MsK9 - atferdsspesialist & lekbasert hundetrening

05/08/2024

What is your dogs playstyle? An interesting consideration when looking for playmates

My Pepe is a mix of Spectator and Fast Paced that often adjusts to playmate

30/07/2024

Focus and engagement are the key to successful walks

23/07/2024

The Approach and Leave game is great for teaching your dog that approaching another dog does not automatically lead to an interaction

22/07/2024

Girl power. 5 pretty girls practicing disengagement from each other

20/07/2024

17/07/2024

Shed Antler Training session. 🦌🐕
Searching after shed Antler is a wonderful activity for dog and handler alike

10/07/2024

SOMMERTRENINGS KVELDER

SØK ETTER GEVIR – 17. JULI
Å lete etter og hente gevir – enten som en jakt i naturen eller for konkurranse – er en av de raskest voksende aktivitetene som appellerer til et stort utvalg av hunder. Hvis du liker å være ute med hundene dine, kan dette være spillet for deg!
Passer for alle størrelser og aldre av hunder
Dato: Juli 17 kl 19:00 - 20:30
Pris: 450 nok
Sted: Klasavegen 10, 5208 Os
Påmelding: https://www.msk9.training/book-online

UNGER & HUND - 24. JULI
Kaotisk hus? Barn som kjeder seg? Vi har SVARET!
Spillbasert hundetrening er gøy og spennende.
På denne workshopen vil du lære morsomme spill du kan leke med hunden din som samtidig lærer hunden kule ting som å gå i løs bånd, fokus og engasjement med deg og gjøre deg til et bedre lag.
Denne workshopen er for barn og tenåringer, men de unge til sinns er også velkomne.
Når: 24. Jul kl 17:00 - 18:30
Pris: 450 nok
Sted: Klasavegen 10, 5208 Os
Påmelding: https://www.msk9.training/book-online

09/07/2024

I saw a video online the other day (isn’t that how these always start?) and it featured a German Shepherd wearing a shock collar. It was two clips back to back, and in one the caption explained the dog was “corrected” with the shock collar, and in one the dog was not. The dog was turning away from what I assume were triggers. The challenge issued was for you to guess which clip was which. The implication of course was that no one could tell the difference (I absolutely could, it was subtle but it was there.) Here’s the thing; the body language in both clips was terrible. The dog’s ears were back, face was tight, head was down, tail was pressed low and shoulders were rigid. In neither clip was the dog relaxed and willing. In both clips the dog was wearing the shock collar. In an effort to not give the poster more engagement I didn’t comment, but this was what I would have said;

When the threat of a shock collar remains, there is no choice. The options presented to the dog in these scenarios was “compliance or compulsion.” The dog had no choice in either scenario because the threat of punishment (or “correction”) was still present. At not time was the dog given the option to make a choice, because any option but the one presented by the handler as correct would be punished. And that is the trap of punishment dependent training practices, they do not teach a dog to make good choices, they merely teach a dog to avoid punishment. And that is all they are really capable of teaching, because the brain cannot both move to avoid punishment AND seek reinforcement. It can only do one at a time, and in the case of a dog wearing a shock collar there is a constant threat around their throat.

It is only a choice if the Learner can actually choose. If the Learner is bound by threat of punishment to make only the decision you’ve deemed acceptable no matter what transpires; the Learner is not ever going to be making a choice. The shock collar’s mere presence ensures you will always be operating on a spectrum of compulsion, not cooperation.

04/07/2024

So true. The training happens at home not during the session, that is where you get tips on mechanics and what to train.

12/06/2024

Fun in the sun

11/06/2024

Flinke "bolle hunder" 😉

11/06/2024

This

Wanting a behaviour from our dogs to stop is common. Sadly, there are so many 'trainers' who appear on television or have massive social media followings who will advocate using devices and methods that 'will stop it fast'. Let's be honest, as humans we are often results driven, so I can see why these would appeal to people who don't know why these things should not be recommended and used. The reality is that they can make the situation so much worse.

Suppressing a behaviour doesn't mean that the reasons that behaviour happened aren't still there, just that the dog can't do what they feel they need to in that situation. That can lead to increased frustration, stress, fear - depending on what the driver for that behaviour is. Think of it like a pressure cooker, adding more and more pressure, with no way to reduce that pressure. Eventually there comes a point where the pressure is just too much and boom.

