All About The Dog

29/08/2024

Control the environment, not the dog.

In many cases, management can be just as effective as training - and a much easier way to prevent unwanted behaviors.

Whether you need advice on how to help your fearful dog, have concerns about aggressive behavior, are struggling with puppy issues, or just want to set your dog or puppy up for success, I can help. Contact me today at [email protected] or visit my website at https://www.crimsonhound.com.

24/08/2024

I found this video some years back on how shock collars work. This is important information since so many people who use them and support the sale of them will use words such as static, stem, mini educator to soften the word shock. Even static shocks hurt. I will now get more ads for these that I will have to block. However, it is worth it to share the why of how these shock collars cause pain.

High tech dog training collars are a controversial approach to stopping whatever your dog is doing that drives you nuts. Here's the tech and an expert tell y...

20/08/2024

What it means to be a part of the FDM, Family Dog Mediation, group? Read below written by Carrie Davis. To me it is instead of asking HOW as in how to stop or change a behavior, ask WHY, is the behavior being done.

We posed the question, "What is Family Dog Mediation?" to our FDMs a while back. We loved the way everyone took their own approach to what being an FDM means to them, but within all the answers, we saw so many similar themes. Our very first FDM, D Davis put this together so beautifully that we had to share!

13/08/2024

If you are in the Huntington IN area and are looking for a wonderful fear free puppy or dog class, this is the place to go. Only positive reinforcement will be used for you and your puppy or dog.

Exciting News!! Training classes are now open for registration! We have both a Puppy Pre-School class (for pups 7-20 weeks old) and Adolescent/Adult Grade School (Basic Level 1) Class starting next week. Puppy classes will be on Monday evenings and adult classes on Tuesdays. We will be adding more as time goes on but wanted to at least get the basics up and running. Registration is through our sister company, Pet Pals Country Club, through which Dr. Quinn has been training dogs since 2018. You can find the link on the quinnvet.com page or go to petpalscountryclub.com to get the details and register.

We offer a unique option for pet owners who have dogs that do not do well in a classroom setting, or can't come to class for some other reason, to audit the class without a dog present. This means the human "end of the leash" comes to learn and takes the information home to practice the skills. More details and cost are on the Pet Pals training page. If interested in this option please call Quinn Veterinary Clinic at 260-454-7623 to register.

Continue to watch our page for more fun opportunities for both you and your pet to be part of our Pet Pals Country Club!!

12/08/2024

Signing up for this free introduction to Kim Brophey's L.E.G.S. Applied Ethology Family Dog Mediation Pro Course course is like a 7 course meal. Actually more than a 7 course meal since there are 13 sections to this free sample. Even though I have gone through the whole course and am an FDM I wanted to look at this before I shared it. It was so much more than I had expected. Even a sample of the biweekly Q&A zoom calls we participate in. And yes there is a yummy dessert at the end. If you are on the fence about signing up for the course this will provide you with all the reasons why you might want to hop off the fence, sign up and dig in.

Family Dog Mediator

11/08/2024

This past week I finished a course from Control The Meerkat, The UK’s Experts in Trauma Informed Dog Behaviour, Training, & Rehabilitation. It was excellent. In this course and so many of the other courses, seminars, webinars I have been taking lately the same pattern is shared by all the experts. I outlined them in the graphic below. Number 1 is always safety first. What does this look like? Having a place for the puppy/dog to go where they know they will not be bothered. It can also mean not putting pressure on the puppy/dog which can be an opportunity to slow ourselves down and have our expectations at their level not where we want them to be. A trauma response can be seen in so many ways from hyperarousal. defined as; Hyperarousal is a state of increased responsiveness to stimuli that can cause physiological and psychological symptoms. It's also known as the "fight, flight, or freeze" response, and can be triggered by perceived threats, traumatic memories, or specific emotions. It can also be seen as Hypoarousal defined as; Hypoarousal is a state of low arousal, or under-responsiveness to stimuli, in the nervous system. It's the opposite of hyperarousal, which is when the nervous system is overstimulated by stress. During hypoarousal, the nervous system is understimulated, and people may feel shut down, depressed, or numb. These are the same definitions for our dogs.

