Buddhahood Canine Behavior

06/20/2024

Imagine starting a new workout routine at a new gym. You don’t know the environment. You’ve never tried this type of exercise. Your coach asks you to show him a pull-up. You attempt, but can not even move an inch as you hang helplessly from the bar. Your new coach stands by just watching, and labels you as weak.

You continue showing up, attempting to “figure it out” as a new coach approaches and offers guidance. She noticed that you may be too week for a pull-up, but that there are movements you can work on to develop first that will lead to a pull-up over time. They gathered the information you provided with your struggle and got to work to form a plan.

That’s what we do to dogs. We get a new dog in and see a behavior in the moment. Suddenly we label that dog as a resource guarder, high prey drive, aggressive, reactive, high energy, etc.

It’s what you do with that information that matters.

I see those behaviors as a way to connect with a dog and give them a different answer. And much like building muscle in the gym, the behaviors do not change overnight. Their struggle is an asset full of so much information. I can use it to build partnership, relevancy, and trust.

But if we continue to label dogs from that one blip in time, we are not any better than a coach that just watches us struggle and labels us as weak.

Further more, we often as too much of dogs with out developing the basics first. Kinda like asking a newbie in the gym to sn**ch (a complex Olympic weightlifting movement).

A good coach is going to see where you’re at, take that information, and teach you the basics first with movements that are safe, easy to understand, and offer guidance, direction, and safety. Because its almost impossible to learn when you don’t feel safe.

It is our responsibility to understand the dog, not theirs to understand us.

05/24/2024

In relationship-based dog training, the emphasis is on creating a strong and positive connection with your dog. This approach recognizes that every interaction with your dog is an opportunity to build trust, understanding, and cooperation.

By viewing the leash as a tool for communication rather than a means of control, you can guide your dog in a way that fosters a sense of collaboration and understanding. This approach allows you to work together with your dog to address behavior issues, reinforce desired behaviors, and strengthen your bond.

It’s about building a partnership that is built on mutual respect and understanding, leading to a happier, healthier, and more fulfilling relationship for both you and your dog.

12/02/2023

10/06/2023

Welcome Ray ☀️ to BCB. We are currently working on building pack drive and human relevancy. She is a beauty, and has eyes that see through your soul.

10/05/2023

Banksy is ready to find his forever person(s). He is available in Dallas, Tx via . He is crate trained, treadmill trained, walks great on a leash, loves to learn, and is quite the athlete. He has been waiting over a year for his perfect home. Banksy is currently fostered by me, . ❤️

06/20/2023

Cooper has joined the BCB pack with a mini board and train. He is a derpy, happy-go-lucky boy who is in search of his forever family. Cooper is learning how to have better social manners, and play is his middle name. He is dog and cat friendly, and currently available through and fostered by .

05/11/2023

Fostering 101. I know there is a lot more info that these slides could contain. However, I have learned you have to give small nuggets at a time. Please enjoy and share if you see fit.

04/30/2023

Mogambo is here as we prepare him for the flight of his life. His family is making the decisions to move to Mumbai, and Mogambo is included in the relocation.

04/25/2023

Decompression

🌮Food for thought. Have you ever started a new job, with new people, environment, and role and felt confident and comfortable instantly? Imagine showing up on day one and not knowing where you desk is, the password to your computer, or what you’re supposed to be doing. Or what about your children starting at a new school with new classmates and teacher. It can be terrifying. In those moments of being new, it helps to know that there is safety, and that there is someone we can rely on to show us or our kids around. It also helps to know what is expected.

We as humans have the cognitive ability to understand the depth of change we put ourselves in, and we still need time to adjust. We also have the ability for the most part to say yes or no to new situations. Dogs do not have the power to say where they want to go. But they can tell us what they need if we are willing to slow down and listen.

🕊️The standard with decompression is 3 days, but that should not mean your new foster is ready to rock and role. The 3 days is just a start of acclimation. This is your first opportunity to establish a relationship and create trust. When a dog trusts a human first, they start to trust the environment the human puts them in.

⚠️From a dogs perspective, you are a stranger, you house is a strange environment, and your resident dogs are strange too.

😤If your foster is more on the pushy side, immediately allowing freedom of choice and space can result in unruly behavior just down the road. Lack of limitations gives a pushy dog permission to be pushy. The less relevant you are as their leader, the more pushy a forward dog can be.

Edited to add the the rest.

