Conditioning your equipment π
Winston is our resident adventure boy. Each summer his amazing family take him camping. Due to possible bait drops in the area this year, we are being precautionary by conditioning him to wear a muzzle so he can't pick anything up. We are using a baskerville muzzle for now to get him used to something being on his face, while his caged muzzle gets sorted. There is nothing more unfair on a dog than having equipment shoved on them when there is time available to actually train it properly. He has been happily slamming his boofhead into the muzzle & building tolerance to it being on longer. Next we will work on doing the straps up, more duration with straps being done up, then add in movement before taking him out & about for longer amounts of time with it on.
#edswinston #englishbullterrier #adventureboy #muzzleup #conditioning #doitproperly
Sometimes real sh*t happens...what do we do? Carry on!π
Indy the rotti has started back with us after having some time away in recovery. She was having odd gait issues, weakness in her back legs, which ended up being a very serious tumour on her spine. The outcome was not looking ideal. Fast foward to now after some very smart decison making from her owner & vets, & she is doing great. We need to help build up muscle for more stability & recondition her obedience. So glad you're doing well Indy girl. Awesome to see you back π #edsindy #rottweiler #recoveryispossible #bestrotti
Lil Zac the fox terrier is quite a shy little guy. He'll happily give dogs space, walk with them & hang around but doesn't often want to engage in play. Well, yesterday he decided that he quite liked everybodies best play mate Jax & had a great play session. Thank Jax for being an awesome dog to bring out the best in others.
#edszac #foxterrier #edsjax #staffordshirebullterrier #besties #playmatching #happytimes
π€ If you ain't got engagement, you ain't got much π€
Not enough time is spent on getting dogs engaged. There's often very little time spent on it & plenty of time talking about what we don't want. If you have your dogs attention, then it's much easier to ask them to do things. They want to learn & they want to follow your directions because they understand there's something in it for them too.
Simple luring activities teach your dog to pay attention, how to move with you & you how to move with them. It becomes a nice little dance & relationship game.
Dog training is an art as well as understanding the science. Sometimes we need to revisit the art side.
#edswinston
#englishbullterrier #somedogsjusttaketime #engagement #luring #workworkwork #keepitsimple
πΎ Learning to have discipline πΎ
Just because a door opens doesn't mean you have access to bash through it. Through every door dog's must wait until released, even if there is something more exciting to access on the otherside. This is such a huge safety issue that so many dogs fail with. Practicing what you want every day makes good habits great.
#edswinston #englishbullterrier #edsnessie #ridgeback #edsscout #ridgebackxhuntaway #edslola #brindleboxer #edsdora #dobermann #accesstoplay #opendoorcloseddoor #practicewhatyouwantmoreof
πΆ Acute caudal myopathy. Aka Swimmers tail, Limber tail.
What is it? How does it happen? What should i do?
πΎ Acute caudal myopathy is simply overuse of the tail, that causes a sprain or strain & inflammation to the group of muscles that help the tail wag. The tail appears limp, can bend slightly out from the base but point down, sometimes off to 1 side depending on the muscles affected.
π Activities like excessive play, hunting & swimming for long periods of time, too much zooming & twisting, & in some cases excessive wagging. This can be quite painful & can make dogs reluctant to squat to pee or poop, they may cry if patted down their lower back & may go off food.
π¨ββοΈπ©ββοΈ If you suspect this, please visit your vet for the appropriate antiinflammatories & follow the protocols of medication & rest. Most dogs are back to normal within a few days to a week. It can be longer if the muscles aren't able to rest.
#edslola #brindleboxer #swimmerstail #acutecaudalmyopathy
#painmanagement #rest #followtheplan #dogsofeurekanz
Wild winter in Eureka with a few amazing days inbetween π
#edscrew #daytraining #walk #play #learn #rest #winterboarding #dogsofedsnz #winterdays #keepingitcalm
π§ Pain isn't always obvious π§
π€ Understanding your dogs natural movement is extremely important. There are so many times where we have picked up underlying pain, undiagnosed injuries or severe illnesses just based on the way a dog is moving.
π€ After seeing many dogs for over 16 years +, you can get a really good read on natural movement & an understanding that some dogs will totally push through it. Some dogs will continue to be hypo & want to play with others, some dogs will lie around more but be happy to scoff treats or food, some dogs will still like sniffing around & doing perceivably "normal stuff". This is usually because adrenaline & distractions are very good at overriding pain until they can't. It's not usually until there is an overt issue that people notice something is wrong - limping, lethargy, being very stiff when getting up from laying down, sudden behavioral issues Etc.
How to keep an eye on pain related issues -
π· Take videos often & rewatch them. Sometimes we can't see what's infront of us & need to have a different perspective.
π Walk your dog in straight lines & record it. Walk your dog in figure 8 patterns so you can see how they naturally turn. Then you will have a reference what their normal walking gait & patterns looks like to compare "abnormal" movement to.
π Look for the relunctancy of usual behaviors such as jumping into the car, going down steps, across certain surfaces.
π Going off food. Most of the time people seem to think the dog is being fussy about it's food but usually can be a sign that your dog is in pain & nauseous.
π΄ Sleeping much more than usual. Sore dogs rest alot. They can also move around alot to try to get comfortable.
π¨ββοΈπ©ββοΈ If in doubt, book in a wellness check with your vet.
#painisntfun #winterills #lameness #behavior #wellness
Weekend wrestles with Penny & Chase π₯°
#edschase #englishsetter #edspenny #bullymix #besties #wrasslewrestle #dogsofedsnz
You get out what you put in ππ
#edswinston #englishbullterrier #edsdora #dobermann #recallpractice #distractiontraining #proofing #bestdogs #besties
Proofing requires practiceπ
#edsellie #staffyxheadingdog #edsgia #boxerxamstaff #placeproofing #distractions #dogsplaying #rainydayactivities
Focus drills with Penny π₯°
Penny can sometimes like to live in disney land, so it's good to constantly keep up with some focus drills to center her attention.
#edspenny #bullymix #focus #dogsofedsnz #engagement #simpletasks
