Karen's in the Dog House

12/03/2024

https://www.facebook.com/391152891012858/videos/1283572678437537

15/11/2023

06/10/2023

TV TRAINERS
Why are TV executives still so wedded to aversive dog trainers? My theory... the public loves the circus act of dangerous and wild behaviour tamed as if by magic.
Dog Academy tried very hard to make positive, reward based training good TV, and they showcased some of the very best trainers and behaviourists working in the UK. But to the masses, sitting on the floor tossing chunks of chicken at a dog doesn't seem to hold the same appeal as dodging the growls and bites of a confused and terrified dog. A scared dog slowly realising a new person is no threat, and watching their body and face soften is not as dramatic as the 'fierce beast calmed' lying in a state of miserable learned helplessness.
How can we get the Ring Masters and Lion Tamers off TV? Stop watching.
Instead of watching a dog with mobility issues and pain labelled as a 'diva', find Canine Arthritis Management and read an article on home adaptations for elderly dogs. Instead of watching a dog with a fear of his feet being handled walked to exhaustion, then wrestled to the floor, let Chirag Patel show you the bucket game on YouTube.

25/08/2023

ABTC Statement on Augusto Deoliveira’s dog handling practices.

25/08/2023

I've heard it, you've heard it, we have all heard the phrase "it's all about how you raise them."

I've been told so many times that dogs who struggle with reactivity or simply displaying normal breed traits, for eg. Guarding, are dogs who have not been loved enough.

The other common saying is "Dogs become like their people." Another big myth that is just not true.

While HOW you raise your pets is extremely important, raising your dog in an environment with a flood of love will not guarentee you a "perfect" dog who never displays normal dog behaviour.

Nature and nurture are both huge components in making up a dog's personality and being.

Instead of focusing on, "was this dog loved enough" as the reason for a dog displaying normal behaviour, ask yourself "what is this behaviour showing me?" "What is the reason for this behaviour?" If a behaviour is displayed, it usually means that the behaviour has been successful at communicating your pets needs in the past, what need was that behaviour communicating?

This is also why it is extremely important to research the breed you are interested in and finding out if that breed is correct for you. This is also why, if you are wanting a pup from a breeder, you make sure that breeder is doing all the health tests, breeding for temperament and you make sure you meet the parents and find out what behaviour issues they have. If you are planning on rescuing a pup, make sure you find out as much as possible about how their behaviour has been at the rescue and if possible, their history.

Here are some other factors that can influence your dogs behaviour.

28/08/2022

Something to think about and share.

As a canine massage therapist I am forever talking to my clients about ball launchers and the effects they have on our dogs….so nice to see an article in the national paper….the more publicity the better…hopefully more people will make a more informed choice 🤞🤞

01/07/2022

Respect choice and freedom - what a lovely foundation for a relationship x

A BEARDED WARRIOR, a fine old member of the Bundanoon tribe, sits with his dingo companion named Megalong'

To be an 'owner' of a dingo, is not to own the dingo but to be a guardian, a fair leader and to have respect for the dingo.

Dingoes will recognize that and gain respect and loyalty for you.

A dingo demonstrates one of the purest forms of friendship and it is an ancient one.

20/05/2022

Some good guidelines to follow

Ever wondered if a specific trainer is the right one for you?
Here are a few tips on what to look out for.

18/05/2022

Some of the reasons that I will in most cases always recommend using a harness on a dog and not a lead attached stright to their collar. Especially important for puppies too.

11/05/2022

Anyone experiencing lead aggression - this is a good read. Happy to help anyone with challenges.

I spent six days last week working from a beach house in Los Angeles, California. Hermosa Beach to be exact. It was an unbelievable week for many reasons. A big part of it was the people who were there with me. I have belonged to a small mastermind group for six years now. We get together in person

30/04/2022

I often get asked this - when I am out with treat pouch for my dogs. This is a very good response.

Repost from
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“There are many things our dogs find reinforcing, and you can use this to help them learn, but please don't think that using food is cheating - it's not. Besides the obvious training benefits that come from using food, it can also be a great enrichment tool, providing opportunities for fun scent activities on your walks and more.”

20/04/2022

This will make sense to you.

Imagine this.
Your 3 year old child is scared of spiders.

Perhaps one ran over your child’s hand one day whilst playing in the garden and from then on your child has developed a strong negative reaction.

Now whenever they see a spider, even at a distance , no matter how small the spider is.. they feel frightened.

They panic. 😰

This fear presents itself as panicky squealing, flapping hands, running away and crying.

You are trying to help them but not sure how.
You want the behaviour to stop. 🛑

So one day you decide to buy a pair of percussion Cymbals.

You keep them ready in the shed.

