Dunedin Happy Tails

03/27/2025

Little boy TITO chichi from Woodright Brewing Company found himself a little French girl to flirt with. Spring is definitely in the air for these 2 after their spa day.🌸

03/27/2025

03/25/2025

This is our friend Dr. Lisa Soyka in action at VEG (veterinary emergency )
saving a dogs life.
This baby was rushed in dying because it had tried to swallow a giant brick of cheese. As you see in the video Lisa rushing to the door to grab the pup and WITHOUT A SECOND OF HESITATION!!!!, reaching into the dog’s mouth to pull the brick out immediately without even thinking about the possibility of getting bitten ( which is a very normal and understandable possibility)
This dogs parents are understandably, overwhelmed and are hugging Lisa with tears of gratitude❤️
Lisa is one of those rare people that has no fear when it comes to saving a dog’s life -she does whatever is necessary- and this is why we go to Lisa for emergencies. We love you Lisa and are so grateful for your friendship.

03/24/2025

“You are not a skillful trainer if your dog is dependent on the training tool.”

We hear this all the time, especially when it comes to the use of ecollar.

First of all, me looking “skillful” is never my priority.

My priority is whether the dog is empowered with the skills to handle life, and whether the owner has the necessary skills to carry on.

I want the owners and their dogs to look skillful.

A lot of Force Free trainers like to make the training really complex so they will look very skillful - because they are the only one who can do it - but what is so great about that if the owners and their dogs keep failing?

Secondly, as long as the dog is able to perform and make the proper decisions, it’s okay if this result is achieved in conjunction with certain training devices.

This is not about showing off how good we are as a trainer, this is all about providing the best quality of life for the dog.

We depend on electricity and other power sources to keep our houses warm. Many of us depend on electronic devices for communication and work. We have suspension, power steering, and many electronic sensors in our cars. The list can go on and on. It’s normal for us to be dependent on all these devices but it is a bad thing when it comes to our dogs? It is okay for us to depend on all sorts of tools in our daily life but in order to be considered well trained, our dogs must live without any of them? How is that logical?

Thirdly, if we can find a training system that even an average person can master, why is that a bad thing? If someone who does not have professional skill can use something that can really improve their life with their dogs - shouldn’t that be something we celebrate and encourage? Why do these Force Free trainers so obsessed in shaming people over that?

Do Force free trainers never use any training tools? Do they use a leash or harness to keep their dogs from getting hit by a car when crossing a busy street? If so, does that make them bad trainers because their dogs’ safety are dependent on those training tools? Why the double standard?

For me, my objective is a dog who can live with the human in harmony, who can enjoy lots of fun and freedom reliably, who shares a relationship whereas both the human and the dog can trust and understand each other with mutual respect and love.

How that is achieved can vary, because each dog is different, but the most important thing is that we put that as our priority and use whatever we need to provide our dog with the best life possible.

Some children need special glasses or shoes. Some need extra help with speech, or motoring skills. Shall we do what Force Free trainers love to do, which is to mock the parents for being “unskillful parents” since their children are dependent on those things?

We should not compromise on the dog’s quality of life over the opinion of others. Our dogs do not exist to prove what a “skillful” trainer we are.

Don’t let some strangers dictate how you live with your dog. It is none of their business.

Of course we want our dogs to know how to make better choices on their own. But even us as humans will make mistakes from time to time. We need reminders from time to time. If you have to use your ecollar or prong collar or treats to help them sometimes, it is totally fine. It does not make them a bad dog, it does not mean your training is bad, and it certainly does not make you a bad owner.

It only means one thing: you are very sensitive and considerate to your dog’s needs and you are always willing and able to do whatever it takes to make sure your dog is successful. It is not about us, it is always about our dog. Don’t let some strangers make you feel guilty for being a great parent!

Hope this helps.

Thank you.

PerfectCompanionK9.com

03/24/2025

Stop using food to distract the reactive dog and for the love of everything -STOP asking your dog to SIT and watch the trigger walk by. Carry on and correct what needs to be .

So many of you struggling with reactivity issues need to do two things:

1/ Digest and process this simple formula, memorize it, and do not attempt to make it more complicated than it is.

2/ Stop allowing your reactive dog to look at other dogs.

Owners, once you truly *get* number one, and you see the clear sequence that takes you from relaxed/neutral dog to exploding dog, you are now empowered to solve the problem.

