Meg's Pawsitive Pups

06/25/2024

Very important read!!!

Apparently these two fingers are all you need to stop a puppy mouthing you. It's magical and "works every time". The only caveat is you have to be firm and "do it as if you mean it". If you treat your puppy gently it just won't work. But, hey, what's a little harsh treatment if it solves the problem, right? All you have to do is prod your puppy (your 𝘱𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘺, remember...) sharply in that lovely vulnerable, soft part of their abdomen just between their rib cage and their leg. A few sharp pokes and your puppy biting problems are over.

I wish I was joking. But I'm not. This is actual advice given to a client by someone they paid money to to help them.

Not one question was asked about the pup's routine. About the conditions under which the puppy was biting. About how much rest they were getting. Whether they were teething. Whether they were overstimulated. What they were being fed. How they were being played with. Not one question. Because who wants to be bothered with all that when a good dose of physical punishment and emotional intimidation works on a young animal who is just doing what puppies do?

𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲, 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸. Training is a totally unregulated industry and 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 can set up as a trainer regardless of education, experience, insurance or ethics. So if you don't want to end up with someone who'll tell you to hurt your dog do your homework. Check qualifications. Check education. Check ethos. Check their vibe. Because your dog can't.

And if they use force, fear or intimidation it would be totally understandable if you felt the temptation to use a two fingered gesture of your own...

04/23/2024

Great tips on what to think about when training your dog.

03/23/2024

03/05/2024

Dogs are great at many things, but one thing they are not so good at is generalising. It makes sense to us that, when they have learned a cue at home, they should be able to understand and respond to that cue wherever they go. The thing is that dog brains don't work in quite that way. Dogs need to be taught that the same cue means they do the same thing in all different kinds of environments and situations.

To do this, we need to generalise or 'proof' the cue. Help the dog to understand that the cue asks them for the same thing, wherever they are.

To do this we look at the three factors listed here.

Distance: Initially when we are working on cues with our dogs, we will be very close. But there may well be a time when you would like or need to ask your dog to do something when they are a distance away from you. To do this, gradually start asking the dog to respond to the cue from further away. For recall, as an example, once the cue is well established at home, start practicing at slowly increasing distances when out for a walk (use a longline attached to the dog's harness until their recall is solid in all locations and from distance). Periodically call the dog back from a distance, reward, and then send them off to explore again. This is one that's good to keep doing once their recall is reliable and they can go off lead, as only ever calling an off lead dog back to put the lead on might well put them off coming back! And remember to always call your dog back if they are approaching an on-lead dog as a simple courtesy to the others using the same area.

Distractions: This is an important one for many dogs, especially young dogs who are keen to explore the world and learn about their environment. Once the cue is well established at home, start building up distractions slowly. Going from your garden at home to a busy local park will be far too much for the dog to be able to concentrate so take it in little steps. Outside your house, perhaps, or somewhere like a car park with plenty of space but where there will be some people/cars etc to act as distractions. Build up the number of different places and how busy the places you go to are to help your dog see that the cue means the same, no matter how busy the environment. (But play fair and let them have plenty of time to explore new environments safely and happily, for both you/your dog and the others using that space).

Duration: Sometimes we will need to ask our dogs to do something and have them keep doing it for a while, perhaps a sit, a down, a wait/stay. Something that helps with building duration is having a release cue, and this is something that we can teach the dog at the same time as the initial cue we'd like them to respond to. For instance, I use 'OK' as my release cue, so I'll ask my dog for a down, and then say 'OK' to let him know that he's fine to get up again. Initially we'll say this almost immediately after we've marked and rewarded the down, and then gradually increase the length of time between the cue and the release.

You can combine all three of these factors to have a cue that your dog can respond to at distance, in any kind of environment, and (where appropriate) will stay there until released. Having this kind of reliability in your cues means you can be confident and enjoy being out in the world with your dog, knowing that they will listen to you wherever you are.

02/21/2024

It’s Hump Day!! So let’s talk about one of the most misinterpreted dog behaviors…Hu***ng.

HU***NG HOUNDS - It’s not always what it seems

Some dogs do and some dogs don’t, but if you have a dog that humps at the most inopportune times it can be downright embarrassing or annoying.

Other dogs, other people, visitors, toys, cushions, furniture, anything that can be mounted and clung to may be fair game.

As people, it’s natural to assume that this behaviour is of a sexual nature, that our dogs must be oversexed, sexually frustrated or the all-too-common incorrect belief that our dogs are just trying to be “dominant” or “the alpha”.

Hu***ng, like many other dog behaviours does not always have a simple reason. It can be a complex behaviour which is usually emotionally or socially based.

Looking at what may be triggering the behaviour should always be the first step before finding ways to change a behaviour.

