Kobo Animal Solutions

08/21/2024

Had a date with Mr. Murphy today.

Did absolutely amazing.

Had some fun together for sure.

Likely more coming from UnCommon,

This was all I got 😅

08/21/2024

The original ausholes...

Ziggy & Gus

Definitely enjoyed this one.

Figuring out who's who individually.

Cleaning up some communication stuff.

They've done a lot of work so far and it shows.

Made some tweaks to drive so it's a bit easier to steer.

Very much looking forward to continuing to see the growth from this whole team.

Everyone did amazing.

Definitely got everyone's brain working...

08/21/2024

Good morning,

Busy day today, should be fun...

08/21/2024

30 Days of Happiness.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

Thank you Charlie’s Dog Obedience Training for nominating me for this challenge.

How it works - Post 1 photo a day for 30 days of anything that brings you happiness. Your photo can have an explanation or not. Tag 1 Page every day with your post so they can carry the torch and start their own 30 Days of Happiness.

Day 3 - I nominate The Zen Way: Dog Training and Instruction LLC with Katie Evans

The funniest part is, yesterday she was like, "so which picture of me do you want to use for the 30 days post?"

I said, "I don't know, that one" as I snapped a random picture...

Which she hated the idea of so we took this one...

And it came out pretty nice ☺️

08/21/2024

08/21/2024

Absolutely

The conversation will be different.

08/21/2024

😂😂😂

08/20/2024

Show me some dogs...

Please 😅😂

08/20/2024

08/20/2024

It works if you work it...

No matter how you work it...

Does it make my day today any easier?

Not at all.

Does it help bigger picture?

Absolutely.

This is real life...

This is daily life.

Take the opportunity to learn...

Take the opportunity to work.

It may take some extra time...

But it's worth it.

You and your partner will be better for it.

08/20/2024

Turns out they didn't leave at the time.

So again always be mindful.

I'm responsible for anything my dog does.

And also the chickens since I had let them out...

Chickens back in,

Ghost has to stick closer to me as a result.

So no body has to worry and everyone can enjoy themselves.

One thing I hear a lot of...

Myself included earlier on...

Is the build in frustration and essentially resenting others in what should be shared space.

"Those kids shouldn't be running around screaming"

And other variations of that...

It's our responsibility to handle our own animals.

If we can't do that...

We shouldn't be in that position with our animals yet...

It's just that simple...

Work the solution...

Not the problem...

08/20/2024

Relatable situations...

If we've had in depth conversations...

Then you already know...

This particular example let's use reactivity.

You're the dog.

The itch is whatever your dog reacts poorly to.

Frustration builds...

We can't easily extinguish it.

We can't ignore it.

We have to have the patience to work the solution...

Not the problem...

08/20/2024

Regular people don't care about quadrants...

So they won't realize when a trainer claiming to only use one quadrant slips out of that box because they'll never acknowledge it.

This isn't a knock to positive reinforcement...

In fact it's amazing, that's how we set up the tools we use.

That's also how we even reinforce our no markers...

We just do it openly...

I've seen a lot of popular names with terrible timing, giving dangerous advice...

Communication matters.

That's why even on the side of teaching you what I don't want to see.

Is also the reinforcement of teaching you what I do want to see.

These layers matter...

If I tell a dog not to do something and they do what I ask them to instead of what they want I will absolutely positively reinforce that...

But also know I'm doing a disservice to every person and animal I work with if I don't teach them what that lead restriction means.

I've had the conversations with Force Free trainers where "sometimes you need to drag the dog away" is the response...

We should all be positive reinforcement based...

But let's make sure we actually understand what that means.

If I teach a dog on a harness and a flexi and I either press the button or you hit the end.

I'm going to positively reinforce what that pressure on your body means.

Just like any other tool...

"Hey you feel that? I need your brain please"

Get the glance,

Draw them back in...

And boom payday!

We build it from there...

Sounds terrible right?

Picture of Mae Mae with a chew to decompress during last night's thunder that got Ghost elevated...

Because yes we do that too.

You get positively reinforced to be settled...

Clearly we're monsters as balance trainers... 😐

08/20/2024

Learn the difference.❤️

08/20/2024

Just a little story for awareness...

