The Dignified Dog

23/08/2025

✨ Excitement vs. Happiness ✨

One of the biggest misconceptions we see with dogs is mixing up excitement with happiness. Recognizing the difference can completely change how you view your dog’s behavior.

🐾 Excitement often looks like:
• Jumping, barking, whining
• Spinning in circles
• Lunging on leash
• Panting with dilated pupils

Excitement is an adrenaline driven state of mind. While it might look “happy,” it’s really a mix of anticipation, overstimulation & stress. Left unchecked, it can spill over into reactivity, poor decision-making, anxiety, or even aggression.

🐾 Happiness often looks like:
• Relaxed body & soft eyes
• Loose wagging tail
• Choosing to lay down & settle
• Engaging with their environment in a balanced way

A happy dog isn’t always the one bouncing off the walls. True happiness shows up as emotional regulation. A dog who can make good choices & relax in everyday situations. This is the dog who can lay at your feet during a patio lunch, or walk past another dog without spiraling into chaos.

👉 Why Does This Matter?
Excitement isn’t sustainable. A dog living in constant arousal is more likely to be reactive, anxious, or unable to cope. Happiness, on the other hand, builds stability by fostering confidence, impulse control & the ability to relax. Our role as owners is to guide our dogs. Not by suppressing their emotions. But by channeling that energy into calm confidence. When we do this, we create dogs who are focused, balanced & far less likely to struggle with unwanted behaviors.

💡 How to Help Your Dog Move From Excitement to Happiness
• Set boundaries around greetings (no rewarding jumping, teach calm instead).
• Reward calm behavior, not chaos.
• Give outlets for energy: structured walks, training, enrichment. Not just free-for-all play.
• Practice settling skills: place training, duration down, or calmly hanging out together.
• Model calm energy yourself. Your dog mirrors your state of mind more than you think!

The ultimate goal is balance. We don’t just want dogs that are “excited.” We want dogs that are happy, confident & calm, no matter what the world throws at them.

💬 What does your dog look like when they’re truly happy?

22/08/2025

A dogs nose is so cool

With thanks to Sophie Carter:

Did you know that the tiny vertical groove between a dog’s nose and upper lip actually has a purpose? It’s called the vegetal groove (or philtrum), and it’s not there by accident!
Each time a dog licks its lips, a bit of saliva collects in that groove. Through a process called capillarization, the moisture travels up to the nose — helping keep it damp.
And why does that matter? Because a moist nose is much better at capturing and holding scents from the air. 🌬️✨ That’s part of what makes a dog’s sense of smell so incredibly powerful!
Nature’s design is always so clever, isn’t it? 🐕💛

15/08/2025

🐕 REAL WORLD BASIC OBEDIENCE AT POSH POOCH HOTEL & DAYCARE! 🐾

Set your dog up for success and continue their training journey! In order to have a solid foundation for any training, your dog must know the basics. If you have future adventures and activities in mind with your dog, this class can help you get there. With the help of Stephanie from The Dignified Dog, you will be coached through everything you need to know about your dog.

In our real world basics, you'll learn:
* How to integrate your essential obedience cues into real life situations
* How to create a stronger recall
* Loose leash walking skills
* How to build confidence and advocate for your dog
* How to engage your dog in new environments
* Appropriate interactions with other dogs and other people
* Relationship fundamentals
* Impulse control
* Creating calmness
* Troubleshooting behavioural struggles

✨ CLASS DETAILS ✨
* When?: Seminar September 9th. First class begins Thursday September 11th and every following Thursday
* Time?: 6:45pm to 7:45pm (please arrive 5 min early)
* Where?: Posh Pooch Hotel and Daycare - 9402 31 ave nw
* Price?: $315/7 weeks

Each class is kept small (4-5 dogs) to ensure your dog gets the attention they deserve!

♠️ Ideal for dogs over 6 months old. Must have all vaccines as well as flea/tick prevention.

Are you ready to advance your relationship with your family member?

Reserve your spot:
🦮 In person at Posh Pooch
📞 780-690-5344 (The Dignified Dog)
✉️ [email protected] to register
💻 Visit https://www.dognified.org

Don’t miss out on accelerating your bond with your best friend!

15/08/2025

🐶 PUPPY CLASSES AT POSH POOCH HOTEL & DAYCARE! 🐾

Give your puppy a head start toward a fun filled, happy and fulfilling life with you! Having a well trained and well behaved dog opens your world up to so many opportunities with your best friend. With the help of Stephanie from The Dignified Dog, you will be guided through everything you need to know about raising a polite puppy.

In our puppy classes, you'll learn:
* Proper socialization techniques
* How to read body language
* How to build your dog’s confidence
* Relationship fundamentals
* Essential obedience cues
* Creating engagement with your pup
* Desensitization to handling for vet/grooming
* Creating a calm puppy
* How to address common puppy behaviours (jumping, nipping, potty training, crate training, etc.)

✨ CLASS DETAILS ✨
* When?: Seminar September 9th, and class every following Tuesday evening
* Time?: 6:45pm - 7:45pm (please arrive 5 min early)
* Where?: Posh Pooch Hotel and Daycare - 9402 31 ave nw
* Price?: $250/5 weeks

Each class is kept small (4-5 dogs) to ensure your puppy gets the attention they deserve!

