Mind Body Dog

19/06/2024

Practicing doing nothing with Oliver. Oliver missed out on early socialization, one of the most important aspects of raising a puppy especially before 16 weeks of age. So the world outside of his house is big, exciting and overwhelming which causes stress. Twice a week, I take him out for a session of leash work as well as simple behaviors such as sit, down, touch (targeting). Performing these behaviors which have already been taught using positive reinforcement help to keep his focus and to calm him but he still struggles in this new distraction filled environment so we make sure to provide him some “chill” time doing absolutely nothing. He chose to lie down himself in the shade. If every time I take him out he gets over aroused and stressed it’s possible to condition that emotion every time he’s out. Hanging out and letting him relax and let the world go by helps to calm him. He’s doing so well. Just be mindful of the heat, the temperature of the concrete and the asphalt 🐕‍🦺🐕‍🦺

03/05/2023

25/01/2022

Taking time off to spend with my dogs is one of the greatest gifts! The majority of our days are so busy that our dogs often become background noise. We pay attention to them mostly when they do something which irritates us. We need to make more time being present, observing, laughing with (or at) our best friends. And they need adventures, new places to explore, wide open spaces to run and connecting with us. 🐕🐕🐕

15/12/2021

Look at these eyes. Big sweet girl. ♥️ pit bull love is big and this one loves everyone as well as lazy, rainy days in bed. 🐕🐕

15/12/2021

Little Dallas loves his Daddy. Dallas has a little anxiety but loves his brothers table scraps. Rescue dogs rule. 🐾🐕🐕🦴🦴

03/09/2021

Loki’s back♥️ 🐾🐾

28/08/2021

Every day should be ! and Loki agree🐶🐶🐶🐶

24/08/2021

Bonds with other peoples dogs are priceless. To gain their trust and love is a gift. Valentino always loves staying with us when Mom has to work. He’s part of the family and always brings joy and a lot of energy to the household! Thank you Amy for your trust.

20/08/2021

Working dogs. Meet Maggie. Leash work with chicken treats. She gets overly excited and bites the leash. Making progress in short sessions.

20/08/2021

Greyson and Lilly here for boarding. Tsavo approves. All three had fun playing in the yard. Different ages, different breeds, different personalities, different needs. Treating them as the individuals they are is an important factor in management. 🐾 🐾. Cage free boarding and training requires constant supervision and the knowledge and ability to read body language. This way we can prevent any issues along with positive reinforcement and redirecting behaviors. Watching these animals get to know each other, develop bonds and respect each other’s space is a privilege. The best thing one can do as a teacher is WATCH! Observe behavior. The more you observe the more you learn.

10/08/2021

On a budget? I have 3 dogs. You don’t have to choose between kibble/homemade/raw food. You can add nutrition and Whole Foods to a quality kibble too. I’ve added ground turkey, beef bone broth, chia seeds, probiotic powder and fresh spinach to Acana fish kibble. 🐾🐾. I’ve added sardines, squash, eggs, basically any dog healthy whole food to add variety and nutrients. Mix it up and keep your pups happy and healthy for very little $$$$$

27/07/2021

Indoor games! TUG. A great way to release energy, provide exercise and build in manners!! 🐾🐾🐾. Just a few minutes of play a day will tire out your pup and a tired dog, is a good dog! 🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶.

27/07/2021

Just another day at the Doghouse. 🐾🐾

27/07/2021

When your students trust you. Valentino 🐶🐶.

22/07/2021

Nothing like gaining the trust of a fearful dog. Loki love ❤️

20/07/2021

Tsavo beach day! 🐶👍🏼

13/06/2021

Repost .

11/06/2021

Jackson the

01/06/2021

Tsavo and Luna. 🐕🐕🐕. ❤️❤️❤️🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

01/06/2021

Jackson the Cocker❤️ High strung, incredibly sweet and a little reactive. Working on some impulse control, recalls and socialization to the great wide world (city). He’s really a loving floppy muppet 🐕🐕🐕🐾🐾🐾.

31/05/2021

Repost

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27/05/2021

Loki. Exposure therapy. Since Loki is too stressed to eat we managed at the park by using a long line, chilling in one spot away from people and dogs and some slow chest rubs. Eventually he was able to lie down on his own. While he never fully relaxed, the scanning and stress panting decreased. I had hoped bring his favorite ball would help but alas, no. When dogs are this stressed, their brain triggers their nervous system to go into flight or flight mode inhibits the ability to play or eat. Scanning, panting, hyper vigilance, it’s a terrible@place to be. Those of us who suffer from know all too well. We kept our visit short and Loki recovered quickly. He did great!🐕🐾♥️

26/05/2021

Why science matters. The behavior is a symptom of an emotion. You punish the behavior, you punish the dog for an emotional reaction. That’s just cruel and in the end, ineffective. Change how the dog FEELS and you change the behavior. 🦮🦮🦮

25/05/2021

Look who’s back. Loki the fearful Cattle dog took 6 days to let me near him a month ago. This time I can’t get him out of my life. Playing with the resident dogs, catching ball and even eating in the front yard. Still unable to eat on walks but a huge improvement. He’s recently been put on fluoxetine as he has zero aggressive tendencies, and it’s possible that it’s helping. My goal this week is to get him to relax enough to eat in a walk or in another novel environment. We’ll work on a settle on mat behavior, hand targeting and emergency U turns. In the meantime, snuggles. Lots of snuggles. 🐕🐕🐕. .

16/05/2021

My Luna had a very traumatic past. Funny how we don’t discuss “trauma” when speaking of dogs, even when clearly see it in so many rescues. I found Luna running around the desert, looking for her 4 week ole puppies that a man had stolen from her den. It took me a year for her to really trust me (and my husband at the time). She’s come so far but it still anxious in busy places and around strangers. These descriptive collars are brilliant! Nervous (seen here), Do Not Pet, Give Me Space, etc. help us advocate for our dogs. Here, Luna was visiting a busy vet clinic so I tossed it on, hoping the staff would be extra gentle. As “pet parents”, it is our responsibility to advocate for our pets.

16/05/2021

Be still my heart. Meet 4 mo old Beau. Rhodesian Ridgeback. Learning fast and always busy!

16/05/2021

When you’re boarding a 4 mo old puppy *aka Tyrannosaurus rex.

24/03/2021

Meet Valentino🐶 at 13 weeks, Valentino can’t help control his natural herding, nipping behaviors which aren’t as much fun for the hoomans. After conditioning the clicker. It took just a couple of hours to teach a a “go to” your bed behavior, as well as stop and sit while feet are moving and running. We added a “leave it” for good measure and of course, some socialization with other pups. He’s now off to a great start! Such a smart, beautiful boy!

22/03/2021

16/03/2021

So important! Be your dog’s advocate. It’s not ok for people to assume they can pet your dog. Feel free to say no. You can say “he’s in training”, “she’s working”, whatever you makes you more comfortable. 🐾🐾.