One day when you and your child are in the garden you notice that your child sees a small spider 🕷 and starts to panic.

They start to flap their hands and squeal!

You quickly go into the shed and grab your Cymbals.
You creep up behind them and crash the Cymbals as LOUDLY as possible! 💥

Your child jumps!
They are quite clearly startled by the noise!
They stop squealing and stand still in shock.

Good, You think to yourself. Well that’s worked!!

I’ll do that again.

But then you notice your child’s bottom lip starts to quiver.
They look at you with betrayal and confusion in their eyes. 🥺

A little bit of trust. Vanished.

Why did mummy do that? I needed her support and reassurance.
Not for mummy to scare me even more.

You don’t care.

As far as you’re concerned the behaviour of squealing at the spider stopped.

And quickly.

Okay..

How unfair and cruel does that sound??!

The outward behaviour may have stopped but now your child is now scared of the spider AND YOU.

Now, of course, NO-ONE with any ounce of sense or empathy would do this to their child!

BUT WE DO IT TO OUR DOGS.

Replace the spider with another dog.

Replace the Cymbals with a can of Pet Corrector that you spray or a can/jar filled with pebbles or coins that you violently shake.

Or even a sharp sq**rt of water to the face.

Startle IS going to stop the behaviour immediately.
Of course it will! Its a shock to the system.

But the underlying emotion is STILL present.
And now, your dog is feeling scared of the noise.
And probably very unsure of you.

If the startle method is repeated, it will (most probably) work to SUPPRESS the behaviour that you don’t want.

But your dog won’t be ‘fixed’.

Emotionally your dog now has added worries.

Can they trust you?

Because YOU make scary noises happen. 😩🕷

01/04/2022

Can you help Medical Detection Dogs???

Have you got ? Would you like to help us with the next stage of our trial to train dogs to detect it's odour? All you really need to do is get dressed...

Find out more at https://www.medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk/c-19-sample-collection/

22/02/2022

If you can help with this survey please do.

SURVEY: Have you brought home a puppy in last 12 months? A Clinical Animal Behaviour student at The University of Edinburgh is undertaking a research project into use of crates in puppy rearing & looking for owners to complete an anonymous online survey: https://edinburgh.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/crate-use-in-puppy-rearing

The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies Bruce Forsyth's Vets Get Scanning Petition All Dogs Matter Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home Dogs Today Magazine Our Dogs Dogs Monthly Magazine Your Dog Magazine Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare

12/02/2022

Do you have a puppy shark at home??? Please share if you have friends that are struggling with bitey pups.

11/02/2022

So true - a word about slip leads.

I posted a few weeks ago on the use of slip leads and how we should never use them as a training tool. Someone who uses them posted this picture in response and said this is correct placement of them. Let me break some of this down.

I've done various martial arts for over 30 years. I've been doing Brazilian Jiu jitsu for over a decade. Many jiu jitsu attacks are against various points on the neck. There are three ways we can submit (use pain) to beat an opponent

1. Attack the air supply so they can't breathe
2. Attack the arteries supplying blood to the brain so that they pass out
3. Attack various pressure points (nerve bundles) which cause pain (most hardened jiu jitsu players will battle through this, but it still hurts)

When the slip lead is placed as shown in the photo, number 3 is most likely in play, followed by number 2. The dog then "behaves" in order to escape the pressure causing the pain/discomfort when it's applied, so the handler releases it, or they learn to behave in order to avoid it's application.

My sport is about applying pressure to various places in the body. When sparring against an able opponent, everything you do is about escaping/avoiding that pain/discomfort. People starting the sport often freak out on the mats. I've seen people quit, have mild panic attacks, cry, and use lots if displacement behaviours because of the pressure. The difference is, they can quit or tap out at any time. Your dog can't. They're forced into the pain/discomfort. They can't choose not to wear the slip lead.

It's 2022. We don't lobotomise mental health patients anymore and most of us don't strike children to discipline them. We need to reject the use of coercion in dog training too. Run from any person who tells you to use one.

Lastly if this post causes an adverse reaction in you, ask yourself why. Cognitive dissonance is very powerful. I have no issue with deleting comments and blocking people. You will not have a voice on this platform justifying or condoning these tools.

N.b. the picture is not mine, but it was posted publicly on this page.

06/01/2022

Ball obsessed dogs? ......here you go!

04/01/2022

This needs repeating again and again.