♠️ Ideal for puppies aged 3 to 5 months old. Must have all vaccines as well as flea/tick prevention.

Are you ready to strengthen your bond with your new best friend?

Reserve your spot:
🦮 In person at Posh Pooch
📞 780-690-5344 (The Dignified Dog)
✉️ [email protected] to register
💻 Visit https://www.dognified.org

Don’t miss out on setting your puppy up for success!

14/08/2025

I know you, like me, love to spoil your dog for their birthday! Liz at Craveyard Confections makes yummy dog cakes (as well as delicious people desserts) with good, limited ingredients for your bestie! 🧁🐕

Did you know The Craveyard makes pup cakes? Birthday bones and cookies from the pet store often have too many ingredients and things that aren’t so great for our furry friends. My pup cakes are peanut butter pumpkin apple flavour made with all natural ingredients and a Greek yogurt and natural peanut butter frosting. Topped with homemade pumpkin apple treats dipped in carob. WOOF🐩!

13/08/2025

Toby and his mom have been working with me on his leash reactivity toward most moving things. This young man just wants to herd everything he sees!

Yesterday I brought my flirt pole with me so we could give him a chance to herd something appropriate before we set out on our walk. After a bit of a rough start this week with some very worked up walks, Toby’s mom was thrilled to have a calm neutral walk.

Needless to say, Toby will enjoy his new flirt pole and bonding time with mom before walks.

05/08/2025

Did you know the play bow can mean more than one thing?

THE PLAY BOW

Dogs are constantly communicating through their body language and the play bow is one that is very easy to see, but despite its name, it doesn’t always mean “I want to play with you!”

Yes, in general, it means – I’m friendly and I have no aggressive intent, although context and the individual dog always need to be taken into account.

Some time ago, one of my little dogs was attacked by a bigger dog while we were out waking. She has never completely recovered from the trauma and ever since then, immediately play bows if a bigger dog comes anywhere near her.

I believe what she is communicating is – a calming signal to show the other dog she is not a threat, a position in which she can quickly escape if need be and the most likely explanation is to pre-empt any conflict and reduce any potential tension.

She has absolutely no desire or intention of playing or interacting with the other dog, but is trying to communicate her non-threatening intent. This may be a more unusual use of the play bow, but the purpose of this story is that context and the individual dog really does matter.

Some dogs also use play bows to reset an interaction that is getting too much or perhaps to say “I’m sorry!”, in an attempt to reduce social tension or initiate conflict resolution after being too rough.

A prayer bow, which looks very similar to a play bow may indicate discomfort. A prayer bow is a more lengthened stretch, where a dog extends the front paws really far forward and the chest area is very close to or on the ground.

This could indicate abdominal pain, gastrointestinal discomfort, bloating, gas, or it’s simply an effective stretch to loosen up stiff muscles or joints and get ready for movement.

30/07/2025

⚠️ Quick warning for you all. Today I decided to search my own business name in the search bar to see what comes up. What I found was a duplicate website of my own in the form of a “Voofla” website.

DO NOT try to contact me on there.

I do NOT have a profile on there that I have authorised. The information that they have has been stolen from my facebook and actual website.

If you fill out their contact form you will not reach me. I am guessing this is some way for them to gather data for their own purposes, whatever that may be.

The adverts on the listing are also questionable and 100% unrelated to my business. I am not running any special offers and I am not associated with any other businesses in any other city, province or country.

The only place I will ever recommend products is directly to you, on my official page (here), Instagram, Google my business page or on my official website. Same for any special offers, competitions etc.

Should you need to contact me the following methods are the ones I recommend

Calls/texts - phone number listed on my website stated in this post

Email - also listed on my one and only website stated in this post

Contact form (new inquiries), this is my ONLY website provided by squarespace - https://www.dognified.org

Facebook messenger via this page ONLY

Instagram message - https://www.instagram.com/stephtrainsdogs?igsh=MTBsOHpwM3NwYW5lcg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

We get dogs because they uplift our spirit, but sometimes our dogs need some help to get them where we’d like them to be! Every single interaction should be a training opportunity.

28/07/2025

🥊 Aggressive dogs: Dogs who display aggression toward BOTH people and dogs, dogs who have a bite history with EITHER people or dogs. Not only is an aggressive response a form of your dog showing stress, but it brings forth stress for the dogs/humans on the receiving end. A bite is considered as leaving a mark and especially punctures on skin, or tearing clothing.

😵‍💫 Overstimulated and reactive dogs are in need of further education when it comes to reading and taking body language cues from other dogs, as well as confidence building. Inappropriate behaviours from dogs like this can negatively influence other dogs and their behaviours, not to mention it further impacts their own. Also, dog parks aren’t for every dog and that’s ok. Not everyone likes attending a rave.

🫣 Unsocialized dogs: The dog park is NOT a place to socialize your unsocial dog, the dog park is for dogs who are ALREADY social. This means they’re confident with dogs of all temperaments, they give proper direction to other dogs and receive direction well from other dogs, they know how to adjust their play style to match the dog they’re playing with, they can tell if another dog isn’t interested in interacting. If your dog doesn’t overly care for other dogs, they don’t want to be at a dog park in the first place.

21/07/2025