Blackwood Canine

10/17/2024

Open Club Sunday Funday!

For all those curious, interested, have questions about bite sports! Not sure how often we’ll be able to do these, but THIS SUNDAY 10/20 from 1p to 4p, we’re opening up our club day to the public! Family friendly, bring snacks to share and be prepared to be outside in the weather (which means dress appropriately and bring camping chairs if you don’t like standing for hours).

LIMITED SPACE!
Pls DM to get on the short list!

10/17/2024

Open Club Sunday Funday! For all those curious, interested, have questions about bite sports! Not sure how often we’ll be able to do these, but THIS SUNDAY 10/20 from 1p to 4p, we’re opening up our club day to the public! Family friendly, bring snacks to share and be prepared to be outside in the weather (which means dress appropriately and bring camping chairs if you don’t like standing for hours). LIMITED SPACE! Pls DM to get on the short list!

10/07/2024

Tired of your vet visits feeling like a 💩 show?? Check out these 3 ridiculously simple tips to make your next visit a breeze.

Does your dog get anxious at the vet? In this video, we’ll show you 3 simple training tips to help your dog feel calm and confident during vet visits! 🐶✨ Wh...

09/17/2024

Just a few spots left!!
Get ‘em while you can!

08/26/2024

Tomorrow!!

Join us at The Lodge Carts on Monday 8/26 from 5-7pm for Bites & Brews! Blackwood Canine will be onsite for an "ask the trainer" Q&A, along with a fun bite work demo with a local K9 unit. Pet Wants will be giving out free samples of their dog treats for you to take home to your oh-so deserving pup. AND take advantage of $1 off all beers on tap, too!

Who would have thought Monday night could be so cool?!?!

08/21/2024

LOCALS!! Come join us next Monday 8/26 at 5:00p for our fun Bites ‘n Brews night at The Lodge Carts in Scappoose! Bitework & obedience demos and an Ask the Trainer from us, fun freebies from and $1 off beers from The Lodge! Doesn’t get better than that.

06/05/2024

We’re so proud to be a part of this community!

06/01/2024

Yo! Sport dog friends… If you are struggling with your dog creeping fwd for position changes, you need to sign up for this!

How do the transitions affect position changes for obedience

04/25/2024

So recently, I’ve encountered a few dogs that were extremely over-aroused in the bitework. Is this who they are? Possibly, but I’d bet it was more likely that they were reinforced to be this way.

I can admit that in raising my first malinois and going from a corso to a malinois, I spent an inordinate amount of time of drive building in a dog I did not need to build anymore drive. I in essence made her antsy. Even in her ripe old age, she is still twitchy if someone gets up or moves around the house.

This topic alone of reinforcing/building traits either willingly or unknowingly is a huge thing in and of its own, but it overall got me to thinking about puppy/dog development in bitework. It made me think of the idea of a “strong dog.” Because when people see a puppy or young dog exhibit characteristics of a “strong dog” they tend to give them more fight. Build more intensity in a creature that is plenty intense.

For the dogs who are not so intense we do have to do things to help compensate. For whatever reason, I tend to get a lot of dogs that not that tough and so I spend a good amount of time creating a system that allows them to win. A system that allows them to push through incremental adversity and still win. This predictable cause and response can give the impression of a strong dog, but does not always accurately portray who the dog is both in that moment and genetically.

So this got me to thinking… at some point the dog will compete or end up on a decoy that does not deliver the predictable response to their counter. They could be met with more violence and indifference to their efforts. Or they can be met with just awkward moment from the decoy that defies their previous experiences. .

My question for you all is, at what point and how often then is it important betray their expectations in training?

I’m curious to hear you alls thoughts.

Gamba biting pic for tax
📸 Emily Nikzat

04/24/2024

What a vintage find 😂
Thanks Jessica Valentine for digging this back up for us!

04/19/2024

Got to sit down with Michael Shikashio. We dug into some of the societal norms that foster aggressive behavior in dogs. We talked about severe cases and the importance of empathy.

This one is full of good nuggets.

In this interview, renowned canine behavior expert, Michael Shikashio delves deep into the complex world of dog aggression, shedding light on crucial topics ...

03/25/2024

We missed National Puppy Day, mostly because we were busy playing with the puppies 😅 Here’s some of our dog staff, as puppies. Go ahead, rate these pups! Scale of 18 to navy blue, I guarantee they’re all top!

02/28/2024

Iroh & and his brother Zuko (Airbender theme by pure coincidence!). Excited to see how these boys do with their puppy raisers, and whether they’ll make the cut for detection work in the future! So far these GWP cross pups are showing good things, but puppies can change so much as they grow. What do you guys think, wanna place your bets now?!

01/26/2024

Check out our latest video on how to fade the lure from your training.

🐾 Is your dog training hitting a plateau? Struggling to transition from luring to verbal cues? Don't worry! In this video, we've got a proven framework you ...

12/13/2023

My dad.

He loved all animals like I do. He was never upset when I snuck animals into my room. Hid frogs under my bed. Delivered every salamander I asked for on my birthdays. Didn’t blink when I said I wanted parakeets. He took me to pick my first puppy, even though I’m pretty sure mom said no.

Papa Chan slipped away so beautifully, so peacefully, on the morning of Dec 10. I am incredibly thankful for the memories.

We may be a bit slow in correspondence during this time, because I handle all of it. But rest assured our team is still in full operation and the dogs in our care wouldn’t know a difference.

I’m very sad. But we’re all fine. Please don’t be offended if I don’t respond to each of your personal messages. I’m just a bit overwhelmed with the outpouring of care & love.

-Karin.

12/09/2023

TLDR; we are on top of this new wave of canine respiratory illness.
We know a lot of folks are pretty riled up over this “mystery dog illness.”
All in all, for those of us that have been in the industry for a while, know that this isn’t new. New strains of respiratory illnesses (kennel cough, flus, Covid strains, etc) pop up yearly.
We have had protocols in place from previous outbreaks and staying on top of new recommendations.
We’re glad this is getting some good national coverage but we’re not glad for the huge panic and waves of fear it’s created. Should you be concerned? Yes. Should you hide your dog away in a closet until summer? No.
Very young, older, immune compromised and short nosed breeds are more at risk.
Know your dog. Notice signs of lethargy, change in appetite, change in breathing.
Watch for coughing, mucus, sneezing.
Stay calm. Isolate your pet IF you are suspicious of symptoms, and call your vet.
What we’re doing: watching our dogs and client dogs like a hawk. Any signs and we’re taking our own advice with isolation and contacting veterinarians and clients. We are continuing our strict daily sanitation routine, plus bringing back some of those old Covid habits with more disinfecting wipes to shared surfaces. We already assign kennel and crate spaces so they are not shared, and bowls for food and water are never shared. We do not do dog socials groups.
Happy to answer any questions you guys may have, and we always love to hear your thoughts. If you made it this far, are you doing anything differently?

11/11/2023

Not a pretty post. Just an important ⚠️ one. If you haven’t already heard, Victor has expanded its recall to its entire line due to salmonella. This poses a risk higher to humans handling the food, than to healthy dogs. Dogs with weak or compromised immune systems should obviously take extra precautions.
And maybe this is a good time to let everyone know we do carry and distribute . We have been feeding this to our working dogs and hard keep dogs (dogs that struggle to put on and keep good weight) for YEARS. We carry 32/32 ($91.99), 30/25 ($72.99), and Marine 25 ($81.99)

11/03/2023

Our side hustle is making dope videos 😅🔥🎥