🩸Are you bloodied and bruised?😈Do you think your puppy has been possessed?😫Are you frustrated, exhausted, and ready to give up?Did you watch this video and see your dog in it? Guess what? It’s normal for puppies to behave this way! You are experiencing The Witching Hour 👹The bite marks, scratches, and general craziness are part of a puppy learning about her environment. It’s up to you to provide positive feedback, mental exercise, and environmental management to help prevent the behaviors you don’t want. There is hope!DM “Witching Hour” and I can send you more information and strategies to make The Witching Hour(s) as painless as possible. It doesn’t have to be a bloodbath. #puppywitchinghour #witchinghour #puppytraining #puppybiting
Birdie’s new Lickimat UFO is a big hit! I froze dehydrated minnows on it with some Churu, bone broth, and Rawbble. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Peanut butter is becoming increasingly questionable as a lickmat ingredient because it can contain xylitol (also known as birch sugar), lots of actual sugar, plus glyphosate and other toxins. I use organic baby food and Churu dog paste packets for Birdie’s lickmats. The flavors are endless, although she’s not picky. There are lots of other alternatives, too. What do you use in your dog’s lickmats? 🐶
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#dogtraining #puppytraining #lickmats #dogenrichment #puppywitchinghour #puppybiting #puppyenrichment
Witching Hour is a real thing 👹 Comment “Puppy” and I’ll DM you practical tips to save your sanity… and your skin 👻
When I introduced Johnny, the blind puppy I’m working with, to a snufflemat, his nose immediately went bonkers! Because he can’t see, he is using his other senses to navigate his environment, but his nose especially is working overtime. His mom tells me that he found a dead frog, 2 bird heads, and his dog brother’s missing collar in the yard all without his eyes 🤣 We are working on lots of sniffing games as enrichment to tire him out, but also because he absolutely loves it! Johnny is 5 months old 🐶
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#snufflemat #dogsofinstagram #blindpuppy #rescuepuppy #nosework #dogtraining #puppytraining #blinddog
L👀k what just came in the mail!
Hot off the presses:
“Pet Food Fraud” by Dr. Tom Lonsdale.
If you need me, I’ll be on my patio reading. I’m most excited to look at all the research 🐶
Johnny is a rescue and has a history of food scarcity, so he was frantic about taking treats and often got a little too mouthy because he couldn’t see where his mom’s hand was, or where the treat was. So we started working on putting the treat under his chin, instead of in his mouth (which is also a technique I use with sighted puppies), but also added a verbal cue “treat” to build in predictability. It took him less than 5 minutes to become more relaxed about taking treats once he knew the treat was coming underneath instead of from up in the air somewhere he couldn’t see. He didn’t have to airsnap anymore to grab it. And once he knew where the treat was, he became a lot less frantic. 💙
🥦 “My dog won’t eat veggies!” 🥒
I hear this from exasperated parents at least 5 times a week. If you have a dog like me (i.e. a Labrador) who will eat anything that’s not nailed down, it’s not that big of a deal.
But with an anxious dog or a dog who doesn’t have an experienced palate, it can be really challenging. So mixing steamed veggies and fruits into a bone broth puree can really help!
You can use any veggies or fruits that you want except grapes, raisins, or onions. I typically just stick to broccoli or cauliflower. And you want the veggies to be steamed first.
Experiment with different kinds of ingredients or different base bone broths, or different omegas to ‘spice’ things up, just like we use spices. Although I definitely would not use tripe to spice up my food! 🤢
Does your dog eat veggies?
Reggie is staying with me and he’s 8 months old. It’s his first 4th of July, so I want to make sure he has the best experience possible. Sunday was really hard for him- it was loud around my neighborhood and last night was a bit better.
We already went outside for the last time until 1am, when I set my alarm to take him and Birdie out. He has a Toppl to lick, and another one in the freezer, I gave him CBD, he is wearing ear protection, and I have 80s Pandora on at a pretty loud volume. I think The Psychedelic Furs “Heaven” is a perfect song! I want Reggie to remember this positively for the rest of his life. I also have “Thundercheese” for when the major fireworks start, which will be early here tonight because they are trying to beat the incoming storm.
Are you prepared to make your dog’s experience positive?
