Good Dog Positive Dog Training

Good Dog Positive Dog Training Positive training - in home consultation, 1:1 training, and classes available. How can we help YOU have a better relationship with your dog?

10/27/2022

New indoor classes starting in November in both Cedar City and St George!!
Cedar City Wednesdays November 2nd - December 21st at 5 PM Basic Obedience and 6:15 CGC/A prep
St George Mondays November 14 - January 9th (time off for holidays) 5:45 basic obedience
Each class is 8 weeks and the cost is $150 (discount for verified members of Red Canyons KC and previous students)
Come learn how to capture, lure, and shape some good skills and help build a stronger relationship with your pooch!
Basic obedience
Learn the basics of sit, down, loose leash walking, wait, stay, leave it, and place
Please PM for questions or to reserve your spot.

10/21/2022

Spot on advice from Shay Kelly!

Be the guardian your dog wants and needs you to be

10/08/2022
You get the dog you train, so train your dog to be the one you want!
10/08/2022

You get the dog you train, so train your dog to be the one you want!

10/02/2022
09/13/2022

CGC prep class in Cedar City starting Wednesday September 14, 6:30 pm. This is a 6 week prep class to practice and improve basic obedience already in place. Please PM Teri Yool or text for more information. Week 6 will be the CGC evals.

08/16/2022

In honor of National Service Dog Appreciation week, Sofie the guide dog and her owner, Air Force Veteran Sammie Clay, share their story.

100%
08/05/2022

100%

07/31/2022

In this publication, reward-based training methods were found to increase the bond between veterans with PTSD and their service dogs.

https://vet.purdue.edu/chab/ohaire/files/documents/2019_LaFollette_S2DogTraining.pdf

07/31/2022

Veterans with PTSD who have a miss less work than those without a service dog. Learn more about other ways service dogs may impact veterans with PTSD!

https://vet.purdue.edu/chab/ohaire/files/documents/OHaire2018_Preliminary%20efficacy%20of%20service%20dogs%20for%20PTSD.pdf

07/22/2022

Red Canyons Kennel Club is hosting our annual dog show and it's coming up fast! Open to the public with Meet the Breeds on Saturday! Please share so we can reach all our community dog enthusiasts!

07/13/2022

New classes starting in August!
Each class is 8 weeks and the cost is $150 (discount for verified members of Red Canyons KC and previous students) and held indoors
St George August 1 and Cedar City August 10
SG Mondays at 5:45
Tricks class
Come learn how to capture, lure, and shape some fun tricks and help build a stronger relationship with your pooch!The sky is the limit with this class - you can test as many levels as your dog can master in 8 weeks.
Mondays 6:45
Basic Obedience
Learn the basics of sit, down, loose leash walking, wait, stay, leave it, and place

Cedar City August 10
Wednesdays at 4:45
Basic obedience
Learn the basics of sit, down, loose leash walking, wait, stay, leave it, and place
Please PM for questions or to reserve your spot.

07/03/2022

When used correctly...

No, they are not all just tools. It's 2022 and we're still having to educate people about this.

07/01/2022

If a fear reactive dog is in the height of a reaction your dog is beyond learning anything. It is in its flight, fright or fight state and correcting this does absolutely nothing to teach your dog how to not be reactive.

When a dog is reacting it means that the dog has lost control of logic and his brain is flooded with stress hormones. This makes reasoned thought or learning impossible.

Your dog cannot learn in a reactive state.

Counterconditioning and desensitisation, while keeping your dog under threshold is a proven, effective way to lessen reactivity.
The best thing to do if your dog goes over its threshold and reacts is to walk away in the opposite direction.....keep going until your dog stops and do a U turn to reengage at a better distance.

If you do not reengage your dog will begin to think its reaction worked (it created distance between it and the fear)....and you can have a cyclical reaction.

Always work under your own dogs threshold .

Celebrate the wins and remind yourself this is a process.

