Legends Dog Training

12/12/2023

CUT THE LABELS, WILL YA?

We've come a long way since first considering the "unlabel me" concept and developing a new habit of describing observable behavior and conditions unambiguously. When the description of a "stubborn" parrot was revised to "remains on perch when I offer my hand" and an aggressive dog was further described as "growls when I reach for the food bowl" our ability to solve behavior problem situations really soared. Cheers to a new year of great work ahead and a new "unlabel me" meme. Download this and all BW art for free here: https://www.behaviorworks.org/htm/downloads_art.html
Happy holidays!

12/07/2023

Hope you and your pups are in good spirits as we approach the holiday season! 🐾

I’m excited to invite you to an upcoming webinar on December 8th at 3pm PST/ 6pm EST, where we'll be addressing the common challenge of managing dogs that struggle with visitors during the holiday season. The webinar is titled "How to Prepare Your Dog for Holiday Visitors," and I have the privilege of speaking along with three other distinguished dog behavior experts: Tiff Shao, CPDT-KA; Dr. Clare Browne, PhD; and Dr. Valli Fraser-Celin PhD.

🌟 Webinar Details:
Title: How to Prepare Your Dog for Holiday Visitors
Date: December 8th
Time: 3:00 PM PST / 6:00 PM EST

🌟 Topics Include:

* Preparation. What to do (and not do) before guests arrive
* How to set the stage for calm introductions
*What to do if your dog isn't settling down with visitors
*How to read dog body language, knowing when to step in and help your dog out
*What to do with guests that don't comply with your requests to give space (like young kids or that relatives that think they have magical abilities with dogs)

🎁 Bonus:
Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions during a live Q&A session at the end of the webinar. Feel free to share questions in the comments below. We'll do our best to address them during the dedicated Q&A portion.

🎥 Can't Make It Live?
No worries! The webinar will be recorded, so you can still sign up and benefit from the valuable insights even if you're unable to attend the live event.

📌 How to Join:
These discussions are hosted by the Dog Rehoming Project, which uses scientific research to improve dog rehoming efforts in shelters and rescues. Tickets can be purchased as a donation of any amount, and support a great cause. Don't miss this chance to enhance your understanding of dog behavior and make this holiday more enjoyable for you and your dog.


Reserve your spot by clicking on this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/how-to-prepare-your-dog-for-holiday-visitors-tickets-767816960197

Learn how to prepare your dog for all of the holiday chaos to help ensure everybody is calm, safe, and stress free!

08/27/2023

Great poster from Canine Arthritis Management

03/31/2023

This was an overview of training for a Jindo that exhibited fearful and aggressive behaviors.

About this video: Lucky is a 3 y/o, male, Korean Jindo exhibiting chronic fear and anxiety. As a by product Lucky was also becoming aggressive with his famil...

03/29/2023

New topic! On April 5th we will be discussing Fearful Behavior in Dogs.

We'll talk about how to build calm, confident and curious behaviors in dogs that exhibit fearful, shy or timid behaviors. This includes hiding, running away, tucking tail or dogs that snap when they feel cornered or overwhelmed.

This discussion will also look at common mistakes when training a fearful dog, and what to do instead.

These discussions are hosted by the Dog Rehoming Project, which uses science to improve dog rehoming efforts in shelters and rescues. Tickets are purchased as a donation of any amount, and support a great cause.

Here's a link to reserve your spot:

In this talk, Alyssa Rose will discuss how to help build calm, confident, curious behavior with fearful dogs.

11/24/2022

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Grateful for all the amazing dogs and amazing people I've had the opportunity to know and train with over the past 12 years. I love what I do with all my heart.

Behavior modification is a healing process for our dogs, but there is also something deeply therapeutic about this process for people. It's a beautiful and rewarding path to walk with your dog, one that encourages people to be present and be compassionate. This group was made to inspire people to see their dog's behavior challenges as an unexpected opportunity to build a higher level of connection, communication and understanding.

Thank you for being here. 🙂

11/23/2022

Training Tips for Anxious or Reactive Dogs with Guests

If you have a dog that has a history of being anxious or reactive with visitors, here are a few signs that your dog could be overwhelmed and needs your guidance.