If a behaviour is something we can't live with, there are things we can do without suppressing that behaviour. Manage the situation so that the dog is not in a position to practice that behaviour - for example baby gates to stop them jumping up at arriving guests or finding quiet areas to walk if your dog is uncomfortable with other dogs close up. If there is something you would prefer them to do in that situation keep using the management and then, using kind and ethical methods, teach them what you would like them to do instead. If the behaviour is not something that we can simply train an alternative for - a dog who reacts to other dogs around for example - find a behaviour consultant who uses modern and kind methods to help the dog no longer feel the need to use that behaviour.

Behaviour suppression is never the answer.

There are links to a couple of blog posts exploring the topic further in the comments.

08/06/2024

What socialising your dog 🐶 is NOT 👇👇👇

08/06/2024

A noose is still a noose even if called a different name

A dogs neck is a very delicate part of their body!

The neck and cervical spine contain the spinal cord, this is where the nerves of the front legs originate. Excessive paw licking is quite often misdiagnosed as allergies when it is in fact pain.

Putting stress on the neck can cause painful disc damage and shoulder problems

A dog has the same number of vertebrae as a giraffe (think about that before choking a dog)

One of the most important structures of the nervous system "The Vagus Nerve" originates at neck level and this controls life essential organs like lung, heart, stomach, and intestinal tract.

The Thyroid gland is located in the neck. If this gets inflamed the immune system trys to remove the inflamed cells.
The destruction of the Thyroid gland cells can lead to hypothyroidism

Increased pressure put on the Jugular vein can cause seizures
Ear and Eye issues are significantly increased

Being je**ed on a lead causes whiplash and bruising.

The epidermis of a dog is only 3-5 cells thick
A humans is 10-15 cells thick

So WHY would anyone want to use a noose ....sorry I mean a slip lead?

A well fitted Y shaped harness is the safest and kindest peice of equipment to use.

07/06/2024

Be a proactive dog trainer.

****ARE YOU REACTIVELY TRAINING YOUR DOG OR PROACTIVELY TRAINING THEM? ****

There are two big challenges dog trainers face. The less challenging is reactive dogs and the most challenging is reactive owners.

A common misconception with a lot of owners is that to train a dog we need to see or correct the 'bad' behaviour.

We have become a society of reactive dog owners. We react when they react and the way we try to train them now is reactively, not proactively.

What does this mean?

It means that we allow our dogs to develop the habits we don't want them to develop like jumping up or pulling on the lead and then we only try to train them when they are performing those problematic behaviours. It's a very inefficient way of teaching our dogs what we want them to do instead.

If your dog is already doing the 'bad' behaviour then whatever you do then and there will likely be managing them, not training them. We shouldn't wait for the problem to happen and THEN start our training. Training is designed to prevent the bad stuff. Not something that corrects it when it happens.

You need to be proactive with your training. This means anything that you want your dog to be able to do, you have to teach them that before you put them in the situation where you want them to do it. Loose lead walking is a good example. The novice owner will put a lead on their dog and then walk with them asking them to heel or whatever they're asking and expect the dog to understand. This usually ends up with the dog pulling and the owner yanking them back saying 'HEEL!' This is reactive 'training'. You wait for the dog to do the bad thing and then try to correct it then.

We've raised loads of puppies in the last 4 years and one thing that we have always done is taught the puppy how we expect them to walk when we are out and about. When we teach this, the puppy isn't outside and doesn't even have a lead on. We literally just want them to know that walking next to us pays very well and it's worth their time. We don't wait till we can get them out and about to teach them to walk nicely on the lead. We do it at home and in the garden and in the training shed etc etc.

Then once we do go out and about the pup already has a pretty good idea what is expected of them. We don't even use a word like 'heel' to let them know. We've practiced it so much that the cue to walk nicely is simply being on the lead and where the lead is attached.

Anything that your dog does that you want to change can be resolved with simple, simple dog training. For the average pet dog a well behaved dog is a dog that can do the very basics very well. And in all sorts of situations and environments. Having a dog sit and wait for their food to be put on the floor is mildly useful. Having a dog that can sit and wait in all other situations is VERY useful. Practice the basics everywhere you go and just remember your dog is always forming associations and learning.

