Happy Birthday Westley 💚
Three years ago today, our lives changed for the better 💚
Westley has taught me so many things over the last 3 years, but one of the most incredible gifts that he has given me is fear free training.
When we brought him home, I made a promise to him that no matter what, I would not use physical corrections to train him.
Little did I know that this promise would change my life and my career!
Westley is one of the best things that could have happened to me and I wouldn’t change a single thing about him!
Happy 3rd Birthday Bugga Baby 💚
We love you more than you will ever know! 🐾
#dogs #dogtrainer #positivereinforcement #bernedoodle
VIP’s Benny & Penny 🐾
Yesterday was spent celebrating a Forest Fairytale Wedding with VIP’s Benny & Penny at the beautiful Roots and Roses 🐾
Congratulations Danya and Chad 💚
Thank you for allowing us to help you make memories that will last a lifetime with your VIP’s 🐶
#wedding #forest #fairytail #dogsoftiktok
Resource Guarding
I live with 2 dogs who resource guard items from eachother. BUT they don’t guard every item from eachother in every situation!
Every dog is different when it comes to resource guarding and some dogs don’t do it at all, but here are the things that resource guarding is:
* Resource guarding is based on what the dog finds high value
* Resource guarding is situational
* Resource guarding is normal behavior
* Resource guarding isn’t always about food
* Resource guarding can be trained using positive reinforcement and fear free methods
Management is KEY with resource guarding especially between dogs as you don’t want them to practice the behavior!
Follow along for more training tips and tricks 🐾
#dogtraining #dogtrainer #resourceguarding #dogbehavior
If we have ever worked with you at a wedding…. You know 😂 If you want picture perfect photos of you and your pets on your wedding day, we will help get that done no matter how ridiculous we look OR sound! 🐾#fyp #iceage #dogwedding #wedding #weddingvendor #yycwedding #yycdogs #yycweddingvendor #yycweddingphotographer #pov #banffwedding #canmorewedding
Puppy Play Breakdown 💚🐾
Understanding play is essential for advocating for your dog as well as knowing when to allow play to continue and when to take a break!
Some of the signs I love to see in this video are:
• Pauses in play (even if it is for a few seconds at a time)
• Play Bows
• Peanut (the larger puppy) is allowing Coco to move freely on top of him when playing * This has nothing to do with dominance or being the Alpha, just what I like to see for play dynamics with smaller and larger dogs *
• A back and forth mirroring of play behavior (mouthing, down lower etc..) or “dance” as I like to call it between Peanut and Coco
• Loose body language
What do you see?
#dogplay #dogbodylanguage #dogbehavior #dogtrainer #ilovemyjob
Relaxation Protocol 🐾
Do you want a more relaxed dog? 🐾
Relaxation isn’t something that comes naturally to a lot of our dogs!
Most dogs need this behavior taught to them! 🤓
Comment “relax” and I will send you Dr. Karen Overall’s Relaxation Protocol in your dm’s and share my tips for how to use it! 🐾
#relax #dogtraining #positivereinforcement #dogtrainer #yycdogs #yycdogtrainer #calgaryfamily #yycfamily
Have a reactive dog? Rio will share with you a simplified version of what “look at that” is and what it can help do! #lookatthat #reactivedog #dogtraining #yycdogtrainer #yycdogs #dogreactivity
Team Rio 💚
Trainers: Meet your clients where they are at!
Team Rio has been working with us on some leash reactivity and a tool that they were using before starting working with me is a prong collar.
So, instead of telling them “you need to stop using that” I said “what do you feel you currently need to feel safe currently on walks” and modified to use a second collar and leash.
This leash and collar is what is being used primarily, but they do have the safety net of the prong collar if they feel they need it. The goal is to fade out the prong over time.
This may ruffle some feathers especially because I am a force free trainer. But, if we want to be force free with animals and meet all of their needs, we need to do the same for their guardians.
Team Rio has been KILLING their reactivity training and I am so proud of the progress they have been making each and every day!
