The Warrensburg Dog Nerd

01/14/2025

Listen to the whispers

Whispers are soft, subtle and so easy to miss in our often busy, hectic lives, but making an effort to listen to them can prevent situations from escalating, resulting in reactive behaviour.

A dog’s attempt to communicate is so often misunderstood or completely ignored.

Body language is one of the only ways that dogs can let us know how they are feeling. When we know how they’re feeling, we can intervene, help them feel safe and prevent those emotions from boiling over.

Body language can be subtle and fleeting, but with careful observation and knowing what to look for most of us can learn to recognize and understand what our dogs are saying.

It’s always important to look at the context, the situation and especially what the rest of the body is doing when deciphering their language.

Being able to understand a dog’s emotional state through their body language helps us to predict behaviour, prevent potential problems or simply allows us to just enjoy observing what they are feeling.

Although dogs each have their own unique personalities and distinct way of communicating, there are many common signs that can give us insight. We just need to take the time to learn and then notice them. I believe dogs would be so grateful if we make the effort to learn their language.

Here are some resources and links to learn more about body language -

On Talking Terms With Dogs - Calming Signals, 2nd Edition by Turid Rugaas
https://www.dogwise.com/on-talking-terms-with-dogs-calming-signals-2nd-edition/?srsltid=AfmBOoqj8ruQJx5bCP7qWb03TqCyAGfmAvCj988UuWk_L1_UHbYcZsES&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR0AaDd_wwhSC4JEUqkvQmOG9lU5bNdbAOEeHQb0st7P_DXrdAOR-utY_-k_aem_cqU0VLHHyjrKbce9ddT84g

The Veterinary Behaviour Centre
https://www.heska.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/TVBC-Canine-Dog-Body-Language-handout.pdf?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR3mKGykzNJr7_yFf1_e6mc2sRHjNvjEok2GLvKTw-OMtTxEfjtlxM6vk4I_aem_B-YAlekmE0eV03c_1x8cyw

01/11/2025

12/25/2024

Did you get a puppy or new dog for the holidays? Do you have an older dog at home already?

Great! YOUR SENIOR DOG DID NOT GET A PUPPY - YOU DID.

I get calls very regularly when a family gets a second dog or young puppy because their current dog is getting older. Maybe because they know they don't want to wait for their old companion to pass before welcoming a new friend. Maybe because they think their older dog wants a friend. Inevitably I hear "my dog snapped at the puppy out of nowhere!"

Here's the truth. Senior dogs often have little tolerance for puppy antics. Some are very patient and willing to teach the puppy, but many will get overwhelmed. Puppies don't pop out of the womb knowing social skills, they must be taught. Most dog social skills are learned from interacting with other dogs. Puppies learn how to appropriately initiate play, to show and read appeasement, and very importantly listen to other dogs' warning signals. No, your dog did not snap at your puppy "out of nowhere". Your dog most likely gave your puppy plenty of signals that it wanted the interaction to be over and your young socially rude and pushy puppy didn't listen.

Senior dogs are NOT puppy sitters. You must advocate for your older dog and enforce boundaries with your puppy. Do not leave them alone together unsupervised. Do not expect your older dog to spend the majority of their time with the puppy. Do remember to give your older dog one on one attention away from the puppy. Foster a healthy relationship between the two by stepping in BEFORE your older dog feels like they need to physically correct the puppy.

Keep your peace and don't overwhelm your dog. YOU got a puppy. THEY did not.

-The Dog Nerd

12/19/2024

I have created a new page called Local Adoptables where adoptable animals from local rescues will be posted every day.

12/19/2024

Introducing Bear and Ella! I've been working with these two since Ella was welcomed into their family. They are learning home manners, healthy play skills, and we are addressing Ella's fear of getting her nails trimmed through counter conditioning and hopefully implementing some cooperative care techniques.

12/18/2024

Fun Fact: I have 14 years of experience raising, rehabbing, and handling domestic rabbits. I've taken one course on cat behavior and plan on expanding my skills in cat training.

Have a house pet behavior question that's unrelated to dogs? Contact me!

12/15/2024

Introducing Diablo, a one year old intact Doberman. Diablo is learning basic obedience, home manners, and building confidence. As a guarding breed he likes to act big and tough when there are strangers on his property, but he will learn when it's appropriate to do so. This food motivated boy is extremely smart and will become a very well behaved member of society.

12/15/2024

I'm working towards making "The Dog Nerd" an official business in 2025. Business cards coming soon!

11/27/2024

If you choose to send your dog to a board and train program make sure you get references or customer testimonials. At the end of the day you don't know what they're doing with your dog behind closed doors.

I also want to warn against sending your dog to an obedience trainer who is simply going to teach your dog how to avoid punishment especially if your dog is exhibiting problem behaviors. If the root issue of the behavior is not addressed, obedience training will not fix it. It might seem like it for a while but the dog will experience fallout down the line. Try to find a trainer that does behavior modification or at least evaluates the dog before trying to sell you an expensive package service.

11/14/2024

Welcome! My name is Esther and I am a mobile dog trainer located in the Warrensburg, MO area. My goal as a trainer is to improve human-dog relationships by decreasing frustration on both ends of the leash. I accomplish this by tailoring the training plans to what each household needs. Most of the cases I work involve training home manners and basic obedience with a few behavior modification cases sprinkled in. My approach to dog training focuses on increasing the owner's knowledge of animal behavior, canine body language, and handling skills so they can better work with their dog. I use positive reinforcement methods first and foremost but am also experienced in using some of the more common corrective tools.

If you're interested in working with me please reach out via messenger, text, or phone. I will return voicemails within 48 hours. The first session is always an evaluation so that we can meet. The eval gives me an opportunity to dig deeper into your case details and so you can ask questions. It is the client's responsibility to decide if I am the right trainer for them, their dog(s), and their situation. In the event the case is outside of my expertise I will refer to other qualified, local trainers.

11/13/2024

Borrowing this infographic from Dogs Disclosed for educational purposes.

Did you know dogs can respond to another dog's play bow in a fraction of a second? Dogs communicate with body language first and foremost. They are much more adept at it than we are. Dog fights happen in a matter of seconds because communication is happening between the dogs much faster than people can read them. Knowing dog body language and when to intervene is how we best prevent dog fights. So following the three second rule when introducing two unfamiliar dogs is a safe way of preventing conflict and escalation. It also helps you read both dogs and decide if they should greet each other again.

11/10/2024

This infographic was created by the author of "Doggie Language" which is an illustrated introduction to understanding dog body language and signals. It is a wonderful resource for anyone who owns or works with dogs.

10/31/2024

I am a trainer, not a groomer, but occasionally I will help a dog in need who may be too stressed to visit a traditional groomer. Mork and Mindy are two such pups. They are sibling toy poodles who were produced by an irresponsible breeder and left behind when the breeder moved. They're living it up in their new home, but they were in need of some TLC to get their nails, coats, and ears on the right track. They didn't get the prettiest haircuts, but they are much more comfortable and can now get on a regular grooming schedule.