Betsy's Canine Consultations LLC

04/09/2024

It is Bite Prevention Week! 🐶

Here are some helpful tips:

1) This is huge! If you work around or interact with dogs on a consistent basis, please take the time to educate yourself on dog body language and what it means. There are so many awesome resources out there. I will include a link to a book that I recommend.

2) Let the dog come to you and make good associations with food rewards. Do not force yourself or insert yourself into a dog's space. There is truth to the old saying "let sleeping dogs lie."

3) Be mindful of your dog's resources and follow tip #2. I see online videos all the time where people find it amusing to mess with their dog's resources to the point that they growl, agonistic pucker, etc. This is not a good way to bond with your dog. Resources can be food items, toys, beds, spaces, sometimes people. A resource to a dog is really whatever they value. Allow your dog to enjoy these things in peace.

4) Petting rule: Allow the dog to approach you. Begin gently petting if the dog is comfortable. Stop petting after a few seconds. Do they walk away? Let them. Do they lean in for more pets? Go ahead and pet them. ❤

5) Know how to approach and pet a dog: In general, it is better to approach dogs from the side and not head-on. Once you are at their side, pet their sides or chest. Some dogs have a difficult time with pets to the head. A big mistake people make is they approach dogs directly, hover over them, and then get right in their face. Please do not do this. 🛑

6) "It's okay. I'm a dog person! All dogs love me!"

Everyone, please understand that not all dogs are social with other people, dogs, etc. Respect their and their pet parent's space. I took Trudy to TSC this week. I carried her in initially. A friendly woman grabbed her right by the face and gave her a kiss. No hesitation. No asking for permission, or if she was friendly. Just did it. Luckily, Trudy is friendly, but she was not comfortable. I could tell. Can you imagine if we as people did this to other people? Consent is important with dogs too.

7) Start early if possible. If you have a pup, teach them about and make good associations with handling, picking up, petting, interacting with people, other animals, sounds, sights, etc. This does not mean flooding your puppy. Go slow. Respect what your puppy is telling you. If they are scared, do not push them into situations. Do the work to counter condition the fear. Flooding or overwhelming them may work against you in terms of socialization and may actually create negative associations with the things you are attempting to socialize them to. Exposure is not socialization.

8) Teach your children early how to interact appropriately and respect dogs.

9) A dog's behavior will always be exacerbated if they are unable to move away. For example, behavior may be worse on a tie-out, leash, in a cage, small space, etc. When a dog feels unsafe, they have 3 choices. They can run away, freeze, or fight. If we take away their ability to run away, and do not respect what they are communicating, they may react.

10) Respect the growl: Most dogs do not want to bite us. A growl is usually what they communicate to keep this from happening. Do not approach a growling dog.

11) Be prepared: Some dogs do charge or come out of nowhere. I love dogs more than anything else in this world, but sometimes you do need to prevent a bite to you or to your dog. There are products out there that you can carry if such a situation may arise. PetSafe, Halt, and Pet Corrector are some products that may help. I myself have been charged by dogs on walks. I have found it beneficial to toss my dog's high value rewards out and away from my dogs. The charging dogs go for the food and not for my dogs or me. However there have been times where I have had to stand my ground and put myself between the charging dog and my own dogs. Just be prepared and aware of your surroundings.

12) Pet parents, be responsible. Keep your dogs safe and secure. I see so many people just letting their dogs "run amok" so to speak. Utilize a leash, long lead, and my favorite, a physical fence to keep your dogs secure. They should not have the opportunity to charge people in public spaces.

13) Muzzle up! A muzzle does not mean you have a bad dog. It means you are a responsible pet parent. Teach your dog to love their basket muzzle so that you can utilize it in times when it is needed without causing stress to your dog. It is truly one of the kindest things you can do. Visit the Muzzle Up! Project website for valuable information. Fear Free also has some awesome basket muzzle resources.

14) I could talk about this for days, so I am going to try to keep it succinct. Be kind to your dog. We are human and we all have moments of anger or frustration. Luckily our dogs are loving and forgiving. Treat your dog in such a way that they associate humans with wonderful things! Work on their trust in you, so that they trust in others. Do not hit, strike, shock, aggressively correct, etc. All of these things deteriorate your bond with your dog and with others, making a bite statistically more likely to happen.

