Happy Tails Training Baden

06/14/2024

https://www.facebook.com/100063695974847/posts/981688277297696/?mibextid=cr9u03

Our goal is to prevent, treat and effectively manage behavior problems in companion animals to enhanc

06/10/2024

I recently came across the video in a Facebook group and the theme of the video is one that I have encountered countless times before.

The video was a dog being walked by a dog trainer.

The dog had on a harness attached to a long leash.

The person was using food.

The dog was given time to sniff.

What the public saw in this video is a dog who was highly responsive, focused on the handler, responding promptly to every cue when it was given.

Cues like when to sniff, when to turn and when to walk in heel.

The comments gave nothing but praise.

You may think that the video would fill me with joy, but what I saw in this video was different.

I saw a dog under complete control.

A dog fixated on food.

I saw a dog who wasn't performing natural behaviors - even when they were given the opportunity to.

A topic that is left out of the conversation when discussing how we teach our dogs is how positive reinforcement can suppress behavior.

The positive reinforcement can be controlling.

Understandably highlighting how damaging and coercive positive reinforcement has the potential to be is not a popular topic.

But it's one that I think about often.

It's also a topic that I guide clients through shifting their mindset around.

When a client asks me how to teach their dog something I will often ask "Why do you want to teach your dog _______?"

Asking why allows me to understand what outcome they are looking for so I can guide them to the most dog-centered approach.

When we have all of the power and control over a vulnerable species like our dogs it's important for us to be intentional on what we teach.

Questions you can ask yourself to assess if something is important to teach:

❓Why am I teaching this? (ie Is it necessary?)

❓What is the least invasive way to teach this?

❓Am I suppressing a natural behavior?
Follow on Q: Am I routinely providing an alternative outlet for this behavior?

We want to believe that if we are using treats, toys and kindness to teach our dogs that this is enough, but there is more nuance that needs to be explored in the conversation so we are safeguarding our dog's mental health.

Follow .plus.dogs for more 💜

05/27/2024

On this sunny/rainy Monday afternoon I have news to share…….I’m baaaack!

Well I never fully left but I have scaled back since motherhood and I am so excited to share that I’ll be back offering daily walks on Monday/Wednesday/Friday’s starting this September!
Sometimes it takes taking a step back from something to truly realize how much it means to you and my sweet little business full of the cutest pups is what I miss!

When you book with me your pup gets more then just a walk, they get:
-a solo walk with someone who is insured, up to date with their pet first-aid and who has a certification in positive-reinforcement teaching
-unlimited enrichment, these walks are THEIRS, think endless rewards, sniffing, exploring, brain games
-fine tuning of leash walking (please note these walks are not in replacement of a teaching session)

I have a few spots left open so if you or someone you know is in need of some weekday walks for their furbaby, please send them my way!

-Sarah 🐶

[Photo Description]: A black collie mixed breed dog wearing an orange harness is sitting on the sidewalk looking up at the camera

04/09/2024

03/24/2024

It’s been just over a year since I last took Tima out and we picked up right where we left off! Her family has continued to do such an amazing job with this sweet girl and I am beyond thrilled to get some time with her this week. 🥰

[Video Description]: A black collie mixed breed wearing an orange harness is walking along the sidewalk in the sunshine.

01/15/2024

12/03/2023

*NOT a sponsored post, if your dog struggles with nail trims, please stick with me. It’s worth it*

I stumbled across a product on tiktok for dogs that has been literally LIFE CHANGING for Stevie and I must share the details!

Back story: Stevie came to us at 11 months old and previously lived in a Toronto high-rise apartment with a single women that said to me “Stevie hasn’t been outside much in his life and I admit I’m not a good dog mom” hence why she decided to rehome him.

Now: He has always struggled with handling and things like wearing coats, putting on harnesses, having his teeth brushed and having his nails trimmed. I used to take him to the vet and he would be muzzled for nail trims (I wasn’t aware of the muzzle being needed at first), then Covid hit and those appointments were no longer available. I also continued my education in dog training and was no longer interested in stressing him out over his nails ever again. After a while I reached out to an amazing trainer that specializes in cooperative care behaviour training (she was amazing but based in the Uk so our sessions were virtual) and while we made great progress with Stevie and having his paws handled over the course of 5 months, I felt we had reached a plateau and couldn’t quite get to where I was hoping with nail trimming. Please keep in mind you are always working with the specific dog in front of you, they are their own being and sometimes things just don’t work out how you initially envision them to. Summer months are no problem, Stevie is outside enough to keep his own nails filed down but winter months are tricky. Italian greyhound nails grow like weeds and they don’t do well outside in cold temperatures so we had lots of variables working against us.

