Naughty & Nice Dog Training - Nicole Hurtado

03/31/2023

HU***NG
This is a great read about a not-so-ideal behaviour! Remember that your dog may bump for many reasons, but it is NOT a sexual behaviour, but rather often due to over-arousal.

HU***NG HOUNDS - It’s not always what it seems
Some dogs do and some dogs don’t, but if you have a dog that humps at the most inopportune times it can be downright embarrassing or annoying. Other dogs, other people, visitors, toys, cushions, furniture, anything that can be mounted and clung to may be fair game. As people, it’s natural to assume that this behaviour is of a sexual nature, that our dogs must be oversexed, sexually frustrated or the all-too-common incorrect belief that our dogs are just trying to be “dominant”.
Hu***ng, like many other dog behaviours does not always have a simple reason. It can be a complex behaviour which is usually emotionally or socially based. Looking for what may be triggering the behaviour and finding the cause should always be the first step before finding ways to change a behaviour. The solutions will depend on the cause. It may be finding ways to reduce stress or anxiety levels, increasing mental stimulation, teaching calm behaviours to prevent over arousal, ensuring your dog is getting enough sleep, using management or in some cases a veterinary check up to rule out any medical causes.
When hu***ng is antagonizing another dog or person or causing frustration, discomfort or harm in any way, then obviously this behaviour needs to be immediately addressed, but sometimes we may need to ask ourselves – is it really something we need to stop our dogs from doing just because as people we see it as socially unacceptable? Is it a harmless way of relieving stress or anxiety after a difficult day or a way to expend pent up energy that is not causing anyone harm? If we prevent this, correct it, redirect this or at worst punish this behaviour are we removing a harmless natural outlet and risking another unwanted behaviour taking its place?
Behaviour is not always the way it looks on the surface. Look for the underlying cause, look at what may be triggering the behaviour before deciding how to change it.

03/14/2023

Remember that your “reactive” dog isn’t giving you a hard time, they are HAVING a hard time!

I personally have two intermittently reactive dogs so have struggled with this myself for a while. If you have any questions about training your reactive dog or getting through this difficult time in their life (and yours) I would happy to chat about it!

Your dog is not giving you a hard time. Your dog is having a hard time. 💕

https://absolute-dogs.com/product/naughty-but-nice-core-programme/

03/10/2023

TRAINING TREATS
Good morning and Happy Friday!

A common question I’ve received is in regards to training treats. “What do I use for training treats? Is it healthy for my dog? Will they like it? What if they eat the treats but not their food? How many can I use?”
There are so many options out there when it comes to dog treats. Some are even marketed specifically as “training treats”. The good news is that when it comes to treats specifically used for training, ANYTHING can be used as a training treat! Yes, anything. Personally, I use a combination of my dogs’ kibble, high value treats, and high value chews. By using kibble, I’m not providing any extra calories or incurring extra costs on special treats - and I can train my dogs at meal times using what they would normally eat for that meal anyway. I use high. Value treats for training new things or for recall training (a sore spot in our house as they don’t agree with the neighbours dog!) - or anything that requires them to understand that the treats are a better deal than whatever they’re doing at the time. High value chews are used for calmness or if I need to leave the house (they’re very useful for crate training!). These are just a few ideas!
So what do you use? Here I have some chewy jerky treats from Costco and I’ve just cut them up into smaller pieces so I can use more rewards. It’s a bit more work up front but can be very cost effective! Other ideas you can try:
- Cutting up larger treats
- Baking or freezing wet food or paste into treat molds
- Using kibble
- Blending kibble or other low value food with water to make a paste, then freezing in a lick may, along, slow feeder, or puzzle feeder
The plus side of cutting up@larger treats like I’ve done here is it can be done to match the size of your dog and if you find something your dog loves but it’s too big to be a training treat, you can make it smaller to turn it into a training treat!
If you have more questions about this topic, feel free to message me and I’d be happy to chat about it!
Now let’s get creative with our treats and let’s get training!

01/01/2023

Happy New Year gamechangers! Hopefully this year has been full of great adventures with your dog and hopefully there will be planets of great new ones in 2023! Don’t forget that I’m here if you ever need help with dog training!

12/06/2022

RELATIONSHIP - FOCUS - EXERCISE IN COLD WEATHER

Hey gamechangers! How about a training video?

This video is about building a relationship and great focus between you and your dog - and exercise when it’s as cold as it is today, all wrapped in one!