I was laughing too hard at this sweet boy and his antics and did not take more photos - he earned his TKN tonight!  Cong...
06/30/2022

I was laughing too hard at this sweet boy and his antics and did not take more photos - he earned his TKN tonight! Congratulations Traeger!

The evolution of a trick
06/30/2022

The evolution of a trick

This applies also to dogs
06/29/2022

This applies also to dogs

They don’t get it. And you know what? Maybe they never will.⁣

When you have a highly sensitive or traumatized horse, you hear so much about how she needs to be pushed, exposed, forced, and never coddled.⁣

You hear about how you’re being too meek, too soft, not enough of a leader to her.⁣

But… you’ve seen the terror in her eyes. You know she needs time, compassion, and space to heal as she tries to survive the human world. Not more pressure, more constriction, more force, more projection.⁣

It’s not that you’re too soft. It’s that you have this soul-deep empathy for your equine partner you cannot ignore, no matter how intense outside pressure becomes.⁣

People misinterpret your kind heart for weakness.⁣

In reality, the strongest thing you can possibly do is hold true to your values, not conform to the harsh norms around you, therefore facing shaming and rejection from community.⁣

The pain of both you and your horse being so fundamentally misunderstood by those around you can be indescribable.⁣

But… over time, you will be able to see yourself as you are, regardless of what the people around you say. You will come to know yourself so deeply that when someone tells you you’re being weak, it feels laughable. When people say your horse is being stubborn, sassy, disrespectful, etc… you can know, without a shadow of a doubt, that she’s just a pure animal soul trying to make it through in the only ways she knows how.⁣

When you stand so firmly in your own values, you will begin to draw in people who understand you. Who understand your sensitive horse. Who value compassion in the same way you do.⁣

You are strong.⁣

We commend you. We respect you. We see you.⁣

Keep going. The world needs so much more of you ♥️

06/29/2022

EARLY BIRD RATES EXPIRE THIS FRIDAY! You can still watch the recording for part 1 and 2 if you purchase a ticket.

WEBINAR WITH DR. KATHY MURPHY

Pain Rewires the Brain: Aggression, Arousal, Anxiety, & Reactivity

Pain is an important factor in many behavioral cases. When an animal presents with physical signs of pain, such as lameness or flinching when an area is touched, diagnosis is straightforward.

However, less severe pain is more difficult to recognize as the only signs may be increased anxiety, changes in arousal level, a tendency towards aggression or other more subtle behavioral changes, which may cause or exacerbate other behavioral problems. These changes are brought about by the brains' rewiring in response to pain and may never be associated with more obvious signs of pain, and so these patients often present as behavior cases.

Understanding these rewiring processes is the first step to being able to effectively onboard clients, with including pain as a key consideration. We will discuss the most common behavioral changes known to accompany pain, with a focus on Aggression, Arousal, Anxiety, & Reactivity.

These webinars are suitable for veterinary professionals, animal trainers, animal behaviorists, shelter and rescue staff and volunteers, and anyone with an interest in evidence-based behavior intervention.

Saturday June 18, 2022 - 2:30pm to 4pm EST - Aggression
Saturday June 25, 2022 - 2:30pm to 4pm EST - Arousal
Saturday August 20, 2022 - 2:30pm to 4pm EST - Anxiety
Saturday August 27, 2022 - 2:30pm to 4pm EST - Reactivity

This is an online event. These webinars will be recorded and available for viewing after each live event.

CEUs pending:
CPDT
IAABC
KPA
RACE

Registration:
Early Bird, 4-Part Package: $175 total, before April 16
General Admissions , 4-Part Package: $225 total, after April 16

For more information about the webinar series, please click on the link below.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pain-rewires-the-brain-tickets-360003107987

Perspective is everything
06/26/2022

Perspective is everything

06/26/2022

Trust is a word used so much, and has a huge impact on us all if not handled with the care and understanding it deserves.
The full meaning in this context is: 'To rely on the character, ability, strength and truth of someone or something, place confidence in, depend on. All ultimately giving hope'.
We expect this from our dogs without always realising what or how we need to be to ensure they always trust us.
This gets stronger and deeper through time, understanding, patience, care, always providing what 'they' need to feel heard and safe and ultimately loved.
It is not achieved through fear, removal of food, sleep, water, choices, 'teaching' who is in charge, tricks, pain and so on.
Value the relationships and trust a dog is willing to put in you for the gift it truly is.
Because to trust means the heart is really open and they are willing to be vulnerable enough to allow you fully in see who and what they are. For some dogs this is a really scary step when the past has been difficult.
Always take the time to show dogs how much they can trust you, through the simplest of actions.

