The Puppy Tutor

07/10/2024

Agility World the source for affordable Agility equipment in Canada. Offering a wide array of Jumps, Weave poles, Tunnels & Tunnel Bags, Contact Equipment, and more.

06/30/2024

06/25/2024

Be a Dog Detective – Fear versus Relaxed
https://www.petprofessionalguild.com/resource/be-a-dog-detective-fear-versus-relaxed/

06/23/2024

The Ten Myths of Canine Behavior
Myth #10: My dog growled at me. I need to punish the growl.
One of the most important behaviors to reinforce rather than punish in dogs is growling. Growling serves as information, signaling that a dog feels uncomfortable in a situation. It is not an act of aggression but a form of communication, and for that, we should be grateful. We can address growling constructively by identifying and avoiding the actions that triggered it. Punishing a growl risk suppressing this warning signal, potentially leading to a bite without any preceding warning.

06/04/2024

Let’s talk about the Trigger Tower. We all have one!

It represents our threshold. How much we are able to cope with.

When you start the game of Jenga the tower is sturdy. All the blocks are in place

As the game goes on though, with each person that pulls a block out of the tower, the tower gets more and more unstable until it comes crashing down.

The same is true for ourselves too. There are only so many things we can cope with in a given day or week.

When too many blocks have been pulled out of that jenga tower it’s all too much and everything comes tumbling down. Our dogs are no different.

04/21/2024

Ten myths about canine behavior!
Myth 1: Puppies should not leave the house until fully vaccinated.
The critical socialization period for puppies occurs from about 3 weeks to 14 weeks of age, a time when they learn what is safe or not safe in their environment. They are also learning "doggie" social skills and what it means to live in the human world. Vaccinations are administered every 3-4 weeks apart until at least 15-16 weeks of age, which marks the end of this critical timeframe. If you wait until your puppy has received all vaccinations before exposing them to the world, your puppy may become more fearful as an adult and lack the necessary coping skills to live in the human world.

04/21/2024

It's ok not to say hello.

04/21/2024

04/04/2024

This!!!!

ATTENTION NEW PUPPY OWNERS…….
I wanted to touch base on a common issue that breeders come across with new owners.
REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS-
You see the breeders pictures and videos and the pups are all social. They are quiet in the pen. The breeder shows you videos of them being totally relaxed, happy, playful. All looks amazing and you bring your puppy home.
Then reality hits. The puppy may cry in the crate for the first few nights making you tired and agitated. The happy social puppy is refusing to greet the half dozen overly excited friends you invited over to see your new puppy. Or the overly excited playful children you have at home. The puppy refuses to walk on a leash. Many are wondering how did my perfect puppy turn into a nightmare.
So let’s discuss realistic expectations of when a puppy goes home.
-First of all the puppy has been in the breeders home since birth. They had their mother and littermates. They had their routine, were taught expectations and were completely in their comfort zone.
Now suddenly they are taken to a totally new environment. Picture yourself being dropped into an unknown country, in a different part of the world. You know only a few words of their language. Different sounds, smells, temperature, animals and people.
Now in the middle of this we are switching up your routine, possibly decide to have a party with people you don't know, and ask you to do jobs you have no idea about. Overwhelming to say the least.
This is what every puppy goes through when going to their new home. Stress manifests in different forms. From not eating, reluctancy to play, and greet people. Being apprehensive at the vet’s office or as strangers reach for them. Diarrhea, vomiting and depression can occur.
So what can you as a new owner do to help your little one acclimate?
- most puppies take 3-4 weeks to acclimate to their new home. Repeat after me THREE to FOUR WEEKS sometimes even Longer! Not a 1-2 days. I can’t stress this enough about how much time is needed for a dog or puppy to feel comfortable in their new home!
PLEASE limit guests during the first two weeks. We understand you are excited to show off your new baby but they need time to adjust. Plan on waiting 1-2 weeks before inviting people over.
- ask guests to remove their shoes before entering the home to prevent germs from spreading to your new vulnerable puppy.
-have guests sit on the floor/ground and wait until the puppy approaches them. NO squealing and grabbing the puppy, as this is very frightening to them.
- set up a good routine
- restrict the puppy to a small area of the house. This not only reduces them being overwhelmed but also allows you to watch them
- don’t expect a 8-12 week old puppy to walk on a leash. Instead work at home with a leash where they are comfortable. Let them drag the leash, use treats to encourage them to walk with you
- if your puppy is refusing to walk give them a good amount of time.
- understand your puppy needs time to see you as family. Expecting an immediate bond is unrealistic. They will need to establish who the leader of the pack is in order to feel safe and understand the hierarchy of the family unit.
- train your puppy. This not only helps you to bond but the puppy to look to you for direction and input.
-Children are also big stressors to tiny fragile puppies, please keep an eye on children around the puppy at all times. The children may need to learn how fragile the puppy is and how scared it may be.
- lastly, most importantly- BE PATIENT. Don’t declare “omg there’s something wrong with this dog”. Nothing occurs overnight.
Outings should be planned after the puppy has received ALL vaccinations and then only at the puppy’s speed. So while you might imagine a fun walk around the lake in reality your puppy might only be able to handle walking a short distance that day. They may be curious and energetic, they may become overwhelmed. Watch the puppy for cues on how to proceed.
Most outings for me take a long time, as I am often just standing still as the puppy cautiously explores the new environment. Patience is key!
Remember if the puppy was wonderful at the breeder’s house but now is struggling, you as the owner, need to help the puppy adjust which takes time, patience and training. Have realistic expectations and give the puppy positive feedback and happy experiences. Each puppy is an individual, don’t compare your current puppy to past pets and judge their behavior based on how another dog handled things. Lastly, try to see thing’s from a puppy’s perspective and adjust situations accordingly.
Love your puppy and they will love you 100 times more in return.
🐾

