Crosspaws

24/06/2024

Nature walks are good for dogs and humans. Nature made us, sustains us on our journey through life and recycles us (or 'embraces us' if you prefer : ) when our bodies have spent themselves.
Spending time in natural environments is invigorating, healing and tiring in a good way. A relaxed dog (and human) and good night's sleep is the result.

03/06/2024

Long winter walks on the beach ❤️ It is easy to get lost in time and space and memories can blur with the moment. And then the moment becomes the next memory.

28/05/2024

A beautiful day for a hike in the You Yangs.

26/05/2024

The things you see when your life is all about dogs. There's a dog sitting on my esky in the hallway!

25/05/2024

I want all dogs to smile like Daisy.
Sadly, wherever I look, I see dogs being violently yanked, pushed, grabbed, kicked, yelled at, growled at and more - all in the name of "dog training".
It is sad that so many "trainers" still preach coercive control rather than educating their human clients on how to build a relationship with their dog based on trust and positivity.

02/05/2024

How fabulous to see anxious Willow run around at the dog park with her mate Winnie. She finally accepted the leash being clipped on her collar again after a recent setback (which happens!). Slow, gradual steps and patience for the win!

30/04/2024

This is what good dog-dog play looks like. Ladoo, the 8 months old Staffy X, is still learning how to read and listen to other dogs' communication signals. Her 7 months old playmate was also a novice, but they bumbled their way through it, learned from each other and had fun. Love those play faces!

27/04/2024

I hope this means Benji finds my building skills impressive rather than hair-raising.

26/03/2024

Little man Zachary, 8 year old Miniature Fox Terrier x, is the most incredible "rescue dog" ever. He was found wandering the streets and must have been "sleeping rough" for a while judging by his condition, yet he has the most positive and optimistic "glass half full" attitude you could wish for. He loves people and other dogs and shows instant trust and affection. It seems he just loves life and goes along with what comes along.
His new human is absolutely smitten with him.
One problem though: He doesn't like to be left alone. Can't blame him, but we are tackling his "separation anxiety". Good news is his human is retired and has plenty of time for him, plus he's already made friends who love to look after him if his Mum does have to go out by herself.

17/03/2024

Team Willow doing some excellent work!
Willow's human is counterconditioning Willow's fear of having equipment put on. Building trust - and following a step by step plan - is vital. Just look at the eye contact! 😍

25/02/2024

Willow, the anxious Wolfhound X benefits from having canine company. Today I took Winnie along who had fun "trialling" all of Willows toys.
Meanwhile we made progress with Willow's leash phobia and I was able to clip the leash on her collar twice either her cooperation.
On today's reinforcement menu was roast chicken and parmesan.

12/01/2024

Simba might look a bit worried, but his future is looking bright. The 4 year old Mini Dachshund has recently moved into a new home after spending his life at his breeder's. Of course, this is not without challenges, and anxious behaviour is to be expected. However, Simba has very dedicated new "parents" who want to help him live his best life. It all starts with making Simba feel safe and giving him time and space to learn about his new environment.

14/12/2023

Candy and Pippa are hoping for chicken while Heidi is sniffing. Motivation is a crucial element in animal learning. Know what your dog wants most at any given time so you can either use it to your advantage or wait until a competing motivator has lost its power (the dog has been saturated on it or it disappears).

Rather than urging Heidi to focus on me, I'm much better off letting her satisfy her canine instincts. Voluntary participation makes for happier animals, less stress, less behaviour problems and happier humans.

12/11/2023

"Can we just get rid of the teenager, please?"

Candy sometimes tires of her youthful housemate, but - of course - she would never ask me to leave Heidi behind at the park!

Despite the age difference, Candy seems very fond of Heidi and is very capable of "managing" her - mostly by lying on top of Heidi, if required, to stop the "teenage rampage."

29/10/2023

Those dogs in Greece are super chilled. Must be the heat.

23/10/2023

When you're visiting ancient Greek sites and are greeted by the most enthusiastic tour guide, it makes your day 😆🐶

03/10/2023

Ginger loves her comfy bed, but she loves being on her mum's bed even more. Which can get a bit crowded when there are, in fact, two people in the bed already!😁

It's no problem to teach a dog that the human bed is - at times - off limits. She can still come up if invited, maybe for a morning cuddle, and she has the whole bed to herself during the day.