08/08/2024

Remember this graphic the next time you dog sees something they receive as scary or frightening. You might also understand more how your nervous system works when something your afraid of suddenly appears and why you react the way you do. From the content: "I want you to keep in mind that all animals (even us humans) are deeply wired to protect ourselves against a perceived threat and each individual has their own interpretations of what is scary and what is not." Thank you See Spot Learn by Emily Dustan

🧠To understand your dog’s reactivity, you need to understand the basics of how your dog’s brain works.

A dog may not have the capability of processing higher complex emotions of what humans can, however, you can’t look at a dog and tell me they don’t feel. Of course, they do! Their feelings are just not as complex as humans, but interestingly enough they do process information from all parts of the body similar to our human brains.

So, the brain is made up of soft tissue and nerve cells, and is composed of the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem. These 3 areas of the brain interprets information, controls all functions of the body, and responds accordingly. The brain does not only control physical responses, but chemical ones as well.

Now, let’s go to the autonomic nervous system. The Sympathetic nervous system originates in the spinal cord which is connected to the brainstem at the bottom of the dog’s brain. One of its main functions is to activate the physiological changes that occur during the flight or fight response. This means that the dog's neurotransmitters in the brain send chemical messages to parts of the body to release hormones, and other chemicals to prepare the dog's body for intense action when the dog is experiencing a stressful, or overwhelming event.

The body can fluctuate between flight and fight, and rest and digest. This is because the brain is constantly sending messages and signals from one part to another.

When the dog is feeling heightened emotions such as arousal, stress, happiness, excitement, fear, anxiety, or pain, the brain sends the body messages to react in the following ways:

1. Increased heart rate and respiration,
2. Dilation of eye pupil (to see with more clarity).
3. Inhibition of the lacrimal gland (responsible for tear production and salivation).
4. Dilated airways for increased oxygen,
5. Dilated blood vessels for blood to flow to the muscles.
6. Inhibition of stomach and upper intestinal action to the point where digestion slows or stops (The body can’t process food when in flight/ fight response, it needs to save its energy for survival).
7. The liver releases glucose,
8. The kidneys release adrenaline,
9. Relaxation of bladder.
10. Constriction of blood vessels in many parts of the body.
11. Auditory exclusion (loss of hearing).
12. Tunnel vision (loss of peripheral vision).
13. Shaking.

I want you to keep in mind that all animals (even us humans) are deeply wired to protect ourselves against a perceived threat and each individual has their own interpretations of what is scary and what is not.

For example; I am afraid of spiders and anything that may resemble a creepy crawly, where you may not be bothered at all by the sight of a spider. Fear begins in the brain, and then travels through the body adjusting along the way for the best defence, to run away, or defend oneself as quickly as possible. All these changes happen so fast that the individual wouldn’t even be aware of them or have a chance to really process what is happening.

The fear response starts in a region in the brain called the amygdala. The job of the amygdala is to detect the importance of the stimulus and how much effect it would have on the dog's well-being. This creates a cascade of events which involve the hypothalamic-pituitary and adrenal glands. This is the main driver of the endocrine stress response. The hypothalamus receives information and sends chemical signals to the pituitary gland which signals the adrenal glands to increase the production of cortisol aka “stress hormone”. This stress hormone helps to increase energy in order to deal with a stressful event.

The instant an event is happening it triggers the sympathetic nervous system which signals the adrenal glands to release adrenaline (aka epinephrine) which leaps into action and goes into the bloodstream to increase the blood flow throughout the body which causes quick responses.

The reaction depends on the threat level of the stimulus. The more threatening the stimulus the more intense the response is.
The sight, or sound of something the dog finds scary, intimidating, or threatening creates a stressful event and triggers neurotransmitters in the brain which transmits signals through the synapse from one neuron to another in a chain reaction which changes the way the dog responds to the trigger. These neurotransmitters release a chemical substance at the end of a nerve fibre and these chemicals travel throughout the body and react accordingly.

