Heidi's Haven Canine Camp Dog Boarding and Training

12/09/2024

Smilie is an older female Puggle we are boarding while her human moves out of state and gets settled. She is also available for adoption. Like my Puggle, she is a little timid w new people/situations, but a very, very sweet dog. Good w people, cats and dogs. If you are interested in adopting this sweet girl, let us know and we will put you in touch w her human.

**GSD is my perfect girl, not available for adoption. 😉

11/28/2024

He's BACK!! Mikey is here for a sleepover!! Love, love this super happy dog!! 😍

11/25/2024

We are boarding this pair of older beagle ladies. Penny has the super sad look down pat, but these girls are not super sad (and have enjoyed sleeping on my bed every night since they got here). Penny and Mary have a wonderful caretaker, but they are available for adoption to the right home. They would love a home together, but that is not required. Both girls could use an exercise regimen, especially Penny. Otherwise healthy and very, very sweet w dogs, cats and people. If you are interested in adopting one or both, reach out and we will put you in touch with their human. 😊

10/30/2024

Why I highly recommend this book, and give it out to many of my adopters. Wonderful book to read if you want to understand the difference between canines and primates. She has a great section-with photos- on HUGGING dogs and why you should try not to, especially dogs who do not have an established trusting relationship w you.

I was surprised and grateful that one of my books is on the list of the "14 Best Dog Training Books of 2024"!

The Other End Of The Leash was named "Best for Understanding Humans.” Thanks Spruce Pets! I’d wag my tail if I had one.
https://bit.ly/3YqGSP5

10/06/2024

Jake is back boarding w us. Jake is **18** and has been boarding w us for 13+ yrs. Love this sweet, sensitive, timid boy. I originally met Jake on w behavior consult appt. He was super timid and his mom just wanted him to be a little more comfortable in the world. She did all the work, and he made great progress. His devoted mom asked if I would be willing to take care of him when she went out of town. And I did... many, many times over the past 13 yrs. He is a "regular" here at Heidi's Haven Canine Camp. 😍

09/27/2024

This man is good at promoting himself, that's about it. When I went to dog training academy, part of each day was spent watching Cesar Milan videos and discussing what he was doing wrong. If you want to learn from watching videos, there are a lot better people to learn from: Shay Kelly - Understanding Dogs, Zak George, Victoria Stilwell, for example.

BEYOND CESAR MILLAN

20 YEARS LATER.....The following review was submitted to National Geographic by Dr. Andrew Luescher, DVM, Ph.D, DACVB (board-certified veterinary behaviorist).

Dr. Luescher, former director of the Purdue University Veterinary Behavior Clinic was asked to provide feedback on "Dog Whisperer" tapes prior to the show's airing.

In this letter to National Geographic (date unknown), Dr. Luescher writes,

"I think this series, if aired, would be a major embarrassment for National Geographic. It is not stimulating or thought-provoking, since none of the presented techniques are new. They are outdated and have long been abandoned by most responsible trainers, let alone behaviorists, as inappropriate and cruel. I very much hope National Geographic will pull the plug on this program."

Please read the entire letter (It's not long.) and share: http://beyondcesarmillan.weebly.com/andrew-luescher.html

This program and trainers who have mimicked the behavior seen in this program have done so much damage to the dog training industry, dogs, and the human-animal bond.

I have met and spoken to Dr. Luescher personally, and I share his sentiments, as do all other trainers in the evidence-based, best practice camp. Meanwhile, much of the unsuspecting public still looks to National Geographic as an authority and has no idea it has thrown science to the wind, at least in terms of dog behavior and training.

Cindy Ludwig, MA, BS, RN, KPA-CTP, CPDT-KA
Canine Connection LLC
Willard, MO

Image copyright Valder Beebe Show, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Cesar_Millan_Mar_2018.png

09/16/2024

Dog Chases Animals? Try THIS Step-by-Step Prey Drive Training Tutorial.►🙋‍♀️COMPLETE DOG TRAINING SOLUTIONS: •❓🤨 STRUGGLING WITH LEASH TRAINING? 👇 ✅...

09/14/2024

🥺

Just sayin

09/14/2024

Public Letter to Ivan Balabanov

Dear Mr. Balabanov,

I am writing on behalf of many in the modern dog training community to address serious concerns regarding your participation and professional conduct in the study titled “Comparison of the Efficacy and Welfare of Different Training Methods in Stopping Chasing Behavior in Dogs.”

The study revealed that 100% of the dogs in the shock collar group yelped in pain when shocked. The study notes, “We did not observe negative welfare impacts in the dogs trained with e-collars beyond presumably pain-induced yelps in immediate response to the electric shocks.” This confirms immediate distress caused by the shocks with 8 dogs in your custody.

Even more troubling is that 25% of the dogs in the shock collar group were removed because they exceeded the 20 shocks allowed, yet those attempts still failed to suppress their chasing behavior.