More to come from this incredible team 💚
#dogtraining #dogreactivity #dogtrainer #alberta #yycdogs #yycdogtrainer #yycpets #calgarydogs #dogbehavior #forcefree
“When can I stop rewarding my dog?” 🧐Imagine this… You have been working with a company for years, and one day your boss comes up to and says “you know… you’ve been doing such great work consistently, but I’ve decided to stop paying you! Keep up the great work!” What would you do? Probably quit on the spot right? 🙅🏻♀️Our dogs are more patient than us, but, over time if we stop rewarding them for what they do, they will say “Hey! I haven’t been rewarded for doing this for a while… Maybe I’m not doing what I’m supposed to be doing” This can cause our dogs to stop readily performing things that they have already been taught because just like us, they shouldn’t have to work for free! 💰 That is not to say that the same amount of rewards your dog gets when you are starting to teach a new behavior will be the same amount once they are reliably offering the behavior, BUT, you shouldn’t ever stop paying your dog for the work they are doing. An example of this is with loose leash walking. In the beginning, you may have to treat every step, but as your training progresses you may be able to treat once every block instead! 🐾So, to answer the question. Never stop rewarding your dog! #dogtraining #rewardbasedtraining #forcefree #positivereinforcement #yycdogs #yycdogtrainer #yycpets #dogtrainer #dogtrainingtips
Automatic Sit? No problem with these 3 easy steps! 💚
Are you looking to teach your pup an auto sit like 5 month old Franny? 🤩
You need to start with the basics!
This is a skill that I teach all of my clients to do as it has so many functions!
Here’s how to start:
1️⃣ Have your pup approach you
2️⃣ As soon as they get to you within arms reach, lure your pup into a sit with a hand signal. Have a treat in your hand at first if needed then take the treat out of your hand once they understand the concept. Practice this step multiple times before moving on
3️⃣ Everytime you call your dog to you, start waiting and let your dog process what they did last time to get rewarded (which is sitting in front of you). Do not cue verbally or with your hand. Let them think. As soon as they offer that sit (when their bum hits the ground) mark with a clicker or “yes” and reward them
The time in between the recall and the sit in front of you will get quicker and quicker and soon, it will become automatic for them to sit in front of you!
Follow for more training tips!
#dogtraining #dogtrainer #dogbehavior #dogs
As if the “name” of the muzzles wasn’t bad enough, they are advertising that their muzzles help to control barking 😅🚩 Muzzles are not meant to control barking. If you want your dog to stop barking, use TRAINING, don’t close their mouth so that they can’t bark (because that is the impression a lot of owners are going to get when looking at these muzzles!) Not to mention these types of muzzles are NOT bite or chew proof 🙃 Do better @Canadian Tire Please do your research before allowing products that can be harmful to dogs into your store #muzzle #dogtraining #muzzletraining #canadiantire #fyp #dobetter
Every single dog needs to be taught clear communication, otherwise, how will they know what you are asking of them? Something that isn’t needed to create that clear communication though is corrections or being your dog’s “pack leader” as many people assume (spoiler alert, pack theory was debunked long ago…) The language we use and the predictably that they hold is something that people do not pay enough attention to when training. I have taught Gracie that me saying “ready” predicts incredible things (for her it is a treat bomb and the tossing of her ball). Therefore, when I say “ready” she drops the ball ans gets ready for some fun. This is a dog who holds incredible value in her ball and generally will hold onto it no matter what. Something as simple as me repeating “ready” and following it up with the things she views as most rewarding has allowed for me to have a clear line of communication with her. This has also worked when at the park and she has chased birds. Me saying “READY?” Got her attention right away and redirected her attention to me instead of the prey! Follow for more training tips! #dogtraining #dogtrainer #forcefreedogtraining
R+ Doesn’t need to “take too long” 🐾
Something I hear often as an argument against using force free and positive reinforcement training is that “it takes too long” to get results…
Freckles is here to remind you that that is a myth and here are the facts:
Animal training is all about consistency, not control.
Freckles is 5 months old and learned the “mat” cue in 15 minutes using rewards that are high value to her.
You don’t need to use force to train animals and when you choise not to, it doesn’t take longer to train them.
