Swell Hound Dog Training & Behaviour Consulting

09/12/2024

⚠️Trigger Warning: Pet/ Companion Animal Loss.

Hey there Swellions 🐶💙
On Sept 03, 2024, my family had to say goodbye to one of our beloved dogs, Zoey. While it wasn't entirely surprising, and we know it was absolutely the right decision, it was rather sudden and still quite upsetting. Since then, we have all been processing our loss, but admittedly, life has felt nothing short of surreal. Being over 600km away from my family, I'm not sure it's really sunk in yet.

I don't claim to have anything profound to say, and I'm certainly no grief expert. However, some realizations I've come to, having been through this countless times, in case it provides *anyone* *any kind* of solace:

🌈 Pet Loss is still loss: despite the societal stigma that still remains. In my experience, it's *never* "just an animal". Our companion animals are with us every single day *for years*; in some cases, their companionship is more consistent and unconditional than some human/human relationships.

🌈 Companion animal loss can be compounding: In my experience, the loss of Zoey triggers the loss of Tasha, which triggers the loss of Bailey, which triggers the loss of Nicky, which triggers the loss of Zack, etc., etc. Sometimes when we grieve one, we grieve them all, simultaneously.

🌈 Everyone grieves differently: some people are able to do their initial grieving and move forward. For some, it might not hit until some kind of significant event (Holidays, birthdays, etc). In my experience, it comes in waves, and these ebbs and flows last months.

🌈 The only way "out" is through: I put "out" in quotations for a reason (see next point), but you have *got* to feel your feelings, no matter how unpleasant, inconvenient or big they are. Repressed emotions will *always* seep through the cracks and impact other emotionally significant relationships.

🌈 Loss is not something you get over, but rather, it's something you grow around: for some, there never is an "out". All the more important to circle back to the point above, and to...

🌈 Choose your support system carefully: Some people will not understand how significant these types of losses can be. Be highly selective about the people you let in during this vulnerable time. You deserve people in your life who can validate and create space for your pain.

🌈Grief impacts the intellectual, emotional and physical bandwidth: This one is self explanatory, and therefore Self compassion is an essential practice.

🌈 Anticipatory Grief is real: As mentioned, this wasn't an entirely surprising loss (though I didn't think it was going to happen so soon). In my experience, the grief actually started well before we had to say goodbye.

For anyone who may be struggling through similar circumstances, I do highly recommend the book The Pet Loss Companion by Ken Dolan-Del Vecchio and Nancy Saxton-Lopez. It's very easy to digest and covers a wide range of concepts surrounding the topic.

For anyone who may be seeking support, here are a few links to some different Pet Loss Groups:

https://ottawahumane.ca/your-pet/pet-loss-support-groups/

https://ontariopetloss.org/

https://www.westhillvet.com/grief-support/

I thank you all in advance with your continued patience, and should anyone need a safe space to vent their grief, I'm always just a PM away 💙🐶💛

08/27/2024

I know I'm late to the party, but Happy [belated] International Dog Day! In the spirit of working WITH dogs- a little ol' soapbox rant! 😇😈

Being Force Free when working with animals is not a topic that is up for debate, despite what some other "professionals" claim. There is far too much scientific evidence at our disposal now to even humour the thought of using harsh and/or aversive tools and/or techniques in training. WE👏ARE👏PASSED👏THIS👏.

There are people (who call themselves "professionals") out there who put more effort into trying to save outdated and dying techniques by kicking, screaming and threatening lawsuits than they are putting in efforts to increase their own repertoire of skills, knowledge and understanding on the topic. It takes a certain amount of emotional and intellectual maturity to commit to Force Free training, and it's 100% the human's responsibility to achieve that. If a "professional" is unwilling to put in the work to crossover into common sense and compassion, then there is no room in the industry for that "professional"- put bluntly, sucks to suck 💁‍♀️.

Dog Guardians, Be Aware! Check out this excellent article that Eileen Anderson wrote on the many tropes of these "debates" against Positive Reinforcement/ Force Free training. Don't be fooled by someone else's lack of understanding in an industry that is unregulated (and unnecessarily polarized).

https://eileenanddogs.com/blog/2024/08/26/the-real-facts-about-science-based-dog-training-a-bad-faith-argument/?fbclid=IwY2xjawE6xq1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHXTfmPCYkp-TXUBQB9U_cuz5IjrWwhoD38TxfA2BuSppHqASFCLghrRMPw_aem_cAgbPyUZ8Sanpm53-v6k5Q

In February 2023, Ivan Balabanov gave a podcast called The Real Facts About Science Based Dog Training. There were problems. Let's learn about Gish Gallops.

