Incredible Canines LLC

08/30/2024

Had a lovely time at the grand opening of the Windham County Humane Society last Saturday!

08/28/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/Wj6pTHnmko6azv3i/?mibextid=WC7FNe

How secure are electric fences?

A survey of 974 dog owners asked how their dogs were confined to the yard, whether they had escaped. The results showed that an electronic fence was the LEAST effective method of containing a dog: 44% of dogs contained by one had escaped. Dogs were less likely to have escaped from a tether (27%) or from a see-through fence (e.g. chain link or slatted wood) (23%) or a privacy fence that is not see-through (also 23%). Escape rates were not associated with how dogs were trained on them.


Ref: Starinsky, et al (2017). Escape rates and biting histories of dogs confined to their owner's property through the use of various containment methods. JAVMA, 250(3), 297-302.

08/27/2024

Riff kisses

08/22/2024

This afternoon’s enrichment: meatballs!

Notice the dogs are specific locations and groupings. Any time you have more than one dog and a resource down, it’s important to set the environment up in as safe a manner as possible. Also super important to know the dogs you’re working with.

08/13/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/nxNCcJ1BKAnmDSxE/?mibextid=WC7FNe

TikTok famous dog trainers are taking over, and unfortunately that's not always a good thing. Does having 1 million Instagram followers make you a good dog trainer? Some of the information getting shared on social media is incorrect, ineffective, or downright dangerous. So how do you figure out who's who?

🐶 Look for credentials listed in the trainer bio. Don't see any? It's likely they don't have any. This is not a good thing. "I've had dogs for 20 years" is not a qualification.
🐶 Beware of sneaky marketing. Guarantees of behavior, promises to fix a problem in only a few minutes, or telling you that you "HAVE" to follow these rules are all red flags.
🐶 Impressive before and after videos that show massive behavior change in "only one session"? You may actually be seeing behavior suppression instead of actual behavior modification.
🐶 Pay attention to body language. We share A LOT about body language, and if you have a dog, you likely have some idea of what a relaxed dog looks like. Apply your knowledge to social media videos! Is the dog in the video panting heavily? Are their lips pulled back? Are their ears back? Do they look tense? Those are all signs of stress, anxiety, and fear...

Questions about behavior or training? You know how to reach us! Check out our stories for more info!

08/12/2024

A longtime client reached out to me because they planned to adopt this gorgeous guy. There are other dogs and cats and moving parts involved so I went last week to help set the environment up appropriately and to put a plan in place for a smooth transition. I was there this morning when he arrived at the house. You can see from the pictures that he was a bit stressed already. He did fine with both dogs, but when we went inside and he saw the hairless cats, he lost his sh*t. Due to the intensity of his outburst and the inability to redirect him, the clients are not able to keep him. I’m glad I was on-site to help; this situation could easily have gotten way out of control. Sometimes things just don’t work, despite the careful set up and thoughtful consideration.

08/11/2024

08/08/2024

These two ACDs have had a couple serious fights, causing damage to each other and the human attempting to break up the fights. We’ve been working on reintegrating them, as they’ve been completely separated for over two months now. This was the first time they’ve been off leash in each other’s presence. A major part of this case is helping the clients feel confident again. They were both traumatized by the incidents. When I left today I saw relief, hope, and optimism in everyone. I love my work. ❤️🐾

07/28/2024

This is why I get so frustrated when ‘trainers’ using shock collars, prong collars, and underground fences tell clients these methods are fine to use.

The benefits of reward-based, force-free training are often touted for the dog's benefit, but how does training using aversive methods affect the owners implementing them? 🤔

A 2009 study through the University of Pennsylvania wanted to find out the answer to this question, in whether using confrontational methods, either direct or indirect, affected owner safety when trying to modify their dog's behaviour. The study found that there was far more aggression towards owners when using these methods than using reward-based methods, thus putting the owners at risk. The activities that were said to put the owners at most risk were from yelling no or using the 'alpha roll'. They also noted that using tools such as remote shock collars could 'put dogs at risk for compromised welfare and defensive aggression'. 😰

As stated by the study, this is due to behaviour problems not coming from a place of being 'dominant' as these confrontational methods are trying to prevent, and in fact come from a place of fear and that 'frightened animals are often self-defensively aggressive; it would not be unexpected, then, that dogs respond aggressively to such provocative handling.'. This means by using these methods, owners are inadvertently putting themselves in harms way and at risk of being bitten by inacting these 'dominance' based methods, which is, in fact, what they are actually wanting to prevent when working on aggression cases.

It is therefore so important that owners are not only aware of the fact these methods are based on false-hoods, and won't create the outcome they want, but also the risks to themselves if they choose to administer them. You should always contact a qualified professional if you have any issues with aggressive behaviour, so it can be worked on safely for both you, and your dog. 👍

You can check out the study mentioned in the graphic for yourself here:https://vmc.vet.osu.edu/sites/default/files/documents/trainingArticle.pdf

07/15/2024

A frolic in the forest

07/15/2024

Brady is a 10 week old mini Aussie and my newest Puppy Head Start client. 🐾💚

07/09/2024

Remember Lucy? Her struggles with new people have prevented her family from traveling places or attending events without her for quite some time. They previously worked with an e-collar trainer and saw what initially looked like success. Unfortunately, as often happens, her feelings intensified and manifested in biting. We met for a consultation and had a deep discussion about how aversive methods work and they were ready to try a new approach. Lucy’s first visit with her pet sitter ( prior to our consultation) resulted in a lunge and snap, but the brave gal persisted and the new approach has been extremely helpful. I’m very happy with the progress and so are Lucy and her family.