The details of the study indicate not only the infliction of pain but also ineffectiveness in a significant number of cases - even under controlled conditions led by “experts” like yourself. And somehow it was the two dogs who were shocked more than 20x in a session who were disqualified, and not the trainers who continued to shock the dogs until they reached the 20x threshold.

Your involvement in both shock collar training and the so-called “positive reinforcement” training groups in the study further raises concerns especially since the methods presented for positive reinforcement were not representative of established, humane training practices.

A modern approach involves marking a desirable behavior and reinforcing it consistently across different contexts, not merely “calling” a dog back with food.

The study's design misleads the public into believing positive reinforcement is ineffective by setting it up to fail without proper proofing and controlled settings. As a figure in the aversive training community, your participation in this study and its promotion raise ethical questions, especially given your awareness of the broader scientific consensus against aversive methods.

It is concerning that your involvement could mislead the public and dog guardians into believing shock collars are an appropriate and humane training tool.

The modern dog training community requests that you cease all public education efforts that promote pain, fear, and intimidation-based methods which are holding our industry back and which put the public at risk. Our understanding is that you have scheduled a workshop overseas, where based on your history you are likely to advocate for these outdated techniques. These methods contradict the ethical standards for dog welfare, especially in countries like the United Kingdom.

As a practitioner of dog training, we urge you to reconsider your approach and align your practices with scientifically supported, humane training methods, consistent with the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists and their international counterparts.

The modern dog training community stands ready to escalate public discourse and scrutiny if these unethical practices persist in the interest of public health and safety.

Zak George

We also acknowledge the involvement of Dr. Clive Wynne from Arizona State University as a co-author of this study. While Dr. Wynne’s academic standing is now under scrutiny due to his endorsement of research methods that caused 100% of the shock collar group dogs to yelp in pain, we remain focused on addressing the immediate welfare concerns this study raises.

The study in question: Johnson, A.C., & Wynne, C.D.L. (2024). “Comparison of the Efficacy and Welfare of Different Training Methods in Stopping Chasing Behavior in Dogs.” Animals, 14(18), 2632. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14182632

09/10/2024

You do not have to use pain and fear to train your dog. 😔

09/03/2024

What are shock collars and why are they so ineffective (and unsafe) to use on dogs?

08/30/2024

07/30/2024

Our boarding friend Lena would stay and play in water for HOURS if you let her. I learned to just wear crocs I can kick off and go into the water to get her when it is time to leave. 😉 She *is* a joyous guest. 😃❤️🐠

07/12/2024

A good thing and a bad thing.

A good thing. I had a remote consultation with someone this week about their dog. We discussed various aspects of the dogs care and some of the activities they did together. The client's starting point was that they wanted the absolute best for their dog and and hadn't realised that some aspects of what they had been told and the activities they were involved in were detrimental to the dog's overall well-being.

With this new education they changed their mind and had a several "ah-ha" moments. they thought deeply about what we had discussed and made BIG changes in their dog's life. Excellent.

The bad thing. I was sent a video which a "trainer" fairly local to me had made. In the video, the "trainer" refers to teaching "a compulsion heel." Basically teaching the dog to walk on a loose lead using compulsion. Think about that word for a second. Compulsion. They compelled the dog to comply. How did they do that? They put a noose around the dog's neck which tightened cutting off air and blood, causing pain and discomfort. What would the associated emotions be? Fear? Anxiety? Lack of trust. All of the above. The "trainer" who calls themselves "balanced" (such a misnomer in itself) proudly stated the use of the word "compulsion". I will compel you OR ELSE.

What makes one person have a moment like the first client and the the other influenced by the compulsion bozo? It's not just the luck of the draw. What is the starting point for each of these people? What's their education, their moral and ethical standard for the treatment of their dogs? What's their world view or their belief systems? Their politics?

All of these questions make each of those people susceptible to influence, from me or from the compulsion person. At least they're now honest and not hiding it. I don't know if that makes it better or worse.

Compulsion should cause revulsion. Why are we moving backwards? Is it maybe because certain dark and unacceptable views, which we worked so hard as societies to fight and diminish have become ok again? Maybe?

Let's make compulsion unacceptable again.
Let's make kindness and intelligence and compassion mainstream again.

N.B. I fully realise this post may, and likely will, provoke a reactions from those who disagree with me. This is not your platform and you will have no voice here. You will not influence others on this page if you think the use of pain and fear is in anyway acceptable in training a dog. I have no issue deleting comments and blocking people.

06/29/2024

06/26/2024

Great Ted Talk discussing our relationship to dogs.

Applied Ethologist and Dog Behavior Specialist, Kim Brophey, analyzes the issues with the pet industry and outlines a new dog training program that values a relationship based on mutual understandings rather than one based on dominance and control.