08/01/2024

🐶☀️SWELLIONS!!☀️🐶
I am SO proud to announce that Swell Hound Dog Training and Behaviour Consulting received GOLD in the CommunityVotes - Ottawa Pet Training Category!! 🏅🎉

Y'all, I cannot thank you ENOUGH for coming together and taking the time to place your votes. As a small business owner, I wear ALL of the hats- the Behaviour Consultant & Trainer, the Administrator & Secretary, the Social Media Content Creator & Coordinator, the Educator, the [forever] Student, the Accountant, etc.

I work out of my home when you're not welcoming me into yours- there is no fancy facility, no training team- just yours truly. It's always risky to take a leap of faith and be your own boss (especially in THIS economy), but it's moments like this that serve as a reminder that following your heart is ALWAYS 👏 WORTH 👏THE 👏 RISK 👏.

Special shout out to Natasha Stanzel, Real Estate REMAX Affiliates Ottawa for notifying me of this momentous achievement, for her unrelenting expertise and support on growing my small business, and most importantly, for being damn good friend 🐶💙

Congratulations to ALL of the winners, and THANK YOU ALL!!

https://ottawa.communityvotes.com/2024/03/pet-and-pet-care/pet-training

07/30/2024

Alright, Swellions, its time to move inside...'cause it's SWELLtering out there!☀️🥵🙈

We all know that hot weather poses a safety risk to our dogs. They simply cannot regulate their temperature as well as humans can. Best to stay indoors on those days, but it doesn't have to be boring! Here are 6 Ways to Beat the Heat- Indoors Edition!

Post a picture in the comments on how you and YOUR dog(s) are staying COOL inside 😎👍

07/27/2024

If you haven't already, there's till time to vote! 💛🐶💙
🥹
🫶

Official 2024 Community Voting Awards Platform for Ottawa, ON. Where the community votes for their favourites every year.

07/12/2024

Good moring, Swellions! 🐶☀️Did you know? Swell Hound Dog Training & Behaviour Consulting has been featured in Das Lokal Ottawa's "The Best Expert Dog Trainers in Ottawa" review! 🥳 What an honour!! Go check it out (if you feel so inclined) by following this link, below:

https://www.daslokalottawa.com/dog-trainers-ottawa/ -hound

07/10/2024

Today was one ☀️SWELL☀️ of a day, folks! I got to do my favourite thing ever: talk about dogs and body language, all thanks to the Canderel Group in Constitution Square for putting on the Puppies on the Plaza event, in conjunction with Freedom Dog Rescue!

Today's event was so successful that I didn't even get a chance to take many photos, so this post is all ya' get (photo 1 was before the event started, and photo 2 wasn't until it was finished) 🙈.

Thank you to everyone who came out and shared our love of dogs. I had an absolute pleasure and I can't wait to do this all again next year! 💙🐶💛

07/04/2024

Hey there Swellions 🐶☀️
I'm so excited to announce that Swell Hound Dog Training & Behaviour Consulting has been nominated in the Community Votes Ottawa 2024 in Pet Care (Pet Training) as an Outstanding Business and Service!

As a small and growing business, I take pride in building rapport with my community, sharing my knowledge and making the lives of humans and dogs easier (and more fun)!

With your help, we can all ☀️RAISE A LITTLE SWELL☀️ and promote the power of Force Free Dog Training! Follow the link and vote for Swell Hound Dog Training & Behaviour Consulting today!

https://ottawa.communityvotes.com/2024/03/pet-and-pet-care/pet-training

Official 2024 Community Voting Awards Platform for Ottawa, ON. Where the community votes for their favourites every year.

06/17/2024

Hey there, Swellions 🐶☀️!!

It's been a hot minute since I've made a post...and it's gonna be an EVEN HOTTER MINUTE all this week if you're in Eastern Canada & US! 😱🥵🫠 No better time than the present to discuss some ways to Beat the Heat with your dog!

Feel free to post pics of you and your dog(s) in the comments to show off how y'all are staying cool this week 👇😎

06/05/2024

Swell Hound has reached a new Milestone- my 10th Five Star Review on Google!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I preach to my clients A LOT about celebrating small wins, yet this is something I struggle to do myself. So, let me tell you a little bit about Molly the Border Collie, and the adventure her and her Guardians have been on, which I am so Grateful to be a part of.