Fast forward to a random night of scrolling tiktok and I came across this product that has already paid for itself in just 4 days.

This product doubles as a treat dispenser toy and a nail file all in one. I load it with treats that interest Stevie and while supervising so that there is no frustration on his part I let him engage in dispensing the treats. While doing so he has filed his own nails down to a healthy length and I wish I had taken a photo before he started using it. His back nails have never been an issue at staying a healthy length and this doesn’t tackle his dewclaws so that’s another story but I am forever thankful for my tiktok scrolling habit and this life changing toy for my Stevie. It’s a higher cost item but 100% worth it in my books!

Feel free to ask any questions and I’ve provided the link if you’d like to check it out. It is unfortunately an American product, if only it was Canadian made!
The 1st slide is after just 1 session, the 2nd slide is a short video (too excited to share about this product for a more aesthetically pleasing video) and the 3rd slide is after just 4 sessions.

https://devora.us/products/scratch-square-for-dogs

12/01/2023

*awful wind noise*

Wrapped up 10 consecutive days of enrichment walks with pretty girl Wilma and here’s a little snippet of our time together. We lengthened her leash which provides more space to safely explore for this scent hound and we fine tuned some skills like auto check-in, 1-2-3 pattern game and the look-at-that exercise. Being a bloodhound means this girl NEEDS to sniff and having her get to put her natural instincts to work is crucial.
I am so proud to see how much she has progressed during these sessions and I absolutely love working with this sweetie.

[Video Description]: A bloodhound wearing a pink harness is roaming while on leash and getting reinforced with rewards for offering check ins.

11/23/2023

Fred & Wilma, the sweetest pair 🥰

Quick back story: Both Fred & Wilma have completed separate training programs with me (and their Mom of course) a while back and right now I’ve been asked to assist further on their walking skills while their Mom is away.

Using pattern games to teach our dogs is such an effective and fun way for them to learn!
Here are short clips from our session’s this morning 🐶

*please note I will NEVER be tech savvy😆*

Want to learn more about pattern games? Send me a messsage and let’s chat!

-Sarah

11/21/2023

Hi everyone!

Long time, no post!
I am still here and still running Happy Tails Training however I have scaled back my services and no longer offer daily walks.
That being said if you need an evening or weekend walk/house visit please feel free to ask!
My husband and I work around each others schedules to ensure we have care for our son as that is the first priority.

Services I currently offer:

🐾Occasional Walks/Home visits (some Monday & Friday daytime availability)
🐾Training/Teaching: specializing in puppy programs, enrichment sessions and confidence building using force-free teaching
🐾Play-dates: I pick your pup up and bring them to my yard to play with my dogs and afterwards take them home. *Please note this service is only offered once an assessment of your dog has been completed by me to ensure they would be a good fit for our environment*

Message for further details🐶

09/15/2023

Hi everyone!!

I have scaled back my services and availability but I’m still here and spending time with sweet faces like Roger!

[Photo Description]: A golden retriever wearing a blue harness is standing on the sidewalk looking up at the camera

04/19/2023

Good morning!
I am currently having issues with Bell where my phone can not receive/reply to messages unless connected to wifi (and then only works for iMessages/Facebook messages not texts). Hoping this will be resolved soon!

04/11/2023

Often times humans become frustrated with “lack of progress”. However, progress is not “fixing” what we deem to be a problem. It is small, integral and sustainable progressions resulting in lasting change.

Small changes leading to larger changes for reactivity can be:
- less intense reactions
- recovery to baseline is faster
- easier to redirect after a reaction
- reduced frequency

Also, don’t discount:
- a dog more interested in you (yes, treats!)
- a more relaxed dog in general
- dog seems happier!
- increase in play behaviors
- more interested in taking food in settings they may not have previously

It really helps to journal. This puts into perspective the reality of your progress vs what our pesky brains lead us to believe sometimes.

04/05/2023

Roger is smiling because not only did the storm pass over us but he also got to dip his paws in some mud!

[Photo Description]: A very happy looking golden retriever standing on a wet sidewalk staring up at the camera

04/04/2023

Bird watching and the perfect stick?? We LOVE spring!

[Photo Description]: A light brown cockapoo walking on the sidewalk holding a stick in her mouth

04/03/2023

Gotta love spring!!

