Small Town Pup

01/31/2025

Great advice!!

I know having a reactive dog is overwhelming at times.
You are both on an emotional rollercoaster. "Loading" isn't a technical term, however, it can help some people to recognise their dog is just about to react 💥
Learning about body language with a reactive dog really IS half the battle of helping a reactive dog.
There can be a lot to learn....and it can seem overwhelming at times.
Deep breath, you can make a difference.
Lots of videos in the comment section to help.
Hang in there !
It is well worth it !
This dog training poster available through https://www.abcdogsnz.com/product-page/abc-dogs-reactive-dog-loading?srsltid=AfmBOop-qO34MXLsvZ6ehpsj18Dr9CYPD8lladLLe-UwyfV8MVJjbuUr

01/23/2025

THANK YOU so Big
I've just reached 1.5K followers! Thank you for continuing support. I could never have made it without each one of you. 🙏🤗🎉

01/18/2025

❌ A DOG THAT ROLLS OVER = I WANT BELLY RUBS‼️ ❌

😰 While some dogs do like belly rubs many do this behavior as an appeasement behavior that usually means "yikes, I'm not sure about this situation!"

🖼️ Context matters so you'll need to look at the bigger picture!

01/09/2025

This is a great video!!
Watch and learn! PLEASE

01/08/2025

Please read! great information!
💕 Just some education for the day 💕

Rattle cans or bottles filled with stones or coins or 'dog discs' designed to be thrown down near the dog to startle them are things we see relatively often being used. Because they do not have to make contact with the dog to 'work' it can mistakenly be thought that they are not doing any damage to the dog.

Startling a dog to stop ‘bad behaviour’ is a bad idea for a number of reasons.

Simply aiming to stop the behaviour does not show the dog what we would like them to do instead. If we concentrate on teaching the dog the things we’d like to see then there is less likelihood they are going to show behaviours we find problematic.

Focusing on stopping a behaviour doesn’t look at the reason the behaviour is occurring in the first place. What is the emotion that is underlying the behaviour? Why is the behaviour being shown in that moment? Is the dog scared, stressed, under stimulated? What is the need that is driving the behaviour (safety, mental or physical stimulation, carrying out natural behaviours, hungry etc)?

Startling a dog in this way can cause them to become stressed and anxious. Their hearing is very sensitive and the noise that may not seem so bad to us is likely more intense and highly unpleasant to them (if it wasn’t, it wouldn’t ‘work’). Doing things that cause our dogs to feel stress and become anxious means that the people that dog should most be able to trust is no longer as trustworthy, and so the relationship and bond between dog and human can be damaged.

What we can do to replace the need for startling the dog is work on getting our cues really strong and showing the dog the behaviours we’d like to see in different situations.

Make sure that our dogs are allowed to be dogs and can safely carry out those natural behaviours in ways that are not problematic. Let them sniff when out in the world. Find a safe spot for them to dig, such as a sand pit. Let them dissect their toys (under supervision for safety) – soft toys can be restuffed and sewn up so this can happen multiple times and avoid needing to spend a lot of money.

Work on a ‘positive interrupter’, a cue that means stop what you’re and come to us (and really make this worth their while – an example of this would be a cue that means ‘come with me’ where we run to a spot where the absolute best rewards for that dog are kept, so really tasty treats, favourite toy etc).

Most importantly, don’t try methods that involve startling or scaring your dog. There is always a better way than one involving fear.

12/23/2024

With Pooch Parenting – I just made it onto their weekly engagement list by being one of their top engagers! 🎉. Go ✔️ this page out

12/21/2024

Santa's coming! Have donuts with Santa today at Shopville Branch Library, 10am-noon!

12/21/2024

🌟📚

12/19/2024

❤️

I love this graphic that I made years ago with my friend Miranda from The Mindful Canine. We help to provide translations to dog "meltdowns" over the holidays so that families can be more compassionate.

Meltdowns don't mean...
I'm "crazy"
I have no manners
I don't like your family or friends
I am antisocial
I am being defiant
I am trying to embarrass you
I don't like you anymore
I wanted to destroy the gifts / decorations
I am a bad dog

Meltdowns MAY mean...
I'm very excited
I need more practice
Meeting new people is hard
The kids are too loud
I don't understand what you are asking
I am stressed out
I need a break
I am bored
I need a walk / need to potty
The gifts looked like toys
I need help to resist food temptations

ps. Kids are the same!

12/19/2024

❤️

12/18/2024

❤️

Check out this Holiday Training Tip from CCPDT Certificant Julie Wintrob, CPDT-KA ()

"Give your guests a house rule to not approach your dog if they are resting somewhere."

12/17/2024

This is something that those of us who work as trainers or behaviour consultants encounter a lot. A client will come to us because there is a behaviour or group of behaviours that they want to stop happening.

This is fine for some behaviours. Destructive chewing can result in injury to the dog, either damage to their teeth or, in some cases, swallowing inedible items that can cause an emergency and require surgery. Chasing cars out on a walk could result in a dog managing to get into the road and run over. Pulling on the lead can make walks difficult and potentially painful for dog and human (particularly dangerous for dogs walking using collars around then neck as there are many delicate and important structures in their throats just as in ours).

The essential first step in working with any behaviour is to think about why it may be happening.

Is the dog chewing because they are young and teething? Give them something appropriate to chew and redirect them to that if they start to chew something else.

Are they destroying things when they are left home alone? They could have separation related issues, in which case it's important to work with a qualified and experienced force free trainer to reduce their anxiety.

Are they given enough opportunities to chew on a regular basis? Chewing is a natural behaviour (as is digging) and it's vital we give them plenty of opportunities to carry out natural behaviours.

Are they chasing cars because they are scared? Or is it because they are a breed that reacts to fast moving objects, like herding dogs, sight hounds, or terriers? In each case here, working with a force free trainer will help, as will finding out activities we can do with our dogs to let them chase appropriate items or control movement as they have been bred to do.

Pulling on the lead is perhaps one of the simplest (and most common) of issues and one very simple reason it happens is that dogs generally move faster than humans, and they need to be taught to match our pace. Switch to a harness to keep their neck safe and reward them when they are in the right position. Again, working with a force free trainer is a great idea as they can show the best way to mark and reward when the dog is in position and how to keep the lead loose.

Another thing that helps greatly with this is to use a longer lead and let them have more length to explore when it is safe to do so, so they can sniff and investigate their surroundings - sniffing is another natural behaviour and probably the one that is easiest for us to let them do, as we can simply let them sniff while we are out walking together.

For any behaviour that humans can find problematic, before anything else, we need to understand why it is happening and, if it is a natural behaviour, our responsibility as caregiver to make sure our dogs are able to do these things safely.

12/06/2024

Great advice!!

12/02/2024

11/22/2024

Wow😭