Molly's people (Megan and Alan) reached out to me shortly after her adoption from the OHS in the summer of 2022, and we have been working together ever since. Molly had been through quite a bit before ending up with her people, including a lengthy recovery from a broken leg. Even after her adoption, Molly had a few challenges with another household move and an overall busy outdoor environment. As far as we know, Molly had never lived with other animals before, and has struggled with fear-based reactivity towards people, cars, other dogs and all kinds of other critters.

In our last session together, Molly was able to watch a "neighbour" (unfamiliar human with whom we've never had an interaction) walk passed in her at ~25ft distance. This would be unheard of a year or so ago- what a huge win!!

Molly also initially had some pretty big concerns about her big and little feline brothers (Smudges and Pretzel, respectively). While Smudges was already a senior citizen upon Molly's arrival, Pretzel joined the family as a rambunctious kitten in the fall of 2023. As you can imagine, Molly's interest in her new brother was "border collie intense"; anytime Pretzel moved, Molly would chase! While Smudges is still happy to remain his own company, with some patience and conditioning, Pretzel and Molly are now solid playmates who enjoy a good wrestle (spoiler alert: Pretzel usually wins 🙈)

I cannot thank Megan, Alan & Molly enough for letting me in on their wild and wonderful journey together, and for their kind words about my services. While we still have some goals we want to reach, Molly has made leaps and bounds in her behaviour modification process, all with the help of her wonderful humans! 💖

05/21/2024

What does a Canine behaviour consultant do in her free time?...Study Advanced Canine Behaviour, obviously 💁‍♀️🙈 ?

This is the face of 75% completion...your girl is in the home-stretch of this course!

05/14/2024

⚠️ATTN: Orleans folks!⚠️

Please be mindful while out on your walks for food items (specifically bread) that are laced with poisonous substances.

This is a great time to brush up on your Leave It & Drop It cues!

Not cues your dog knows, or not confident they will listen in a moment of need? Reach out for a consultation. These are extremely important safety skills to have (and actually very fun to learn)!

Stay vigilant and safe out there, y'all! 💙🐶💛

05/14/2024

⚠️ATTN: Orleans folks!⚠️

Please be mindful of food items (according to this article, specifically bread) you may find on your walks.

This is a great time to brush up on your Leave It & Drop It cues, best practiced at home, outside of a safety context.

Does you dog not know Leave it/ Drop it, or are you not confident your dog will listen in a moment of need? Reach out to book a consultation. These are extremely important cues to have (and are actually really fun to learn)!

Stay safe out there, y'all! 💙🐶💛

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/pills-believed-to-contain-poisonous-substance-found-in-bread-in-area-dog-walkers-frequent

05/14/2024

⚠️ATTN: Orleans folks!⚠️

Please be mindful of leftover food items (according to this article, specifically bread) you may find on your walks.

This is a great time to brush up on your Leave It/ Drop It cues! If these are cues your dog doesn't know, or you're not confident your dog will listen to, please reach out to book a consultation. These are extremely important life skills to have (and they're actually super fun to learn)!

Stay safe out there, y'all! 💙🐶💛

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/pills-believed-to-contain-poisonous-substance-found-in-bread-in-area-dog-walkers-frequent

05/07/2024

Calling all "Dog Moms"! This Saturday, May 11th, 2024 is my good friend Natasha Stanzel, Real Estate REMAX Affiliates Ottawa's Annual Dog Dayz Photoshoot with Vera Photography!

We attended last year, and check out the stunning photo of Indy Vera took 🤩

This year, I will also be a part of the event as the "Ask Me Anything" Dog Behaviour Consultant & Trainer :)

If you’d like to come out for a complimentary photoshoot of your furry friend(s), contact Natasha ([email protected]) and click the link below register:

https://forms.gle/jxSq45mHr8RFjKmP7

There will also be swag-bags filled with all kinds of goodies for attendees! Hurry up- there are only a few spots left! Looking forward to seeing you there! 💙🐶💛

05/06/2024

THIS IS A SPECIAL PSA ⚠️

[Slams play button to Cindy's Lauper's Girls Just Want To Have Fun 🎼]
..BE SILLY AND PLAY WITH YOUR DOG!🤪🤡🥳

03/18/2024

Today marks my first year of running Swell Hound Dog Training & Behaviour Consulting fulltime! 🎉🥰 In honour of such, a long-overdue introduction post!

