Confident Canines LLC

12/20/2024

With the holidays around the corner, your home may be filled with more children (and chaos!) than usual.

Food for thought:
Siblings don't always get along. So why do you expect more from your dog?
Dogs need breaks from kids the same way that kids need breaks from each other.

ps. yep, there is a typo on the image - on holiday with my family so no opportunity to fix it. xo.

12/17/2024

The upcoming Beginner Agility class is already filled three weeks out! We still have some limited openings for more advanced teams if they wish to join. Please contact me if you would like to be added to the wait-list for the next round of beginner agility classes.

Confident Canines LLC in Las Vegas, NV. Run by certified professional dog trainer and behavior consultant Eileen Koval, CDBC, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, MSc

12/14/2024

Tiffany is booking private photoshoots. She can capture your pet at their finest, gravity-defying moments while enjoying their favorite activities!
I am amazed by photographers who can master these sports action shots.

This is one of my favorite shots of my favorite boy! ❤

12/13/2024

(Edit: Back-clip) harnesses are not going to prevent pulling unless they cause discomfort to do so. The point of a harness is that you can keep your dog safe (pressure is applied to the chest with back clip harnesses, not the throat) while teaching good walking skills. Training is essential! Do not look to any specific device/tool to do this for you. The purpose of a harness is to prevent injury, not to be a substitute for quality training.

Dogs generally pull about 60 per cent harder on a leash when wearing a padded harness compared with a collar, even when the equipment is marketed as “anti pull” – putting the people walking them at risk of injury.

Some dogs – especially smaller breeds – pull with a force more than twice their body weight on the collar, potentially damaging their throats, says Erin Perry at Southern Illinois University.

“It’s really very shocking,” she says. “The dogs are almost choking themselves on that collar repeatedly. But the harnesses in our study just didn’t inhibit pulling in any way, and that’s definitely a wake-up call – especially because of the risk to owners.”

Read more: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2459747-dogs-pull-harder-on-the-leash-when-they-wear-a-harness-than-a-collar/

Image: CBCK-Christine/Alamy

12/11/2024

Are you a Competitive Agility handler looking to take your team to the next level?

Join Confident Canines Agility! We have fresh perspectives, different approaches to issues, and can offer new challenges to help you reach the pinnacle of your agility and competition goals!

Classes are outdoors at a private facility in Northwest Las Vegas. Full competition size arena. Class sessions are six weeks and $250/dog. There will be no classes during the weeks of Christmas and New Year's.

***Starts next week!
Competitive Excellent/Master's Agility -- Tuesdays at 7:30 PM (1 opening left)

Adv. Beginner/Intermediate Agility -- Tuesdays at 6:15 PM (FULL)

**Starts Jan 2nd!
Adv. Beginner/Intermediate Level Agility -- Thursdays at 6:15 PM (2 openings left)

Intermediate Agility -- Thursdays at 7:30 PM (1 opening left)

***Starts Jan 7th!
Beginner Agility -- Mondays at 7:30 PM (2 openings left)

Current and active Confident Canines agility students in good standing can rent the agility arena for private practice.

https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=21547046

12/09/2024

Congratulations to all of our Confident Canines agility teams who ran at the GACGLV trial in Boulder City this past weekend. It was phenomenal seeing teams meet (and exceed!) the personal trial goals they set while training for the event. There were also lots of qualifying runs too! We all had tons of successes to celebrate, the dogs and humans had fun, and we walked away with some valuable information about what to work on in our training. One thing I am proud of is the positive attitude of our students towards their dogs as their teammates -- seeking to understand the holistic needs of their dog to better provide dynamic leadership, being someone who takes care of their teammate and meets them where they are while providing direction for the future. Also, I cherish the positive atmosphere that our Confident Canines teams foster to support each other on their agility training journey. Keep up the amazing work!!!

Special thanks to Las Vegas Dogs in Competitive Events (LV Dice) for hosting a wonderful event!

12/07/2024

Gilgamesh had a qualifying run yesterday to finish his AKC Excellent JWW agility title. He took 1st place and ran 5.4 yards/second. Woot woot! We are so proud of him. He is now moved up to Master's JWW! ❤️

12/06/2024

Fireworks season is upon us...again!
Unfortunately, CBD and most natural remedies are ineffective for noise sensitivities and phobias!