#forcefreedogtraining #forcefree #dogtrainer #positivereinforcementdogtraining #myth #facts #yycpuppies #yycpuppy #calgarypuppy #yyclocal #yycfamily #yycdogtrainer #yycdogs
Welcome to the side of social media where we let our dogs sniff on walks! A “heel” position is super flashy and great in the show ring for certain dog sports, but if you’re like me and want to let your dog’s walk be their walk, please don’t feel bad about that! Teach a loose leash walk and don’t let your dogs pull you around… Teach the skill of “heel” but don’t be obsessive about it on every single one of your walks with your dog. Also know that when you are on a leisurely walk, it is okay to practice certain skills for a few minutes and then let the rest of the walk be whatever your dog needs it to be 🐾#heel #looseleashwalking #dogwalk #positivereinforcement #positivereinforcementdogtraining #sniff #unpopularopinion #dogtrainer
Consent Test 🐾
Let’s talk about consent!
Consent is not only important for human interactions but also with our furry friends! 😸 🐾 🐶
Something as simple as doing a quick check in with our pets to say “hey, are you still wanting some love and my pets” can prevent a bite from happening.
A bite is geberally a way to make space when all other ways of asking for it weren’t listened to!
So… Do yourself and your pet a favor and do a consent test!
#consent #consenttest #animalbehavior #dogtraining #cattraining #behavior #catbehavior #positivereinforcement #choice
Custom Puppy Packages Coming MONDAY!! 🥹
Completely customizable Private Puppy Packages are being released THIS Monday 🥹🙈
These packages are for any puppy owner who is interested in helping meet their dog’s needs from the very beginning as well as laying a training foundation that will help them be the best pup for years to come!
Interested in getting on the waitlist for private puppy training in the #yyc area?
Send us a message today to get your discount code!
Only 2 discount codes being provided so don’t wait! 😉
#yycdogs #yycpuppy #puppytraining #dogtraining #yycdogtrainer #yycdog #calgarydogs #calgarypuppy #yycpuppies #yycfamily #dogsofyyc #dogsofcalgary #meettheirneeds #positivereinforcement
Training doesn’t have to be complicated!
Let’s be real…
Sometimes, we like to make training and dog behaviour way more complicated than it needs to be!
When working with an animal, ask yourself what do you want them to do instead of the undesired behavior they might be doing!
Think about it…
Training one simple behaviour (like down on a mat) can be used to help stop multiple undesired behaviors!
Personally, I use down on a mat for…
1️⃣ When I am cooking in the kitchen to prevent any resource guarding
2️⃣ Preventing counter surfing
3️⃣ Teaching a settle behaviour
There are so many other useful ways to use down on a may as well!
When unsure of how to manage a behaviour, go back to the basics and teach them what you want them to do instead!
#dogtraining #dogtrainer #dogbehaviour #settle #training #yycdogs
I was going through my videos to come up with somw new content and happened upon this one! I accidentally had it on slow motion, but I think it captures the way we feel about eachother quite perfectly 🥹 Both of my dog’s mean the world to me and have taught me so much, but Westley… He is the reason I became a dog trainer. He is the one who pushes me to learn as much as I can so that I can help other guardians see their pup’s true potential without having to use tools that are meant to cause discomfort and pain. He is the reason I am such a big muzzle advocate and the reason I am a force free trainer. He is my “Why” 💚 Anyone else become a dog trainer because of a dog in their life? Tell me your why below! #dogtrainer #positivereinforcementdogtraining #forcefreedogtraining #dogtraining #mywhy
Miss. Foxy goes to the vet! 🐶💚
One of my favorite things about being a dog trainer is helping meet my client’s needs regardless of their abilities!
Dog training will look different for every client as their needs are unique!
An example of this is my friend Foxy! 🐶
She is in the process of becoming both deaf and blind, so some of the sounds that I would usually use to get the attention of client’s would not work for her!
In this case, I used gentle stroking of her shoulder to help get her attention, put the treat to her nose and them dropped it near her to encourage sniffing! 🐾
Dog training is all about working with your client and adapting your training skills to meet their unique needs!
#dogtraining #deafdog #dogtrainer #cooperativecare #vet #yyc #seniordog #blind #meettheirneeds #yycdogs #yycpets #dogsofcalgary #dogsofyyc #yycdogtrainer #positivereinforcementtraining
