⚡️ We’ve been caught off guard by the recent thunderstorms. Thankfully we’ve found a formula that works for Steffi: (1) close all windows (2) calming tablets from the vet (on top of her gabapentin for pain relief) and (3) calming music for white noise 🤍 Noise sensitivity and pain are often linked - so do seek vet support for your dog if they show fearful behaviour around sudden or loud noises 🆘 #AnxiousDog #ThunderStorms #CanineArthritis
❤️❤️ Two gorgeous boys waiting for adoption - Frank and Rocket ❤️❤️@dogswalkthiswayrescue #AdoptDontShop
❓Is your dog mostly 💖 Beauty or 👹 Beast? A client told me they couldn't believe that Steffi could be 'a naughty dog' because she always looks so well-behaved on Insta (🤣). 😅 Now I have to admit, while she is MOSTLY an angel, she can also be a big beast and a pain in the butt sometimes ❤️🩹 She might look so well-behaved on socials because most of my social media posts are dedications of my love for her 🤯 There are going to be times when you're feeling like you're STRUGGLING to balance your needs, your dog's needs, and other priorities (family, work) and I think this is from where the FRUSTRATION comesLet me assure you ❌ No dog is perfect (especially not Steffi) ❌ No human is perfect (especially not me) 🆘 Your dog is not trying to make life difficult for you (they more likely struggling to cope with the situation) 🆘 You don't always have to 'train' to fix the situation - sometimes management is the 'fix' (e.g., putting a gate up between your dog and cat to give them a break from each other, closing the back door so your dog can't run outside to bark) 🆘 You're not a failure if you ask for help with caring for your dog (e.g., getting a pet sitter or dog walker to give you a break)❤️🩹 So give yourself a break and then remind yourself of all the good you are doing for your dog
🌶️ When you’ve got a reactive dog, it seems impossible to imagine enjoying off-lead walks together
🙌 Bella and her human deserve a lot of credit for the work they put in together to get to this place
✅ Keeping Bella on a long-line until recall skills were proofed during the adolescent phase
✅ Working around ‘triggers’ in a positive way to help Bella get used to them and feel better around her triggers
✅ Keeping a positive relationship at the centre of all their training together
💖 Great work by Team Bella!
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😅 Isn’t it a relief to know that you don’t need to use pain, fear or intimidation to train your dog or change their behaviour?
‼️ Many years ago, when I was looking for behavioural help for Steffi, the only resources I could find focused on using harsh corrections to ‘fix’ her behaviour
😨 Because of her size (35kgs) and breed mix, I was told she needed more aversive approaches
😔 But that never sat right with me
😔 I didn’t want to hurt Steffi nor did I want to damage our relationship
🤗 I was so relieved when I found there were kinder more effective ways to get the support we needed
😣 Especially as we discovered later on that osteoarthritis pain was the source of her reactive aggression towards other dogs
☹️ Had I used harsher methods, I would’ve been adding to her physical and emotional pain
💖 Instead we’ve had several years of building a strong relationship, adapting to her changes in physical health and enjoying our life together
💖 Knowing you CAN choose CONNECTION over corrections, would you choose anything else?
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⁉️ I get this QUESTION A LOT from clients: “Would another dog help them with their reactivity / separation anxiety / lack of socialisation?”
😩 It could possibly help, but it’s more likely you could end up with TWO dogs with PROBLEM BEHAVIOURS
🐕 🐕 When you bring a new dog (learner) into your home, they’ll be picking up cues from their environment about what’s good and what’s not so good
*️⃣ That includes (1) observing your dog’s reaction to everyday life events, (2) learning by your dog’s responses whether these events are positive or negative and (3) learning to model that behaviour in response
↪️ this is an example of SOCIAL LEARNING
*️⃣ It’s possible that your new dog and your current dog could learn positive behaviours from each other BUT our brains (including your dog’s) have a BIAS to remember NEGATIVE events and adapt our behaviours accordingly
↪️ this NEGATIVE BIAS shapes our response to similar events
🙏 IF you are thinking about adding another dog to your home, don’t let it be for the sole reason of FIXING your dog’s behaviours
💖 Do it because you’re ready to care for a new dog and can look after each of their individual needs
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‼️ Your REACTIVE DOG’s behaviour plan should include everyday HACKS for providing ENRICHMENT + releasing STRESSORS
☺️ When your dog FEELS BETTER in themselves and can find times of CALM in their day, they will make more progress in their behaviour plan
🙌 Providing CHEWING opportunities is one of the easiest ways to provide this for your dog
Here are some TIPS for making CHEWING an integral part of your dog’s EVERYDAY CARE ⤵️
✅ Provide chews that can be consumed in one sitting like pigs’ or rabbit ears, Earth Animal No-Hide Chews, frozen whole carrots, bully sticks, etc.
