One of Murphy’s favourite games is playing ball.
I try to provide as many choices in Murphys life but one thing I don’t play is ball launching. I know it might sound boring, but if I allowed Murphy to do this, he would chase, skid, twist in any direction he could to get the ball. He would not think at the time about the pain it would cause him or the days after that would impact on him.
I understand some dogs love it, the chase of a ball at long distance, the adrenaline rush, but we know sometimes the things we love aren’t necessarily good for us
Some dogs will engage in this high level of activity, continuously chasing, skidding, twisting, jumping. But what we can create is an athlete, a dog that has no focus or engagement with us, their surroundings, become reliant or obsessed, looking out for anyone with a ball and importantly the physical effects it can potentially cause from the same level of a high energy activity repeatedly.
What we do instead of ball launching, occasionally if Murphy has found a ball is play a find it game a few times.
Asking Murphy for a wait to prevent him chasing and skidding after the ball or you can have your dog on a long lead to hide the ball.
This still gives Murphy enjoyment seeking out where the ball has gone, fun sniffing to find the ball, having a chew once he’s found it, but at a lower level being able to manage the ball game for him and for Murphy to still have the time to process and engage in his environment.
Does your dog love to roll in 💩
One of Murphy’s favourite things to do is rolling in💩😂 and he managed to find only two spots on his walk at the weekend 🤣
Apparently here are some of the top favourites
🦊 Fox
🐄 Cow
🐴 Horse
🐰 Rabbit
🦌 Deer
🐦 Bird poo to name a few.
Why? Here’s some of the theories
1️⃣ Is it to disguise their scent?
2️⃣ Is it to roll on the ground with their scent?
3️⃣ Is it like a new perfume, sharing this valuable information to other dogs, letting them know where they have been?
4️⃣ Is it our response, a reaction we have given?
5️⃣ Or because they simply just love it?
I’m thinking Murphy loves to roll, maybe sharing information with other dogs and possibly spreading his scent into the ground 🤔
Just to note the car journey on the way home was rather breezy with the windows down 🤢😷😂
What a year 2023 has been. For me personally we have had some tough times as a family, some ups and downs with the very sad loss of close family, I had a couple of minor operations earlier on in the year and Murphy needing frequent vet visits for ongoing medical issues.
Life can be difficult at times but throughout I wanted to try to keep positive, try to look on the bright side and continued to do what makes me smile. Supporting Dogs!!
I’ve struggled around seeing and still hearing out dated methods and techniques being used, causing pain and suffering, and stand by the ban of shock collars that hopefully will come into effect in the new year, however the ban of xl bullies I believe is not really treating the underlying issues, other than affecting so many dogs and their families sadly.
We know that we all still have so much to learn about our canine companions, our best friends but one thing is for sure they should all be treated with a kind, caring and compassionate approach that they all deserve.
I am so proud to be a certified positive behaviourist, I was over the moon when I applied and went through a thorough process to become an accredited Behaviourist this year with INTODogs, with huge support from other professionals. You know who you are! So a big thank you xx
I’ve continued my studies and completed several courses, meeting amazing dogs and their people and feel very lucky and grateful for that so a massive thank you to you and your dogs too! 😊
So as 2023 comes to an end, I’m hoping that 2024 brings you all and your families including your wonderful dogs, a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year!
🎉Happy New Year everyone! 🎉
Donna & Murphy 😊🐾
Co-operative care with choice based methods.
Whether this is grooming, cleaning ears, administering eye drops, medication, or brushing your dogs teeth.
Allowing your dog a choice, their consent and two-way communication between Us.
There is no need to ever force, only gain trust and cooperation, able to make life a little less stressful.
How does your dog cope? 🌧️⛈️
For some dogs changes in the weather can massively effect their mood, maybe like some of us, from the dry, sunny days to the temperature dropping, wind, rain and the changes of daily routine, maybe having to go for their walk at different times or even different places.
The wind and rain can have a huge impact on the way we feel, grey skies, the sound of the wind whirling, the rain beating down on us, cars passing splashing through puddles, our environment with leaves blowing and falling around us, trees, branches swaying and smells travelling in all different directions can be very stressful for our dogs. Definitely not a fun day to be out and about for some.
Indoor activities can break up your dogs day, allowing your dog an outlet for their boredom, frustration and stress levels. Having a day off from an outside walk is ok.
We know dogs love to sniff, chew, lick and shred, depending on your dog's preference of course as every dog is individual.
Offering a favourite chew, a licki mat, a variety of cardboard boxes to shred can help lower stress levels.
Creating a safe quiet space to chill out, put some background music on or even have time to play their favourite game or learn a new trick.
Whatever your doing with your dog today, stay safe, hope you stay dry and warm x
Does your dog love playing fetch and hide and seek, finding their toys- add a scent like catnip for extra nose work!
