Alexa’s Canine Training

09/15/2022

Hundreds of dogs all over Middle Tennessee have been catching & spreading kennel cough & it’s all caused by a new strain of the virus coming up from Alabama. Since it came from a different state, dogs have been catching it no matter their vaccine status & it’s very contagious. I have had quite a few client’s pups catching it from boarding & grooming.
Ways we can protect our pups:
• The Bordatella vaccine can help our pups against certain strains of the virus.
• Using a pet sitter or dog walker to come to your home instead of boarding & doggy daycare. This eliminates your dog coming in contact with other dogs.
• Using a mobile groomer to eliminate exposure to other dogs at a grooming facility.
• Avoiding dog parks & bringing your dog to pet stores during this time.
Let’s do what we can to keep our pups healthy & stop the spread of this super contagious virus. I hope everyone stays healthy. 💜🐾

08/09/2022

Hey everyone 🙂

The last couple years I have been working on gaining dog training experience previously at Katz Dogs K9 and through Tulsa Pack Athletics and Furever Learning Dog School. I have recently been putting efforts into building my own personal brand and reputation as a dog trainer. You can see some of my work displayed on my Instagram .

I would love to help you or anyone you may know with any issues you seem to be facing with your dogs. My goals are to be able to help dog owners understand and have the knowledge and tools to train their current dog and future dogs.

Please feel free to reach out at any time! :)

04/19/2022

Let your dogs be dogs.

I get asked a lot “your dogs just seem so happy, what do you do with them?” Simple answer, I let them be dogs.
I let them tornado though the mud, I let them sniff roll and p*e on things, I let them play in the rain and dig in the snow, I let them watch wildlife and smell all their tracks, I let them have free reign of the fields, woods, and farm, I let them run as fast as they can go, I let them do what they’re genetically bred to do. I also let them tell me when they’re uncomfortable with something, when they rather avoid a situation, when they don’t want to be interacted with or bothered, and I respect them.

It truly makes me sad seeing dogs cooped up in cages or inside houses all day. Especially high energy breeds like the ones I own. So many of owners complaints would dissipate if their dogs were allowed to just be dogs, if they were allowed to go out and run and smell the ground. If they could do something dogs love to do.
Now I’m not saying let your dogs get away with bad behavior because “that’s what dogs do”. They need rules, they need structure boundaries and training. I’m also not saying go let your untrained dog off leash in the middle of the woods, because we both know they aren’t coming back when you call them.
The freedom of a trained dog is something that every dog deserves. All I have to do is let out a whistle and my dogs whip around and come back to me. We sat at the top of a hill and watched deer eat the grass today, there were 20 of them. And neither of the dogs chased after them because they were straightforwardly told to sit and stay. It was a core memory made for each of us. All dogs and owners deserve those. So please train your dogs so they have the chance to just, be dogs

04/19/2022

Littermate syndrome is REAL! You may think it’s a good idea to keep siblings together, but it’s very likely it will actually end up harming your dog rather than benefiting them. My friend Corey outlines more details about littermate syndrome below ⬇️

In honor of National puppy day I wanted to touch the subject of littermate syndrome.
Littermate syndrome is a host of behavioral issues that occur when two canine siblings are raised together beyond the normal 8-10 weeks of age. But it doesn’t just limit itself to siblings, puppies from different litters that are close in age are still at risk.
Getting two puppies seems like such a fun idea right? Double the cuteness! Wrong… it’s double the training, cost, effort, and management.
But they’ll keep each other busy so you won’t have to play with them as much right? Nope..they actually should be 100% separated. Littermate syndrome occurs because they develop such a strong attachment to each other that they fail to interact in a normal manner with other dogs and people, including the owner. Because of this they become highly dependent on each other and literally can’t function unless together.
So that’s just a little separation anxiety, it’s not a big deal right? Well..do you want the whole house torn to shreds the minute they aren’t in each other’s line of sight? And dependency on each other isn’t the only symptom. The most common one is actually aggression.
Here are a few symptoms:
-Fear of unfamiliar places, people, dogs, and things in general
-difficulty with basic training
-refusing to eat by themselves
-refusing to play or interact with people
-sudden aggression towards each other
Does that sound like a healthy relationship at all? You’ll be hard pressed to find a reputable breeder who lets you buy two puppies at once, so if you come across one who is allowing that..RUN. A breeder who lets you buy two at once is also likely not caring about the temperaments of their breeding stock, so you are already at an increased risk of unstable behavior. Littermate syndrome is not a joke. It is real, and it is scary.

04/19/2022

Scatter feeding is a super easy and awesome way to stimulate your dog! Read more to find out how and why 😊

BE A SCATTER BRAIN – THE BENEFITS OF SCATTER FEEDING
Our dogs have so little opportunity to engage in their natural behaviours. This often leads to boredom and frustration and encourages dogs to find their own ways of entertaining themselves. These are generally behaviours that we find problematic.
This is why providing mental stimulation is so important in helping to build a more emotionally balanced and confident dog.
Scatter feeding is just one of many ways to add a little bit of mental stimulation to their day. It’s quick, simple, takes very little effort, but provides huge benefits.
I initially started scatter feeding just one of my 4 dogs. Riley is obsessed with food and would gobble everything in his bowl in a few seconds. He would then stand and watch the other dogs, hoping that they would find it in their heart to leave some for him! Scatter feeding him solved this problem, but over time something interesting happened. The other 3 dogs discovered that searching for their food was far more interesting and entertaining than eating from a food bowl. They would leave the food in their bowls and run off with Riley to search for “hidden treasures”. They come back inside a while later, a little tired, calm and satisfied and are then all ready to settle down for a snooze.
If you are feeding your dog a raw diet, this can be a little more challenging, but is still doable. Some ideas are to use small silicone or paper cupcake holders, tiny shot glasses, small tubs (supervise to make sure your dog doesn’t chew or eat these containers, or make small frozen balls of raw food which can then be scattered around.

04/14/2022

04/14/2022