Big Dog Energy

16/03/2024

Most times the best thing you can do for a reactive dog is just change their environment.

Don’t be afraid to get off the sidewalk to get your dog more space from their triggers. Don’t be afraid to cross the road. Don’t be afraid to look strange while ensuring your dog feels safe.

The first part of reactivity training is helping your dog trust you to ensure they are safe in uncertain situations.

01/02/2024

This week I completed the Family Dog Mediation Education Center's L.E.G.S. Applied Ethology course!

I'm so excited to be able to apply this knowledge to my training plans for my clients. We will be able to better focus on your dog's individual needs and assess how their genetics are driving their behaviors. My goal with my training is always to understand the dog better so we can know how to best help them and your household.

26/01/2024

Winter weather makes it hard to get out and let our dogs enjoy all the enrichment that nature offers. Good news! For a limited time, we're offering Enrichment Consultations!

Let's talk all things Enrichment pertaining to your individual dog(s). Enrichment Consultations will be available through the end of February, we want to help you and your dog be prepared for the next round of freezing temps!

Enrichment Consultations will be at a discounted Individual Session cost of $40. To schedule a session or learn more feel free to message us or check out our site: www.bigdogenergykc.com/enrichment-consultation

13/01/2024

In light of recent events in the city, I’ve noticed people being more cautious about who they choose for their dog training.

If anyone ever needs any help picking out the best trainer for their dog, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. My online consultations are free, they are scheduled for half an hour but I will talk to you as long as you need and as long as my schedule permits. You are always welcome to simply message me as well if you’re more comfortable with that.

We can talk about what you’re looking for in regards to training for your dog, we can talk about what to look for when selecting a trainer, we can talk about what to avoid, what questions to ask, I can give you referrals for other trainers.

My consultations are always no pressure, I actually encourage people not to make a decision during our consultations. If you tell me you’re shopping around for trainers, I will give you a list of trainers to talk to that have ethical standards of dog training.

My only goal is to help you help your dog.

04/01/2024

I heard this today on this week's Positively Dog Training podcast by Victoria Stilwell, with Sean Brown as a guest this week. I am a sucker for human references to explain known dog problems, it helps us to understand our dogs mental processing more.

Sean Brown said (I am paraphrasing heavily here): If you don't love going to dance clubs, and someone tells you they can train you to like it, you'll never truly love it. You may go because they offer to buy you a drink every time, but it's not that you're suddenly enthralled with going to the club. You likely just have other preferences of staying home, or going to a bar.

He hit the nail on the head. As an introvert, I can feel the anxiety creeping in just thinking about standing in a crowded club. If I've just had a bad experience, sure a few good experiences can tip the scales. However, if I have a fundamental desire to just spend quality time at home, that'll be where I am most relaxed.

If you adopt a homebody kind of dog, and want it to be an adventurer with you, you're going to see "behavioral issues". They can present as anxious or reactive sitting at breweries with you. It's not that they have a problem that needs to be fixed, it's that we are trying to force a square peg into a round hole. We're saying the square peg needs to be shaved down to fit in the round hole, instead of just adjusting and finding the square hole or picking up the round peg.

We need to be assessing if we are meeting our own dog's desires, or if we're just forcing them to meet our own and deeming it an issue when they don't. We need to be bringing home dogs that better fit the lifestyle we would like them to be in, instead of bringing home dogs for the way they look.

We also need to be flexible and understand that each dog is an individual. You may bring home the perfect breed for social outings, but that individual dog may have a preference against it. What is your plan? Are you okay letting that dog relax at home while you enjoy your activities? Is there a compromise? An activity you both enjoy?

Help your dog help you.

25/12/2023

When your job on Christmas morning is shredding the wrapping paper…

Merry Christmas everyone!

08/12/2023

03/12/2023

We mean LOTS of treatin'!

It's important to remember our pups during the hustle and bustle of the holidays. What neat things do you gift your pup this time of year? We want to know how all the whosagoodboys and whosagoodgirls are spoiled!

