HumaneK9 Dog Training LLC

11/05/2024

Magical Canine Connections Therapy Dogs in training bringing love and stress relief to Station 71 A shift last night. Thank you to all First Responders for keeping us safe!

11/01/2024

AKC FETCH TEST - December 21, 2024 event is now open for registration.

Hosted by &

🌟Novice - Advanced levels
🌟Two trials and a chance to earn your FETCH title

**PREMIUM**
www.humanek9.com - click REGISTER FOR TRAINING or www.searchtall.com -click EVENTS

Interested in participating but don’t know about Fetch? Find out more https://www.akc.org/fetch/

Photos by Lindsay Smith
https://www.lsphotosmith.com

10/31/2024

We are excited to have Search Tall come to Broward and need your input. Read post below and leave your comment.

I'm trying to plan the Coaching Day for December 20th in Broward County.

I would like some feedback from those interested in attending:
Half Day or Full Day?

Please leave a comment below to help me decide!

10/31/2024

As a pet owner it’s important to take precautions during Halloween to ensure the safety of your pets. Although this holiday can be exciting for the humans in your household, your companion animals may have a more difficult time enjoying the day. Here are some pet safety tips to keep in mind:
Keep candy away from your pet. Chocolate, candy wrappers and sugar can be dangerous for your pet. Save all the treats for the costumed creatures at your door, and make sure your kids know not to share with Fido!
Keep candles or carved pumpkins with candles away from your pets. Try to use battery-operated candles or other pre-lit pumpkins to prevent accidents from curious pets knocking over candles.
While pets in costumes can look adorable, some pets can get stressed out when dressed up. If you decide to dress your pet, make sure the costume doesn’t make it difficult for your pet to move or breathe. If your pet seems to really dislike the costume or seems allergic, consider a festive Halloween themed bandana!
Some pets, such as black cats, can become the object of pranks on Halloween. Keep your pets safely inside your home on and around Halloween.
Consider putting your pet in a separate room when trick-or-treaters are coming to your house. For some pets, too many costumed strangers can be stressful and scary. Leave a TV or radio on and be sure to have a chew toy or treats for them to keep them busy.
If you do leave your pets in the house when trick-or-treaters are coming, make sure you keep then away from the door so that they can’t dart outside. A baby gate at the front door can add security while still allowing trick-or-treaters access to your goodies!
Make sure that your pets are wearing a collar with proper identification in case they do get out. A pet ID tag with your current contact information is key to help bring your pet home quickly. If your pet has a microchip, make sure that the company has your current contact information as well.
Wishing everyone a safe and happy Halloween!

10/31/2024

As a pet owner it’s important to take precautions during Halloween to ensure the safety of your pets. Although this holiday can be exciting for the humans in your household, your companion animals may have a more difficult time enjoying the day. Here are some pet safety tips to keep in mind:
Keep candy away from your pet. Chocolate, candy wrappers and sugar can be dangerous for your pet. Save all the treats for the costumed creatures at your door, and make sure your kids know not to share with Fido!
Keep candles or carved pumpkins with candles away from your pets. Try to use battery-operated candles or other pre-lit pumpkins to prevent accidents from curious pets knocking over candles.
While pets in costumes can look adorable, some pets can get stressed out when dressed up. If you decide to dress your pet, make sure the costume doesn’t make it difficult for your pet to move or breathe. If your pet seems to really dislike the costume or seems allergic, consider a festive Halloween themed bandana!
Some pets, such as black cats, can become the object of pranks on Halloween. Keep your pets safely inside your home on and around Halloween.
Consider putting your pet in a separate room when trick-or-treaters are coming to your house. For some pets, too many costumed strangers can be stressful and scary. Leave a TV or radio on and be sure to have a chew toy or treats for them to keep them busy.
If you do leave your pets in the house when trick-or-treaters are coming, make sure you keep then away from the door so that they can’t dart outside. A baby gate at the front door can add security while still allowing trick-or-treaters access to your goodies!
Make sure that your pets are wearing a collar with proper identification in case they do get out. A pet ID tag with your current contact information is key to help bring your pet home quickly. If your pet has a microchip, make sure that the company has your current contact information as well.
Wishing everyone a safe and happy Halloween!

