Waggin' Tails Dog Obedience

06/14/2024

06/05/2024

ESSENTIAL ENRICHMENT

Imagine being kept in the same space each and every day. You know every blade of grass, every scent, every brick, every piece of fence. You have no books to read, no TV to watch, no one to talk to, no interaction with the outside world and absolutely nothing to do.

Would this situation begin to affect your behavior and influence your emotional, mental or physical state? Think about this from our dog's perspective.

Many dogs live in this type of environment and yet we wonder why they develop behavior problems, bark excessively, destroy the garden, become over excited, over aroused or maybe just shut down or sleep all day having completely lost interest in the world.

Many behavior problems are caused by boredom, a lack of mental and physical stimulation or being confined to the same space every day.

Providing enrichment for dogs is so important for their wellbeing and really doesn’t require that much effort from us.

There are so many simple ways to provide enrichment. An online search for DIY enrichment ideas will provide lots of ideas.

Older dogs may enjoy a ride in the car, sitting at a window watching the world go by, bringing the outside in – sticks, cones, grass etc. from different areas placed in a box for them to rummage through and smell, dinner in the park, or even just playing some doggie music will make a difference.

“Chronic inescapable boredom can be extremely aversive, and under-stimulation can harm neural, cognitive and behavioral flexibility.” - A biological perspective on animal boredom and suggestions for its scientific investigation by Charlotte Burn - The Royal Veterinary College

Here are some links for enrichment ideas -

Enrichment ideas by Laura Gendron
https://missbehaviortraining.com/blog/diyenrichment

DIY boredom busting toys by Luke Balsam
https://wunderdogmagazine.com/care/awesome-diy-dog-toys-our-dog-trainer-made-some-boredom-busting-toys-and-you-can-too/

Link to a free introduction on ACE free work by Sarah Fisher -
https://animalcentrededucation.teachable.com/p/watch-this-space

05/28/2024

While I was off gallivanting on Kauai, my little boy turned one. Happy birthday, FozzyBear! You make me laugh everyday.

05/22/2024

Also good to know.

Identifying abnormal urine colors in your dog could indicate serious health problems. 🐾💧Take action immediately by consulting with our veterinary team. We are just a call away!

05/22/2024

Ick but good to know.

05/17/2024

Yep!!

04/06/2024

Take care and be aware of our wildlife.

This is "Animal Services Wildlife psa.mov" by Eagle County Government on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

04/06/2024

AKA Teenage stage!

ADOLESCENCE:
As dogs go through adolescence, it’s safe to say things turn a little topsy-turvy! 🙃

If you’re currently at this stage and feeling like you’ve taken one step forward and two steps back, don’t panic! During this stage of life, there’s a lot going on in their busy little brains.

Here are three facts about the adolescent brain 🧠👇

1. The inhibitory neurons of the amygdala that help to dampen down emotional responses don’t fully mature until the END of adolescence.

2. Communication between the frontal cortex and amygdala, which is essential for skills training, decreases during adolescence.

3. Extinction memory is impaired during adolescence, so if your dog has a bad experience it’s much more likely to lead to a ‘hard wired’ fear memory.

Have patience and compassion as you support and guide your dog through this vulnerable period of brain development.

03/28/2024

Rules without relationship equals rebellion.

03/19/2024

FozzieBear sure loves his Poppy.

03/13/2024

When assembling your dog make sure to read the instructions!

03/12/2024

Just a couple of Canie brothers enjoying their Pupsicles from . YumYum!!!

03/04/2024

“Today I adopted a human. It broke my heart to see her so lonely and confused. And suddenly I got her teary eyes to meet mine. I don't like the smell of sad. I wanted to jump on her so bad. She spoke to me with cuteness and I knew it, I just had to rescue her, that human needed me. So I barked with all my strength, and I followed her blocks and blocks.

I got close, I could smell her hands. The human smiled for an instant and when she took me in her arms, I started to feel her heart open. I reached for her cheeks and felt a tear roll on them. I looked at her deeply and her response was a brilliant smile. This was my chance!! I wiggled excitedly and I promised to behave, love her forever and never leave her side.

