ROOT Dog Training

03/19/2025

Kate Middleton | 3 months | Female | Australian Shepherd Mix

Meet Kate Middleton! She is the perfect puppy, ready to go for a walk and just as happy to snuggle on the couch. Kate is a very confident puppy who likes to explore. She is very attuned to her humans and currently lives with four kids aged 20 months to 17 years old. Kate loves to meet new people and welcomes them all graciously, just like a princess would. If you think Kate Middleton would be a great addition to your home, please apply today!

To read her full bio and apply, visit www.woofgangrescue.com

03/13/2025

Ever wondered why your dog is suddenly having a good nibble at themselves or just stops to have a few good scratches...in the strangest of circumstances❓
This can be responsible for those "weird behaviours" your dog shows.
The sneezing, yawning, sniffs and yes...even the humping.👀
So why do they show these displacement behaviours?
Often it is because they are not sure what is occurring, how they should react or they can have conflicting emotions in a situation.
They can also be shown when they are prevented from doing something they really want to do!
These are certainly not all and it is very individual.
Video in the comments if anyone wants to see more examples.

This isn't available yet in the store (but will be in a few days)...feel free to look at the others we do have available https://www.abcdogsnz.com/dog-training-graphics-dog-training-posters?srsltid=AfmBOoqZM8xBT25LIx4Yba1J7ABV1jSLDz32Mtu6Pochid-jeWmgdX2a

03/13/2025

Is now a great time for you to adopt a puppy? Adopt an adult dog? Foster a dog? I love this decision tree from Out of the Pits, Inc. as food for thought.

03/13/2025

Calm behavior isn’t something that comes naturally to our dogs ESPECIALLY around things that excite them!

We need to teach them!

But how do we do this? 🤔

We want to focus on what we want our dogs to do (sit, lie down, settle, go to bed) and teach them this instead to help them succeed!

Have you ever heard of Karen Overall’s OR Suzanne Clothier’s Relaxation Protocols?

These are excellent resources to help teach true relaxation in our dogs! Comment RELAX and we will send you a link to the relaxation protocols!

03/11/2025

DOUBLE TROUBLE
The challenges of raising two puppies together.

The problem behaviours that are commonly seen in dogs that are raised together is often mistakenly called “litter mate syndrome”, but these behaviours are not specific to dogs from the same litter and can occur with any 2 dogs that are raised together.

The problems that may develop have nothing to do with sharing similar DNA or coming from the same litter, but depends on how the pups are raised and how their environment is managed.

Problem behaviour is usually a combination of relational dynamics, poor socialisation, habituation, a lack of separate experiences and no individual resilience or self-confidence building.

Many people believe it’s a great idea to get two pups at the same time. They’ll be able to keep each other company when left alone, they won’t be bored; they’ll have each other to play with; they will always have a friend; both children in the family can have one; the breeder said it’s a good idea, you just couldn’t bear to leave the other one behind….and more, but this can lead to long term problems if there is no awareness of how to prevent potential problems.

Relying on the relationship between the dogs to fill the missing pieces of responsible pet parenting is setting the stage for the development of problem behaviours.

Although sibling pairs or 2 pups together may come with unique challenges, pups raised together can absolutely form healthy human bonds and develop into well-adjusted, confident dogs as long as their care givers are aware of what could go wrong and are prepared to put in the work to raise them.

03/11/2025

Have you noticed this🤔 ❓
It is ok if you haven't made a connection because this sign of stress isn't talked about much.
Have you ever patted a dog and noticed there is a LOT of loose hair in the coat❓Even on your hand?
The brush seems to have a lot more hair in it now too....the bedding seems a bit more hairier than it normally is. Hhhmmmm, and your clothes now often have a bit more hair on them too....Is it from stress ?
Yes, it can be.
Of course dogs naturally lose more hair at certain times of the year but it certainly pays to be aware of coat "dropping" at other times.
There are SO many ways they can show discomfort and stress.
Some are just a bit... "unnoticed" by us.
Those unnoticed signs can cause those "out of the blue" reactions.
There are some videos in the comments about other ways (and less obvious ways) that dogs can show stress, anxiousness and discomfort.
This dog trainer handout is available through https://www.abcdogsnz.com/product-page/abc-dogs-nz-commonly-misread-signs-of-stress?srsltid=AfmBOopVzhvR0ZxPN30_VKN4oGS9iLmX5XsqVqexcbV99_cMOT1UZKet

03/10/2025

03/09/2025

Leash reactive 💥
Over excited ❓
Fear reactive 👀
Maybe you have a super spicy combo of the above?
Tension will ALWAYS create tension and with a reactive dog it can add to all of the issues you both face....and we can often make it worse by adding tension on that lead.
We BOTH need to get out of the habit of constantly feeling that straining and tightening of the leash and stop our habit of pulling back, none of it helps. It can make everything worse.
If you want to teach a loose lead walking technique, there is a video in the comments (just uploaded yesterday)....it walks you through some fundamentals and has some real examples.
You CAN do this !🙂✅

This dog training handout is available through https://www.abcdogsnz.com/product-page/abc-dogs-nz-loose-lead-walking-reactive-dogs?srsltid=AfmBOoquMLw0fOkQUAyCsXUzoPDrLdmHulhMr8CTBW18AvxG7pQH2By8

03/07/2025

Many trainers charge hundreds of dollars for no improvement! Get a result in a reasonable time frame, without having to spend hours training every day.

03/06/2025

Are we missing some VERY important clues our dogs are giving 🤔
Do we really know the signs when a dog doesn't want to interact with another❓
Do we dismiss them, ignore them or listen to them?
The really tricky thing is, those signs can be very subtle to us and easily misread.
Yet, those same "subtle" behaviours are VERY clear signals to other dogs.
Trickier still, some dogs really struggle to read them too.
That is where we have to advocate and we have to learn exactly how our dogs show disinterest.
Isn't a scratch just a scratch? Yes, of course, but is it combined with anything else?
Lots of videos in the comments about these subtle body language communication signals and what those "weird behaviours" you dog can show around others can mean.
We need to learn them, it helps both of us.
This dog training handout is available through https://www.abcdogsnz.com/product-page/abc-dogs-nz-want-to-play?srsltid=AfmBOopxtALUahqXAUuZ5b3XeknREBYLAk3fj6thhRjgc0W_sfA1caxz