Place a toy into a sealed tight container with catnip
Play fetch with the scented toy
Hide the toy in an easy place for your dog to find
Rewarding when they have found it
Increase the difficulty as your dog succeeds each step
Wash the toy after each game and place back into the sealed container with catnip
The longer you leave the toy in the container, the more scented it will be for your dog to find
Sending messages
Dogs also leave and send messages to other dogs, if your dog scratches the ground after peeing or pooing, this is maybe what they are doing.
Dogs have scent glands in their paws and after peeing or pooing, they could be sending an olfactory message by spreading the scent from their paws or by sharing the odour of the pee or poop they deposited.
Ground scratching could be yet another form of social communication, and taken together, peeing, pooping and ground scratching are a good example of how dogs may use what ethologists call composite signals to enhance their messages to other dogs, by using olfactory, auditory and visual components.
The next time your dog scratches the ground it could be that they are leaving a message, sending a message to other dogs or because they just love to do it.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/animal-emotions/201903/ground-scratching-dogs-scent-sight-and-ecstasy?amp
Murphy & Me
I wasn’t going to post this video as there are a few mistakes on my part, not Murphys, although he was very patient for me.
My mistakes
Paying more attention to brushing rather than watching Murphy at times, this is to ensure I watch his body language and understand when or if he wants me to stop.
Leaning over Murphy to check his ears, although he looked relaxed (not all dogs feel comfortable with this).
Why we do this
One of Murphys dislikes is being groomed, as he is very sensitive around some areas and as you can imagine trying to groom him and not wanting to stand or lie still was very difficult.
Murphy is more comfortable using a chair to rest on, a ideal height for him and has allowed Murphys confidence to grow using it as a game and slowly introducing a brush and then adding different general health checks ears, eyes and mouth and also helpful when/ if needing to administer treatment, for us to work together.
How we do this
I starting treating Murphy on a chair.
You can use a cushion on you lap or the sofa, something ideal and suitable for dogs height
When Murphy started to offer the behaviour, I began to mark the behaviour with a yes and continued to reward
When he didn’t I changed how was sitting, looking etc, understanding I might have moved to quick and he needing more help.
Murphy learnt to repeat the behaviour i was looking for and we then adding the duration he was comfortable with
Slowing introducing the brush for him to see and carefully took time to then hold it then adding one brush and so on taking time to not rush.
We then introduced using slow hand movements to begin with to eventually carry out the general health checks at Murphys pace.
Recall fun!
Here’s gorgeous Penny 🥰
I was asked by Penny’s family for help with some advice around recall, sometimes Penny was just too busy and didn’t want her walk to end.
We helped Penny using recall throughout our walk and an opportunity to introduce some fun games in between with yummy treats.
Well done Penny and family x
I love seeing dogs use their senses, here is Murphy interested in Frozen Planet watching the movements and hearing the sounds mainly from the birds. He’s not normally bothered about the TV, but he’s certainly finding this fascinating.
We sometimes see a dog tilt their head at us, when we say a certain interesting word.
The reasons a dog may tilt heads to hear better by oriented their ears towards whatever is making the sound.
To see something clearly without their noses being in the way.
To communicate interest through their body language.
Or to receive a reward such as attention, petting, or contact.
A small study found that head tilts may be related to increased attention and to understand more about what is happening around them.
Here is the link to the study
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10071-021-01571-8
Snuffle Sunday 💙
As we know dogs love to sniff, using their senses to explore, discover and benefits their natural foraging behaviours.
It’s great for all ages - puppies to senior dogs
It helps to build confidence
Supports independence
Prevents, boredom and anxiety
What enrichment activities does your dog enjoy?
We would love you to share your ideas!
I had a go at making this one over the weekend, however you can buy online or at local pet shops.
I used a non slip mat and strips of fleece, weaving through and tying together.
You can use a door mat with holes in or a sink mat which ever you prefer and left over material that you may have and your time.
🐾Place treats in between for your dog to find.
🐾Supervising your dog and when they finished remove the mat.
You might have to turn up the volume to hear the snuffle 💙
I thought I’d share
The Nose Target Game with Murphy 🐾😊
Why I teach this 🐾
Another game Murphy enjoys learning through play
A great calm focus game to play together
Helpful for distraction at the vets when there are other animals around
Standing still to be examined
Foundation for loose lead walking and recall
If you would like to know how to practise ⬇️
Play at your dogs own pace and if it’s something they enjoy
Start by practising at home or in the garden
First have a treat in between your fingers in one hand or rub a treat on your hand so your dog can smell out the treat
Hold both hands behind your back
Reach out the hand with the treat at the right height for your dog encouraging your dog to seek out the treat 🐾
When your dog touches your hand with their nose say Good👏
Always treat from the other hand 😁
As your dog starts to learn the game
Say the word cue -touch
Then say good once your dog’s nose touches your hand 👏
Always reward from the other hand or throw a treat away from you, your dog may then come back for more play time which can help with recall
What games does your dog enjoy playing?
🐕😊
