REkALIBRATED k9

24/12/2023

Some important reminders on this beautiful Christmas Eve.
🎄 Merry Christmas! 🎅

27/01/2023

Distractions Class students: how cold is -too- cold?

Would you rather see it warm up completely before classes resume or are you ready to rock and roll even if temps are still in the 40s?

Let me know 👇👇👇

19/01/2023

Sounds like the perfect solution... kids itching to walk their new dog + over-stretched parents thrilled that their children are taking responsibility and lightening the workload! What's not to love?

Actually quite a LOT.

I can't tell you how many disappointed faces I see when I try to explain why a child walking a dog ALONE *might NOT be* the best idea for anyone!!?

And I get totally it.

If this is your first family dog, a quick spin around the block may look harmless enough - until you consider ALL of the things that can (and DO) go wrong.

Even (mentally and physically) FULLY-GROWN ADULTS get pulled down to the ground, or dragged over to squirrels, skateboards and the neighborhood cat. They accidentally drop leashes, or watch helplessly as their pup slips their collar. They struggle to control their dog around other dogs, or conversely, they panic or freeze when an off-leash dog comes sprinting full-speed towards them (friendly or not friendly.. who knows? They’ll likely find out when it’s too late!)

And this is ONLY a handful of the things that can happen to GROWN UPS… so for kids the stakes are simply exponentially higher.

As a trainer, I’m pretty calculated about where I go, and when I walk my dogs my radar is always activated. Even still, I’ve personally had to dash after my loose dog, I’ve been bitten by a dog who was attacking mine, I’ve seen a dog run over in a school parking lot, and watched a child be literally dragged for 50ft against her will!

So, I hope by sharing the potential risks with you, you can make informed choices about your family dog walking situation:

Here’s my hotlist of things to consider:

Size - of child and dog
Strength - of child and dog
Maturity - of child and dog
Training - of child and dog
Temperament - of child and dog

Then download, print and share our poster.
THESE are my questions to help families size up the COMBINATION of their dog and child to see whether WALKING ALONE together is a SMART call.

For more info for kids, dogs and making EVERYONE'S life SAFE and HAPPY - go to thefamilydog.com/families

06/01/2023

Happy Friday, let's start the weekend by continuing to spread correct information!

MYTHBUSTING MONDAY: It's not dominance. Seriously, it's not. There is no dominant breed. You don't have a dominant dog. Your dog's behavior is not a "dominance thing."

Now, I realize those statements might be causing some hardcore cognitive dissonance right now. Because from the moment you even became aware of dogs, you have been told that dogs are pack animals and a bunch of dominance stuff based on that assumption.

From the Merck Veterinary Manual:

"The dog’s social structure has been referred to as a pack hierarchy, but this does not accurately or entirely describe the relationship of dogs with other dogs or with people."

"The term dominance...is a relative term established by the value of the resource to each individual and the cumulative effects of learning."

For example, Animal A might challenge Animal B for a mate. Animal B might defer. But does that make Animal A the dominant animal?

What if Animal B waits until Animal A is distracted and mates with that female at another time? Is dominance even relevant at this point? I would argue that learning is far more pertinent than hierarchy.

The problem is that people tend to think of hierarchies in dogs just like hierarchies in humans. Governments, militaries, churches, schools, corporations all have linear hierarchical structures.

However, when it comes to dogs, it's not that simple.

"Hierarchy in dogs is neither static nor linear, because the motivation to obtain and retain a specific resource, together with previous learning, defines the relationship between two individuals for each encounter."

In other words, if you push me out of the way to get the last chocolate truffle, and I walk away...but I don't actually like chocolate truffles (I don't), you're not actually establishing dominance. I didn't want the resource, anyway. Or maybe I learned that, by walking away, I will be given the key to the room full of caramels. Mmmmm. Caramels.

What about aggression?

"A 'dominant' animal is not the one engaged in the most fighting and combat. Most high-ranking animals seldom have to contest their right of access to a resource. Instead, high-ranking animals are usually better identified by the character and frequency of deferential behaviors exhibited by others in their social group and by their ability to respond appropriately to a variety of social and environmental circumstances."

So, it is not the "dominant" dog who growls over a bone or fights with other dogs at the dog park. When your dogs are fighting at home, identifying the alpha is about as productive as a snipe hunt.

Why does it matter? Because if you are told that your dog's behavior is the result of dominance, the solution is almost always some form of rank reduction. Everything from making the dog sit for every bit of affection to methods that are too disturbing to detail. And it's all called "leadership."

Trying to change a dog's rank in an imaginary hierarchy only serves to delay behavior modification. In many cases, it makes the situation much worse.

If we want to change behavior, we need to explore the dog's health, environment, and learning history, as well as identify triggers and consequences for the behavior. From there, we can develop a complete plan that addresses the needs of the individual dog, reducing their stress, increasing tolerance, and reinforcing desirable responses.

Next time someone tells you that if your dog jumps, pulls on the leash, leans on you, sits on your foot, sleeps on top of the couch, barks, mounts/humps, doesn't listen, or anything else that isn't obedience or cowering in the corner, it's dominance, what they're really saying is that they don't understand dog behavior and are probably not someone you want to take advice from....let alone pay for that advice!

