Peaceful Paws Puppy & Dog Training

07/27/2024

Sparky and Amber think it’s a beautiful day to lay out and relax in the sun.

07/27/2024

Finley’s taken over the doggie bed. Amber and Sparky don’t even care. lol These three are so precious together.

07/27/2024

Max. Recall. Video 2/2

07/27/2024

Max. Recall. Video 1/2

07/27/2024

Max. Walking with a nice loose leash heel.

07/27/2024

Sandy. Heel work. Video 2/2

07/27/2024

Sandy. Heel work. Video 1/2

07/17/2024

Max. Loose leash work, walking on the right side.

07/14/2024

Happy 5th Birthday to our sweet Finley who thinks he’s a dog. lol

07/11/2024

“Lead Your Dog From Chaos To Calm” DMCM

CULTIVATING CALMNESS

We teach our dogs all sorts of things, but maybe don’t realise that teaching “calm” is also an important behaviour that has so many positive applications for both us and our dogs.

“Calm” can be defined as the absence of agitation or excitement; a feeling of tranquility; serenity and peace. These feelings are so often lacking in both our lives and that of our dogs.

Besides teaching dogs to settle on a mat or in another place or capturing and rewarding calm behaviour, here are some other ways to promote calmness.

Scenting or sniffing is a really effective and simple way to promote relaxation. It lowers the pulse rate and creates feelings of wellbeing.

Chewing is another powerful relaxation tool. Dogs use the chewing to relieve stress, frustration or anxiety. Chewing has a calming effect on the adrenal-pituitary axis in the brain which triggers the release of endorphins. It’s like self-medication for stress or anxiety.

Relaxing music that is specifically made for dogs can also work well, especially with dogs that get over excited in a car or have storm or firework fear.

When playing an exciting, high-energy game with your dog, take frequent breaks before starting up again to help your dog wind down and become calmer.

Aromatherapy, ear or other types of massage are other ways to help create calmness.

Cortisol holidays are also really important after a stressful event to prevent trigger stacking and allow cortisol levels to return to normal.

Conventional wisdom says that the ability to remain calm is a character trait that most of us lack, but Neuroscience teaches us that remaining calm under pressure is not an inborn trait, but a skill that needs to be learnt, practiced and managed and this applies to our dogs as well.

07/10/2024

Willow

07/09/2024

Thank you Leslie Horton!
I always communicate this to all the people I work with…. Well said!!

“He (she) doesn’t….”
“She (he) won’t….”
“My dog escaped…”

What if we change our thinking to “I have not built a relationship with my dog where he (she) understands and respects boundaries?”

People so often put the blame on the dog but have not taken the time to communicate effectively through consistent and clear messages to the dog. When we communicate to a dog as though it is a human and not a canine, the dog is often put into a position to guess what words and actions mean rather than to know the use of the word for a singular action.

For example, “down” cues the action of the dog to lie on the belly with paws and legs on the floor. However, people will also often say “sit down” or “get down”. This blurs the image of the “down” command in the dog creating inconsistency and, therefore, confusion for the dog.

No one wants to work with a wish/washy leader or be in a relationship where the rules continually change and keep us guessing. It causes us to live in a state of anxiety, confusion, frustration, etc.

Setting and keeping clear guidelines with a dog not only builds trust, but, to not do so, is actually unfair and, depending on the situation, can be cruel. Boundaries help not only build relationship, but maintain safety for the dog.

Be consistent, clear, and fair. Please own the responsibility rather than placing the blame on the dog when not providing clarity.

Dogs are wonderful and can do so much! Let’s rise up in our communications with our dogs to bring out the best in both of us.

07/06/2024

No matter where I am at home, there’s always an audience. lol

07/06/2024

Sandy. Long leash work.

07/06/2024

Lucy. Stay and recall at the open front door.

07/06/2024

Lucy. Long leash stay at the open front door.

07/06/2024

Lucy.
Working on stay at the open front door.

07/06/2024

Lucy.
Work on walking on the right, loose leash.

07/06/2024

Pippa. Working through nervousness in new places and being around children/new people. Leave it work and practicing decreasing the leash pressure. Video 4/4

07/06/2024

Pippa. Working through nervousness in new places and being around children/new people. Leave it work and practicing decreasing the leash pressure. Video 3/4

07/06/2024

Pippa. Working through nervousness in new places and being around children/new people. Leave it work and practicing decreasing the leash pressure. Video 2/4

07/06/2024

Pippa. Working through nervousness in new places and being around children/new people. Leave it work and practicing decreasing the leash pressure. Video 1/4

07/06/2024

Pippa. Doing some agility to boost her confidence.

07/04/2024

07/04/2024

ANTHROPOMORPHISM

THE GOOD / THE BAD AND WHERE TO DRAW THE LINE

This hard to pronounce and complicated sounding word – (anth-ro-po-morph-ism), means assigning human qualities, characteristics, emotions, feelings or motivations to our dogs (a non-human entity).

Advancements in canine neuroscience have revealed remarkable similarities between human and canine brain function, particularly in areas related to emotional processing.
This has given us far more understanding of canine cognition and emotion.

Although this is a great thing, it’s so important not to take anthropomorphism too far by assuming that our dogs experience emotions in exactly the same way that we do.

Dogs experience a similar range of emotions that would be seen in a 2 to 2 ½ year old child but are currently not thought to feel more complex emotions like guilt, shame, remorse, spite, pride or contempt.

Here is a link to a graphic that shows where a dog’s emotions are thought to stop in relation to the age of a child - bit.ly/canineemotions

Here are some examples of taking anthropomorphism too far:

“My dog knows exactly what he’s done – look how guilty he looks! No, your dog is reacting to your body language, tone of voice or remembers your previous reaction – this is fear, he is trying to appease you, calm you down, diffuse the situation.

“My dog chewed the couch just to get back at me for not taking him for a walk “ - No, your dog was probably bored, frustrated, lonely, had separation distress and was looking for a way to self-sooth or entertain himself.

“My dog pees inside just to spite me” – No, there could be a host of reasons, but spite is not one of them.

“My dog is just so stubborn” – No, find what is motivating, rewarding for your dog, are there too many distractions?

“Look at how proud my dog looks for winning the competition, graduating from a class, after being groomed etc” - No, your dog is reacting to your emotional state.

Instead of assuming that your dog is feeling “adult human emotions”, learn about body language and notice the context of the behaviour. This will provide a far more accurate idea of how dogs are really feeling.

Anthropomorphism is an essential tool in recognising a dog’s emotional state and allows us to have compassion, empathy, understanding and connection, but taking it too far is detrimental and undermines relationship.

06/27/2024

Willow.
Learning Conditioned Relaxation. And after the work, she had fun playtime with her frisbee.

06/26/2024

Sandy. Sit/stay.

06/26/2024

Silly Ziggy!

06/26/2024

Lucy. Heel work.