Relax Rover

01/07/2025

Relax, Rover. will be saying goodbye to FB in a couple of days. I can no longer support this platform as it moves further right and continues to cause harm in the world.

Take care and be safe in the turbulent times ahead.

Namaste.

10/05/2024

This is a massive welfare issue for dogs and we need to take this seriously. There is evidence that upwards of 80% of behavioral issues in dogs have an underlying medical issue either exacerbating it or causing it. Sometimes the ONLY thing we see is the behavioral issue. Think about how your own behavior is affected when you are in pain. Dogs are less likely than people to show they are in pain in ways that we would recognize as pain.

This is becoming a welfare issue!

Im tired of hearing “the vet says there is no pain” by a guardian after they have taken their dog to the vet. It leaves me deflated and frustrated and feeling so sorry for the dog.

Myth Bust:

PAIN CANNOT BE RULED OUT IN ANY ANIMAL (dog, cat, horse or hamster), by anyone!

* A quick palpation - CANNOT RULE OUT PAIN

WHY?

The dog may shut down due to environmental factors or dislike of a strange human touching them, they keep still to get it over with ASAP!

The dog may be over aroused or overwhelmed by the clinical environment (excited/scared etc) to the point that adrenaline is so high it blocks pain!

* Blood Tests - CANNOT RULE OUT PAIN

There is currently NO blood test that can detect pain.

* Diagnostic imaging - CANNOT RULE OUT PAIN

Yes they can pick up a variety of conditions, but even the GOLD standard MRI doesn’t pick up everything, but NONE of them can detect PAIN.

Just because a source cannot be found doesn’t mean there is no pain.

PAIN is subjective, it is whatever that being (human or animal) perceives it to be!

Pain can come in many different forms, it is extremely complex, and can effect the individual in many different ways. A dog may get injured, the injury may have healed, but the pain remains … this is known as maladaptive pain.

Behaviour can be a HUGE indicator for PAIN:

* There could be a change of behaviour that has been directly caused by PAIN.

* There could be a worsening of behaviour due to an increase or new presence of PAIN.

* There could be a lack of “normal” behaviour due to PAIN.

* There could be behaviours that are present but that the guardian/owner don’t deem to be problematic that are indicators of PAIN.

* The dog may have ALWAYS displayed behaviours that are indicators of PAIN, but they have been ignored and put down to “just the way they are”.

* There may be NO problematic behaviours at all …. And the dog might still be in PAIN!

* The dog might be energetic, always on the go … and still be in PAIN.

* The dog might be lazy … and still be in PAIN.

* The dog may zoom up and down stairs … and still be in PAIN.

Diagnosing PAIN is not simple and can be difficult to get on top of.

A PAIN relief trail can be great! But often only one type of analgesic is tried and sometimes this doesn’t get results leading to the ASSUMPTION that there is no PAIN!

Here’s why:

* The drug was only trialed for 2 weeks - when living with chronic pain it can take longer to relieve. 2 weeks is not enough.

* The drug used wasn’t targeted to the type of pain the animal is feeling; soft tissue, bone, nerve or a combination of all.

It might take a number of different medications or a combination OVER TIME to see a difference.

ALWAYS keep in mind, NO ONE can rule out another being’s PAIN.

NO ONE. Not me. Not you. Not a Doctor. Not a Vet.

06/27/2024

Thank you, Annie Phenix! This was so much fun! Please take a look at the The Phenix Advocacy Center for Canine Professionals summer auction happening now through June 30! There are so many incredible goods and services to bid on for both dog guardians and dog pros!

06/26/2024

Dog guardians and dog pros! Live auction, June 21-30, with amazing things to bid on!

Please support the the Phenix Advocacy Center for Canine Professionals - a one-of-a-kind nonprofit, run by the most incredible volunteers who have undergone professional training, that provides peer-to-peer support for R+ canine professionals.
Whether you are a dog guardian or a dog pro, there is something amazing at this live auction for you!

"Canine professionals have had incredible opportunities for decades to learn the science behind training dogs. We endorse modern science that acknowledges that dogs have emotions and that they live happier lives with positive reinforcement training.

Our advocacy center provides what has always been missing in the industry: a safe place for professionals to gather to support each other and to learn about well-being from one another. We are here to provide peer-to-peer support for R+ canine professionals. Our volunteer team has undergone professional training and we are ready to offer our support and collective wisdom."

Help Us Help Dog Pros!!

10/28/2023

When a new dog joins your family, it's so important to give them time to decompress, settle in, and build a relationship with them based on trust and joy. Give them the gift of helping them to feel safe, first and foremost. Skills can be taught at any time. Building trust, deep safety, and joy are more important than teaching sit.

09/20/2023

Kindness first and always

As “gentle parenting” has become a popular method of raising kids punishment-free, a parallel shift is happening in the world of dog training.

09/07/2023

09/01/2023

Silence is violence.