So now the brain is super alert, pupils dilate, breathing and heart rate accelerates, blood pressure increases, and glucose increases which seeps into the skeletal muscles to provide energy to move quickly.

The takeaway from this is that fear keeps us alive, and it is involuntary. Not one individual has conscious control over it. Even though it is unpleasant and interferes with our everyday lives and functioning, it should be respected not punished.

Maintaining a balance of chemicals in the body is crucial for emotional regulation and stable behaviour. A reactive dog is one who is struggling and may require assistance, possibly including medication alongside a behaviour modification program. This combination aims to establish positive associations and boost the dog's confidence. Veterinary behaviourists specialise in managing a dog's mental state in such cases.

References:

Riva J, Bondiolotti G, Micelazzi M, et al. Anxiety-related behavioural disorders and neurotransmitters in dogs. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 2008;114,168–181.

Beerda B, Schilder M, van Hoof J, et al. Manifestations of chronic and acute stress in dogs. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 1997;52:307–319.

Berteselli GV, Servidaq F, DallAra P, et al. Evaluation of the immunological, stress and behavioural parameters in dogs (Canis familiaris) with anxiety-related disorders. In: Mills D et al., eds. Current Issues and Research in Veterinary Behavioral Medicine. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press; 2005:18–22.

02/08/2024

I so believe in this approach to dog training. Don't get me wrong I love to teach dogs. I also want to do that when the dog feels safe and wants to learn. Putting the basics such as sit, down, down on the list and reinforce your dog throughout the day for doing what is mutually beneficial. Such as, when looking out a window and the dog looks away or walks away, reinforce the walking away. Why? (my few favorite question). They can decide on their own that walking away from a stimulus outside is beneficial to them. Which may decrease our frustration and the need to resort to punitive resources in the future to decrease barking at something outside.

Send a message to learn more

24/07/2024

How many of you might benefit from this free resource? 🙋‍♀️

Send a message to learn more

19/07/2024

Continuing to do things as they have always been done isn't the way to train a dog or in some cases to live our life. Break the chain of obedience and begin to let down the guard of needing to be in control. Reinforce more, connect more, and enjoy being without all the doing.

18/07/2024

𝗥𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸: "All you need to do is to be very strict from the beginning so they learn what their place is".

𝗠𝗲: 🙄

A few weeks ago, I was working with a client and her cute pup, and this is what a member of the public told us when they saw us doing some training together. They might have been well-meaning - but also extremely misinformed.

❌ You do not need to use intimidation, punishment, and aversives, or be 'very strict' with your dog to show them what their place is because you don't need to show them what their place is in the first place! ❌

This type of thinking comes from what is known as the 'dominance theory'. This theory has led professionals, as well as dog owners, to design and apply training techniques based on punishment, coercion and aversion.

This tendency has been probably motivated by the belief that for dogs to be well-behaved, humans need to assert their authority using force and intimidation to be the 'alpha', the 'dominant pack leader', the 'top dog' and prevent dogs from achieving a higher social status over them and become 'dominant'.

There are so many problems with this.

📚 Early studies and flawed foundations.

The 'dominance theory' is incorrect. The early studies on wolves' behaviour have been based on groups of captive unrelated wolves forced to form artificial groups and share the same territory and resources, which inevitably led them to compete over these resources through aggression.

Wild wolves living naturally in their habitat, on the other hand, rather than a strict hierarchical organisation, form cohesive and cooperative social structures which resemble more a family group, where aggression is rarely seen between individuals and where it does not serve the purpose of achieving a higher social status (Mech, 2008; Eaton, 2011)

🐺 Dogs are not wolves.

Another problem with the 'dominance theory' is the assumption that wolves and dogs behave and form similar social structures as they share a common ancestor. Whilst the fact that they share a common ancestor is undoubtedly true, dogs have changed a lot from wolves since domestication, and the social groups they form are very different from those formed by wolves (Eaton, 2011; Miklósi, 2015).