02/16/2024

It’s that time of year…🦨

02/02/2024

People hear "socialization," and they think it means dogs playing together...you know, being social.

But socialization is not about playing with other dogs.

Honestly, it's easy to understand why people have a hard time understanding the concept of dog socialization. When you look at the root of the word, "social," it makes sense that we interpret it as interacting (or playing) with each other because that's what it means when talking about human behavior.

But in reality, socialization involves introducing a dog to a wide variety of stimuli (sights, sounds, smells, experiences) in a positive and controlled manner.

Socialization is building positive associations with and being neutral when exposed to those stimuli. (An easy example: the vacuum cleaner.)

Socialization helps your dog to be comfortable with other animals, people, places, and activities.

Socialization helps create a behaviorally well-rounded dog that is more confident and comfortable in a variety of environments.

12/29/2023

lol!!!

🎨Off the Leash

12/26/2023

🎅🏼 In the days following Christmas we see a huge increase in pet becoming unwell.

🤢The most common conditions are gastrointestinal related from eating leftovers.

😢We also see a rise in pancreatitis cases.
Pancreatitis is an extremely painful & serious condition that can require hospitalisation.

🍖Eating high fat foods like Christmas ham is a risk factor for this condition so please make sure everyone knows not to feed scraps to the dog.

Please keep your pets safe this silly season & avoid these foods.

Credit for this graphic

12/08/2023

LOL!!!!!

🤣🤣

12/02/2023

🤣🤣🤣

Haha

11/03/2023

https://www.facebook.com/seespotlearn/posts/809631541172873

10/26/2023

Trainer Tip Tuesday:

10/07/2023

It's no accident that was the model for our infographic called "Ring Me." We created it with the help of author/illustrator Lili Chin, .

German Shepherd Dogs developed as the breed we know today in the 1890s by Max Emil Friedrich von Stephanitz. Shepherds herded flocks as well as protected them. Today, helps humans track and assist with mobility issues and other jobs.

Ring Me is currently used by many of Dog Latin's clients to give their dogs a heads-up that their environment is about to change. Humans bred many dogs to react to these changes.

Our infographic layers predictability into unpredictable situations like a front door opening. relied on Ring Me as he adjusted to his busy new home at the Chief of Mission Residence (CMR) of the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, Poland.

The CMR's first level is an active, busy place with the business of U.S.-Poland relations always in play. Teddy lives a mere one story above the bustle. Along with management strategies, Teddy learned that comings and goings were daily life.

Dogs require sleep on average between 12-14 hours per day. Being startled by a person opening a door and walking through is common for many dogs, regardless of breed.

Dogs displaying aggressive behaviors toward humans need veterinarian assistance to rule out pain and other medical issues.

Do you have questions? Feel free to ask.

08/12/2023

CALL FOR INTEREST

We thank you for all of your interest in the future puppies. As you can imagine, the response was overwhelming. As such, we have closed the applications at this time.

We are in an unusual situation, we will have puppies available for adoption over the next three to nine weeks! More information will be posted once these sweethearts are ready to be adopted. For now, we are looking for interested adoptive families. Please reach out to us at [email protected] to express your interest in one of these bundles of fluffy love.

08/10/2023

Boundary training pays off! Too hot to stay in the car, so Zori relaxed on her cot for an hour while I had my massage this afternoon! Thanks to the team at Gordon Street Chiropractic for allowing Z to hang out with me!

08/01/2023

A reliable recall is the most critical skill to teach any dog.

What if I told you that ~90-95% of the time I call Juno over to me it's only to give her treats, show her some love, and send her back on her way?

The other ~5-10% of the time I also give her treats, show her some love, but also put on her leash.

What if I told you she comes running when I whistle 99.99999% of the time no matter what distractions are happening around her? And it's because coming to me is AWESOME!

What if I told you that other 0.00001% of the time she doesn't come immediately I never ever EVER get mad or "tell her off." Sometimes (though it's so rare I am talking biannually) she needs a minute to finish sniffing or pooping. To be fair, I would never intentionally call her over if she was in the middle of something important unless I had a very good reason.

It's not about compliance, but reliability. It means (along with her other great outdoor skills) she enjoys lots of safe off leash time!