01/10/2023

That’s a wrap on The Aggression in Dog’s Conference!🎉

I’m beyond grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from so many brilliant minds this weekend. I can’t wait to bring everything I’ve learned back to Kansas City!

01/10/2023

“All beings deserve to live in an environment in which their needs are consistently met” -Sarah Stremming

29/09/2023

“The dog bite today started last night” - Dr. Tim Lewis

29/09/2023

It’s time!

24/09/2023

Charlie’s To-Do List for today:

Support Wayside Waifs at Strutt With Your Mutt ✅
Walk a 3k ✅
Swim in all the pools ✅
Nap ☑️

01/08/2023

This morning during our walk, the construction crew for our complex decided to show up early. They were trying to make up for the recent weather delays. This means Mazikeen and I got stuck outside, as she took her time processing all the workers carrying lumber around.

We finally made it back inside but she was still pretty anxious. Panting, ears pinned against her head, rapidly shifting eyes with every noise.

Thankfully, I had a lick mat prepared in the freezer already, so I plopped that down for her. It instantly distracted her from the construction sounds. When she was done, she was much more relaxed, even with the noises still going on.

Lick mats are an incredibly underrated tool that every dog owner should have. They have multiple purposes:

👅 Triggering the brain to release serotonin in response to the licking, naturally calming anxious dogs.
👅 A high-value treat to serve as a distraction during high-intensity situations.
👅 Hands-free, long lasting positive-reinforcement to associate with the surrounding situation.
👅Positional reinforcement, think bath time or crating!

We use peanut butter, plain yogurt, and cottage cheese on our lick mats. What other dog-safe foods could you smear on a lick mat?

23/04/2023

Someone once told me that reactive dog owners feel so alone and embarrassed because they don’t see other reactive dogs out walking around. Why is that? Because all the other reactive dog owners are also scared to take their dogs outside! So reactive dog owners who do walk their dogs and only see these perfectly heeled dogs who don’t react. Wanna know a secret? That owner, with the perfectly mellow dog, is probably just hoping a small wildlife critter doesn’t pop out to set their dog off.

You are not alone, in fact, the club is bigger than you can imagine. I own a reactive dog, many of my training colleagues own reactive dogs. Dogs are not robots, they have feelings about things and sometimes those feelings are just overwhelming. Just like humans.😉

Thanks for this important message.

12/04/2023

Hu***ng is not a dominant behavior.

HU***NG HOUNDS - It’s not always what it seems
Some dogs do and some dogs don’t, but if you have a dog that humps at the most inopportune times it can be downright embarrassing or annoying. Other dogs, other people, visitors, toys, cushions, furniture, anything that can be mounted and clung to may be fair game. As people, it’s natural to assume that this behaviour is of a sexual nature, that our dogs must be oversexed, sexually frustrated or the all-too-common incorrect belief that our dogs are just trying to be “dominant”.
Hu***ng, like many other dog behaviours does not always have a simple reason. It can be a complex behaviour which is usually emotionally or socially based. Looking for what may be triggering the behaviour and finding the cause should always be the first step before finding ways to change a behaviour. The solutions will depend on the cause. It may be finding ways to reduce stress or anxiety levels, increasing mental stimulation, teaching calm behaviours to prevent over arousal, ensuring your dog is getting enough sleep, using management or in some cases a veterinary check up to rule out any medical causes.
When hu***ng is antagonizing another dog or person or causing frustration, discomfort or harm in any way, then obviously this behaviour needs to be immediately addressed, but sometimes we may need to ask ourselves – is it really something we need to stop our dogs from doing just because as people we see it as socially unacceptable? Is it a harmless way of relieving stress or anxiety after a difficult day or a way to expend pent up energy that is not causing anyone harm? If we prevent this, correct it, redirect this or at worst punish this behaviour are we removing a harmless natural outlet and risking another unwanted behaviour taking its place?
Behaviour is not always the way it looks on the surface. Look for the underlying cause, look at what may be triggering the behaviour before deciding how to change it.