My rockstar demo dog Mia here is playing two games with me here - Orientation Game and FUNder. Both are great for getting great focus and engaging your dog to help boost their relationship with you. Additionally, when it’s too cold to go for a walk or spend time outside, it’s fantastic for exercise indoors!

Orientation Game
1. Throw out some food. Your dog will chase and eat it.
2. Wait for your dog to look at youu for more. Try not to pester them, just wait them out.
3. Mark your dog with a marker word - here I am using “Good!”.
4. Throw some food the other way and continue!

FUNder
NOTE: This one works best when your dog has played Orientation Game before. The process is similar, but this time you’ll throw food through your legs behind you! This one is also great for building your dog’s ability to cope with body pressure from you. Our dogs are much lower to the ground than us and as such towering over them can be a bit intimidating so this helps to build your dog’s confidence around that.

You’ll also notice I intersperse this game with some obedience and end with a scatter feed. Mia historically struggles with over excitement so this just helps bring that down so she can still listen and isn’t too excited to respond.

As always, I’m here to answer your questions and help you with dog training so send me a message, I would also love to hear how this went for you on the comments below!

Happy game time!

*These games are inspired by Absolite Dogs*

11/17/2022

🤩 SPECIAL EVENT 🤩

Paws & Presents
Join us for a special holiday event full of games, treats, and tons of fun for you, your dog, and your family! PLUS - there’s a special surprise for your pooch! 😉

Sign up now to reserve a spot for you and your family!

10/23/2022

COYOTE SAFETY

It’s that time of year agin - when coyotes are out and about again. Coyotes are most active from October to March. Young coyotes separate from their family groups from October to January and mature individuals mate and breed from January to March.

Some coyotes may attempt to “recruit” your dog and direct them to their family group. This is when your dog can get injured! Keeping yourself, your dog, and your family safe is too priority.

If you see coyotes, do not approach, do not feed, and make sure to keep a very watchful eye on your pets. Avoid night time outings with your dog whenever possible and if your dog must be out after dark (like for a bed time potty break or a walk), try to keep your dog on a leash and supervise whenever you possibly can. Small dogs are the highest risk and likely won’t be able to protect themselves from coyotes, though large dogs can be targeted as well. If your dog is attacked by a coyote, make sure to take them to the vet right away - Edmonton coyotes are known to carry parasites and can do serious damage to our beloved pets. If you need more tips on safety or training, message me - I’m happy to chat about keeping pets as safe as possible!

10/08/2022

Hey gamechangers! Fancy a training video?

We’re continuing to focus on novelty for the month of October. But this is also an example of working with noise sensitivity and reactivity. This video shows our own dogs Joey and Mia on a walk near the front street where (if you listen closely) there are several very loud vehicles. If your dog is sensitive to such things and doesn’t like new noises/objects/activities or is reactive in situations like this, you can still work with it! Here’s some concepts under the radar here:

NOVELTY
Loud vehicles are new for some dogs who may not hear them regularly. Especially if noise sensitive, this can cause your dog to react inappropriately.

ENGAGEMENT AND FOCUS
You’ll notice that my dogs ate occasionally looking back to me (lagging behind with the stroller). It’s important that your dog be able to focus on you around distractions! This means they will look to you when they feel worried or when a distraction happens - so you can tell them they’re doing just fine. The next time a distraction happens, play with your dog to redirect their attention to you rather than the distraction.

DISENGAGEMENT
Likewise, when you engage your dog in the face of distraction, you are giving them the ability to come away from that distraction and DISENGAGE with it, and ENGAGE with you instead. This is possibly one of the best gifts you can give your dog.

PROXIMITY
You’ll notice that these two pull on leash a lot! This is still something we’re working on (we’re not perfect!) and struggle with. Your dogs value in PROXIMITY or staying close to you is super valuable here - the more value placed in staying close, the less your dog feels the need to pull and be away from you.

You can see that something as simple as walking near a street requires several different concepts to be strong in your dogs brain! If you feel that you’re struggling with these or other concepts and aren’t sure how to navigate these struggles and turn them into strengths, we can help you! Send a message and we can work together to get you and your dog from stressFULL walks to stress FREE!

10/02/2022

Happy October! This month we’re focusing on…

NOVELTY
As a concept instilled in your dogs brain, novelty tepresents anything new or different that your dog may not have experienced before. This could be anything from seeing a garbage truck for the first time all the way to a squirrel dancing in the middle of the street. (Okay, that last one might not actually happen but you never know, right? 🤷🏼‍♀️)

Many dogs actually really struggle to cope with novelty. We’re talking about sensing something new and experiencing so much fear that they effectively shut down completely. This is an extreme perception of novelty by your dog and we can absolutely change this perception!

