Pups and Pals ( Puppy School ), Mayo (2024)

29/03/2023

08/12/2021

Canine body language decoded - part 2

📷 Dogocity

04/12/2021

The DSPCA has urged people to adopt and not to shop, where possible.

02/09/2021

THIS IS A PSA

Puppies bite. They bite a lot. They bite hard. Their teeth are sharp. You might bleed. It might seem relentless.

Scaring the pants off them by yelling, pinning, shoving or shouting will not only do precisely zero, it will potentially create a fearful adult dog.

Puppies bite more when;
They are tired
They are hungry
They are bored
They are overstimulated
They are teething

Read that again. They bite MORE when they are the above. They will also bite when they are absolutely fine. They are dogs not dolls.

Be compassionate not scary. They will grow out of it but only if you teach them a good alternative. Trade for toys. Use a pen or a crate. Teach calmness. Reward gentle interactions. Grit your own teeth and ride it out while reinforcing good stuff and proactively managing bad stuff.

Be proactive when you know biting happens like after some play, when excitement goes up, when they are overtired (7-9pm witching hour anyone?) and give them a good chew or help them settle, or channel that energy into some training.

It does get better basically. Don’t panic. Most puppy biting isn’t aggression. Be CONSISTENT and PROACTIVE and expect more than a few bites along the way.

Signed,
Aalto the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever (aka the ginger shark)

30/11/2020

Sniffing is vital to the way dogs gather information and interact with their environment. Scent is the predominant way in which dogs make sense of their world.At times, depending on the context, a dog is not just sniffing a scent; he is communicating. What he is communicating can vary according to t...

31/08/2020

If you don't play fair, no-one will want to play with you 😂

18/05/2020

Love this! Allowing your dog to sniff on a walk is so important. After all, it's their walk too ... so let them enjoy what they love best! 🐶

24/03/2020

🐕🐕 If you're staying at home but normally go out in the day - it's important to build in some time when you leave your dog alone - even if this just means you going in another room and letting them settle down without you.
It will be hard for dogs (and other pets) when they need to adjust to being alone again for periods of time.

You could do this by sticking to your routine as much as feasibly possible, go for your allotted (socially distanced 😷) walk at a similar time to usual and then settle your dog as you would and leave them while you go and work or relax in a other room. This won't be doable for some but just bear it in mind and plan for when things change, so separation related problems don't become a problem. 🐕🐕

27/02/2020

Whale eyes. Half-Moon Eyes. Crescent Eyes
Whatever you want to call this, it means your dog is uncomfortable. So stopppp 👀

This look often gets labeled guilt.
I can assure you, it's not.
Guilt is a very complex emotion, with no value to a dogs life.
Google appeasement behaviours if you don't believe me! 😁

If you see your dog do this, take note of what is happening that might be causing your dog to feel stressed. Reduce it and allow your dog some space.

**I had fun drawing this one, I have a few more body language examples on the way!**
Like this if you want to see more 👍

09/02/2020

www.patreon.com/thinkdogtraining

www.ignoremydog.com

08/02/2020

Sharing that "cute" dog and baby picture contributes to a serious problem.

01/02/2020

Tory isn’t a fan of being touched or ‘pet’ generally. Especially if she is doing her own thing or simply resting. It’s not hard to notice. If someone intrusively tries to pet her she will either duck, walk away or at best tolerate it.

However, sometimes she will come over, wriggle in between your legs and start giving you licks. But that’s on her terms and I’ll respect that.

Not all dogs want or like being touched. Especially by strangers. I think lots of dogs just tolerate it from their owners, just like teenagers tolerate being hugged by their parents. They just won’t tolerate it from strangers.

It’s not okay to hug a random teenager - it’s a bit weird and on occasion you’ll get pushed away. It’s the same for dogs too. And similarly, you won’t get pushed away, you’ll just get bitten instead.

Did you know the teenager? No
Did you ask the teenager? No
Did you listen when the teenager asked you to stop? No

Change ‘teenager’ to dog and you might understand why dogs behave the way they do.

Context matters.

25/01/2020

Got puppy? Yes, it's important to avoid disease-ridden locations and interactions, but EQUALLY important to get that puppy out and about to meet (healthy, gentle) dogs, (gentle) people of all ages, traffic noises and sidewalk grates. A nice poster from www.operationsocialization.com; a free pdf download and more good information available at http://www.operationsocialization.com/for-puppy-owners/safety-guidelines.html

09/12/2019

Lovin' Arms Pet Center

WARNING!

Please do not feed these chemicals to your pet! Not only is rawhide full of bleach but it poses a HIGH risk of splintering and blocking your pet’s bowels!

