Kiss My Mutt Training & Boarding

Leading from a place of presence, listening & observing. #dogtraining #lima #positivereinforcement #torontodogmom

Autonomy is the cornerstone of effective training. By allowing your dog to think and make choices, you're encouraging them to become confident problem solvers and active participants in their own education. Empowering your dog with autonomy not only enhances their learning experience but strengthens your bond. For some, autonomy may look like regular off leash hikes in nature For others, it may look like a 15 foot leash 3× a week in alleyways & quiet parks Find what works for you & your dog & do what you can Your dog will benefit from it #dogtraining #torontodogmoms #torontodogs #puppytraining #aggressivedog #agility #sportdogs #adoptorshopresponsibly #snackleader #trainhumane

I can't tell you how often I get to a clients house.. They're telling me about their dogs leash reactivity outside.. While their dog is panicking about me being inside their house - barking, lunging & retreating, even nipping me Meanwhile, they're ignoring their dog (until I ask them to leash or crate their dog) because they've been told to act like it's no big deal - not to act anxious so your dog won't be anxious. But your dog is too panicked to get that message They need your intervention, support & guidance. Your lack of advocating for & guiding your dog inside of the house is absolutely connected to your dogs reactivity outside of the house. Your dog is always learning from their environment & that includes you Every moment is an opportunity to demonstrate to your dog that YOU'VE GOT THIS that you've got THEM If you're not 100% confident on how to demonstrate this to your dog, it's OKAY to ask for help!

Nuff said.

Highly intelligent dogs were bred to be incredibly perceptive and mentally active!!!! That to me, does not sound like the ideal average pet!!!! This means.. You didn't challenge my brain today?? Guess I'm going to learn how to get past the baby gate, steal your shoes & then resource guard them from you. Sound familiar? *cough* every doodle ever *cough* It's okay if you've found yourself in that situation! But consider getting help ❤️ #smartdog #dumbdog #doodle #Australianshepherd #malinois #shepherd #dogtraininghelp

REWARD MISTAKES - • Confusion increases frustration, frustration decreases mental clarity which may cause more mistakes • Chances are, you could of been clearer or simplified further - change your game plan next time • Your dog is showing up & trying things - that's worth rewarding While rewarding mistakes, my dogs have still learned the objective I was teaching - dogs are smart! It's not that big of a deal. LEAVE YOUR DOG ALONE - • Poking at me and my steak dinner is not going to make me feel any better about your presence while I eat • Bring great things so your dog anticipates great things from you while they eat • The less you mug them, the less they're going to anticipate being mugged by you & thus, sharing resources won't be as big of a deal If you're experiences resource guarding with your dog, contact a qualified trainer - this is simplified blanket advice. MANAGE YOUR DOG & THE ENVIRONMENT - • What your dog gets to practice, your dog will repeat • If a "bad" choice is on the table - choice is off the table.. how can I manage my dog or the environment so they can be successful.. GET CREATIVE! • Help your dog make good choices and reinforce those choices, so they become new habits! Gradually expand their freedom & challenge as their skills increase. There is value in structure, there is value in freedom. When you can't train, manage your dog or the environment. #dogtraininghelp #dogtrainersoftoronto #dogtrainingadvice #puppyadvice #puppysos #doodle #doodletraining #shepherd #pitbull #adoptorshopresponsibly #lima #positivereinforcementdogtraining #trainhumane #torontodogmom #TorontoDogs #dogtrainersofinstagram

𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗮𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 I KNOW you want your puppy to be a part of the household But they don't know how to behave in your household! They don't know they can't chew youe baseboards and pee on your carpet So if you give them the chance.. 𝗚𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻! This is why I'm incredibly strict with managing puppies freedom! 𝗦𝗼 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝘂𝗻, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺. 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝘀𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 - Crate or x-pen - A space where your puppy can fully shut off for multiple hours a day to get the proper rest they need. Also, this allows us to take a break from supervising them & ensures their safety! Exercise - Playtime, training, walking, free roaming, enrichment, etc.. This is your puppies chance to burn energy & learn about the world around them! BUT you HAVE to be supervising... As soon as you turn away is when something naughty will happen 😄 *leave a leash dragging to make your life 10 times easier* Preferrably tether (or x-pen) - After they've been exercised, your puppy can now learn to relax in your home without interacting with every moving piece (ie. When you're getting the kids ready for school). This is also great to normalize a boundary between you and your puppy. Ensure they have something approrpiate to chew on and you hang around in the beginning! Now either exercise again or crate! Repeat this all day long until you can start trusting your puppy with a little more freedom... but don

A few points I hope this video highlights - • There is no Rule Book you & your dog must abide by Are you okay with their behaviour? Is it reinforcing the opposite of something you're trying to curb? If not - so what? I did not care about Chumba jumping & mouthing! She only does it during play, when it's welcomed. • Decompression time is a MUST. Chumba & Fred are afraid of the outside world - taking breaks from stressors & releasing it all physically is a great way to show up feeling good! • Play is an important part of training & overall well-being. Our dogs learn a lot about the world around them through playful interactions. Play is a big part of our relationship, so I can use it as a gage for how they're feeling around stressors! It's hard to let your guard down and act silly if you're stressed! • You can't have all gas & no breaks. If you're going to turn something "on", you need to have strategies to turn it "off". Fred checked out when he was ready for a break. I asked Chumba to "stop - sit" when I was ready for a break. Then we moved on. • It doesn't have to be perfect. It doesn't have to be serious. Just let go, be present & have fun. The popup caption in the video was supposed to read "Getting *humped" #malinois #malinoismix #bernedoodle #doodle #poodle #bernesemountaindog #training #adopteddog #adoptorshopresponsibly #reactivedogtraining #torontodogs #dogmoms #chaos