There is nothing wrong at all with having a dog sleep on your bed, but only if you can still get a good night's sleep!

Today, we started teaching Ginger to lie down on cue. Next will be a "down stay", always paid with yummy food. The goal is to develop a habit of retreating to her bed in certain contexts, e.g. during dinner or when guests are over to work on a food toy or chew stick and, most importantly, to sleep at night. It will be her choice, but by building a positive association with being on her bed, she is likely to choose that option more often in the future.
That, together with blocking access to the human bed at night (or patiently sending her back to her own bed every time she tries to climb up), will soon get everyone a good night's sleep again.

26/09/2023

Sweet little Lenny can turn into a bit of a Tassie Devil when people approach the things he holds dear, such as food items. He is also less than impressed when approached while resting on a comfy bed or a person's lap (fair enough!).

We are helping Lenny to no longer worry about these situations so he and his people can feel safe and have a happy life together 😊

19/09/2023

Concerned about entering the bathroom, Harold? Worried someone might give you a bath?

It is common for dogs to be uncomfortable and even outright scared with bathing and grooming. Too often, the dog is picked up, restrained and handled to achieve an outcome that satisfies human goals but ignores the dog's emotional experience. The common outcome is a deterioration of the dog's cooperation and well-being, even risking aggressive behaviour.

Fortunately for Harold, his human is on top of things and is working on steps to make having a bath a positive experience for Harold. We started with "having fun in the shower" with just a little water 💧 Harold could leave the shower and bathroom at any time. It was entirely his choice if he wanted to participate.

The power of having choice is a complete game changer!

Apparently, after the session finished and I had left, Harold kept going back in the shower 😆 A great first step.

12/09/2023

And all of a sudden, it's summer.

Scully is soaking up the St Kilda beach vibes. He can be reactive to some dogs, but it can be managed with awareness, giving space, high value food, toys/sticks to take his mind off other dogs and avoiding off leash dogs like a plague 🤣

06/09/2023

Scrambling over rocks, feeling the breeze on your face and the sand under your toes, taking a dip in the cool waters - the beach is just as much fun for dogs as it is for people. Having the dog on a long leash makes a walk like this even more pleasant unless, of course, the beach is a designated off-leash area, and your dog can run free.
Unfortunately, Bodhi and I had to make a quick getaway when an off leash dog showed up. It's a shame. Of course, it would be great if dogs could just run off leash as they please, but it just wouldn't be safe. Not all dogs are friendly with other dogs, and sometimes they don't like unknown people either! They may scare other dogs or people when approached, and then they get the blame, which isn't fair. The beach is for everyone. Leash rules give certainty and safety so everyone can enjoy being out and about. Please read the signs, watch your environment, and if your dog is off the leash, give on-leash dogs a wide berth to keep your dog away from them.

04/07/2023

Wish your dog's focus on you was as unfaltering as Kira's laserlike attention to the ball flying through the air? It is entirely achievable! First, understand your dog so you can satisfy their needs and passions. Next, give them what they want in return for behaviours you want your dog to do more often. Simples ☺️

15/06/2023

Young Theo learns to play tug and let go when asked. A useful skill to practise impulse control, especially in a dog who has shown tendencies to "guard" things he values.
The boy also has some health issues that limit his physical exercise options, so toy play and training offer excellent alternatives for entertainment and mental stimulation.

12/02/2023

Competition over food is a natural behaviour (think "evolution"!) If we see "pushy" or even aggressive behaviour around food in puppies, we can often modify the behaviour quite quickly by teaching "sharing". Food handed out to a group of puppies, e.g. in puppy preschool—with all of them watching the other puppies being fed—can combat "resource guarding" tendencies. The patient, relaxed puppies get treats first. The pushy or aggressive puppies get treats afterwards, once they stop "barging in". This is not about some sort of "hierarchy" but because of the predictive value of other dogs being fed: Other puppies get food --> I get food [ergo, I love it when other puppies get food!]. It teaches patience and impulse control.

And, yes, well spotted. Debbie & Debbie are not puppies but they show what "healthy competition" looks like, aka " the fastest chook wins".
As a human, you do not want to get between them and their organic rolled oats though! 😆

19/12/2022

10 weeks young.
Maeve, the Irish Setter, is bracing herself to learn all about this strange and mind-boggling human world she is expected to thrive in.
Glad I can be a part of your early journey in life, Maeve. You and your humans will make a great family!