06/22/2022

If you're putting your hands on your dog and doing so is stopping their behavior, this is most likely going to lead to fear of you and fear of your hands.

Tapping them on their nose for play biting, jabbing them in the neck with your hand or spanking their butt all are versions of hitting a dog. Some may seem less severe than others but if it's stopping the behavior, the dog finds it scary or painful.

When introducing something painful or scary, dogs will develop associations. They will develop associations with what is directly causing it but potentially other things in the environment. This means your dog is likely going to fear you and your hands. Fear is also easily generalized so it can lead to fear of others and fear of their hands.

What should you do? Focus on teaching your dog what you'd like them to do. There are lots of qualified trainers out there that can help! There are also lots of unqualified "trainers" out there who offer outdated advice like hitting your dog. Be sure to ask questions when interviewing trainers.

Who’s with me on this? 🤣😍🤣
06/22/2022

Who’s with me on this? 🤣😍🤣

06/20/2022

Mr Smith is enjoying walking his dog Patch along the road, thinking how nicely Patch is walking next to him on a loose lead. Feeling the sun on his back, breathing in that crisp fresh air Mr Smith is feeling pretty good.
Then he sees a dog in the distance.
Oh s**t!
He reals Patches lead in ..... really tight,
and braces himself for the expected reaction.
And here it is, Patch is on his hind legs spinning around and making the most viscous horrendous noises.
Mr Smith is sooooo embarrassed. He tries to get Patch to shut up, he offers Patch tasty treats but Patch isnt interested, he jerks on the lead to snap Patch out if his naughty behaviour and even tries holding Patches mouth shut, but nothing works.
Mr Smith is so frustrated, he cant understand why Patch is like this, he purposely made a point of "socializing" Patch. He regularly encouraged Patch to play and interact with EVERY dog they met.
Patch loved other dogs, and it made Mr Smith very happy watching Patch play with EVERY dog they met. Mr Smith was so proud of how much "socializing" he had done with his dog.

Now look at Patches point of view.

Patch is enjoying his walk along the road with his best friend Mr Smith. There are so many lovely smells to track and enjoy, but then he sees another dog in the distance.
Yay 😀 play time!
Patch desperately tries to get to this other dog, but Mr Smith restricts him, his lead has been pulled really tight so is now choking him.
Patch gets a little worried as he cant understand why his friend is behaving like this
Poor old Patch, he is so confused, when he was younger, his friend encouraged him to run up to EVERY dog they met and it made his friend so happy watching him play like a lunatic.
Patch is now really frustrated so tries lunging and shouts at Mr Smith to let him go play, it dosent work so Patch shouts louder, but Mr Smith just shouts back.
Poor Patch, he just doesnt understand 😢
And now gets called things like "aggressive" or "reactive" or even "viscous"

BUT PATCH IS ONLY DOING WHAT HE HAS BEEN TAUGHT TO DO!

Mr Smith thought he was doing the right thing as all over social media he read he had to "socialise" his dog
But unfortunately by letting or encouraging Patch to play with every dog he met all he has done is taught Patch to be rude and frustrated.

Dog parks, busy day cares, puppy free for alls just cause issues!
Dogs have different play styles and your job as a responsible guardian is to PROTECT your dog from potentially worrying and damaging situations.