Relax. It's not dominance. Now we've got that out of the way, let's focus on changing behavior!

See more:
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/behavior/normal-social-behavior-and-behavioral-problems-of-domestic-animals/social-behavior-of-dogs
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©2017 Lisa Mullinax. All rights reserved. Feel free to share, but downloading for redistribution in any form, for any reason is a copyright violation. Thanks!

23/12/2022

Was your dog naughty or nice? 🎄🎅

🐶 Was your dog naughty this year? Here are some great tips to get them on the nice list.

24/11/2022

Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃🥧

Remember to keep your expectations of your dog reasonable and realistic and aim to reduce stress for all involved by utilizing good management.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

I posted this in my clients-only group, and it's worth sharing.

As the holidays approach, you may be faced with situations outside of what your dog is equipped to handle, or is used to experiencing. Be realistic about what your dog is able to handle successfully, and don't put them in a position to fail! If you're unable to train through it and make the situation a positive experience, or at the very least a neutral experience, don't put them in that situation. Management is your best friend for these situations. There is absolutely nothing wrong with putting the dog away in another room with a frozen kong, a chew bone, or something else to occupy them while family is over if that's something that your dog will struggle with, and you're unable to train through it in the moment. Don't leave your dog out to dry.

Ask yourself:
Is my dog capable of handling this situation without my help? If not, what would it take to make the situation a neutral or positive experience? Can I do that? Do I want to do that right now?

If not, manage the dog! All problems don't have to be solved in a day.

07/11/2022

"Your reactive dog isn't giving you a hard time, your reactive dog is having a hard time."

Being the support system and advocate for a reactive dog can be tough, but the correct path isn't linear and you're doing a great job!

REkALIBRATED k9 — Science-Based Dog Training shared a post on Instagram: "Life with a reactive dog can be a struggle some days, but you're doing a great job! ❤️🙌 Need guidance on how to support your reactive dog while working for lasting change? Join me virtually for "Big Barks, Bigger Emot...

21/10/2022

Hey, REkALIBRATED pups and parents! Cat here.

I've been working hard to produce Reeling in Reactivity—a dive into the science behind the causes of big emotions and how to effectively reconstruct those explosive responses. I am so excited to share this course with you! It's going to be fabulous.

Unfortunately, there are so many cool pieces to the discussion that I am not going to be able to make my original promise of an October start date, as you might have noticed. 😬

Since there are no more Distractions Class opportunities between now and the end of the year, I wanted to check in and see who would join me for a smaller, shorter version of the big course. I want to motivate all of you not to take too much time off from practicing!

If you have a dog who reacts strongly to the presence of dogs, people, or even the doorbell, this topic is for you. If your dog struggles to make friends or is easily flustered by change, listen up:

The mini course would be just 3 weeks long and consist of a broad focus on the 3 steps to success. It will be conducted live on Tuesdays with recordings provided for the price of $199.

The other option is to wait for the full course to be completed. The full course will be a combination of live coaching, lifetime access to the exclusively community for course-takers, and pre-recorded lessons over a total of 6 weeks. This full experience will be offered for $379.

Are you in?!

If you're in and would like to join the mini course in short order, comment below "I'm in!".

If you're in but you'd rather wait for the full course to open, comment below "I'll wait!"

Can't wait to hear from you!

❤️ happy training 🐕
Cat

19/09/2022

Can YOU guess what the name of the next group experience is?

Here's a hint: When it comes to BIG emotions, those familiar with canine behavior know that sometimes things are not always what they seem! Because often fear can look like aggression and discomfort can even look like calm, we use a different word to describe the fact that a dog may have a strong, emotional response while we sort what specific emotion is involved.

18/09/2022

13/09/2022

And just like that, the cold weather is upon us!

With just 10 official days of summer left, we wrapped up Distractions Class for 2022 with a trip to Lowe's. What a fantastic class to end the year on!

It has been so cool to watch these dogs grow and improve throughout the year. Every dog in this class managed to exceed the training goals set for them for this round of practice— from entering a store for the first time to closing the distance between other dogs to giving solid engagement around significant distraction, they all made their trainer proud!

While we won't have another Distractions Class this year, we will be starting a series of really cool online experiences to help you take advantage of the cooler weather and be as prepared as possible to join classes again when the weather warms back up. Be sure to stay tuned for the registration announcements!

01/09/2022

Dog training and dog sport lovers who STILL struggle with jumping up and polite greetings, this one is for you:

24/08/2022

🙌

So valuable to understand this.

15/08/2022

𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗢𝗟 𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗡! Puppy school, that is.

Children aren't born knowing how to do math, make social connections, and quietly focus on important tasks; we teach them how to do these things... and we don't wait until they're struggling to start their education. We start as early as we can to make sure they're well prepared for life!

So, why is it we often wait until our dogs are really struggling to seek help?

𝘿𝙤𝙜𝙨 𝙙𝙤 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙚-𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙙!

