Cristin N Dogs

02/23/2024

02/23/2024

Patting a dog....sounds simple doesn't it.
There's a dog, a hand is moving in and patting a dog begins.
It just isn't that simple though.
While I love seeing the closeness and the bond clients have with their dogs....sometimes I am the bearer of news that I wish I didn't have to tell them.
I hate saying it, but I have to....
"Your dog doesn't like being touched on the head"
"Can you see them moving away from your hand when you started patting ?"
"Did you notice their mouth shut immediately and the hard side look that just happened?"

I can't not say it, and I do say it more delicately than those sentences....but it is often a shock.
Yes.... dogs can consent to being touched and they can easily remove that consent too.
To make things trickier consent can be given and immediately removed, or consent was given yesterday and not today.
I know some people may have a hang up with the word "consent" when it comes to dogs...but they absolutely have the right to say yes or no to touch.
They do this with body language.
Sometimes that body language is less than clear though and that's the tricky part.

In the graphic many people will see flat ears as a sign of anxiousness/stress but some dogs do flatten their ears when being patted on their heads when they enjoy the touch.
Some dogs will lick a patting hand from anxiety and some from affection.
Your dog will show you with their own body language.
Start to learn it because I guarantee once you do.....your bond will strengthen even more.

Please respect that these graphics take time and effort to make. Everyone is free to share on social media🙂, however off social media use of these marked graphics is prohibited.
Unmarked graphics are available for $ 1.20 USD or $ 2 NZD each (approx), these are then able to be used off Facebook for client handouts, posters or for personal use.
Screen shots are a violation of the copyright.
Please visit ABC Dogs Patreon Shop for unmarked graphics. All graphics belong to ABC Dogs NZ and are under copyright.

02/19/2024

🤣🐾🐶

02/19/2024

My father has made a wooden dog 🥰 let’s aррreciate his wоrk😍💞🌺

02/19/2024

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02/19/2024

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02/19/2024

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02/19/2024

Got to hang with Oakley today. Oakley is an amazing sweet 5-month-old boxer this is our first session since his evaluation. Today we figured out that we need to focus more on engagement exercises such as luring and eye contact this will help Oakley and his family to develop positive, successful communication and interactions. 🐾🐶

02/19/2024

I can't begin to express how impressed I am with Kooper's family and Kooper.

Kooper with some clear expectations and structure is capable of a loose leash walk. 🐾🐶 Kooper was (is lol) also completely toy obsessed and it was challenging to engage him in play. Today we added a long line and one more person. With some effort and coordination there was a great session of play for him and his family!

Go Kooper!

Ps. There was a left over ribbon in the playground area and a pair of socks on the outside of the fence both of these did lead to some distractions lol ribbon pic included in post just to keep it real ❤️🤣🐶

02/17/2024

🤣😂🤣😂

02/17/2024

Get to dog-sit Sadie for the night. She is a very playful Bassett hound! ❤️🐶

02/17/2024

Got to hang with Rusty today! He is acing his "here" command. We did some fine tuning on the door rehearsals and began loose leash walking and heel practice! ❤️❤️❤️ So excited to see the progress in you Rusty!

He has some amazing parents that are putting in the work! 😊🐶

02/11/2024

In training for most things there isn't just one answer or magic pill. To have a well behaved dog there are many pieces to the puzzle.

02/11/2024

😯 it works through

02/11/2024

Meet Oakley a 5 month old boxer. Today was his evaluation. He is a quick learner!

Can't wait to work with you more! ❤️

02/10/2024

I get to see Rusty again tomorrow. He has a very loving family!

We are working on door manners, recall, and his behavior at the fence!

He loves affection and is super sweet!

Update: tomorrow has come and this boy has some amazing door manners. Last week he was behind a baby gate and unmanageable. Today he is able to be free and is learning not to not rush the door. It will take consistency and patience from his owners but he is proving to be the very good boy we all knew he was! ❤️ Proud of you Rusty!

02/09/2024

Stress signs....they can be very subtle or are slap in the face obvious.
I know some people do struggle to see signs of stress in their own dogs...and I made this to help show some of the more common ones.
There are plenty of others...

Sniffing....attempting to disengage from a situation by being suddenly very "interested" in a scent.
Tail position.....Wags can mean the opposite to happy and stiff tails, high stiff "flag" tails.
Coat.....It can bristle completely or only in parts, tail, rear rump or along the whole spine.
Hesitancy.....suddenly stopping, changing pace, lowering the head and stretching it out.
Not all are listed and you may know your own dogs stress signals.
It is important to note that some of these signs are also shown when a dog is in a state of excitement....context and situations all need to be taken into account.
It is ok if your dog shows some signs of stress....it is communication and is very valuable information for you to quickly address what is happening, or about to happen.