15/12/2021

07/12/2021

Do think about the sensory overload for your dogs over Xmas

🎄 Sensory overload is when your dog's senses -- especially their smell and hearing -- take in more information than their brain can comfortably process.
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When their brain is overwhelmed by this input, this puts your dog's nervous system into fight, flight, or freeze/shut down mode.
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Signs of your dog suffering from sensory overload can be hyperactivity, hyper-vigilance, difficulty in settling and relaxing.
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As you can imagine, what we humans can find delightful, or calming and joy-bringing at holiday season, our dogs can find overwhelming and stressful.
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Think about this:
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Your dog is a scent master by design. Dogs can smell up to 10,000 times better than a human because of their unique nose and brain configuration. A dogs nose as two different air passages, one for breathing and one for smelling. And their brain's olfactory cortex is about 40 times larger than yours, making them specialists in scent.
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Dogs can smell emotions like sad or happy, can identify if someone is pregnant and can even smell low blood sugar and cancer cells.
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Imagine how overwhelming your favorite holiday scents are for your dog!
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And what about dog's hearing?
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Dogs can hear sounds four times farther away than we can, they hear higher frequency sounds, and they can easily differentiate sounds - like they know it's YOUR car, even if the neighbor has the same exact model. They can pinpoint the exact location of a sound more accurately and from farther away than us because of ear mobility and a much longer ear canal.

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
Holiday Sensory Overload
🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

Ok, so now we can understand why dogs might experience sensory overload around the holidays!
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So many smells, sounds, and changes to their environment ... and for sensitive dogs that are easily aroused, over-excited, reactive, anxious?
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Well, it's just too much.
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If you live with a sensitive dog, it will be so worth it to keep things safe, calm, and happy this holiday season.
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Here are a few key strategies that will help make the holidays happy for everyone, including your dog:
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- No scented candles, no flashing lights, no whirring motors...
- Use unscented cleaning products, be mindful of disruptive music and sounds.
- Make sensible choices with who and how many visitors...
- Ensure your dog has a safe place to retreat easily, and work with your family to pre-plan management strategies for holiday gatherings that would overwhelm your dog.
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To help you to help your dog this holiday season, I've put together a special Holiday Partnership Bundle for Dog Moms.
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It includes one of my most popular classes: "Holiday Survival Guide".
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This Masterclass is taken right from the library of my Brilliant Partners Academy! It’s all about how to survive the holidays with your dog … from a partnership perspective! This video class will guide you through the important considerations of keeping your dog happy and safe during the holiday season and for holiday gatherings.
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I’ll be discussing these topics:
- Avoiding Sensory Overload
- Planning for Gatherings
- Your Holiday Harmony Kit
- Routines and Planning
- Safety Concerns
- Retreat and Management Strategies
- Options if your dog strongly dislikes visitors
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The Holiday Partnership Bundle has a collection of two video masterclasses with workbooks, and 7 pdf guidebooks to help you reduce overwhelm and stress, and create connection and cooperation, so that you and your dog can enjoy the holidays and well beyond!
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Get your Holiday Survival Bundle for only $19. That's 90% Off!
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I hope you take advantage of the special tuition for this workshop - it's my holiday gift to you!!
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Happy Holidays!
Kathy xo
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https://dancinghearts.co/holiday-partnership-bundle-enroll/

19/11/2021

First Class advise from Lee. If you know anyone who has a puppy please pass this on. Letting them cry it out causes so many unhappy pups and potential problems later on.

“Oh just Let them cry it out…..”

No, just bloody well NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ✋🏼 🛑

Stress can be debilitating and that’s the key word, debilitating …..
A puppy can go through so much stress it becomes unable to function and basically just gives up.
To the novice owner it looks like it works, which it kinda does, But in a pretty crappy way! 😞
Think about what stress they have to go through before they quit crying ????? 😢

How about instead……
You try set them up successfully in the first place by making things as relaxed as possible, but if Puppy does cry, you comfort them, then if puppy cries, you comfort them, then if puppy cries, you comfort them, fix what needs fixing…….and so on! 😇

Once pup has an overall relaxed emotional state because you have helped them with kindness and understanding. They become less reliant on the comforting as they start to feel much more content/confident in their surroundings and then soon can be left happily alone safe in the knowledge that you have got their back 👊🏼 😁

Pretty simple if you think about it 💭

Lee
First Class Dog Training

19/11/2021

Great free workshop from Dogs Trust.

Happy dog, happy home 🐶
We’re running free virtual and face to face presentations to help and support dog owners who are returning to work after the pandemic 💛
Book for free today 👉 https://bit.ly/3wPBsis

05/11/2021

We have lots of stock of 'Only H**p' organic h**p seed oil for dogs. H**p oil for dogs is a popular homeopathic supplement to help manage various canine problems such as anxiety, stress, chronic pain, skin disorders, mobility problems, and more.

You can buy this from Viovet for £14.99, or £18.99 on eBay...
or £11.99 from us.