Affinity Dog Behavior & Training

02/16/2025

Reminder:

2025 is an exciting year!

We will be closed from Monday, February 17
to Wednesday, March 12 as we travel to
India for a field study of the free-living dogs, World Dogs (or "Streeties").

After living with Village Dogs for nearly a decade,
studying various animal behavior courses in applied ethology and free living dogs in areas of the world like Bali, Mexico and India, this is an essential part of our education to help us better understand dogs. More understanding the World Dogs can help us better understand our pet dogs. This will be such an invaluable trip!

Stay tuned for more news in the coming months!

Pictured below: stock photo of India's Streeties.

02/16/2025

02/15/2025

This beautiful girl is a dog I’ve been helping for a while. She comes from far away after being rescued from the streets of Turkey and made her way to the United States. She is a very fearful dog who I can imagine suffered some traumatizing events. We’ve been working on building communication between her and her people, building trust, getting comfortable in the presence of new people, social processing and simple confidence building things. Her sister dog house mate has helped her a lot also. I really believe these types of dogs should go to homes with a confident dog to learn from. Her observational learning from her sister has been so helpful and an integral part of her trust growing in her new home.

There is more than just these things that goes into dog training (or dog learning) when a dog is this fearful. Every little thing can be a setback, you must go slowly always on the dog’s learning time and get not introduce new things too quickly. Progress doesn’t mean go faster, it often is an indicator to slow down. Season changes can be very hard so we will prepare for whenever spring decides to come. Having lived with these types of dogs for years, I find spring to be the hardest season to transition to.
She is scared of the camera/phone in your hands so we aren’t able to take pictures or videos yet. But here I was able to get one. That is very common with most dogs I work with.

She and her people are a joy to see each week and I am looking forward to seeing her blossom how we she can in the future months.

02/15/2025

At the vet you can try giving your dog a snuffle mat stuffed with goodies to try to help bring down your dog’s stress level, or make better associations during the visits.
Affinitydogbt.com

02/15/2025

You have the right to ask what the training is, what methods, what tooks will will be used. Know the facts before you agree. I’d stay away from anyone who guarantees a fix.

02/11/2025

Free course. It’ll open your eyes to so much in understanding your canine friends.

02/10/2025

Yes!

Dogs deserve and need have agency over their bodies, including the choice to accept or decline touch. Respecting their boundaries fosters trust, reduces stress, and strengthens the human-dog bond. Observing their signals—like moving away, turning their head, or leaning in—helps ensure interactions are consensual and comforting, not invasive.

02/10/2025

This may surprise you. Dog trainers don’t have perfect dogs. In fact, I don’t want perfect dogs.
I do want my dogs to be comfortable, feel happy and enjoy their lives. You may have heard the phrase “welfare over obedience”.
I love when my dogs teach me things, make me laugh and keep me on my toes. And sometimes my room will look like this. What do I do? Laugh, then clean it up. The dog bed can stay there until the very end of its existence. 😂

02/09/2025

Living with dogs involves understanding and meeting their emotional, physical, and social needs, not just teaching behaviours. It’s about building trust, recognising their natural instincts, and providing enrichment through activities like sniffing, exploring, and play. Supporting their well-being means creating a safe, nurturing environment that helps them live the life they deserve.

02/09/2025

I love learning from Louie! Today we had a great session. Every time I see him he teaches me something new about him. I enjoy how he can turn a situation (like one of our training games) into his advantage. He never gives up. His communication is really remarkable the more I get to know him. And he loved to bark. Hee hee
He really enjoyed the snuffle ball today

02/02/2025

Dogs know when we are stressed. It's okay to take a break from training if you're feeling stressed. It's better for your dog to learn when you are in a good mood. This will help his/her emotional state and overall well-being.

02/01/2025

This is a good graphic made my Lili.
Contact me today to start your dog training journey and ways to develop better communication with your dog.
Affinitydogbt.com

02/01/2025

Most of what I see with my clients’ dogs is a dog unable to cope with the situation, can’t regulate his emotions and are in the emotion of fear, or possible fear and slip into rage.

01/31/2025

This boy is a lover. He always has to be touching me, loves to snuggle and lick my face.

01/31/2025

A damaging myth surrounding dogs, particularly puppies, when they get to their new homes is that, if the cry, they should be left alone so they learn to stay quiet overnight. This is absolutely not the best way to help that new family member feel safe and comfortable in their new home.

From :

"A puppy is like a human child. They cry when there is something they need, including comfort and connection. If they do not get a response when they are crying then yes, they will stop, but not because they have settled. They have learned that nobody is coming and so they give up trying. This will have a serious and damaging effect on the bond between them and their family, and at probably the most vulnerable time in their lives emotionally. One of the most important things we can focus on in these early days and weeks of our shared lives is helping them to feel safe and secure and responding to their needs is absolutely the best way to go about this."

In those early days have them sleeping close to you, and respond when they are distressed. It does not mean that they will always cry at night. It will, however, help them to realise that they are not alone and that they can sleep safe and sound knowing you are there if they need you during the night.

01/30/2025

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