How lucky she was to go through that block, down that street and I feel lucky too. There were so many people walking around and no one was looking at me. All worried, all in their troubles. Glad no one else chose me.

Today I saved a life. Today I adopted a human” 🤗🐾❤️

03/04/2024

Everyone who is thinking of getting a dog should read this because you need to understand this reality:

***I am a 21st century dog.***
-I'm a Malinois.
Overskilled among dogs, I excel in all disciplines and I'm always ready to work: I NEED to work.
But nowadays I get asked to chill on the couch all day everyday.

-I am an Akita Inu.
My ancestors were selected for fighting bears.
Today I get asked to be tolerant and I get scolded for my reactivity when another approaches me.

-I am a Beagle.
When I chase my prey, I raise my voice so the hunters could follow.
Today they put an electric collar on me to shut up, and you make me come back to you - no running - with a snap of your fingers.

-I am a Yorkshire Terrier.
I was a terrifying rat hunter in English mines.
Today they think I can't use my legs and they always hold me in their arms.

-I'm a Labrador Retriever.
My vision of happiness is a dive into a pond to bring back the duck he shot to my master.
Today you forget I'm a walking, running, swimming dog; as a result I'm fat, made to stay indoors, and to babysit.

-I am a Jack Russell.
I can take on a fox, a mean badger, and a rat bigger than me in his den.
Today I get scolded for my character and high energy, and forced to turn into a quiet living room dog.

-I am a Siberian Husky.
Experienced the great, wide open spaces of Northern Europe, where I could drag sleds for long distances at impressive speeds.
Today I only have the walls of the house or small garden as a horizon, and the holes I dig in the ground just to release energy and frustration, trying to stay sane.

-I am a border collie
I was made to work hours a day in partnership with my master, and I am an unmistakable artist of working with the herd.
Today they are mad at me because, for lack of sheep, I try to herd bikes, cars, children in the house and everything in motion.

I am ...
I am a 21st century dog.
I'm pretty, I'm alert, I'm obedient, I stay in a bag...but I'm also an individual who, from centuries of training, needs to express my instincts, and I am *not* suited for the sedentary life you'd want me to lead.
Spending eight hours a day alone in the house or in the garden - with no work and no one to play or run with, seeing you for a short time in the evening when you get home, and only getting a small toilet walk will make me deeply unhappy.
I'll express it by barking all day, turning your yard into a minefield, doing my needs indoors, being unmanageable the rare times I'll find myself outside, and sometimes spending my days sunk, sad, lonely, and depressed, on my pillow.

You may think that I should be happy to be able to enjoy all this comfort while you go to work, but actually I’ll be exhausted and frustrated, because this is absolutely NOT what I'm meant to do, or what I need to be doing.

If you love me, if you've always dreamed of me, if my beautiful blue eyes or my athletic look make you want me, but you can't give me a real dog's life, a life that's really worth living according to my breed, and if you can't offer me the job that my genes are asking, DO NOT buy or adopt me!

If you like the way I look but aren't willing to accept my temperament, gifts, and traits derived from long genetic selection, and you think you can change them with only your good will, then DO NOT BUY OR ADOPT ME.

I’m a dog from the 21st century, yes, but deep inside me, the one who fought, the one who hunted, the one who pulled sleds, the one who guided and protected a herd still lives within. So think **very** carefully before you choose your dog. Eight or ten hours is just a workday to you, but it's an eternity for me to be alone."

01/14/2024

Be a respectful & responsible owner.

01/02/2024

Many people have welcomed an adopted dog into their lives over the holidays. I hope you find the following helpful.

Newly adopted dogs don't know you. You know your intentions are good, but unfortunately they do not.

Trust takes time, building a relationship takes time, but many people think in a few days their new addition should be fine.

This is incorrect. In a few days they can be just as stressed as when they first arrived, and maybe even more. Dogs are sentient beings that need consistency and routine to thrive and feel safe, and only time can provide that.

