Revolution Animal Behaviour Consulting and Training

20/08/2024

Thank you for letting our therapy dogs in training come practice at your gym! What a cool place! And thank you to everybody that came to pet the pups!

20/07/2024

Edit: this has been rescheduled for September 28th 9am-3pm!

As a clinical animal behaviourist, I am trained to work with horses and I have been applying positive reinforcement training to my own horses for the last 4 years. The possibilities with this approach is amazing!

I will be offering a clinic on positive reinforcement for horses on Saturday August 24th 9am-3pm

We will cover:

-what is positive reinforcement and how can it be used for horses

-how to safely and effectively use positive reinforcement

-apply positive reinforcement to teach behaviours on the ground

5 horses max, auditors welcome

DM if you would like to attend

12/07/2024

As a clinical animal behaviourist, part of my education and work is to understand the connection between health and behaviour.

The body and behaviour are not separate! We cannot simply train away behaviours that are driven by physical causes.

Pain, skin and gut discomfort are among the physical contributors to many behaviour issues. Animals are more likely to be stressed, anxious, aggressive, and overall sensitive when they are experiencing physical pain and discomfort.

Behaviour modification is never successful in cases where underlying physical issues are not addressed. And sometimes behaviours are the leading symptoms of health issues.

It is so essential to consult with a qualified veterinarian if you are dealing with a behaviour issue in your dog,cat, horse, or any other animal! This is often an integral step in behaviour modification.

Revolution Animals is lucky to have many incredible vets to work with (including our very own ) who appreciate the connection between health and behaviour and support us in the behaviour modification process.

06/07/2024

A little haul of enrichment activities

02/07/2024

There is always something going on at Revolution Animals!

This week, we will have a webinar on the dog-human relationship and how handling and physical touch are involved in a secure (or insecure!) relationship. The relationship with your dog influences MANY behaviour issues.

Join us Thursday at 7pm. Grab the Zoom link here or DM us!

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81070289272?pwd=LlycejXADdsqHCljYhsvfrg38jlh8q.1

Meeting ID: 810 7028 9272
Passcode: 007350

29/06/2024

Reminder that we have puppy social @1:15pm tomorrow. You need to let us know if you’re coming! Big and small pup groups.

25/06/2024

Join us for the Relationship Building through Handling webinar on Thursday July 4th.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81070289272?pwd=LlycejXADdsqHCljYhsvfrg38jlh8q.1

Meeting ID: 810 7028 9272
Passcode: 007350

24/06/2024

Go Oilers!

24/06/2024

A very simple explanation about positive reinforcement for horses. If you would like to learn more about how to apply positive reinforcement techniques in horse training, I am planning a small clinic at my facility this summer. PM for info.

Our third release of the Positive Reinforcement Myth Busting Series - "Using treats is bribery...Horses should be obedient because they respect me".

Welcome to our Positive Reinforcement Myth Busting Series, where we delve deep into the world of animal training to debunk common misconceptions and shed light on the power of positive reinforcement. In this series, we'll explore the science behind positive reinforcement training methods, dispelling myths that may hinder its effectiveness or understanding.

21/06/2024

This is a good boi

Day to day I usually work with complex behaviour cases, and I love it! But today I got the treat of working with this handsome guy. His mom has done an amazing job with him and I got to just take in his sweetness. She has even worked proactively on helping him to enjoy grooming and handling, which is something every puppy owner needs to do! We will be working on supporting him through the challenges of adolescence so that he keeps growing into a great dog.

17/06/2024

Don’t forget to sign up for Puppy Preschool starting June 29th. This class will give you and your pup everything you need to start off your relationship right.

Oh, and btw, this cute pup is available for adoption!

15/06/2024

Look at these sweet pups available for adoption. These little ladies are being fostered by lovely clients of mine that have already been providing the pups with some great training! If you are looking for a new addition, reach out!

05/06/2024

While Gigi is napping, I am planning my summer class schedule.

Therapy Dog Prep Class will run Mondays at 7pm starting July 8th. DM for details!

05/06/2024

Let’s get serious about cooperative care for a moment!

So many loving, well meaning dog owners ignore their dog’s mental discomfort when it comes to nail trims, grooming, teeth brushing, and the annual vaccine appointment. But if your dog is pulling away when you go to trim their nails, or squirming through vet visits, or “fine” at the groomer yet won’t let you run a brush through their coat, then it is negatively affecting their life and the trusting relationship we all want with our dogs.

Working on cooperative care training isn’t just for when you have a major problem like unable to provide care procedures. It is basic training that should be part of puppy raising and continue into adulthood to build the bond with you and your dog as well as teach them that grooming and vet checks aren’t an unpleasant part of life.

Cooperative care is also super cool! I know I’m really proud of my dogs having the skills and trust to allow me to care for them in a way that honours our bond.



Do you want to help your dog cooperate with handling, vet exams and grooming?

