Magnolia Acres Dog Training

07/17/2023

Happy birthday to our little man, Ditto. Turning 1 year old today!

07/08/2023

Got to work on recall with Doodle and Eos today. They enjoyed their fun time with an Aussie, Dalmatian, three other cattle dogs and another mixed breed dog.

*keep in mind, all dogs were introduced properly before running freely without a leash*

06/28/2023

Congrats to Harley, a previous client of mine, who passed the Canine Good Citizen this week! So proud of bother her and her owner for this accomplishment!

The AKC Canine Good Citizen™ (CGC) program provides a perfect framework for training your dog to become a polite member of society. Based on you and your dog’s training needs, you have multiple options to get started.

06/27/2023

Besides my hubby, Doodle is my best friend. She’s my heart dog, and I am so proud of her. I’m over joyed that we made this achievement together. Doodle passed the Canine Good Citizen last night as well as Trick Dog Novice! I’m so honored and proud that my first titles for this are with her. I know I’ve said it before, but she came to my husband and I with separation anxiety. The final test item is 3 minutes of supervised separation. I’m so proud of Doodle and her growth since her gotcha day on April 3rd of 2022. Thank you for testing us!

06/04/2023

As our children grow, it's important to teach them the skills to interact with dogs safely. And, petting dogs is one of those skills to teach properly. We like kids to learn the phrase "one hand enough, two hands too rough!" from an early age.

When a child puts two hands on a dog, even if the interaction begins gently, it can escalate to rougher petting, grabbing, or hugging very easily. Teaching kids to pet a dog with one hand on the dog's shoulder or back at the closest point relative to the child (i.e. NO reaching over the dog's head or back) is a safe option and even something we adults can remember as well.

Remember to keep interactions brief and allow dogs plenty of opportunities to say "no, thanks!" (for kids and dogs!)

06/04/2023

I need this. Anyone else? 😂

HUMAN DOG BED 😍😍
Found here (affiliate): https://rstyle.me/+K6xE2HBpe5x9zsSJU7d-QA

06/04/2023

Over aroused/"hyper" dogs....a very big issue, and this is strictly aimed at these dogs in particular. (repost but a bit more added).
Poor impulse control, constantly wanting to move, grabby, not listening, mouthy, jumping, barking, unable to settle, fixated on moving toys, these dogs are often panting when moving and sometimes have an almost "manic" look.

These dogs are HARD to live with.
I get it.
Nothing seems like enough for these dogs.
There wouldn't be a week go by where I don't have a handful of clients affected.
Unfortunately solutions are often offered which just ADD to the issues such as pack walks/daycares or much heavier exercise to help "tire them out"...

Make no mistake.....for the vast majority of these dogs ALL this does is exacerbate the issue and create "adrenaline junkies" that NEED and WANT more....much more than anyone can give.
The stamina these dogs have built up is incredible....and that isn't a good thing.

The loop is never ending.

There are those in the industry that believe the answer to hyper and over aroused dogs is to exercise them harder, faster and for longer. It is endemic in the dog training world that these dogs need to be "tired out more" by heavier exercise and physical activity.

Then there are those in the industry that KNOW the huge issues these dogs are facing and how absolutely damaging the "prescription" of more exercise can be.

These dogs desperately need balance and calm.
They need a carefully constructed plan to help those stress hormones dissipate.
It isn't as easy as just stopping exercise or excessive play as this can cause more issues.

Mental enrichment....getting that brain working.
Using the nose far more than the eyes.
Walking in low stress areas.
Teaching true relaxation....which is a skill, and CAN be taught.
These are just some of the ways to help these dogs, but you are likely to need a trainer to help you get that finely tuned balance that you, your family and your dog so desperately need.
Teach you dog HOW to switch off and how to use their beautiful brain.....and watch just what a difference that can make.

Mental enrichment IS tiring......but it is also confidence building, it will help you both have a stronger bond, and allows them to show and use their natural abilities.

There will never.....ever be enough exercise, play or excitement in these dogs life to ever make a positive change, you will only ever build up their stamina and need for more.

You cannot through that ball enough.....
You cannot walk/run them enough......
You cannot tire them out enough.....as physical exhaustion only "fuels" this behaviour.

When those physically exhausted dogs wake up.......the over aroused/hyper loop starts all over again.
However if you recognise it.....you can help this.

Everyone is welcome to share the poster on facebook but please attach the post with it. 🙂
The poster is a generalisation of behaviours that these dogs may show. Your dog may not show all these behaviours, but if you have a hyper aroused dog....you may recognise some of them if not all of them.
Not all the behaviours shown are behaviours only shown by hyper aroused/overly excited dogs.

06/04/2023

06/01/2023

Daisey has hip dysplasia. She’s been on pain killers for roughly four years now. We got blood work done on Tuesday, turns out she’s still completely healthy for such an old girl. Such good news to hear!

05/19/2023

Happy Friday! Doodle looking majestic in her new Ruffwear harness! We love it!

05/10/2023

Sit...Sit.....Sit.....Sit.....Sit........
6 months since last posted.

I see this very common issue often and it really can work against what you want to achieve.
It really confuses some dogs and puppies and leads to frustration for some dog guardians, pawparents or owners.
Repeating what you want over and over and at differing times WHILE they are attempting to learn something.