What if we could take that extreme negative perception of “AAAHHHHHH! A leaf! I’m so scared!!!” and instead, turn it into “Whoa! A leaf just moved! Oh well, not my business, time to move on”?

With the holiday season coming up super quick, novelty is sure to be a struggle in some way, shape, or form. One simple way you can work with novelty is by simply feeding your dog when something “scary” happens. Garbage truck? Feed! Dancing squirrel? Feed? Pink sparkly unicorn riding a motorcycle through the sky and crashing in a nearby bush? Feed, feed, feed!!!

We also have a Tricks and Treats workshop opening up on October 7th that specifically targets this very common struggle. Send a message or leave a comment to sign up!

As always, we are always here to help you work through your training struggles and turn them into strengths. Contact us to chat or if you want more information or help with your particular training struggle!

10/01/2022

SPECIAL EVENT ALERT 🤩

Hey gamechangers! We’re welcoming October with a brand new special event just for you!

With October comes Thanksgiving and Halloween! Since the holiday season is just around the corner, now is the perfect time to help your dog work through a very common struggle that also comes up - NOVELTY. This happens whenever something new, weird, crazy, and often scary (to your dog, that is) and often creates fear responses like barking, lunging, etc.

Sign up for Tricks and Treats on October 7th to learn all about the concept of novelty and how you can help your dog work through it! Who knows? There may even be a treat or two hidden in there somewhere… for you AND your pooch! 😉

Don’t forget that we also have classes coming up in October, sign up now to reserve your spot!

08/30/2022

OOPS...

Has this summer been as busy for you as it has been for us???

Since we haven't been around for a while, we're welcoming September (and the fall weather) with a simple question for you.

What would you like to see offered at Naughty & Nice Dog Training? What would inspire you to train your dog? If you're looking for a class or other training event, what would it be about?

Okay, that's more than one question... But we want to know what you'd like to see us do so we can better help you train your dog!

Don't forget that we have classes coming up in September! Check the monthly calendar in our Photos to see what's coming up. That includes BRAND NEW classes:
- Crate Training workshop - Power up your crate training to show your dog that their crate is a safe space, and a space they'll LOVE to be in
- Life Skills - Teach your dog important skills so they can see the world through your eyes - a place that's not so scary and one to be optimistic and confident about

Contact us for more information or to register for any of our classes or other events! Facebook events haven't been working so well on our end so we'll be trying this for a little while!

07/23/2022

Introducing a brand new class coming up in November!

This is a 2 hour deep dive into managing multiple dogs within the same household. These situations often result in many dogs who are over-excited and constantly overwhelmed because they don't know how to "tone it down" when in the presence of other dogs in the house. Join us to learn how to teach your dogs how to do this, as well as train multiple dogs while also staying sane yourself.

07/23/2022

Updates to our class calendar!

Classes are open for registration for the rest of the year! A brand new workshop has also been added in November - Multi-Dog Management. This workshop is a 2 hour deep dive into what it takes to successfully keep multiple dogs in the same household, including training and managing stressful situations, keeping the peace, and saving your own sanity.

Register ASAP as class sizes remain small to give you and your dog the one on one attention with your trainer you need to set you up for success.

07/22/2022

07/22/2022

07/20/2022

SPECIAL OFFER

We're having a special sale for you wonderful dog owners!

Book before August 1st for 1-to-1 sessions OR a group class and your first session is 50% off! New clients also get:

- A FREE behaviour assesment (this is mandatory for all new clients, to determine the best way to work with you and your dog specifically, as I tailor all sessions to each individual)
- A FREE welcome package, tailored to you and your dog
- Continued support on your training journey

If you're not sure about games-based training, don't know where to start, or struggle with knowing exactly what your dog needs, this is the perfect deal to take advantage of! Don't forget that I'm always here to chat about your training struggles so feel free to send me a message!

07/15/2022

Here comes another training tip - and it's something that we have personally been struggling with lately as well!

MULTI-DOG HOUSEHOLDS

Dogs are like potato chips - you can't have just one. But the idea of keeping multiple dogs and the reality of it can be two completely different things.

The truth is, when it comes to keeping a multi-dog household (whether you have 2 dogs or 10 dogs), your biggest and possibly most valuable tool will be MANAGEMENT.

