Awesome Dogs

Awesome Dogs Bring out the AWESOME in your puppy or dog with our dog training and behaviour modification programs from Toronto Star columnist Yvette Van Veen

News, pet advice, recalls and everything you want to know if you have a dog or a cat.

11/18/2024

Hello! Update. Been a while. I’ve been going through something very challenging over past six years. It impacted the business. To move forward I had to fond new paths. But you all knew that dogs would be part of the journey… of course.
The plan was to upgrade on education and move into webinars.
I’m excited to announce, I’M BACK. Webinars are in the works and man I think you’re going to like where it’s going. There is so much good content about training skills, it made no sense to do that.
Instead, for all the dog trainers and people, we’re going to start with the impact of narcissistic personality disorder on dogs, you, your business.
DETAIlS to follow. Like, share…but let’s start addressing grey rich, no contact, stonewalling, gaslighting and flying monkeys. The clients that break us.

07/23/2024

Interested in learning about dog training? Well… drumroll…
If you’re going to PapG’s upcoming events, I may be your host. 😁
New directions!

07/15/2024

It’s hard to break bad habits. Weight loss? Hard work and ya gotta stick to it.
Nail biting? Tough habit to break.

Your dog’s bad habits are also ingrained. While the exercises are “easy”… to eliminate a strong, bad habit takes consistent work over time to “set” new ones. That is why any promises of “quick” and guarantee results are hogwash.

If people struggle to create new habits, why would your dog’s brain be any different? Give yourself and your dog the grace to practice for long enough to SET new habits before expecting them to happen without supervision and coaching reminders.

07/14/2024

Ever watch tv with subtitles and realize that you CAN’T stop reading the captioning?
Your brain chooses what it prefers for you.
Dogs do same! Their brain usually chooses hand signals, missing what you say.

07/13/2024

Dog training v other skills. For those who don’t know… I’ve been learning to paint. Want to learn, you get told, “do the work, do the drills.” Same for most skills: woodworking, cooking, landscaping. Learn, do the work.
Dog trading is no exception. There is NO method by which you can learn to train a dog and not work on the human skills required. With stakes as high as another creature, we owe it to our dogs to, “do the work.” Dog training is a HUMAN skill that humans to communicate and influence the dog.

07/12/2024

I’m honk of dog training as if it were learning new language. You need to learn how to commujicwte so your dog can understand.

Bulk of the learning is human learning.

07/12/2024

Exciting developments!
Dog training is in my DNA. Due to personal reasons, I’ve been in a position where I’ve had full time expenses and part time earnings. Working to break even cannot continue. So… what’s a dog trainer to do?

Have had some conversations and were going for a full rebrand!!!!! There’s going to be a huge change in focus.

I’ll be moving to online based content, webinars, writing, loads of tips and science.

Some may have noticed on my personal page that I’ve also been painting. I might from time to time bring that in. If zi can draw a doodle that explains something more easily, seems to make sense to me!

Please, like, share and follow. New tips starting today. Watch this space for webinars and other projects as they roll out.

Let’s do this! I’m excited to find a way to talk dog, help those who need help, and, have a viable way of doing so. Thank you for all your support.

06/07/2024

Your dog probably can’t see the treat under his nose because….
His nose is in the way. 😁
Keepin’ it simple!

06/07/2024

Have had a few things to deal with of late. But… it’s time to talk dogs and “ don’t overcomplicate what does not need to be complicated”.
So, let me know, what dog training problems do you find to be “complicated”.

My clients hear a lot about cats and can openers. Thus learning is called Classical conditioning. If you understand the...
09/05/2023

My clients hear a lot about cats and can openers. Thus learning is called Classical conditioning. If you understand the core process, it leads to more than 101 ways to use it. Your creativity is the limit. You could teach your animals to run into their travel crate when they hear the fire alarm. better than looking under the bed for them.
(Never put yourself in danger. But it’s nice to have your animal going to the crate, not away from it.
Let’s see if I can come up with 101 ways to use Classical conditioning.