I'm Lynzey (she/her), and I've been dog training for 5 years now 👩‍🏫🐶.

I grew up in the 90s, where "Corrections" and "Dominance" where the key factors to dog "ownership"🤢. Thankfully, Animal Behaviour Science has come A VERY LONG WAY; while there is still much that needs to change, I'm very proud of how I continue to navigate this unregulated industry and remain ethical/Force Free in my approach. I certainly do not know everything, AND my commitment to continuing my education is on going.

Last year, I completed by Canine Behaviour Diploma with The International School for Canine Psychology and Behaviour - ISCP, and by the end of this year, I will have completed my Advanced Canine Behaviour Diploma through them as well 🤓.

Before working with dogs, I was a professional Wildlife Technologist. I've had many amazing opportunities to work with a variety of Ontario wildlife, including various species of bats, birds, raccoons, skunks, and wolves 🦇🦅🐺. While I still very much enjoy being a naturalist, this has certainly become a hobby more than a profession.

Before working with wildlife, I was an artist! I'd spent 12 years of my early life studying with a professional artist, and earned my original University BA in Visual Arts and Art History. I no longer make art (at least not for now), but I am still very much an art appreciator👩‍🎨!

While I tend to present as extroverted when with my clients, to many people's surprise I'm actually quite introverted (and definitely camera shy- so yes, that IS the best/most recent selfie of me🙈). When not spending time with my best (human) friend/husband Nicolas (Conroy's Honey) and/or my best (dog) friend Indy (a.k.a; Stinky, Stinky Baby, Stinkers; and the face of Swell Hound), I can usually be found curled up with a delicious snack, a comfy blanket, watching either an interesting documentary, some kind of cartoon/anime, ghost stories, or playing a high fantasy role playing game 🧝‍♀️🧚‍♀️.

I want to give a BIG SHOUT OUT to all of my clients who have invited me into theirs and their dog's lives. It brings me so much joy to watch you and your dog's thrive in the crazy modern world we live in. Without you, Swell Hound would not exist- THANK YOU🥰

Stay tuned as Swell Hound Dog Training & Behaviour Consulting continues to grow over the next year, and all the years to come! 💙🐶💛

03/15/2024

Current status: Heavy Handedly Pushing Cookies into my own mouth with no regard for Discipline 😎👍🍪

02/26/2024

🗣"My dog isn't food/toy motivated"- I hear it all the time! But here's the thing...👩‍🏫

Hunger and Play are innate behaviors in dogs, which means they do not need to be taught- they come naturally and are self rewarding! (If you’re a Jaak Panksepp/ Affective Neuroscience fan, you would classify these behaviors as a part of the SEEKING and PLAY systems, respectively).

If your dog, who is otherwise happy to eat a snack or goof around inside the home, stops showing interest in these behaviors when out and about in the world, ask yourself- What are they interested in? What are they looking at or engaging with?

Dogs by nature are sensitive- certainly more sensitive to noises, smells, vibrations, movement, etc. than us humans!
Many dogs find the fast paced modern world very overstimulating, and so they may not be taking food or toys because they don’t feel safe enough to do so.

Eating and social engagement are basic needs, but so is security and self preservation- that will always trump the former.

These moments provide data for us as handlers and guardians; use these opportunities to check in with your dog, and make appropriate decisions that support their need for security- sometimes that might be providing affection, sometimes it might be providing distance, and sometimes it means G**O of the space you’re in entirely.

If you’re having trouble figuring out how it is you should be supporting your dog during these moments, reach out to me at www.swellhounddogtraining.com- it’s why I’m here.

Of course, if your dog doesn’t seem interested in food or toys at all, you need to seek veterinary support A.S.A.P. 🚩🚩🚩

02/18/2024

She's serving 'Head, Body-ody-ody and Tail', and it's giving us 'Using our Observation Skills in order to make Informed, Ethical Decisions for our Canine Companions' 💋🐶💃

Stay tuned as Swell Hound Dog Training & Behaviour Consulting will continue to delve deeper into this topic and highlight some specific body signals our dogs use everyday! 💛🐶🩵

02/06/2024

In the words of Ursula The Sea Witch🧙‍♀️🧜‍♀️: "...don't underestimate the power of Body Language!" 😅🐶

02/05/2024

When I say "Triggers", what I am referring to specifically is the underlying emotional and behavioural response of an individual to an aversive stimuli.

