A Paw In The Right Direction

04/08/2022

POOCHAPALOOZA takes over as I have all but retired! Feel free to join and post to your heart's content!

02/06/2022

12/30/2021

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09/26/2021

The enduring appeal of showing your Chihuahua who is boss.

09/15/2021

Good video!

08/29/2021

🐶S:EI🐶

08/05/2021

Visit DogTrainingCareers.com or message or call course creator Norma-Jeanne personally to request a FREE information package on how to become a certified dog trainer. CCS has certified dog trainers in 17 countries since 1994 with LIFETIME course updates and support...even after graduation.

02/23/2021

A really interesting video and well worth watching!

The show canine intervention on Netflix may get canceled. Is this the right move? Many dog owners are signing a petition to cancel the show due to inhumane a...

02/13/2021

With dog training and behaviour an unregulated business it can be really hard to know who to ask for help when you are at your wits end with your dog. We have severely moved on from the traditional dog training methods of scaring/hurting a dog into submission. We know now how much that damages the canine-human bond, and the behavioural/emotional and even physical health of the dog.

Not all professionals are forthcoming with their methods and unfortunately not all professionals use the modern approach.

Lets look at some phrases that a professional might use that are a red flag to aversive/outdated methods:

1.) "Correcting bad behaviour". Dogs simply do not perform bad behaviour that needs to be corrected. Dogs do not know when a behaviour is right or wrong - all they know is what behaviour works for them in that moment. We do not correct behaviour, we modify it. Dogs are not sums that we need to get our red pen out to. They are emotional beings whose behaviour is functional. A dog is not being "bad" if they are barking at other dogs for example. They are feeling strong emotion that will actually be made worse with aversive methods. Suppressing an emotion is one of the worst things you can do - whether you're human or canine!

2.) "Bring him down a peg or two/put him in his place". These statements strongly allude to the dominance based methods that are so detrimental to the relationship between you and your dog. Dogs are not trying to dominate you. Dogs are not trying to be seen as "higher" than you in any sort of pecking order; that is just fundamentally incorrect. They do not need to be "put in their place" i.e. made to be submissive against you. All of these sorts of statements allude to physically aversive methods that can actually create more problems than it solves. We've seen it time and time again.

3.) "Show him who is boss/gain some respect". Similar to above only these statements are focused on empowering YOU as the owner to take control. This sets us up to feel it's us against our dog - battle of wills - and this is so damaging. If you constantly feel like you've got to fight to be recognised by your dog as important, more important than them, there will always be some degree of friction between you and your dog. It doesn't have to be that way. Dogs aren't creating that belief, these outdated methods do.

4.) "Overnight change/quick fix". Can you suppress a behaviour overnight? Yes, you can, if you are aversive enough in your own behaviours. However, suppressed behaviours simply come out in other ways. Behaviours are caused by emotions and emotions aren't improved upon by physically stopping our dog from behaving a certain way. True behaviour modification that involves emotional change simply cannot happen overnight. Ask any therapist for us humans how many times they've been able to fix a humans difficulties overnight - likely zero.

Can you think of any more? Feel free to add any in the comments. These are the main 4 types of phrases I can think of at the time of writing this!

Thank you to Mighty Dog Graphics for this image!

02/02/2021

Interesting read.

This common sound-bite needs reconsideration

06/24/2020

Beyond belief!

Shelters Contemplate Breeding Pets During COVID-19 Animal Import Dry Spell in Vermont 2020-06-23 | AKC Government Relations Department Vermont’s Loophole: In 2016, the Vermont Legislature enacted a “housekeeping” measure, Act No. 149, that increased annual license fees charged to agricultural ...

05/21/2020

Your thoughts?

Originally “Adopt Don’t Shop” was created to bring attention to all the amazing pets available in shelters and rescues across the nation. The marketing

03/18/2020

An absolute must read.

Pets can be infected, but there's no evidence they can spread the virus to humans.

01/27/2020

Good one to read before the puppy comes home!

