Teri's paws and effect (dog training and behavior modification)

08/22/2024

03/17/2024

CW: Article about toddler fatality/dog mauling (Dalmatian) Link to article in first comment and at the end of my comments below. Some quotes/commentary below.
"Normally, (the dog) would play," said Juan Sanchez, who identified himself as the great grandfather of 1-year-old Lennox. "They used to ride him, we don't know what happened. The dogs were friendly."

I think I know what happened. I think the answer is right there. They used to RIDE HIM. This is NOT OK.

We have so far to go with public education and outreach. As Family Paws Parent Education says "Sit on the ground, not on the hound."

Of course this is incredibly sad for this family, but this very likely could have been avoided. I only wonder how much this dog put up with before this incident happened.

What body language was this dog giving off that was being ignored time and time again? How many times did he ask the adults for help with his eyes or his body weight shifting or his ear position and just got ignored? Or worse, punished for growling or asking for relief?

Dogs put up with a lot, until they don't.

We need to do better to keep kids and dogs safe and to help them learn to be safe together.

We should NEVER expect a dog to tolerate a child riding them. EVER.

If you are expecting or have a toddler and need help navigating this challenging times, please reach out and schedule a session.

Schedule here: https://rescuedbytraining.com/new-clients/

Article here: https://www.ctpost.com/journalinquirer/article/east-hartford-dog-attack-child-killed-lennox-19065755.php

02/18/2024

Our friend’s Scottish Terrier.

11/05/2023

No dog needs corrections.

There is never a reason to correct a dog.

When corrections "work" they do so by scaring, startling or otherwise interrupting behavior. They do not teach the dog anything other than potentially to be afraid of us.

So what do we do instead? We as guardians need to do a better job at understanding the motivation behind why dogs do what they do and we need to do a much better job at reading body language, managing their environments and teaching them alternate behaviors when they do something we would prefer them not to.

All of these things are on US, not the dog.

05/30/2023

Buttercup is a total sweetheart I just started working with.

02/13/2023

This guy knows how to work the head tilts

12/03/2022

Started decorating for Christmas.

12/03/2022

Margot supervising my workout.

11/30/2022

I get to work with some pretty cute pups.

08/15/2022

I’m honored to be quoted in Patrick McDonnell’s Daily Mutts cartoon!

08/13/2022

08/13/2022

I had Gage at the park this week and a lady said he looks so happy and whimsical. It fits.

08/04/2022

Working at the park.

07/30/2022

Gage as a puppy.

07/30/2022

Got to work with this cutie recently.

07/29/2022

🐾❤️

07/22/2022

Got to work with this sweet girl.

07/19/2022

Got to work with this guy today.

07/16/2022

Sounds like the perfect solution... kids itching to walk their new dog + over-stretched parents thrilled that their children are taking responsibility and lightening the workload! What's not to love?

Actually quite a LOT.

I can't tell you how many disappointed faces I see when I try to explain why a child walking a dog ALONE *might NOT be* the best idea for anyone!!?

And I get totally it.

If this is your first family dog, a quick spin around the block may look harmless enough - until you consider ALL of the things that can (and DO) go wrong.

Even (mentally and physically) FULLY-GROWN ADULTS get pulled down to the ground, or dragged over to squirrels, skateboards and the neighborhood cat. They accidentally drop leashes, or watch helplessly as their pup slips their collar. They struggle to control their dog around other dogs, or conversely, they panic or freeze when an off-leash dog comes sprinting full-speed towards them (friendly or not friendly.. who knows? They’ll likely find out when it’s too late!)

And this is ONLY a handful of the things that can happen to GROWN UPS… so for kids the stakes are simply exponentially higher.

As a trainer, I’m pretty calculated about where I go, and when I walk my dogs my radar is always activated. Even still, I’ve personally had to dash after my loose dog, I’ve been bitten by a dog who was attacking mine, I’ve seen a dog run over in a school parking lot, and watched a child be literally dragged for 50ft against her will!

So, I hope by sharing the potential risks with you, you can make informed choices about your family dog walking situation:

Here’s my hotlist of things to consider:

Size - of child and dog
Strength - of child and dog
Maturity - of child and dog
Training - of child and dog
Temperament - of child and dog

Then download, print and share our poster.
THESE are my questions to help families size up the COMBINATION of their dog and child to see whether WALKING ALONE together is a SMART call.

For more info for kids, dogs and making EVERYONE'S life SAFE and HAPPY - go to thefamilydog.com/families

07/15/2022

For most of my life I lived in dogless ignorance and would have mocked sentiments about intense cross-species friendships. How wrong I was.

07/14/2022

Gage at 4 months having a fun sniff walk.

07/12/2022

Lots of fun working with this handsome boy

07/09/2022

Just met this guy yesterday.

06/15/2022

In order for punishment to be effective, the punishment must be significant enough that the dog will actively work to avoid it happening again. That means it has to be painful, uncomfortable, or scary enough for the dog to want to avoid a repeat. That means the dog is working out of fear of punishment, not motivation to succeed or work with a human. Even if on the other side you are reinforcing what you want the dog to do, the act of using punishment to create avoidance requires the dog to be more afraid of punishment then he is motivated by reinforcement. This means you cannot build trust with your dog. If your dog is afraid of being punished, at no time will he ever be able to fully trust you. The same is true for children, and well documented that punishment in children leads to sneaky, distrusting kids who avoid going to their caregivers for help when needed out of fear of punishment. The same goes for your dog. They cannot trust you and at the same time work to avoid being punished by you. Choose trust. Always choose trust.