Eureka Dog Services

05/08/2025

🐾 A not so straight forward thing 🐾

🐶 You've got a dog. You'd like to take your dog over to your friends place that also has a dog. You take your dog over & hope for the best. This doesn't tend to go down too well.

🐕 Dog's are naturally territorial by nature. It is in their nature to protect their resources, which includes their humans, yard, toys, food, whatever they deem valuable, from perceived threats. Some breeds are naturally much more guarding in nature & will not be happy about an outsider coming into their home. Considerations need to be thought out carefully before just bringing a new dog over or even if it is doable.

🐾 Plan.
🐾 Manage risk.
🐾 Minimize conflict.

1. Meet on neutral territory. Anywhere that is calm & not either dogs home.

2. Have dogs on lead & keep a distance while one walks infront of the other. Swap positions with your friend so they are in follower mode (still maintain a safe distance). This allows the dogs to sniff each others down wind scent which contains vital information for each dog to learn.

3. If the dogs are looking relaxed, there is no tension or conflict, then start walking parallel with each other & gradually slow down to a stop for introductions. Watch out for any facial greetings, no putting necks up over necks, don't allow for long pauses longer than a few seconds, do not add anything to the interaction like squeaky voices, treats or having a tight leash. Remain calm, praise verbally calmly, then keep walking.

4. If the interaction is good, end the walk & go to friends house. Tie dogs up separately at a short distance with their own water & let them rest in each others presence. This may be all you will get out of their 1st social session. If it's going well, then take your dog back home & repeat another day so the relationship has time to develop.

5. If dogs seem really relaxed & friendly, then facilitate the interaction by being a good coach. Make sure the yard is free of resources that may cause an issue. No bones or toys laying around. Walk dogs around the yard on leash & then drop the leashes. Watch how they interact, then if it feels right, take the leashes off & let them play. Dogs should have a good recall so that you can relieve any tension that may arise. Keep the interactions short & often to establish a positive relationship. Relationships take time.

⚠️ This all changes when there are multiple dogs involved. Pack dynamics require skill at reading multiple dogs personalities, body language, interactions. It is advisable to get in a trainer to help with this if the dogs will be seeing each other often.

⚠️ Some dogs will not at all be down with having another dog in their home territory. This is where good management applies. Some dogs might be happy to play at the park with their friends but not at home.

🐾 Dogs differ so much in personality inside & outside the home. Planning, managing risk & minimizing conflict should be at the forefront of social interactions. The "they'll sort it out approach" doesn't need to happen.

04/08/2025

Hi. I'm Lily. And i'm a rat addict. 😂
The weekend stories from this lil terrier are gold.

01/08/2025

🤷‍♀️We said what we said 🤷‍♀️

🤔 When did we get to the point of dogs being able to just do what they want, when they want & that being ok? It's ok to toilet all through your house. It's ok to destroy your property because of "feelings", along with many other ridiculous excuses for bad behavior.

🐕 So many dogs are out there with no manners, little to no verbal control, no consequences being followed through with & we wonder why there are so many dogs with problems.

💁‍♀️ Rules are made to give an expectation of how to best navigate the world. Without them there is chaos. Rules do not have to come across harshly but dogs need to be put back in their place. They need to understand that in order for them to live a good life, they must trust that what their owner is asking of them in every given situation is the best thing for them. Without this relationship, dogs have a hard time, then you have a hard time, then everyone that encounters you has a hard time.

💓 The best thing we can give our dogs is some order in their lives. To know they will get exercise, food & water, a warm bed to lay in but most importantly, someone they can rely on to be consistent with helping them navigate life. Things come with enforcing a structure that helps them develop to the best of their breed & abilities.
Life is not going to tip toe around your dog.

01/08/2025

😎🖤Thabo - 15mo, Male, Leonberger 🖤😎

Last intake for a while, is Mr Thabo.

He definitely wins the prize for biggest dog we've had here. He is a mighty unit! Coincidentally, he is also Frankie's brother! He has started with us to put some brains in his brain, to navigate this big teenage phase & help his owners with good control, especially because of his size. He is very similar in nature to Frankie & just a big goof.

Welcome Thabo 😎

31/07/2025

💝 Tui - 11mo, Border Collie 💝
New entrant Miss Tui. She has started with us to continue her obedience training & socializing skills. Her owners are well versed in all things collie with having several before her & she is a very sweet girl.