30/05/2024

Barbara has been the purrrrfect addition to our office

22/05/2024

The Ten Myths of Canine Behavior
Myth #6: My dog is being dominant.
I must show him who is Alpha. Dominance in dogs is not a personality trait nor a motivation for behavior. The dominance theory in dogs has been debunked by scientists, and the term "alpha" is no longer used to describe behavior. If dogs are fighting or showing aggression, it is often due to social anxiety, not a desire to dominate. They act out because they do not feel safe.

18/05/2024

Mornings with my big sweetie are the best

02/05/2024

Dango has been visiting us for the last few weeks. He is a graduate of our Puppy Preschool many years ago. And he is a super good boi! Join our next class on May 11th to give your pup everything they need to have a great start in life. Only one spot left!

30/04/2024

25/04/2024

Check out some of what we offer at Revolution Animals. What do you want to work on with your dog?

20/04/2024

I had a great session today with Koda, Kalli, new puppy Lola and their wonderful humans. Koda and Kalli came to Revolution Animals during the pandemic and are now 3 and 4 yrs old. It makes my heart happy to see pups all grown up and being enjoyed by their family. Revolution Animals is lucky to now start the journey again with little Lola!

19/04/2024

Ten myths about canine behavior!
Myth 1: Puppies should not leave the house until fully vaccinated.
The critical socialization period for puppies occurs from about 3 weeks to 14 weeks of age, a time when they learn what is safe or not safe in their environment. They are also learning "doggie" social skills and what it means to live in the human world. Vaccinations are administered every 3-4 weeks apart until at least 15-16 weeks of age, which marks the end of this critical timeframe. If you wait until your puppy has received all vaccinations before exposing them to the world, your puppy may become more fearful as an adult and lack the necessary coping skills to live in the human world.

25/03/2024

19/02/2024

Happy Family Day!

13/02/2024

I went through a period of a few years recently, living with chronic pain.

During this time my behaviour changed. A lot.

I was more sensitive to touch and would react if I thought someone might be about to bump into me or even just touch me on some days.

I lost a lot of confidence and would become hesitant (sometimes fearful) if I needed to do something that might trigger my pain in some way or there was a chance I might fall and cause more damage.

I didn’t always want to do things when people asked me to and my overall ability to cope with stress reduced dramatically.

All these things affected my quality of life and I became a bit of a miserable sod. Sometimes I resorted to coping mechanisms that were not entirely healthy.

I tried so many times to get in shape and modify my behaviour to live a better life and I just couldn’t do it. It’s hard to try and make progress when pain can be such a huge variable from one day to the next.

Pain changes behaviour. Sometimes it might be big dramatic changes that appear to come on very quickly. Sometimes it might be a lot more subtle or a bit of a slow hum that starts to creep up over time.

While I fully appreciate that we are not supposed to anthropomorphise our dogs, sometimes we really need to put ourselves in our dog’s experience of life to have a chance at understanding what they may be going through so we can help them.

Pain isn’t an emotion. It’s an actual and very real sensation felt by all sentient beings at some point and to some degree. Chronic pain has the ability to make us even more sensitive to acute pain.

Possible pain and underlying health issues should always be a priority consideration for any trainer working with you and your dog. Good trainers know how much of an impact these things can have on behaviour.

The hard thing with many dogs is that they can be incredibly stoic. Sometimes the dopamine released by doing something fun in the moment can be a much bigger pay off than the avoidance of doing something that afterwards may make pain worse (or more difficult when that dopamine isn’t around).

To make things even more 🤯 for us as pet guardians, physical examinations can make it very difficult to assess some underlying pain.

Some dogs just find physical exams so stressful that they do whatever they need to, to get it over with. Including being very still and showing very little reaction to the stranger bending their limbs around or prodding and poking them.

My experience with my own pain showed me that sometimes a second opinion is needed. Multiple trips to the GP resulted in me being told there was nothing wrong with me.

It was only after a referral from and incredible physio for an MRI that the cause of my pain and necessity for surgery was detected.

It’s okay if you as an owner wish to get a second (even third or fourth) opinion on whether your dog may be struggling with an underlying health issue or pain also.

If I hadn’t advocated for myself, I would still be living with that pain every day (and I had the ability to communicate verbally with those around me how much my life was being impacted). Our dogs don’t have that luxury…

So it’s up to us to advocate for them and make sure they are as healthy and pain free as possible.

This should always be the first thing we address before we start trying to change our dog’s behaviour to make our own lives easier. Even something we go back and reassess regularly throughout that journey as we get better at watching and reading our dogs 🐾

11/02/2024

We are having email server issues over the last few days and ongoing. While we wait for these to be sorted, please contact us via text or DM!

08/02/2024

This is so important! If you want to know more about any of these concepts, reach out to us!

Do you know about the Five Pillars of a Healthy Feline Environment? Are you meeting the basic needs of your own cat companions?

07/02/2024

Research indicates that giving dogs a small amount of food during venipuncture, catheter placement before surgery, and sedation does not increase the risk of gastroesophageal reflux. Fasting may in fact increase that risk. Also giving treats prior to a blood draw is unlikely to cause lipemia affecting results. Resources are listed in the comments.

19/01/2024

Our webinar on the unique behaviour of small dogs is coming up tomorrow at 7pm. It will be recorded for those that can’t attend live if you request the link.