If you keep letting them jump on people they will keep jumping on them. If you keep walking your dog and they don't know that there is another option, they'll keep pulling.

Reactive dogs need proactive owners. Don’t wait for them to do the ‘naughty’ stuff before you decide to train them. Train them now before the naughty stuff becomes a strong habit.

Little Riff will be up for adoption soon. Who wants him!?

06/06/2024

Best way to get rid of loose undercoat during shedding season.

Get a high velocity blaster

05/06/2024

Hverdagslydighet er gøy med lek-basert trening

04/06/2024

Training a reactive dog should not look like you are working with a reactive dog. Bøllehund course practicing calmness around and passing other dogs

30/05/2024

Love this and so so true. Being eaten by a Bear is natural too by the way

28/05/2024

I know it looks really impressive on television, but provoking a dog into exhibiting aggressive behavior and then "correcting" it is not behavior modification. It's behavior suppression.

This week, I spoke to someone who had worked with another trainer for help with their small dog's stranger-directed aggression.

The trainer entered the home, sat down, and began giving the dog treats. Not a bad way to make friends. After a few minutes, the dog was no longer showing signs of anxiety and became much more relaxed, even friendly. Great, right?

Um, yeah...

Instead of taking that valuable information that the owner could use to improve introductions to visitor, the trainer then tried to provoke the dog into biting him. When he wasn't able to do so (more great information about the dog), he suggested to the owner that he take the dog for the day to see if he could get the aggressive behavior.

Can you guess what happened next?

Yep. He took the dog out and provoked it into biting someone (no injury, just a torn pant leg), then returned the dog to the owner with the helpful note that the dog bites without warning.

To summarize, this person charged money (and wanted a lot more) to provoke a dog into biting and the dog was put in a position that strengthens the association that strangers are bad. And there were countless missed opportunities to reinforce more desirable behaviors.

Contrary to what far too many people believe, the way to change behavior isn't to react after the dog growls, snaps, or bites.

Dogs bite for a variety of reasons, but the most common is because they perceive the person - or what the person is doing - as a threat.

When attempts to avoid or escape that threat aren't effective, instinct says, "Hey, you know what might work?" With each repetition, the dog's learning history proves that biting is more effective than avoidance, so why waste time?

"Correcting" aggressive behavior by using some sort of aversive (remember, it doesn't have to cause pain to be aversive) fails on two counts:

First, it's way too late. The dog has already practiced the aggression. Aggression is very effective at getting people to STOP...even if only temporarily. Just as the "corrections" we humans apply are effective at suppressing behavior...temporarily. In both cases, the person or dog applying the aversive - be it a leash correction or a bite - is reinforced. It feels like it works every time we do it.

But that brings us to the other problem: it doesn't make the dog feel better about similar situations in the future. Dogs don't say, "Wow, you're absolutely right. I didn't realize that strangers were so awesome. Thank you for pinning me to the ground so that I could see things more clearly. I realize now that I LOVE PEOPLE...maybe even as much as Oprah loves bread!"

So, what are you supposed to do?

1. Manage the environment to prevent aggression.
2. Decrease stress.
3. Increase tolerance.
4. Teach and reinforce the behaviors you want to see instead.

What that looks like depends on the dog, the environment, and the context in which the aggressive behavior occurs.

Learn more: http://www.4pawsuniversity.com

28/05/2024

Mark and reward those shake offs. Dogs also do that quite often when they disengage from something. The more we mark wanted behaviors the more our dogs use them

Dogs shake off for different reasons and it depends in what context.

A shake off helps reset the dogs nervous system especially from a stressful situation. It is like pressing the reset button.

25/05/2024

25/05/2024

Everything your dog practices they become better in

23/05/2024

Flinke Bøllehunder 🐕🐕🐕

22/05/2024

Knew this would come with Mars buying up Campion Petfood aware if are feeding Acana dog food the ingredients have changed

132 likes, 9 comments. “And this is why ratings on the site are constantly changing. As formulas change, so do the ratings. Take this example with Acana.”