People dont realise "dog to dog" meetings/play are actually a very VERY small percentage of what socialising is

Puppies need purposeful positive experiences.
Not mass exposure

A well socialised dog knows boundaries and respects space.
A well socialised dog greets politely
A well socialised dog can emotional cope in different environments and situations
A well socialised dog has trust in his/her guardian and know that they wont be put in an uncomfortable situation
A well socialised dog can just walk past other dogs, animals people etc. calmly without reacting (negatively or overly positive)
A well socialised dog is comfortable being handled and examined
A well socialised dog has learnt to make better choices themselves
A well socialised dog can relax and settle in strange environments

Please really think about what habits you are creating

06/11/2022

JULY 4TH IS AROUND THE CORNER: IS FIDO READY?! Is your dog prepared for fireworks and 4th of July festivities?

Here are some tips to make this holiday more dog-friendly for Fido.

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND & BEST LAID PLANS ... START NOW, NOT ON JULY 1ST!

💥 Fireworks are not safe for dogs in any way. Keep your dogs at home. Do not take them to fireworks displays/viewing parks, no matter how far away.

💥 Be sure to give Fido adequate physical & mental exercise before you take off for the evening.

💥 Preferably keep Fido in a room, in a crate (when they are properly crate-trained & comfortable in a crate) with a box fan, calming music and administer calming treats beforehand (https://bit.ly/sschillouttreats)

💥 Consider speaking to your vet about situational medication, if you already know fireworks really freak your dog out! There are several drugs on the market designed for this. Sileo is a great medication for this, but you do need to speak to your veterinarian about if this is right for your dog.

💥 If must take Fido along with you on this day, make it earlier in the day at BBQ or time at the lake (if appropriate & Fido is comfortable doing this). But follow the above rules just before the fireworks start up.

💥 Be sure to update Fido's ID tag & microchip info.

💥 Put a collar & physical ID tag on Fido when you get up that morning, just to be prepared.

THINGS NOT TO DO ...

🚫 Do not leave Fido outside on this day. More pets go missing on July 4th than any other day all year.

🚫 Do not take Fido with you to the fireworks show. Don't do it. Fireworks are not for dogs.

🚫 Do not feed Fido anything he's not used to eating so he doesn't get sick. Watch him with others so that they don't feed him either.

🚫 Do not put him in situations that he isn't comfortable with. If he's not comfortable with crowds, kids, loud screaming, lots of activity ... don't take him to the BBQ that day!

If you'd like to do a little bit of counterconditioning for fireworks you can do this via the handy illustration below by Doggie Drawings by Lili Chin.

Text Copyright © 2021 Stacy Greer, CPDT-KA
Illustration Copyright © Doggie Drawings by Lili Chin
———————

06/08/2022

My hand gently stroked Harley's little belly as he laid under my chair, within a few passes I felt the SLIGHTEST touch of puppy teeth on my hand. Promptly stopping all petting, I waited a moment & began to reach back down (test) & again my hand was met with tiny puppy teeth not aggressive at all, playful even.. or was it?
I stopped again this time retracting my hand fully.
Harley waited a moment, and ultimately chose to move away to lay under an unoccupied chair.
What was Harley trying to say to me... (Basically, I'm done with petting thank you). This is why you should never force interactions with puppies.
You always want to think in terms of what is my puppy or dog trying to communicate to you.. it's all communication...
We must RESPECT these sentient beings that we choose to bring into our lives❤️❤️

05/30/2022

05/29/2022

PHRASES THAT RUFFLE TRAINERS' FEATHERS ... AND WHY!

So I came across an interesting post started on a dog trainer's personal FB page today and it got me thinking. She asked "what words annoy you when you hear them?" She did state she didn't want the "why" of it just the words/phrases. As I scrolled down her comments I realized I agreed with many and thought - if a non-dog behavior expert was reading this they might think "why do these words bother so many trainers?!"

So, I decided to lay this out and explain the "why" to a lot of this.

Why trainers don't like the following phrases:

➡️ DOG OWNER SAYS: MY DOG IS SO STUBBORN!

👂🏼 DOG TRAINER HEARS: I don't know how to communicate/train properly with my dog and she's not doing what I ask so I assume she's hard-headed.