Of course the training universe will attempt to make reactivity into something profoundly complex — which will cause you to hesitate and second guess… which will cause you to fail. It’s not complex — not when it comes to how the reactivity escalation sequence works. Don’t let the multitude of online experts mislead you. Keep it simple, and you’ll succeed.

As for number two, this is also simple. Truly reactive dogs are unable to look at other dogs without moving — within milliseconds — onto the “lock”, and once locked on the “load” and “launch” come wildly fast and are often impossible to stop.

But because owners think: “Maybe he/she won’t do it this time.”, or “I don’t want to create a negative association.”, or “I want my dog to enjoy the sight of other dogs and make friends.”, or prior to this post you simply didn’t fully understand that looking was the gateway to the explosion… you allow the look.

Instead of doing what all the other owners who are struggling with reactivity are doing, do something different. Understand the reactivity escalation sequence, and knowing how it works, simply correct your reactive dog for attempting to get the sequence rolling by looking at prospective targets.

Yes, initially, we teach seriously reactive dogs not to look at other dogs — because they don’t know how to do so in a healthy fashion. And no, it doesn’t create a negative association — it begins to disarm the already existing negative association and gives you the chance to help your dog see other dogs from an emotionally neutral, and thus healthy standpoint. Over time, as your dog becomes more and more neutral (naturally counter-conditioning themselves) around dogs, you can slowly, incrementally, organically start to explore your dog’s limits and abilities. Perhaps, in a few months, your dog will be able to look at other dogs without escalation. Perhaps it will take more time. And perhaps you’ve got a very serious customer (a 1%er) who even after great amounts of time and effort still can’t look at dogs without racing through the R.E.S. Happily, these dogs are extremely rare — and thus why they’re called 1%ers. 🙂

PS, please for the love of all that is holy in actually successful dog training: don’t use food to try to redirect your reactive dog. Correct the looking behavior firmly and give your dog clear guidance/information about what is and isn’t desired/allowed. Because, if your dog is truly reactive, they won’t care what high-value food item you’re waiving in front of them — they will just continue to stare, and now you’re screwed.

PPS, sorry to say, if your reactive dog will take food, and disengage from the trigger/target, then you don’t have a reactive dog. True reactivity will ignore food every time, or will take it and go right back to the stare — and if they will take it, congratulations, now you’re training your dog to be reactive.

03/23/2025

Ellen McCullough & Walter Maude have been clients for many years. They have 5 beautiful poodles that get a sporty style for easy maintenance and comfort for these senior babes. Here are a few photos from their visit this week.

03/22/2025

Beautiful Claire gives Bailey kisses after her spa day 🩷

03/22/2025

Pretty Gemma girl gets a fresh look today 🩷

03/22/2025

🐰Sir Alfred Entwistle has arrived. He found Bunny and is a happy boy.🐰

03/21/2025

Mommy realized that she doesn’t want to groom her doodle herself ❤️
We applaud her efforts and are very happy she came to us with sweet Biscuit 🌸

03/21/2025

You don’t have to *actually* train your dog to engage in problematic behavior, you only have to allow it — from there nature will do the rest.

It typically starts out as a small, “no big deal”, testing of the waters. And because the behavior is so small and seemingly benign, many let it go. But as the waters repeatedly permit the tiny, seemingly benign behavior to be repeated over and over, something strange occurs…

The once small, innocuous, “no big deal” behavior has now become anything but. It now occurs far more frequently, and it’s far stronger and firmer in its presentation.

This is the place where many owners reach out for help from professionals. And usually they will relay a story of the issues coming virtually out of nowhere. But that’s never the case. Problematic behavior always starts small (that’s the “out of nowhere part”), and always grows into something more if allowed.

So here’s one of the most important tips I can share with you. What you allow is what you train. And the reason you allow it is almost always because it doesn’t appear to be that serious initially. But then at some point it becomes something you’re no longer able to ignore. So instead of doing what so many do, and falling into the trap that so many fall into, work to see the small moments of unwanted behavior as your “go-signal” for addressing the issue. These are your chances to head problem behaviors off at the pass, and also to ensure your relationship dynamics never end up in the dysfunctional space that so many owners end up in.

And maybe just maybe, you’ll never need a professional to help — because you never allowed the small stuff to become the big stuff. :)

03/20/2025

We love Deputy Baldwin for saving these babies 🖤

03/20/2025

Pretty girl gets her summer cut ❤️

03/18/2025

Spring is here 🌸

03/18/2025

Handsome Howie has been with us for years. Such a gorgeous coat and gentle giant . We love this doodle .🖤🖤