Just some of the WONDERFUL photos the team have taken 😍
Charlie T ear serotonin boost❤️
What is Freddie doing?
If your dog does a biiig stretch when he sees you, it’s a greeting to show affection! It’s their way of saying “oh hi! Let me get ready for some love”. It is of course also a way to release tension after a nap, but in the context of them already being up and they do it when you’ve noticed them!
Do you sometimes struggle to put on your dogs harness if they’re moving around too much or too excited?
Sometimes asking them to do something to focus on, in order to deviate their energy, really helps.
Here we have Moose who’s very excited to go on his walk - our walker asks him to come, sit and leave a treat while putting on his harness. She gives the command twice after giving it a moment to sink in the first time in order to ensure he’s listening.
You can see him yawn during this first stage, we know this is a sign of minor confusion or stress - in Moose’s case it’s because he wants to go go go!
The walker uses a release word which tells Moose he’s able to get the treat, this is as a direct reward for him waiting and gives him a moment to be excited! Moose is then asked to to sit and wait again so the walker can put on his lead. We see Moose bark a few times to show his excitement but he does very well to sit and wait!
Does your dog mouth on your arm without biting down?
Seen especially in younger dogs, mouthing on arms is a form is expressing excitement, and also over arousal!
They do this to try and invite play in a gentle way, or to get your attention.
In other cases, if the dog is over aroused they can mouth as a displacement behaviour, meaning they’re trying to find something to do with their mouth as they don’t know what to do with all their excess feelings.
If you think of how hard a dog could bite down, or how frequently dogs bite as puppies, it shows great bite inhibition training that they know how to control themselves well!
In cases of over arousal, it’s important to discourage these behaviours as you don’t want it to escalate if they get frustrated!
What is an appeasement grin?
An appeasement behaviour is when a dog shows behaviours intended to diffuse a situation.
An appeasement grin is when a dog shows it’s teeth, but instead of body language linked to reactivity, you can clearly see non confrontational signs.
Here Wilma chewed a small paper bag, and is showing teeth paired with pinned ears, soft eyes, a shake of the body (which is a relief of stress), a sneeze (in this context is a dogs way of saying “I’m just kidding!”), lip licking and hunched body language.
Don’t worry Wilma, we’re not mad!
Handicapping is when a larger, or just generally more athletic, dog does something to bring play to a more even level. For example, we see Yara (the German Shepherd) roll on the floor after a chase to give the smaller dog Pippin (the Whippet) more of a chance to catch up. This is also seen when the dog doing the handicapping let’s the other “win” a play fight, therefore making the play more appealing and even.
One way we can tell Yara is enjoying herself is that her tail is wagging nice and softly - remember! Not all tail wagging is good!
Cooper is nothing if not a business man
ARCA dogs the past month 🐾