I think preventing bites begins with treating our dogs as sentient beings and not as objects to do with what we please. Be respectful. Be empathetic. ❤🐾🦴

My favorite book for body language: Canine Body Language: A Photographic Guide: Interpreting the Native Language of the Domestic Dog by Aloff, Brenda (2009)

04/06/2024

Everyone, this is my handsome hound dog, Chomper. He is in the finals of a photo competition and I could really use your help. Please take a moment to click-on and "like" his photo. I would be so grateful! Much love to you all and your dogs! 😘🐾

Chomper

03/03/2024

For those of you that have met with me, you know that I am a big proponent of fulfilling the dog first. What does that mean? If we fulfill the dog as a dog by providing outlets for their normal dog behaviors, we will see a reduction in problematic behaviors and deepen the human/canine bond.

What are the core canine behaviors?

🐾Sniffing
🐾Exploring/Searching
🐾Chasing
🐾Chewing
🐾Digging
🐾Dissecting
🐾Socializing

If we provide the opportunity for our dogs to engage in these behaviors in a desirable way, we will see the behaviors diminish in the undesirable ways that can sometimes cause us humans a lot of stress and frustration.

Today, we did some sniffing in our fenced-in yard. My dogs are using their noses to search through the grass for special treats. (Please excuse our Winter dog yard. ;))

I also prepped their enrichment activities for the week. I use frozen Kongs, Topples, and Lick Mats with canned food. These activities give my dogs the chance to chew and dissect. They also help with the release of dopamine in the brain which is our "feel good" chemical.

With Spring just around the corner, please take the opportunity to reflect on not just your happiness, but the happiness of your canine companions. You both will be glad you did. ❤🐾🦴

*Please note, I work hard to make sure my dogs are cooperative eaters. If you live in a multi-dog household, you may want to do this activity one at a time or individually. Make sure your dogs have their own space. Furthermore, I would not recommend this activity if your dogs have a tendency to eat non-edible things from the ground or have a condition such as Pica.

02/08/2024

I have been doing a lot of thinking and reflecting about what direction I want to take in the future. I know I am not currently taking on new clients, but I am thinking about expanding my online presence to help keep you up-to-date and informed in regards to the latest canine behavioral information.

With that being said, I am trying to make a plan for online content to help educate the pet parents that follow my page.

What content or information would you find the most beneficial? If you have worked with me, what information was the most helpful to you? Please drop a comment for me below. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Please be patient with me. I am very hesitant to have an online presence not because I am not confident in what I do, but my personality is just not conducive with attention and putting myself out there. ;) However, I want to still do the best I can to try to help make the world a better place for dogs. ❤

01/30/2024

Just a friendly reminder that training your dog or puppy does not have to be a big, elaborate process. Use every day situations to teach basic cues, recall, and to work on your bond. Make it fun!

Here are a few examples:

Today, I was in the laundry room folding some clothes. Chomper was in the living room playing with his toys. I said his name and whistled. He came right to me (we have been practicing) and I marked and rewarded him. I let him know that it made me very happy that he came to me. We do this regularly. We also consistently play hide and seek. I will have my husband keep Chomper occupied while I hide in the house. I call his name and whistle. When he finds me, I mark and reward him with food, pets, or play.

I was in the kitchen prepping the dogs Kongs for the week. When Chomper was calm and had all four feet on the floor, I would mark and reward him for that behavior. The more you reward the behavior you want, the more you will see it.

During every day play, we work on the "drop it" cue while playing the trade game with toys. I also wait for calm behavior before instigating play. This helps to work on his impulse control.

