waggytailswales

07/12/2023

Many of you will know already that I greatly value transparency as an animal trainer.

Having a multi-dog household can be quite a challenge and take a lot of work to run smoothly and make sure they are all happy and have their needs met. This can be particularly difficult when you have dogs with very different needs to each other (as each of mine do).

Whilst young puppies are typically gregarious and love all dogs and people, this usually changes as they mature. In a multi-dog household, the dynamics are constantly changing as a puppy matures into adolescence and then adulthood. I have certainly found this with Inka: he and Freja get on very well. They play together daily, willingly share food and bed space (you can't ask for more from a dog-dog bond) and always have done. However, whilst Grabby Inka Puppy (an inherent drive and need that he has as well as part of his personality that cannot be changed) was tolerable for Freja, Grabby Inka Adolescent - especially now Inka is bigger than Freja - is not tolerable for her. Freja has also recently obtained a cut on one of her paws, which will be painful and reduces her level of tolerance to stressors. Her hurty foot has led to space guarding by Freja (which is always her sign of being either over-tired or trigger-stacked), and all of these factors cumulatively has let to a few spats between Freja and Inka. Freja even redirected onto Blue yesterday - a first and hopefully a last - due to being trigger-stacked and Blue 'policing' Freja and Inka a lot (when they are playing or there is tension, he will tell them to chill out, bless him).

Whilst puppies will typically defer to other dogs, adolescents and adult dogs won't always: especially confident, assertive dogs, high drive, guardian breeds and working line dogs.

Minor spats between co-habiting dogs are not uncommon but dogs do need to be carefully managed to prevent tensions from rising and tolerance being pushed too far.

The solution? Constant supervision, daily tuggy games for Inka (currently about 40 minutes long) to satiate that need to grab and hold, muzzle training for Inka (still in progress) and management, using crates. Baby gates aren't an option due to having an open plan home (first world problems, I know). The crates give Freja a safe space at night and in the day, where noone will disturb her. Today, she chose to spend all day in her crate. A bad thing? Not at all when she has the choice of being in or out of it, and needs to recover from her hurty foot.

Being a dog trainer doesn't protect your dogs from ever going through behavioural or emotional problems. If anything, you beat yourself up more over them, expect more of yourself, and probably work harder to ease the problems (knowledge is power and all that).

(The black blob in the picture, inside the crate, is Freja - black dogs never come up well in photos!)

06/10/2023

10/09/2023

I’m always fascinated that so few ever consider/understand this. Of course when it comes to the purely positive/force-free folks, I expect it, but I’m amazed that much of the balanced community seems to be just as blind to it.

What you will often hear in the balanced community are conversations about the dog’s softness and the need to be judicious and sensitive in the application of corrections/punishment, but strangely, you almost never hear similar conversations about rewards. As if only one necessitates careful consideration.

And to be fair, you’ll often hear conversations about how you “present” yourself to firmer, more challenging dogs, in order to be able to be successful and safe. And yet somehow the act of rewarding—which is absolutely being taken in as a conversation by the dog about who you are—is almost never considered part of how you’re presenting yourself, nor is it considered how the dog might run with these conversations which most don’t even realize they’re having.

Play a loose and depth-free game of rewarding a firm or serious dog and you could very easily find yourself in very deep trouble. Play the same game with a pushy, bratty dog and you’ll wonder why you’re getting so much pushback and struggling so much.

The upshot: If you’re training dogs—dogs which will come with wildly varying personalities—you had better start developing awareness around the multiple layers of conversations you’re having with them. If you think rewards are just rewards, you’re playing some seriously shallow checkers while the dog is playing some seriously deep chess.

If you haven’t given much thought to the deeper layers of impact that rewards can have on the dog, their downstream behavior, and their perception of you, I suggest you devote some time to its consideration.

PS, to be clear, I obviously have nothing against rewards—I use them with every single dog—but I am incredibly judicious in my entire presentation/interaction with the dog, and keenly tuned into how every input from me impacts behavior… and interfaces with their personality. Which means I treat rewards with the utmost consideration, regard, and respect, to ensure I’m not just training surface level behaviors, but far more importantly, I’m training and molding who the dog becomes and how the dog shows up in the world in the deepest behavioral sense.

15/07/2023

THE DARK SIDE OF DOG OWNERSHIP

Our dogs are sometimes the only thing in our lives that is safe. Love is tricky. A dog gives you unconditional love.

It’s someone that’s happy to see you when you live with teenagers that barely grunt a hello.

Your dog doesn’t care if you haven’t got the energy to shower or can’t face going out with friends.

Your dog accepts you for who you are, with no conditions. Unlike everyone else in your life.

Dogs can literally save your life.

Until…

…something goes wrong.

