On Cue Dog Training - Sarah Elliott

09/07/2024

Woop woop! Well done Carla McInnes and Flynn on your top two placings at the last two shows. 🤩

Your training is definitely starting to pay off! ;) Such a step up in your handling and a great achievement with a second dog ❣️

02/07/2024

Just a girl and her dog 😍

08/04/2024

Sunday morning teaching...And a beautiful morning for training it was too!

01/01/2024

I knew he would come in handy at some point... 🤣🤭

31/07/2023

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to Saoirse, happy 7th birthday to yoooooou! 🎶🎂

17/02/2023

Currently heading north to drop off a number of bags of dog food for Hawkes Bay residents and their dogs affected by .

I'll be doing another collection and drive in a few days time if there's anyone interested in donating dog, cat or human goods pm me.

20/01/2023

Love this video from Di (my old trainer in the UK) on elements of play with dogs 😍

This video looks at how you can use toy play effectively in your dog training. Building motivation and desire for the play and building to use the toy as a r...

18/01/2023

🧡

I love this quote by Linda Mecklenburg.

15/01/2023

And that makes one more to go until top level "Test C" 😍

01/01/2023

07/12/2022

and loving it 😍

06/11/2022

We had a run off for 1st place today and I had a handler whoopsy! 😭 Unfortunately it may have cost the top spot in Test B. But I was given a massive compliment from the judge "A future Ob Ch in the making, keep at it". Thank you Bernadette, it's so nice to get a compliment like that to keep inspired! 😍❤️

05/11/2022

Finally made it back into the ring today after baby #2! What a beaut day, with lots of smiles and welcomes back. did some super work after not much preparation getting a close 2nd in Test B. Thanks judges and organisers of a lovely little show and The McInnes family for babysitting last minute 🥰

02/07/2022

I take a step back and wait for tomorrow.... LOTS... I end up only obedience training my 'high arousal' dog on average once/twice a week because its so difficult to find that sweet spot between her optimal parasympathetic state and my own feelings. Some times I realise we are just not going to match well that day, so off for a walk we go or onto some super simple exercises. There's never a day you should just forge ahead, it often ends up creating more issues and tension in the work. :)

Becoming a better trainer

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had a consultation with someone who’s having major issues with their dog, and the minute I take over, the dog suddenly calms down and pays more attention (much to the owner’s frustration!).

It’ll be no surprise to learn that I have more experience than most with handling and training dogs, but I put a great deal of store into the importance of the energy that we all exude when training and handling dogs.

To train well, you need to be in the present moment - like your dog is most of the time! You need to cultivate a non-judgmental attitude and maintain your emotional body in a calm, kind and aware state.

Your dog is acutely aware of how you’re feeling. If you're anxious, stressed, frustrated or angry - they sense that, and it’ll be more difficult to get them into the calm state of parasympathetic arousal that they need to be in to progress (I call it the Learning State). 

Our posture, voice tone and body tone as well as our pheromones are speaking to your pup all the time. It’s hard to fool a dog as their postural communication skills and olfactory acuity are much better than ours so believe me, they know when you’re not calm and they’ll take their lead from you.

A dog that is heightened (aggressive, fearful, hyper-excited or predatory) will be difficult or impossible to train!

So when you're working your dog, take a deep breath. Get yourself calm and focused. If you're feeling worked up, step back and wait until tomorrow.

16/06/2022

An interesting read and one I couldn’t agree more with.

I was just joking with a friend about dominance, dogs coming from wolves, and that huskies are practically wolves......I mean look at them.

Originally this was posted about 4 years ago and we (at the time there were two of us, now just me) got a reasonable amount of abuse for it. We were attacked personally by people who disagreed with us.

Despite that I thought why not post it again.

Dogs don't try to dominate their humans, they don't need to know their place in the pack, it doesn't matter if they eat before you and who cares who walks out the door first.....to name just a few. It is perfectly acceptable to want your dog to wait for you to walk out a door first but it won't suddenly change his opinion of you. Your household, your rules.

In the 1940s Schenkel an animal behaviourist did a study on wolves which discussed the "alpha wolf", this was further corroborated by a study performed in the 1960s by a wildlife biologist L. David Mech. Both of these studies were performed on captive wolves, in a zoo, which were mostly unrelated.
In 1999, Mech published another study which he performed on wolves in the wild. This study completely disproved the "alpha wolf" theory and showed that wolves live as a family group, all the wolves are generally related, the older (parent) pair are leaders but this could change depending on the current situation. The underlying structure of the pack would always remain the same, with the older pair leading the group, providing guidance and structure. Mech has tried to stop the printing of his original study/book because he now knows that it is incorrect but has so far been unsuccessful.

Unfortunately the term "alpha wolf" is strongly ingrained in the minds of many people when it comes to wolves and dogs. If the person who did the study has said it is incorrect, inaccurate, and should not be published why are we still using it, why is it still the foundation of many dog training methods?