The solutions will depend on the cause. It may be finding ways to reduce stress or anxiety levels, increasing mental stimulation, teaching calm behaviours to prevent over arousal, ensuring your dog is getting enough sleep, using management or in some cases a veterinary check up to rule out any medical causes.

When hu***ng is annoying another dog or person or causing frustration, discomfort or harm in any way, then obviously this behaviour needs to be immediately addressed, but sometimes we may need to ask ourselves – is it really something we need to stop our dogs from doing just because we see it as socially unacceptable?

Is it a harmless way of relieving stress or anxiety after a difficult day or a way to expend pent up energy that is not causing anyone harm?

Is a little hump now and then okay if it’s not causing any harm?

If we prevent this, correct it, or at worst punish this behaviour are we removing a harmless natural outlet and risking another unwanted behaviour taking its place?

Hu***ng is one of the most misunderstood behaviours.

Very often, behaviour is not about the way it looks, but the way we perceive it from our human perspective.

01/28/2024

This week I got to meet Archer and his new family. Archer is 11 weeks old and his family are first time dog owners. During our meet and greet we talked about house training, vaccinations, nutrition, grooming and started a couple new cues like sit and down. Dog training isn’t just about teaching pups cues like sit, down, stay etc, it is also about teaching the families all aspects of dog guardianship. Archer has an amazing family who want to do their best. Great job guys!! #

01/07/2024

First snow storm of the season. Let’s see some pictures of your pups enjoying the snow. For some of you this is your pups first snow storm ❤️🐾❄️☃️

12/13/2023

Maya had another great Day Training session. We worked on her impulse control, leash walking and recall. Check out my website www.megspawsitivepups.com for more information on my Day Training sessions.

12/09/2023

Winter time can be challenging to keep dogs busy physically and mentally. Darker hours, colder weather often deter us from working with our pups as much as the warmer seasons. Follow SpiritDog Training, they have a great 25 days of games in December. Lots of fun training to help keep them busy.

11/05/2023

It is always a party when your dog comes when called 🎉🎊🍾

10/16/2023

Want a good recall? Practice, practice, practice!! Practice when you don’t need it so it works when you do. Use what motivates your dog, not what you think should motivate them. And when they come to you, it is always a party!🎉🎊. This is Bergeron our dog. He is half beagle, so recall can be challenging, he loves to follow his nose. He loves food, any food! So we practice, reward with yummy treats and have a party. of instagram

10/10/2023

Mya had her first day training session today. She is such a smart girl. Day training is a 30 min session of training and playing, I work 1 on 1 with your pup. Today Mya worked on her leash manners, recall and stay.

10/04/2023

Yes, training a dog should never be done with anger, intimidation or force.

Living with dogs goes beyond training. When a dog needs to learn something new for their own sake and for the sake of others in the family, training can be used. But to be ethical it must be kind and from a space of empathy and education.

09/08/2023

I have had a couple of sessions with this adorable nugget 14 week old goldendoodle Chewie. His family contacted me a few weeks before they got him to set up a session. Getting started on the right paw!! His mom expressed an interest in training him as a therapy dog. She works in the medical field and would like for Chewie to meet patients. Once I met him, I knew he was a good candidate for the job. He has a very calm and gentle disposition, loves people and learning new things. We worked together to set up a great foundation of cues. Wow, is Sara (his mom) doing great things with him. You can follow Chewy on his therapy training journey, his own instagram account What a great team they make.

09/06/2023

Bandit update! I started working with Bandit this summer when he was 5.5 months old. Bandit is now 7 months. His family has done an amazing job helping him learn his cues such as sit, down, stay, leave it and recall. I like to emphasize in my sessions that consistency, repetition, reward and most of all fun are needed to set these puppies/dogs for success. Great job Bandit, Maureen and Kevin!!

09/01/2023

It has been a busy summer with clients, family and friends. I need to catch up on my posts, so I will start with introducing my own pups…We have Wallace 8 year old chihuahua, Layla 12.5 year old pit mix and Bergeron 9 year old beagle mix. I adore all of them ❤️. Share with me a picture is your pups 🐾❤️

08/29/2023

❤️❤️🐾🐾

08/02/2023

DON’T FORCE ME TO BE SOCIAL!
Do we like everyone we meet? Do we all enjoy socialising and spending time with lots of different people? I certainly don’t and refer to myself as a “caninetrovert” – a person that much prefers to spend time with dogs rather than people. Maybe I’m a little different to the “norm”, but be that as it may, we are all individuals with different personality styles and social preferences.

Some of us are extroverts, gaining energy from interacting with people; some of us introverts, who find people draining and need alone time to recharge our social batteries and some of us are somewhere in between.

If we acknowledge that we are all different in this way, we also need to acknowledge and accept that our dogs are similar.

They could be overly affectionate or fiercely independent, approachable or nervous, energetic or laid back, confident or cautious, sociable, tolerant, selective or reactive.