Managing multiple dogs can look like different things, depending on the household, but we find that management looks like this:

1) Limiting the number of dogs out at one time.
We often think it's "unfair" to have one dog out while the other is put away in a crate. Actually, it's perfectly fine to put one dog away while you work with the other. You absolutely CAN put Max away in his crate for a short time while you train Spot. You're actually training them both at the same time when you do this! Spot might be learning how to sit out of the crate, while Max is learning how to take turns, be calm, and that he doesn't need to be with you or Spot at all hours of the day - from inside his crate. Perhaps you give Max a filled Kong or long-lasting chew while you work with Spot. Fair doesn't mean equal - both dogs are being trained at this time, but in slightly different ways, and they're both being rewarded and grown in the direction you want them to grow.

2) Utilize gated communities wherever possible (and necessary).
Gated communities can look like many things, depending on your situation - pet gates, crates, pens, even separate rooms. When it comes to owning multiple dogs, there is always a risk that they will have an argument over something. Not all the dogs have to like each other, but they do have to co-exist in the same house together. This is where gated communities really come in handy. Don't feel guilty about having to separate your dogs for a short time because they're not happy with each other - or even indefinetely.

However, there's also always the risk of the opposite - they love each other SO MUCH that they get each other completely over-excited and end up covering you with scratches a bruises because they're jumping, nipping, biting, lunging, barking, etc., due to constantly being in a state of over-excitement.

3) MANAGEMENT IS TRAINING.
This is possibly the most important thing to remember! Training dog(s) looks like different things to different people. It might be obedience training, agility training, or training good manners. But equally, it might be simply making sure you keep the peace and ensure that all your dogs live a full and happy life, even if that means they're separated from each other for life. Training might look like managing your dogs' excitement or fear levels.

Remember that multi-dog households require management. And management IS training.

07/05/2022

Hello everyone! You may be aware that I ran some FREE online training seminars this past weekend. I received a wonderful inspirational question from a follower!

FAQ - VERBAL CUES

Should you use verbal cues while training your dog? Here's our take on this:

1) It's ultimately your choice! Whether you use verbal cues or visual cues, it all comes down to personal preference. Some may prefer visual cues because their dog does not need to be looking at them to be able to respond to the cue. Others use visual cues because that's what works best for them.

2) Verbal cues can be incredibly useful, but it's important that you train them properly for them to be reliable. Many owners will begin training a behaviour AND add a verbal cue for that behaviour too soon. This doesn't set your dog up for success and can sometimes have the opposite effect to what you want - a behaviour with a verbal cue that is unreliable, or which your dog "doesn't listen to".

Instead, make sure you solidify the BEHAVIOUR you want to teach and add a verbal cue to that behaviour ONLY when your dog consistently performs it. Reward the behaviour you want until your dog understands the value (ie. the treat/food/toy/affection), THEN add a verbal cue just before they perform that behaviour.

3) Verbal cues are not a must with your training approach! Many owners (myself included) prefer to use visual cues either in conjunction with verbal cues or on their own.

Visual cues can be very helpful for dogs who can't hear properly due to old(er) age, deafness, etc. Some dogs actually just respond better to a visual cue than a spoken word. But before relying on visual cues every time, make sure your dog can focus and check in with you regularly. This will greatly improve the reliability of visual cues because your dog will be looking to you more often for further "instructions" on what behaviour you want them to perform.

Do you have a FAQ you'd like to see posted? Let me know in the comments below!

07/03/2022

Thanks to everyone who came to our free seminars this weekend!

After a looong weekend (ie. 10-20 minutes of playing games) of making her debut as a demo dog, Mia will be taking a long, well-deservesd nap.

Remember that we hold free online seminars every month as well as classes to help you with your dog training journey!

06/21/2022

HARNESSES
Many dogs need to use harnesses rather than collars and that’s okay! However, there are harnesses out there that can cause problems in our dogs, especially if your dog pulls on occasion.

“No pull” harnesses for example, can seriously restrict your dogs shoulder movement, which can then cause problems with their bones and joints later in life. Y-shaped harnesses are a better option because they don’t put pressure on the shoulder joint, allowing your dog to move much more naturally.

However, if you absolutely need to use this type of harness - do what works for you and your dog! As always, at N&N we are here to help you with your training struggles so let us know if you’re not sure what type of harnesses to use or need help with harness training!

06/16/2022

Congratulations to our Hello Summer giveaway - Kimberly Persia Earle and her pack! Remember that we hold giveaways regularly, so you always have a chance to win cool stuff for you and your dog(s)!