This is such a common issue and often a hard habit to break for some....but when they do change their habit of repeating themselves over an over ....what a difference it can make!

We often see owners repeating cues or "commands". They tell us that their dog cannot sit (as an example) or they don't come straight away when they call or their dog wont (or more importantly ) doesn't understand a "down" .
Why ?
Because they have conditioned their dog to ignore them by always repeating a command.
Take "down for example" there is absolutely no use in having a dog in a sit and repeating "down....down...down" , if you look at it from a dogs point of view, they may very well think a "sit" means "down", so they will continue to sit.
They are not being stubborn, they simply don't understand what you want.
In the down scenario...sometimes people say "down" repeatedly when their dog is in a sit and continue to repeat "down...down...down" maybe after a minute of this the dog may do a down...but what have they actually learned?
That "down" is waiting a min and then doing a down...maybe, occasionally ?
Even if they KNOW what down is if you keep repeating the cue you want you may muddy their understanding and they will just switch off.....that is when you get unreliable cues.

Unreliable cues get unreliable results.

Dogs do not automatically know what we want and if we verbalise what we want in the form of a cue, we need to be very clear.
In the example of "down" you should say that when the dogs belly hits the ground....then say "down".
So "down" means belly on ground. Clear, understandable and repeatable once understood.
Cue training is the ACTION of the word....NOT the word itself, until they begin to make an association of the action with the word...you will be saying "down" for a very long time to come.
Not repeating what you have asked also gives a dog to use their beautiful brain and actually think about what you want...rather than being confused by you saying the word over and over again.
Remember it is the ACTION that should accompany the CUE.
Names are also used over and over again....all you will do is teach your dog to not respond to you and ignore you....something no-one wants.
Although at times it may actually feel like our canine companions understand every word we speak, they don't, nor do they come preprogrammed knowing common cues or "commands". It is up to us to teach them every single word that we use. For your dog to understand a cue or "command" they must first make an association.
- Ensure your dog thoroughly understands each cue BEFORE you use it
- Once learned, make sure you have their attention before you give them a cue or "command"
- Teach a cue in a low distraction area ( at home or in your backyard), then train your dog to do the same in other areas....adding in more distractions.
- If your dog won’t sit when asked the first time you will struggle with more complex cues like recall. Go back and really work on the basics before adding in more complex associations.
Repeating yourself over and over just makes a dog not understand what you actually want, will confuse and will not make your dog listen to you ...in fact they may start to ignore you....

So remember...Repeating yourself over and over just makes a dog not understand what you actually want, will confuse and will not make your dog listen to you ...in fact they may start to ignore you...so remember....Repeating yourself over and over just makes a dog not understand what you actually want, will confuse and will not make your dog listen to you ...in fact they may start to ignore you....I think you get the picture.🙂

05/09/2023

05/09/2023

Had a ton of fun in AKC Scent work last night with Golden Triangle Kennel Club of Mississippi.
Doodle enjoyed it too!

05/08/2023

Check out the puppy class if you have a puppy! If you’re interested, reach out to me. I will be the instructor for the class.

Puppy Classes start tonight! Please make sure to pre-register to save your spot for class. Limited availability.

05/04/2023

I don’t know about you, but my Thursdays always seem to drag. So here’s a photo of Doodle! Hope you have a wonderful day! ☺️

04/30/2023

Doodle. Doodle all the way 😂

04/26/2023

I did it! My next goal is to become an AKC Evaluator and CPDT-KA!

04/21/2023

Ditto is the size of Quinn’s footprint 😂

04/20/2023

Ditto says “hi” 👋 and “Happy Thursday!”

04/20/2023

Just a reminder that GTKC is having their monthly meeting tonight at 6pm!

Come join us at our general meeting tonight! We will be discussing quite a few things in our meeting tonight and even releasing our upcoming classes. We hope to see you there!

04/19/2023

04/19/2023

Did you know it IS possible to teach an old dog new tricks? I’ve had Daisey since she was a puppy, she turned 12 years in March. She was potty trained as a pup, but when she got too large she was an outside dog and had been up until my husband and I got married last year. I promised her that when I got my own house, she would be an inside dog and she is! We went threw potty training her again and setting her up for success in the house. We’ve got a great schedule and now she even listens to my husband (sometimes 😝).

04/12/2023

Ditto misses his girlfriend at Odyssey Chihuahuas

04/10/2023

Happy Easter! It’s a late post, but wanted to say I hope everyone had a wonderful day with family and friends. It’s been an amazing weekend. Our dogs got to hang out with canine friends for Easter Egg hunting today! 🥰🐕🐶🐾 even though I spent time with the dogos today and their canine friends, today is also the day that Jesus rose from the grave to give us a clean slate from our sins.

04/05/2023

Ditto stole the hearts of all the customers and employees at Lowe’s. He enjoyed his ride and meeting all his new friends.

04/04/2023

If you happen to love plants as much as I do, here is a great article about dog safe plants ☺️

The good news is that many plants aren't are safe for dogs. Here's how to choose pet-safe houseplants for your home and patio.

04/04/2023

Hey everyone! When I talk about googling DIY mental enrichment ideas for your pup, American Kennel Club has released a great article for this.

There are many educational and entertaining games that you can play with your dog. These are the best brain training for dogs ideas from our experts.