Melissa's Muttz 'n' Mongrels, LLC

12/04/2024

12/01/2024

12/01/2024

If you've had a lesson or a class with me recently, you know I'm ALL ABOUT the hand feeding!

11/18/2024

I jumped into an interesting conversation about the rule of 3 in rescue, and whether it causes people to tolerate bad behavior longer under the assumption that the dog is still "settling in" and the behavior will change. (Hint: it won't unless you do something about it).
So I fixed it to make it clearer:

I do use this rule, but differently. And it's a trainer's perspective, not the general public. Obviously the dog needs 3 days to orient to its new surroundings. I do the same when I go to a new city, vacation or whatever, I find my way around. At 3 weeks, the dog is comfortable enough around you to show you its true colors, for better or for worse. And ideally, at 3 months, you've put in the training/ boundaries/ structure/ management to understand the dog you're going to get, notwithstanding more training to proof, polish or adjust. In other words, you know its personality, what you can change and what you probably can't, which is usually about their individual genetics.

11/16/2024

😊👍🏼

10/30/2024

costume

10/19/2024

Perfectly explained.

09/12/2024

Box feeding games are a great way to build confidence and socialize timid dogs.

09/07/2024

Adolescence occurs between six months and 18 months of age—a time when guardians typically struggle the most with their dogs. Some guardians are so overwhelmed and underprepared for this developmental stage of their dog’s life, they choose to surrender the dog to a local shelter or rescue group. In a recent study published in the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science found that the majority of the surrendered dogs (47.7 percent) ) were between 5 months and 3 years of age (M.D. Salman,John G. New, Jr.,Janet M. Scarlett,Philip H. Kass,Rebecca Ruch-Gallie &Suzanne Hetts, 2010)

The neurobiology of adolescence is fascinating, with some key events that alter both the structure and function of the brain.

During canine adolescence, changing s*x hormones effect the animals stress responses. Adolescent dogs have a decreased ability to process information they are receiving from the environment including the presence of dogs, vehicles, people, or really anything around them. They behave in ways that might feel frustrating or upsetting for the dog’s person.

The connectivity between the frontal cortex (responsible for decision making) and amygdala (responsible for emotional processing) decreases, resulting in less behavioral control. We see increased risk taking and more sensitivity to fear.

So what does this mean? This could mean that what was once no big deal to the dog now feels scary; what was once easy to do is now stressful; what once made sense is now confusing. At times, the world can feel like ‘too much’ for the adolescent dog.

As your puppy undergoes this transition into adulthood their inner world is intense, even chaotic. Many pet owners experience an increase in undesirable behavior and find themselves becoming increasingly frustrated. In turn, our own frustration and impatience can cause us to act unpredictably. This adds to our puppy’s inner turmoil. When the inside and the outside are both unpredictable it can be difficult for our dogs to adjust.

If you have an adolescent dog, what can you do? You can give your dog the time and space to observe what is going on around them when on leash at a distance away from the activity when possible. You can give your dog long walks to sniff and explore in nature, giving their brain time to decompress. You can offer your dog a quiet space to sleep so that they can consolidate memories effectively. You can continue training various skills, breaking them down into easier steps that can be generously reinforced.

By understanding what our adolescent dog is experiencing we gain greater compassion and understanding. When we approach adolescence with patience we create a world that is predictable and gentle so our puppies grow up to be their best adult selves.

09/07/2024

Use mealtimes to add a little extra enrichment to your dog's day by adding fun flavors to enrichment toys like a lickmat, Kong, or Toppl.

As always, keep your dogs diet balanced by only adding these in moderation. You can use kibble in enrichment toys too!