Inspiring Dogs

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Inspiring Dogs

Dog behaviourist helping fearful, anxious, aggressive, or reactive dogs reclaim a sense of calm, and puppy raising with a focus on fear prevention.
(8)

Servicing Christchurch and online throughout New Zealand.

26/10/2024

Have you ever wondered what triggers conflict between dogs? Some of these reasons may seem familiar 🐶

07/09/2024

Just another lazy Sunday on the couch for this little lady💤😴🐾

09/08/2024

24/06/2024

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I had a busy but exciting weekend attending Association of Professional Dog Trainers NZ conference! ⁣⁣⁣⁣
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As a full and assessed member of APDTNZ I’m required to complete annual continued education. In addition to this, as a registered vet nurse I’m required to complete at least 40 hours of reflective, continued education every two years. I LOVE to learn about dog behaviour, health, welfare, and wellbeing so that I can bring the best and latest knowledge to every session. The conference was an absolute highlight, featuring the inspiring Dr Zazie Todd and Laura Ryder 💜 ⁣⁣⁣
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19/06/2024

For anyone with a puppy or anyone thinking of getting one! Thanks Where Dogs Thrive Puppy and Dog Training

Did you know a puppy's critical socialization window is around 3 - 14 weeks of age! This is the best time to help them build their confidence around everything they will be encountering as adults.
A very common reason a dog may "bark at everything" is because that dog is probably having a difficult time around everything!

What things did you do to help socialize your dog?
What places and things did you do to help them?

If you have a new puppy, what are you doing now to help?
Let us know in the comments below! We'd love to hear what you're doing!

If you would like some help making the most of your puppy's socialization window, we can help!
Set up a courtesy call!
www.wheredogsthrive.com
Where Dog Thrive Puppy and Dog Training
Building Exceptional Partnerships through Relationship-Based Dog Training.

23/05/2024

What are the chances... it turns out that two of the dog's I'm working with are siblings!

So we decided to bring them together for a joint training session. They both did so well, and it ended in a play session. They even arrived in matching Ruffwear harnesses. I wonder if there are any other Cavoodles from Christchurch that could be their other siblings?

19/05/2024

“𝐃𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧. 𝐍𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭.” ―John Wooden

22/04/2024

📣Every dog’s stress threshold is different 📣

and this depends on many factors including their history, their environment, their personality and their learning history.

There are things we can do to help to raise their threshold.

Triggers are anything your dog finds stressful. Trigger stacking is the accumulation of (or ‘stacking up of’) multiple stressful events. Each of these events adds to the dog’s overall stress level, which can eventually lead to a point where even a minor trigger can result in a reaction.

Head home, give your pup a calming activity such as a Licki mat or a long-lasting chew, and start again tomorrow once your dog has somewhat decompressed. Keep on keeping on – with trigger stacking in mind.

www.inspiringdogs.co.nz

15/04/2024

I see this quite often in dogs who like to chew on tennis balls!

Even young dogs with otherwise healthy teeth, where their ‘pointy’ canine tooth is completely blunt due to being worn down by tennis balls. The abrasive yellow coating of tennis balls is like sandpaper for teeth and can wear down enamel permanently. If your dog enjoys chewing on tennis balls, let me know if you’d like advice on alternative options www.inspiringdogs.co.nz

13/04/2024

Memphis - meeting new friends wherever he goes!😍

06/04/2024

🐾𝐃𝐨𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐓𝐢𝐩𝐬🐾

🥓 𝐔𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬 (especially in the initial stages of training) can be hugely beneficial! There's a couple of reasons for this.... 𝟏) A dog's sense of smell is linked to memory & emotion, so strong smelling treats can help to bypass the usual reactions, and 𝟐) If a dog only gets cooked chicken/steak/boiled egg etc when they see their trigger then this can help to speed up counter conditioning training.

🎧 𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬. If we are wearing headphones or looking at our phones during walks then we are less likely to be aware of our surroundings. If we are aware of our surroundings then we can avoid sudden approaches from triggers. This helps our dogs to feel more secure during walks, builds their trust in us, and reduces anxiety.

🐕‍🦺𝐒𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐬 because if/when we encounter a trigger our dogs heart rate isn't already elevated, which can add to their fear and/or anxiety. And sniffing is calming for dogs 🐶

www.inspiringdogs.co.nz

13/03/2024

This is something we can start straight away with puppies🐾 Start with short journeys around the block, and drive smoothly and slowly, as if you have a tray of delicate wine glasses in the back seat 🍷. Go at your puppy's pace - gradually increasing the speed & distance over several sessions if/when your pup is comfortable.