26/11/2019

Port Royal Veterinary Hospital

Hi Guys, I wanted to share a picture with you showing classic signals that a dog gives when he is NOT comfortable. Please note all four signs in these pictures indicating that the dog is NOT enjoying this situation
1. Licking the lips
2. Showing the whites of his eyes
3. Panting when not overheated
4. Turning his head away
Please don’t put you children or pets in this situation.
This is a stock photo of unknown source that we blocked out the baby’s eyes. We would NEVER put a child in harms way.
Photo credit unknown.

10/11/2019

Train Me & My Dog; Dog Training & Home Boarding

Love this poster explaining the 3 second rule for on-lead greetings!

07/11/2019

SpiritDog Training

27/10/2019

Paul Cummins Ballinrobe Veterinary Clinic

Just a few tips to remember in the coming days, with Halloween just around the corner.

24/10/2019

Dog Training College

Pumpkin is super nutritious to our dogs. It's loaded with fiber and beta-carotene, which is converted into vitamin A! 🐾

20/10/2019

Canine Principles

It’s 5am and still dark. One of the dogs asks to go out, so you get up to let them out and them, just as your nose catches up with the smell something warm squashes up each side of your bare foot. Nice.

As you walk balancing on toes get the canine chaos outside, lights on and cleaning stuff ready, wash the foot and simultaneously heaving into the air around you – you realise the most likely rude awakening offender has noiselessly slinked into your side of the bed and snuggled down. I bet if you live with dogs you recognise yourself here!

Accidents happen - and everyone poos!

One of the oddest things I remember is that people punish dogs for bodily functions. They used to say, “rub his nose in it”. Thankfully we are wiser and kinder in this age of information.

Does anyone actually still do that?

The need to p*e and poo is completely natural. If dogs didn’t do it they would die. Most dogs are horrified when they can’t get outside and have to do it indoors. The others have never learned that the toilet is outside, usually from confusion humans or containment – even those dogs get the idea in the end.

Can you imagine what it must feel like to be punished for pooing? Especially when you couldn’t actually get to the toilet or somewhere suitable. Imagine you went anyway, because your body just wouldn’t stop. There you are stuck in a room with your poo waiting for someone to open the door and see it. What would you do? Would you hide it, eat it? Some dogs do that to prevent being told off. Imagine now that someone you love comes in and hollers at you; pointing at the poo and heaven forbid, rubs your face in it.

It’s like a horror film!

And you didn’t do it on purpose, you just had to go.

Now imagine that same person came into the room. Saw the poo, told you it was ok and gave you instant access to the toilet in case you needed to go again. Imagine they deal with the unfortunate situation by saying it’s ok and acknowledging that they had let you down by not managing the environment or your poo opportunities carefully enough. Then they promised they would do better next time.

Doesn’t the second response seem fairer?

Sally .com

07/10/2019

Animal General Hospital

We saw this and wanted to share as it shows the importance of tick prevention..... all of these babies are from one single tick.

29/09/2019

PawesomeDogs.Com

First ask if the Dog can be/wants to be Petted, if so then Pat the side of your leg and see if they choose to come over to you. If they do then you can Pet them, I recommend on the shoulder at first, then Pause to see if they move away, if not then you can continue to Pet them.
Be respectful, be reliable, be kind.

31/07/2019

Lewis Nicholls Dog Training

**** A FEW THINGS TO THINK ABOUT ****

Socialisation doesn't mean getting dogs to meet each other.

Positive reinforcement doesn't mean you need to use treats.

Punishment doesn't mean you have to tell them off.

They are always learning and forming associations and therefore, are always being trained.

Constant stress will inhibit their ability to learn.

They won't simply calm down because you tell them to or due to a leash pop, a hard stare or any other aversive. They might just stop practicing that particular behaviour when you are there.

Aggression is a normal dog behaviour (it's normal for us too).

They aren't doing things to please you. They are doing things to please themselves.

Genetics matter.

They have psychological, social and physical needs just like we do. If they are not met, it will impact their behaviour. And not for the good.

Mental exercise is just as important as physical exercise.

Only trust a dog to be a dog. Dogs bite.

They don't live very long. Make the most of them.

30/06/2019

THE FEAR IS REAL TO THE DOG | GROWL SNARL SNAP DOG BEHAVIOR

When dogs exhibit fear, they can often seem silly to us. Why, for example, does my dog run out of the kitchen whenever I turn on the range fan? (The answer wil

24/05/2019

Study identifies dog breeds, physical traits that pose highest risk of biting children

Nearly five million people are bitten by dogs each year in the United States, and children are at a much higher risk than adults. Dog bites can cause significant psychological and physical damage, and bites to the face often require reconstructive surgery to repair injuries ranging from nerve damage...

Pups and Pals ( Puppy School )