31/03/2023

Consistency is key. 😂

😂

31/03/2023

When I say “get creative with your rewards”, I mean GET CREATIVE WITH YOUR REWARDS!!🥜😋

I grabbed a long mixing spoon and some dog safe peanut butter and took it on our walk tonight. These usually get trained with whatever treats I have leftover on me from my consults when I get home. That’s typically hot dogs and cheese. Sometimes they need a break from hot dogs and cheese, especially for high distraction environments like outside!

I wanted to switch it up for their walk today and I know they LOVE peanut butter. I can’t exactly hand out globs of peanut butter without getting all messy. A long spoon is a great fix for that! If I was a planner, I could’ve also put peanut butter on it beforehand and stuck it in the freezer, so a little peanut butter could last longer.

18/03/2023

Dog ownership is a lot of furry companionship, tail wags and chasing balls, and ample unconditional love.

17/03/2023

We heard there is a pot-o’-treats somewhere out there. Mazikeen sure is suspicious of this whole St. Pawty’s Day thing.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone! Stay safe and safe warm - better yet, just stay in and snuggle your pup!🐶💚

12/03/2023

Mellow Sundays are always dedicated to cleaning and preparing for the week ahead. It’s super easy to squeeze some enrichment in between tasks for the dogs too!

Here’s Moose, working on some scentwork games while I do laundry. We have some cones scattered and a few of them have some treats under them.

This encourages him to use his nose and problem solve getting the treats once he does find them. We only did about 3 rounds and his 9 year old self was TIRED at the end. His tail was wagging the whole time though, and this was just a fun way to change up the routine in his day.

11/03/2023

Beyond excited.

I feel so fortunate to be able to attend the Aggression in Dogs Conference in person this fall in Chicago! I’ll have the opportunity to learn from the best of the best, network with many more amazing trainers, and just delve deeper into my passion of helping aggressive dogs.

04/03/2023

Showcasing a beautiful Stay this morning. I was loading the dogs up in the car for our Saturday pup cup run. Then I realized I have limited space in the back because of a bunch of enrichment items I’m taking to the shelter today.

I got Moose loaded up in the car, and just had Mazikeen Stay on the sidewalk while I got everything rearranged. As you can see she’s pretty excited about having to wait for mom to get her 💩 together.

What situations would be useful for you to have a Stay cue for your dog?

02/03/2023

Reward-based methods aren't just for sunny days and easy dogs and puppies. They are for all dogs. Because they work for teaching behaviours and resolving behaviour issues. More here: https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2019/11/reward-based-dog-training-isnt-just-for.html

01/03/2023

Kibble for thought.

Not that we can’t help our dogs behave better in this society we’ve created. It’s just nothing to be embarrassed about that your dog doesn’t behave perfect, and it’s definitely not something to be upset with your dog about.

* Bringing this post out of the vault, because it’s so important * 👇🏻

I think it’s common to think that when our dog is unruly, there is something wrong with them. 

Especially when we look around us and see perfectly behaved pups strolling happily down the street with their owners. 

But the truth is…

Everything your dog does is NORMAL. 

Chewing…

Digging…

Barking…

Pulling on the lead…

Lunging at other dogs or joggers…

Growling…

It’s all NORMAL. 

This is  a normal response for a predator (because that’s what dogs once were) that got plucked out of their natural environment and dropped onto your sofa. 

What’s not normal? 

Walking on a leash at a mind numbingly slow pace as you stare at your phone…

NOT chewing things, or mouthing you…

Holding a sit stay or a down stay as you chat to a friend…

NOT losing their mind around another dog. 

Sure selective breeding has curbed some of the more natural responses our dogs have…

But the truth is…

Your dog’s behavior is a NORMAL response to them trying to adapt to an environment that truthfully is NOT normal for them. 

So tell me…

What does that shift for you? 

Because your dog isn’t “Bad”. There’s nothing wrong with them. Everything they are doing is completely normal.