Dog training and dog walking service based on the Matakana Coast and greater Warkworth area. Proudly using a modern science based positive approach.
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Have a look at our website or reach out anytime. www.coastcanines.co.nz
Taking a break from training while getting plenty of study and travel in. Will be back recharged and looking forward to assisting more families and dogs as we head into the reliability of the spring/summer season. Always just a message away for existing clients, just a facebook message away.
This video is a good example of how social media unfortunately often doesnt help educate people regarding interactions between dogs and children.
Many signs in the body language displayed are concerning (licking lips, raised lips, shaking off, apeasement behaviour, inability to settle and much more) - this is not a comfortable dog. Its such a shame that videos like this are sometimes shared as fun/entertainment. Unfortunately this could all go sour in an instant, sadly the dog often wears the ultimate blame..
Please always seek reputable information or advice and provide plenty of space, time and caution when dogs interact with and meet babies or children.
Let's talk about the "magical hand" 🤝
Sometimes well meaning people reach out with their hand to "make friends" with a dog. The idea is that if the dog can sniff their hand, the dog will eventually like that person.
This is actually a great way to get bitten by some dogs. A reaching hand can be perceived as a threat and some dogs have learned that biting makes that hand go away very quickly!
A better option is to allow the dog to *come to you* if they are interested in sniffing, and simply ignore them until they give you indications that they are seeking an affiliative interaction.
Of course, it is always best to walk away, if...
🚫 You're unsure about the dog's body language
😡 There is a history of biting
🩺 OR if it isn't necessary to handle the dog at all
Yes, yes and yes. ThinkDog strikes again. Early priorities done right.
100% - If only everyone knew the potental impacts of an unwelcome off leash interaction
It’s just a regular occurrence now that, an off lead dog will run over regardless of lead on, change of direction, communication.
Until you are the one with the nervous, reactive, recovering dog, it’s hard to understand to repercussions of this. But it can make walks unpleasant, the anticipation of what could happen, anxiety inducing.
We deserve our peaceful walks back, our dogs deserve to stay on track with training. We should live in a world where dogs are under control.
Every single dog and pet parent has the right to walk peacefully without being approached by an off leash dog. It’s best to always seek permission before greeting, and give others space by default.
This morning on our outing we passed by 19 different dogs and countless humans.
All dogs were either leashed or had a glance and saw Juno wasn't interested in a social interaction and minded their own business. None ran up and demanded an unsolicited/unwanted interaction.
All the humans politely said hello/good morning (or said nothing) and walked by. Some kids waved or said she's pretty (she sure is 😍)! None of them ran up and touched her without her consent, and she very likely wouldn't have given it.
Just because we are out in public doesn't mean she's "fair game" for indulging in cuddles or play time with your social dog. She is entitled to be in public and have her privacy and bodily autonomy respected.
This was such a pleasant experience and these beings were all so considerate, I just had to share. Happy weekend!
Dogs left unattended outside shops.
It can be tempting to tie our dog up for a minute or two while we quickly rush in to grab a few bits and pieces.
Looking at the body language of dogs that have been tied up without a handler present I have seen many things, and often see obvious discomfort. Some have displayed separation distress. I have seen people approach with their own dogs to greet the tied dog, children zooming past loudly at speed on scooters and skateboards, unwelcome patting from strangers and some dogs actively trying to get away.
Without a doubt there may be a select few dogs that are ok being left alone for these short periods, it is not something I would consider, no matter the dog. Leaving dogs alone, without someone to advocate them in my view is not be worth the risk, regardless of how friendly/relaxed and sound they may be.
What should the ideal training session look like?
Sessions should be genuinely enjoyable, for you and for your dog. Training, when done properly, is enriching and encouraging. Training should be free of ‘fireworks’ or displays of reactivity or discomfort.
Your dog will set the criteria for each session, things like distance, complexity and environment should all be tailored to an individual dog. Remember to really celebrate the small wins, every little step adds up. Smaller, more frequent sessions work best.
Your dog will learn best when they are enjoying themselves. Look to their body language and willingness to participate to be your gauge as to their level of comfort and engagement.
An incredible short read. The information below highlights reasons to ensure all interactions between dogs are mutually agreed to, and are fair on both dogs.
There is nothing more frustrating than having a fearful, under-socialised, or dog in training approached by another (no matter how friendly or harmless they may be in the eyes of their handler).
Some dogs thrive having well chosen and carefully introduced dog friends, others do not require these interactions. It is not natural to expect our dogs to have to greet every dog they encounter in public.