© If your foster is nervous, insecure, and unsure, they may actually need more time to settle in. I wish could say this means they need more affection and cuddles, however if that was enough to help a dog feel confident, trainers wouldn't be needed. Giving them too much freedom can give them too much to worry about.
That often leaves lack of trust in a Human to handle things that may be overwhelming. The more direction these dogs get with boundaries and limitations, the less they have to worry about.
You will earn cool "foster mom" points from vour foster dog.
*a The ultimate form of affection is to fulfill your dog as a dog and to help them feel safe, calm, and confident in the world.
* Dogs that are nervous, anxious, insecure will sometimes cling to humans. However, this does not change the way they feel. If a dog has a hard time being away from us while we are home, we are setting them up to fail when we leave. We will talk separation anxiety soon.
Biggest tip I can provide is to slow the process down. It is not going to hurt to take even more time than what you think. It is so much easier to add in little by little than it is to go too fast and have to correct down the road. Sometimes trust has already been lost. You can get it back, but you'll have to work twice as hard to be believable.
Slow down, and let the decompression time marinade. Besides, what's the rush?
Let me know below what questions

04/17/2023

Cooperation
Over
Compliance

Cooperation is a process of working together to achieve our goals. Compliance is based on an imbalance of power and control.

As handlers our aim should be to seek a partnership with our dogs with understanding and agreement.

Loose leash walking is an example of cooperation and agreement. Allowing the dog the choice to yield to the tension or continue to feel the discomfort being caused by them. When we yank and pull, we are asking for compliance. When we wait with patience and let them work through it, they yield to the tension, we now have agreement and cooperation.

Our partnership is rooted in the history of we survive better together.

Dog “training” really comes down to follow-through, patience, consistency and communication.

03/27/2023

I have been passionate about helping humans understand their dogs better. For me, it completely unlocked a next level bond with my fosters, training dogs, and pack. Once you know, you can’t unknow; and I’m committed to sharing that passion when training my humans.

As an owner, think of the behaviors that your dog does that either frustrate, annoy, and frankly anger you. Now think of those behaviors and why a different species would display them. Imagine being the animal, the dog, the breed and not just fluffy the family “pet”.

Expectations are premeditated resentments. When we expect our canines to behave and act that goes against their institutional code, we often end up feeling defeated. But when we can truly understand what a dog is, we can connect to that dog and help guide it to make better choices.

True partnership is a two way street. What are things that you overact to that you wish you understood about your dog?

Relationshipbaseddogtraining

03/26/2023

Welcome Rosie into the pack. She is finishing up her 4 week co-b&t we shared with . We worked on confidence building, and learning how to learn from other dogs. She is one special pup.

03/21/2023

HINT: All the freedom you give doesn’t equal a happier dog.

More often than not humans try to make up for having to crate their dogs by allowing freedom once they are home. The crate is such a beautiful place to start teaching boundaries, providing structure, and teaching downtown. My goal for every owner and their dog would be to create such a beautiful relationship with their canine that a crate isn’t needed. However, that takes truly understanding a dogs needs first, and creating the expectations.

What your dog does during its “free time” is so important. The crate alone will not change your dogs behavior. It’s what happens when your dog is free to make its own choices. The more we can guide and show our expectations, the less they will have to guess at it and pave their own way. If you’re the owner dealing with overexcitement, mouthing, anxiousness, reactivity, pulling on the walks, and you want to change these behaviors, this message is for you.

Focusing on the quality could look like a nature walk, place work, structured play, or even just relaxing in the back yard together. It is okay and recommended to have your dog return to the crate after these activities. The quality of their time is way more important than the quantity.

If you are looking for help with your dogs behaviors and working on improving your relationship, every moment is an opportunity to guide your dog to make better choices. Be mindful of the quality of those moments.

And just in case you were wondering, quality time for YOUR DOG is not a cuddle session on the couch. Yeah, I said it.

03/17/2023

I couldn’t think of a better poster child for this post than . His human has put herself on a quest to be his biggest advocate and leader to balance. You’ll have to head to her page to read and follow their journey. We played a small part to the human through support, and education from a community that loves to surround its dog owners. (, , ).

As a professional, our goal is to lead a dog to balance with leadership and by reaching a dog and understanding it’s needs first.

03/09/2023

JR is our newest pack member. He is here as a foster, and to serve up all the good looks. We are going to be working on building his confidence. JR will be available for adoption via . So stick around and follow his journey with us.

02/19/2023

Rocky seeks adventure, fun, and nature. His nose knows where to find it. He is a great match for the human who likes to be active. Rocky is still a young pup, but he has all the skills in the manners department. He is now treadmill trained. What a great asset to have on hot summer days. He also walks well on a leash and knows how to relax and shut it all down too. He is crate trained, and fully potty trained.

Rocky is dog friendly. We are unsure about cats. He is all husky in his play, and tends to be on the higher energy level with other dogs. He is still a pup that is learning all the rules.

Unfortunately his previous owners neglected his care and health, and he is heartworm positive. Not to worry, as Rocky is scheduled and already underway with treatment.

This pups adoption comes with a team of support. His fosters are also his guardian angels. They have sponsored his training to make sure he is the best pup for his forever family. Rocky has been in a co-opp board and train with us and . He will have such a well-rounded foundation.