- lip licking

- ears drawn back

- stress / worry lines or furrowed brows

-moving away from an outstretched hand

- not accepting food

- hiding under tables or behind your legs

- Barking. When a dog barks excessively this is a sign that the dog is not coping well with the environment.

- Hyperactivity. Hyperactive dogs aren't always just "happy" sometimes excessive jumping is a sign that a dog is nervous!

- Not responding to known cues. What people typically label as "defiance" or a dog being "stubborn" ("he knows this! he's just being 'stubborn'") is usually a red flag that the environment is overwhelming.

If you see these signs, here are two things that will help:

Offer guidance. If you see these signs (especially if your dog has shown signs of fearful or aggressive behavior in the past) this is your cue to put your dog on harness and leash and offer guidance. Teach your dog to move away from triggers (including people, kids and loud events) and observe from a distance that helps your dog feel safe.

Be Your Dog's Voice. Advocate for your dog and ask people to be neutral and give your dog space. If there are people that are not able to be compliant (especially people that say things like "don't worry, all dogs love me" or young kids -- it's a good idea to bring your dog to a private, secure area with special high value chewies that will help them remain calm and content.

Go to my youtube channel for more insights into behavior modification for fear, anxiety, hyperactivity and aggression. Or learn more about structured and effective training classes that can help you work through behavior challenges by going here:
www.legendsdogtraining.com

www.youtube.com/legendsdogtraining

11/22/2022

Keep this in mind over the holidays!

Tis the season! Spoil them a little this holiday. Just make sure it’s not something that will make them sick. Responsible Spoilage is the mantra!

11/22/2022

Anxious and reactive dogs need four things:

1. To build better skills. The primary skills that every dog could benefit from are: Checking in, mat work and heel work. These exercises should be seen as calming exercises or relaxation exercises NOT obedience exercises. This means these exercises need to be established in low stress, low distraction environments first so that these behaviors are associated with feeling calm + safe. Once established you can gradually begin to practice them in more difficult environments. Most people don't spend enough time building skills to fluency.

2. Guidance. Dogs need you to stay calm and collected. This means you also need to practice your training skills in low stress, low distraction environments. This will make you more confident and keep you thinking clearly when things become challenging.

3. Practice, practice, practice. Even AFTER you think your dog "knows" a behavior you should should still be doing 3-5 sessions each week where you train in your living room or backyard. This is like a musician practicing chords, or a professional athlete doing drills. We need these behaviors to be practiced routinely enough that they become automatic. We also need these behaviors to maintain calm, positive associations.

4. To have a person that listens. If you are doing daily training that promotes trust and communication you can start to believe that a dog that "acts out" is not being defiant, stubborn or difficult. They are doing the best they can. If your dog goes over-threshold (barking, lunging, fixating) move them away from the trigger or to an environment that allows them to be calmer and more relaxed. The worst thing you can do for your dog is to continuously put them or keep them in situations where they are "in over their head." Your daily training sessions and routine should set the stage for success.

If you want more insights into behavioral training you can go to my youtube channel. There are over 200 videos of different breeds, different behavior challenges working through training plans based on the principles above: www.youtube.com/legendsdogtraining

To learn more about structured training classes that can guide you through the training process, step by step, go here: https://legendsdogtraining.com/online-classes/

11/22/2022

Relaxation training. Calming exercises can be practiced on training mats to help dogs work through behaviors related to stress or over-arousal.

The mat can become a dog's "zen spot." You can use it to calm your dog down when they get worked up. This is especially helpful for dogs that are anxious or reactive with guests, outside sounds, other resident animals or for those that still react to family members that they see on a daily basis (like your spouse or your kids).

In the photo below Frodo chose to go to his mat when he heard outside noises, something that would typically cause him to become very anxious, reactive or to exhibit redirected aggression.

Here he calmly listens and processes the sounds instead.

Frodo learned this training at the age of 9, so it goes to show that old(er) dogs can learn new tricks. 😉


https://legendsdogtraining.com/online-classes/

11/21/2022

People frequently ask how to make puppies stop barking or biting for attention and playtime.