Got puppy? Yes, it's important to avoid disease-ridden locations and interactions, but EQUALLY important to get that puppy out and about to meet (healthy, gentle) dogs, (gentle) people of all ages, traffic noises and sidewalk grates. A nice poster from www.operationsocialization.com; a free pdf download and more good information available at http://www.operationsocialization.com/for-puppy-owners/safety-guidelines.html

12/22/2019

🏆🏆🏆🐾 GET. This. Artist. Knighted. Now!

Get this shared far and wide!!!

Up your skill standard, not lower your ethical ones.

This has given me hope for the human race!

Credit: https://www.reddit.com/r/virginvschad/comments/e9vdal/one_for_you_fellow_dog_lovers_and_psychology/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

(For those with the reddit app 😂)

11/22/2019

This is a great read for dog owners and anyone thinking of getting a dog!

Rescuers are the most amazing people in the dog world. They spend their nights and weekends transporting pets from dire conditions and…

11/09/2019

Want to be able to make friends with new dogs when you meet them? You can signal that you’re friendly by using canine body language!

We often hear that you’re supposed to offer a dog the back of your hand to sniff, but the body language of this move is actually quite threatening. When we lean forward to offer our hand, we’re facing the dog square on, looming over them, making eye contact and invading their space. All of those signals combine into an intimidating message, and as a result many dogs will become uncomfortable when greeted in this fashion. Confident dogs will usually respond with a couple of signals like turning their head away, yawning, or licking their nose, which means they’d like the human to ease up a bit. Shy or anxious dogs will back away, cower, or even growl, snap or bite.

The best way to greet a dog is to either stand side on to them and invite them over by patting your leg or calling to them, or crouch down on the ground and let them come to you. This method ensures that it’s the dog’s choice to come and say hello – they’re moving up to you, rather than you moving up to them.

If the dog chooses not to approach, it means that they don’t want to say hello. It’s important that you respect that choice, and leave them be. If you’re going to be spending some time with the dog, be patient and hang back – the best way to win the trust of a shy dog is to avoid putting pressure on them to interact. Move slowly, blink your eyes a lot to avoid staring, and don’t speak loudly. If they approach to sniff you, don’t pet them right away. Let them sniff, then when they’re finished move away from them and try inviting them closer again.

Best of luck making some new doggie friends Dog Geeks! We’d love to hear how being conscious of your body language has helped you greet dogs, or if you’ve ever won the trust of a shy dog by being patient and avoiding pressuring them.

- Maddie Ross CPDT-KA

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For more graphics and videos on training and behaviour, check out our library: https://www.beacondogtraining.com.au/thatdoggeek

11/08/2019

10/17/2019

It's rare for one individual to affect an entire generation of a profession, but that's exactly what Alf Wight managed to do.

10/12/2019

Interesting..........

Data shows that many dog behaviors are strongly inherited.

09/29/2019

💚 🐾 🥳 Filling the emotional cup for Behavioural Wellness!

Super excited about the next ATA premium member LIVE web-class, happening this coming weekend with amazing guests Sarah Owings & Sarah Stremming!

I will be sending out more information about the class soon - but in the mean time wanted to share this really neat poster with words by Sarah Owings & artwork by ATA premium member Lili Chin!

You can see other SUPER COOL posters by Lili Chin here >>> https://www.doggiedrawings.net/freeposters

In the class we will unpack a few of the concepts shared in this poster as well as other offerings about how to fill our animals emotions cups!

Information about how to register will be coming soon!

Oh AND if you haven't already done so then make sure to listen to a podcast episode on this topic from Sarah Stremmings cog dog radio show ... where Sarah Owings joined her as a special guest

Listen here >>> bit.ly/Cog_Dog

EEEEE SO SO SO excited about this one!

More soon! - Ryan Cartlidge

09/13/2019

No more needs to be said.....

08/28/2019

500... 5,000... 5 million - I'm sure you'll eventually get there 👍🏼

08/25/2019

Literal Occupational Hazards...
RubesCartoons.com

08/22/2019

I guess I had the wrong breed!

Silly Linguistics: the magazine for language lovers everywhere http://bit.ly/2LQUfVP

07/21/2019

07/04/2019

😢

06/22/2019

Good article!

India) has been conditioned by her owner to wear a muzzle happily; for her