If we don't take the time to teach our dogs how to behave appropriately in the situations we plan to put them in, they'll never learn how to do it properly on their own. If we wait until they're having a hard time, it takes a lot more time and effort to correct the behavior than setting them up for success from the beginning. Your canine companion needs an education, too!

Book your online, one-on-one consultation with us today to learn how we can help you set your dog (and family!) up for success and skip the headache of behavior concerns completely.

15/08/2022

𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸? 𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳, 𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗴? It’s time we start to really ask ourselves this question because, as it turns out, the dog park is probably NOT the best fit for your dog.

We often see puppy owners turn to their local dog parks in the name of “𝙨𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣”. Unfortunately, this choice is usually more harmful than helpful. To understand why, we need to take a moment to define what animal behavior experts mean when they use the word “socialization”.

While it has become a blanket term to refer to any and all social activities a young dog may get to experience, when experts use the word “socialization”, they actually intend to specifically describe the process of teaching young dogs what our social expectations actually are. Much like teaching young children when it is and when it isn’t appropriate to interact with strangers, our “socialization” goals for puppies should be focused on teaching them how we want them to behave in adulthood. In short, while we want to teach puppies that dogs and people are safe to interact with and are worth being friendly towards, we also want to teach them to be polite and calm in the presence of both dogs and people. Essentially, we want our dogs to know that a variety of dogs and people exist in the world, but that minding their own business is the socially correct response in most situations!

For puppies, this means the dog park is often counterproductive. Instead of teaching puppies that they should be relaxed, calm and focused on their owners when they see other dogs out and about, we accidentally teach them that when they see other dogs, they get to be super amped and pull, bark, whine, and attempt to run up to dogs without much regard for their humans. For this reason, we often see young dogs that frequent the dog park struggle with extreme excitement and explosive behavior when they see dogs in situations where off-leash play is not appropriate, such as during their neighborhood walk. Sometimes puppy owners are confused about why their otherwise friendly dog might respond so dramatically at the sight of other dogs, but the unfortunate truth is if most of your puppy’s social experiences have included off-leash, free-for-all play, this behavior is actually what your puppy has been taught is socially appropriate!

For adult dogs, we have to remember that it is completely normal and natural for social interest to decline with age in most social species. Even though human children greatly enjoy making new friends and playing with other children, it’s no secret that most of us do not care to socialize with random strangers in adulthood. In the same way that you would likely not find it fun to be sent into a room full of complete strangers by yourself to socialize and engage in highly physical contact, most adult dogs find the dog park to be overwhelming and stressful. Just like there are “social butterflies” in the human world who truly enjoy interactions with strangers, some dogs do retain a greater desire to socialize in adulthood than others, but dog behavior experts agree that these dogs are the MINORITY. Most frequently, we see adult dogs become progressively hesitant about and fearful of interactions with other dogs at the dog park that may even escalate to fights. Just like it is completely appropriate for your circle of friends to be fairly small and consistent, it is completely acceptable for adult dogs to have a few dogs they really enjoy interacting with but no real interest in playing with strange dogs. 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲; 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗴𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲.

In addition to potentially teaching your dog bad social habits, dog parks pose a risk to your dog’s physical safety. Because the play is often off-leash and high energy, the chances of conflict between over-aroused and over-stimulated dogs is high. Because most public parks are not supervised and do not have any temperament screening in place for canine participants, you may find that other dogs in attendance are not as comfortable or social as your dog might be. You have to hope that the other owners are able to read their dogs well enough to prevent conflict from escalating to dangerous fights. At REkALIBRATED k9, we receive at least one phone call PER WEEK about a major injury sustained at local dog parks. It simply isn’t worth the risk!

If you are looking for safe ways for your dog or puppy to socialize, consider setting up play dates with dogs you know exhibit good habits and social skills instead of attending public parks. If you must choose a park, private parks with small groups of regular attendees or those that require a screening process to attend are much safer choices than unsupervised or unregulated public parks. If you’re using the dog park to help give your dog an outlet for their energy, know that working towards training goals or dog sport goals provides much better mental stimulation for your dog without the risk of interactions going badly. If you’d like your dog to get to practice good social manners, consider attending group training classes instead of allowing free-play with strange dogs!

At the end of the day, dog parks exist because PEOPLE enjoy socializing with each other while watching dogs interact, not because they create an environment designed for correct, safe dog socialization. 𝗗𝗼 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗱𝗼𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸!

13/08/2022

Proof that dogs have been man's best friend for a long, long time ❤️.

11/08/2022

Veterinarians, breeders and rescue partners: if you filled out the Partner form, don't forget to check out and/or book your demos!

If you have not received your email, let us know.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScoplzgyrgHAkDUPLCj1RldZSjeurGz3TGWU-iIhoJBCJIcOA/viewform

At REkALIBRATED k9, we know that owner education can make all the difference in the world when it comes to keeping dogs happily in their homes. For this reason, we have worked hard to create a variety of products and services designed to support the average dog owner by making behavior and husbandry...

10/08/2022

Let's play the Name Game!!

🐾 leave just one picture in the comments below as a hint to what your dog's name is
🐾 see if you can guess some other dog names based on the picture hints
🐾 let the guesser know if they get it right!

Ready, set... go!