Early morning cooler visit to this adolescent brother and sister who have joined for a variety of individual issues.
Today we focused on safety in the home around a less mobile resident and implementing management to lower arousal and build focus.
✅️ Identifying hyper arousal and management.
✅️ Diagnosing reactivity types ready for his bespoke sessions in cooler weather.
✅️ How shouting 'no' can actually be misinterpreted as attention and actually increases un desirable behaviour.
✅️ Environmental management
✅️ Appropriate outlets for behaviours
✅️ Building focus into routines.
✅️ Mental stimulation appropriate to owners goals.
✅️ Getting valuable swap training in to prevent the item stealing and keeping becoming a guarding issue.
And most Importantly we had some fun! Using their brains definitely ran their batteries out!
⚠️ I can't stress this enough after seeing another dog out in a cloth muzzle.
Muzzles are a great resource when used correctly, they are not just for reactive dogs as they are often used for those dogs that eat things they shouldn't when on walks.
Cloth muzzles are ONLY designed for short specific scenarios and NOT for walking, especially in hot temperatures.
If you use a muzzle when out walking make sure that-
✅️ The dog is comfortable both physically and emotionally (see my videos on muzzle training)
✅️ There is a gap from the nose to the end of the muzzle.
✅️ There is adequate space for the mouth to open and the tongue to relax out.
Forcing a dogs mouth to close prevents their main adaptation for reducing temperature (they don't sweat like we do!)
If you need any help with a reactive dog or muzzle training get in touch!
Welcome Alan to our seperation anxiety programme 🥰.
☂️ Did you know seperation anxiety is an umbrella term for a range of problems that occur when left alone and not a diagnosis in itself?
✅️ By ensuring a thorough assessment by a qualified professional and developing a bespoke training plan your dog is more likely to cope on an emotional level.
🚫 This isn't kongs, crates and a military lifestyle this is lifelong learning!
🟡Unfortunately Alan suffered an injury during his fear stage and socialisation period which means he missed out on vital stimuli due to being house bound. This alongside the beginning of adolescence means he is often anxious out of the home and is easily frustrated.
🟡This also stresses the importance of ensuring your vet is happy to refer your dog and that there is no underlying pain still involved!
Today we worked on
✅️ Building confidence
✅️ Measuring his thresholds for different stimuli
✅️ Mental and physical stimulation
✅️ Avoiding trigger stacking
✅️ Reducing arousal and impulsivity
✅️ Setting him up to succeed in his first steps of reducing owner vigilance.
And of course we had some fun!
Does this sound like your dog? Why not get in touch to get the ball rolling!
Today I met this little superstar ⭐️
Such a switched on little brain in such a little body!
Her owners have had many dogs previously and have already worked on her anticipatory and seperation related issues but wanted some help with her heightened arousal around their older dog and her reactions to certain stimuli outdoors.
Today we covered-
✅️ Schedules of reinforcement
✅️ Sub threshold leaving exercises
✅️ Age appropriate exercise and duration
✅️ Frustration tolerance and barking
✅️ Reading her reactions to novel exposures and redirecting undesirable behaviours.
✅️ Recognising stress and sub threshold techniques.
✅️ Rapid recall and 'leave its'
✅️ Breed specific enrichment
✅️ Promoting calm around the older dog and cats.
We also put measures (and games) in place to prevent any future undesirable behaviours that may arise such as guarding issues due to her impulsivity, frustration tolerance and possible underlying fears.
Look how well she did 😄
Don't forget March is Pet Anxiety Awareness Month!
🐶Whilst fear is a normal, adaptive response, sometimes a dog’s fear response can reach more extreme levels that require intervention. It is important to understand that fear and anxiety can lead to unhealthy and potentially dangerous behaviours within dogs!.
To help you better understand how to help, it’s necessary to understand anxiety and fear behaviours in dogs, what to look out for and what can be done to reduce the negative state.
🐶 Fear in Dogs
Fear is the instinctual feeling of apprehension caused by a situation, person or object that presents an external threat—whether it’s real or perceived.
🐶 Anxiety in Dogs
Anxiety, meanwhile, is the anticipation of unknown or imagined future dangers. This results in bodily reactions (known as physiologic reactions) that are normally associated with fear.
If you feel your dog is showing signs of fear or anxiety and you need help get in touch to hear about what services we have to offer!