08/19/2023

In my sessions, people learn about classical conditioning. (Cats and can openers). It’s the “ other type of learning.” No behaviour to reward. Just as cats learn that can openers = dinner, animals learn many things.
This is clinic kitty Hamish. Security alarm beep beep beep…Hamish shows up.
Because a Hamish has learned that when the alarm starts… breakfast is next.
If you look for classical conditioning, you’ll notice it’s everywhere. Subltle and powerful tool.

08/01/2023

Keep your dog in the “ sweet spot” of learning.
Too easy = stagnation.
Too hard = crash and burn.
Between these is the sweet spot. Growth the dog can master. And master it they will in the sweet spot.

07/27/2023

Dog Training Hack #3.
Learning in the real world is not often better.(Some exceptions apply, but they are few) Skill building is like going to the gym. Muscles built will help you climb mountains in the real world. Drilling at home, in training builds muscle memory in YOU, in YOUR DOG. So you build strength to face the real world. Building these skills in a quiet space lessens the chances that your dog will be incapable, that you are frustrated, or worse, on your arse. Okay...still not a hack. Build muscle memory in the training room to face life with strength!

07/26/2023

Training Hack #2.
Dogs are a lifestyle change with huge time requirements.
Do or don’t do. Still no hack. You may have to cut other activities if you choose that you do go get a dog. If you do, make time to do it.

07/26/2023

There is no such things as animal whispering. Gasp! No wait. This is good news for people with dogs.
If whispering is a gift, then you are born with it, or not. If not, you’re screwed in terms of dog training. You don’t got the gift.
Skill sounds like work. It is. You CAN learn it. Does that take effort? Yup. But you CAN do it.
I’d put skill against whispering any day. It will win. Because whispering isn’t a thing.
The biggest issue I have with such terms is that while it compliments the skilled person, it implies YOU are lacking. That you don’t got the magic, the talent. That YOU are deficient.
I simply refuse to believe such utter nonsense about YOU I believe, with work YOU CAN LEARN and succeed.

07/25/2023

DIY learning online? ROUGH CHOICE! Might cost you more in the long term.
If you do do it, remember this.
Social media pushes the popular.
Companies get more ad revenue pushing the popular.
Popular usually means “ conflict laden”.
Social media does not, never prioritized based on quality. YOU need to vet information and find quality.
That isn’t easy.

07/24/2023

Your dog likely does not listen because… you likely are signing commands WHILE saying commands. Either/or on its own is good. Together is a problem.
It’s like trying to watch a show, listen to a show, while the close captioning is on. ( try it). The brain picks what the brain wants. You will catch yourself reading your show and MISSING the video and audio. You will tell your brain off. “Brain… why? Stop it!) Then minutes later, your brain will say… nah, you will read the CC.
Multiple forms of info at the same time cannot be processed. The brain picks one. In most obedience, your dog’s brain will focus on the hand signal at the expense of the verbal.
And so, the verbal commands are never even registered, and thus never learned. Your dog can’t understand.
Don’t let your gestures, your body language, be like close captioning. It will block your dog from registering any verbal information. Doing so is human/trainer error.

07/23/2023

Being positive does not mean that you should be a doormat.
Being positive means that we don’t become nasty, controlling and coercive over imperfection.
Boundaries need to be skill/level appropriate.
There are three leadership styles.
Permissive: doormat
Authoritarian = My way or else. Abuse lies here.
Authoritative = Kind, positive, consistent. And yeah, boundaries… it does not include coercion or force.

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In my sessions, people learn about classical conditioning. (Cats and can openers). It’s the “ other type of learning.” No behaviour to reward. Just as cats learn that can openers = dinner, animals learn many things. This is clinic kitty Hamish. Security alarm beep beep beep…Hamish shows up. Because a Hamish has learned that when the alarm starts… breakfast is next. If you look for classical conditioning, you’ll notice it’s everywhere. Subltle and powerful tool.

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