💡 REALITY: I get it. Dog owners aren't usually dog trainers, hence why I have a job! So, you don't know what you don't know. However, if your dog isn't listening or "obeying" you the reality is likely that the dog isn't listening because of one, several or all of these factors: hasn't been trained to understand what you are asking of him, is confused, is stressed, and/or has made a poor association with the thing you ask and therefore won't do it at all out of fear/stress/anxiety.

🐕 BOTTOM LINE: Training will fix this label.
–––

➡️ DOG OWNER SAYS: HE'S BEING DOMINANT!

👂🏼 DOG TRAINER HEARS: I watch a lot of Cesar Milan but don't really know exactly what all that entails .... and/or I think if a dog is doing a pushy or bratty behavior it's because he's dominant and "thinks he's boss".

💡 REALITY: Your dog can't be "dominant". It's not a personality trait. It's not like saying my brother is "out-going". Dominance is fluid and only happens in certain contexts. Usually over resources and a dog that is aggressive or insecure is reacting for other reasons that aren't even related to "dominance". I could go on and on about this topic. It's very sadly been used and misused by a lot of trainers and even still by some trainers today. The truth is that science has shown other answers to what decades ago was always blamed for "dominance". You can read more on dominance in dogs here: http://bit.ly/2GElznQ

🐕 BOTTOM LINE: Get to the root of the problem with a qualified professional (that doesn't adhere to the dominance/pack theory of yonder years.)
–––

➡️ DOG OWNER SAYS: WE TRIED POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT TRAINING, IT DIDN'T WORK.

👂🏼 DOG TRAINER HEARS: We did that a couple times, didn't get immediate results so gave up and said it doesn't work.

💡 REALITY: The thing with positive reinforcement-based training is that it does, in fact, take work, consistency and dedication on your part. It's not magic and it never works if you only do it a few times or if you are inconsistent. You often see immediate results but for them to "stick", and for long-term goals like great leash work (no pulling on leash) coming when called in distractions you will need to be consistent and work at it.

🐕 BOTTOM LINE: Don't give up. Listen to your well-educated, qualified, positive reinforcement trainer ... and stay consistent!
–––

➡️ DOG OWNER SAYS: OH, HE'S KNOWS WHAT HE DID/HE KNOWS HE WAS WRONG!

👂🏼 DOG TRAINER HEARS: My dog is trying my patience on purpose and doesn't listen just to spite me even though that's not the case because dogs aren't humans so they aren't spiteful and do things "on purpose".

💡 REALITY: Dogs that continually do things do so because it works and usually there is some kind of reward in it for them, even if just the satisfaction of chewing things or tearing something up ... or they had to potty so they did it on the floor because they just couldn't hold it ... or they were anxious when left alone and so they peed the floor from anxiety/stress (not uncommon at all).

Also, dogs that *appear* to have look of guilt are only doing this based on muscle memory --- the last time she entered the room and I was in this spot she was mad so I'll hang my head low in hopes she doesn't become confrontational --- or your body language, which dogs read faaaar better than you can even realize. Remember dogs can smell a seizure so they can smell when your adrenaline is up and your mood is changing as well as your eyes, your face, everything.

🐕 BOTTOM LINE: Your dog isn't plotting against you. He just needs proper guidance and training on what to do.
–––

These are just a few things that I think trainers hear very often and have different "meanings" for dog owners than they do for trainers.

I will say this .... trust your trainer's knowledge unless you have a good reason not to. They aren't there to make your life miserable or make you feel like you don't know what you're talking about. They just want to explain why your dog is doing what he's doing and help you overcome it. Follow their advice and expertise and you should be well on your way!
Happy training!

––
Stacy Greer, CPDT-KA
Sunshine Dog Training & Behavior
sunshinedog.com

Address

St George And
Cedar City, UT

Telephone

+16023236602

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Good Dog Positive Dog Training posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Good Dog Positive Dog Training:

Share

Category