Pawsitive Change Dog Training

21/12/2024

Happy first day of winter!

What do you and your dog love to do in the winter?

We LOVE to go snowshoe hiking. I make sure to carry a coat for each of the dogs and use paw wax to help protect their feet. We also keep our outings short depending on the temperatures and carry water and of course treats!

Post a pic of your dog enjoying the snow OR the indoor snuggles in the comments.

19/12/2024

Feeling safe is crucial to overall health and well being. Some dogs struggle in daily life because they perceive a threat from every day situations. Whether it's strangers, noises or even a family member. Often these dogs suffer from a poorer quality of life than a dog without fear issues. The good news is, there is a LOT you can do to help your fearful canine companion. Through a combination of management and training many fearful dogs can learn to better cope with stressors. For some cases a consultation with a veterinarian is needed to find the right supplement or medication to help in conjunction with training.

If you don't know where to start to help your fearful dog, that is where I come in! Sign up for an initial consultation to start your dog's training journey: https://pawsitivechangemt.com/online-consultation

Thanks to Dogs Disclosed for the useful information.

17/12/2024

Tuesday Tips: Holiday Plants to Keep Away from Your Pets

Decorating for the holidays can be great fun. Just be sure to keep your pets safe at the same time. Check out these common holiday plants that can actually be hazardous to your pets.

16/12/2024

Are you worried your dog's stocking is going to be a little light? Arry and Lupine highly recommend these Himalayan yak cheese chews.

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This post contains affiliate links.

The Original Himalayan Dog Chew is a very long lasting dog chew. Himalayan Dog Chews are made by boiling yak and cow milk and then dried for several weeks to create a hard chew. Dogs must work the end of the treat for hours, softening it with their mouths before small parts of it can be slowly sc...

14/12/2024

I can't believe I haven't heard this before! This is such a great way to put it. Thanks to Rescued by Training for the great image!

There ARE safe ways to expose your puppy to the world outside your home before they are fully vaccinated.

1. Sit in your parked car near the entrance to a store. Roll the window down or sit with your puppy in the trunk of your hatchback. Reward them for staying calm/quiet as they notice people, carts and cars go by.

2. Put your puppy on a blanket and watch the world go by at a park.

3. Put your puppy in a wagon or stroller. Let them take in the views and get fresh air as you walk around your neighborhood.

4. Enroll in a puppy class where the facility will clean the space and confirm the health status of those in attendance.

5. Sign up for private lessons for a more personalized program AND training! www.PawsitiveChangeMT.com

MYTH: "Don’t take your puppy anywhere until they're fully vaccinated."

FACT: "The primary and most important time for puppy socialization is the first three months of life. For this reason, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior believes that it should be the *standard of care* for puppies to receive such socialization before they are fully vaccinated. Behavioral issues, not infectious diseases, are the number one cause of death for dogs under three years of age." (AVSAB Position Statement on Puppy Socialization)

FACT: If you wait until your puppy is full vaccinated, you've missed their critical socialization period.

Vets, rescues and breeders who are clinging to the outdated belief that dogs should be prevented from socialization until fully vaccinated are not keeping up with the current research, literature and recommendations from behavior professionals.

12/12/2024

A holiday hazard of which you may not be aware. The nutmeg, clove and allspice in gingerbread are toxic to dogs.

Read more from Delaware Valley Siberian Husky Rescue for important details including the dose that is a concern.

Please read this important warning for dog owners to keep your pup safe this holiday season!

Gingerbread House Dangers For Dogs, by Margit Maxwell

Look at the photo. Funny stuff, right? Nope. Why is this situation not funny? - Because gingerbread dough often contains cloves, nutmeg, and allspice.

If your dog eats your lovely decorated gingerbread house, the clove, nutmeg, and allspice content of the dough could make your dog very sick or in some cases, it could even be fatal.

Most gingerbread dough recipes can include these common spices: ginger, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, coriander, and nutmeg.

Clove, nutmeg and allspice all contain the compound eugenol which can cause irritation of the GI tract, and when ingested in larger quantities, could cause liver damage. Nutmeg also contains a toxic
compound called myristicin, found in the oil of the nutmeg seed. A problem dose of nutmeg = 1 tsp of ground nutmeg. A toxic dose of powdered nutmeg is thought to be 5 grams.

