Unleashed with Auli Lovoi

12/22/2024

Old dogs can still learn! While they may take longer to pick up new skills due to age-related changes, patience, positive reinforcement, and consistent practice make all the difference. Training keeps their minds sharp, strengthens your bond, and boosts confidence, proving it’s never too late for them to learn something new.

12/21/2024

Congratulations Sushi!! 🥳

Sushis family showed great dedication to Sushis training, and it shows in her obedience. 🐾

Sushis family has the tools to continue to Improve Sushis behavior around distractions.🧡

12/21/2024

Congratulations Wit!! 🥳

This cute adolescent has improved his obedience greatly, and is the favorite co-worker in his moms office! 🧡

Wit has learned so much! As a Corgi he is vocal but is learning to not obsessively bark at everything. He knows that a couple barks (or a little Awoo) to get his owners attention, is just enough for his owners to know what he needs! 🐾

12/18/2024

12.11.24 MISSING FROM LEWISTON, MAINE

Lake is a 3.5 y/o, 77 lb, female, Bernese Mountain Dog. She is tri-colored, microchipped and wearing a pink and brown collar. Lake is a NEW ADOPTION and went missing from Bradbury Road & Parent Lane in Lewiston. She is SHY - DO NOT CALL, FOLLOW OR APPROACH HER. Contact Tim with any sightings at 207-317-1329.
Greater Androscoggin Humane Society
Responsible Pet Care of Oxford Hills

12/17/2024

Car Safety For Pets

12/15/2024

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.

12/14/2024

Love dog

12/13/2024

Fun Fact Friday:

Your leash is an extension of your arm and your dog is picking up on every emotion you feel. Start each walk relaxed, and confidence, and your dog will too!🧡

Be cautious about your behavior around your dogs trigger they will pick up on patterns and be on edge before they even see their trigger. 🐾

For example: if you tighten on your leash or reach for treats every time before your dog sees their trigger then will associate that behavior with ‘something scary is coming’.

12/12/2024

Do you have any dog training questions? Please share them below! 👇🏼 I'll create a video addressing the ones I can.🐾

12/10/2024

Behaviour is only labelled good or bad because it’s what we have perceived it to be. To our dogs, behaviour is is explored or repeated simply because it is reinforcing in some way.
When we start to think of behaviour just as meeting a need. We can start to change our response to it and work on our own reactions.
And of course tell Santa all dogs are on the good list.

12/10/2024

12/10/2024

📣Training Tip Tuesday:
Yawning can help your dog relax😌

Is your dog anxious, overly excited or won’t calm down, try this trick!

Before trying to teach your dog to yawn with you make sure your dog has had adequate enrichment!🧡

Sit on the couch with your dog and while they are looking at you yawn, and see if they yawn back. (this may take a couple tries before your dog starts mimicking you) Once your dog yawns reward them with a treat and relaxing pats. 🐾

12/09/2024

Release Cue!

This is one of the first cues I have each client teach their dogs. Release tells your dog that they do not need to perform the asked cue anymore.

This cue is used as an automatic “stay”, meaning your dog can only get up once the release cue is given. Whether your dog gets up before you say the release cue or they wait for you to give it, you must say the release cue each time your dog is done with a previously asked cue.

🔗 Link to unmarked handouts: unleashedwithaulilovoi.com/product/16553574/release

12/08/2024

As the holidays near, we are seeing a lot of festive home decorations as we patrol the neighborhoods and visit with pet owners in need of our services.

While these decors are all lovely and seasonal (and some of the baked goods smell delicious) - please don’t forget that many of these plants, foods and decorations, are unsafe, or even quite dangerous for pets.

These hazards range from chocolate and bread, to tinsel and tree fertilizer, all the way to mistletoe and poinsettias!

Our good friends/colleagues at MSPCA-Angell have put together this great list of Holiday Hazards, in an effort to keep your pets safe and your holidays without incident. It is a worth-read as you prepare your homes for the holiday season.

Please also consider free-roaming cats and wildlife, when decorating and planting outdoors. Animals are curious by nature, which can place them in unknowingly precarious positions. Please report any animals to us that appear sick or injured.