There are lots of opportunities to incorporate training and learning into every day situations and scenarios. These opportunities can go a long way in teaching your dog or pup their basic cues and in strengthening the human/animal bond. 🐾

01/27/2024

This is my colleague, Christin! She is amazing! Check-out her story. ♡

Talented certified Service Dog Coach Christin Benoit of Comfy Critters shares her experience training service dogs and what motivated her to offer service dog training
https://cooperativepaws.com/service-dog/featured-graduates/christin-benoit/

01/11/2024

Teaching your dog that a basket muzzle is a GOOD thing and associating lots of great things with the muzzle can make things much less stressful for your dog when he/she needs one. Muzzle training does NOT mean you have a "bad dog." It means you are being a responsible and caring pet parent. ♡ Training your dog in a positive way to accept the basket muzzle is important.

12/23/2023

Great post! This is so important to understand. Please offer your new pup compassion, patience, and positive guidance. ❤🐾

12/15/2023

I have been reflecting a lot over the past couple of weeks about dog behavior and the secret to a successful, loving, and fulfilling relationship with our canine companions.

My own dogs have come from the most terrible situations. Little Foot was seized from the Envigo facility where they were raising thousands of Beagles in horrific conditions for laboratory experimentation. Trudy came from a dog hoarding situation, was adopted, and then was surrendered to a shelter before finding her forever home. I was told Levi was severely neglected, physically abused, and lived his whole life outside on a chain. Many of the dogs that have blessed my life have had very similar stories.

As I watch Levi, Trudy, and Little Foot welcome our newest foster, a fecally incontinent French Bulldog that I have endearingly named Lucifer, I cannot help but humbly wonder, how did I end up with such awesome dogs!?

My dogs do not guard their resources from people or other dogs. My dogs are friendly with visitors. My dogs are trusting and cooperative for medical and husbandry care. They love pets and are cuddly. They are oddly patient and kind with our foster puppy and with each other. Maybe too much so as Lucifer is a little stinker. ;) Despite their quirks and backgrounds, they are sweet, happy, and playful.

I wish I could bottle up whatever the secret is and give it to all of my clients.

I get frustrated with my dogs at times just like all of you, but I have never and would never hurt my dogs. They know they are safe with me and can trust me. I respect my dogs. I "listen" to what they are communicating to me and do my best to respond appropriately. I give them lots of chances to be dogs by providing enrichment, sniff walks, and nose work. I clearly communicate to them when they are doing things well, and I try to help them learn the right thing instead of punishing out the wrong thing.

Overall, I am patient, compassionate, empathetic, and loving with my dogs by far the majority of the time. I make mistakes too. This is not meant to be a self righteous post or me patting my own back, but is coming from an honest and humble place. I have worked in Veterinary Medicine for almost 19 years, have adopted several special needs dogs, and have studied and worked as a Canine Behavioral Consultant with degrees in Psychology and Community Counseling. With all of the experience and education, I truly believe that dogs are a reflection of us. I can honestly say I am a better person because of my dogs and I think my dogs are better because of all the lessons afforded to me over the years by my canine best friends.

Dogs give what they get. What are you giving? 🐾❤🦴

11/19/2023

Intro to Agility course! 😍

11/09/2023

🥺🥺🥺

10/27/2023

Please do not use a laser pointer to play with your dog or drain energy. The fallout can be significant and life-changing. There are so many other forms of play and enrichment that are fun and productive for your pup! 🐾 Thanks ABC Dogs for this awesome and informative post!

10/26/2023

*Happiness vs. Control*

When I am working with dogs, including my own, I am more focused on the HAPPINESS and fulfillment of the dog not the CONTROL that I have over the dog.

In my opinion, when you fulfill the dog and also focus on what enriches their life, you diminish many problematic behaviors in the first place, and also strengthen the human-animal bond.

I am not focused on controlling every, single move my dogs make. I would not want that for myself, and I certainly do not want that for my dogs or my client's dogs.

What has this focus gotten me in terms of my relationship with my dogs? Here are a few examples:

-Dogs that walk on a loose leash because they are able to sniff and explore the environment.

-Dogs that trust me enough to clip their toe nails, draw their blood, clean their ears, do their a**l glands, etc. often times without anyone helping or holding them.

-Dogs that are happy and friendly because they have good experiences with people, not experiences based in punishment.

-Dogs that feel safe because I keep them safe. I do not put them in situations that they cannot handle.