Today I made a video for my website and it became very clear very quickly that it is a good thing I don’t have to quit my day job 😂🤣 And apparently I yell when I talk, which I didn’t know 📢 I wanted a short intro video that encompassed my sense of humor and empathy, and I am super happy with it! I directed, and my friend Kendra was behind the camera and did all the editing. It would have taken me DAYS to edit it (again, I’m dog trainer, not a filmmaker, although I did go to the Minneapolis College of Art and Design my first year of college. Yeah, that didn’t work out 😬), but she did it in 15 minutes. And Rufus and Elvis made a cameo! 🐶💙🐶What do you think?What behavior should I talk about in future videos?….#dogtraining #positivedogtraining #noshock #noprong #nochoke#humananimalbond #dogaggressiontraining #rescuedogs #dogsofinstagram #fearfreedogtraining #exciteddog #fearfuldog #puppypottytraining #anxiousdog #puppytraining #chocolatelab #boxer #goldendoodle #beagle #cavalierkingcharlesspaniel #shihtzu #labradorretriever #poodle
Teaching deaf dogs is very similar to teaching hearing dogs, and we even teach a ‘marker’ cue. In hearing dogs we might use a clicker, or say “yes’”. With Sugar, we are using a hand signal, but you could also use a light. The marker is taught before it is paired with a behavior just like with hearing dogs. In this lesson, Sugar’s mom was marking her “Watch Me” that we just started, which is a really important skill we will build on. The ‘marker’ is a quick hand opening and closing. Sugar’s bubbles were ALL over me, her mom, her dad, the floor, my iPad, and my phone by the time I left 🤣 Isn’t she adorable! 🍭💖🐶
I bought some beautiful quail eggs today, and also found some yummy sugar snap peas. I added a sardine and some blueberries to Birdie’s dinner, and she inhaled it! I love adding different toppers to her food to see what she likes 💖….#dogtraining #positivedogtraining #noshock #noprong #nochoke#humananimalbond #dogaggressiontraining #rescuedogs #dogsofinstagram #fearfreedogtraining #exciteddog #fearfuldog #puppypottytraining #anxiousdog #puppytraining #chocolatelab #boxer #goldendoodle #beagle #cavalierkingcharlesspaniel #shihtzu #labradorretriever #poodle
🚨My new favorite Boredom Buster 🚨It’s from @mywoof and it’s called the Pupsicle. I used @bixbipet Rawbble and @openfarmpet bone broth. I rehydrated the Rawbble with the bone broth (hello good gut health!) and froze it in the tray. Then I popped one of them in the toy and screwed it together. Lots of licks and enjoyment ensued- about 20 minutes worth, and it’s Birdie’s actual food 👍🏻👏🏻🐶🥳🐟🐾
How many times a day do you wash your hands?
How many times a day do you wash your dog’s paws?
Think about it. Your dog walks on her paws all day long, and that’s where all the toxins are. The paws are also the only place your dog has sweat glands, so they are a direct line to your dog’s internal systems.
This is after our walk today. ONE walk… dirt, chemicals from grass, chemicals from the street, toxins, etc. If I didn’t wipe Birdie’s paws, she would come in the house, walk around, lay in her bed, lay in MY bed 🤮, and lick her paws, only to ingest all the toxins. I also do frequent povidone iodine paw soaks to help with bacteria and yeast. Removing toxins decreases the likelihood of disease, allergies, behavior issues, inflammation, and many other issues.
I love @earthbath_pet Cherry Puppy Wipes- they smell so good!
Do you wash your dog’s paws frequently? 🐾🐶
#guthealth #microbiome #gutmicrobiome #gutbrainaxis #neurotransmitters #leakygut #leakygutsyndrome
#leakygutdogs #doganxiety #dogaggression #fearfuldogs #goodguts #gutbacteria #dogtraining #positivedogtraining #noshock #noprong #nochoke#humananimalbond #dogaggressiontraining #rescuedogs #dogsofinstagram #fearfreedogtraining #exciteddog #fearfuldog
It is imperative that you make your puppy’s confinement area a place they want to spend time in. Eleven week old Kirby’s lunch is in here- I put it in a @westpawus Toppl, and he is begging to get in! And then it takes him at least 45 minutes to eat. Win-Win for sure 👍🏻🐶💜
