focus on teaching him to ignore everyone. I would make that experience VERY positive, through play and rewards-based methods. And when I allowed interaction with others, it would be in situations where I could ensure the puppy learnt what I wanted him to, and where I could reward him in a meaningful way. I'd expose that puppy to boring older dogs that were neutral and uninterested in them, so that they learn that other dogs are not the distraction they thought they were.

The genetically social dog doesn't need a great deal of conventional socialization. They know how to play, now they need to learn how to do everything else, including learning *when not* to play.

Now, obviously, having 10 minutes of play time at the end of an hour's class is probably not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things! But it's also not beneficial at all. Puppies can't teach other puppies the social skills they need to learn beyond 8 weeks of age (when they were with their littermates). That's the job of socially savvy adult dogs. And it might not be the actual class that's the problem, but the concepts that the class is supporting and teaching.

Trainers are catching on, though. There are more and more classes catering to owners who'd like a well behaved adult dog, and not a social pest. You just gotta know what to look for.

13/08/2024

Tomorrow's drop-in class is postponed to next week due to the wet weather. The training day has been moved to next Wednesday.

Don't forget to book your spot: https://www.abik9dogtraining.com.au/book-now

12/08/2024

For the lab people - "Cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) injuries are a common cause of lameness in dogs, particularly in breeds like Labrador Retrievers. Interestingly, recent research has uncovered a potential link between coat color and the risk of CCL rupture. Labrador Retrievers, which come in black, chocolate, and yellow, show different risks for this injury, with yellow Labs being more susceptible."

For all those with yellow Labradors and anyone with friends who have them.
Very interesting new study on the link between colour and predisposition for CCL rupture.

The more we know about our dogs the more power we have to put into place preventative measures! 🥰

Prevention is always better than cure!

All credit to Laurie Edge-Hughes for sharing this information.

It’s based on the following study:



Lee BT, Baker LA, Momen M, Terhaar H, Binversie EE, Sample SJ, Muir P. Identification of genetic variants associated with anterior cruciate ligament rupture and AKC standard coat color in the Labrador Retriever. BMC Genom Data. 2023 Oct 26;24(1):60.



And here’s the short synopsis:



Cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) injuries are a common cause of lameness in dogs, particularly in breeds like Labrador Retrievers. Interestingly, recent research has uncovered a potential link between coat color and the risk of CCL rupture. Labrador Retrievers, which come in black, chocolate, and yellow, show different risks for this injury, with yellow Labs being more susceptible.



The study suggests that genetic factors linked to coat color might also influence the likelihood of CCL injuries. Specifically, the MC1R gene, which determines yellow coat color, is involved in inflammatory pathways that could predispose dogs to ligament issues. The researchers used a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to identify genes associated with both CCL injuries and coat color, focusing on a region of chromosome 5 near the MC1R gene. This region showed significant associations with CCL rupture, suggesting a complex interplay between genetic traits that influence both coat color and joint health.

Interestingly, the study also identified several other genes related to bone and cartilage health, inflammation, and gene regulation that may contribute to CCL rupture. These findings highlight the complex genetic landscape behind this common canine injury and open the door for further research into how coat color and other seemingly unrelated traits might influence health outcomes in dogs.



This groundbreaking study not only advances our understanding of CCL injuries in dogs but also provides valuable insights into the genetic factors that could help predict and prevent these injuries. As research continues, we may find more connections between seemingly unrelated traits and disease risk, ultimately improving the health and well-being of our canine companions.

Photo credit Marie Marketing

10/08/2024

Nosework update
- I've got one spot left in the Friday class starting next week.
- There's still spots in the trainer's course at the end of the month.
- I've written up a more comprehensive description of the classes
- I'll have scent kits available soon

For more information and to book your spot, visit; https://www.abik9dogtraining.com.au/nosework

09/08/2024

Sweet 14-week-old Golden Retriever puppy Percy is on the road to recovery after spending some time in our ICU over the weekend! He was an excellent patient and feels better already thanks to some time in our state-of-the-art oxygen kennel. In this photo he had popped his little head out to say hello to our staff during one of his treatments, and we don’t think he could get any cuter!

How Percy ended up spending the weekend with us is an important story that his caring owners allowed us to share to help keep other pets safe. Percy and his big brother were rough-housing, when Percy’s collar got stuck on his brother’s mouth. Percy panicked when he was suddenly stuck, and while twisting around trying to escape he caused his collar to become even tighter around his neck! Thankfully their owner noticed quickly that something was wrong and freed Percy before he lost consciousness. When his owners rushed him to see our ER team, Percy was struggling to breathe, drooling profusely, and very distressed. Radiographs showed that Percy had fluid in his lungs (non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema) caused by the time he spent struggling to breathe. Pain medications and oxygen support quickly helped Percy breathe more comfortably as his body worked to heal from the experience.

