My Dog Rocks

21/10/2023

Baba is a special dog - he was born without sight. Here he is hiking with my dogs, working to get him off leash! Getting a dog off leash is one of my favourite things to do - the joy and freedom your dog experiences can’t be underestimated. Of course there needs to be understanding and reliability first, which is what we are working on with Baba.

04/07/2023

We have to be realistic what training can and cannot do. The most important step is the one where you choose the dog, and emotional choices often fall into the below.

I don’t personally know this young lady … but I had this sent to me a while back and I’ve shared it on several occasions What she’s talking about here can be broadly spread over and applied to all dog breeds
1. It states what I’ve preached forever …. We as trainers cannot do but so much with an inferior product …. Lacking drive and desires etc…. As well as mental issues that come from poor breedings
2. Normal folks can’t manage certain types of dogs and certain behaviors
3. If you want a good dog stop keeping those breeding mediocrity in business and wondering why they’re not the same as someone else’s pup from the same breed
4. If you’re not gonna work it at the level it demands then don’t let it waste away and/or be prepared to pay a trainer …. And just so you know … a few months at a trainer isn’t enough
5. Dog trainers can’t always work miracles on dogs that lack talent, or have genetic issues tied to their mental state…. Anxious, nervous, fearful, overly aggressive.

03/06/2023

An excellent article about multiple dog situations. If you have more than one dog, this is information you need!

Maryland's best dog and puppy training. Puppy training, basic obedience, aggression, anxiety, housebreaking and more.

16/05/2023

What Ivan has done for Tina is amazing as her case was very severe. I am nowhere near as skilled as Ivan, however I have seen that by following his principles, we can get dogs out of their own minds.

28/04/2023

This is an important discussion and Ivan lays out the facts

The Real Facts About Science Based Dog Training: A Training Without Conflict® PodcastArguments about dog training are reaching a boiling point and I decided ...

10/11/2022

Friends...we don't often post about adoptable dogs as we like to keep things TPFP related on our page. We've made an exception in this case and hope you will take a moment to share this story.

This handsome fellow is Stryker and he was the absolute love of someone's life who was a good friend of ours named Jenni. Jenni was the most generous, fun loving, charitable person we have had the honour of knowing. She was a constant in the dog rescue world. Jenni passed away very suddenly on the weekend leaving behind her amazing family, friends, and her 3 beautiful dogs.

Thankfully 2 of her 3 dogs have been placed with family/friends. Stryker is still looking for a safe caring place to land. He is currently being fostered through Rescue 1 At a Time and doing the best he can for all he has gone through in the last few days losing his mom, his home, his siblings. He needs a place to call home with someone who will work with him and let him trust again.

Stryker is a 5 year old rotti mix, he is neutered, microchipped, and up to date on all his vaccinations. He is a happy go lucky guy, good with other dogs who respect personal space, and would love to find someone willing to do some training with him and build a bond.

Please take a moment and share this on your FB pages. With a big network of people we are sure to find the perfect match.

Thank you for reading and sharing we appreciate it

08/11/2022

Movement is important to dogs, but as Robin says, it’s not a 20 minute walk around the neighbourhood that will satisfy your dog.

Motion Dissipates Stress

This little phrase is one that I've repeated many times, for multiple reasons.

The most basic reason is that, DOING something with your dog will most likely reduce behavior problems. Pet owners that struggle with over excitement, destructive chewing, and other nuisance behavior, usually don't have an accurate understanding of their dog's needs.
There is a misconception that a 20 minute, on leash, walk around the neighborhood is enough. It isn't. The random chaos that occurs being left unsupervised in a "big yard" (generally barking at others passing by) doesn't help either.

The right activity gets rid of pent up frustration. So the type of exercise a dog gets, and how much, matters.