Studies about free-ranging feral dogs show how their social structures are loose and fluid, with unrelated individuals coming and going, and that the relationship between the breeding pair and the offspring is fundamentally different too, with the mother being the main and mostly the only provider for her puppies, and with breeding behaviour being more influenced by reproductive cycles and the situation rather than by the existence of a family-like group of related individuals like in wolves (Coppinger and Coppinger, 2002; Van Kerkhove, 2004; Miklósi, 2015).

The same can be said for groups of domestic dogs, who rather than strict and hierarchical structures or 'packs', seem to form loose and fluid social groups, where their interactions, and in particular aggressive behaviours, are not driven by the aim of achieving a higher social status within their group (Van Kerkhove, 2004; Bradshaw et al., 2009).

🏆 Being 'dominant' is not about status.

It's now important to note that the word 'dominant' has been erroneously used for decades to describe an individual, as if 'being dominant' was an individual trait, a character trait.

What the word 'dominant' really defines is not a status, but it refers to those behaviours that are displayed in relation to other individuals and that have been learned in order to acquire and maintain access to those resources that a dog values the most, and that might well be different between the same two individuals when the resource in question is different (Bradshaw et al., 2009; Eaton, 2011).

The truth is that unlike wolves, domestic dogs do not need to form packs with other dogs in order to survive as they don’t need to cooperate to hunt and find food: all their needs are provided for by us, their human carers.

We also know that dogs don’t form packs with us either and that they are not in competition with us, but they are part of our social group, of our family.


👉 In other words, dogs are not domesticated wolves, and they are not trying to dominate us.

This means there is truly no need to use methods based on the need to 'dominate' our dogs. Reward-based training techniques that support kinder, ethical and cooperative methods work and, the way I see it, are just much nicer for all the involved. ✌️

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

References

Bradshaw, J.W.S., Blackwell, E.J. and Casey, R.A. (2009) Dominance in domestic dogs – useful construct or bad habit? Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research, 4(3), pp. 109-144.

Coppinger, R. and Coppinger, L. (2002) Dogs. A New Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior and Evolution. University of Chicago Press.

Eaton, B. (2011) Dominance in Dogs. Fact or fiction? Dogwise Publishing.

Mech, L. D. (2008) What Happened to the Term Alpha Wolf? International Wolf, 18(4), pp. 4-8.

Miklósi, A. (2015) Dog Behaviour, Evolution and Cognition. 2nd edition. Oxford University Press.

Van Kerkhove, W. (2004) A fresh look at the wolf-pack theory of companion-animal dog social behavior. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 7(4), pp. 279-285.

10/07/2024

All About The Dog has been nominated for this years Readers Choice Dog Trainer Category. This is indeed an honor to be nominated. We would appreciate your vote. Not only for All About The Dog also for positive reinforcement teaching for you and your dog. There are other positive reinforcement friends nominated, a vote for any of us is a vote for building relationship with your dog. Voting will close on July 28th. Vote daily if you are so inclined. Thanks yoU. As well as a thank you to those who nominated All About The Dog.
https://www.fortwayne.com/readerschoice/ #/gallery?group=490547

29/06/2024

This morning's self dialogue was about conflict related aggression to a dog's guardian which led to the three P's precedent predictability and patterns. Then my thoughts went back to the very first book I ever red called culture clash by Jean Donaldson. In that book there was a section talking about how we, the human, can go from safe to dangerous. Which leads me back to predictability from us. Then my mind went to dogs that bite “out of the blue”. See how my mind just has this very nice conversation all by itself? When we are with our dogs can we sometimes be unpredictable or dangerous. The answer to me yes. And what might that look like? Let's say there is that president or the stimulus that is happening such as our dog having something we would rather not have them have. The majority of the time they could be chewing on a toy, a bone, or other enrichment. We walk by without any type of reaction. The dog feels safe, the dog is safe. Then the dog is chewing on our glasses. Understanding no one wants their glasses chewed on by a dog. Our predictable past response would have been to walk by the dog and let them have what they have. Now here we are going into unpredictable behavior by yelling, maybe opening their mouth with our hands, taking their high value item away. We might even be as unpredictable or dangerous to continue yelling at them, or even worse, striking them. With more of our behavior going from predictable to unpredictable might the pattern be we are no longer considered safe? Which prompts the dog to communicate to us with a growl, an air snap, or that bite “out of the blue”. It is so important for us to really work on how we react in the moment. Changing from reacting to responding. This is difficult, believe me I understand. It takes self-discipline to be able to take that breath and count to 10 and rely on our past learning of asking for a behavior the dog may know how to respond to. There are so many other situations that could be mentioned on how we can be unpredictable. House training the young puppy. No one wants their carpet peed or pooped on however our responsibility is to supervise that puppy. Just recently I've heard of three cases where people were still rubbing the puppy’s nose in the urine. How can that predict to a puppy that we are safe to urinate around? If you haven’t read Culture Clash you may want to. Starting on page 95 you would read about the Gorn Family. The Gorn Family is a flip of a dog coming into a human world, it is a human going into a dog world. Develop the predictable pattern of being a safe Gorn to your puppy or your dog.