The strangulation hazard of dogs playing while wearing collars is a hidden danger that many pet owners don’t know about, but a story we hear with some frequency in the ER. Thankfully Percy’s story has a happy ending, but if his owners hadn’t been there to intervene it could have been tragic. Please, get your pups microchipped so they have a permanent form of identification, and then take those collars off when they’re playing with or interacting with other dogs!

06/08/2024

*Nosework updates* There are now three events in the calendar and able to be booked:

Beginner's class | Monday 12th 4pm | $300 | 3 spots left
Beginner's class | Friday 16th 4pm | $300 | 2 spots left
Train the trainer course | Friday 30th Aug-1st Sept | $750

I'll be posting a comprehensive overview of each on my website in the coming days. The train the trainer course is a 3 day event (running from 9:30-3:30/4pm), where attendees will be able to work on the foundational scent work principles and experiment with a range of dogs. This is not a method-based course, we'll be monkeying around with several of the popular approaches.

The beginner's class is suitable for all dogs. It is small, each dog working individually, which makes it especially suited for the socially sensitive pup.

Bookings can be made here: https://www.abik9dogtraining.com.au/book-now

05/08/2024

Did you know that we’re starting to offer a series of dog sport classes? Obedience, rally, nosework, agility, mock protection skills, tricks, and more to come! Contact us to book

*Nosework classes begin Monday the 12th
Wednesday drop in classes next Wednesday the 14th
Nosework train-the-trainer 30th Aug-1st Sept

04/08/2024

Did you know that we're starting to offer a series of dog sport classes? Obedience, rally, nosework, agility, mock protection skills, tricks, and more to come!

For more information on upcoming classes, click here: https://www.abik9dogtraining.com.au/dogsportclasses

If you'd like to register for the 3 classes currently available*, click here: https://www.abik9dogtraining.com.au/book-now

*Nosework classes
Wednesday drop in classes
Nosework train-the-trainer

Book online for private lessons, available Mon-Fri

30/07/2024

Beginner's Nosework Class.
Please contact me if you can't make this one but are still interested.
Dogs are worked individually, so it's very suited to the socially sensitive! Any age, no training experience necessary for dog or human.

29/07/2024

Wednesday afternoon training this week! Don’t forget to register your spot!!

28/07/2024

🫡

28/07/2024

You've asked, I've listened. Message or comment below if you're up for a nosework class and if so, when. Classes run for about 1.5hrs with 3 dogs.

I'm also curious to see if anyone's up for some train the trainer courses. These would be a 3 day course for a handful of people whose goal is it to run their own classes or lessons, or for owners who are super interested in the sport/activity of scent work. No particular method will be featured, it will be more of an intro to broader scent work principles with a lot of hands on work with a range of dogs.

26/07/2024

Drop in dog training class scheduled for next Wednesday, don’t forget to book in!!

https://www.abik9dogtraining.com.au/book-now

$30 || 4pm start || 31st July || Alstonvale NSW (20 minutes from Ballina and Lismore)

26/07/2024

Considering my own feelings about puppies, I can only imagine some cavewomen stealing one and coming home like look grug I found this isn’t it so cute - wolf puppy violently biting at her- awwwww I love him.

24/07/2024

This is one of those occasions where I'll happily eat my words and admit that I was 10000% wrong.

I'd always maintained that oodles couldn't possibly be healthier than their purebred counterparts for two reasons:
1. No ethical breeder of Poodles, Labs etc (any of the foundation breeds) would give their puppies to someone knowing that they would be cross bred. To do so would be a violation to their membership with the ANKC. So, its likely that the foundation dogs being bred from are of poorer genetic stock. This means that they're more likely to not be health tested. And, related to that first point,
2. If the two foundation breeds suffer from the same or similar genetic diseases, crossing them will not magically cancel them out.

It makes sense, in hindsight, that the same genetic variability that results in inconsistent behavioural profiles would also help the issues the parent breeds have from generations of having closed registries/studbooks.

DOODLES ARE HEALTHIER THAN “PUREBRED” PARENTS

You know who has REALLY good data on canine health?

Pet insurance companies.

The have big samples, operationalized by breed, age, type of health issue, cost.

And guess what?

Mutts and mixed breeds are mostly HEALTHIER than their pure-bred parents.

Example: Doodles.

Back in 2022 Nationwide Pet Insurance put out a study based on the huge data setx (see >>https://assets.ctfassets.net/440y9b545yd9/2xKSYWnUkxhb0tJGDLNdoI/fe9b401da2d73c6fef7c2a4bd4b8a49e/Nationwide_Oodles_of_Doodles_and_Cancer_Cross_Breed_White_Paper_2022.pdf ):

“As the first part of a larger analysis of the cancer claims of 1.61 million Nationwide®-insured dogs over a six-year period, the leading U.S. pet health insurer reviewed both the popularity of these “designer dogs” as well as their risk for cancer claims relative to the purebreds that make up these crossbreds.
Doodle popularity is up, and Doodle parent breed popularity is down. Poodle crosses increased as a relative share of Nationwide’s pet health insurance policies, while the relative share of the parent breeds fell.