Your dog is not the out of the box version that all the TV shows, movies and books taught you that you should automatically have.

Maybe it’s not always happy to see you.

Maybe it growls at you and tells you to leave it alone.

You try and show it the love it needs, feed it treats, let it lie on the sofa with you and join you on your bed.

And then it growls at you.

It rejects you.

This animal that is supposed to give you unconditional love rejects you.

This is ten times worse than rejection by a human. It’s supposed to be automatic. If you love it and care for it you will get a Disney dog.

Now you are scared of your dog. You avoid upsetting it. You avoid situations that will make it react aggressively. You are trapped in your house, more alone than ever.

🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

This is a story that’s repeating up and down the country. If you get your Disney dog you are one of the lucky few. If you have a dog with problems, this is more normal than it should be.

Step back. See it as a dog. It’s a predator. It lives in your house. Certain compromises are necessary for it to be a pet dog.

Listen to my podcast with Dundee Dog Training to learn more about how it can go wrong and what you can do

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7EZKjYGTAHxe2WU5EBtmUb?si=ul5dpDXFTd-xyodHIu1n4g

01/12/2022

It can be confusing when dogs seem friendly and fearful at the same time and we might be left scratching our heads about what is going on in theirs.

While digging into the function behind behaviour is imperative in developing a training plan, there are also a few items we can implement right away:

- a plan to safely manage and prevent practice of the problem behaviour/s
- a plan to promote disengagement and calm observation of the things that trigger them

Oz has a lot going on and both loves dogs and is fearful of them. This means that providing safe opportunities for dog play and working on calm observation of dogs when not playing will be ingredients of our recipe for success. ✨

18/11/2022

20/10/2022

Watch the replay here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYQiBQtimMCbZlhxwUP9IRj8dCebe_PwE

After Rimadyl became popular, one of my technician's dogs died 2 weeks after using it. In the emergency service, we had dogs coming in with kidney failure, liver failure, gastric ulcers, etc. after using Rimadyl. Alarm bells!⁠
⁠
Labrador Retrievers are specifically mentioned as sensitive to Rimadyl/Carprofen.⁠
Galliprant is supposed to have the least amount of side effects, but it is labeled for use in arthritis only.⁠
Metacam can only be given by injection once for cats. Oral Metacam is specifically labeled as NOT for use in cats.* It can cause renal failure.⁠
Onsior is only labeled for postop pain for orthopedic surgery or spay/neuter.⁠
The Previcox insert has a list of adverse reactions too long to even put in this caption.⁠
⁠
Potential Adverse Reactions for ALL NSAIDs ⁠
- Kidney Failure⁠
- Liver Failure⁠
- Seizures⁠
- Gastrointestinal bleeding and perforation. If your animal is on an NSAID, make sure you check their stool! Dark, tarry stools, diarrhea, anorexia, and other GI symptoms can be signs of a serious issue.⁠
⁠
✳️ I ALWAYS do lab work before starting an NSAID to make sure liver and kidney function are fine. Then, I do lab work every 3 months while the pet is on the medication. ⁠
✳️ Always ASK for the drug inserts from your veterinarian!⁠
✳️ I absolutely minimize the use of NSAIDs with my pets by using alternative therapies and safer OTC options where possible.⁠
⁠
❌ Do NOT mix NSAIDs with steroids. ⁠
❌ NSAIDs should NOT be given with any other NSAID!! This can kill your pet. You have to have a minimum 7 day wash out period (wait 7 days) before switching.⁠
❌ Do NOT give antacids (like Famotidine) with NSAIDs (there is a potential reaction where the tissue of the stomach swells)⁠
⁠
✅ For natural pain management options, read more here: https://drjudymorgan.com/blogs/blog/treating-arthritis-naturally?_pos=1&_sid=22a88fa12&_ss=r⁠
⁠
✅ For Syringomyelia: https://drjudymorgan.com/blogs/blog/therapy-for-syringomyelia?_pos=6&_sid=5199006d8&_ss=r⁠
⁠


*Edit to add: Metacam has been labeled for cats outside the US, but still has a narrow safety margin in cats and signs of overdose may be seen at small overdose levels.

04/10/2022

Loose lead walking is one of the most common problems I help people with.

The dog in the photograph is a working Cocker Spaniel and he is a proper puller when walking with his owner, he pulls so much she has strained her shoulder!

So, why do dogs pull on the lead?

I am sure you have read so many things and bought so many pieces of equipment that are designed to stop your dog pulling by wrapping themselves around your dogs nose.

Your dog pulls because he or she has not been taught otherwise.

Your dog has not understood the lead is a restriction within which he must learn to work.

Your dog believes that pulling gets him to smells quicker or to the place where you let him off.

Your dog pulls on the lead because you do.