Welcome Tui 🐶

28/07/2025

🐾🐶 Happy 1st Birthday Tama! 🐶🐾
Aka Mr Knucklehead, Tama lama Tee tee, Tdawg.

You are growing into a really great bullterrier. You are so laid back, really smart when motivated right, are doing really well with your training & moving into harder distractions. You are being less of a bullroarus rex with your greeting of dogs in the socials & such a big snuggler. We are really happy with your owners commitment to your training & care. Tiana & Stan are doing a great job. You are a good example of a well bred bullterrier & we look forward to our continued training with you.

❤️

27/07/2025

Nala & Ellie in on the bestie catch ups this beautiful weekend. 🙌💓💓

24/07/2025

🔥 Flare ups & behavior 🔥

Noone likes being itchy, scratchy or irritated. Being uncomfortable then expected to behave, just don't mesh well together.

🐶 Before putting your dog in the "naughty" category or throwing the whole pharmaceutical cabinet at your dog, let's look at some basic things that can be done before seeing a trainer & your vet.

⭐ Reduce surface toxins - Wash your dog in hypoallergenic shampoo or soap. Get all the dust, dirt, pollen off their skin.

⭐ Wash their bedding in hypoallergenic wash.

⭐ For extremely skin sensitive dogs, put a cotton top on them during the day time to reduce sweat build up & contact to allergens.

⭐ Keep them off the lawn after it has been mowed for a minimum of 3 days! When grass is cut it releases chemicals to seal itself off which can burn dogs skin & cause alot of paw issues that get transferred into ears, into the mouth, onto the stomach.

⭐ Stop feeding them extra treats, like corners of toast & food scraps.

⭐ Utilize anti lick aids to stop further irritating of hot spots. Elizabethan cones when unsupervised, dog boots.

⭐ Up their probiotics for extra gut help.

⭐ Utilize the correct antihistamines to reduce the amount circulating in their body. (Check with your vet).

⭐ Clean up your dog's diet!

⭐ See your vet if the basics aren't helping to determine the underlying cause. Maybe they have a yeast infection, maybe they are allergic to a certain protein, maybe they have a serious health issue.

22/07/2025

"A house without a dog is like a garden without flowers" - Somebody.

Rest Easy Ozzy you dog loving legend 🤟🖤

🚨 Sneak Peek! 🚨 Ever wondered what it's like to have 9 dogs barking at your door? Tune in to get a glimpse of our pet-loving chaos and special guest insigh...

17/07/2025

😎 All the Go, but no interest bro 😎

Getting energy out of a healthy dog is easy. Channelling motivation can be a bit harder.

- How much energy is pent up? Do we need to be expelling this a bit before we attempt to get some good engagement going? Too much insane in the membrane makes it harder to concentrate.

- Do we need to work in a less stimulating environment so that exciteable drive doesn't kick in & they lose their concentration easily?

- What does your dog find motivating vs just fun? Are their specific foods or toys that your dog finds much more value in? Use those ONLY for training & put them away when you aren't.

- Does your dog find movement motivating? Utilize luring more! Utilize movement based games!

- Prioritize Engagement sessions that are short & fun, put them away to rest & repeat later in the day. An engaged dog is a dog that wants to be with you & wants what you have to offer. Everything else will become irrelevant.

💓 Use the energy wisely 💓

15/07/2025

🐾 Mars - 8yo Labradoodle 🐾

It's Mars 1st day with us today after recently being relocated from Auckland. He is here to continue his socializing, maybe learn a new trick or 2 & to have somewhere familiar to stay when his new owners go away. So far he has charmed the fluff off our other resident floof Mr Chase the English setter & has settled in really well for his 1st day. Welcome Mars.😎

13/07/2025

🐾 Regression in training 🐾

🧠 "It was all going great til the hormones kicked in, then the brain went out the window".
Yip. Sounds about right.

🐶 Hormones in young dogs mess with the brain big time. They go from innocent little darlings into "i'm gonna just do what i want, cos that's what i want" teenagers.
What can we do during this time to make things easier on them & us? -

* Keep training sessions short & highly motivating.

* Allow for more exploratory time & throw some engagement sessions in every now & then.

* Balance out frustration by utilizing play that is engaging for them.

* Utilize long lines more to allow for some freedom but not all the freedom. Help them to understand that rules still apply.

* Maintain a good routine.

* Identify when your dog has checked out & do something else or put them away to rest & try again later.

🤯😎 It can be frustrating for both your dog & you during this time but understand with careful management & patience - "it too shall pass".