Time to Paws Behaviour Consulting

04/11/2024

⭐🎉Time to Paws Behaviour Consulting is going to be offering a new service shortly!!

💥Dog sitting for dogs that don't like people or other dogs 👀.

I am fully aware of the amount of people with dogs that cannot go into normal boarding facilities because of their behaviour and the need to have these dogs stay in their own environment.

The market is saturated with dog sitting services currently, but, I am offering something a little better.

As a highly qualified behaviour and body language consultant I'm well aware of what it takes to be around and look after these dogs. I have lived with a resource guarding serious biter as well as worked with a lot of dogs with behaviour that can be concerning if not dangerous. I have years of experience with understanding these dogs and match that with qualifications, I know there is a need for someone like myself to sit with them while their guardians need to stay away from home over night or for short periods.

Initially only offering overnights to weekends or short periods, if you are in that situation, have been turned away by mainstream boarding, or had incidents with ordinary pet sitters, give me a call and we can have a discuss about what your needs for your companion are.

28/10/2024

This is a force-free page. I do not use force, fear, punishment or intimidation when working with animals.
FF professionals, please copy and post.

16/09/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/J5PvmNSsv9UqrYGr/

Being frantically chased is not play❌
You may have noticed this yourself. 👀....if play is allowed to get to that hyper, frantic play, signals are not given well, and not received well and that can lead to big issues.💥
Maybe you expect your dog to play with all other dogs.❓
Guess what ?
Dogs do not need to play with all other dogs, in fact it is healthy to be choosy with who they interact with.
Dogs have the right to consent to play or not.
Just because we wish them to play does not mean they consent.

Toys.
So many issues arise with dogs playing with their own toys around others they do not know.
They can be highly prized items. The simplest way to avoid issues is don't play with your dogs toy around other dogs you do not know and even if you DO know them caution is needed.
Many dogs do not like to share.

Pairing dogs with different play styles and energy can cause big problems.. A dog that constantly chases may not read the "cut off" signals given by the less energetic dog.

Always listen to the little voice inside....and if you are at all unsure, advocate and stop play, or don't allow it to even start.

🙂Unmarked graphics are available for $ 1.20 USD or $ 2 NZD each (approx), these are then able to be used off Facebook for client handouts, posters etc. Please visit ABC Dogs Patreon Shop for our collection of graphics.
Everyone is free to share these posts on social media, however off social media use is protected.
Screen shots are a violation of copyright.
Please respect that these graphics take time and effort to make . All graphics belong to ABC Dogs NZ and are under copyright.

06/09/2024

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Don't wait for the bark.💥
I cannot stress this enough when working with reactive dogs.
Unfortunately too many people only react to their own dogs reactivity when there is a bark.
A bark is just an audible sign of a reaction but there are many other signs given before that bark and when we don't recognise those signs, guess what happens ?
Barking, Lunges, Spins, Jumps and a dog unable to control their own emotions.
There is a LOT that is shown before the bark, even if it is very fast, it is still shown.
So why is it so important to know the unique signals and changes in posture and body language your dog shows ?
So you can STOP the escalation....and yes, even stop the barking from occurring in the first place.
Barking is often at the END of a longer chain of events.
First is usually (not always) a hard stare, a fixation.
THAT is a reaction.
It is not audible but it is often the first sign your dog has changed their emotional state, they ARE reacting.

A change in ear position IS a reaction.
Puling harder on the lead IS a reaction.
A lengthening of the neck/leaning in IS a reaction.
A wrinkled face IS a reaction.......use that information!

Remember a reaction is a change in their emotional state.....and those non verbal signs are a reaction.

A bark is just a reaction we recognise more.

Imagine how we can help our dogs with their reactivity if we started to recognise all those other changes and escalations in their emotional states as easily as we recognise a bark.....

Please respect that these graphics take time and effort to make. Everyone is free to share on social media🙂, however off social media use of these marked graphics is prohibited.
Unmarked graphics are available for $ 1.20 USD or $ 2 NZD each (approx), these are then able to be used off Facebook for client handouts, posters or for personal use.
Screen shots are a violation of the copyright.
Please visit ABC Dogs Patreon Shop for unmarked graphics. All graphics belong to ABC Dogs NZ and are under copyright.

02/09/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/SJ8Vq8MvTwYrCP5k/

DON’T TOUCH MY STUFF!
Resource guarding – also called possessive aggression

We all guard our resources, it’s a natural reaction to a threat of something we value being taken away.

It’s essential for survival and dogs or other animals would not survive in the wild if they didn’t guard their resources.

We also don’t get to decide what’s valuable and what’s not – different things have different value to different dogs and at different times.

Food is usually the most common, but toys, furniture, different items, places, or even a certain person are all things that may be seen as a valuable resource.

A dog turning their head away, freezing, a hard stare, whale eye, moving away, growling or snapping may quickly escalate into a serious bite in an attempt to protect that valuable possession.

Punishing or forcing a dog to give something up is probably one of the worst things to do.

Resource guarding is rooted in the emotion of fear – the fear of that resource being taken away.

Punishment and force further increase that fear, which only increases and reinforces the need to protect that resource.

When a dog is guarding food or an object, we can change the negative emotion of that fear into a positive one by swopping or trading something that has a similar or higher value than what the dog has.

This is one of the most effective ways to address resource guarding of objects as it works at the root cause of the behaviour by changing the emotional response.

A dog resource guarding a person is more complicated to address. A full history of the individual dog, family dynamics, attachment styles, situation and environment all have to be assessed before planning and working on a solution.

Resource guarding can usually be prevented, managed and addressed and by starting early, understanding why dogs feel the need to resort to this behaviour and doing what we can to prevent it from happening in the first place.