Thanks Animal Behaviour Kent
YOUR DOG MAY NEED FRIENDS, BUT NOT RANDOM INTERACTIONS
You probably know that dogs are social animals. For dogs, social engagement is an extremely powerful motivator and will often be prioritised over food and sleep. The benefit of social behaviour for dogs is well supported by research, intraspecies play has been indicated to support with motor development, social development, and seems to make them feel happy (Sommerville et al., 2017). We also know that dogs that have been isolated from the mother and siblings at an earlier age are more likely to display social deficits, and similarly, pups taken from their mum too early are at greater risk of behavioural problems in the future (Dietz et al., 2018).
So given these benefits, you might assume we should be aiming for as many social interactions as possible. Sadly, things are not quite so simple. It has also been identified that dogs that visiting the dog park resulted in an increase of the stress hormone cortisol for most dogs (Carrier et al., 2014). Similarly, dogs showing hunched or low posture while at the dog park were more likely to show increased cortisol levels (Carrier et al., 2014). Even more concerningly, 98% of the dogs examined showed at least one stress related behaviour while at the park.
This is not such good news as it indicates that many dogs are not having the best time while at the park, which really defeats the purpose of going. It also means, interacting with lots of unknown dogs every day is actually quite a stressful experience. While being able to manage in a trickier social situation is an important skill, we cannot count this as pleasure time or enrichment. Increased cortisol levels are also associated with an increase in amygdala activity (the fear centre in the brain), which means dogs may also be more reactive whilst cortisol levels return to baseline (van Stegeren et al., 2007).
What is normal social interaction for the dog?
If we turn to studies of free ranging dogs, we can see that dogs are often observed to live within social groups which will share resources and territory (Font, 1987), sometimes forage socially (Majumder et al., 2013), and often choose to sleep in close proximity to each other (Bódizs et al., 2020). Dogs outside of social groups tend to avoid each other, and when they do interact, these interactions are commonly agonistic (Pal, 1998).
This means while dogs enjoy social interaction, this is primarily amongst their own social group. It can involve play, but also calmer activities such as foraging and sleeping. There is little evidence for any benefit of social interaction with unknown dogs, and it may be stressful for them because they have evolved to expect interactions with unknown dogs to be agonistic.
This raises questions about the sort of social interaction we provide for our dogs. If we want to meet our dogs’ social needs from an evolutionary perspective, we need to think about how to set up regular friendships for dogs to enable them to form social groups. This may be in the form of multiple dogs in the same household, or a dog from another household that your dog sees regularly.
The content of time spent together is also important. Social time should not just be based on play, but also encourage social sleep, foraging, grooming, and exploring. All of these are hard to achieve with unknown dogs met on walks. However, having a regular friend means dogs can spend time sharing a territory and exploring new locations together.
We also know social time with regular companions can have a great effect on improving dogs’ confidence. Cimarelli et al. (2021) found that dogs with stronger affiliations were more confident when faced with stressors, this is known as social buffering. This was an effect found in dogs that had been in stable social groups, which again indicates the quality of relationships is key to the social buffering effect.
Finally, remember this does not apply to all dogs. Some dogs are not social. This might be due to bad experiences in the past, a lack of socialisation opportunities, or just preference. It is fine for dogs to choose not to be social. There are lots of other great ways you can enrich your dog’s life.
But if you do have a social dog, make sure they have a regular companion. Local Facebook groups can be a great place to start. Interactions need to be set up appropriately and body language needs to be monitored to ensure the dogs are safe and enjoying themselves (a dog trainer can help with this). And once you have found your dog a friend, make sure you keep it up as the long-term benefits are incredible.
Full references available on our website. https://animalbehaviourkent.co.uk/our-blog/f/your-dog-may-need-friends-but-not-random-interactions
Such a simple, yet powerful graphic from Believe in Your Dog - true on every level. If we can think ahead of our dogs, and fufill them as individuals we can avoid or minimise problem behaviours developing.
If you have even a few dollars to spare, this is a a very worthy cause! What a huge amount of surgery for Bella, and what an amazing family she has!
Dogs and Children - this is a must watch video.
https://fb.watch/djTjs2SE4b/
I could write pages unpacking thoughts and feelings around dogs in these situations, I'll keep it super brief:
🐕 on social media we often see scenes like this that look cute and loving, many times unfortunately they are not
🐕 Learning the basics around body language and signs of discomfort can go a long way to preventing potential harm
🐕 We as humans often expect too much of our dogs and children when interacting
🐕 Sadly, it is often dogs that suffer the worst outcomes following an avoidable incident
🐕 Advocating for your dog is a fantastic way to avoid conflict. We are their voices. Never be afraid to stay on the side of caution and promote safe interactions by reading your dogs comfort level, removing them when nessesary and educating others if you see discomfort
🐕 Use positive reinforcement to reward good choices and help form good associations
🐕 Encourage children to seek permission to interact with dogs - allowing a dog to approach them at their own pace (with space to retreat), if they are too young to understand this they could be too young for the interaction (especially if unsupervised/out of arms reach)
Could rehearsal be your missing puzzle piece? 🐕🦺🐕🦮 Especially important for decreasing the frequency and intensity of barking and jumping.
