Ready Set Pet

01/12/2024

This cutie was so much fun to make. Don’t you just want to bring him home to play?? My first English Paper Piecing dog pattern is now up over on Etsy. Long term intentions are to make a whole dog series! My first breed had to be a bully though! Staying true to my rescue roots I am forever a Pit Bull girl 🥰

This is an English Paper Piecing pattern with a variety of possibilities for customization, which has been embroidered into to create depth and detail.

12/27/2023

Zeke my lil walking buddy for the next week! 😍

12/25/2023

Happy Christmas from Mia, Milo, and Olive. (Olive opted out citing creative differences 👀) 🐶🎄😻 may your kitties be snuggly and puppy’s bring back the ball. 🩷

12/16/2023

Awesome opportunity if your dog needs a microchip!

12/04/2023

11/26/2023

Our Sunny is currently hospitalized at the DMV (we don’t know what’s wrong) so my availability will vary widely this week 🫶🏼 thank you for your understanding 🥺💕

11/06/2023

Noones happier for colder weather than a husky 😅🥶

11/02/2023

10/31/2023

Happy howl-o-ween!!! 🐝🎃👻❤️

09/24/2023

Early morning Milo 🥰

09/12/2023

Welcome to Cielo and his earz 😅😍

09/12/2023

Handsome Henry!

09/11/2023

We have some VERY exciting news !!

Bin's own adoptable Olivia Twist has been invited to compete in the World Championships !

Her foster mom has done an incredible job with her in dock diving as well as flyball and we are so proud of them.

Not too shabby for an emaciated stray with zero options for adoption in an Ontario shelter. Now she is whooping it up in foster care while waiting for that special adopter who will continue with her sporting career

09/05/2023

Good morning! Temperatures are due to hit over 40 with humidex today! For your pets safety all walks during peak hours will be converted to drop ins/indoor enrichment!

08/28/2023

Monday morning Maui 🥰

08/26/2023

Happy from my crew to yours! I am so honoured to know and spend time with so many amazing dogs 🥰

08/16/2023

Good morning Marcus! 😍

08/15/2023

Good morning from Scout 🥰🫶

08/05/2023

Happy weekend from Ollie 😍

07/26/2023

Beauty & Brains these two!! 😍

07/17/2023

Goodnight from Echo & her Ears 😍❤️

07/12/2023

Love spending time with these 2! So smart and lovely to be with 🥰

07/12/2023

Hanging out with Claude & Henry for the week 😻❤️

07/11/2023

I spend so much time working with people and their reactive or aggressive dogs, learning how to help them and work with them, but I also try to show people with NON reactive dogs learn how they can help them too. I truly believe if we work together as a collaborative society of dog lovers we can help every dog live their best life. Here are some things I try to teach every human and dog team, and I’ve actually found these are good preventative tools too.

1. Stop letting your dog have on leash greetings with other dogs. Even if they are friendly. Teach your dog when they are on leash you are the best thing they can focus on! This will minimize their conditioned excitement every time they see another dog and help them not pull, lunge or move towards a reactive dog who doesn’t want an interaction. Also, the more you do let your dog meet dogs on leash, the more frustrated and aroused your dog can get when they see them and then reactivity can develop. NO leash greetings all around is a much healthier way to teach your dog(s) that the world out there is great but you’re even better to focus on!

2. Silence your dogs tags. I started doing this a few years ago when we started camping. I realized that the jingling of my dogs tags walking was a huge trigger for many of the dogs in their campsite, and as a result, they would bark and scream profanity at my dogs walking. This made their walk stressful too. By minimizing the noise, I’ve greatly improved my dogs walks and I know I’ve also helped a lot of reactive dogs not get triggered for the umpteenth time that day.

3. Work on a bombproof recall. And then work on it some more. And then some more.

4. Only let your dog off leash in places that are allowed. Even if you think no one is there. Even if it’s just for a second. Just. Don’t. Do it. It’s not fair and it sets so many dogs and humans up to fail. Want a place to let your dog run? Look at Sniffspot.com

5. Respect muzzles, give me space vests, and people saying “no” It is super hard to take a reactive dog out in public and have confidence. The more we give space and respect the better these teams will do! Don’t make judgements or stare or insist on saying hello because you hope to be the exception. Just tell them they are doing a great job and keep going.

6. Don’t let your dog stare. This is a BIG one we work on in all our classes. We teach humans how to position their dogs so they don’t stare at other dogs. I work hard on teaching my dogs to not stare at other dogs on leash and you can too. This is more subtle than not leash greeting but it can be just as helpful. Teach your dog to acknowledge there’s a dog there, but then move on, or turn around and not face them. For many reactive dogs there is nothing more triggering than a goofy adolescent dog staring at them across the road. I swear they scream back “WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?!”

7. Confine and safely manage your dog in the car. Dogs hanging out of windows, barking and lunging in the backseat, or moving back and forth in the car are problematic because 1. It’s not safe and 2. It’s teaching THEM terrible behavior and 3. It’s very stressful for reactive dogs trying to walk down the road. My dogs are crated in the car; or tethered or use a calming cap to reduce their own stress and the stress of dogs that may walk past.

8. Offer to help. Ask the person what you can do to make it easier or help them? More space? Or moving back and forth? Or just continuing on your way. Some people struggle to find others with NON reactive dogs to practice with, so having help makes a big difference. Speak up if you see someone putting them down. Warn someone with an off leash dog that there’s a dog there that needs space. Help them the same at YOU would like it if it was you and your dog.

Reactive dogs are not broken: and they aren’t abnormal either. Reactivity honestly is now becoming more normal than NON reactive dogs, so we have to all work through this together. And it boils down to respect, understanding, courtesy and lots of reward based training.

We can do it gang.

-Helen St. Pierre

06/28/2023

Strange creatures in the neighborhood today - Pepito and Maui agree they’re very suspicious! Beware the robot lawn mower 🚜