All Ears K9s

12/08/2024

If you have a puppy, this is a perfect explanation of “socialisation”. Let your pup experience their world first, it’s so important for their development.
If you would like more help, please message me.

What is puppy socialisation?

It is a stage of development in your puppy. It starts at 4 weeks and ends around 16 weeks. However actual socialisation should continue well after 16 weeks as your puppy will go through other development stages having different experiences.

The first thing to consider is your puppy will go through their first fear stage 7/9 weeks old. It's important not to overwhelm them. It's also important if they're struggling to be left alone not to leave them.

During the socialisation stage of development, it's not about socialisation in the context that we understand it. It's about exposure to the world. It's so important that the exposure the puppy gets is positive emotional experiences. So a nervous or sensitive puppy needs less. They can see the world but they don't need to interact with everything in it. They need exposure that they as an individual can cope with. Doing more will not turn them into a confident social butterfly it will probably make them more fearful, even reactive.

It's needs to be a slow steady pressure free pace. Slow down your walks, stop and give them time to take in the environment, there's new sounds, sights and smells. This can be a sensory overload for some. Let them sit and watch, take your time so they can take it all in and then process it.

We used to call it a critical stage of development but it's now a sensitive, because it's flexible. Your puppy is sensitive to experiences so make sure they are positive.

If your puppy is scared support them and help them. This won't reinforce or reward negative behaviours that are driven out of fear, apprehension or caution, it will cause them to relax and feel safe and then those behaviours will stop.
Yes the puppy will become a little dependent on your support but once they feel safe you can teach independence and reward brave choices. Feeling safe will activate exploratory control processes in the brain and your puppy will choose to explore and approach. This is much more powerful than being lured to something they're scared of. Luring with treats to scary things causes pressure and conflict which are negative emotional and stressful states. Timing is key and reinforcement should happen in safe places for it to be emotionally reinforcing.

Forget behaviour and think emotions and experiences at this time.

Work at the puppy's pace, don't rush 🐾❤️

Jane Ardern BSc Hons
Kennel Club Accredited Instructor in Working Gundogs Kennel Club Dog Trainer of the Year
Gundog Club Accredited Instructor and Assessor
Author of Mission Control How to Train the High Drive Dog

22/07/2024

20/04/2024

Great visual reel showing how important it is to make sure your dog’s harness fits properly.

03/02/2024

Just asked a client if they have a better relationship with their puppy now that they understand about canine body language a bit more. “Yes, definitely, I now understand him and he understands me better”.
Job done, learning canine body language is a game changer.
Contact me if I can help you understand your dog more and help you to learn to speak another language.

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To me as a dog trainer, one of the most important gifts that I tell my clients they can give their dog, is an understanding of what their dog is saying.
Canine body language is so important to our dogs and to us. If we can notice the signs and help our friends when they need it, what better gift can you give them.

25/01/2024

“Doggie Language”! Understanding what our dogs are saying to us can help with so many struggles such as lead pulling and jumping up.

21/01/2024

Sharing this very informative post from another trainer.
The anatomy of a dog’s neck is very complicated and is where a large number of extremely sensitive and delicate organs are found.
If your dog wears a collar and pulls on lead, please teach them loose lead walking to avoid potential injuries.
Contact me via this page if you would like help teaching your dog loose lead walking.

I saw a kid walking his lovely lab having a great time and then he gave him a big old yank on the lead, which was on a collar and my heart did that achy breaky thing.

Underneath that strong looking neck, are some vital life supporting structures connecting your dog’s gut and nervous system to the brain.

If you have a big dog that lunges or pulls on the lead, a collar is not going to stop him. A harness is not going to make him lunge or pull more. However, it will distribute his weight through a part of the body designed to protect the organs instead of the full pressure being on the neck and all it contains.

A yank on the lead can cause emotional associations that lead to behaviour issues and pressure around the neck can cause multiple physical injuries some terminal.

With thanks for the illustration and we recommend https://perfect-fit-dog-harness.com/harness.html

Neck injuries include bruising, whiplash, headaches, crushed trachea, damage to the larynx, fractured vertebrae, neck and spinal cord injury and paralysis or neurological problems.

If the parasympathetic nervous system is tweaked through a tug to the neck the vagal reflex can cause instant death.

Higher intraocular pressure can cause serious injury to dogs already suffering thin corneas, glaucoma, or eye injuries.

It has also been linked to hypothyroidism as the collar rests on the area of the thyroid gland causing damage.

It can impinge the nerves supplying the front legs leading to an abnormal sensation in the feet that can present as a dog that starts licking their feet. Often misdiagnosed as having allergies.

A dog's epidermis is only 3-5 cells thick, in humans it is at least 10-15 cells thick.

Excessive pressure can cause damage to the dog's eyes, larynx and thyroid gland.

Particularly risky for puppies under 6 months, a time during which the cartilage of the trachea is still delicate.

A dog that feels pain and discomfort on saying hello to another dog, or trying to sniff the environment, is in danger of associating other dogs or other stimuli in the environment with pain and discomfort resulting in a dog that we would label “reactive” and/or “aggressive” when on lead, “but ok when off lead”.

16/01/2024

At -5 this morning, way too cold to go out so we did this little treat find instead. Kept my boy busy, happy and warm.

08/01/2024

Re-sharing this post as it has suddenly got very cold.
Please think about whether walking maybe just too cold for your dog and instead set up some scent work games indoors in the warm.
I have plenty of easy games you can play, contact me for more info, if needed.

This handy chart by Petplan gives an easy guide as to when and when not to walk your dog in cold weather. Please look after your furry family members, they can feel just how cold it is as well.

Maybe stay indoors instead of walking and play, train or set them up some mental enrichment activities instead. Pop their meals into an interactive food toy such as a kong or a lickimat, drop treats into an empty cardboard box, hide treats around the house for them to sniff out. Just 10 minutes of mental enrichment for your pup each day can be the equivalent of an hours physical exercise.

02/01/2024

May I wish everyone a very Happy New Year.

My services are below, please let me know if I can help you and your dog in 2024 to make this the best year yet for you both.