❌ Avoid rawhide chews as these are made with chemical processes and can cause tummy upset
⚠️ Minimise choke hazards by carefully supervising the first time you give your dog a type of chew — chewing in small bits and not attempting to bite off more than they can chew
⚠️ If there are multiple dogs in the house or other animals, take care to feed in separate spaces to prevent competition and conflict or resource guarding
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🛑 When our REACTIVE dogs are growling, lunging, barking and snapping... we just want it to STOP
😩 It can feel STRESSFUL, FRUSTRATING and EMBARRASSING when your dog is reacting to triggers
🤔 But there’s another way to look at it... expressing their emotions through behaviour and expressing their natural behaviours are two WAYS YOUR DOG FINDS RELIEF FROM STRESSORS
🙌 Our role is to help guide our dogs and help them cope better with life
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💗 There are special MOMENTS in a REACTIVE dog’s life that will stick with you for a long time
🙌 After lots of PREPARATION by Lakota and his human, we paid a visit to a new groomer to start building his trust and comfort in a grooming environment
😢 Being a Maltipoo, he has a lifetime of grooming ahead of him, but he always struggled with his grooming sessions
🥹 Watching Lakota today choose to lie down and relax on his noodle mat was a BIG moment
💖 Great work by Team Lakota and big thanks to Louise the groomer in helping make this visit a happy one
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🙄 I get so BORED of the argument that ‘harnesses cause your dog to pull on the lead’
😨 I’ve seen dogs pull on flat collars, head collars, prong collars and yes, harnesses
⚠️ It might be MORE COMFORTABLE for your dog to pull on a lead than other equipment, but harnesses are NOT THE CAUSE
🆘 It’s important to get to the REAL underlying reason WHY your dog pulls
✅ LACK OF TRAINING? Solved by starting with high value treats in a low distraction setting and building slowly towards higher distractions
✅ High AROUSAL? Help your dog access CALMING activities throughout their day and on their walks (sniffing, watching the world)
✅ FRUSTRATION? Help your dog access enrichment and reinforcers throughout their day and weekly routine, not just on walks
✅ PAIN and DISCOMFORT? A dog who is in pain or discomfort on lead walks is often pulling to RELIEVE the pain and discomfort 👉 To rule out pain, see a vet or qualified physiotherapist for a pain assessment
✅ FEAR on walks? If your dog is fearful, avoid walks where they meet their triggers, give them distance if you do encounter triggers, and seek help from a qualified behaviour professional to help them cope better
🚨 We need to STOP BLAMING the equipment
🚨 And even more importantly, STOP BLAMING the dog
🙌 You can help your dog with any of these reasons with the right support
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👻 SORRY (but not sorry) this is a TRICK QUESTION
‼️ All 3 dogs are ‘REACTIVE’ dogs... so why don’t we see any big displays of REACTIVITY or AGGRESSION?
🙌 Because behaviour modification should look just like this... your reactive dog SIMPLY ENJOYING their walk:
✅ Loose lead walking
✅ Soft loose body language - ears, tails, movement
✅ Sniffing
✅ Engagement with their humans
HOW do we get here?
💫 With carefully PLANNED, SLOW INTRODUCTIONS in an ENVIRONMENT where they can RELAX
And
💫 HELPING your dog FEEL SAFE if we see SIGNS OF STRESS
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😰 If you’re like me, leaving your REACTIVE DOG at home when going away on holiday can be STRESSFUL and takes EXTRA PLANNING
⁉️ So, HOW do you FIND THE RIGHT DOG SITTER for your special needs dog?
💡Here are some tips
1️⃣ Check for Suitability
✅ Ask if you can ACCOMPANY THEM ON A DOG WALK – so you can see how they will look after your dog and cover your dog’s special needs for walks
✅ They should be KIND, COURTEOUS and PROFESSIONAL WITH YOU as the human clients
✅ SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES should show photos / video of activities the dogs participate in
✅ Ask for REFERENCES
2️⃣ Questions to Ask
❓What training do the carers have in caring for dogs?
✅ Pet First Aid as a minimum
✅ Canine Body Language is preferred
❓ What happens if my dog falls ill or gets injured?
✅ First Aid as a minimum
✅ Contact you as the guardian of your dog
✅ Provide details for your vet and emergency vet
❓ What happens if my dog ‘behaves badly’?
❌ AVOID any that use punishment or aversive techniques (pet corrector, bark collars, loose coins in a tin, etc) - these methods will set back your dog’s progress
✅ INSTEAD they should put management in place to PREVENT problems from taking place, REMOVE the dog from the problematic situation, and CONTACT you should a problem arise
🙌 We are fortunate to have the AMAZING @johanna_holisticpaw in our lives. Johanna has been helping us look after Steffi for many years. Thanks to Johanna, we can leave Steffi at home with peace of mind
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