A lot of the time, these responses are rooted in survival (think Automatic Nervous System) and are attempts to meet unmet needs (such as feeling safe).

There are a lot of different ways these responses can manifest, and many of them (for both dogs and humans) are deemed "bad", regardless of full context.

However, we are living in an era where society as a whole demands so much from us, regardless of our contexts, and we are ALL still in the process of learning and adapting.

In life, there is going to be inherent uncontrollability and discomfort that is necessary for learning...
..but added suffering, shame, projecting, rejecting, etc., especially without context, never has been.

This is a tough concept for a lot of people. After all, many or all or of the components listed above may have been a part of their learning journey, and it may be all they know.

But we all have the ability to gain and use the proper tools for gathering context- it starts with genuine curiosity, the keystone to Compassion.

We don't get to choose what triggers our dogs (or us, or other people), but we can choose to get curious and to move forward with Compassion. We can choose better for our dogs, ourselves and others 💙🐶💛

01/30/2024

Jay is my Advanced Canine Behaviour Diploma tutor, and I could not have said this better myself! Thank you for sharing your wisdom, Jay! 👏

Given the statement that was read out on a morning TV show here in the UK, it's time to share this one again. As well as the red flag for ill-informed people of 'positive only', the statement trotted out the old misunderstanding that all we do is toss cheese at a dog when they do something right and ignore everything else.

Successful force free training involves SO much more than that. It needs a deep understanding of learning theory. Of what the dog's welfare needs are and how to make sure they are met. How to manage situations so that the dogs don't carry out the undesired behaviours and perhaps get an internal reward for doing them. How to train other behaviours the dog can do in that situation that will be rewarded so that the undesirable behaviour is no longer the best choice for them in that situation.

The factors involved in getting force free training right are too many for me to list on the image, but these are the things that a good force free trainer is doing every time they are working with a dog and their humans. It's so much more than just lobbing food at a dog.

01/26/2024

Behaviour modification can be really helpful for the wellbeing of dogs (and their humans)🐶, but guaranteeing Behaviour Change as a Canine Behaviour Consultant is Unethical😱- Why is that? 🤔 Let's take a look 👩‍🏫:

🚩 The expectations of the human might not match the dog in question. Early life experiences, environments, genetics and reinforcement history all play a role in the expression of behaviour. You cannot force a square through a circle. A simple, classic example- it is not fair to expect a working line Border Collie to be a couch potato.

🚩 Many "Problem Behaviours" that people reach out to me for are actually completely normal canine behaviours that may not have an appropriate outlet. I cannot guarantee your dog will stop [barking, digging, chewing, etc.] because those are innate canine behaviours.

🚩 Serious "Problem Behaviours" such as Reactivity, Aggression, Separation Anxiety, etc., have Emotional Root Causes that need to be addressed. Regardless if the emotional response is rational to the human or not, it's a REAL EXPERIENCE for your dog. Addressing these Emotional Root Causes MUST BE incremental in nature in order to see improvements, and your dog MAY STILL NEVER LOVE [other dogs, animals, people, etc.].

🚩 Forcing a dog (or any animal, including humans) into a situation that causes distress (state of Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fidget, etc.) and/or suppressing the expression of a behaviour through punishment (leash corrections, shock of an electric collar, etc.) for the sake of "Behaviour Change" DOES NOT address those Emotional Root Causes I already mentioned. Therefore, these techniques have the potential to cause learned helplessness (might look like "Obedience", but is actually your dog Shutting Down- an extreme stress response), or make the original "problem behaviour" much worse. Furthermore, this damages the human-canine bond.

🚩 Punishing a dog (or any animal, including humans) for an expression of a behaviour can be compared to how some humans navigate Speed Traps; it's only when law enforcement is around does the driver watch their speed. Once law enforcement is gone, drivers tend to relax. The same thing can be said for our dogs- the behaviour you might be looking for (i.e: NOT barking, growling, pulling, etc.) is contingent on the aversive consequence (and doesn't teach them what to do instead).

Dog Training & Behaviour is an unregulated industry, so anyone can call themselves a professional. Take heed if one of these "professionals" makes guarantees for behaviour change.

10/27/2023

Well folks, it's been a minute since my last Dog Body Language Breakdown, but here it is! 👩‍💻

Follow the link below to my blog, where we unpack 3 important cues to look for during healthy dog play 🐶💖🐶

https://www.swellhoundtraining.com/post/dog-body-language-and-social-interaction-breakdown-indy-mylo-play-behavior