Best Friends Dog Academy

12/29/2024

So very true!

Dogs have natural needs that are essential for their well-being, including foraging, sniffing, playing, problem-solving, and enjoying undisturbed rest. These activities enrich their lives, support their mental and physical health, and allow them to express innate behaviours. Much like us, they thrive when their needs for exploration, fun, and relaxation are met.

12/23/2024

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS ….

Not just for Christmas, but every day of a dog’s life – these are some of the things I believe dogs would want -

Gifts of love, kindness, compassion, understanding and knowledge.

Gifts of helping them feel safe, secure and protected in their environment

Gifts of unconditional love, second chances and a forever home

Gifts of allowing appropriate choices

Gifts of mental and physical stimulation.

Gifts of proper nutrition and health care.

Gifts of never using punishment, force, fear, intimidation or tools that cause pain.

Gifts of acceptance for the dog that they are.

Wishing you and dog’s everywhere a very Happy Christmas filled with the gifts that really matter!

12/11/2024

So many of the things behaviour professionals are engaged to help with are considered problem behaviours by the dog's humans. Four examples in this image - digging, barking, pulling wanting to explore when on the lead, and chewing.

Are these problem behaviours? Not from the dog's perspective. These are all normal and natural dog behaviours. The issue is that they can be considered problematic by the dog’s humans and societally unacceptable in certain situations or when done a lot.

Natural behaviours are important. Under the Five Freedoms, the basic template set out 45 years ago, the freedom to carry out natural behaviours is listed as essential for meeting their welfare needs.

It's clear that letting dogs do some of these things however they feel like can cause problems. Digging and chewing can cause a lot of damage, barking can absolutely be annoying and unpleasant if it's prolonged and frequent. Pulling on the lead to get to a smell or to have a closer examination of something or just to move along faster can be uncomfortable for both human and dog.

What's the solution?

Find ways for them to carry out these natural behaviours that are comfortable and appropriate for all concerned.

Give them a spot to dig. Whether a specific patch of garden or something like a child’s sandpit, direct them there to dig to their heart’s content. If they are caught digging where they shouldn’t, just redirect them to the appropriate spot. Perhaps hide things in the selected spot for them to dig up and make digging in this one place really attractive for them.

Dogs will bark, it’s part of being a dog for most breeds (although some are much quieter than others and certain breeds make sounds that aren’t barks). It’s not something that will ever be stopped entirely but what we can do is shorten the amount of time they are barking. If your dog barks at a noise or something they see outside, thank them, and give them something nice. It sounds counterintuitive but for dogs who are barking as a warning that they see or hear something it does work. (If a dog is frantically barking and throwing themselves at the door or window and seeming clearly stressed then that’s a different issue and it may well be worth finding a kind and ethical behaviour professional to help understand what is upsetting your dog).

Chewing is one of the most natural of dog behaviours. Seen often in young puppies when teething, it is also something many dogs continue to do and enjoy throughout their lives. Chewing is good for cleaning their teeth and (along with licking) it is a calming activity that helps them to relax. Obviously, we don’t want them chewing our furniture or things so it’s vital to give them appropriate things to chew. There are many chew toys and dog chews that are available, although some can damage teeth or cause issues if the dog bites off large chunks and swallows them and others like rawhide can contain nasty chemicals, so care is needed in selection. Once you have found a safe chew that your dog likes, redirect them to that ‘legal’ chew to save your belongings.

Walking on the lead does not come naturally to dogs. They need to be taught how to walk on a loose lead and match our pace. Many dogs naturally move faster than we do when walking, so it is up to us to show them where we would like them to be when on the lead. Sometimes this might be right beside us when next to a road, for example, and sometimes we can maybe use a longer lead to give them a bit more room to explore. The key is to help them understand the lead needs to be loose. I use a very relaxed form of loose lead walking with my own dogs – no matter how long the lead (I use a 15-foot lead as standard and shorten or lengthen it as needed) as long as my arm is not pulled away from my side, that’s absolutely fine. The important thing when it comes to allowing natural behaviours is to let our dogs explore things when on lead. Let them go over to the water to have a look. Let them sniff that tree they are looking at longingly. Give them time and space to carry out natural behaviours even when we are in places they cannot for whatever reason be off the lead.

Letting dogs do those natural dog things, letting them BE dogs, is a vital part of being the best dog people that we can possibly be, so find the ways that we can let them be dogs safely and comfortably for everyone.

12/03/2024

❤️ Science Matters Academy of Animal Behavior LLC
Even more so for dog’s experiencing fear, anxiety, and stress (including dogs transitioning to new homes!!)

11/29/2024

Happy Thanksgiving!

Animals are a window to your soul and a doorway to your spiritual destiny.
If you let them into your life and allow them to teach you, you will be better for it ..

Kim Shotola 🍂

Artist Credit: Anna Speshilova

11/19/2024

ARE YOU MANAGING?
Are you managing your dog’s environment to prevent or improve unwanted behaviour?

As people, we tend to prefer and look for the more complicated solutions to problems. This tendency is termed “complexity bias” - the tendency to prefer complicated explanations and solutions instead of looking for the simpler ones.

Surely a complicated, time consuming, detailed solution has to be more effective, superior, impressive, or correct?

Complexity bias is so relevant when it comes to changing a dog’s unwanted behaviour. We often get so stuck on trying to modify behaviour through counter conditioning, desensitization or detailed training plans when sometimes the simplest solution to the problem lies in simply managing the environment.