Everything is new.
It smells different.
It sounds different.
The people around them are different and it can be scary.

Take it slow.
Let them understand their new world in small, predictable ways.
Keep a routine.
Keep as much as possible the same as the rescue may have advised.
Don't wash the grubby blanket that came with them; they may need those scents because it is all they find comfort in within their new environment.
Give them plenty of space and time to acclimate to their new environment. Keep them in a quiet, comfortable room with their bed, food, water, and toys. Limit their exposure to visitors so they don't get overwhelmed

If you have been told they are good with other dogs/pets, great! However that doesn't mean they need to be immediately introduced. They know other animals are near, they can sense them and smell them. They don't need to meet just yet.

Sights are new.
Sounds are new.
Scents are new.
Everything your dog uses to navigate the world is new and can be scary.

New dogs can behave in unpredictable ways, so be mentally and emotionally prepared that it may not all be smoothe sailing.

You WILL get there, and the best way to do this is slowly, with love, patience, and understanding. I wish you all the very best for you and your new family member, and a very happy 2024.

10/13/2023

This!!!

10/12/2023

Affection & closeness are essential factors in building a strong relationship with your puppy, but it’s so easy to get it wrong.

How social or affectionate a dog will be is largely determined by genetics.

My little guy, Fozzy, is INCREDIBLY affectionate but my roommate's Kelpie/Heeler mix is not.

Teaching both children and adults not to impose our human ways of showing affection on our dogs is important. This is REALLY hard for kids, and it’s a big factor in why children are at such high risk of being bitten by family dogs. They so desperately want to show love the way they've been taught, but they don’t realize a dog doesn’t always perceive ‘love’ the way it’s presented.

Dogs learn by association. If a puppy learns that every time someone approaches them they’ll be grabbed, there’s a good chance they’ll start running away & avoiding. If their name is constantly used for what they can perceive as negative experiences, their name will become a reason to stay away.

As hard as it is, try not to beg for your puppies attention when you want to give them affection. Instead, talk to your puppy when it’s training time. Acknowledge and capture their desirable behaviors when they do them without being asked. Train your puppy to associate their name with positive and rewarding experiences. Give them affection at the end of a training session with a calm massage or when they come to you to initiate interaction. Leave them be & just observe them when they’re free roaming.

It’s so important to learn ‘who’ your puppy is as an individual & to raise them keeping their natural levels of affection in mind at all times.

10/12/2023

DISTANCE ASSISTANCE
It’s not easy having a reactive dog. As much as we may feel frustrated, restricted, angry or even ashamed or embarrassed, our reactive dogs are also experiencing a range of negative emotions when they react to something that triggers them.

This reaction is usually caused by anxiety, fear, feeling threatened or frustrated.

These emotions cause high levels of stress and stress prevents both us and our dogs from being able to process information, think clearly or learn a different, more acceptable way of reacting to whatever triggers us.

This is why creating enough distance is so important.

I’m really scared of spiders and even struggle to look at them. The only thing I want to do is run away and create as much distance as possible.

If someone was restraining me, forcing me to sit down and look at the spider while trying to feed me my favorite chocolate, telling me there was nothing to worry about or trying to educate me about the specific species, it would do nothing to alleviate my fear and would only increase my stress levels.

Doing this at a sufficient distance, where I felt safe would be far more effective and my stress levels would be much lower. I may even eat the entire slab of chocolate!

In time, with patience and practice, I may even be able to get much closer to the spider without having a negative reaction.

The same principle applies to reactive dogs. Creating sufficient distance where they can see the trigger but still feel safe, comfortable and don’t react is the best way of helping them to cope with their feelings.

Some dogs (and people) may never be able to decrease that distance and that’s also okay.

Accept your dog for the unique individual they are, work on the things you can change and accept the things you can’t.

10/09/2023

5.5 months old!!