The oil myristicin can cause severe disorientation, agitation, high blood pressure, and possible seizures.
A toxic dose of ground clove would need to be quite large - half a gram of powdered clove per kg of body weight to be fatal.

Allspice contains less of the eugenol compound than the other two mentioned spices so it tends to be less lethal but it can still make your dog very sick. An allspice lethal dose would need to be quite large, 2.5 grams per 10 kilos of dog weight.

Symptoms of clove, nutmeg, or allspice ingestion (other than a missing or partially eaten gingerbread house):
-vomiting
-diarrhea,
-excessive drooling,
-loss of appetite,
-disorientation and in serious cases,
- seizures are possible.

The seriousness of the ingestion of the gingerbread problem will depend on:
1. The size of the dog. - the smaller the dog mass, the more serious the toxicity levels.
2. How much of the gingerbread house was eaten? One bite? One wall? The whole building? The more gingerbread that was eaten, the more serious the problem.
3. Gingerbread dough that contains all three of the mentioned spices is delivering a triple dose of eugenol in the case of nutmeg, myristicin. Know the ingredients that are in your gingerbread dough.

Courtesy of: The Labrador Club

10/12/2024

Tuesday Tips: Enrichment Plan for Petsitter

If you are traveling for the holidays think about prepping some enrichment activities that your pet sitter can easily provide. Your dog will be missing you and likely not getting as much attention and exercise as they are used to. Some fun new food toys or indoor activities can fill the gap and chewing/licking/sniffing is good stress relief too!

08/12/2024

Some dogs would prefer to NOT be a part of the Holiday festivities. They don't want to go to the parade, to see the dog-friendly Santa, put on costumes, or be a part of the party. Know and respect your dog's preferences for social experiences. While it can be disappointing not to include them, it may be in their best interest.

Here are some good reminders from Bark Vader Dog School on signs to watch for and how to avoid your dog getting overstimulated.

07/12/2024

Winter Safety for your Pet!

1. Be aware of the temperature. Pets can get frostbite very easily on the ears, tail, and paws. Keep potty breaks short when it's really cold. Know your dog's tolerance. A husky is much better prepared for the Montana winter than a Dachshund.
2. When walking your dog in freezing conditions, check their paws frequently to make sure ice is not building up between toes and that salt or gravel is not irritating the skin.
3. If your dog is a swimmer, keep them on a leash around open water or unstable ice. Hypothermia can set in quickly and your dog may be unable to get out of the water.
4. Even pet safe sidewalk salt should be cleaned off of your pet once you return home.
5. Before you start your car, ensure no cats are napping in the warm place your car provides by honking the horn or banging on the hood.
6. If you are decorating for the holidays, keep ornaments out of the reach of your pets. Remember that poinsettias, holly, mistletoe, and other plants can be toxic if ingested.
7. Ingesting anti-freeze can be fatal for dogs and cats. It has a sweet taste and even a small amount can cause severe kidney damage or death. You can use a pet-safe antifreeze, look for brands containing propylene glycol instead of ethylene glycol. If you spill anti-freeze, soak it up immediately. Clay cat litter works well to absorb spills, discard the litter once the anti-freeze has been absorbed.
8. For longer hikes or when it's snowy or wet out consider boots and/or coats for your dog. I have a sweater in my backpack for each dog in case they get cold or wet and we have a while before we can get back to the car.

This hike was from Christmas 2022. Here's hoping we have this kind of snow for this year's Christmas snowshoe hike!

05/12/2024

I tell clients that management is half of a good training plan.

I can teach you how to reward your dog for quietly watching people that pass by out the front window. But if they then spend 8 hours a day home alone barking at everything they see you will NEVER get ahead of the behavior. That’s where management comes in. Manage the environment to prevent the behavior you want to change in between training sessions to teach the new behavior.

During an initial consultation we discuss management and develop a training plan together www.Pawsitivechangemt.com

Thanks to Dogs Disclosed for this important reminder

ARE YOU MANAGING?
Are you managing your dog’s environment to prevent or improve unwanted behaviour?