Halloween Safety tips...

10/29/2024

Impossible not to want a kiss from this cutie pie. Ginger and I were all matchy matchy today!! She’s in therapy dog training and doing a great job!

10/27/2024

We came. We qualified in all elements - AKC Scent Work Novice Interior, Exterior and Containers and Willow earned 1st place in Interior. So much fun!!

Huge shoutout to our trainer and judge Lauren for her coaching and expertise during our classes. She made our trial today a fun and joyful experience. Many thanks to the JTDC and the wonderful volunteers, trial secretary and trial chair for a very well organized and smoothly run trial. Thank you to our event photographer

10/23/2024

FACTS!

✨🐾💪

10/23/2024

Ginger is in our therapy dog training program. Today we worked on being pet and held by seniors. We worked on exposure to medical equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers and canes. We worked being calm in a new environment. She did great and everyone was so grateful for our visit.

Have a great dog? Want to spread joy to others? Want to positively support your community? Contact us for more information on how to get started.

https://www.humanek9.com/animal-assisted-therapy

Canine Connections

10/22/2024

Check out this paw-some enrichment toy for your pup. Super easy to use, you can make your own DIY filling or use theirs. Our pups take 30 minutes or more to finish one. Pretty colors too! Use our code below for a discount :) Spread the Woof!

Discover the Pupsicle by Woof. The Pupsicle is the world's best dog toy. It's great for training, entertaining puppies, aggressive chewers, and more. If you're looking for a long lasting treat toy, check out the Pupsicle!

10/16/2024

Worth repeating.

How’s your recall training going? I think having a solid recall is one of, if not the most important behaviors to teach, constantly reinforce and practice. Ensuring that when you call your dog that doesn’t end the fun helps to build a successful behavior.

I often use new places to keep my dogs recall skills sharp. I allow them to engage in something fun, call them to me, reward (treat, praise, touch, throw toy, etc) and release them back to what they were doing. This pattern puts money in the “come when called” savings account for your dog. The fun doesn’t always end when they come to you.

ALWAYS make sure your environment is safe before allowing your dog off leash.

Come train with us!!

10/15/2024

FYI

AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Update
We are pleased to announce that starting in January 2025, dog owners will have the option to choose AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy as an official AKC title that is listed on the dog’s title record.

To get STAR as an official title, dogs must have an AKC, PAL, or Canine Partners number.

Dog owners may still elect to get the STAR certificate only without it being a title.
For dogs who have earned their AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy award in the past, there will be a grandfathering option.

10/12/2024

You are not alone! If you are struggling with your mental health, the NAMI HelpLine is here for you. The NAMI HelpLine is a free, nationwide peer-support service providing information, resource referrals and support to people living with a mental health condition, their family members and caregivers, mental health providers and the public. Call 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), text "HelpLine" to 62640 or chat with us at nami.org/help.

10/12/2024

Excellent advice!

10/12/2024

Not sure what to look for or how to check your dog for cancer? A great place to start is "CHECK YOUR DOG" Day. We set aside a designated day, 14th of every month, to check our dogs from nose to tail for anything out of the ordinary. You can choose any day of the month but we'd love it if you'd join in with us on the 14th! To help you know what to look for and what to check, we've designed CHECK YOUR DOG cards that you can get for yourself and to handout to friends, family or anyone with a dog. For more information on CHECK YOUR DOG, visit our Dog Cancer Prevention page at https://wearethecure.org/dog-cancer-prevention/. To get a pack of 25 cards visit https://wearethecure.org/shop/check-your-dog-cards/.

10/12/2024

Search Tall is heading to Broward for a Nose Work Coaching Day thanks to HumaneK9 Dog Training LLC

More details coming soon!

10/12/2024

Look at this adorable fawn colored dachshund puppy. Her name is Jelly 💜 She is a very well trained pup and enjoyed her private fun scent work class. I really wanted to pick her up and snuggle her but I know better 😊

10/11/2024

When dogs are afraid, it’s really worth using reward-based methods to rehabilitate them as quickly as possible. Chronic fear and anxiety cause real suffering so if you can rebuild the dog’s confidence quickly, it’s so very worthwhile because it means they can get back to enjoying life that much sooner.

