Dog Savvy - Toronto

Dog Savvy - Toronto Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Dog Savvy - Toronto, Dog trainer, Toronto, ON.

12/09/2023

In case anyone would like a break from all the canine infectious respiratory disease (CIRDC) posts, take a moment to gawk in disbelief (as I did

11/27/2023

There’s been a lot of discussion about the state of infectious respiratory disease in dogs in the US. I’ve covered aspects such as what’s maybe going on,

11/17/2023

Last week I wrote a post that included Sage’s fear of the car. Many of you wanted to know more about what we’re doing and how to handle the issue in general. Here you go! Sage’s Protocol We have a carport but no garage. At first, my car (actually a Toyota 4Runner SUV) had been positioned direc...

09/30/2023

While they may seem very similar, distraction and desensitisation are very different techniques and play two very different roles in training. 😊

Distraction is when the dog is occupied with another activity and doesn't notice the thing they are scared of is happening. 🐶

In the context of being home alone, this might look like leaving your dog with an extremely tasty licking mat or kong while you've nipped out to take the bins out or popped into the car.

The key thing here is the scary thing is over and done with before the dog can finish their activity and are therefore none the wiser that they have just been left home alone for a minute or two.
This is a part of management.

Desensitisation is exposing the dog to the scary thing in tiny increments they can handle and slowly increasing that exposure time. 🐾

The dog is fully aware of what is happening but because the exposure to the scary thing is so small, they remain under threshold. 🙌

09/26/2023

Pay attention to emotions and timing when training a fearful dog. Here's what to do.

09/14/2023

We are aware that flooding has gained recent attention on social media. While there is a recent uptick in the visibility of the use of flooding in social media, the use of flooding is a pervasive problem in the industry of animal training and behavior modification.

We are always saddened and disturbed to see flooding used to attempt to change the behavior of any animal. The continued and systematic suppression of an animal’s behavior through flooding also carries risks to human caregivers. The ripple effects of witnessing the trauma of animals via direct experience or via media is significant as well. However, we are heartened to see opposition to flooding by our members, our colleagues, our fellow professional organizations, and the public. We stand together in strong opposition to the use of this method in behavior change interventions when attempting behavior change with any animal.

Please visit our website to read our position statements.

https://iaabc.org/en/position-statements

[ID - Interconnected hexagon shapes on a lime background. Text in one shape reads, IAABC Position on flooding. The other shapes have images of animals - dogs, horses, cats, a parrot, a rubber duck upside down in water, and a hand held up in water.]

09/14/2023
08/31/2023

  by Niki J. Tudge Dog trainers who use punishment-based approaches and equipment designed to work by causing fear and/or pain commonly market themselv ...

08/31/2023

A pediatrician is attempting to examine an infant. He holds the stethescope to the tiny chest but the baby won’t stop squirming. It’s difficult to get an accurate listen. The doctor informs the mother that the baby can’t be allowed to run the show; he needs to show her who’s boss. He slams t...

08/23/2023

On a recent walk at a local park, I rounded a corner and surprised a bunny who was sitting right in the middle of the path. I was only a few feet away, and yet he remained in place. I spoke to him softly, explaining that the walking path was no safe place for little bunnies. But before you go callin...

This wonderful boy needs a savvy and committed guardian to help him live his best life.
06/05/2023

This wonderful boy needs a savvy and committed guardian to help him live his best life.

Marlin is an adoptable Dog - Boxer & Whippet Mix searching for a forever family near Toronto, ON. Use Petfinder to find adoptable pets in your area.

03/02/2023

The new e-book, "Puppy Socialization: What It Is and How to Do It," by Marge Rogers and Eileen Anderson, is now available!

03/01/2023

⚠️ Pet Parents, Watch Out for Birch Sugar in Foods ⚠️

If you see the ingredient “birch sugar” on a food label, keep it out of your pet’s reach. ❌ This ingredient is the same thing as xylitol, a sugar alcohol sweetener that’s toxic to pets. If consumed, xylitol can lead to a sudden release of insulin, followed by a sharp drop in blood sugar (hypoglycemia), triggering vomiting, loss of consciousness and seizures in dogs (cats appear to be less sensitive). 🆘🐕

Xylitol may also be referred to as “birch sap” or “wood sugar,” so keep an eye out for these ingredients as well.