28/06/2024

Here is a video practicing the touch and breathe acupressure you will learn about in Sunday's webinar mentioned in today's earliest post. Prepare for calm breathe along. Sign up and learn see how in the other post.

27/06/2024

Wanted to send information on this webinar called Emotional First Aid For You and Your Dog. Which is such perfect timing with the 4th of July coming up as the techniques that will be discussed have such a calming effect . I posted a picture of Harmony after I did the Touch and Breath on the Yin Tang acupressure point on my page this week. Wish I could add it to this post because she was in such a tranquil state. However, you will see more of the process in videos within Sunday's Webinar as she is a part of the course. You will also have time to take another course offered by Laura Donaldson called Emotional Freedom Techniques: Clinical Tapping for you and your Dog. I know I am doing these daily to help both Harmony and I be proactive and prepared for when the unexpected happens as well as the fireworks that will be happening. We always need a lot of tools in our toolbox to lesson the stress and anxiety. When you sign up for this course you will see the information for the EFT course mentioned.

Send a message to learn more

23/06/2024

Yes, please, let go of your label, describe the behavior of the dog.

LETTING GO OF THE LABEL
People love to label things - from containers to personality types, physical or mental differences and everything in between.

Why do we like labels so much? Labels are comforting, they help us to feel more secure.

Labels allow us to close that particular “box”, because it now has a label and we no longer have to think about it or be concerned about it.

It’s been judged, identified, labelled and we can now move on, confident in the belief that there’s nothing more to be done.

We may also be very good at labelling dogs. My dog is stubborn, aggressive, lazy, shy, timid, greedy, jealous, untrainable…. It’s comforting for us to assign a label because it takes the pressure off trying to find out why they behave that way because we might believe that it’s just the way they are.

If we remove the label and take note of the behaviour in context and the circumstances or environment it’s happening in, we may realise that our dogs need our help to cope, not our labels.

Look into what can be done to improve or change that behaviour if it's something you’d like to change.

Sometimes a label does fits, it’s just the way it is and we need to accept that, but sometimes labels hide the need to look beneath the surface and discover what the real cause of that behaviour is.

22/06/2024

I often say our dogs are in nursery school not graduating Harvard when teaching them something new. Another visual on how to help them learn and work with them not where we want them to be.

Our dogs are not born knowing how to live in a human world and perform so many of the behaviours we (often unrealistically) expect of them.

If we have never danced before, we would not suddenly one day be able to perform a full routine in front of a large audience 💃🏼 🕺🏽👯‍♀️

It would take weeks (often months to years) of learning each individual step and all of the additional elements that come with learning this new skill we are often not born knowing how to do naturally 🕰

Our success would be dependent on having a teacher who knows how to break each element of this new skill down so that we can consistently achieve 👩🏼‍🏫

A teacher who understands how difficult learning can be and chooses to meet us where we are, break things down into small, easy steps and celebrate each small win 🥇

To some of us, dancing in front of an audience might be the most terrifying thing we could ever do, so it would take even longer and possibly mean our teacher needs to readjust expectations as to what the end goal may look like 👍🏼

If you’re struggling with teaching your dog something or your dog’s behaviour think about how you can break it down so it’s so easy, it’s almost impossible for your dog to fail. What’s the first step? 🐶

Take some of the expectation off your dog to just ‘know how’ to do it and take some responsibility for their learning and understanding how to help them 😉

21/06/2024

Some of the most important things to consider when working with animals; patience & consistency, understanding species-specific behaviour and safety.

