Punk to Pet Dog Training

10/29/2022

Let them sniff! 👃

10/16/2022

Happy Fall from the Punk to Pet family 🤎🍂💚🍁🧡

06/10/2022

Call your veterinarian now (and that you've been seen within the last 6 months to year) to get your dogs medicine! Fireworks and their loud noises are not part of a daily routine; therefore, when they begin, extreme fear and stress can disrupt your dogs lifestyle. Fear and stress can look like hiding, not eating, trembling, shaking, and trying to escape. Fear and stress effects the dogs organs (just like humans). It's not fun to live this way, even temporarily. Medication can help ease the stress and make fireworks more manageable! Some dogs that have escaped the house due to fireworks have severely hurt themselves by getting cut on windows; they can run away and not be found, or hit by a car. You can also set up your environment to help deal with the fireworks (being home, playing music, etc).

05/31/2022

So true!

05/30/2022

Learn your dog’s silent language so you can understand what he is trying to communicate.

Be open to listening. Let go of human expectations.

Gently, without coercion, try to teach skills (not obedience training) to help your dog navigate the human world.

Try to remain flexible although some things might not make sense from the human perspective. Trust the dog's perspective is valid and very real to that individual dog.

You will make mistakes along the way, get frustrated, and lose your cool at times, but you will learn so much from your dog’s point of view and, in turn, learn about yourself as well.

05/01/2022

Most dogs don’t like to be pet on their head by strangers. Instead, if you want to say hello and you’ve asked their guardian, say hello verbally and allow the dog to choose if they want to be pet. If they come closer for a sniff, leave your hand at your side. Allow them to sniff and initiate a pet, then pet their side behind their shoulders and stop. If they want more, they’ll let you know. Consent is important for dogs, too.

04/26/2022

An issue that’s common amongst dog owners is when their dog seems to have learnt a rule, like “don’t knock over the rubbish bin,” but when left alone the dog breaks the rule, even though the owner thought they “knew it was wrong.”

This problem is caused by the mistaken assumption that dogs, like humans, have a sense of “right” vs “wrong.” The reality is that dogs learn things in terms of “safe” or “dangerous.”

A dog that appears to break a rule they “knew was wrong” has learned that breaking the rule is dangerous is front of humans (I’ll get in trouble if they see me knocking the bin over) but safe when they’re alone (I can knock the bin over when my humans are out, and I don’t get in trouble).

Dogs are amazingly fantastic creatures who can enrich our lives and teach us so much – but they aren’t tiny humans. Applying human motives to their actions can lead to miscommunications.

Another common example of this is when humans misinterpret dog body language due to a similarity to a human action or emotion. This is the case with dogs who are squinting their eyes, not making eye contact, cringing, and turning their head away or down.

This series of signals actually means “please don’t be mad at me,” and not “I am feeling guilty.”

If you’d like more information on the differences between humans and dogs, That Dog Geek highly recommends “The Culture Clash” by Jean Donaldson.

There are plenty of other examples of common miscommunications between humans and dogs – if you know of any please feel free to comment and help your fellow Dog Geeks learn more about their canine companions.

02/28/2022

I've been doing a lot of behavior learning in the past two weeks and what better way to learn, than to teach. Stay tuned for some body behavior information!

02/10/2022

♥️🤍🐶🤍♥️

Valentines Day is coming up. There are risks for your pets during this holiday!

Please be aware of:
🐾 xylitol an artificial sweetener in gums and candies
🐾 flowers, many can be deadly to pets
🐾 candles, fire hazard if your pet gets to close
🐾 decorations, ribbons and wrapping paper can be trouble
🐾 chocolate! Chocolate is toxic to pets! Be sure to keep the chocolate up and out of reach of pets!

If you are worried your pet has gotten into something they shouldn't call your veterinarian right away or call Pet Poison Helpline 1-855-764-7661, or ASPCA animal poison control 1-888-426-4435!

01/31/2022

Finally placed an order through a favorite Etsy shop of mine! They have the cutest positive reinforcement merch.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/CanisNerdus

12/30/2021

Ma*****na 💨 ⁣
⁣
Sooooo your dog ate w**d.⁣
⁣
First, let’s get this out of the way right off the bat. Your vet does 👏🏼 not 👏🏼care.⁣
⁣
Second. We ALWAYS know. 😏⁣
⁣
There is no sense in denying it. Don’t make up some du***ss story, and stop blaming your neighbors. It’s a whole lot easier and faster to just be upfront about what is going on.⁣
⁣
Ma*****na toxicity is extremely common in household pets these days. A tiny amount can cause a whole host of symptoms, and here are the most common:⁣
⁣
🌱 Unable to stand/walk in a straight line⁣
🌱 Dribbling urine/having accidents⁣
🌱 Hyperreflexive around the head (flinching HARD when a hand comes toward their face)⁣
🌱 Nausea/drooling/vomiting⁣
🌱 Low heart rate/body temperature⁣
🌱 Overall appearing like they’re high as a kite⁣
⁣
Luckily life threatening ma*****na toxicity is rare, and the majority of pets who ingest THC bounce back quickly with a night of hospitalization and fluids, along with lots of treats, a dark room, and some Pink Floyd. 😉⁣
⁣
In large amounts ma*****na can cause coma and even death, so seeking veterinary attention is always recommended. Also, I tell owners constantly that if your pet is exhibiting these symptoms and it’s NOT ma*****na, then I’m going to be really worried. So let’s all be honest here, and save yourself some money digging for a diagnosis when we already know what’s going on.⁣
⁣
Oh and parents, if you bring your teenager with you to the appointment and your vet asks you about ma*****na? Please take a moment to excuse yourself to the restroom so we can appropriately grill the 17 year old smirking in the corner. You may not know there’s w**d in your house, but I guarantee sweet little Ryan does. 🙃

12/25/2021

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Punk to Pet family! Keep your pets safe this holiday season by picking up all wrapping paper, bows, bags, and ribbons. Put all Christmas candy and food out of reach of pets. Watch smaller pets more closely outside in the colder temperatures.
Stay safe! ❤️🎄💚

12/17/2021

My Karen Pryor Academy graduation certificate arrived! This is one of my proudest accomplishments.