Read today’s free pet health blog on our new website (link in the comments) to learn more about the dangers of xylitol to pets.

02/28/2023

Puppy socialisation is NOT just about playing with other dogs.

In fact, too much uncontrolled exposure to other dogs can cause so many unintended consequences.

If you have a puppy, make sure you try to work on ALL aspects of socialisation, as listed in the bottom graphic.

11/26/2022

I often hear R+ trainers say that "no" is not a behavior. I know why they say that. But I think we should explore it a little further.

https://www.facebook.com/100027948867073/posts/919164722358481/
08/07/2022

https://www.facebook.com/100027948867073/posts/919164722358481/

VET CLINIC ETIQUETTE

I was in a vet clinic recently and saw some cringey interactions between client dogs in the lobby. I remember thinking “Oh wow that looks uncomfortable. It’s kind of an unspoken rule that you don’t let that happen!” And then I thought, “Well wait .. if rules are unspoken, how is anyone supposed to know about them!” So I am going to quickly run through some proper vet clinic waiting room etiquette, and how to be the best client possible!

The people I’ve been meeting lately are AWESOME dog owners. They are really putting in the hours making sure that their puppies are having lots of experiences, meeting people and dogs, and working on their training. They know the professional dog people have been stressing to them the importance of meeting lots of different people and dogs to help work towards a friendly, social, and confident dog. What sometimes gets neglected is mentioning that they should also be working on NOT getting to meet every person and dog. So for every person/dog your puppy gets to meet, you should also be having experiences where dogs and people are nearby, and they just ignore them! There are going to be a TON of times in your dogs life where they are going to have to mind their own business and be expected to ignore others so you need to practice this with your dog.

The vet clinic is one of those places. When you are in the waiting area with your dog, you are going to be expected to keep to yourself. Meeting between dogs is highly discouraged. What is expected is that you keep your dog on a short leash, focused on you, and be sure that they are not interacting with the other animals in the lobby. You may have the sweetest, friendliest dog in the world, but these rules are in place to help protect the dogs who are shy, scared, sick, and in pain. Every once in a while I see a post show up in my news feed from someone who had a very stressful vet visit. Not only were they stressed out because their dog was needing medical care in the first place, but there was a person who was letting their dog approach their dog because “he just wants to say hi”. You may think it is an innocent enough interaction but let me tell you ... it’s stressing people out!

-DID YOU KNOW … Some dogs at the vet are shy, fearful, reactive, or aggressive. A trip to the vet is most likely already a VERY stressful event for these pups. Owners of these dogs are probably working very hard to keep their dogs feeling calm, cool, and collected in the waiting room. The more your dog encroaches on their space, the less safe those dogs will feel. When they stop feeling safe and start to feel like there is a threat, they start to display distance increasing behaviours. Those behaviours are things like lunging, growling, snapping, showing teeth, barking, and biting. Now these behaviours generally happen after dogs show more subtle signs. These more subtle signs can be the lifting of one paw, looking away, slow blinking, yawning, “whale eyes” or seeing whites around the eyes, licking their lips, freezing, pinning ears back, tail tucking, stiffness, etc. If you see these signals from a dog in the waiting room, that is them saying “I need some space, please.” When you see the more “loud” behaviours like barking and biting, it is because the more subtle requests were ignored and they feel the need to speak a little louder.

-DID YOU KNOW … Some dogs are at the vet because they are injured or in pain?? A dog who is in pain is more likely to show distance increasing behaviours to help keep animals and people away. The closer people or dogs are, the more likely they are to get bumped into which may cause extreme pain for the animal.

-DID YOU KNOW … Some dogs are at the vet because they are contagious. You know how when you go to the walk in or your doctors office and you almost don’t want to breathe because there are people coughing and hacking all around you? You certainly wouldn’t be going and putting your face into other people’s faces and talking to them. You keep to yourself. The same goes for our dogs! Dogs can be visiting the vet because they have a bug and are contagious. So by letting your dog approach them you are actually putting your dog at risk, and potentially setting up yourself to rack up some more vet bills!

-DID YOU KNOW … Cats do not want to say hello to your dog! A trip to the vet for a cat generally means that they are going to be seeing a lot of things/smelling a lot of smells that they are not accustomed to. They could feel very worried by this, and the last thing they need is your well meaning dogs’ eyes peering into their carrier. The kindest thing you can do for a cat in the vet is give them their space! Their owner, who is probably also very stressed, will be very thankful!