My dogs are rescues with difficult pasts. Neglect, abuse, experimentation, etc. are all things they have endured. I am able to have this bond with them by providing a loving environment filled with lots of the things they need to be happy and to be dogs.

I firmly believe that when we take a step back, and focus on our dog's happiness too, not just our own, we can achieve many of the behavioral outcomes for which we are searching. 🐾

09/07/2023

Such a heartwarming story! ❤

This abused stray repeatedly escaped a Michigan animal shelter by scaling a 6’ fence. He crossed a highway and entered the automatic doors of a nursing home facility, found a nice spot on a couch and curled himself to sleep. After the 3rd time of calling animal control and having him sent back, the senior home made the choice to officially adopt Scout.

09/07/2023

I want you all to know how much I have loved working with you and your dogs! I have cherished all of the updates, success stories, and happy endings. I am grateful our paths crossed.

With that said, it is with a heavy heart that I regret to inform you all that I have to step away from behavioral work indefinitely.

I have been struggling over the past few years with a progressively worsening health issue. I am currently working 6 days a week and putting in long hours devoted to behavioral work at home. It does not leave much time to properly take care of myself, to live my life, or to spend time with my own dogs and family. I have had to come to the very harsh conclusion that I just cannot "go" like I used to. I have always worked multiple jobs while also going to school full-time, volunteering, etc. Working hard has always been something I have valued.

I have to slow down for my own well-being and health. I hope this is just a temporary goodbye. I need the time to seek the appropriate specialists, treatment, and to take some time to rest and reset.

For all of you that have already signed up for sessions, please do not worry. You all have until December 1st to schedule and finish your remaining sessions.

For those of you that were hoping to sign up, if you call to schedule prior to September 20th, if I still have availability, we will schedule you. Please just know that all sessions need to be completed by December 1st.

While I am away, if you need help, please seek a positive reinforcement based trainer or behavioral consultant. Please ask lots of questions and do your research in regards to a potential dog trainer.

Finally, I am still here for you all. Please direct all of your questions or concerns to me at [email protected].

I think of each and every one of you often! Please take care of yourselves and your dogs! I will continue to post resources and information to my page. Goodbye for now and much love to you all! ❤🦴🐾

09/04/2023

If your dog could momentarily talk, what do you think they would say?

What questions would you have for your dog?

I think my dogs would probably discuss me being a stay at home dog mom. ;) 🐾

I would ask my dogs what I could do to make their lives better. I would also ask them what happened to them prior to me adopting them. 🐾🦴❤

08/25/2023

DIY Enrichment: Treat/Kibble Dispensing Toy! 🐾

Take a simple coffee creamer container, take the label off, thoroughly wash it, and cut a few small squares into the container.

Place the snacks or kibble inside. Securely attach the lid. Place on the floor for your dog to enjoy!

Always supervise your pup with any new enrichment activity to be sure it is safe for your dog.

I have made several of these and my dogs love them! You do not always have to spend a small fortune on enrichment toys! Get creative! ;)

Feel free to share your DIY ideas in the comments section. See the comments for a Trudy and Little Foot demo! ❤🐾🦴

08/17/2023

Geriatric dogs are my favorite!

Did you know that your geriatric dog may develop behavioral changes as they age? Dogs can have a condition known as Canine Cognitive Dysfunction. CCD is similar to dementia or Alzheimer's disease in people. Symptoms can include restlessness, changes in routine, changes in appetite, night walking, increased anxiety levels, pacing, vocalizing, acting disoriented, changes in interactions with pet parents or other animals in the home, sleeping often, new fears, and having accidents in the house.

Furthermore, your older dog may develop behavioral changes due to pain or a metabolic issue.

Here is the good news! There are many options to help keep your aging dog comfortable and happy! Consult with your veterinarian and discuss what interventions may be helpful for your geriatric dog.