🚗'Ramblings from the drivers seat' #???🚗 These are usually in my stories but quite often I have to manually trim them otherwise they go in the wrong order, on a positive note I have brushed my hair 😂.
⚠️Did Ant and Dec's apology 'ring' true in your household?⚠️
Undesirable behaviours are always identified by the owner, some people want a dog to bark at the doorbell and some people don't :)
🐶Here's how barking at the doorbell can be changed with classical and counter conditioning practices to operant condition an alternative response rather than a more lengthy desensitisation protocol.
✅️This is only for a 'learnt' response, there are many emotional responses that can also underpin this behaviour so please seek advice from a qualified behaviourist if you feel there maybe underlying reasons for your dogs reactions.
👩⚕️Always seek veterinary advice to eliminate 'Pain' from your animals diagnosis as this can increase a negative association.
#binthebarkcollars #antanddec #dogbehaviourist
🐶 I often get asked "how do I stop this" "what does it mean if my dog does this".
🐕🦺 The truth is dog walkers, trainers and behaviourists can rarely 'or ethically' give a solution or a reason to a problem they haven't investigated (Just as Veterinary professionals can't without seeing a patient).
🚫 Yes all behaviour can be 'stopped' using aversive methods such restraints, corrections and devices, however the after effects of these 'treatment' methods only lead to the underlying reason being masked, ignored and quite often exasperated without the behavioural response.
*insert magic wand video using a 'tool' *
🟢 If you are worried or overwhelmed with your dogs behaviour on walks, get in touch for a non obligation chat!
#BecauseCaringMatters
Hold onto your dog leads....it's a bit breezy out there..😂
How confident is this little 10 week old boy I had in the office today 💙.
Socialisation does not mean throwing a puppy in at the deep end infront of everything! It is working at the puppies own pace and understanding which helps to build a positive view of the world and appropriate interactions.
Behaviour and training is not just for when problems arise...prevention is far easier than a 'cure'.
This little girls confidence has blossomed and now she is ready for the big wide world in a sense of vaccinations and comfortable wearing her harness, yet the big wide world is much more than that!.
We worked on 'drop' and 'leave it' cues initially in the house and then generalised these to a more stimulating environment.
Working in a controlled environment first with less competitive motivations means she has more chance of understanding the cues and producing the desired behaviour.
✅️ Rewarding calm behaviours
✅️ Recall work
✅️ Drop and swap games that prevent the 'picking up' becoming an antecedent to a reward I.e. mouthing gravel does not initiate a fun game.
✅️ 'Leave it' before high arousal to prevent picking up gravel or running after chickens becoming a game.
I also recommended a few controlled environment training classes held by other trainers to her owners to aid her understanding of appropriate social behaviours.
#wedoitforthedogs #dogtrainingcommunitu
Progress should never be measured by how close you are but how far you have come.
I took this boy on a training walk today and it's evident that he and his owners have done some homework 😃.
Just by initially identifying the emotions involved to different triggers and working in a positive manner to give choice and aid confidence he is now choosing to disengage on what was originally over threshold!
This is a big achievement.
Today we worked on his reaction to passing vehicles which had become too much for him (and his owners), his initial fear and lack of coping behaviours such as moving away means he has picked up habits and learnt that barking makes the fearful stimuli go away (cars always drive away so this is an easy association to make).
Some dogs with low frustration tolerance will instinctively resort to barking, lunging, spinning and lead biting when unable to fulfil the learnt sequence.
We-
✅️ Reduced trigger stacking
✅️ Worked on confidence building and handler focus
✅️ Gave choice and used the longline as a reward instead of a barrier.
✅️ Saw some fabulous disengagement
✅️ And...most importantly....had FUN!
Force free dog training is not just 'throwing food' as the 'aversive' users will tell you. This dog does not take food rewards out of the home yet....but it still doesn't mean a choke or prong collar is the next option.
Yesterday I visited this little 12 week old sweetheart to talk all things puppy 🥰.
✅️ Toileting
✅️ Puppy biting
✅️ Promoting calm and rest periods
✅️ Distinguishing fear and frustration
✅️ What socialisation really means
✅️ Harness wearing
✅️ Food enrichment
And the most important.....cuddling is not spoiling a dog.....I mean I was tempted too myself 😍.
Here she is doing some age appropriate training, 'touch' not bite, 'bed' and some drop and swap games 😄.