So the TL;DR is: The vet clinic is not a social get together. People and dogs are there for appointments, and may be there for very serious reasons. Dogs of all different levels of temperaments and qualities of health will be there .. so for your safety and theirs the best course of action is to remain in your own space and not allow your dog to enter the space of other animals and humans. If you happen to have a super friendly, exuberant dog who might be a bit ‘extra’ in the lobby, it is totally acceptable to say to the receptionist “Hello, we are here for our appointment but will be waiting in our car until you are ready for us.” This may also be a good idea for those with fearful, contagious, or aggressive dogs. When we can’t predict the actions of others it is best to protect our own dogs and be proactive!

"This plan is for an adult or late adolescent dog who has no problem sleeping through the night without having to get up...
07/29/2022

"This plan is for an adult or late adolescent dog who has no problem sleeping through the night without having to get up to eliminate. If you have a young puppy, you’ll be on their schedule for a while.."

When my teenage puppy Lewis first came, he was ready to get up at 5 or 6 in the morning. Here's how I changed that without punishing, fussing, or ignoring.

07/26/2022

This course equips pet sitters with a scientifically sound knowledge base in animal body language, behavior and training basics, enrichment, and more.

06/17/2022

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

06/14/2022

Our force free groomers have recently opened their waitlist to accepting new clients. Please email us if you’d like more information on our grooming services.

We service one dog at a time and use techniques to provide a lower stress environment for all our dogs.

06/13/2022

Where can your dog do a down stay? Join us any day for 30 days of down stay challenges and tighten up your down stay skills. This challenge course includes our mini webinar on how to train the down stay and 30 fun down stay challenges!

06/12/2022

Paying “Bad” Behaviour can sometimes lead to “Good” Behaviour. It helps to learn the rules of different learning processes so you can break them successfully!

06/01/2022

What you should look for in a well-run dog daycare. (Hint: It's definitely not the mere presence of a whole lot of dogs running around.)

06/01/2022

Ever wondered why a puppy's behavior seems erratic during adolescence, which occurs between six months and 18 months of age?

The neurobiology of adolescence is fascinating, with some key events that alter both the structure and function of the brain.

During canine adolescence, s*x hormones are changing which effects the animals stress responses. Adolescent dogs have a decreased ability to modulate sensory processing and subsequent behavior.

The connectivity between the frontal cortex (responsible for decision making) and amygdala (responsible for emotional processing) decreases, resulting in less behavioral control.

So what does this mean? This could mean that your dog, who used to come when called, suddenly cannot. This could mean that your dog, who didn't jump up on guests, suddenly does. Your dog that walked nicely on leash is now pulling. Or perhaps it seems like some days your dog responds to behaviors you ask of them, and some days they don't, without any rhyme or reason.

We also see increased risk taking and more sensitivity to fear.

As your puppy undergoes this transition into adulthood their inner world is intense, even chaotic. Many pet owners experience an increase in undesirable behavior and find themselves becoming increasingly frustrated. In turn, frustration and impatience sometimes cause us to act unpredictably.

This adds to your puppy’s inner turmoil. When the inside and the outside are both unpredictable it can be difficult for puppies to adjust.

By understanding this we can gain greater compassion and understanding. When we approach adolescence with patience we can help create a world that is predictable and gentle so our puppies grow up to be their best selves.

All pet parents should read this.
05/18/2022

All pet parents should read this.

By Amanda Ballard Kobe’s owner had to work hard to gain back the trust of her pup after hisfrightening boot camp experience © Kobe's Guardian   Kobe is an 18-month-old terrier cross, who is loved madly by his person, Lizzie. My private consultation session with them is the only one in ...

04/30/2022
04/12/2022

This is a good illustration of puppy socialization needs, shared from Good as Gold Training, but I would also add that all of the listed exposure and experience needs to feel *safe* for the puppy. If s/he is nervous, tentative, or fearful the fear should be handled by backing off a little and reintroducing very slowly and with lots of praise, food and patience. Sometimes, for the sake of "socialization", owners push their puppies too far and too fast, and it can backfire. Good socialization requires that we "read" our puppies and help them feel safe as they navigate the sounds, textures, people and animals in their new world.

03/14/2022

Dr. Haug explores a few of the myths and the facts about dog training methods.

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