Dogs afford us a lifetime of unconditional love and happiness. Be sure to return the favor by keeping them comfortable during their golden years. ❤🐾🦴

08/17/2023

One way to prevent future behavioral issues is to do your research first. Whether you are adopting a dog or purchasing from a breeder, be sure to educate yourself and find a dog that fits your lifestyle. Please consider the dog's size, strength, temperament, breed characteristics, activity level, etc. If you are purchasing from a breeder, be sure to meet the parents, see the conditions where the pups were raised, ask about how the pups have been socialized, etc.

Puppies are not blank slates. Breeding conditions, the health of the mother, the environment, genetics, socialization, and what happens during the critical period of development can all affect future behavior.

Many issues could be avoided by looking for a dog that is a good fit, instead of adopting based on cuteness alone. Furthermore, find a reputable, compassionate breeder that is focused on properly caring for both the puppies and their parents. Ask your local shelter to match you to a dog based on your lifestyle.

By being deliberate in your search for a new addition, you are setting the foundation for a meaningful and fulfilling relationship. You should be happy with your dog, but your dog should also be content and happy with you. If you cannot provide the necessary outlets for a particular dog, behavioral issues may arise.

Do your research! You and your new dog will be grateful you did! ♡

08/13/2023

Everyone thinks they have the cutest and very best dogs! None of us are wrong. Comment below with a photo of your cutie!

Here's one of mine. I love Boston Terriers! I have had them my whole life. In my opinion, they are the ultimate companions. They are funny, active, sweet, friendly, and intelligent. Trudy was rescued from the GHHS. She originally was rescued from a hoarding situation, adopted out, and then surrendered to the shelter. I could not ask for a better best friend. She is my sidekick and she makes me laugh daily. Trudy is a great sister to her canine brothers and sister. I am grateful we found each other. I love how she tucks her hind leg under her chin when she sleeps.😍 ❤🐾

08/10/2023

❤

Works for me!

08/05/2023

Happy Saturday to you all! ❤🦴🐾

08/03/2023

I have been thinking a lot about safety. Safety is a canine core need. As a veterinary assistant and a certified behavioral consultant, I often see pet parents inadvertently compromising their dog's safety.

For example, when a dog enters the lobby of a veterinary hospital and immediately begins barking, pulling, lunging at the other dogs in the lobby, they are doing so because they feel unsafe. They are fearful, anxious, stressed, or frustrated in that particular situation. We often just think they are being "bad dogs" and try to punish or correct the behavior. This could actually make the behavior worse and add fuel to the fire. Most veterinary hospitals would be happy to es**rt you and your dog into the building and directly into an exam room to prevent the reactive behavior.

Furthermore, I hear some pet guardians say things like, "the dog should have known better. The dog should have not been playing in the road. The dog should have stayed in the yard. My dog keeps running away." Dogs do not always innately know what keeps them safe. Even when they have been taught boundaries, certain triggers can cause them to breach that boundary and things can quickly become dangerous for your dog.

My point is it is our job as pet parents to keep our dogs safe. Similar to children, dogs do not "know better." They need guidance, protection, and positive training.

When we prove to our dogs that we can keep them safe, it not only helps our bond with our dogs, but can be the first steps to modifying behavior and building confidence.

Try not to push your dogs into situations for which they are unprepared. Understand that your dog does not always know or realize that certain situations or circumstances can be a danger to their safety. It is our job as pet parents to mitigate these situations to reduce and eliminate the risk.

Finally, it is not up to us to decide what causes our dogs to feel unsafe. For some dogs it is strange people, other dogs, loud noises, shadows, being left alone, changes in their routine, etc. If the dog is fearful, it is fearful. We may be human and able to assess the lack of danger, but our dogs cannot. For him/her the danger is real and they literally feel like it is a "life or death" situation. Our dogs need empathy, compassion, and direction during these times. Not frustration and anger. ❤

08/03/2023

Meal time is a great opportunity to introduce enrichment activities. Here is Levi and Trudy eating some kibble from their enrichment toys. I also have a portion of food in their food dishes. They always choose their enrichment toys instead of the dish. That is how I know they enjoy these activities. How are you enriching your dog's life? * See Levi's video in the comments section.* ❤🐾🦴

07/20/2023

What do you love the most about your dogs? Drop a photo and comment below! I love hearing about your canine companions! 🐾❤🦴