Train4Joy

24/05/2023

If you can't call your dog back from a distraction then they're not ready to be off lead around that distraction. It's that simple.

It doesn't matter if they are friendly. Or just want to play. It doesn't matter if the other person has food, or a ball. If you can't recall your dog from a distraction then they can't be off lead around it.

That doesn't mean they can't have any freedom. If there are no distractions around go for it and work on your recall when you do. If there are distractions nearby then manage your dog and keep them polite & safe by using a long line and working with them around those distractions.

Having our dogs off lead is a privilege, not a right, and it's a privilege that needs to be earned.

11/11/2022

Train4Joy🐾 shared a post on Instagram: " great practice Mira and family! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 ". Follow their account to see 324 posts.

11/10/2022

“We got a puppy for our senior dog”

This was the title of the video this screenshot was taken from. The first few scenes of the video were of a senior poodle mix bouncing around, enjoying life, and then the tone of the video changed abruptly when they introduced a young puppy, and every scene after that showed the poodle baring his teeth, snarling, growling, and snapping at the puppy.

I think the video was meant to be funny? But I am disheartened at how distressed this little dog looked around the puppy (who was already bigger than him) and the fact that the puppy’s only experience of this other dog was him behaving aggressively.

If you have senior dogs in your household, I beg you to think twice before bringing home a new dog or puppy. If your senior dog has a long, rich history of being social (even if they became more selective as they got older), has had multiple dog friends, and has never injured another dog (non-injurious scuffles and noisy tiffs are not abnormal, but if your dog has put holes in another dog or been the reason that another dog ended up at the vet, that’s something to be concerned about), you MIGHT consider bringing a new dog or puppy home. Be forewarned though that your dog sharing their home with another new dog is a way different ball game than just being social for brief periods of time out on walks.

But if your senior dog has never had much interest in other dogs, if they have a history of being fearful or aggressive towards other dogs with no interest in “making friends”, or if they’ve ever injured another dog, please, I beg of you, do not bring a new dog or puppy into your home. Your senior dog wants to live the remainder of their years in peace, not feeling like they have to defend themselves from a new intruder.

I understand that this often means putting your desires and wants on a back burner; your dog may live another 3, 5, 7 years, which means you may have to wait a long time to bring home that puppy you have in your mind. But if your senior dog has been with you their whole life, they’ve given you everything, they’ve been at the door to greet you every day and been there to cuddle you when you’re feeling down: your senior dog deserves to enjoy their senior years with you, in peace.

And if you’re not willing to wait, then you’re going to have to become a management expert. Your senior dog should not have to deal with a puppy constantly getting in his space; you need to use gates and crates for months, possibly years, to manage the interactions between your senior dog and your puppy. And it will be a LOT of work. And you might be okay with that arrangement, that’s fine. But what you’re NOT going to do is give your new puppy unlimited access to your senior dog and destroy any chance of them having a positive relationship. And you’re not going to neglect your senior dog for your new puppy.

Is it true that some senior dogs love being around puppies? Yes, some senior dogs do benefit from the addition of a puppy or another dog. This can be evaluated on a case by case basis. But this is not always what happens, and it’s not fair to expect the senior dog to “just deal” with the choice we forced on them.

05/09/2022

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1283477478854214&id=164031770798796

Two things trainers need to do more of:

1) Feed your animal for nothing - Call it calm behavior, calm station, calm response but get in the habit of bridging and reinforcing your animal for doing nothing more than staying at station and focusing on you. It doesn't need a cue, it doesn't need anything fancy just count to one in your head and if your animal stays there feed it!

2) Waiting to introduce the cue - When you go in to that first session to train a new behavior. The word you plan on using has no more meaning for your animal than Fahrvergnügen. So don't say it, don't worry about it for now, spend your time focusing on how you're going to get the animal to do the behavior and less on saying the cue.

18/07/2022

Beautiful evening, Happy to gain trust and sharing space with the boys! 🐻🐻

27/06/2022

Kong toys are not only great for our furry friends such as cats and dogs, but they also make great enrichment for mollusks too! Here you can see our Milk Conch’s (Macrostrombus costatus) long proboscis grazing for food that has been placed inside the toy. This enrichment item allows the conchs to demonstrate species-appropriate behaviors that they would exhibit in their natural environment, like trying to get to food in a small tight crevasse! Learn more about conchs and the care they receive during our daily Keeper Chat at 2pm in the Living Gallery. ShellMuseum.org/keeper-chats

21/06/2022

Idea

Cool summer fun for little ones. Use that sunscreen and maybe goggles to protect from flying ice chips!

