TaDink Kennels

07/12/2023

Teach your dog how to do nothing. Teach them how to just watch the world go by. Teach them how to be still. Teach them how to observe but not interact.

We focus so much on teaching our dogs what to do that we sometimes forget to teach them how to just 'be'. And it's so beneficial for so many dogs for so many reasons. A worried or anxious dog can build confidence by observing and assessing the world around them. A puppy can learn that not everything around them is relevant to them. A busy dog can learn to find their off switch. A reactive dog can observe from a place of safety. And every dog can learn that sometimes we do nothing and that's ok...

If I could give just one piece of advice to all new puppy owners it would be to practice doing nothing with your pup. It will repay you in spades. So find a quiet spot, park yourself and just watch the world go by together...

04/18/2023

TELL ME WHEN I GET IT RIGHT!

Imagine this – You work for someone who continually reprimands you. You never know from one day to the next if there is anything this person is happy with, because the only feedback you receive from them is what you are doing wrong – it’s all just so negative!

You are never thanked for a job well done, never given any positive feedback, recognition or encouragement.

This leaves you feeling demotivated, confused, insecure and unhappy. You have no idea what this person really expects of you or wants from you.

Surely you must be doing something right, some of the time? If only you had more feedback about what that was – you could do more of that and you would both be in a happier place.

We often treat our dogs this way, only focusing or providing feedback on the “wrong” behaviour and neglecting to provide feedback and encouragement for the “right” behaviour.

Rewarding, reinforcing and encouraging a dog for whatever they are doing right is an effective, scientifically proven way to communicate, teach, create trust, build confidence, security and build a strong bond in a positive, force-free way.

Just like us, when a dog does something that results in something good happening, they’re far more likely to keep repeating that behaviour.

Reinforcement or rewards don’t always have to be food or treats – it all depends on what that particular dog finds more rewarding – lots of praise, a favourite toy, playing a game or anything else a dog really enjoys can be rewarding.

Keep telling your dog when they get it right and very soon, they will be doing less of the wrong thing and more of the right thing.

Stop focusing on the unwanted behaviour and communicate to your dog that they are getting it right by rewarding the behaviour you are looking for.

04/07/2023

⚠️ If your dog eats processed dog food, he could be getting a dose of petroleum in every meal.
Even raw dog foods can contain petroleum from fruits and vegetables … if they’re not organically grown.

Here’s where petroleum is coming from and how it can harm your dog:

1️⃣ . PETROCHEMICALS … are crude waste products from the oil industry used to make fertilizers and pesticides. They’re used on common dog food ingredients like spinach, kale, apples, oats, wheat, millet, barley, peas, lentils and chickpeas. Chronic exposure has been shown to cause tumors, genetic changes, nerve disorders, endocrine disruption and birth defects.

2️⃣ . FLUORIDE … accumulates in feed animals and plants and was found in dog food at 2.5 times the EPA’s safe level. It’s in your dog’s water and dog food ingredients like chicken and poultry meals, bonemeals and animal digest. Fluoride has been linked to nerve disorders, hormone disruption and cancer, especially osteosarcoma.

3️⃣ . SYNTHETIC ADDITIVES … such as vitamins, artifical preservatives like BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin. and TBHQ, and food colors and dyes are made from petrochemicals and their waste. Synthetics aren’t bioavailable like the real thing so the body treats them like toxins and excrets them. Artificial preservatives may be linked to cancer. Colors and dyes are linked to health and behavior issues.

Stick to organics and whole foods and you can reduce and eliminate petrochemicals in your dog’s diet.

Click here to read about ways to detox your dog from these nasty toxins.
https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/how-to-detox-your-dog/

03/27/2023

🐶 Excess copper in processed dog food is causing liver damage in dogs. Is your dog one of them?

Copper levels in dogs' livers has more than doubled in just 13 years. A 2021 Cornell University study found 58% of liver biopsies had inflammatory liver disease and more than 400 mcg/gram copper concentration.

So more than half the dogs they looked at had copper toxicity ... and the problem is rising! And too much copper can cause inflammatory liver disease.

⚠️ Here are some of the signs:
🔸 Loss of appetite
🔸 Weight loss
🔸 Vomiting or diarrhea
🔸 Increased thirstIncreased urination
🔸 Confusion or an unstable walk
🔸 Weakness
🔸 Seizures
🔸 And once you see signs of liver disease, it's already progressed and you need to take action.

BUT YOU'RE NOT TO BLAME. Slowly, dog food manufacturers have been adding more copper ... and they probably don't even realize it.