If you want to build a dog’s confidence and help them feel comfortable, one of the most valuable tools you can use is food. If a stimulus is paired with food frequently enough, the dog will start to associate the stimulus with food and this will cause the dog to feel better about the stimulus. Luring a fearful dog with food can be a very powerful technique that really accelerates rehabilitation BUT YOU HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL that you don’t push the dog too far too fast.

If a dog is very food motivated, you can lure them too close to something that makes them feel very scared, and this can be a dangerous and counterproductive situation. If the dog is too scared they might take the food and then react aggressively as soon as the food is gone, or they may simply be so scared that they are unable to form a positive association from the food.

On that note, you should not use this exercise (or any exercise you read about on the internet!) with a dog that is dangerous. If a dog has bitten a person hard enough to cause a serious injury, it means they are likely to do so again. This dog needs help from a professional dog trainer who understands how to read body language and use positive reinforcement methods to safely rehabilitate the dog.

Fortunately, most fearful and reactive dogs are not dangerous. They bark, they lunge, they snap, and they may even “bite” but their bites don’t make contact with the skin, or they don’t break the skin. These dogs have learned bite inhibition and they are safe to work with and you can use this technique to quickly rebuild their confidence.

Yes, this technique involves using food to lure the dog to approach you (or some other stimulus that makes them uncomfortable) but you don’t lure them so close that they are overwhelmed with fear or in danger of reacting aggressively and that makes all the difference.

As they approach, they get high-value treats, reinforcing them for approaching and helping them form a positive association with you (or the scary stimulus). But then, you use a lower value treat to lure the dog further away again. This low value treat is still providing a Classical Conditioning effect, helping your dog form a positive association with the stimulus, but it’s also providing a contrast to the high-value treats that the dog received during their approach.

Crucially, the dog is now back to a very comfortable distance again so when you toss high value treats to lure them to approach, they are moving towards you, but they’re comfortably far away.

Luring a dog to approach a scary stimulus like this is a very powerful and useful technique that can really accelerate the rehabilitation process, so long as you don’t push the dog too far too fast. And as you repeat these steps, luring the dog to approach and retreat repeatedly, the dog is going to get much more comfortable about approaching and being near you.

You can test this at any time by pausing the exercise and seeing what the dog does and where they go when there are no treats offered. At the beginning, a fearful dog will stay quite far away, but after a few minutes of this exercise, there is a good chance that they will readily come closer to the person, even without any food to lure them.

Be patient, watch your dog’s body language, and keep luring the dog back to a very comfortable distance to reset and this technique can work wonders.

If you do this long enough, you will get to the point where the dog will come right up to you without you offering a food lure. If the dog comes right up to you without you tossing a treat to lure your dog, and the dog looks comfortable, you can now try offering a treat directly from your hand. When you do so, you should keep your hand down by your side and you should always have multiple treats in your hand. When you get to the last treat, either toss it to lure the dog away from you, or withdraw your hand before you feed the last treat because an empty human hand is much scarier than a human hand with treats in it.

If you do this enough, it won’t be long before the dog happily takes treats from your hand. At this point, you can feed the dog an entire meal by hand and they will quickly start to feel comfortable around you, and the dog’s life will be much more relaxed and happier as a result.

Again, you should not do this with a dog that is dangerous, and you should be very patient with this exercise. Don’t rush it. Keep luring the dog back to a comfortable distance and it won’t be long before this dog loves approaching you and being near you.

Wow, did you really read all this? Amazing! Do you have or know a fearful dog? If so, tell us about them in the comments.

If you’d like help rehabilitating a fearful dog, you should join the Top Dog Academy, which you can do now for free with a 1-month free trial. We can help you rehabilitate your fearful dog with methods that are easy, gentle and also quick and effective. We want to rebuild your dog’s confidence as quickly as possible!

https://dunbar.info/oct2024TDA

Sign up now and you’ll get instant access to lots of great resources. We’ll be available to guide you through the process with personalized training advice. In one month, you could resolve their fearfulness and be back to enjoying a fear-free life together!

And if you’d like to download a PDF version of this document, or if you’d like to learn more about it, go here: https://dunbar.info/retreat-with-honor