03/22/2023

Time flies when you’re having fun! And even more so when you’re a parent it seems!

We’ve said so long to a stationary baby weeks ago and welcomed lots of movement. This means my husband and I need to pay extra attention to when baby+dogs are in the same space, more so then before. There’s a lot of overlap when it comes to teaching dogs and children, (I LOVE it) if Wells is starting to approach one of the dogs I recall and redirect him back 😆 *I absolutely do NOT use punishable methods for my dogs or child*
My goal with Wells’ current age is to have a neutral relationship between him and the dogs, as he grows and learns this will change. Right now he does not understand personal space and that crawling/laying on the dogs is not ok, so that’s where my husband and I come in to prevent this from ever happening. Keeping everyone happy and healthy is number one🥰

03/21/2023

03/17/2023

Ended off my week with sweet sweet Roger 🥰

[Photo Description]: A golden retriever puppy sitting in the snow looking up at the camera

03/07/2023

Walk with us!

02/22/2023

🙌🏼

02/12/2023

100% agree with this 🙌🏼
I have been running my business for almost 5 1/2yrs now and the most amount of leashed dogs I take at one time is two.
Two at once is still even rare for me, they have to be a great match and communication has to be *chefs kiss*
I am also up to date on my pet first-aid, am fully insured and have a certificate in positive reinforcement dog training while continuing to build onto my education further.

Quality over quantity and ask any/all questions🥰

413 Likes, 35 Comments - Renée E, CTC, DipCBST, ACDBC () on Instagram: "Great dog walkers and pet care professionals are worth their weight in gold! Screen like you would for a child care provider. Don’t be afraid to have a huge list of questions! If you’re made to feel like y...

02/06/2023

Mild temps in the forecast means packing snow! I love resharing this easy enrichment idea!

02/03/2023

How cute is Hani?!
Shortened time outside today friends, stay warm!

[Photo Description]: A yellow lab wearing a grey winter coat while standing in the snow and facing the phone camera

01/31/2023

Oh sweet Roger you have my heart 🤍

Roger and his family completed my puppy foundations program and today we kicked off the start to our enrichment sessions together, I’m excited to see his confidence grow further!

[Photo Description]: A golden retriever puppy sitting on the sidewalk looking at the phone camera

01/31/2023

01/27/2023

🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

336 Likes, 9 Comments - Jenny Efimova, KPA CTP () on Instagram: "Distance and food are the reinforcers we use when encountering dogs on walks. Here’s why: Roughly around the age of 3 Larkin began to develop dog “reactivity” to certain dogs both on and off leash. This was a result of ...

01/21/2023

Do you have 1 minute? 🤍

A little goes a long way when it comes to training. And if we want to make something sustainable, we need to start small.

One minute is enough, it’s achievable.

Use it for whatever is useful for your dog. A find it game, a 1 minute pause and cuddle. A one minute training session.

Make one minute just for you and your dog because that one minute of you focused on them, will make more of a difference than you might think.

And then anything more is a bonus.

01/12/2023

Have you completed a training program with me in the last 2ish years??
If so, this is for you!
*even if you have not yet, programs are always available and I’d love to work with you and your family*

Over the last year I’ve been trialing a service I call “enrichment” sessions where we go above and beyond a typical hold-the-leash style walk.
What does this mean exactly?
This means I take the skills we have taught from our training programs on the go and continue building onto those skills even further.
I come and pick your dog up (1 dog at a time, no short leash “pack” walks) and use a 10ft leash to provide them with a stronger ability to meet their needs which also allows for them to change their pace. I incorporate game based teaching during these sessions so that we are having lots of FUN while learning at the same time.

Another common question- why is this only being offered to clients who have completed programs?
Because the foundations of positive reinforcement teaching needs to be there, I send over summaries of our sessions and hope for the families to continue working on these skills as well.

Want to know even more?
Let’s chat! Send me a message and I’d be happy to discuss this service further 🤗

Photo of my Posie girl on her 10ft leash 🤍

12/23/2022

As we approach the end of 2022 I just wanted to send out a huge thank-you to everyone for the continued support.
Whether it be through hiring my services, referrals, likes, comments or shares, it never goes unnoticed!
Balancing motherhood and running a business has its challenges but I am forever thankful to have the chance to do what I love and also have flexibility for my family.

Happy Holidays and wishing everyone the best in 2023!
I am very excited to see what’s to come!

-Sarah 🎄

*Photo of Hazel & Posie for cuteness*