04/12/2022

I know, it looks like I'm interrupting something, but Bella and Frankie are just playing - honestly! 😆

In this case, adding a second dog to the household was successful. It's not as easy as throwing the dogs together and hoping for the best. Preparation, careful introduction, and supervision increase the chances for success. Frankie and Bella's people got it right.

26/09/2022

Help your dog relax and be happy around your baby. Here is how to do it the right way.

DOG AND BABY PREPARATION TIP: Desensitise your dog to baby noises. Here’s how to do it:

What is desensitisation?
Gradually getting your dog used to something in a gentle way, building them up slowly as their confidence grows. This is different from ‘flooding’ which involves dumping you dog in the deep end with a stressful level of exposure, which can accidentally increase sensitivity. Desensitisation is great as you really want to promote happy feelings around your baby.

What is counter-conditioning?
This is often done together with desensitising. Just toss treats or give them a nice chew or stuffed Kong when you start playing the baby noises. They’ll start thinking happy thoughts when they hear the noises instead of worrying about them. For bonus points, put any treats/chews on your dog’s bed so they learn to rush there when the baby starts crying!

Where can you find baby noises?
You can find recordings easily online (e.g. YouTube). This is helpful as you can get a wide variety of different babies and types of crying, laughing etc.

When and how often should you do it?
At least once a day is ideal, but the more often the better. Keep it simple for yourself. Since you’re probably busy with all sorts of other baby prep, you could just play the noises while you make yourself breakfast or lunch so it is easy to remember. If I were you I would then turn it off and enjoy your meal in peace…while you still can!

How to desensitise?
Play the recording at a low volume to start with - at a volume where your dog seems fairly chilled. Its ok if they look up briefly when it starts, as long as they quickly settle again. Once there is no reaction at all, increase the volume just a bit - not a huge jump though. Your goal is to build up over days, weeks or months (depending on how well your dog copes) until the volume is horribly loud - babies are horribly loud (unfortunately). You can then also start playing it briefly at unexpected times.

What to watch out for?
Common stress signs: Your dog gets up and leaves, licks their lips, yawns, starts panting, fixates on the sound, becomes over-excited or looks otherwise tense or nervous. If you see these signs, turn the volume down until they stay relaxed and try adding some treats or a chew to help them relax. If they don’t relax, contact a qualified, force-free trainer or veterinary behaviourist for support.

What else can you do to prepare your dog?
I will be holding a small-group in person workshop on exactly this topic in Melbourne on Sunday 30th of October. We’ll go through everything you need to know in detail, make individual plans for all the different ways you can prepare yourself and your dog to make your life easier later, and look safe introductions and building great relationships once your baby starts interacting with your dog. Book now because places are strictly limited: https://app.squarespacescheduling.com/schedule.php?appointmentType=37136629&owner=19243510
Send me a message anytime if you have questions.

10/09/2022

Luna is killing the "stay on mat" while her human dad walks to the front door.
Exercises like these are not about "controlling your dog". Instead, they help the dog to learn that patience (aka "impulse control") pays off rather than rushing to the door and launching herself at visitors. In the future, Luna will make "desirable" decisions based on her positive learning experiences and these decisions will not just make her dad happy but Luna too!

A dog who voluntarily and happily chooses to resist their natural impulses? That's positive reinforcement training for the win. Coercive control, aka training methods that rely on fear and pain, can never achieve that.

17/07/2022

A room full of obstacles, hidey holes, tasty treats and watchful human eyes make puppy play a success.
The best part is seeing them learn in real time: Every moment of interaction adds to their experience, confidence and communication skills. Shy pups hang back at first in a safe space and come out when they're ready and without pressure (and they always do!) and "bulldozer" pups learn to moderate themselves. Big ones, small ones, rough ones, gentle ones, fast ones, slow ones - they all learn together and have the time of their lives.

02/04/2022

Hard to believe that our ancestors once thought that babies don't feel pain! I'm happy science is providing more and more proof that other animals feel emotions similar to ours. Sadly though this isn't relevant for people who lack empathy in the first place.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2022-04-02/invertebrates-octopus-bees-feelings-emotion-pain-joy-science/100947014

There's more and more evidence emerging that invertebrates like octopus and even bees experience emotions, and that should affect how we treat them, researchers say.