Choosing the right equipment for your dog and their needs can make all the difference for both progress and safety, looking at the walking equipment we use is a great place to start.
Providing safe and appropriate outlets for our dogs can often be far healthier than letting them entertain themselves.
Thunderstorms ⚡️ 🌧 ☔️
Dogs are individuals, all are affected by storms differently, some aren't too bothered, while others (like my own boy) might feel like WW3 has just started around them.
So how do we really know if you dogs are feeling stressed and are being negatively affected by the weather? Our dogs will exhibit signs such as yawning/general restlessness/lip licking/drooling/shaking/darting of the eyes/seeking out shelter (grounding)/pacing/panting/unwillingness to accept food/displaying a stretched-back or tight mouth or could be actively searching for escape options.
It is ok to soothe your dog and try to ensure they are as comfortable as possible, try remain neutral and dont appear too concerned if possible. Our dogs are experiencing an emotional response and they are not actively making a choice to feel this way, or to use it as an opportunity for attention- they are genuinely having a terrifying experience.
Consider providing a safe den like environment, provide some white noise if possible or try to engage some light training/game playing with your dog (If they are able to engage). If you suspect your dog may bolt with the fright, it is a good idea to consider two layers of safety - such as a crate in a safe room etc (only if they have been properly introduced to crate training earlier, of course). If the weather is long lasting and you need to take your dog outside consider keeping them on a lead/longline and trying to use a break in the weathers intensity.
Consider talking to your vet about having some medication on hand if your dog in genuinely shaken to the point of physical exhaustion/terrified and beside themselves, this may help calm the situation next time you encounter a similar weather event. Thunder shirts can also have a positive effect for some dogs.
If you are in the fortunate position of bringing your pup home from 8 weeks old during their critical development window you have the gift of helping to create a positive/neutral association to storms. Very gradually you can desensitize them to such events, or help them through it by lessening its effects. This isn't guaranteed for all pups, but without doubt the weeks after you bring a dog home and what you carefully expose them to will have the most influence on them for life.
Mutual greetings set dogs up for success.
Improving our dogs lives as they age
What does good play look like?
Hiccups are all part of the training journey, sometimes troubleshooting is much easier than we think.
Following these tips for a puppy under 16/20 weeks could be the single most important thing you can do for them. Socialisation, done safely, can prevent all sorts of behavioural heartache in future.
The parvovirus (the reason we are so careful with pups) can live on surfaces for years in some conditions - keeping off unknown surfaces and away from unvaccinated dogs until your pup has built up antibodies following their complete round of vaccinations can be done safely before important developmental windows close.
For multi-dog households. See a better response and build calmness around the home by trying a few of these ideas.
Puppy Time
Meet Frank! Frank is an absolute stunner, I'm sure you will agree.
Franks family got in touch when they first brought him home (what great puppy parents)
We made a plan and covered topics like:
- How to introduce Frank to children
- What equipment would be most beneficial for walking and training Frank
- Establishing a day to day routine
- How to safely socialize him
- How to crate train properly
- Toilet training
(to name just a few)
Setting a puppy up right from day one, or even making a plan and setting up before you get your pup can set you up for success. The first few months are the most important of our dogs lives. A little work and preparation early can save a lot more work or headache later on.
I love setting up puppies and their families to live the calmest and most fulfilling lives together.
If you have a new puppy, or know somebody getting one soon - feel free to get in touch and see if I can help put together a custom approach for you.
There is nothing more unsettling than having your training gains stolen by off-leash approaching dogs. I am sure everyone can relate to the feeling of having your options taken away.
Here is a quick little summary of what may really be going on behind the scenes.
As humans we aren't expected to greet every person we see, its the same for our dogs. Sometimes skipping a greeting can be to our dogs advantage.
For all the crate lovers
Did you know there are a number of items easily found around the home that can make a crate a much safer and more enjoyable place to be?
Warkworth
Warkworth
0982
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| Tuesday | 8am - 8pm |
| Wednesday | 8am - 8pm |
| Thursday | 8am - 8pm |
| Friday | 8am - 8pm |
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