02/19/2023

Rocky seeks adventure, fun, and nature. He nose knows where to find it. He is a great match for the human who likes to be active. Rocky is still a young pup, but he has all the skills in the manners department. He is now treadmill trained. What a great asset to have on hot summer days. He also walks well in a leash and knows how to relax and shut it all down too. He is crate trained, and fully potty trained.

Rocky is dog friendly. We are unsure about cats. He is all husky in his play, and tends to be in the higher energy level with other dogs. He is still a pup that is learning all the rules.

Unfortunately his previous owners neglected his care and health, and he is heartworm positive. Not to worry, as Rocky is scheduled already underway with treatment.

This pups adoption comes with a team of support. His fosters are also his guardian angels. They have sponsored his training to make sure he is the best pup for his forever family, but he is quick to learn.

01/26/2023

Tiree is our first B&T guest of the year. He is a big bodied benz who is used to pushing and jumping his way through life. His humans hope to achieve a calmer boy who can hang and chill as well as being able to walk him in the neighborhood.

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01/04/2023

You’re help is needed to get us up and running again. If you would like to help, we are seeking volunteers to assist with deep cleaning the kennel rooms, and to bathe and walk dogs.

We will provide disposable gloves, aprons, cleaning supplies and lunch.

To sign-up, head to our bio and select the link.❤️

01/04/2023

We are seeking a reliable team player, with a passion for dogs to join our team as a part time kennel assistant.

We are looking for someone who has great communication a strong work ethic and is open to learning new skills & techniques.

Experience working with dogs, training dogs, or working in a kennel setting is helpful, but not mandatory.

Duties will include:

- Working with challenging dogs and behaviors.

- Learning and using a broad variety of training techniques.

- Being capable of working a physically demanding job in all types of weather.

- Helping take care of the health and safety of the dogs.

- Being able to take direction and guidance well and apply it.

01/02/2023

As many of you are aware, our facility was stricken with CIV over the holiday. We wanted to share some helpful information in regards to this virus that seems to be running rampant in our DFW area.

12/29/2022

Cases of canine flu have been rampent in Texas this winter, and unfortunately has ran its course here are BCB. Every dog in our facility was affected. We will be closing down to allow the virus to shed and not further infect our clientele.

BCB will be closed until January 24. Before opening, we will be doing a deep clean of the facility.

If your dog will be participating in any social setting, we encourage you to ask your vet about the canine influenza vaccine.

We would like to extend a huge thank you to our community for your support, encouragement, and care. We ❤️ you!!!

12/14/2022

Welcome Lucy to BCB. She is our newest B&T member, and I here for some confidence boosting and manners. Her resemblance to our resident dog Maevyn is uncanny.

12/13/2022

Meet little miss Brooklyn. She is currently being fostered by us, and looking for her forever home. She is approximately 1yo, but we suspect a little younger still. She has the best demeanor; is confident, playful, dog friendly, and an all around good pup. She will be a great family dog, and I don’t imagine her breaking out of the 40lb range once full grown.

12/13/2022

Papas is here for a short evaluation stay. He is available for adoption through .

12/09/2022

is a word that is often used a lot in rescue, but what exactly is it?

Often, humans get caught up in the number of days vs. really understanding what is going on with the individual dog infront of them. Decompression is so much more than just letting the dog rest. There is actually a scientific term referred to as myelination that is happening. It takes 72 hrs just for the brain to begin taking in it's new environment.

The first thing we should be creating for a new dog in our home (either via adopton or fostering) is safety. 3 days is just a baseline, but when a new dog is in our home, take the time to study it, and allow the dog to study you. Are you clear and consistant? Are you confident or unsure. It is not the time to shower them with affection, offer them freedom of space/choice, or start demanding obedience. The begining is your time to reach the dog, and make connection in their world. Your first few days with a new dog should be slow and calm, with lots of space, minimal words, and a safe place for them to rest, (ie a crate, not the couch).

This does not mean after 72 hrs, they are a changed dog. However, they should be more open to receive information from the human handler. It is our obligation to understand the dog, not theirs to understand us. And as a foster, always remain a bridge from their past to their future. Do not feel guilty that your foster does not have the same privleges as your resident dog. They do not need play dates and dog friends in the begining. Dogs are looking for a better way to survive this life. You can be the one to show them with the the help of your leadership.

Good leadership removes the stress associated with difficult decisions.

Certainty over assertiveness. Be an influencer to your dog, otherwise you're the one being influenced. In slow, out fast. It really means take all the time you can in the beginning to build a solid realtionship between you and the dog.

12/04/2022

A lady and her pearls. ❤️. Miss Layla is here for a b&t to help build confidence and work on car anxiety.

11/23/2022

You are seen! Keep going, keep growing. We are here with you every step of the way. ❤️

11/21/2022

Zander is here as a temp foster, and coming soon for adoption through . He is all husky, and loves to explore. Xander is still settling in as we take our time to learn who he is and what he needs. So far he has the best woowoo and Sploot. ❤️