Regardless of this study, dogs aren't wolves! They haven't been the same species for thousands of years. So why do we assume that dogs would act exactly the same as wolves?!

Domesticated dogs want to be around humans, wolves want to avoid them. The appearance of dogs have changed as they have been domesticated, they come in a variety of colours, there are long noses or short noses, floppy ears and even on a functional level the way their bodies work is different. Their fight or flight response is completely changed from that of a wolf. The dog we have today could never survive in the wild. It never did. It lived along side a group of people who feed it leftovers. It ate the rodents that lived around the camp. Grasses, roots, berries, faeces and rotting carcasses made up the diet of the early domesticated dog.

Dogs want structure, guidance, love and to please their family. Therefore I train them completely differently to the dominance theory methods. I reward them for the behaviours that I want them to do. Essentially reward the good, ignore the bad or redirect to acceptable behaviours. This is a very simiplistic explanation but it is the basis of behaviourism.

Dogs are not wolves and wolves don't live under the rule of the dominant alpha.

One last myth to smash....huskies aren't the closest breed to wolves. Husky came from the same ancestors as other dogs and were bred back to look similar to wolves. Wolves don't have blue eyes either so where did they come from.

Photo: A couple of beautiful dogs that evolved from a common ancient ancestor that they share with the grey wolf. In spite of their different looks they both have a similar amount of DNA in common with the grey wolf.

26/05/2022

A blossoming relationship

14/05/2022

Happy birthday Fëa you little misfit! 10 years young ❤🧡

09/05/2022

This little man would have had a great start with Lewis, so if you know of anyone looking for a wee companion… just check out those gorgeous puppy eyes… 🤩

06/03/2022

Congratulations to &Lochie for a great 2nd placing in Test B at Titahi Bay Dog Obedience Comp today!

27/02/2022

Starting young

27/12/2021

A few things to remember during the holiday season 🐶🐕

🐕‍🦺☀️HEAT STROKE IN DOGS AND CATS☀️🐈

We have had a number of cases recently with dogs presenting with heat stroke. This is an emergency condition and many cases require immediate veterinary treatment.

☀️What is heat stroke?☀️
Heat stroke is when your dogs or cats body temperature is elevated and they have difficulty cooling themselves down. They are much more sensitive to heat than humans and it becomes dangerous if their body temperature exceeds 39.4C. As humans, sweating cools our bodies down but dogs and cats are unable to sweat like we do, they only have a small amount of sweat glands primarily located on their paw pads but these are used as a secondary method of cooling.❤️

🐈Signs of heat stroke:🐕‍🦺
🥵Excessive panting
🥵Drooling
🥵Stressed
🥵Weekness
🥵Vomiting
🥵Muscle Tremors
🥵Collapse
🥵Unconsciousness

❤️Treatment:❤️
🐈If your dog or cat does overheat, wet them thoroughly with cool but not freezing water, particularly their paws.

🐕‍🦺Lie them on a cool concrete floor if possible next to the air conditioning or a fan.

🐈Place cool soaked towels over their body.

🐕‍🦺Encourage them to drink if you can.

🐈Even if they seem to be improving please call your vet as they may need to be monitored.

🐕‍🦺If they loose consciousness, start seizing or vomiting, please go to a veterinary clinic immediately.

☀️Avoiding Heatstroke:☀️
🐈Avoid exercising or working your dog in the heat of the day.

🐕‍🦺Provide plenty of shade and fresh water.

🐈Never leave your dog or cat inside a parked car.

🐕‍🦺If you go out during the day and leave your dog or cat at home, consider leaving the air con or a fan on.

🐈If your pets have health conditions such heart disease, obesity, or breathing issues it's imperative to keep them cool.

🐕‍🦺Have your dogs and cats groomed regularly particularly in the summer. We groom numerous cats during the summer months.

❤️If you require any further information or advice, please do not hesitate to give the team a call on 07 8492963

www.hamiltonvets.co.nz

08/11/2021

Last show of the year for us before arrives next year. came away with a 2nd place in Test B.

Proud of my girl this year, she's been on the podium most times we've entered, despite attending only a handful of shows and only ever 1 out of the 2 days. We'll be focusing on consolidating the next level of training and back out for comps next year.

27/10/2021

15/09/2021

Someone's had a hard day! Quick take a picture she's still!! 🤣

12/09/2021

Joined everyone at the Horowhenua show today for the Test B class, very happy with with a points free heelwork round (she was quiet!) and a blip in the sendaway to be pipped at the post and coming home with a 2nd place. Congratulations to all placegetters and thanks to Horowhenua for hosting. :)

11/09/2021

Test B winners today st Horowhenua Show. Congrats &Lochie!

25/07/2021

Too often we have expectations that our dogs should be good friends with every dog they meet. When you think about it, as humans, we do not become not good friends with everyone we meet - and that is true of our dogs too. They majority of dogs are 'selective' just like us - having some very good friends - and not really enjoying the company of others. This is important to remember when introducing your dog to unfamiliar dogs - remember just like us - they may or may not like the other dog and that is okay!