Hi there, thank you for checking in. Things are going well. The gal who came and had that liner incident with Lucy has worked out. She kept coming back for visits and Lucy really likes her and is comfortable with her now. She actually did some dog care for us this past weekend, we were away for an overnight and this girl came and went several times to take care of Lulu. We are continuing to work on using some of your suggestions when new people come over, such as playing go find it and I also bought a lick mat, that loves and it seems to soothe and distract her well. We are not using the collar at all anymore. We do have grandkids coming to visit in the weeks ahead and will have to monitor and manage those situations very carefully. There can be no room for error there!

07/09/2024

https://iaabc.org/hierarchy

The International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, Inc. elevates animal behavior consulting and training worldwide with ethical standards and the effective use of Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive (LIMA) practices. The IAABC is a certifying organization encouraging evidence-based educat...

07/09/2024

It’s always nice to get progress reports. This dog was confiscated from a puppy mill breeding situation and has since spent her time lying in her bed in a corner or curled up in a ball outside. The clients called me because they couldn’t get her to come back inside and she refused to navigate the stairs at every entrance. Fortunately, she has a good doggie friend who is very stable and outgoing. The dog came to stay with them for 6 weeks and this is the report I received. Sometimes less is more and it’s so important to meet the dog where they are.

06/13/2024

I met these two beautiful girls yesterday. Meet Trilly and Augie. ♥️🐶

05/25/2024

Hera has struggles with stranger danger so we’re taking our time building confidence in novel situations with unfamiliar people. Slow and easy with patience and understanding. 😊

05/25/2024

Boogie has some big feelings about things. We’ll be working to build better coping skills.

04/11/2024

https://www.baywoof.org/featured-article/if-it-didnt-hurt-it-wouldnt-work-the-truth-about-choke-prong-and-shock-collars?fbclid=IwAR2lsP3VsRoNh9L7kqIr5ZyOaaZ3O5U6Z76EFyNO7rM26lAkqDLiHv0Ay6A_aem_AZqe8F2N_DPTz-Q7exdbA2qbUYOB9fPToDgy-s1BoMqcMlKGRei_zTG4SYJAG3vvfwg

By Ren Volpe

03/27/2024

https://pact-course.thinkific.com/courses/PACTtastercourse?fbclid=IwAR14uF2PLvvnJBYp2cWD0D9lVyN001AIY0nx4V3MCo4dgYwYJRmcZtdvTuA_aem_AWp5wSkpF7mumCMM_ep_rzF8mli1MYBltaVxz0XK2L-q2PXaAHb7H5rEVJ7gpCa_ziM

This is a free course offered by PACT Dogs Ltd. There are no hidden costs. By registering with Thinkific and enrolling on the course, you confirm that PACT can sign you up to our mailing list (which you can then unsubscribe from at any time)

03/26/2024

https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/care/anti-anxiety-medications/?fbclid=IwAR0SYFnpRPuu8ioJfC3Q0z7TrMv5x1g0_Rx25BqXl0FbbWoqisfcrKERe1g_aem_AUaswECnDCqSyGlYj2stW9n4obixQbDRVw3gtPfuIcQ41tMJ6lKIjbXYrb8wVOI1qJ0

Your veterinarian has a number of medication options available to help your anxious dog feel better and enhance your desensitization and behavior-modification program.

03/04/2024

Hanging with the homies.

03/04/2024

Pets deserve to be cared for, managed and trained in a nurturing and stable environment. Kindness rules the day!
Discover more at: https://www.petprofessionalguild.com/

02/25/2024

https://fearfreepets.com/dog-training-methods-matter/?fbclid=IwAR0VBpa1jxI0eOF-NY9JOZJ0KOQq9OcxuVWhNMeR6crC-PxaVcZ19BmcIYo_aem_AaQQL0cHiEu17xIPVrwdyMRoI-P7JAwG6r6zOFJC22HaEpQTFIT8HBGSEBae8hhyCTs

The science supporting positive-reinforcement dog training is abundant. It's more effective and more humane than force-training. Here's why.

02/21/2024

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FhaDNAtrUik&fbclid=IwAR1NJ6sDRgI5nNL9lpnUNE5TsGa8H4G8yRZXk8HSinJ1lMNwCjtQAJMVisU_aem_ATCfWHo27sgPPCsYFe7eaMIeOzfeeTGLjT7pHgwpQV-V2mW0_IEWnoQ5uz_M_BlSp9g

The Alpha Dog Theory has been categorically disproven several times and this video covers where this idea comes from. The video explains why early wolf resea...