Your dog pulls on the lead because you tell him off for doing it.

Your dog pulls on the lead because you have taught him he can go and say hello to people and dogs.

Your dog pulls on the lead because he can because he thinks he can make decisions regardless of what you want.

If any of the above resonate with you and makes sense, I can help you with your pulling dog because pulling on the lead is only part of the problem.

How your dog believes he behaves for you at home is the most important part of setting the standards you want your dog to work within.

This is why a home visit is so important as it sets the foundations of behaviour in place that you are your dog can then take anywhere.

You spend the most time with your dog at home, this is where behaviours are learned that you and your dog will take to the outside world, I can help you make sure you both take the right behaviours into the outside world so you can have a dog you are proud of and your dog can have an oner they are proud of.

Drop me a message if you would like me to help you with your dogs behaviour.

25/09/2022

The Science Behind This Quirky Dog Habit 🐕🔍

Aside from tidying up, dogs kick the ground after relieving themselves to mark their territory. 📍This is why they spend so much time sniffing around anywhere another animal may have eliminated. They're constantly monitoring their territory and sniffing out information about other dogs who have come and gone. 🐶

15/06/2022

Be careful the next few days! It doesn’t hurt to give them a break from training!

11/06/2022

Consistency is perhaps the most important element in teaching. And it is unfortunately one of the hardest things for people to do. We are, as a species, pretty darn inconsistent. I get asked quite often "When can I stop using treats?" And I typically reply with something along the lines of "Do you work for free?" But it goes deeper than that. There is an expectation in our culture that having the option to punish is always acceptable, but that continuing to reinforce good choices and good behaviors is somehow not the ideal, that somehow if we are still reinforcing good decisions in our dogs it means our dogs are "not trained." This could not be further from the truth. The truth is that continual reinforcement keeps behaviors strong, reliable and the association between working with you from your dog's perspective as highly desirable.

I reinforce whenever I can. With whatever is going to be of value for my dog, sometimes that is play, sometimes praise, for many dogs that is food. I do this because there may come a time when I will have to ask something of my dog, ask them for trust, or forgiveness for a scary situation (like pulling them away from something dangerous) and I want to make certain that in that moment I do not damage our relationship, because the history of positive, good associations is so strong it can withstand a missed reinforcement here or there.

(Thank you to Anderson for the phrase " ! We love it!)

13/05/2022

rice is not good for dogs and cats

29/03/2022

“My Dog Doesn’t Like His New Raw Diet”

You might find your dog turning it’s nose up at the new food. Don’t worry! A common reason for this is the new temperature and texture of the food and not the food itself. Try feeding raw meals at room temperature rather than cold out of the fridge. Some dogs may prefer their new food in larger chunks (as mine do), while others might take to it better if the meat is finely ground. If the foods are unfamiliar, it may take a little time and patience to get your dog to try them and enjoy them. If a healthy dog shows no interest in the food offered, try taking the food away after ten or so minutes and then try again at the next meal time. Sometimes it helps to heat the raw food up slightly, as the smell of the meat can get a dog salivating.

Tips For Picky Eaters -
When you have a fussy eater on your hands, regardless of the food you are trying to feed, or the diet you trying to switch them to, there are simple things you can do to get them to eat:

Don’t Hover!
Do not hover over your dog anxiously waiting to see if he will eat. If you get all wound up and tense at mealtimes, it can often make your dog react and refuse to eat. Try to be nonchalant. Just put the bowl down and turn away, or go into another room. If your dog does not eat, take the food away and try again at the next meal. Sometimes we unknowingly teach our dogs not to eat through our own behaviour.

Keep It Regular -
Try to feed your dog on a regular schedule and stick to it. That way they automatically become hungry at those times and anticipate their meal.

Act Happy -
Act happy while preparing the meal. Like dinner time is an exciting event. Sometimes, if you have another dog that eats heartily, it can promote competitive eating and entice the finicky one to eat with more gusto. If the dog still won’t eat, don’t make a song and dance about it. Any stigma that surrounds eating can affect the dogs relationship to it later on. Stay calm and positive.

Exercise -
Regular exercise can help promote appetite and should be part of your dogs daily routine. Whether you take daily walks, go to the park, or just throw the ball around, exercise is very important. Agility, obedience and fly ball are also great activities to consider for any dog. Exercise helps build an appetite and offers the mental stimulation your dog needs.

Don’t Fret, It Could Be Natural -
Natural changes dogs go through can affect the way they eat. Some puppies, for instance, go through periods of fast growth before slowing down. Therefore it is perfectly natural for them to eat more through the growth phases and less when the phase slows. Additionally, puppies can get sore gums during teething, which can also cause a short term loss of appetite. Hormonal changes in intact females can also affect appetite.