07/29/2023

💬🐶 LET’S TALK SOCIALISATION! 🐶💬

If you’ve recently welcomed a puppy into your life, you’re probably keen to start introducing them to other people and other dogs as soon as possible, during that all-important ‘socialisation window’. ⏲️🪟🐕

But what should socialisation actually look like?

🤔 Does your puppy really need to meet dogs of all different ages, breeds, and temperaments in order to learn the right etiquette?
🤔 Do you actually need to work through a checklist of different people, animals, events, and environments for your puppy to experience in the first few weeks?
😬 Or could that actually overwhelm them and knock their confidence and optimism?

The traditional view of ‘socialisation’ would have you believe that you have a critical window in which to expose your puppy to as many experiences as possible, to prepare them for everything they are going to encounter in life. The truth is, this approach relies on exposure and it can really go quite wrong for a lot of dogs, no matter their age. It is what we would call training IN the situation, before your pup has the skills and knowledge FOR that situation.

At absoluteDOGS, we know socialisation is actually an opportunity to cleverly show your puppy that the world is a safe place that they can navigate with you by their side. It’s not about a checklist of things to expose your puppy to… It’s really an opportunity to provide your puppy with a foundation of optimism, confidence, and value in YOU (not the environment and everything it has on offer)! 🐾😍

Socialisation is a life-long event in many ways. We should be regularly training for novelty and non-events, preparing our dogs for real-life scenarios, and doing that over a more extended time period – all while growing optimism, confidence and disengagement skills. We’ve got to be our dog’s guardians, their protectors, and learn when to say “no” to socialisation to guard their carefully grown optimism! ✨✅💪🐶

Keen to learn HOW to get socialisation right from the start and grow confidence and optimism for your puppy (or rehome, rescue, foster or existing family dog)? ✨💖

🔗 Check out our FREE eBook on ‘Socialisation’ in our Secrets to Raising A Puppy: The absoluteDOGS Way resource bundle!
https://absolutedogs.me/resources

🔗 And head over to our absoluteDOGS TV YouTube channel to find our video on How to Smash Through Your Puppy's Socialisation Checklist!
https://youtu.be/tYf1bEaGPhY

07/29/2023

There are many contributing factors to consider with dogs and children.
Pain is a common factor and dogs are very good at hiding pain until touched in an area that is sensitive. A once very gentle tolerant dog can react suddenly to a quick movement from a child or adult that they know and In many cases pain will go undiagnosed.

Here are some more contributing factors to consider and I'm sure you can think of more.
➡️Pain
➡️Old age
➡️Sight deterioration
➡️Stress
➡️Resources (food, bed, person, items)
➡️Hot weather
➡️Startled

07/25/2023

These dogs really are everywhere.
They are often mislabeled as friendly by the guardian/owner as that is how they are seen by them.....They barge right in to "play" with other dogs the second the lead is taken off, before then they are straining, bursting out of their skin to get to whatever they are desiring at the time....and allowing dogs to do this is half the issue.

This behaviour has been rewarded by the "play" and fun of interacting.....Why would they behave any other way around other dogs?
They are not friendly.
Dogs do not consider these dogs friendly either.
Why?
These dogs take no time to assess the situation, their energy is off the charts and they immediately assert themselves into play, and demand interaction from other dogs.

They cannot read cues, or they completely ignore them when given by other dogs.
Reading other dogs play styles is non existent.
Focusing on you or redirecting is impossible.
There is absolutely no impulse control or emotional self regulation.

These dogs are often seen at a dog park running from dog to dog in a hyper aroused state and they often have an almost manic appearance, all of this causes fights, injury, stress and is a direct causation of reactivity occurring in either dog.

I have used the term "socialisation" but socialisation is NOT play....it never was....it is about calmly accepting other dogs exist through controlled exposure.
That calmness allows self regulation, allows reading cues from others and impulse control is practiced.
As a society we have a twisted view that socialisation means dogs play with all other dogs....and they should get on.
The reality of TRUE socialisation is the opposite.

If you do have a dog that has these issues...you can help (but if you reach out to a good behaviour modification trainer, you will save yourself years and years of issues).

Teach engagement with you in ever increasing distractions.
Practice and learn calmness....it is a skill.
Manage the environment for calm and limited exposure at a distance....and reward calm.
Praise and reward when they look away from the other dogs....that IS praise worthy.
Mental enrichment with these dogs helps everything.
Learn the body language of your dog (and others).

You are not alone in struggling with this behaviour, it is very common.
Take a chance that your dog CAN behave in a different way, they just need to be shown how by you or a great trainer.

Limit where and when they can practice this behaviour......and most important dog parks and meeting endless other dogs will do nothing but fuel all of this behaviour.

03/24/2023

Happy National Puppy Day!!!

03/05/2023

I personally never take my dogs to a dog park. I prefer having play dates with dogs that I know are vaccinated and are not aggressive. You can also use Sniffspot.

03/03/2023

Play date! Do you know what appropriate play looks like?

These two young dogs play really well together. They are of similar size and weight, they have bouncy movement, relaxed tails, use hip bumps, changing roles and inhibited ‘biting’.

No growling or snarling, no pinning, no body slamming, no stiff posturing.