"In placebo-controlled veterinary studies, 30–50% of owners whose animals received a placebo commonly report improvement [22,23]. In relation to fear responses to fireworks during New Year’s Eve, 37% of owners whose dogs received a placebo reported a good or excellent treatment effect [24]."

The only natural remedy that showed (barely) better results than the placebo equivalent was the pressure vest. Fortunately, there are plenty of pharmaceutical medications that have been well-studied and approved for use in pets with severe noise fears. Contact your veterinarian NOW so you can discuss your pet's health and have a plan for New Year's Eve. Medication and behavior/emotional modification procedures can be combined, if appropriate, to improve chances of long term emotional/behavioral change and improvement in well-being for your pet with severe noise sensitivities or phobias. Behavior modification alone will not fully address problem behaviors that have a medical/pathological cause (such as physical pain or genetic noise sensitivities), making it essential to involve a veterinarian for diagnosis and treatment in addition to behavior modification.

Fear of loud noises is the most common behavioural problem in pet dogs. This manuscript provides an overview of treatment options for noise fears in dogs and describes the current scientific evidence for their effectiveness. Therapy for ...

12/02/2024

For our Confident Canines students who are competing:

This weekend will be the first local AKC agility trial of the competition season.

We have made such huge strides in just a matter of a few months! I try to keep in mind that the goal is training is not necessarily to receive qualifying runs or ribbons, but to work toward achieving consistent runs every time. With consistency, you would need to trial far less to reach your goals. To get consistent runs, we need a dog who is comfortable in the environment, a dog who LOVES the activity AND doing it with you, at optimal arousal level (not too high, not too low), fluid connection and communication as a team, and thoughtful training to consistently execute the skills for all the potential challenges. Whether or not we get qualifying runs at this trial, let's look back and see what we have improved on and where we need still improve to get to that goal of consistency. Once we reach consistency, then the Q's and everything else will come!

11/30/2024

We will start a new Beginner Agility class session in early January. Snag your spot while they are still available! We have three spots remaining.

Classes are outdoors at a private facility in Northwest Las Vegas.

Beginner Agility

Mondays at PM, 7:30 PM beginning Jan 6th, 2025 -- $250

We will work on the basic agility obstacles, body awareness and work heavily on foundation skills. Students must have completed basic obedience training (or equivalent), dogs must be in good physical health, have a reliable recall and be friendly and non-reactive with both dogs and people. Minimum 8 months old.

Do you already train agility and are interested in joining our advanced agility classes?

We would love to have you! Email [email protected]
​
​Adv. Beginner/Intermediate Agility -- Tuesdays at 6:15 PM
Adv. Beginner/Intermediate Level Agility -- Thursdays at 6:15 PM
Intermediate Agility -- Thursdays at 7:30 PM
​Competitive Excellent/Master's Agility -- Tuesdays at 7:30 PM

(​maximum of 6 dogs per class,...we like small class sizes!)

We want you to excel and reach your personal training and/or competition goals!

Current and active Confident Canines agility students in good standing can rent the agility arena for private practice.

Confident Canines LLC in Las Vegas, NV. Run by certified professional dog trainer and behavior consultant Eileen Koval, CDBC, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, MSc

11/25/2024

Is your Dog Awful with Guests to the Home?

Here is Step-by-Step Guidance to help overly-excited or fearful dogs accept visitors more quickly for peaceful holiday gatherings.

Step-by-step tips to introduce your overly excited or fearful dog to visitors at the home.

11/20/2024

THIS!

What no one tells you about dog training…

Between highly edited TV and social media content, we get clients who have a lot of misconceptions about what dog training is like.

While we are grateful that these platforms provide awareness and get people interested in dog training, what makes for good TV doesn’t align with carefully implemented science-based training.

You might have seen dogs on tight leashes. Forced into situations they don’t know how to handle. Intimidated with loud noises. Drama!

We want to be clear - that is not what you’ll experience when working with us.
We carefully balance your goals with your dog’s foundational needs.
We find ways to set them up for success - so they can make the choice you want them to (i.e. not barking). We work together to find a solution that makes sense for you and your dog - it’s a two-way conversation. Dogs are sentient beings that show their emotions in the ways they can - through behavior.

In order to change behavior, we start by understanding the WHY behind it.
Through the power of our science-based training methods, we can actually change the way your dog feels about a situation so that they are less likely to… bark, jump, whine, growl, and snap. We also teach them alternative ways of behaving if and when they do feel their big scary feelings.