If you have any questions or need any advice please don’t hesitate to drop us a message. 🙂

www.primepetnutrition.com
Feeding What Nature Intended. 🐾

10/03/2022

A blog about dog training, behavior, communication,psychology and holistic wellness - natural wisdom for you and your dog, cat

10/03/2022

The High Protein Myth

I cannot tell you how many times I have been told by my clients that they had changed the food they were feeding their dogs, to lower protein food.

This was because of concerns that it caused hyperactivity and other problems as dogs got older. Most of these scare stories are put forward by online forums and probably some of the dog food manufacturers who use poor quality protein and fillers in their ingredients.

Other concerns were the belief that high protein could be a major factor in liver and kidney disorders, this was believed to be the case, especially in older dogs, as some proteins are more difficult to metabolise as a dog ages. These beliefs could not be further from the truth, in fact, the exact opposite is true. The negative effect of proteins is based on quality, not quantity.

Protein and Organs: Protein comes in many forms, even shoe leather, corn, gluten, wheat, chicken beaks or eyeballs. All have a high crude protein content. However, the dog is only able to process part of this low-grade protein, at the cost of a lot of hard work by the kidneys and liver. Proteins are processed through the liver; any waste materials are then filtered and excreted through the kidneys. Plant protein diets are hard on your pet's liver and kidneys. They have to work far harder to get any goodness out of what are just cheap fillers, such as wheat, corn, rice, gluten, and low-quality animal derivatives. High muscle meat and fish-based protein diets aren't just healthy for your ageing pet, they are essential. Yet the pet food manufacturers will proclaim that their pet food with the worst and cheapest type of protein on the market are the best. So are they truly suggesting that low levels of protein are better for your pet? Or is it financial gain? As a business what comes first? Profit or health?

Protein is an essential ingredient in the healthiest dog foods, and for the older dog, dog food that is higher in quality protein is essential to help maintain bone, joint and tissue health. Protein also helps maintain a healthy coat as your dog ages. Foods like Bakers, Pedigree, Hills Science Plan, and Royal Canin do not always mention the type of plant protein in their food. Why? Simple, they buy whatever is cheapest at the time of manufacture. The packing has contents that include un-named cereals, meat derivatives, sugars, fats, vegetable derivatives, colourants, antioxidants, and preservatives. The meat content in some instances may be the very legal minimum required by legislation.

Check the Labels: A great way of checking on your favourite pet food is to look at the packet. Does it have cereal, corn, gluten or any grain type filler including rice? Then check how much real meat content there is in that brand? Not meat or vegetable "derivatives". If it has this sort of information on the label, ‘Cereals, Wheat, Corn, Maize, Meat and Animal Derivatives, Vegetable Protein Extracts, Derivatives of Vegetable Origin, Oils, and Fats, Various Sugars, Colourants, Artificial Preservatives, and Antioxidants’. Then you may wish to look into that brand a little deeper, a great way of doing this is to check out www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk

Let’s talk poo: One of the real tell-tale signs to look for is your dog's faeces. Are they large, soft and does your dog do lots of them on a walk? If so then the liver and kidneys have had to work overtime to process the food you are putting into them.

Poor quality, mass-produced pet foods are packed with protein from various sources including gluten, soy, and corn. These types of fillers can also cause allergies and intolerances that affect the skin and overall well-being of the dog.

Conclusion: If the source of the protein is quality meat or fish-based, Then you can feed your dog 100% protein and it will not cause any problems regarding hyperactivity, no stress on the liver or kidneys, as the waste products would be far less. You would also need far less of the food, to fulfil the dog's nutritional requirements.

Think of your dog's body as a car engine, put in premium petrol and it will run great. Put in a low-grade fuel and it gets all sooted and clogged up.

With quality protein, the stools would be smaller, less smelly and have what I can only describe as a kick-ability factor. Kick a stool that has come from a dog that is fed on food with poor protein and cereal fillers, and it will be stuck on your shoe for weeks. Kick the one on a quality protein diet, and it will bounce off your boots and score a goal worthy of Ronaldo.

www.primepetnutrition.com
Feeding What Nature Intended. 🐾

10/03/2022

Transitioning your dog & cat to raw or home cooked is one of the healthiest and best decision you can do for your furry friend. However when it is not done properly a number of unnecessary health issues arise. We have come across a few pet owners who have been adding rice or pasta to reduce costs. One of the most benefits of feeding raw and home cooked is that it has over 70% moisture. Adding rice will take that moisture away and is just like feeding a "fresh kibble diet" with no benefits whatsoever. Read the below link to understand why rice is NEVER recommended by any accredited pet nutritionist and will only cause unnecessary visits to the vet.
Reference :
https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2014/09/01/pumpkin-dietary-fiber.aspx

05/01/2022