I will never condone the "neutrality" of dog professionals who profess to care for the welfare of dogs and yet they condone the practices of abusive trainers under the guise of being a neutral party and trying to bring the two sides together, of creating dialogue, of educating trainers who use abusive methods on dogs.

The denigration of the force-free community for not embracing abusive trainers and trying to "learn something from them" disgusts me. Learn what? How to hang a dog? How to shock a dog? How to discount the feelings and emotions of a sentient being in the name of obedience? Giving a platform to abusive trainers in the hope that you will show them the error of their ways is disingenuous at best and is incredibly harmful to dogs and their humans.

If you profess to care for the welfare of dogs, then show that by taking a stand against abuse and abusers. But don't profess to care for dogs and then prop up abusers, and try to stomp on force-free dog pros who refuse to buy into that bu****it.

I do not and will not ever have a place at my table for trainers who use abuse under the guise of training, under the guise of "saving dogs." That is not what they are doing. Imagine saying you are against child abuse and then allowing a child abuser a place at your table who has no interest in changing. That would amount to condoning their behavior and actions.

If someone came to me and said, "I never want to use punishment again when training dogs," I would absolutely support them and walk with them on their journey to learning a better way of working with dogs in any way that I was capable of. Many force-free trainers have been there.

To put the onus on the force-free community to actively seek out abusive trainers and collaborate with them is wrong on so many levels. That is not our burden to carry nor will I accept that heap of s**t that some are trying to shovel on top of us. I will not be shamed into silence.

It is not wrong or violent or abusive to call out abuse. Nothing ever changes if you just sit on the fence hoping abusers and oppressors will somehow come to their senses.

I can tell you that the most common phrase I see used when you call out this abuse is, "How many dogs will be put to sleep because you refuse to use a shock collar?" or "With you force-free trainers, it's death before discomfort."

I CALL BU****IT.

You want to see what is really going on? There are tens of thousands of videos on TT, FB, IG showing violence, often extreme violence, against dogs. Not in the name of saving them, but in the name of what they call training. Using a shock collar to teach a dog to go to their bed. Teaching dog caregivers to shock their dog on a walk if they dare to wag their tail or turn their head to look at something. Hanging a dog by a leash because that dog barks and lunges at something they are terrified of. Seriously. I could go on forever. That is not saving lives. We know that abusive training increases fear, increases anxiety, increases aggression.

And the current "trainer" who is in the spotlight for his horrendous abuse of dogs? He is a predator and there are many like him. He seeks to work with dogs who are incredibly vulnerable, but have been labeled "psycho" or "aggressive." He forces them into submission. He touches their bodies without consent. They shut down because they cannot escape. If he was working with humans, he would go to prison. And yet, because he is working with dogs and there are no laws regulating dog training, he gets away with it. And he not only gets away with it, he is praised and lauded as a savior.

This abuser is who neutrality supports. Abusers like him are not interested in learning how to be kinder to dogs. Allowing abusers like him a seat at your table gives them a wider platform to peddle their snake oil.

There is literally decades worth of research and educational materials that anyone can study to learn more about dogs and how we can support and guide them, teach them, help them when they struggle in our human world AND how we can learn from them and let them guide us. Choosing not to and making the conscious choice to use abusive methods because you believe that the means justifies the end goal makes you an abuser.

When I first started out as a dog walker and then a trainer, it was difficult to find a mentor. But NOT ONCE did I consider going to a so-called balanced trainer who is okay with using punishment on dogs if it serves them. I even encountered a handful of positive reinforcement trainers who weren't the kindest. They were the not the majority by any stretch. The vast majority of force-free dog pros are amazing and lovely. But I did not chuck my values to the side. I personally experienced the damage caused by abusive methods and I vowed to never use them again on any dog that I came into contact with or to condone them with passivity in the face of the massive amount of violence perpetrated against dogs.

Neutrality supports the abuse of dogs. I will not oblige this ever.

"Be a fence-jumper instead of a fence-sitter." ~Robert V. Taylor

06/17/2023

Do you share food with your pups? We do every day! Here, they are eating fresh radish greens from our garden 🪴🐶🐕

06/02/2023

What Reactive Dogs Really Need

If you’ve had it with dog training methods that just don’t hold up in real life situations and are inherently unkind to dogs and their humans, have I got some great news for you!

Dog behavior experts from across the globe with a lifetime of experience and knowledge are waiting to share their expertise with YOU. And the best part is that it’s all FREE!

My friend Marilyn Mele gathered together an outstanding group of dog professionals who truly care about dogs and people. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to learn from them!

I saved you a seat so all you need to do now is register for the event!

CLICK HERE NOW TO CLAIM YOUR SEAT FOR FREE. https://dogwisdomworkshop.com/erika-j23

05/17/2023

SAN FRANCISCO

UPDATE: SHE IS FOUND AND HOME
Nova is LOST! She was placed in a home in San Fransisco and bolted out the door a couple nights ago. Please like, share, comment, and get this post in front of as many SF people as possible. If sighted call Kenzie (her human) or message me or

05/05/2023

Always