Wise Canine Services

15/04/2022

By Sandy Modell Alexandria, VA - Puppyhood can be such a joy! Say the word puppy; you think of an adorable, cuddly ball of fur. Big eyes, face kisses, and

31/12/2021

I have heard so many guardians express that their dog has little or no confidence but they don’t know how to help. This blog is going to explain how you can build your dog’s confidence and why doing so, is so important.

28/08/2021

Reward the good, ignore the bad, is a common dog training phrase. But it’s somewhat of a misunderstanding of learning theory. Learning theory tells us that animals are more likely to repeat …

10/08/2021

"An estimated 2,438 dogs were reported as stolen last year, which is a 19 per cent increase from 2019 - and unfortunately only 22 per cent of stolen dogs were reunited with their owners"

07/08/2021

If you can't make them part of the Family then don't have one!!!😥🙏

07/08/2021

07/08/2021

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27/07/2021

Can someone help??

14/07/2021

🤨So, a dog has started with a behavioural problem like nuisance barking, or a dog is not responding to a ‘command’ and the general response is to fix and correct it right away.

🗣Dog training is sadly an unregulated industry. Anyone can call themselves a trainer or behaviourist and have no qualifications. There are many dog trainers with NO actual experience or qualifications other than ‘working with dogs for X number of years'.

📖I encourage you to do your own research before using training tools such as these. There are numerous, well-documented risks concerning your dogs emotional and physical welfare.

💪Trainers and owners have advocated for these training tools saying things like, ‘It’s on vibrate so it doesn’t actually hurt’, or ‘It’s on a very low setting’, ‘They are safe to use in experienced hands’. My favourite is, ‘Well it worked and fixed my dog!’. Here’s the question, did it actually work, or did it just suppress the behaviour? Dealing with a behaviour and suppressing one are two very different things.

🧬What if the dog's behaviour is from a medical condition like loss of hearing, loss of eyesight or pain-related medical conditions? Have you ruled that out before resorting to using an adversive?

😶The risk in using these types of training tools are increased fear, avoidance, dog shutting down/ learnt helplessness, increased anxiety, increased reactivity, aggression and potentially an unpredictable dog.

👍My aim for these types of posts are to educate and to maybe reach one, or even two people who are using these tools, or have already bought but are hesitant to use them. I’d ask you to reconsider. Don't take my word for it. Do your own research and ask yourself, would you want your dog to feel safe and do something because of reward-based training, or do you want a dog to do something out of fear or intimidation.

Punishment is effective, that’s why people do it. But just because you can doesn’t mean you should. The unwanted behaviour may be gone but at what cost to the dog?

References:
British Small Animal Veterinary Association. (2012). Position Statement on Aversive Training Methods (Electronic and Other Aversive Collars). Position Statement No. 31.

Overall, K.L. (2005). An open letter from Dr. Karen Overall regarding the use of shock collars.

Polsky, R. (2010). Can Aggression in Dogs Be Elicited Through the Use of Electronic Pet Containment Systems?

Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science (3) 4 345-357
Friedman, S. (2010, March). What’s Wrong with This Picture? Effectiveness Is Not Enough. APDT Journal.

18/06/2021

Just a reminder that a dog house is sometimes hotter then outside!

17/06/2021

German shepherds are well known for their constant shedding. They have a medium length dense overcoat with a soft, downy undercoat that seems to drift all over the house. To top it off, along with…

14/06/2021

Stress is absolutely prevalent in the world of the human – particularly post Covid lockdown and all the things that came with it. As people, we rea...

14/06/2021

Gallstones in dogs form from bacteria, bile, calcium salts, cholesterol, and proteins, and they sometimes cause blockages in the gallbladder. If you notice the signs of gallstones in your dog, you should see a vet immediately. Here's what you should know.

11/06/2021

Great infographic from SpiritDog Academy

Imagine you’re in a restaurant eating your meal and a waiter keeps putting his hands in your food or worse still, taking it away then randomly bringing it back. How would you feel about the sight of that person approaching?

