The Motivated K9

24/01/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BPqbymmRA/

Yesterday, I shared a video post about an incident I witnessed where one of my neighbours repeatedly whipped his labrador across the face with a lead because the dog panicked when he was on a walk and he pulled in that panic.

It reminded me of something a lovely dog trainer colleague said that really stuck with me.

“It’s never just loose lead, is it?” she said.

It’s NEVER just loose lead.

And she’s right.

She said that over two years ago and for every single call I’ve had enquiring about loose lead walking, I’ve made a mental note of the times it really was just about loose lead.

Zero.

Zero times in two years.

Every single time I’ve had a call wanting to know if I can teach loose lead walking, it’s been about so much more.

Frustration. Impulsivity. Dysregulation. Fear. Anxiety. Panic. Lack of training.

Being a dog.

You’d be surprised by how many dogs out there are dogs and want to do dog stuff.

Pulling on lead is a symptom of so many other things.

But I’ll tell you one thing it’s not.

It’s not ever a problem on its own.

It needn't be work. I'm a big fan of a couple of very small hacks that turn dogs into happy heelers with brief, consistent practice.

But that work never starts with the lead. It starts by working out what's REALLY going on.

I wish more people knew that.

24/01/2025

20/01/2025

Im sharing this video for a couple reasons. Get your dog on a long line! (This one is 50ft) In a safe place with plenty of vision of approaching people or dogs. ( or with no people and dogs) Pay those check ins! (I don't pay freyja everytime becasue she's very good with them) I would normally manage the slack in the line so there is not so much extra but I need both hands for that. This is also a good example of dog with physical discomfort and gait adaptations. She has pretty severe lumbar sacral disease.

15/01/2025

Vayo

07/01/2025

Repo

05/01/2025

Tofii

27/12/2024

Yes its just a picture, but multiple picture can tell a story.

24/12/2024

Sammy

23/12/2024

Sprout had alot of fun during her lesson and meet amd greet! 😆

21/12/2024

Jerry

12/12/2024

Kira, needed a nap half way through our session!

11/12/2024

The DOGS Truth

FULL PRO COURSE!https://kimbropheylegscourses.thinkific.com/courses/legs-applied-ethology-family-dog-mediation-professional-courseYOUR DOG is not broken, and...

04/12/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15HLYTRGVk/

When we do aggression consults, addressing pain is of utmost importance.
It is one of the primary things a well educated and experienced behavior consultant will consider.

I cannot diagnose pain.
That is for your wonderful Veterinary professionals to do (as you may have heard me say if you are one of my incredible clients “I’m not a Vet, nor do I play one on TV!’). They will be able to assess and treat for pain.

Pain can often be a significant contributor to aggressive behaviors. (Pain and Problem Behavior in Cats and Dogs- Mills et al. 2020)

But I DO consider ALL the ways that WE, you the owner and me the animal professional, along with your Vet teams, can limit the many ways that pain is, or could be, a factor in your dogs behavior challenges .

One of the ways that I can help is to identify and to limit potential things that can exacerbate pain!

For example, in my cases today, we discussed amongst many, many things: access to sofas, beds, food and water (how they are obtained, elevation etc…), movement around the home (slippery floors and stairs), touching and petting and so on…

Something as basic as sitting on a slippery floor could potentially exacerbate pain in many places such as the hips, knees, spine, neck etc…
A slippery surface will add the potential of discomfort during the sit and after the sit, and if we did repetitive ‘training’-ooof!!

It is our job to discuss and bring awareness to ALL of these small (or large) potential agitator’s.
For a successful behavior change plan to work, we often must get into the ‘nitty gritty’ finer points.
Not always, but when we have more complex situations with varying and often seemingly unpredictable causes (antecedents and distant antecedents) those finer points can be what makes or breaks a plan!

Check out the cutest sploot sit below- cute right?
Cute…But potentially a very painful position for this adorable young dog, which could be a single factor among many causing discomfort or pain.

For this kid, I recommended (among many other recommendations)using more mats and rugs around the house to prevent slipping and unstable movement.

Walking on slippery floors for many dogs is like trying to walk with slippery soled shoes on ice. It will increase tension and tightness in their body which will exacerbate pain. Slipping can create injuries or worsen them as well.

Pain lowers thresholds. And that will often lead to a ‘grumpier’ animal (I know my severe neck issues this year made me less than a joy to be around!).

If you are concerned about pain, please see your Veterinarian!
Take videos of the movement you see (or don’t see) of your animal from different angles, and show those videos to your Vets (it helps them a great deal to see natural movement outside of what their clinical observations enables).

03/12/2024

Boarding dog Indy is providing serious comic relief this morning.

03/12/2024

Freyja and Jerry

01/12/2024

Indy having romp