Dog Talk With Deb

08/01/2023

08/01/2023

Continuing our ABC's with B - for Behavior!

Behaviors are all the things our dog does! There are entire careers dedicated to the study of behavior and behaviors of specific species.

Behaviors can give us so much information about our dogs! What they like and don't like, how they operate, how they might be feeling and even what they may be thinking!

Understanding behaviors is foundational to being able to understand your dog. As dog guardians, we need to be adept at reading, analyzing and assessing our dogs behaviors because that is all they have to communicate to us with.

So be sure to take time to understand your dogs behavior! You never know what you might learn.

07/27/2023

Ingredients for a perfect stack!

1. Front legs straight down
2. Hocks perpendicular to the ground
3. Correct distance between front legs and back
4. Head at proper position
5. Tail in proper position
6. Proper weight distribution

For more help, check out our Training Stacking for the Show Ring Online Course here>>> https://showdogprepschool.com/courses/training-stacking-for-the-show-ring/

07/25/2023

This is a new concept to me and I'm excited to learn more! Highly suggest this to anyone with a dog that has high predatory instincts. I've seen the outcomes of this training and it's pretty stinking cool to see!

🤩Today, I have a special surprise for you! After weeks of planning, I am thrilled to invite you to my Predation Substitute Training webinar:

✨MYTHBUSTER: PREY DRIVE IN DOGS - What works and what doesn’t✨ on August 12th, 2023.

🆓And the best part? It's absolutely free!

I'm sure you have heard tips like:

❌"Getting your dog neutered will reduce their prey drive"
❌"Squeaky toys and tug toys make predatory behaviour worse"
❌"Positive dog training does not work with predation!"

▶️During the webinar, I will speak about common myths and misconceptions around our dog's prey drive.

▶️Additionally, I will delve into the four aspects of successful force-free anti-predation training with you to provide you with useful solutions!

❓When: August 12th, 2023. - 8pm CEST, 7pm UCT (UK), 2pm EDT (US)
❗️And yes, there will be a recording if you can't make it!

Reserve your spot now as there are limited seats available:
👉 www.predation-substitute-training.com/mythbuster

07/25/2023

We're going to learn about our ABCs! That is antecedents, behaviors, and consequences! Starting with our antecedents.

Antecedents are all the factors in a given situation that preceed a the occurrence of a behavior.

Antecedents are things like the environment, props, targets, and proximity to a stimulus that all have an influence on a behavior.

When training our dogs it's important to pay attention to what antecedents might be at play. When we understand our antecedents we can change them to influence different outcomes.

For example, if I'm trying to shape the behavior of 4 paws on a station, I can play with the location of the station in proximity to me and the dog as well as our environment. I can also choose to increase distance from a potential distraction to help my dog concentrate. There's lots of little things we can change to influence behavior outcomes!

So the next time you're in a training session and you get stuck, examine your antecedents! There might be something going on that you can change and would make the outcome you're looking for more likely!

07/13/2023

06/23/2023

Welcome to Trainer Terminology! A new series I will be doing on this page!

Have you have you ever read or heard a trainer use terms that you didn't understand? Are you looking to expand your knowledge of dog training? Do you just love to learn about behavior?

Then this will be a great series for you to follow! I will share various terms used in dog training, as well as across the world of behavior and discuss what they mean, share examples and why it's relevant to dog training.

This week we are learning about stimulus control!

06/09/2023

🎆📣FIREWORK SEASON IS COMING📣🎆

Which means, it's time to begin preparing if you have a dog who struggles with fireworks.

Let me share my top tips for helping you and your dog get through the firework season.

📣‼️ TIP 1: Anxiety Medication

One of the most important things we can do is help our dog regulate their nervous system through medications. For dogs with sound sensitivity, pharmaceutical intervention is one the most effective forms of intervention.

Now is the time to contact your vet to inquire about getting a prescription for anxiety meds or filling an existing script. If you haven't tried medication with your dog before you want to use this time to work with your vet to find the right medication and dosage before we reach peak firework season.

Your vet will guide you on how to use the medication but it is important to be proactive with medication and get them on board BEFORE the noises will start. You may even need to keep your dog on a round the clock schedule during the peak time of fireworks.

📣‼️ TIP 2: Nutraceutical calming support

These are over the counter products that can be used in addition to pharmaceuticals to help calm the nervous system. These are products such as calming supplements and pheromones.

As with medications, you want to be proactive with these supplements and start using them well before you anticipate fireworks starting in your area. Some of these products are most effective when they have had time to build up in the system. Anticipate at least a week for these products to reach therapeutic levels in the body.

