Force Free Pets

22/01/2025

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD–If your dog trainer, or anyone, ever suggests you do something to your dog that you would NEVER do to a human toddler, FIND A NEW DOG TRAINER!

The use of pain, force, and fear, tools like shock, prong, and shock collars, as well as sq**rt bottles and shake cans, are inhumane, cruel, and unnecessary.

If you are unable to find a humane dog trainer, check out the trainer search at the Pet Professional Guild - https://www.petprofessionalguild.com/find-a-ppg-professional/

22/01/2025

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD – Moving to a new home, whether it’s across the state or across the country, is always exciting and challenging. Not only do we need to move our stuff, but we also need to get settled into a new community. In addition to finding new healthcare providers for the human members of our family, we also need to ensure that our pets will receive proper care in our new location. There is a shortage of veterinarians in most parts of the USA, so many veterinarians are NOT taking on new clients. I encourage everyone to establish a relationship with a local veterinarian soon after your move so your pet will have a veterinarian when needed. Do the same with other pet care professionals your pet may need, such as a kennel, daycare, groomer, trainer, pet sitter, or dog walker.

21/01/2025

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD– Thank you to our friends at Mighty Dog Graphics for reminding us that our pets are sentient beings who can perceive or feel things.
In other words, inflicting physical or emotional trauma by using methods or tools that are intended to cause pain or fear is unnecessary and most certainly INHUMANE & CRUEL!

You can download “Sentient” at - https://scontent-bos5-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/458470850_923459936480270_6402709358298601904_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=cHi-Mxz0FWIQ7kNvgFKWpek&_nc_ht=scontent-bos5-1.xx&_nc_gid=Ab1RXcVCGM_O3X2It8W8e0h&oh=00_AYCUTSENQfwgDqdd_YFMoUZ1dcZL_AYWwnFqpk_Qm4YVCg&oe=66E4C1D4

19/01/2025

Green Acres Kennel Shop and ForceFreePets.com are two companies with one mission; to provide humane, ethical, and effective pet care and education based on science while prioritizing the needs and welfare of our client's pets.are two companies with one mission; to provide humane, ethical, and effective pet care and education based on science while prioritizing the needs and welfare of our client's pets.

18/01/2025

PLEASE SHARE – January marks the anniversaries of two of the dogs that have been part of my life. They have both passed, but there is not a day I do not think about them or acknowledge how they helped me to become a better dog trainer and a better person. Read about Trivia and Gus in this post on my blog at http://bit.ly/ThankYouTrivia-Gus

18/01/2025

It’s Saturday morning, and I’m preparing to teach my 9 AM Puppy & Rescue Headstart-ONLINE class. It’s an open-enrollment class, so you can start anytime. Learn how you can join us next Saturday at https://forcefreepets.com/puppy-registration/

18/01/2025

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD – Pets and Their People is a FREE online publication for people with pets. The articles are written by the best pet professionals in the field and access is FREE. I recommend that all of my clients at Green Acres Kennel Shop and Force Free Pets subscribe. FMI - https://petsandtheirpeople.education/

People

16/01/2025

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD – If your pet care professional isn't talking about; Choice, Communication, Compassion, Consent, Emotions, Empathy, Partnership, Respect, and Trust; you NEED a NEW pet care professional. Before training a dog, you must have a relationship based on compassion, empathy, and respect. To achieve that, you must be able to understand your dog's needs, emotions, and how they communicate. Having the ability to make choices and to give consent is essential to the mental health of every living thing. We can develop a lifelong partnership with our dog only after we understand all these things.

15/01/2025

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD AND PARTICIPATE IN OUR SURVEY – In his latest ForceFreePets.com blog post, Don Hanson, PCBC-A, Don discusses two articles from 2024 that discuss how the role of dogs in our lives has changed over the past 30 years. He invites you to provide your input on a similar survey. Three survey participants will be randomly selected for a prize in March 2025.

READ IT AT – https://forcefreepets.com/what-role-does-your-dog-play-in-your-life/

15/01/2025

15/01/2025

It’s Wednesday evening, and I’m preparing to teach my 6 PM Puppy & Rescue Headstart-ONLINE class. It’s an open-enrollment class, so you can start anytime. Learn how you can join us next Wednesday at https://forcefreepets.com/puppy-registration/

14/01/2025

Listen to the whispers

Whispers are soft, subtle and so easy to miss in our often busy, hectic lives, but making an effort to listen to them can prevent situations from escalating, resulting in reactive behaviour.

A dog’s attempt to communicate is so often misunderstood or completely ignored.

Body language is one of the only ways that dogs can let us know how they are feeling. When we know how they’re feeling, we can intervene, help them feel safe and prevent those emotions from boiling over.

Body language can be subtle and fleeting, but with careful observation and knowing what to look for most of us can learn to recognize and understand what our dogs are saying.

It’s always important to look at the context, the situation and especially what the rest of the body is doing when deciphering their language.

Being able to understand a dog’s emotional state through their body language helps us to predict behaviour, prevent potential problems or simply allows us to just enjoy observing what they are feeling.

Although dogs each have their own unique personalities and distinct way of communicating, there are many common signs that can give us insight. We just need to take the time to learn and then notice them. I believe dogs would be so grateful if we make the effort to learn their language.

Here are some resources and links to learn more about body language -

On Talking Terms With Dogs - Calming Signals, 2nd Edition by Turid Rugaas
https://www.dogwise.com/on-talking-terms-with-dogs-calming-signals-2nd-edition/?srsltid=AfmBOoqj8ruQJx5bCP7qWb03TqCyAGfmAvCj988UuWk_L1_UHbYcZsES&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR0AaDd_wwhSC4JEUqkvQmOG9lU5bNdbAOEeHQb0st7P_DXrdAOR-utY_-k_aem_cqU0VLHHyjrKbce9ddT84g

The Veterinary Behaviour Centre
https://www.heska.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/TVBC-Canine-Dog-Body-Language-handout.pdf?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR3mKGykzNJr7_yFf1_e6mc2sRHjNvjEok2GLvKTw-OMtTxEfjtlxM6vk4I_aem_B-YAlekmE0eV03c_1x8cyw

13/01/2025

With Dr. Lisa Radosta – I just got recognized as one of their top fans! 🎉

13/01/2025

Be a Dog Detective – Curious versus Caution
https://www.petprofessionalguild.com/resource/be-a-dog-detective-curious-versus-caution/

10/01/2025

ForceFreePets.com and Green Acres Kennel Shop are two companies with one mission; to provide humane, ethical, and effective pet care and education based on science while prioritizing the needs and welfare of our client's pets.