18/06/2024

🤔Understanding Anxiety in Dogs

Anxiety in dogs often follows a predictable cycle that starts with a triggering situation or event. This cycle involves several stages, each contributing to the dog's overall stress and behaviour.

💥Triggering Situation/Event

The cycle begins when a dog encounters a specific situation or event that triggers its anxiety. This could be anything from loud noises, like thunderstorms or fireworks, to unfamiliar environments or new people/dogs.

😱Interpreting The Trigger as Dangerous

The dog perceives the triggering situation as dangerous, even if it poses no real threat from your point of view. This interpretation sets off an alarm in the dog's mind, leading to a series of anxiety symptoms.

😖Symptoms of Anxiety

Once the dog interprets the situation as dangerous and "feels something is wrong," they may exhibit signs of discomfort, unease, fear, dread, and panic. This might manifest as restlessness, whining, or pacing. The dog's ears may be pinned back, its tail tucked between their legs, and their body is tense. They might also show signs of hypervigilance, such as constant scanning of their surroundings and difficulty focusing. These behaviours indicate that the dog feels threatened and senses danger, triggering an anxious response.

🧬Body's Automatic Stress Response

In response to these symptoms, the dog's body releases stress hormones. This flood of stress hormones pushes the dog into fight or flight mode, where panic may occur. During this phase, several physical changes happen:
Increased heart rate
Muscle tension
Increased scanning for danger

👀Physical Symptoms Intensify

As the dog's body remains on high alert, the physical symptoms of anxiety intensify. The dog's attention narrows, focusing solely on the perceived threat, and its body remains geared for fight or flight responses. This heightened state leads to:
Increased worry
Loss of confidence in coping with the situation
Loss of appetite
Intensification of physical symptoms like trembling or excessive panting

😬Safety-Seeking Behaviours

To cope with the overwhelming anxiety, the dog may engage in safety-seeking behaviours, such as:
Avoidance of the triggering situation or event
Escaping from the perceived threat
Reactive to the perceived threat (defensive behaviour)

While these behaviours provide short-term relief, they often unintentionally reinforce the anxiety cycle. The dog learns that avoidance, escape, or reactivity temporarily reduces their anxiety and "makes the scary thing go away". This makes the dog more likely to use these strategies in the future, preventing the dog from learning how to emotionally cope with the trigger in a healthy way.

🦋Changing the Anxiety Cycle

Understanding this cycle is vitally important for helping a dog manage and overcome their stress and anxiety. Strategies to change the cycle can include:
Systematic desensitisation (gradual exposure therapy) to the triggering event
Providing a safe and calm environment
Using games and positive reinforcement to build confidence
Using techniques like counter-conditioning (changing emotional responses)

If you are struggling with an anxious dog, please contact a force-free qualified behaviourist. Avoid methods involving intimidation, correction, or punishment, as these can worsen the behaviour by adding more stress to an already distressed dog.

15/06/2024

I would invite you to listen to this conversation. I have always loved Suzanne Clothier from first reading her book, Bones Would Rain From the Sky: Deepening our Relationship with Dogs and her courses. Now this conversation with Andrew Hale. Continuing to strengthen the perspective on what is most important between us and our dogs, relationship first. Gained through observations, listening and hearing our dogs, and their trusting us and our trusting them.

Send a message to learn more

10/06/2024

Trauma bonding can occur with all species. There is a section in this article with the heading being Aversive tools in animal training. To me it defines those trainers who call themselves balanced trainers. A correction is given, shock from a shock collar, leash correction with a pinch collar on, what the individual self of the species finds aversive and then when the dog or animals stops or does another behavior a treat is given. This article is one which I will keep and share.

Send a message to learn more