The second reason I refer to this concept often is in regard to behavior issues. Dogs that are asked to hold steady and confront situations that make them uncomfortable (strangers or other dogs greeting them) will more often than not, fail to behave as you like. There is a loading effect that happens as the other dog (or stranger) approaches and closes the gap in between. That pressure will often be released with the dog lunging forward in an attempt to defuse the tension and stop the approach. It leads to a vicious cycle of behavior where the dog becomes successful keeping others away by behaving offensively.

The option that yields better results is to keep the dog moving (at least until the dog has learned far better coping skills). There are many ways to do this; Move away to create distance. Continue moving past without stopping to acknowledge. Have the dog move by doing doggie "push ups" as a redirect of attention...but MOVE rather than standing still.
Standing still hoping that your dog will do well this time, will not make it so. You have to take charge of the situation and lead.

I also discuss how valuable movement is when I teach remote collar applications. Movement in the introductory phase of e-collar conditioning minimizes the potential for stress or superstitious association.
Plus, it is simultaneously teaching the first (of three) associated behaviors: Stimulation = go toward the handler.

Motion dissipates stress is pretty safe advice.
You're hard pressed to go wrong in the vast majority of situations if you get your dog moving.

13/10/2022

This is fulfillment for my dogs. Off leash hiking gives them an outlet for chasing, sniffing, tracking. But they can only do this on one condition. Watch 5 husky mixes come when they’re called!

17/07/2022

Dog behavior problems are a mix of genetics, learned behavior and more. Three changes to your daily routine can help improve your dog.

18/06/2022

I was so lucky to attend this amazing Trainer’s weekend in Tampa last weekend! I have been taking the Training Without Conflict certification over the past 3 months. Last weekend we did some hands on training, lots of classroom learning and wrote our certification exams. I’m excited to say that I passed!

If you don’t know who Ivan Balabanov is, he is worth checking out his videos and training. He is highly accomplished, respected and knowledgeable in the dog training world. I’m privileged to have taken the course so I can bring this information to the dogs and owners of Barrie.

Now into the handler’s exam to become fully certified!

18/06/2022

I typically don't post these, however we are on the list for the Barrie Advance Reader's Choice Awards in the Dog Training Category! If you are so inclined, pop by and check beside My Dog Rocks!

Show your appreciation for the businesses, people, and service providers who make our community great. Choose from the list provided or make a suggestion. Come back often and nominate as many times as you like, until July 11th, 2022.

30/04/2022

08/04/2022

I believe that education about dogs is ongoing, whether you have your first dog or have trained dogs for a long time.

I am so excited to be starting the Training Without Conflict Trainer Certification course on Sunday! Ivan Balabonav is a world class trainer, competitor and coach of trainers. I can’t wait to learn from him and bring this information to my clients!

Welcome to the world of Ivan Balabanov. The most respected leader in the world of dog training and your go-to resource for all things dog related. Learn From Ivan Grab one or all of these free resources

26/03/2022

Practice the wrong things and you will get results you aren’t expecting….

Building a reliably trained dog takes practice. Lots of practice!

But, there is something important to remember about the quality of your practice.

Practice does not make perfect, it makes permanent.

What you’re practicing matters. If you’re having lots of mistakes, you’re creating permanency of the wrong behavior. If you’re practicing only in easy situations, you’re not generalizing your dog’s ability to perform and follow through when distractions are present.

You have to ensure the behavior is performed correctly the majority of the time. (This includes correcting mistakes and getting the dog back on track to being correct.)
You also have to up the ante if you want the training to hold up in the midst of distractions and the unexpected.

I was able to snap this photo at the "go home" lesson with one of my clients. This is a lesson when the client comes back to get their dog after completion of a board and train program. Clients come and stay in Dubuque for a day or two so we can practice for multiple hours, in several locations. We always include rural, off leash hikes, as well as urban, on leash activities. I want to do as much as possible to ensure my dog owners feel comfortable managing their companion in the types of situations they hope to adventure into.

We stopped at a local cafe for a coffee and had the dogs lay down under the table, when a feathered friend decided to stop by for crumbs. Not only was I proud of Rue holding her down, I was super proud of her owner being ready to interrupt any creeping, or attempt to get up and break from the position.