12/01/2021

I mindlessly recorded a slow mo video of Grady and my foster pup, Lewis. Turns out, it's a great video to show bite inhibition. To our eyes, some puppy play can make us anxious, what with all the biting and open mouthing. Are they really biting each other though ? Take a look at the video, and see how Grady and Lewis learn their bite inhibition as they play with each other. This is very important for puppies to learn while with their mother and during their socialization period.
(that's right, Lewis is a foster! Check out this site if you wish to adopt him! www.gigis.org/grads )

11/23/2021

🚨 Holiday PSA 🚨

This year, let’s normalize NOT buying pets for your kids.

Know that they WILL lose interest and the parents will take responsibility. They won’t clean up after it. They won’t pick up p**p.

You know what you can handle.

If you’re not ready for a commitment, do NOT get that dog, cat, fish, lizard, hamster, guinea pig, etc.

If you’re going to surrender it, don’t get it!

They’re not a gift. They’re a living being who deserves love, respect, time, and hefty investment into proper care, and enrichment.

-Serena RVT

10/20/2021

It's the middle of Vet Tech Week 2021!
What does a vet tech mean to you?
Here's a few things you may see:
*Question answerer
*Animal restrainer
*Veterinarian assistant
*P**p picker upper
*Puppy holder

Here's a few more things you may not see:
*Phlebotomist
*Grief counselor
*Anesthesia monitor
*Medication calculator
*Emergency care taker

In Ohio, an RVT must graduate from an AVMA accredited tech school AND pass the VTNE (veterinary technician national exam). We do so much more than what you can see, and certainly beyond what you imagine. We get dirty, bit, kicked, scratched, puked on, peed on, p**p in our scrub pockets. We don't get paid enough (across the board). We work in an industry with one of the highest suicidal rates. We need to know regular and irregular vitals for multiple species. Yes, we hold healthy, playful puppies. We also console the dying, sick, senior pets. We educate owners. We help the veterinarians (more than you think!) We are not in it for the money. We are in it because our hearts led us here and we decided to speak for the voiceless. Thank your vet's office, thank the veterinarians...thank your RVTs. Be kind. Always.

10/17/2021

17th of the month marks flea, tick, and heartworm prevention in my house! What products are you currently using? I recommend year round prevention for all three pests. The weather has gradually been staying warmer during Winter months which doesn't allow an adequate frost for these guys to disappear into. If your pets aren't currently covered, call your vet today!
🪰 Fleas cause itching and in some cases, animals are allergic and create secondary skin infections. They also transmit tapeworms if ingested.
🪳 Ticks carry serious diseases that can affect joints and internal organs. Some species of ticks are very small and easy to miss with the naked eye. You can test for these diseases with your heartworm test.
🦟 Heartworm disease is carried by mosquitos. It can be fatal if left untreated as worms up to 12 inches grow in the blood vessels of the heart. This is tested by a small blood draw at your vets office.

10/12/2021

October is Pitbull Awareness month!📆
I love my pitbulls, as I love everyone's! 🖤 End the stigma surrounding pitbulls and learn the facts concerning breed stereotypes, dog fighting, genetics, and training.
Now...show me your Pitties! 📸 🐶

10/11/2021

Punk to Pet's Amazon Wishlist
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2O8LF6QF5CTY5?ref_=wl_share

09/28/2021

Training is fun for all ages! Madison and I practiced impulse control with the boys while we took a break from playing at the park.

09/24/2021

Today is Puppy Mill Awareness Day. To put a stop to this cruel industry use this flowchart when finding a dog. Puppy Mill animals are kept in such harsh conditions and while we are used to seeing perfect puppies in store windows, this is not the case for their parents and other animals still there. 🐾

09/19/2021

My board and train Beecher graduates and goes home today. 🎓 I think Grady will miss him a lot. 💜

09/19/2021

Guess what...every dog is different, just like us! Some humans adore social events whereas some prefer time alone. Dogs can feel the same. Read your dogs body language and stand up for what makes them happy. You are their voice.

Dog sociability is a spectrum! Each dog has different preferences on which dogs they like (or don’t), and that’s normal!!

After putting out the original post on this topic, we’ve gotten a lot of requests for a poster. So we reached out to the increeeedible Doggie Drawings by Lili Chin to make this for us.

Want a copy for your shelter, training facility, house, etc? Download it for free at link in bio or at:

everydogaustin.org/post/spectrum

Where is YOUR dog on the sociability spectrum?

09/04/2021

Socialization to new things is important for young dogs. Pairing a new experience with yummy treats and praise makes for a brave adult when they grow up. Missing these opportunities during the social period of age can make a dog fearful to new situations, settings, and people.

08/26/2021

Punk to Pet got a new family member over the weekend! You'll be able to follow his training adventures from the beginning!

08/19/2021

Currently in Hilliard finalizing our Karen Pryor Certification!

08/18/2021

What is something you would like to know more about before getting your next pet?

08/10/2021

Hello canine comrads! Welcome to my official Punk to Pet dog training business page. I hope to post helpful veterinary information, and training tips that may not be as well known as they should. Also, pet pictures! I am currently still working full time as an RVT and dog trainer during the day, and will be able to do personal training in the evenings and on my days off, which are currently Sunday and Monday. Please, contact me in the easiest way for you and let me know how I can help you!

08/10/2021