What's the value in being confident? 𝑪𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅 When you feel comfortable, you can execute things to the best of your ability & respond to situations appropriately But.. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗳 you have trust issues because you've SEEN how your dog behaves! You fear what they're capable of 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧'𝗦 𝗩𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗗! If we could just 🪄 𝘗𝘖𝘖𝘍 🪄 Your anxiety away.. we all would 😤 Confidence can grow from feelings of 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 We can gain 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 through 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 what the given outcomes are in any circumstance As well as 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 how to respond to them If you're 𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 in training your dog The best thing you can do is work with the right trainer to - • Help make your dog feel predictable, through understanding • Provide you with strategies to train + manage • Set up controlled environments for your dog to learn + thrive • Assess the safety & limits that come with that #dogtraininghelp #positivereinforcementdogtraining #lima #balancedtraining #trainhumane #treatpouchesaresexy #snackleader #torontodogs #torontodogmoms #shepherd #bully #adoptorshopresponsibly #puppy #aggressivedog

Can virtual training really work? 𝗔𝗯𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 - 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀-𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀! How it works.. • Send me videos of the behaviour you're looking to modify - or explain in great detail • Hop on a call & we will cover your personalized action plan • I can demonstrate with my dogs, watch you practice with your dog or just work through exchanging videos after our appointment! • Ongoing support! You can reach out after our appointment with questions, videos to review & updates! 𝗔𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 From now until December 15th, we are offering a sliding scale from $50-$100!! 𝗣𝗮𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 & get your pup ready for the holiday season! We have trained virtually with 𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘀 of dogs & had great results! Send us a DM or visit our website to get started 😊 www.kissmymutt.ca #dogtraining #limadogtraining #positivereinforcementdogtraining #fearfreetraining #balancedtraining #dogtrainersofinstagram #behaviourmodification #leashreactivity #separationanxiety #fearaggression #rescuedog #adoptorshopresponsibly #shepherd #pitbull #morkie

By avoiding these 3 mentions, you are going to increase your dogs trust & tolerance for you. 1. If they anticipate that every time you come around, you mug them, guess how they're going to feel & thus behave around you 🤨 Unless it is dangerous for your dog, do you really have to take it from them? Most dogs, especially puppies, like to explore things with their mouth! Let them chomp on that pinecone! Then trade them for a snack or a toy & move on when it's time! 2. Common advice is to put your hands in your dogs food to "get them used to it".. If you repeatedly put your hands in my steak dinner, I'm going to be annoyed & likely tell you to f off. However.. if every time your nearby, you put more fries on my plate 😏😏 come on by (Drop high value treats next to your dog when they're enjoying something good & they won't be concerned about your presence around resources) 3. Before a dog shows teeth, growls or snaps.. They will politely tell you "no thank you" With avoidance, stiffness, whale eyeing, etc. Those are fair warnings. If we dismiss their polite boundaries - we are pushing them to escalate. #DogsHaveBoundariesToo . . . . . #PositiveReinforcement #resourceguarding #rescuedog #dogtraininghelp #positivereinforcementtraining #lima #dogtraining #torontodogs #torontodogmoms

Challenge - Take at least 5 minutes on every walk to sit & watch the world go by pick a distance from the action that will give your dog the best chance at settling over time, increase challenge & watch your dogs intensity dip #malinois #malinoismix #adoptorshopresponsibly #adoptdontshop #lima #PositiveReinforcement #forcefree #balancedtraining #calmness #Mutt #torontodogs #dogtraininghelp

Do nothing Really, I mean it 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 This isn't just for dogs that are excited about their equipment & go barreling through the front door 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗴 has a hard time focusing on your walks.. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗴 pulls or barks at things in the environment.. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂. Practice waiting for calmness before putting your dogs leash on Practice waiting for calmness before going through doors going down the steps & at the end of your driveway 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗜𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁, 𝗜 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗶𝘁 Simply wait & Observe your dog Look for signs that they're calming down.. Slower head movements, slow blinking, offering to sit or lay down, sniffing around them Great! Now go forward! & take breaks when you notice signs of escalation There are 1000 pieces of advice I could give you on improving your dogs walk & this is just one of them Helping your dog regulate indoors as well as consistently on the walk can help your dog mentally slow down.. so they can make better choices on their own & be more receptive to training! Here's sweet Rio! 🐶 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 & we did a whole lot of waiting for calmness at thresholds. As soon as we were outside, she was 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗲 & listening when I would need her close by (she lives downtown Toronto)! This was a huge immediate improvement considering 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗶

When I showed up for Freddie's walk this day, he hesitated to leave the yard So we hung out for a moment & recalibrated.. We snuggled He recieved massage & comfort I listened to him & after a couple minutes, he was ready to go It's okay to take an extra moment It's okay to listen to your dog & to comfort them Sometimes we just need a minute & some affection, Before we're ready to face the world #malinois #soundsensitivity #reactivedogtraining #dogtraining #torontodogs #torontodogttrainers #lima #positivereinforcement #balancedtraining #trainhumane #adoptorshopresponsibly #mutt