K9 FUNdamentals Limited - Training Services

07/10/2025

"How long will it take before my dog changes its behaviour?"

Its a common question we get asked by owners wanting to know how quickly their dog can either stop or start a behaviour they want.

The answer? It's not simple and here's why.....to read more, click on the link....
https://www.k9fundamentals.co.nz/articles_1/how-long-will-it-take-to-change-a-dogs-behaviour

05/10/2025

Bailee and I had an interesting time down at the local market on Saturday.

3 things happened that were good reminders for anyone with an anxious or overly-excited dog.

1. Bailee is deaf and can be easily startled by people or other dogs that suddenly appear. So while Fiona went off to buy produce, our strategy is to keep a safe distance out of everyones way. Bailee had no issue and was happy to stand and watch.

2. I observed another couple with their dog walking through the crowd and was spotted by the child of another family who desperately wanted to say hello. The child didn't rush up and instead stood a few metres away and asked the dog owners if their dog was friendly and if he could say hi. Permission granted and all sides were happy.

3. Back to Bailee and I standing away from the crowd. Another dog owner with their dog pulling on the lead surprised us and decided it was a good idea to let it pull right up to Baille and muttered "okay, go and say hi!". Auto reaction kicked in and I stood between Baille and the other dog and said, "Not today, my dog doesn't like surprises....". Despite the offended look from the owner, we both moved on. Zero incident....or least a potential one.

Being an advocate for your dog when you find yourself in unexpected situations sometimes means dropping the ego, feeling of embarrassment or hoping nothing happens. Speaking up on behalf of your dog!

05/10/2025

Training with Oaklie and her hoomans today. Great to spend time with the teenage owner and see her confidence grow as Oaklie learns to calm and listen.

A challenging session, working in an environment Oaklie is familiar with, with ducks, cattle and another dog nearby. The aim of this session was to put in place all the learnings from previous sessions, in an environment that was uncontrolled. It’s not easy trying to remember to read body language, what cues to use, what distance to be at … what the heck you’re meant to be doing!! But all handled professionally by a teenager.

Well done everyone, and great work Oaklie.

04/10/2025

Sunday vibes with the 2 fur kids....

27/09/2025

Mika and his Mum caught up with me for a Campus walk and a good discussion around Next Steps.

Recently Mika took a dislike to a dog-visitor at his house. His Mum wanted to talk about options to help Mika with dog socialisation - our conversation was about how to set Mika up for success rather than forcing interactions on Mika who clearly likes his space and his house.

We understand that it can be difficult when you have a reactive dog/ a barking dog/ a jumping dog etc. Owner frustration is a normal reaction and as a dog trainer I see a lot of value spending time with owners helping them through their frustrations.

Onwards and upwards for Mika and his hoomans 💕🐾

27/09/2025

Wee Bandit has been through a lot in his first 18 months. A few bone growth issues has meant surgeries and rehabs. He’s a pocket-rocket, and the impact of his soreness, healing and frustration was to choose to display behaviours that helped him cope but drive his hoomans insane.

His latest is TV barking, which started with just seeing dogs but has progressed to cartoons and loud shoot-em-up-cop-movies.

Today we started working on desensitising the TV and helping Bandit to choose his snuffle mat over barking. A great start which will take time, but that’s OK.

24/09/2025

🌊 FORESTRY BEACH 🌊

Update for dog access …

We have taken a screen shot of the article written in Local Matters, for those who don’t wish to sign up to read it.

Summary:
- no dog access at all allowed anywhere on Forestry Beach.
- Auckland Council have agreed to the development on an Inland Dog Area which will include on lead walking tracks through a portion of the forest and an off lead, fenced area.
- the Inland Dog Area is said to be completed in 2026

Forestry Beach was such an awesome place to take dogs (our three were there a week ago, loving the water and having a fantastic time). It’s sad to see dog access taken away.

24/09/2025

🐾 NEW DOG TETHERING RULES 🐾

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/174bCiGZ6f/?mibextid=wwXIfr

🚨 New Dog Tethering Rules in Effect Today (25 Sept 2025) 🐶

From today, new dog tethering regulations under the Animal Welfare (Care and Procedures) Regulations are active in New Zealand.

These rules aren’t about banning tethering entirely - they’re about preventing harm and protecting dogs. SPCA New Zealand have put together some great FAQs you can read on this at the bottom of this post - but here's a quick summary:

⭕𝗥𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟭𝟱𝗔 – 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴
It will now be an offence to tether a dog if two or more “signs of prolonged tethering” are present. Examples include ground worn bare, buildup of faeces, injuries from the tether, locked collars, fly strike dermatitis, or behavioural signs like constant pacing or barking.
⭕𝗥𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟭𝟱𝗕 – 𝗩𝘂𝗹𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗴𝘀
Tethering vulnerable dogs (puppies under 6 months, pregnant or nursing dogs, dogs in heat) will only be allowed in very short, supervised situations (e.g. for vet care or brief necessary tasks). Otherwise it’s prohibited.
➡️𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗯𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗯𝗮𝗻
Dogs can still be tethered for periods of time - as long as they’re not showing signs of harm, and especially not vulnerable dogs outside the allowed exceptions.
📖𝗘𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 & 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Inspectors will begin with a focus on education, helping people understand the new rules. But in serious or non-compliant cases, infringement fines can be issued ($500 for prolonged tethering, $300 for vulnerable dog violations). Importantly, the regulations give inspectors clearer legal backing to step in earlier where harmful tethering is occurring.
❓𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗮 𝗱𝗼𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗹𝘆
If you suspect a dog is tethered in breach of the rules (signs of harm, vulnerable dog, etc.), SPCA encourages you to submit a welfare complaint via their website or contact your local SPCA centre.

These regulations aren’t aimed at responsible dog owners - they’re designed to protect dogs in situations where, until now, inspectors haven’t had the legal tools to step in.

If you’re a dog guardian, now is a great time to double-check how and where your dog is tethered - make sure it’s safe, supervised, and doesn’t show signs of stress or physical harm.

SPCA FAQ: https://www.spca.nz/news-and-events/news-article/dog-tethering-regulations-faqs

24/09/2025

Anyone relate???.....🤣

23/09/2025

Handsome Mac learned all about lead manners today. Mac loves to drag his mum around the park or through the paddocks…. Today he started to learn that a tight lead stopped all movement and that walking only started again when he figured out how to loosen the lead.

Lots to work on for this pulling freight train of a dog, but he’s a smart boy 🐾

21/09/2025

We were watched by some curious cows during Oaklie’s session today. 🐕 🐄

Today was about checking progress on jumping and pulling behaviours, with Oaklie showing us how she is trying really hard to Sit and listen.

We also started Recall training and had some fun introducing some trick cues to keep the teenager interested in training.

Looking forward to putting everything we’ve learned over the past few sessions into practice during our next session.

25/03/2025

Meet Margot.....

Newly adopted in January 2025, this cute, wee little deaf girl is loving her new life with an adoring Mum and Dad.

We're working with the family on the use of sign language and auto check-ins for communicating and learning.

Love the hairdo after Margot got a satisfying head rub!