Grey Matter Dog Training

07/01/2025

🇺🇸 4th of July Pet Safety Tips 🐾
Poochies Family, we want to remind you some important things to keep in mind during this patriotic holiday!

☀️ Health & Heat Safety
Keep your pets cool and hydrated—heatstroke can happen fast!
Keep an eye out for dangerous foods or substances they may accidentally consume. Contact pet poison control in case of emergency at 855-764-7661

🏡 Comfort & Anxiety
Try to keep pets indoors in a quiet, safe space.
If needed, speak with your vet about anxiety medications or calming aids. Don’t wait- contact them today!

🎆 Fireworks Awareness
Pets are naturally curious—but loud noises and flashing lights can be overwhelming.
Be mindful of sound levels and keep a safe distance from firework activity.

🆔 Updated Identification
The 4th is one of the top days for lost pets.
Make sure collars, ID tags, and microchips are up to date in case they get spooked and run. You can check microchip information and status at
https://www.aaha.org/for-veterinary-professionals/microchip-search/

07/01/2025

DON’T GET A DOG!
Unless you can make a commitment.

In an ideal world dogs would be included as a member of our family and we would share our time and life with them in the relatively short time they have with us.

In an ideal world, we would take the time to learn about how dogs communicate through body language, be aware that there are emotions beneath behaviours – we would meet their needs and keep learning about updated, modern, force free, pain free methods to understand or modify unwanted behaviour.

In reality, dogs are often seen as just another item of property, an object, a commodity to be bred and make money from, a cheap, replaceable security system, a garden decoration, a toy to play with when the kids are bored or an accessory that looks good while out walking, running or taking selfies.

Just like us, dogs are sentient beings with the capacity to feel a wide range of emotions. They are naturally social beings that need to spend time with their humans.

A life spent confined and isolated with little or no human companionship, with nothing to do, is not a life.
Dogs need love, attention, mental stimulation and exercise. They need routine, consistency and predictable patterns. Dogs need us to meet their needs and they need to feel safe and secure in our world.

Having a dog requires commitment, understanding, patience and dedication.

It’s hard work, it’s sometimes messy, dirty and stinky, it’s often expensive and requires that we make changes to our lifestyle.

It’s a decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly and without making a long-term commitment, but the rewards of forming a secure bond with another sentient being can bring so much joy and enrichment to both our lives and theirs.

06/20/2025

06/20/2025

Be kind!

People in the dog world often experience compassion fatigue and are trying their best.

Positive reinforcement works for humans, too! Treat others with the same respect and empathy you expect for your own dog, and always remain mindful of the challenges they face.

06/20/2025

06/20/2025

06/14/2025

Bring a service human instead of your service dog!!

📢 Heading to a street festival, or large public gathering this weekend?

Please leave your PETS at home. ❤

Whether it’s a peaceful gathering or a neighborhood festival; large crowds, weather, loud noises, and unexpected chaos can be overwhelming (and even dangerous) for animals. Even with the best intentions, pets can become anxious, overheated, or lost in the crowd.

Wishing everyone a safe and peaceful weekend. 🐾

06/14/2025

Changing a dog's behaviour starts with understanding their needs.

It's essential to assess the dog's welfare, management, and how they feel emotionally.

Rewarding desired behaviours with positive reinforcement ensures the dog understands what is expected of them, while also meeting their natural instincts and needs.

06/11/2025

EMPATHY AND IRONY:
ARE WE FULFILLING THE EMOTIONAL NEEDS OF OUR DOGS?

In recent times, we have experienced a definite shift in the dog training industry, where both guardians and canine professionals alike are becoming more concerned with the emotional experience of animals. We are more aware than ever that dogs are, of course, thinking and feeling beings, and their emotions really do matter.

There are growing numbers of guardians wanting to better understand their dogs, which has brought about an increase in the provision of online resources which offer support, advice and guidance for those with fearful, anxious, and reactive dogs. I have great admiration for those that run these social media groups, pages and websites which promote the importance of empathy within a dog-centred approach to training and care. They highlight the necessity of learning how to read and understand canine body language; they explain how to implement management strategies to keep your dog feeling safe, and they guide you in how to meet his individual needs. They also provide us with moral support in times of difficulty, taking care of both ends of the lead in order to minimise stress for all parties. There are some highly dedicated individuals who go above and beyond with the time that they give freely and the knowledge that they share so generously in order to advocate for dogs everywhere, ensuring that those in need can access these invaluable resources.

Observational skills of guardians appear to be improving, which means that signs of stress and anxiety are recognised much earlier. There is also a greater understanding of the role and impact of pain and discomfort upon behaviour. The message is loud and clear that we need to look beyond the behaviours that we see, giving consideration to their function and the emotions which drive them, rather than simply trying to stop our dog from doing the things which we dislike or find inconvenient. We are being educated in how to train and handle our dogs in a kind and ethical way, and we are learning about the fallout from the use of aversives, as well as outdated beliefs and methods.

Empathy is such an important quality, yet despite the progress we have made, there are an ever-increasing number of cases where it seems to be in short supply. It is ironic that, at this time of change within the industry, when we have some phenomenal, passionate people leading the fight against the obsession with behaviour to bring about a new model for guardianship and training, elsewhere we are seeing an increasing apparent disregard for emotional welfare.

In this blog, I discuss the topic further and pose this question:

As we move away from the operant, towards a more empathic approach, are we fulfilling the emotional needs of our dogs?

https://www.trailiepawsforthought.com/post/empathy-and-irony

©️ Trailie Paws For Thought
www.trailiepawsforthought.com

I'm very happy for all of my content to be shared, but please do not copy and paste (to avoid sharing from source), screenshot, or download any part of it. THANK YOU! 🐾 🐾

Image text reads:
“Emotions matter! Look beyond behaviours and address the root cause.
Manage your dog and his environment to keep him feeling safe.
Paws for thought and consider things from your dog’s perspective.
Advocate for your dog, as well as for others in need of a voice.
Teach your dog with kind and ethical methods and equipment.
Have patience and work at your dog’s pace. Set aside expectations.
You can make a difference, but be kind to yourself also.”

The word “empathy” is spelled out down the left hand side of the image text.

06/11/2025

No, it doesn't mean they want to dominate the world and all who inhabit it 👽
Though to be fair it can be a way to establish social status.
Or from frustration, or attention...and actually for a plethora of reasons.
Male or female, spayed or neutered, hu***ng is still possible.
Heightened energy?
Yup...
That energy has to go somewhere and play mates can be a target.
Favourite object, other dogs and even us.... we can all be be "love hugged".

06/11/2025

JUST SHAKE IT OFF

A “shake off” is one of many types of body language and is one of the easiest ones to notice.

The shake off can provide us with important insight as to how our dogs are feeling.

Besides being a very effective way to get rid of dirt, bugs or water - dogs can remove up to 70% of water in one single shake off - the shake off is often seen just after something that a dog needs a mental reset from.

It’s a way to flush out adrenaline and could be compared to us taking a deep breath to reset our nervous system and calm ourselves down.

Dogs instinctively know they feel better when they just shake it all off!

It’s their way of saying “Phew, I’m glad that’s over, now I can put it behind me and move on”.

Shaking off is a positive way to calm down, reset and cope with stress – be that negative or positive stress.

It’s a healthy way of transitioning from one emotional state to another.

It’s important to be aware that shake offs may sometimes be caused by an underlying medical issue like an ear infection, allergies, itching or pain.

If you notice a shake off, look at what has just happened beforehand. This will provide a good clue as to what it is that your dog feels they need to reset from.