I definitely recommend checking out my friend's page Where Dogs Thrive Puppy and Dog Training for more great info!

01/03/2024

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐫?

There are many factors that can affect behaviour, which is why we look at the whole dog.

🩺𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡
Physical health, medical history, medications, nutrition

🐾𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐭
Daily physical and mental exercise, sniffing, and chewing

🐕‍🦺𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐭
What was the dog originally bred for, and are their breed needs being met?

😴𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩/𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭
Enough quality, comfortable, and undisturbed sleep and rest

🐶𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭
Looking at the dogs daily routine and living environment as a possible contributing factor to their behaviour.

🦮𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐜𝐲/𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲/𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭
Advocacy during walks and greetings, safety from things they fear, and emotional support via behaviour modification plans to change the underlying emotion (e.g. fear).

🐕𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬
The individual dog's stress threshold, trigger stacking, and looking at any daily stressors

🐩𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲
Looking at the individual dogs personality, and customising training to the individual dog.

www.inspiringdogs.co.nz

19/02/2024

Do you know the signs of stress/fear/anxiety in your dog? Here's a great poster from Dr. Sophia Yin about dog body language.

Consider the context when looking at these fear signals - for example your dog may naturally lick his lips after he’s eaten a treat, and he may naturally yawn after waking up from a sleep.

12/02/2024

Thinking of adopting a dog or puppy from a rescue centre? Exciting! Here are a few tips on how we can help them settle into their new home.

Sharing your life with a rescue dog is a truly wonderful and rewarding experience. I wish you and your new loyal sidekick so much happiness together💜

www.inspiringdogs.co.nz

07/12/2023

Home safe!🤩

*Missing*
I had a chat with this lovely owner today - has anyone seen this bengal cat? Last seen 6 days ago near Sockburn Christchurch

Address

Ilam
Christchurch
8041

Website

https://www.inspiringdogs.co.nz/

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Have you ever wondered what triggers conflict between dogs? Some of these reasons may seem familiar 🐶 #dogs #dogtraining #DogAggression

Looks like it's walk time not work time 🙃 www.inspiringdogs.co.nz #dogsnz #christchurchnz #dogbehaviour #DogTraining #dogslife #doglove

🐾 Stress holiday – Heightened stress hormones can remain in the body for days, so before starting behaviour modification training give your dog a couple of quiet days at home with plenty of enrichment activities and rest. 🐾 Desensitisation and counter conditioning training –Work with a positive qualified trainer/behaviourist to gradually get your dog used to their triggers from a distance, while at the same time changing the underlying emotions by pairing the ‘scary’ thing with a good thing (e.g. tasty treats!). 🐾Situational awareness – Put your phone away during walks, and be aware of your surroundings to increase the likelihood that you’re able to see potential triggers before your dog does. 🐾Advocate for them – Be their voice when they need you to be. 🐾Learn defensive handling techniques – and practice these with your dog. Some examples include an emergency U-turn when you need your dog to turn around and walk in the other direction with you, and techniques to use when off leash dogs’ approach. 🐾Slow walks – so that their heart rate isn’t already elevated if they encounter a ‘scary’ thing. 🐾Let them sniff – because sniffing releases feel-good hormones, reduces stress and is calming for dogs. To start working with us on reactivity, see our website 𝐰𝐰𝐰.𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐠𝐬.𝐜𝐨.𝐧𝐳 and follow us for more tips #dogsnz #dogtraining #dogbehavior #dogs #dogreactivity

- If you’ve been told to ignore your dog when he’s fearful, stressed, or anxious – please read on…. - Some people mistakenly believe that fear can be reinforced/strengthened through the same methods used to reinforce good behaviour, such as rewards and praise. However, fear/anxiety are not a choice - they are an emotion, not a behaviour. We can’t reinforce fear by providing comfort to our dogs. - If your dog is turning to you for reassurance – then reassure him. If your small dog wants to be picked up, then pick them up. If they want to hide somewhere (e.g. under your bed), leave them undisturbed, and make their environment as comfortable as possible. - Protect them from the thing they fear, and start working on behaviour modification to address the underlying emotion and increase their confidence. - Our dogs need to be able to trust us, and providing comfort and reassurance when they need it builds trust. -We comfort our human friends and family when they’re anxious or stressed. The same should apply for our four-legged friends and family members. 🐕Follow us on Instagram and visit our website to learn more about our in-person and virtual dog behaviour and puppy packages! 𝐰𝐰𝐰.𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐠𝐬.𝐜𝐨.𝐧𝐳 #dogs #dogtraining #doganxiety #dogbehaviour #dognz