Here's why you'll find too much copper in dog food:
🔸 Synthetic pre-mixes are used to return nutrients to processed dog food
🔸 Too much liver is added to foods
🔸 AAFCO required manufacturers to use copper sulfate with higher bioavailability ... even when there were no reports or concerns of copper deficiencies
🔸 More copper rich foods like liver, fish, seafood, chickpeas and sweet potatoes are 🔸 being added to recipes
🔸 Grain-free foods use high amounts of sweet potatoes and chick peas that are needed as starches in their processing

And it's easy for these levels to rise in dogs as they need very little copper ... and copper deficiency is relatively unheard of ... so there's no need to add it to dog food.

⚠️ Pet food manufacturers are not required to reveal the amount of copper in the Guaranteed Analysis. So if you want to know how much copper is in your dog's food, you need to ask them. The amount of copper should be somewhat close to the minimum levels of 7.3 mg/kg for adults or 12.4 mg/kg for puppies.

If your dog food maker can’t tell you how much copper is in the food, buy from a company that will!

Click here to read more about copper toxicity in dogs.
https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/copper-in-dog-food/

03/24/2023

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10227745989690664&id=1096096686&sfnsn=mo&mibextid=VhDh1V

03/22/2023

Plain yogurt is a source of probiotics. Go ahead and add a dollop onto your pet’s meals for a healthier gut! 👌🐶🐱

Check out today’s free article on the bark & whiskers website (link in the comments) for more food-based sources of probiotics you can offer your pet.

10/30/2022

Yeast overgrowth is uncomfortable for your dog. Here are some of the signs you might see:
🐶 Head shaking
🐶 Gunk filled ears
🐶 Dark rusty-red hair between the toes
🐶 Blackened skin
🐶 Chewing or licking the feet
🐶 Seasonal allergies
🐶 Hair loss on the tail or upper back

10/30/2022

Dogs are dogs, and in my house, are treated as such.
That doesn’t mean they aren’t spoiled, but they are still dogs - and that’s why I love them. It is doing a disservice to your dog to anthropomorphize them.

In terms of training, I don’t want a dog that just obeys. I want a dog that thinks! 💭 Obedience implies the dog should obey your every command and never think for themselves.
I want dogs that can think. 💭
Dogs that I don’t have to babysit, hover over, or constantly monitor.
So I train dogs in a way that enables them to evolve into being cognizant.

Is your dog a thinker or a obeyer???? 🤔

10/30/2022

The Premack Principle looks at giving the animal something he wants after he does something you want during training. This is important in building new behaviours.

But be careful of negative reinforcement of the animal during this time...ask yourself whether the behaviours that you want are increasing over time...if it's not, then the animal is doing it under duress (learned helplessness) perhaps. Always continously evaluate the effectiveness of your training techniques in every case. What worked for one may not work for another based on that individual's unique emotions.

Also, I never use the animal's daily meal (one of the suggestions in the meme re dinner) when dealing with a reactive, scared or stressed dog to get him to offer me a behaviour. I only use treats, additional play, praise or toys when training in siutations where he remains under threshold.

The training must be enjoyable to the pet and in doses that make it easy to concentrate and participate in for animal.

📸 4Paws University

10/23/2022

https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/vaccines-collagen-and-joint-disease/

Could joint disease in dogs be directly connected to vaccinations? Check out how your dog's joints could be compromised after getting a shot.

10/11/2022

If by "training" you use electronic shock, prong and choke collars paired with positive punishment FYI that is not training it is abuse.

09/15/2022

THE CHOICE TO CHOOSE
WHY DOGS SHOULD BE ALLOWED CHOICE
Imagine that every little detail of your life is controlled - what and when you eat, where you sleep, when you’re allowed inside or outside, when you’re allowed to go out for a walk and if you’re allowed to stop and explore, who you’re allowed or forced to interact with, what activities (if any) you’re allowed to participate in, when you’re shown affection or receive attention, where you’re allowed to be touched etc., etc.…. This situation would create stress and anxiety, a feeling of helplessness, apathy, a lack of confidence and many other negative emotions. The same is true for dogs.
Dogs live in a world where just about everything is controlled by us. Allowing choice, no matter how simple that choice may be, provides many benefits. The context in which we allow choice is obviously relevant. Safety, boundaries, environmental factors, other people or animals always need to be taken into account.
Dogs that are allowed some control over their environment and how they respond to situations are more confident, more emotionally balanced, better able to cope with stressful situations, less anxious, less stressed and have fewer behaviour problems.
Allowing simple choices like which direction to take on a walk, which tree to wee on, how long to sniff that fascinating blade of grass or which toy to play with, which treat to choose, what game to play or allowing your dog to choose to interact or be touched by someone are all simple ways that we can provide choice for our dogs and help them to cope in a world that controls them.

08/31/2022

https://youtu.be/2wQdqa2WfzU

This is part of a lecture on classical conditioning that Michael Ellis gives on the opening morning for his two day course on remote collars.

08/24/2022

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www.thecinchycowgirl.com