06/14/2022

Last chance to enter this giveaway!!!

Can you believe we have had NO entries this time??? 😱

Comment with how many dogs you have and you'll automatically be entered to win a bunch of FREE stuff for you and your dog(s)!

ITS GIVEAWAY TIME!

Yep, we’re giving away more free stuff! All you have to do is let us know in the comments below - what does the PERFECT summer day with your dog look like?

AND… tag a friend! If they enter as well, you’ll get an extra entry!

05/29/2022

Only a few more days to take advantage of this sale!

Also remember that if there aren't any upcoming classes that interest you, we can schedule 1-to-1 sessions to work on your specific training struggles! 😊

June classes are right around the corner! And we're having a summer sale to celebrate!

Sign up for any class starting in June and you'll get 25% off! Here's what we have available:

Intro to Games seminar, June 2, 6-7 pm - FREE
Rescue Dog workshop, June 8-9, 6-7 pm - $40
Reactivity workshop, June 18, 3-4 pm - $100 (includes 4 weekly group classes + a targeted 1-to-1 session personalized to you and your dog)

There are limited spaces available so contact us to register ASAP and reserve your spot!

05/22/2022

June classes are right around the corner! And we're having a summer sale to celebrate!

Sign up for any class starting in June and you'll get 25% off! Here's what we have available:

Intro to Games seminar, June 2, 6-7 pm - FREE
Rescue Dog workshop, June 8-9, 6-7 pm - $40
Reactivity workshop, June 18, 3-4 pm - $100 (includes 4 weekly group classes + a targeted 1-to-1 session personalized to you and your dog)

There are limited spaces available so contact us to register ASAP and reserve your spot!

05/20/2022

Good morning gamechangers and Happy Rescue Dog Day!

We LOVE our rescue dogs and to celebrate them we're holding a workshop just for them, as well as a special offer for today only! Register for our Rescue Dog Workshop today and you'll get 25% off!

June 8-9, 6-7 pm
- 2 hours of training spread over 2 days
- Targeted program created specifically for rescue dogs AND for each unique individual dog
- Strategies to help you and your rescue dog overcome day-to-day struggles
- Continued support to help you continue your dog training journey and achieve your dog-owning dreams
- Lots and lots of fun activities with your dog!

Rescue dogs are unique in that they typically have experienced a very large amount of change in a very short period of time - that means unpredictability, and LOTS of it. Living in a constant state of wondering when the next meal is, where the water is, etc. That's why training rescue dogs requires a little bit of tweaking - that is, teaching them to control the world around them and that world isn't a scary place. This workshop involves just that and much more!

Tell us your rescue dog's story in the comments below!

05/19/2022

It's been a while since we gave you wonderful gamechangers any training tips, so let's end the week with a good one!

RESOURCE GUARDING

This is a very common struggle with many dogs that can unfortunately become very serious very quickly.

Your dog may display resource guarding behaviours when they struggle to disengage, or come away from, something they find very valuable. This can happen with anything your dog finds valuable - chews, toys, other pets, even people. While this can become a very serious problem, the good news is that it can be managed with the right tools!

When your dog starts showing RG-related behaviours, it's important that you don't take the valuable item away from them. This can actually make the problem worse! Instead, try TRADING that item with something that is MORE valuable. Additionally, there are many strategies and games you can play with your dog to help grow their ability to come away from items so resource guarding (among other behaviours) doesn't become an issue.

We're more than happy to help you find the right tools and strategies to address all your training struggles. Don't hesitate to contact us if you need help with training your dog. We're here to support you!

05/13/2022

Don’t forget to enter our giveaway - we’ll be drawing a winner in about a month, who will receive a gift basket full of fun things for both you AND your dog(s)!

ITS GIVEAWAY TIME!

Yep, we’re giving away more free stuff! All you have to do is let us know in the comments below - what does the PERFECT summer day with your dog look like?

AND… tag a friend! If they enter as well, you’ll get an extra entry!

04/28/2022

ITS GIVEAWAY TIME!

Yep, we’re giving away more free stuff! All you have to do is let us know in the comments below - what does the PERFECT summer day with your dog look like?

AND… tag a friend! If they enter as well, you’ll get an extra entry!

04/23/2022

May classes are open for registration! Contact us to register by Wednesday to reserve your spot!

The following classes are available:

Intro to Games
May 1, 2 pm

Calmness
May 8, 2 pm

Puppy Foundations
May 9-30, 6 pm

Off Leash Freedom
May 17-June 17, 6 pm