MVP, Most Valuable Pooch Mobile Pet Grooming

11/23/2024

I love when my pups are up to no good in between groomings!!! There parents might not feel the same..but that is ok

09/26/2024

DISTRACTED DOG WALKERS

The distracted dog walker is commonly seen chatting on their cell phone, wearing headphones or socializing with other people while oblivious to what their dog is doing, how their dog is feeling or what is going on in the environment.

This may not sound like a problem to some, but it is something that many people have a problem with, even more so if you have a reactive dog.

I compare walking a dog to driving a car. It’s not so much about our driving skills, but having to constantly be aware of the driving skills of others – trying to predict what they will do, which rules of the road they will ignore and how distracted they are. This is especially true in the country I live in, where driving can be a stressful experience.

I understand that we often need to multi task – there simply doesn’t seem to be enough time in our day to accomplish everything we need to, but walking our dogs should not be one of these times.

Some people might say – “but my dog is really friendly, well socialized, gets on well with everyone, is well trained, knows this environment well etc. and I hear that.

But another dog might not be – maybe they need space, are reactive, are not sociable, are recovering from an illness, might be terrified of another dog racing straight towards them chasing a ball thrown from a ball launcher etc.

If distracted dog walkers have no regard for other dogs or other people, they should at least have regard for their own dogs. Walking your dog should be a time of bonding, of relationship, of seeing the environment through the eyes of your dog, of reinforcing and teaching wanted behaviours, of keeping them safe and protected from the unknown.

Our dogs need us to be focused, to pay attention, to be aware and attentive.

Our dogs depend on us to advocate for them.

07/31/2024

07/18/2024

It's essential that every puppy learns to enjoy being handled, especially on the parts of the body that turn into common bite triggers. Early puppyhood handling and socialization is easy to do and makes a huge difference in a dog's temperament and quality of life, for the rest of their life!

Learn more or download the PDF version: https://dunbar.info/puppy-handling

07/16/2024

THE BIGGEST MISTAKE THAT PEOPLE MAKE WITH RECENTLY REHOMED DOGS…

Is showering them with “love.”

That’s right. The biggest mistake that people (adopters, fosters, shelter/rescue staff, etc) make with recently rehomed or rescued dogs, is giving them an abundance of (inappropriate) physical love and attention.

Why?

1. The physical displays that humans give when offering “love and affection” include behaviors such as kissing them on the face, leaning over them, hugging them, excessive prolonged petting, and constantly interacting with them. These behaviors are all naturally threatening to a lot dogs, or at best, annoying, particularly when the dog is interacting with someone new to them. What we think of as “love” is often seen as discomfort from the eyes of a newly rehomed or rescued dog. This can sadly push the dog to displaying aggression in defense of the perceived threats.

2. The dog’s entire world just turned upside down. They are removed from EVERYTHING familiar to them. They are stressed. Studies have shown that stress levels in dogs from big events (such as relocating) can take up to three days to even begin to start to decrease. Add to that all of the excessive interaction and you’re preventing the dog from being able to relax.

3. Some dogs don’t know what it’s like to have a ton of attention and interaction. Lots of dogs sadly grew up neglected or living outdoors, etc. Therefore an over abundance of attention stresses them out because it’s not normal to them and they don’t know how to respond. They never had the chance to grow up developing positive associations with it.

4. Giving more than the average amount of time and attention to the dog in the beginning sets a precedent for later. At some point, the dog will get less attention when they’re no longer brand new, when the owner goes back to work, and when life just carries on in general. This can harm the dog later by predisposing them to developing separation anxiety type behaviors.

5. Decompression, i.e. time to chill out, rest, and recover is way more important than an overload of attention. Giving the dog some space while implementing predictable routines will help stress levels decrease faster and allow for better integration. Those are things the dog can really understand and appreciate.

There will be plenty of time to bond with the dog without being excessive in the amount of attention you give. Show them love and build trust appropriately and in a long lasting way via daily care, training, and overall time spent together. THAT’s the kind of love you want to shower them with.

07/06/2024

Literally me

07/06/2024

So adorable🥰.

07/06/2024

..!❤️

07/06/2024

A loyal friend always shares special moments with us...😍😍

07/06/2024

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.

07/06/2024