Here are some of my favorite products:

Zesty Paws Advanced Calming Chews: https://amzn.to/43OzoGG

Sulliquin Calming Supplement: https://amzn.to/3WUPtIF

Vetoquinol Zylkene Behavior Support: https://amzn.to/43V2QLf

Calming Care Probiotic: https://amzn.to/43uksgV

Adaptil Pharmone Collar: (large/medium) https://amzn.to/3N2p6vN , (Small) https://amzn.to/45XB4PK

Adaptl Pharmone diffuser: https://amzn.to/43T2bcT

📣‼️ TIP 3: Create a safe space for you dog to hide

You may have noticed in past that your dog moves from room to room in your home trying to escape the sounds of the fireworks. We can help them out by creating a special, safe space in a quite area of the home.

If there is a room or place your dog tends to go to, use that space. This might be a bathroom, closet, or basement. Set up a bed or kennel to make that space extra comfortable. You can also condition this space now to make it a special, relaxing place to be. To do this, you can reinforce your dog when they choose to go there on their own, and you can also give them special treats and chews for going to this spot. If you can put the calming pheromone diffuser in this area or close by that will help support making this a safe space.

📣‼️ TIP 4: Help reduce the intensity of the firework sounds with sound dampening and background noise.

In the safe space you create for your dog, use pillows and blankets to cover the kennel to provide a sound dampening effect and reduce the sound of the firework your dog will hear. I've even taken couch cushions to pad around the kennel.

Use fans, white noise machines, music or other background noise to interfere with the sound of the fireworks. I use a box fan on high to help reduce noise as well as calming music on a blue tooth speaker.

📣‼️ TIP 5: Be extra cautious with dogs who have a tendency to bolt when they hear fireworks.

Be sure that you have an up to date collar and tag on your dog in the event they panic and bolt. If your dog is microchipped make sure that is up to date as well.

Don't let your dog outside alone, and keep them on leash if they are really prone to panicking and running off. I also recommend using a martingale or limited slip type of collar for dogs who are prone to backing out of their collars.

Here is an example of the collar: https://amzn.to/43wcq7o

This is a tough time of year for those of us with sensitive dogs! The more we can prepare for it the more we can reduce stress for all involved! Stay safe everyone!

Please be sure to like and share this post so we can help prepare as many dog owners as possible!

06/05/2023

Hello and Welcome!

I love talking about all things dog so I figured why not start a page?

If you don't know me or are just getting to know me, it's nice to mee you, I am Deb! I have been a dog enthusiast my whole life and am beginning a career as a professional dog trainer after making the decision to leave the corporate world. I am an accredited trainer through the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) and am pursing my Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC) accreditation as well as becoming a Certified Control Unleashed Instructor (CCUI).

My goal for this page is education. I am someone who loves to learn and I have accumulated a lot of knowledge about dogs that I wish to share with the world. My passion is to help people build a better relationship with their dogs through education and coaching.

So if you are looking to learn more about dogs, then you are in the right place! I will talk about behavior, training, tips for living with dogs and share fun stories from my life with my own dogs!

06/05/2023

Meet my crew!

I currently share my life with 3 dogs and thought I might introduce you to them as they are sure to come up on this page!

Lupin, Dalmatian 5.5 years old

Lupin is my heart dog and the one who started it all. While he isn't technically my first dog, he is the dog who started me in sports and also the reason I am a dog trainer. I will share his story some time but the short version is he has not been an easy dog, having dog and human reactivity and aggression. In an attempt to help my own dog I spent a lot of time educating myself in behavior and behavior modification. Lupin has taught me so much over the years and if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have began my journey to becoming a dog trainer....well at least as soon as I did. He is my novice A dog who has put up with all my mistakes and crappy handling as I learned to become better. He keeps me humble at all times, reminding me that our relationship is about give and take. He is the sweetest dog, who wants nothing more then to make me happy and he always tries his hardest. We love to play rally together and even though we may not be the top team out there we have a lot of fun together.

Luna, border collie rescue 5 years

I rescued Luna after my senior dog River passed. She was an impulse purchase when a trip to the pet store for some cat litter turned into an adoption. I was wanting to get young, active companion for Lupin and was also wanting a dog I could do agility with. A border collie seemed like a good fit and when I saw her out front at PetCo...well I just went with my heart. She turned out to be not at all what I was looking for but she ended up staying with us anyway. Luna is an incredibly sensitive and soft dog who needs a lot of patience and confidence building. She likes to train but has never had the same drive and motivation as my dals - funny having a not driven border collie. She lives primarily as a house pet though we dabble with some stuff here an there. I hope to try her on herding because I think she would excel at it and it would help her confidence.

Neema, Dalmatian 1.5 years

Neema is my youngest member and my 'do everything' dog. She is from a fabulous breeder who puts a lot of effort into breeding healthy, stable dogs. Neema is an incredibly fun, driven dog who is up for any challenge! She is active, has a wonderful desire to work and is just an overall goofy, fun dog! We are still building our relationship and figuring out what we like to do but it seems Agility will be in our future as well as some obedience, rally and nosework. I am loving watching her mature and I can't wait to see where we go as a team.

I also share my life with 2 bunnies and 2 kitties that may make appearances every so often, so they get an honorable mention :)