We may be really disappointed when our dogs turn out not to be the socialite we expected them to be.

Some may even see this as a behaviour problem that needs to be “fixed”. Sometimes it can be improved, especially if the cause is from a negative experience, but genetics, breed tendencies, individual personalities, health and age all contribute to tolerance levels and sociability.

Accept your dog for who they are, allow them to choose whether they want to be sociable or not, respect their choices and never force an interaction that your dog is not comfortable with.

07/31/2023

Bandit, a 5.5 month old bernadoodle, had his first training session with Meg’s Pawsitive Pups. We worked on some basic cues/manners, he was a super star ⭐️. Bandit’s owners are going to work on building his confidence, so he is more comfortable being left alone.

07/12/2023

Yes, it is ok to comfort your dog when they are scared! Another great writing by Dogs Disclosed

IN THE FACE OF FEAR

There is a common belief that comforting a dog that is feeling scared, anxious or stressed will just reinforce, encourage the feelings and make it worse.

This belief is incorrect. Fear is an emotional response and one that a dog does not choose or makes the decision to experience. An emotion is an involuntary, uncontrolled response that cannot be reinforced.

Imagine an intruder broke into your home, tied you up and took off with your belongings. After freeing yourself and getting help, a friend arrives to see how you are.

Your friend tells you that she can see that you’re really anxious and scared but she’s just going to completely ignore you, is not going to attempt to comfort you, sit with you or support you because by doing so she will make you even more afraid and upset. Does that reaction make any sense?

Why should it be any different for dogs that also experience a range of emotions? Why then is it still believed that you should ignore your dog?

Probably because there is confusion and misunderstanding about the difference between an emotional response - which is an involuntary response and a learned response - which has varying degrees of conscious control.

If we acknowledge that providing comfort and support to a dog that is experiencing these emotions will not reinforce them, do we know if providing comfort will reduce these emotions?

Research on this subject is showing evidence that providing comfort and support in stressful situations decreases a dog’s heart rate, salivary cortisol levels, reduces stress responses and increases calm behaviour.

Ignoring a dog’s emotions because of misinformed advice that this will help change the behaviour is not helpful.

Accept that your dog is having an emotional response, have compassion, understanding and be a comfort for your dog.

07/02/2023

Dallas, a 3 month old shepherd mix, did a great job on her first session. This smart girl already knows sit, down and shake. We worked on building her recall and getting her attention around distractions. Lots of rewards, praise and play!!

06/28/2023

🎉🎊Fourth of July🎉🎊 is coming up, lots of fireworks the next week. Lots of dogs do not enjoy them as much as we do. Here are a few tips to make it a bit more pleasant for them.

06/21/2023

Miss Lucy did a great job on her first puppy session. We worked on basic manners and discussed giving her a proper outlet for some of her favorite puppy behaviors like biting and chewing.

06/14/2023

Although I didn’t write this myself, it is a great share. Dogs need choices and space, especially around strangers.

MIND YOUR MANNERS!

The safe and polite way to interact with a dog.

Would you like to have a choice in the matter and give your consent to a stranger invading your personal space or touching you? Would you feel safe if a stranger behaved like this? What would you do if someone did this to you?

If your attempts to communicate that this wasn’t ok were ignored, would you perhaps react aggressively to make that person go away?

This all makes sense to us, but so many people fail to see that dogs can feel the same way when approached by someone.

Dogs are so often not given a choice or have not indicated their consent to being approached or touched and then we are shocked when they may react aggressively.

One of my dogs is highly sensitive and reactive towards strange people and other dogs. I continually repeated to visitors at home- please give her space, please don’t stick your hand near her, please ignore her and let her decide if she wants to interact with you.

My words were so often ignored and sometimes resulted in an aggressive reaction to that person.

The person would be really shocked at her reaction. I’ve even been told – “I thought you were a behaviourist, what is wrong with your dog, why is she behaving like this?”

She behaved like this because she was not given a choice to interact, did not give her consent and her personal space was invaded – she didn’t feel safe. She reacted in the only way she knew how, to make that person leave her alone.

As people, we expect this right, yet often fail to understand that our dogs are also entitled to this.

Consent and choice are a right of every living being. Consent and choice = feeling safe.

06/11/2023

Meet Phoebe, she is an 8 week old mini bernadoodle. I had the pleasure of meeting her and her family today. Having a new puppy is exciting but can also be overwhelming for both the puppy and family. To help set everyone up for success we discussed managing her environment, house training and played the name game. If you are getting a new puppy or adult dog, reach out and we can set up a session.

06/07/2023

It has finally happened, after 14 years working for other companies, training dogs, I have opened my own business. Meg's Pawsitive Pups offers reward based dog training in the comfort of the clients home. Feel free to email or message me with questions or details.