11/06/2021

The Jigsaw Puzzle of Behaviour

Although I'm taking a few days off, this is something I wanted to post about.
I often talk to my clients about 'the jigsaw puzzle of behaviour'. There are not one or two direct causes for dog behaviour (we can identify things to change, or put together a plan of behaviour modification training, but it's all part of a bigger thing).
Behaviour is part of a much bigger picture of several factors and needs that result in behavioural output. Every dog is a complete individual and all of the factors within their 'jigsaws' will be different - after all, when we consider each of these things, my dog is going to be an entirely different being to yours. This is why when first assessing your dog, there are lots of things to be considered.

Below is what that complete jigsaw puzzle looks like, with the pieces lining up in the best way that they can for the individual. The dog should be in their own unique best place at this time. The pieces don't line up all the time - this is fluid. On a bad day, some pieces won't fit (let's say the dog has had a stressful trip to the vets one day involving handling that they didn't enjoy, and then the next day went to the groomers - more handling, environment and stress pieces will be out) but after recovery, will fit back to their best place again. It's when the pieces of this jigsaw puzzle are continually not fitting properly that we may need to consider what we are doing and support the dog to get to a better place.

There are some pieces here that we can do little about. Genetics need to be considered and are part of this picture, but we can't change a dog's genetic make-up. We can change some of these other pieces to suit those genetics, though. For example - I can't stop a working line collie from being a working line collie. We can't stop them from wanting to herd sheep. If there are no sheep in the environment, they'll find something else to do, usually something that isn't overly beneficial and can develop in to compulsive behaviour. But, if we carefully consider the environment, exercise, enrichment & stimulation pieces - we can help that working line collie to be their best in a life where they cannot herd sheep.

Subsequently, all of these pieces link and have knock on effects. If diet isn't quite right, physical health won't be quite right, which means that others will also be off. Emotional wellbeing links to stress, which links to physical health. So leaving certain pieces of the puzzle not fitting correctly may mean that overtime, the rest of the puzzle isn't right either.

To get a dog to the best outcome, we need to offer them support so that their puzzle pieces can start fitting together. Not all of the pieces may fit 100% (for example a dog that has chronic illnesses may struggle with their physical health at times) - and that's ok, as long as we take this in to consideration and adjust the other pieces for them, to support that need. That's why we consider best outcomes for the individual, and not perfect outcomes, because that is unrealistic and an unfair expectation to have of our dogs.

11/06/2021

10/06/2021

Keep your dog active for life!

07/06/2021

The last 18 months have been difficult financially for many people so we wanted to give you some ideas for how you can manage your dogs arthritis on a budget. 😀

✔️ TOP TIP - Keep them in good shape!

Obesity only adds fuel to the arthritis fire. If your dog is over weight, loosing as little as 5% of their weight can make a significant impact on their mobility and their pain levels - weight loss is not only free but could actually SAVE you money in treats and excessive portions of food. Long term it could even delay the need for other treatments like pain killers or physical therapies.

Speak to your veterinary nurse if you're unsure about your dogs weight and if you need help to shed those excess pounds - many clinics will offer low cost or even free consultations with expert veterinary nurses who have a lot to offer you and your dog!

We can send you weight loss tips directly to your email inbox if you sign up to mailing list, completely free, here 👉 http://bit.ly/35FxOuU

06/06/2021

Since communication is just as important with our dog as any other relationship, it's vital to learn how we can improve our communication. This blog is going to consider 3 simple ways to improve communication with our dog, as well as the benefits.

02/06/2021

There is a heatwave coming and it is already warm! Be careful with your beasties ###

02/06/2021

Stopping pulling ethically is a mind exercise, not a body restriction.
https://ed.gr/dgdqj

02/06/2021

Heat-related illness - more commonly known as 'heat stroke' - is a potentially fatal disorder that can affect both man and animals. Understanding why it happens, and which dogs are most at risk, could help to prevent this deadly disorder.

31/05/2021

It really doesn’t matter if your dog is friendly or not.

What matters is that you don’t take the choice away from another owner (and their dog) as to who they interact with.

There can be so many reasons why a dog and their owner need space from you and your dog.

Please allow them that choice 💙