It’s important to provide training, enrichment and play throughout your puppy (or adult dog’s) day. But also … they need to to have rest and quiet time scheduled into their routine.

You know what the key element is in teaching your puppy to settle?

The right set up in your home, like the exercise pen in this video, can make all the difference in helping puppies learn how to settle.

If you are thinking about getting a puppy, make sure you have the right set up before the puppy arrives home.

11/21/2022

Good training is established on guidance, connection and understanding. Putting your hand in a dog's food bowl doesn't factor into this equation.

Monday giggles...

11/03/2022

New video about Dogs and Kids. It talks about body language as well as games that can build healthy relationships between dogs and kids. Anything you would add?

Here's the link:

This video looks at how to teach kids to understand dog body language and training. You’ll learn how to teach your kids to “talk dog.” This video also offers...

10/30/2022

When Raf was a young dog, he ripped apart his bed.

When Ari was a puppy, he nipped at our son’s feet when we quickly lifted him up for a cuddle.

When Dash was a pup, she stalked our chickens.

When Piper was a pup, she barked and fence chased the neighbour's dogs.

Dog trainers aren’t immune to puppies being puppies! But what we are pretty good at is managing situations to prevent undesirable behaviour from being rehearsed and ultimately becoming long term habits.

Typically puppies won’t grow out of the behaviours mentioned above, but instead they will become more fun and more entrenched, the more they are practised.

SO HERE’S WHAT WE DID.

As soon as we noticed these things happen just one time…

✅ We were conscious not to swing kids around in Ari’s presence while he matured.
✅ We removed padded beds from Rafa for a period of time during adolescence. (And also discovered and introduced the TuffMat! 👌👌)
✅ Dash was never offlead when the chickens were free roaming while we focused more energy on desensitising her to them.
✅ We built a smaller pen in the backyard to remove Piper’s direct access to fence chasing the neighbours dogs while we weren’t supervising her in the yard.

GREAT MANAGEMENT in the early days can go a long way towards stopping a problem behaviour that was explored due to boredom/frustration/experimentation/instincts/fun - from sticking for life!

10/29/2022

Hi everyone! I haven't been as active on here as I would like but I did want to pop in and remind everyone to keep their dogs safe this Halloween.

A lot of dog bites occur on halloween (and sometimes in the day or two after). Dogs become stressed by the activity, noise, people knocking on their door, ringing door bells, neighborhood decorations, people dressed in all sorts of odd ways. This can raise cortisol levels, put dogs in "fight or flight" mode and make dogs more likely to bite. Young kids are most vulnerable to dog bites to the face because they are likely to come eye to eye with a dog.

It can take 1-2 days for cortisol levels to return to their baseline, so give your dog a wide berth.

Here are a few tricks and tips to help keep your dog safe, minimize unnecessary stress to your dog, and prevent dog bites:

1. Don't take dogs out trick or treating. Walk your dog before kids begin trick or treating. Offer quick potty trips in your yard or close to your home. Keep your dog on leash when you are outside.

2. Sit outside and deliver treats to kids so that your dog doesn't have to endure repeated doorbells or knocking.

3. Turn your lights off if you don't want trick or treaters, or place a bucket of treats outside for kids so that they don't have to come to the door.

4. Use baby gates or exercise pens to create a buffer zone from the front door or front windows. If your dog is ok with separation - keep your dog in a back bedroom with white noise and some good chewies to keep them calm and happy.

5. Grab a good book and keep your dog company in the bedroom if they don't do well with separation or confinement.

6. Avoid having adults and kids dressed in costume around your dog. Some dogs will become fearful and can sometimes bite when they see people with masks or wearing odd costumes.

Remember how confusing this all is to your dog. Advocate for your dog's well-being.

Safety tips for your pet this Halloween!