As people, we tend to prefer and look for the more complicated solutions to problems. This tendency is termed “complexity bias” - the tendency to prefer complicated explanations and solutions instead of looking for the simpler ones.

Surely a complicated, time consuming, detailed solution has to be more effective, superior, impressive, or correct?

Complexity bias is so relevant when it comes to changing a dog’s unwanted behaviour. We often get so stuck on trying to modify behaviour through counter conditioning, desensitization or detailed training plans when sometimes the simplest solution to the problem lies in simply managing the environment.

Dogs will do what dogs do – when an opportunity arises to help themselves to food left on a table, to bark at the gate at anyone passing by, to have a drink from that big water bowl at the perfect height, that we call a toilet, to running off with irresistibly smelly dirty underwear, to rummaging through bins in search of anything that may or may not be edible, to running out an opened door in search of adventure - the list is long - dogs will be dogs.

Parents of little children use management all the time without giving it much thought. Baby locks on cupboards, covers on electrical sockets, valuable or dangerous items put far out of reach, fences and locks around pools, etc.

We wouldn’t just train a toddler not to stick their fingers in an electrical socket, not to open cupboards, not to touch a hot plate – it’s far safer, simpler and logical to first manage the environment, to prevent potential incidents.

The same principle should apply to managing a dog’s environment to prevent unwanted behaviour.

The more a behaviour is practiced the more difficult it is to prevent. The more a behaviour is rehearsed the better dogs become at it.

Preventing the behaviour from happening in the first place by using management is the logical, simple and effective way to address it.

Be a good manager – it’s far less stressful, for both us and our dogs.

03/12/2024

01/12/2024

Guess the Breed(s) Challenge: Luke

Last week I shared Luke's picture to ask what breed(s) you thought were found on his DNA test. Did you guess that Luke is a purebred Catahoula Leopard Dog? You can see where the breed gets its name in his gorgeous spots. He's also 100% a good boy.

30/11/2024

THANK YOU for being the most important part of this small business. Whether you have taken lessons in the past, have returned for lessons with your newest addition, tell your friends about our training services or like and share these posts. We wouldn't exist without you.

www.PawsitiveChangeMT.com

28/11/2024

Thanksgiving(ish) Toppl

You can put much more than peanut butter in a toppl or a kong. I recommend:

1. A binder (canned food, greek yogurt, peanut butter, canned pumpkin)
2. Part or all of your dog's meal
3. Extra treats at the top to get your dog started

Here is an example of a toppl stuffed with carrots, greek yogurt, kibble, turkey jerky and freeze dried beef liver. A delicious treat AND meal for my pup while the family eats Thanksgiving dinner.

PS West Paw (the Montana based company that makes toppls) often has a great Black Friday sale. No affiliation with them, I just love their products! Especially if you have a puppy or short nosed dog who struggles to use a typical kong.

www.PawsitiveChangeMT.com

26/11/2024

Tuesday Tips: Defensive Walking

Don't be caught off guard by distractions or triggers when you walk your dog. Practice 'defensive walking' (think defensive driving but on your walk).

23/11/2024

Guess the Breed Challenge: Luke

This week's Guess the Breed Challenge is an interesting one. What breed(s) do you think make up this handsome pup? He was adopted from a local shelter and is 70 pounds of snuggle.

Put your guess in the comments and come back next weekend for the answer!

If you have taken a DNA test of your dog and want to share results and a picture with me to use in this game please email PawsitiveChangeMT.com

21/11/2024

My own dogs (and cats) certainly get a Thanksgiving plate. Just be sure to check that the ingredients are pet safe! Count down to turkey time…

Thanksgiving is one week away and we wanted to share some holiday safety tips to keep your pet safe this holiday season. 🍗

Here are just a few of the common foods people eat around the holidays that are safe and unsafe for your pets. If you do share these foods with your dog, be sure to only give them a small, limited amount of table food. Of course we understand that every dog is different, so always consultant your veterinarian if you are unsure and err on the side of caution.

Here's to the holiday season! ✨