09/20/2023

THE CONSEQUENCES OF BRINGING A PUPPY HOME BEFORE IT'S AT LEAST 8 WEEKS OLD...

The early life experiences of puppies are vitally important and extend through to adulthood, influencing behavior, temperment, and physical, emotional, mental and social development.

There are still so many so-called breeders that allow their puppies to be taken away at 6 weeks old. Unfortunately, some people just accept this as the norm without question, and are usually unaware of the potential consequences.

Just because a puppy may no longer depend on mom for food doesn’t mean they are ready to leave the security of their family unit and are ready to cope on their own in the world.

A puppy younger than 10 weeks is still reliant on mom and littermates to learn appropriate social behavior, impulse control, a tolerance to frustration, bite inhibition, and to develop self-confidence and other skills that will help them become well-adjusted adults.

Scott and Fuller’s influential 1965 book about the social development of dogs recommended that 6 to 8 weeks was the best time to remove a puppy. The “ideal time” in this context was the best time from the person’s perspective and not the dog's. For them, holding on to a puppy after this time resulted in added financial costs and was time consuming.

We have learned so much about dog behavior and development since then, and our focus has changed to what is best for the dog, not the person.

Many reputable, ethical, and educated breeders now keep puppies with their moms and littermates until 10 to 12 weeks of age, but 8 weeks old should be the bare minimum that you accept your puppy from a breeder. I encourage you NOT to support breeders that allow their pups to leave earlier than that.

07/30/2023

Luring...phase it out as quickly as you can. Issues with luring can cause a whole lot of other problems when teaching a dog a new behavior, trick or technique.

Don't get me wrong...it has it's place and IS helpful. The issue with luring is many people use luring for far too long.

So what's so wrong with that ?

Dogs that are constantly lured may only have learned how to follow a treat, and are so focused on that, they can be unaware of what they are doing, how/where they are positioned, and they are not able to problem solve. They are driven by the lure, and that is ALL they have learned from luring.

They also may not do anything (or even attempt to start) without the use of a lure. If you have this issue, then it is highly likely luring has gone on longer than it should.

Treats and rewards are a great way to help a dog learn, but they do have to be used wisely, and in the case of luring...if it goes on too long, it will work against what you want to achieve.

If you present the lure when your dog has ignored your verbal or visual cue, this can inadvertently reinforce the belief that the sight of the treat or toy IS the actual cue to perform the behavior. Luring isn’t as simple as it may sound, and it needs to be phased out and switched to a reward as quickly as possible.

06/15/2023

Greeting a dog you don't know....some very old advice out there.
For me it is a very big NO to crouching down....and the same to outstretched hands.

Please don't approach a dog you do not know with an outstretched hand, it is just plain dangerous.
There is a reason hands are the most bitten parts on a human. They can be viewed as very threatening.

A sniff is not permission from a dog to touch them....on the contrary, many dogs will warily go in and sniff an outstretched hand and will immediately back off if they sense you are suddenly nervous around them, your respiration/heart rate has changed....and they can/will bite that same hand if they feel threatened enough.
It is in very easy reach for them

Controversial for some... but I am so over people being told to crouch down when meeting a dog. Crouching down puts you in a position where you are unable to move quickly, and because you don't know this dog.....you may need to move away very quickly.
For some dogs, crouching does nothing but make many back off and become wary, some others it may work.....but your head, neck, eyes and face will be just inches away from a dog you do not know.

Is it worth the risk ?

Eye contact is a very big no with many dogs, using your peripheral vision allows dogs to feel more comfortable. Direct eye contact can be viewed as a threat.

Listen to advice from the guardian/owner but if everything in your bones is saying "this dog does not want an interaction".....trust your own judgement not someone else......which leads me to an important point.....
A really big myth is that dogs should readily accept being patted by others.....they do NOT have to accept affection given by a stranger.

A dog WILL let you know if they want to interact or accept a pat.
Their body will tell you.
Their demeanor will tell you.

Body language and observing IS the most important part when making a judgement on a dog you are thinking about meeting and patting.