Stressed dogs tend to have closed mouths and tighter faces, but those closed mouths open when drooling, panting or lifting the lips to give a front mouth grin.
Ear positions should also be looked at, they are often a sign of stress in many dogs...but not all.

I often get asked why I called our business ABC Dogs.
All
Behaviour is
Communication
and stress behaviours are certainly communication. 🙂

🙂Unmarked graphics are available for $ 1.20 USD or $ 2 NZD each (approx), these are then able to be used off Facebook for client handouts, posters etc. Please visit ABC Dogs Patreon Shop for our collection of graphics.
Everyone is free to share these posts on social media, however off social media use is protected.
Screen shots are a violation of copyright.
Please respect that these graphics take time and effort to make . All graphics belong to ABC Dogs NZ and are under copyright.

02/09/2024

Let’s set the scene. This may become a bit sensitive for some, and I apologise in advance.

You’re out somewhere. You might be at a restaurant, a bar, a public park on a sunny day enjoying the sunshine with your family. It may be that you’re on your way home from work or trying to catch the bus. You’re just minding your own business.

Suddenly, a person comes straight up to you. They give you anxiety. What is this person going to do? I don’t know! The person is walking with a friend and the friend sees you’re a bit anxious and calls out to you saying “Don’t stress, she/he’s all good!’’ ��But they keep approaching you. And when they finally reach you they randomly hug you. Touch you. Walk circles around you. Start talking to you. Don’t let you leave.

What would you call that? Harassment? Assault in severe cases?
How would this make you feel?

Now, after the initial shock you find your courage and you ask the person to go away. Leave you alone. But the person doesn’t stop and instead touches your arm or your hair. “Oh come on, we’re alright. I’m not doing anything bad I’m friendly! Just let me be around you.’’��You get upset and might push the person. Shout at them. If you’re a bit more of an assertive person you might punch them. Who knows.
�Then the person and the friend get upset. Well? WHY are you here then? What are you doing in this public space if you don’t like being around other people? You have no business to be here, minding your own business in this park with your family without allowing me to sit with you, play with you, touch you, talk to you. Actually, you know what you should do? You should be more social! You should go more often to random groups of people.

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Do you see what I did there?
If you thought any of the above situation is not okay (and I sure as heck hope you do), then why do we think it’s okay to let dogs run up to strange dogs and say ‘It’s okay he’s friendly’?

What we do in the dog world is the exact opposite what we should be doing. We label the harassed dog as aggressive and the harassing dog as the victim.

Dogs have emotions. They have feelings. They have their own characters and personalities. There are many, many dogs that are not interested in making new friends or being with dogs they don’t know they can trust.

And sure, some dogs love playing with other dogs. Those are the extraverted dogs. Just like we have people that LOVE hugging or love making new friends even as adults, but to be honest.. how many of those people do you know? I think if you put it into a % its lower than the people that rather just are with their select group of people and be left alone by random strangers in public spaces.

So don’t assume the dog your dog is running towards on the beach, is willing to play with your dog. Being in a public space means you need to have your dog under effective control. And if you can’t call your dog back, it should be on a long line until you can.

02/09/2024

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I see it all the time, a dog lunging, barking, and freaking out on the leash. The owner says, "He just wants to say hi!"

Even if that is the case, it's rude.

Would you want to "say hi" to someone you didn't know that got right up in your face and started hugging you? Would you want to say hi to someone jumping all over you and not giving you any space?

Even with really friendly dogs, on leash greetings can go south FAST!

The best way for "dogs to say hi" is a side by side walk on neutral ground. Not really interacting but just being neutral and calm around one another.

Even just sitting near each other in a park is fine. Dogs don't have to be playing to be enjoying each other's company.

Stop worrying about your dog "making friends" and focus on them learning to be calm around other dogs first.

01/31/2024

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Something everyone should see and be responsible about💯

01/22/2024

Got to hang with Kooper today!

We worked on muzzle conditioning. We also did many door rehearsals with family coming and going and dummy knocking. His family learned about how to use their body to claim space and encourage Kooper to stay away from the door and for him to be calm before guests enter the home.

We also did a fun go find activity in the home. He would sit, stay and wait for me to hide the treats and for me to come back and release him with the "go find" command.

Kooper is an amazingly smart, loving doggy with a lot of energy! His family said they are experiencing so much progress with him.

Good job family & Kooper! 🐶🐾❤️

So much is possible with patience and consistency!

01/11/2024

Meet Kooper a malinois/staff mix. This is our first day hanging out and we just practiced very simple leash manners and engagement in the back and the front yard. Kooper happens to be obsessed with toys, play and other dogs. He is going to have more structure around toys to hopefully curb his excitement when he sees his toys and move on to other stimuli. Kooper has a lot of potential and is so smart!

Good job Kooper! ❤️🐾