29/04/2022

29/04/2022

Luka says Hi! Satisfying Friday evening with Luka the GoldenDoodle 🐾😊👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

29/04/2022

22/04/2022

Toffee the CavaPoodle says Hi ! 🐾😃

19/04/2022

Chin rest 🙌🏽

19/04/2022

Lola having some fun socialising outdoors 🐾💪🏾😊

16/04/2022

Yuzu the Shetland Sheepdog says Hi 🐾😀!

16/04/2022

Welcome Cookie the CavaPoodle to our family!

28/03/2022

A Cockapoo consideration post.

This breed has taken the dog world by storm over the last few years. Many people fall in love with Cockapoos because of their teddy like appearance and they have become one of the most popular ‘designer crossbreeds’. Is this the right breed for you? Note: the below is written from my own knowledge and experience with the breed.

COCKER – POO. The Cockapoo is a crossbreed between the Cocker Spaniel and Poodle. What does this mean genetically?

Cocker Spaniel: The Cocker Spaniel was originally bred as a hunting dog, helping us humans to hunt birds. Many are still used for this purpose today. Although we see some physical variation in working cockers, show cockers, etc, there is a big similarity in behaviour. Cocker Spaniels need a job to do to engage that working dog brain of theirs, lots of mental stimulation. They belong to the Gun Dog group.

Poodle: Little known fact…a working dog! Part of the Utility dog group, Poodles were originally bred to help hunt birds, specifically water hunting. That’s right – lots of mental stimulation needed. They are a very intelligent breed.

So your Cockapoo is a mixture of TWO WORKING DOG BREEDS used for hunting. Be prepared for lots of mental stimulation, lots of training games, lots of helping your Cockapoo to slow down because they will be ready to go go go. With that intelligence and drive comes the possibility of behaviour problems if their needs are not met. Kim Brophey also describes some gun dogs as having a bit of a “Peter Pan never grow up” complex which I think is quite apt.

Some Cockapoos seem to be more cocker-y than poodle-y, and visa versa. I have once had a group of four cockapoos stood in front of me, and they all looked completely different. Some much more like Cockers than Cockapoos. We can also see this in their behaviour, with the ‘cocker’ part of their breeding very prominent on walks (I sometimes see Cockapoos running with their nose down like they are looking for birds to flush out). This is down to their individual genetic make-up.

I often see Cockapoos being recommended as hypoallergenic pets. This hypoallergenic element came from the poodle. However, with larger scale breeding of Cockapoos, that hypoallergenic element may be heavily watered down in some cases. Choosing to bring a Cockapoo in to your home purely because the breed was once described as hypoallergenic could be a mistake, because they might not be at all, so researching the genetic lines in your dog is really important. Don't forget you can also be allergic to dog saliva or dander, not just fur.

Cockapoos have been a really popular breed in recent times and sadly, this does attract puppy farmers. Puppy farmers do not breed ethically, which means breeding from stressed parents who often do not have basic welfare needs met. They also tend to breed from dogs that have behavioural or health problems which can be genetically passed on. All of this will affect puppies as well as parents, which is why no puppy is a blank slate.

Cockapoos have high grooming requirements and helping your dog to feel comfortable with daily grooming at home is important for their welfare. They will also need regular grooming with a professional dog groomer.

Cockapoos are lovely, intelligent dogs, often bundles of fun. In the right home, they can do amazingly well and be wonderful, funny companions. I have mentioned puppy farms in this post but there are plenty of ethical breeders who really care for the health and wellbeing of their dogs and puppies. If you’re prepared to put lots of time and effort in offering your cockapoo an enriched life, with plenty of stimulation, appropriate outlets for the working dog drive, then a Cockapoo can make a great companion and you’ll love their big personality. But please consider all of this if you fall in love with that teddy-like appearance and don’t assume that they will be happy with a sofa dog life.

Please note: this post was written to consider the needs of a popular crossbreed and not to debate if the 'Cockapoo' should or should not be considered a breed. Although the Cockapoo is not a registered breed and is a crossbreed dog, the label 'Cockapoo' is functional as we all know exactly the crossbreed that it applies to.

28/03/2022

Enrichment, a great way to provide mental stimulation for dogs of all ages 🐾💪🏾! Be creative 👍🏼

27/03/2022

Ice and Sport say Hi! 🐶☺️🐾

27/03/2022

Enrichment! 🐾🐾

26/03/2022

Toffee says Hi 🐾🐾

25/03/2022

Welcome XiongXiong(Bear Bear🐻)the Standard Poodle to our family 🐾

21/03/2022

Session with Potato 🥔 and Cola 🥤! Welcome to the family 😎!

12/03/2022

Welcome Axel the Golden Retriever puppy to our family 🐾

12/03/2022

Clio the PomeranianPoodle says Hi 🐾 🐻

11/03/2022

Lola getting some exposure with Mother Nature! 🐾

06/03/2022

Welcome Bruno the Cavapoodle puppy to our family! 😊