05/12/2022

Why do you see and hear about trainers using "training mats" or platforms. A few reasons.
1. Calm, positive associations. The training mat is associated with calming exercises. These exercises are best established in a low stress, low distraction area. Once that foundation is established you can begin to "use" the training mat in situations where the dog might experience stress or over-arousal. The training mat can become a type of "calming cue" in situations where they might be nervous or over-excited. Doing additional training with the mat in these contexts will build on that baseline. The mat can be used with visiting guests, when you travel with your dog, if you go to a cafe, when working through hyper-arousal with a cat, in separation training..
2. Structure. The more structured your training is - the better the results. The training mat becomes a type of "cue" to the person, to be more intentional about what they're working on and to be more analytical about how their dog is responding to the training. Over the course of a 5-10 minute training session you should see an increase in the targeted behavior. If that's not the case - something about the set up or conditions needs to be modified. The training mat creates a reference point, it can help people read their dog more effectively and adjust their training accordingly.
3. Comfort. Some people are in the habit of asking a dog to do a sit on a hardwood or tile floor. The dog has no traction and their front paws slowly slide out. Other times it's asking a dog to do a down on the concrete that could be cold or uncomfortable. The training mat has its own inherent value in that it is frequently more comfortable and offers more traction than the surrounding surface. Combine this with training and you'll actually find that a lot of dogs find so much value in their training mat that they will choose to lie down on it even when they have access to plush dog beds or cozy couches.
www.legendsdogtraining.com

05/04/2022

04/22/2022

❤️🐾💯

04/15/2022

A thought for today during National Dog Bite Prevention Week, but relevant year round:

Sometimes it's not helpful or kind to your dog to view him/her as a dog who likes to be petted. This doesn't refer just to being touched by strangers; it can also be a problem to assume your dog wants to be touched by family members -- even your toddler, even under close supervision. This is one of the most common misunderstandings between dogs and humans. Many dogs, like many people, would not choose to be touched, stroked, hugged or patted. Such interactions can lead to biting, through no fault of the dog's.

04/14/2022

Important concepts to sit down and discuss with your kids.

WE have the resources to help YOU prevent bites!

https://cattledogpublishing.com/

02/01/2022

This week the Norwegian Government have announced a ban on the breeding of English Bulldogs and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, ruling that the health problems they suffer are so bad, they contravene animal welfare legislation.

I am genuinely sorry that it has come to this, I have always hoped that breeders would take the lead in improving the lives of the dogs they love so much but despite ample opportunity to so, they have not and so the decision has been taken out of their hands.

The Norwegian Kennel Club are already claiming this will leave the door open for ‘unscrupulous’ producers to thrive but seemingly fail to recognise it is their stubborn adherence to closed stud books and damaging breed standards that left legislators with no choice.

People can still import these dogs if they wish but I hope that this move will make the majority think twice before making the purchase.

I also hope other countries take note of this move, particularly as many, including Britain, have similar laws against ‘torture breeding’.

But actually what I hope for most is that Kennel Clubs and breeders, of these two breeds and the many others that struggle so much for their looks, see now that the consequences of not making significant changes and work with vets and scientists to ensure their dogs can thrive and be fitter in the future.

Read the statement from Animal Protection Norway here; https://www.dyrebeskyttelsen.no/2022/01/31/full-seier-for-hundene/?fbclid=IwAR3gDupyJZK2oyLLz_RzR5E-zQTxTDY9wBwhq71HqWb9cmrj1vciPPqf5hg

Read the Norwegian Kennel Club’s statement here; https://www.nkk.no/aktuelt/et-steg-tilbake-for-hundevelferden-article201089-985.html?fbclid=IwAR2hXt_suMLN-BXkGmTVTZR_aphLzMFFG2r9zVSMJxhMLPAUdnpqhCfSQTQ

02/01/2022

“When you shut down emotion - you’re also affecting your immune system, your nervous system. So the repression of emotion, [which is a survival strategy] then becomes a source of physiological illness” Dr. Gabor Maté

Never. stop. prioritising. how. the. Dog. in. front. of. You. feels.

This is Ivy; a beautiful Macedonian rescue. The trauma she’s experienced in her young life has really impacted her physically too. She’s landed with an incredibly loving, savvy family and we are working to help her decompress and understand that she is safe and understood.

The way we treat these faithful, forgiving friends is changing fast as we become a more enlightened and educated species. It’s beautiful.

Science based, ethical training doesn’t just change surface level problem behaviours - it can literally improve the physical health, longevity and life quality of your beloved dog.

All dogs have feelings.

Those feelings deserve our attention, respect and care.