This proven, compassionate approach makes training more effective long-term because the root of the issue is uncovered and addressed instead of suppressed.
It is a powerful experience, but it is a calm and intentional experience that doesn’t make for great TV or viral social media content!

Message us now to find out how we can best help you and your dog!

11/19/2024

Instead of labeling a dog as "hard" to justify harsh training,
let's be more accurate:

The human's skillset and understanding of the problem & solutions are likely very limited.

11/19/2024

Reward-based Snake Avoidance Training Works!

Hearing from Sandy was a wonderful highlight during an otherwise tough day. She is a trainer in Australia who I have never met, but she took my online snake avoidance course. Venomous snakes of several species are everywhere there. She has offered my methodology in her own training classes several times now and has had at least three dogs (a German Shepherd, a Kelpie, and a blue heeler) who avoided venomous snakes on walks, while camping, or in their backyard and it was caught on video. It is nice to see my techniques at work making a difference, with dogs displaying reliable, trained avoidance behaviors without human cueing. My course techniques and methodologies have been adopted by trainers worldwide to teach snake avoidance, environmental hazard avoidance, and wildlife avoidance.

11/19/2024

New Long Term Mentorship Program

We have revamped our popular mentorship program to encompass the on-going support that is needed for YOUR long-term development as a trainer, behavior consultant and/or veterinarian. Eileen is highly sought after for mentoring other trainers, behavior consultants and veterinarians who wish to learn more about companion animal behavior. She can share her experience, review cases with a fresh set of eyes and a unique perspective, and help you expand your knowledge with informed insights. She can provide you with new, unexplored options when you feel overwhelmed and stymied on an issue. She can help you chart your path forward toward your goals as a trainer or behavior consultant, and assist with preparation for exams. With veterinarians, Eileen has provided information to help veterinary clinics assess difficult behavior cases -- including ways to gather information, things to look for; provide ways to work with aggressive and anxious patients; gather necessary information with less time investment; and how to craft clinic operations for a lower stress experience for all.



Bottom line: Eileen wants you to succeed and reach your loftiest goals growing as a person and professional along your journey in the industry. She is here to help and share her wealth of knowledge and vast experience.

Eileen Koval, CDBC, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA offers mentorships and coaching to aspiring dog behavior consultants and trainers.

11/17/2024

Shutting down behaviours through aversive methods such as loud noises (shakers, rattles, clapping, shouting), air sprays or water sprays, shock collars or physical punishment may certainly suppress behaviour in the short term, which can be very reinforcing for caregivers.🐾🐈🐕

However, what we MUST consider is what effects this may have in the long term.🌟🐾

Animals will learn that they can no longer use certain behaviours to communicate, relieve stress or show their emotional state.🐶😿

This in turn may lead to learned helplessness, reduced welfare and quality of life, or in some instances to physical disease such as Feline Idiopathic Cystitis.💔

So, before choosing the easier option of shutting down behaviour, please consider what this may do to your pet in the long run…🌟🐕🐈

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11/15/2024

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lisa-radosta-dvm-dacvb-a88b625_veterinarian-behaviorismedicine-veterinarytechnician-activity-7261853889258209282-UBfT?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android

Pregabalin vs gabapentin? Which one is better? When do you choose one over the other? Join me for a deep dive into same and different about pregabalin and…

11/14/2024

Early socialization can be done in a way that is low risk. It is essential to learning what is normal (not scary) and learning how to handle situations. Most serious behavior cases also involve a lack of adequate early socialization. Don't take your puppy to a dog park or on the ground in other areas highly trafficked by unknown dogs or wildlife. But there are plenty of places and experiences your puppy CAN enjoy that are essential to their growth into a behaviorally healthy adult.

MYTH: "Don’t take your puppy anywhere until they're fully vaccinated."

FACT: "The primary and most important time for puppy socialization is the first three months of life. For this reason, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior believes that it should be the *standard of care* for puppies to receive such socialization before they are fully vaccinated. Behavioral issues, not infectious diseases, are the number one cause of death for dogs under three years of age." (AVSAB Position Statement on Puppy Socialization)

FACT: If you wait until your puppy is full vaccinated, you've missed their critical socialization period.

Vets, rescues and breeders who are clinging to the outdated belief that dogs should be prevented from socialization until fully vaccinated are not keeping up with the current research, literature and recommendations from behavior professionals.