“Doodle owners are considerably less likely to have submitted a claim for cancer diagnosis or treatment. Relative risk for cancer claims is dramatically lower in Labradoodles and Goldendoodles in comparison with their contributing breeds — Standard Poodles, Golden Retrievers, and Labrador Retrievers.”

The Nationwide team found that market economics and public information both seem to be working.

For instance, while Goldendoodles, Labradoodles, and various other Poodle crosses were up from 160 to 340 percent, the demand for purebred Standard Poodles, Labrador Retrievers, and Golden Retrievers declined between 4 and 32 percent.

The market phenomenon seen with pure-breeds and doodles is replicated generally. While the relative percentage of all non-purebreds grew from 2013 to 2021 (by 131 percent for cross-breeds and 45 percent for mixed breeds), purebred dogs insured by Nationwide declined 18.6 percent.

Another bit of good news is that Doodle breeders and pet buyers seems to get it -- closed registries and closed gene pools are THE problem.

“Breeders and pet owners seem satisfied with the offspring of two different parent breeds (often referred to as an “F1” generation) in contrast to breeding Labradoodles with other Labradoodles. This potentially avoids reduction of genetic diversity by ensuring that the breeding pool can be kept wider.”

What about cancer -- the focus of the study?

▪️Goldendoodles are 75.0% less likely to have a claim submitted for cancer, compared with Golden Retrievers and Standard Poodles combined.

▪️Labradoodles are 62.0% less likely to have a claim submitted for cancer, compared with Labrador Retrievers and Standard Poodles combined.

▪️Put another way, the combined relative risk for parent breeds of Goldendoodles having submitted a cancer claim is four times that of their crossbred offspring, and for the parent breeds of Labradoodles it is 2.6 times.

▪️When the focus is broadened to look at purebred versus non-purebred dogs, a similar overall trend emerges. When compared with crossbred and mixed-breed dogs, purebreds as a group are almost twice as likely (188.5%) to have submitted a claim for cancer.

Look for more good work from Nationwide Pet Insurance.

“With these studies, Nationwide draws on decades of policy and claims data and vast veterinary expertise, providing insights to drive positive change in pet health care.”

21/07/2024

BBbrrrrrr 🥶 it’s so cold it looks like it’s snowed in the field in front of the house this morning. Nothing but white frost covering everything!!

18/07/2024

WEDNESDAY DROP IN - 31st of July (not next week, the week after!)

- $30/dog (pay in cash or online - note that if you select 'pay later', it will take you to a confirmation screen that gives you the option again to pay online. Ignore this)
- All vaccinated, leashed dogs welcome
- You don't need to be a current client - email or DM me if you need more information
- Note this is NOT an obedience class. You're welcome to work on anything you'd like as long as your dog remains on leash. Obedience, counter conditioning, reactivity rehab, settling behaviour etc.
- Puppies that have had their first vaccination welcome.
- Event starts at 4pm and runs until it starts getting dark, which is about 5pm right now. Stay for 5 minutes, stay for the whole hour.

***This event is weather dependent***

https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=25095256&appointmentType=66031136

15/07/2024

Well worth the watch!

15/07/2024

New Blog Post - Dominance! Is it real?

The idea of 'dominance' isn't as popular today as it was when I started training dogs, but it's certainly still around. There's so much woo-woo and strawmanning around it, that I thought it would be nice to provide a little historical context all while defining it and discussing its relevance.

https://www.abik9dogtraining.com.au/post/is-it-dominance-or

02/07/2024

I have three very socially competent, well trained dogs. They’re not perfect, but they come when they’re called and are more than capable of ignoring other people and dogs. HOWEVER, that doesn’t mean that I can pick and choose which rules to follow out in public. A trip to a beach that has signs reading “LEASHED DOGS WELCOME” or something of that variety, applies to everyone. Even the ‘good’ dogs. It’s just common courtesy, that apparently isn’t ‘common’ at all! If you want your dog to have the off leash experience but cannot trust them to make the right decisions, get a long line.

17/06/2024

Fun fact: Smitty’s nose is so long that the cone of shame is useless unless it is so big that even Tato could wear it. Luckily, to keep him from licking a small wound on his back leg, this Kmart onesie has worked wonders 🥰

03/06/2024

The common vet-recommended des*xing age of 6months for all dogs is incredibly outdated. Although s*x hormones and the presence of go**ds increases the risk of some cancers, the premature removal of them increases about a dozen others! Not to mention increasing the risk of ortho and behavioural issues.

Updated information from the University of California study on the effects of spay/neutering.

https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/when-should-you-neuter-or-spay-your-dog

02/06/2024

Wednesday Group Drop-in Training - set for the 12th at 4pm (Next Wednesday, not this one!)

Cost - $30
Open to anyone
PM/email [email protected] for info
All dogs must be on leash

Book online: https://www.abik9dogtraining.com.au/book-now