Good training only goes as far as your ability to hold the dog accountable to what you’ve taught them to do. It’s why dog trainers have repeated the old adage “Say what you mean, and mean what you say” for as many years as the profession has been around.

17/03/2022

With the spring thaw, who has a back log of p**p in the yard! I know I do!

This is a great fundraiser AND get your yard cleared of p**p! Money goes to the Scouts!

Here is the link heres the link

https://bit.ly/3IhWOZC

20/12/2021

This is a really great description of what socialization really is. It is not meeting every dog on the street, it is not playing with a bunch of puppies in a puppy class. It cannot be done keeping a dog on your home property until they are 16 weeks either.

It is about exposing the puppy to experiences so that they can learn how to handle life and what comes their way in the future.

13/12/2021

We feel this every day. Yes you want to see progress. But realize that if a dog has been practicing habits for months/years it will take more than a few weeks to change.

13/12/2021

Adolescence can be a very challenging time in a dog’s life - and challenging for the owner. As much as the dog changes, we must be prepared to help the dog through.

That is why we designed our Complete Dog Program, to help support you through your dog’s various stages.

When people get a new dog, everyone talks about puppyhood, the does and don’ts, how to deal with specific puppy issues. People will prepare themselves for the first few challenging months with a puppy.

The mess, chaos and sleepless nights are generally overshadowed by the cute fluffy cuddles and the expectation that it won’t last for too long. Your eager little puppy will start to master toilet training, sleeping through the night, basic skills and even recall, but then adolescence hits.

For some it hits like a bus, but very few people talk about adolescence.

Adolescence is a really hard and trying time for both dog and owner. For owners, it can be really frustrating, as your puppy that was making loads of progress can suddenly stop, and even regress in some areas. Some of the behaviours that were adorable as a tiny puppy, become annoying and rude by a dog who is a lot bigger. With the largest number of dogs being placed into rescue during adolescence.

From roughly 5-6 months until around 18-24 months, your puppy is no longer a puppy, but rather a teenager. This can look very different in different dogs. Some may become more anxious, or fearful, some more reactive to things, others over confident, and for some lucky owners their dog will remain easy going and steady.

For the dog, adolescence is a really difficult period to navigate through, there are so many changes with hormones, genetic drives, even the brain structure and a second fear period, all happening simultaneously.

Hormones play a bit part into the development and sexual maturity of a dog. For female this may be a season and potential subsequent phantom pregnancy, this may result in dramatic behaviour changes. For males, they have the highest level of testosterone in their body, than at any other time in their life, even adulthood, and you may find your adolescent male starts to become more aggressive particularly toward other entire male dogs.

You may find that certain innate behaviours get “switched on” and become more easily triggered. So with Collies you may find that your dog starts to herd more things, and becomes more reactive to things.

Your dogs behaviour may also change, there are a number of behaviours associated with adolescence such as:
- Increased independence, some may label this stubbornness.
- Decreased responsiveness to trained cues
- Increased impulsivity
- Increase in energy
- Gender specific behaviours (i.e scent marking)
- Exacerbation of existing patterns (i.e Destructive behaviour, reactivity, fear based behaviours, excessive barking, compulsive behaviours etc)

During adolescence the brain structure changes and develops into a mature brain. New neural pathways are made, and others are lost, even ones that you use regularly, infuriatingly. Your dog may become more reactive, the reason for this is that the inhibitory neurons of the amygdala don’t fully mature until the end of adolescence, these help to dampen down emotional responses. You may find that they become more sensitive to things, and remember negative things more than previously, this is because extinction memory is impaired during this period, which means your dog is more likely to create fear memories due to a bad experience. The training you do with your dog may feel like you’re taking one step forward, but two steps back, this is because there is a decrease in the communication between the frontal cortex and amygdala, this is a key component for skills training.

It is important to try have patience and compassion, for both your dog and yourselves, as you guide and support your dog through this sensitive developmental period.