In the event that your pet has ingested something unsafe, or even if you suspect that your pet has gotten into something harmful, please do not hesitate to call your veterinarian, or one of the outstanding emergency veterinary hospitals nearest to our community. We have provided some of these important phone numbers and addresses, just in case – but our hope is that no one needs them.

Perhaps you can print this page and keep it nearby as we further enter and coast through the holiday season.

Our mission, at Dedham Animal Control, is to keep animals safe, and keep our community informed and connected to helpful and vital resources.

Pet Poison Control Hotline 800-213-6680

MSPCA-Angell-Animal Medical Center Emergency Service 617-522-7282
350 South Huntington Ave, Boston

Veterinary Emergency Group 617.729.4446
165 Needham St, Newton

Veterinary Urgent Care Center 781.373.8080
926 Providence Hwy, Dedham

Tufts Veterinary & Emergency Treatment & Specialties 508.668.5454
525 South St, Walpole

Blue Pearl Veterinary Partners 617.284.9777
56 Roland St, Boston

[Photo: A list of Holiday Hazards c/o Angell Animal Medical Center]

12/06/2024

Fun Fact Friday:
📣LET THEM SNIFF📣

🧡Dogs have a sense of smell that is 40-times better than humans, this is due to the area of cells in a canines brain being roughly 40-times larger than that in humans.

🧡Females dogs often have a better sense of smell that their male counterparts.

🧡Your dog keeping their nose wet is also a sign they are in good health.

12/05/2024

This fantastic pup is ready to find her forever home!

Ping is an energetic, one-year-old girl bursting with enthusiasm. She originally came to us as a stray and was adopted shortly after but has recently found her way back to us. Now, Ping is looking for an active home eager to engage both her body and mind.

She is exceptionally smart, and Ping thrives when given plenty of outlets for her energy—without them, she can become frustrated. She loves being outdoors and would do best in a home with lots of space to explore and stretch her legs. Apartments aren’t a good fit for Ping, as she needs room to roam.

Ping is a social butterfly who doesn’t mind people of all ages, big or small. However, we want her whole new family to meet her before taking her home! While Ping needs a feline-free household, she may do well with a confident, well-rounded canine companion. If you have a dog, bring them along for a meet-and-greet!

Thanks to our generous donors, Ping’s adopters will receive six private training lessons with one of our local trainers—an exciting opportunity to help her settle into her new life!

If you think you have the space and energy for our sweet Ping Pong, stop by to meet her today!

View profiles for all of our adoptable dogs, please visit savingpetsinmaine.org/dogs.

12/04/2024

Treats should only take up 10% of your dog’s intake, but that doesn’t mean we can’t mix it with some in with kibble or use kibble as a reward! Here are some enrichment that doesn’t require any food at all, but may need food when you first introduce these to your dog.

🟠Giving your dog a job: Agility, Search and Rescue, and sent game may require more treats to teach your dog what you are asking, but if they enjoy it they will not need to treats to perform.

🟠Hide and Seek: this game will help improve your digs recall.

🟠Toy: rotating your dog’s toys increases the likelihood they will play longer with them. (I use this enrichment tool on my toddler 🤭)

🟠Dog TV: in my hose we watch Bluey for the whole family! The orange and blue colors they use are easy for dogs to see making it an enjoyable enrichment for my pups. (“Keepy Uppy” is my dogs favorite episode)

🟠Social: Not all socialization is the same for each dog. Most dogs only like a small group of dogs and people. Social enrichment can be going to a park and neutral around other dogs and people.

🔗Unmarked hands are available on my website: unleashedwithaulilovoi.com/training-handouts

🔗Links to all enrichment items:
unleashedwithaulilovoi.com/must-have

12/03/2024

Learn to “gentle parent” your dog is about understanding what is more rewarding to your dog, what they find is most enriching, learning your dogs body language and standing up for your dog. 🧡

And all of a sudden your dog recall has improved, they are more relaxed, and they start listening better!🐾