Dogs will do what dogs do – when an opportunity arises to help themselves to food left on a table, to bark at the gate at anyone passing by, to have a drink from that big water bowl at the perfect height, that we call a toilet, to running off with irresistibly smelly dirty underwear, to rummaging through bins in search of anything that may or may not be edible, to running out an opened door in search of adventure - the list is long - dogs will be dogs.

Parents of little children use management all the time without giving it much thought. Baby locks on cupboards, covers on electrical sockets, valuable or dangerous items put far out of reach, fences and locks around pools, etc.

We wouldn’t just train a toddler not to stick their fingers in an electrical socket, not to open cupboards, not to touch a hot plate – it’s far safer, simpler and logical to first manage the environment, to prevent potential incidents.

The same principle should apply to managing a dog’s environment to prevent unwanted behaviour.

The more a behaviour is practiced the more difficult it is to prevent. The more a behaviour is rehearsed the better dogs become at it.

Preventing the behaviour from happening in the first place by using management is the logical, simple and effective way to address it.

Be a good manager – it’s far less stressful, for both us and our dogs.

11/17/2024

More excellent puppy advice!

11/17/2024

Looking at current position statements from organizations like AVSAB (American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior), who are the leaders on veterinary care and behavior, they are abundantly clear that the outdated belief of avoiding socialization until vaccines are completed has no place in current standards. This is relevant because in many cases this fear of strangers or a particular group of people, results from lack of socialization during this critical period and can have lifelong impacts into adulthood.

11/14/2024

👀 😬☹️seeing photos like this all day in my feed and feeling sad.
I don’t blame kids. In fact blaming is pointless. Start educating. Start learning!

Children represent a massive proportion of reported dog bite cases.

These pictures, selected from a massive library of similar stock photos of children with dogs, show some of the reasons for this.

Humans like physical contact. We're generally huggers, particularly with a gorgeous animal like a dog - that soft coat and gorgeous faces just look perfect for a hug, especially to a child.

Dogs are definitely not like us in this way. True, there are some dogs who may enjoy cuddling up with their people, and even like or don't mind hugs. One of my dogs is very much in favour of physical contact. Importantly, however, it is only with the people he chooses. The ones he knows and trusts.

Kids often cannot read canine body language. The signs are here in the photographs used of a tense and unhappy dog, but the children in these pictures can't see and interpret them.

It's up to us as adults, whether parents, dog caregivers, or both, to make sure that we are educated on canine body language and can see the signs of stress.

That we make sure to advocate for the dogs so that they are not put in this position.

To make sure that the children around us are educated and taught about the likes and dislikes of dogs.

To stop putting children and dogs into potentially dangerous situations for the cute photo or video (the videos of babies propped up against dogs make most behaviour professionals shudder because that is so not fair on either species!)

Let's be fair to both dogs and children and use education and understanding to keep children and dogs happy and safe together.

10/31/2024

Dr. Jennifer Summerfield is amazing! Saw this kinda last minute but if you can join in, I highly recommend!

In this webinar, we’ll talk about the following topics:

- Deconstructing labels: What is “anxiety”, anyway? How is it different from a fear response or phobia?
- Risk factors for the development of anxiety disorders
- Clinical approach to treatment, including behavior modification and drug therapy options

Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/48bxu3ae

10/30/2024

100% yes! One of my favorite Dogs Disclosed posts. So many options, depending on the specific dog’s environment and needs. 👏👏

10/28/2024

10/25/2024

Fantastic resource!

We have news to share!
We are so proud to be a part of this wonderful community and to have grown as a result of our shared goals of making animals lives better by caring for their minds and bodies! We now have 3 doctors seeing patients, so no more extended wait times!
• Dr. Deb Bryant, Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists
• Dr. Camille Squair, Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists
• Dr. Robyn Hayes, C.V.A. (certified Veterinary Acupuncturist), resident of the American College of Veterinary Behavior.

VBSMN serves patients from all over the upper midwest, including Wisconsin, Iowa, North and South Dakota, Nebraska and Canada! We are expanding our services to be able to offer veterinarians and owners even more behavior care.

1. We have launched two new Vet-2-Vet consultation options. These appointments are ideal for patients who live too far away to travel here comfortably. They are a offered as a collaboration with the primary care veterinarian managing the case while we provide our professional knowledge and guidance remotely. If you have a dog, cat, horse or bird who needs behavior help, talk to your veterinarian today!

2. Launching in 2025: Digital educational content. Watch our page and webpage for more details to come!

10/22/2024

So very important

Children represent a massive proportion of reported dog bite cases.

These pictures, selected from a massive library of similar stock photos of children with dogs, show some of the reasons for this.

Humans like physical contact. We're generally huggers, particularly with a gorgeous animal like a dog - that soft coat and gorgeous faces just look perfect for a hug, especially to a child.

Dogs are definitely not like us in this way. True, there are some dogs who may enjoy cuddling up with their people, and even like or don't mind hugs. One of my dogs is very much in favour of physical contact. Importantly, however, it is only with the people he chooses. The ones he knows and trusts.

Kids often cannot read canine body language. The signs are here in the photographs used of a tense and unhappy dog, but the children in these pictures can't see and interpret them.

It's up to us as adults, whether parents, dog caregivers, or both, to make sure that we are educated on canine body language and can see the signs of stress.

That we make sure to advocate for the dogs so that they are not put in this position.

To make sure that the children around us are educated and taught about the likes and dislikes of dogs.

To stop putting children and dogs into potentially dangerous situations for the cute photo or video (the videos of babies propped up against dogs make most behaviour professionals shudder because that is so not fair on either species!)

Let's be fair to both dogs and children and use education and understanding to keep children and dogs happy and safe together.