Bondi Behaviourist

Are you training for obedience when you should be training for a calm and positive emotional state? Train for the emotional state and positive behaviour comes to the surface #doglover #dogtraining #dogbehaviour

Would you prefer immediate gratification only to realise that it prolongs the issue or a steady start without huge emotional wins at the start but long term success and less work in the long run? We all do it… we all love the easy route. But there is a pay off in every action we take and a downside to every action too. We just have to be aware of where that payoff lies and where the downside is too #dogtraining #doglover

The two most important things I think will help you with your dog outside of the house are… 1. Spacial awareness 2. Leash handling Knowing what is going on in your environment, looking at it through your dogs lens, what is coming towards you, who, how much environmental pressure there is and where your dog is and how they’re feeling about all of this is the most important fundamental skill you can learn to help them. Then you’ve got your leash handling skills to essentially keep them from finding themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time while ideally not over restricting and restraining them. There’s an art to good leash handling, it’s more important than what you say and whether you use treats or not. A dog who has a human that can relieve environmental pressure and help guide them through this crazy busy world is going to stand a better chance of living a good life than the dogs who don’t

Which would you pick?

Would you rather have…a) A super obedient dog that is really “well trained” Or B) A dog that is really comfortable in their own skin, feels safe and is really “well behaved” as a result of this They’re not necessarily mutually exclusive, but if you had to pick one..: what would you pick?

Take a day off training on the days that you’re not at your best. Yes it’s important to do the work… Yes it’s important to be consistent… But it’s also important to create positive training experiences and to be kind to yourself through the process. Things don’t change over night anyway so skipping a day here and there do you can turn up better the next day makes the training MORE successful and easier to do at the same time. If you find yourself short on patience, getting irritated or rushing then your dogs probably not getting the best experience either. There’s not much point in “doing the work” if “the work” isn’t actually achieving what you want to in the first place. Life often throws us curveballs so listen to your body and take a breather when you need to #dogtraining #doglover

Train smart

The very idea of having to do more often puts people off training their dog. But it isn’t always about doing ‘more’ with your dogIt’s about knowing what to do that’s going to bring the most value. You can save so much time and energy if you know what to do and what you can cut out that isn’t helping you

Another successful social Saturday!Here’s a little breakdown of one of the interactions between Otis and Jester.Play is a series of conversations. Inviting in and disengaging. Different play styles and preferences are not dissimilar to the way we have different languages and dialects. These two are starting to speak each other’s dialects. #dogtraining #dogsofinstagram #dogsocial

Work out why first!

The reason your dog is doing the unwanted behaviour matters and a training plan that doesn’t address the underlying need of the dog will either mask the problem or make it worseThis is often the part that I see people get wrong because most people look at dog behaviour through a human lens. This often results in wasted time, frustration and exasperation and the dogs behaviour getting worse

My tips for when you leave your dog with a sitter to go on holiday

Here are my top tips for leaving your dog with a sitter:Don’t necessarily ask them to just stick to your usual routine. You being away has disrupted this already and while you’re away your dog is going to be on high alert. This state of alertness and vigilance means your dog’s potentially going to be more sensitive, less resilient and more prone to emotional reactions Less is more - The person looking after them won’t handle them like you will/can and so their reaction time is compromised. Get your sitter to do low stress activities in low social pressure environments.Set clear criteria of ‘do’s and dont’s’ for the sitter - set clear rules for them to follow so that there is less room for errorGet your sitter to focus on calming their nervous system down rather than trying to drain energy. This will build connection and help your dogs regulate their emotions. When you get back from your trip… take it easy on your dog. Don’t just go back to their usual lifestyle. They will have been more stressed while you were gone so their tolerance and resilience is lower than usual. We see a lot of dogs behaviour be more emotional and reactive in that first week back and it’s easily avoided by just giving your dog their holiday when you get back from yours

Dog training hack…Before you start implementing any training plan, ask yourself the question…“At this time in my dogs life or in this moment, are they in a state that we should be allowing to recover? Or are they in a good place and ready for us to add things in for them to grow?”It matters because if we have a dog on our hands who is drained emotionally, physically and/or mentally then asking more of them in that moment may push them closer to breaking point. It may exasperate an issue further. Whereas taking stock, taking a step back to go forwards once they’ve recovered, allowing them to recover and regroup could actually be exactly what that dog needs.It’s the same for us and this simple question (which should be asked not just once but frequently) can be the difference in success and failureWe all want to see healthy growth in our lives but it shouldn’t be played like a finite game, it’s an infinite game of knowing to push and when to hold back

It’s taken a few days to be able to write this but last week we had to say goodbye to little Django.He came into my life before I met my wife, before our baby girl came along and we became a little team right from day one. He was there for some of the hardest moments of my life and through the best as well.Anyone who met him will know what a special soul he was. He had an amazing calm about him in every situation. Other dogs, cats and animals could pick up on this every single time and he always had a calming effect on everyone. He loved people, kids, other dogs, cats and even made friends with Poncho the rabbit. He really was our little unicorn. He brought nothing but joy into our lives for six years. I picked him up from the shelter when he was sick with kidney and liver failure, he’d had 13 teeth removed and he was hairless on his back end. I thought he had a couple of years in him so as time went on and he got healthier and healthier his first nickname was “benji” after Benjamin button. As his energy levels increased and he started evolving from a sick and lethargic pup to a bouncy happy hound he got his next nick name “Billy” after Billy Elliot as we loved the sound of his tap dancing claws on our floors.He grew in and out of nicknames over the years and each one has a special place in our hearts. He was the best big brother to Otis and Isla and his impact on all of us will live on.RIP My little friend. We love you so much ❤️