Especially if you use an e-collar...

Always be mindful of your settings...

Always be mindful of where the control is...

Always be mindful of whether the collar is on the dog...

I once got home and put the control on the kitchen table.

Went into my room to start the sequence of situating dogs and getting ready to feed.

Took the collar off of Ghost.

Heard some foot traffic moving through the kitchen which was normal at that time.

When I went to get the control off of the table, I realized someone had apparently cranked it up...

At this point it's a no harm no foul type deal.

But it was an important lesson of "what if?"

So whether we're out and about or in the "safety" of our own homes...

Always be mindful, doesn't matter if it's a child or a full grown adult, someone could accidentally or purposely hurt your dog...

Everything is about time and space, whether it's our dogs or other people.

So take away the avenue of it occuring...

08/20/2024

A lot of times in training, we want to see the flashy...

I get it,

It's cool...

But to me we don't acknowledge this stuff enough.

For him this is the hardest thing we've worked.

Environmentally it's been a challenge.

But through work and consistency...

These things are possible.

It took as long as he's been with me to associate this crate to this level...

Why's that matter?

Well if you saw that recent video with the dog starting a fire with a power pack...

In Ghost's case that's more likely.

He's still not as good at it as Corlie was, or Mae is now.

But he's better than he was...

We've had plenty of set backs...

People thinking they're helping and so on.

Also people knowing they aren't helping...

He's not a dog that has to do it much...

But there are times when it is necessary.

Our dogs aren't perfect, in reality they were never meant to be just because of what we do.

Ghost is a dog that's off lead capable in some new neighborhood who can hold a down as people and dogs go by.

But still has struggles in his own home...

"I'll meet you where you're at, not where I expect you to be"

We're dog people just like anyone else...

08/20/2024

30 Days of Happiness.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

Thank you Charlie’s Dog Obedience Training for nominating me for this challenge.

How it works - Post 1 photo a day for 30 days of anything that brings you happiness. Your photo can have an explanation or not. Tag 1 Page every day with your post so they can carry the torch and start their own 30 Days of Happiness.

Day 2 - I nominate UnCommon Canine Academy

This one's self explanatory...

08/19/2024

Gits and shiggles time...

Had the idea to do this as I was prepping dinner.

Baby gates.

Gates.

Pens.

Fences.

Doors.

Crates.

Vehicle doors...

Whatever they can pass through is a boundary...

This isn't on a well you have to go first so the dog knows you're alpha type stuff...

This is just you don't go until I know you have a brain type stuff...

This may look different for different scenarios.

For example Ghost waiting in his crate while food is prepped he's usually in a down in his crate with the door open.

This is where he struggles the most these days as people and other dogs walk through.

It's a skill we constantly work on.

They can't come out all crazy either when they do get released.

08/19/2024

ISO: Someone to build my dream house

ShopCanineAesthete.com

08/19/2024

Thanks for being a top engager and making it on to my weekly engagement list! 🎉 Kristine Schwartz, Maggie Jarrett-Kramer, Rachel Diersen Navarro, Mark Lenartowicz, Dawn Arnold

I still have no idea how this chooses people but at least it's working again... 😐😂

08/19/2024

One week down with Mae and this is where we're at.

As I was typing this out her REM sleep started.

Then someone went to the fridge just outside of our room and she woke up...

Looked for a few seconds as the noises continued.

And put her head back down.

Keep in mind we live in a multi family home,

Doors open and close a lot.

Other dogs running around freely at times...

It's a lot.

It would be nice if we could just verbalize these things to her,

But that's not how this works...

We communicate as we can when it's needed (and sometimes when it's not 👀😂)

And we all settle in to what this new normal is...

08/19/2024

Absolutely! ❤️

08/19/2024

I just saw the "be who your dog thinks you are" post...
The reality is they already do.
Be the person you should be for your dog...

08/19/2024

Every day, the community pages are filled with posts about dogs at large, dogs escaping, dogs chasing other neighborhood pets, livestock, game, etcetera. Every day there are complaints about dogs where they don’t belong, doing things they shouldn’t be doing.

A litany of pleas, complaints, and ‘spotting’ posts for these canine vagabonds follow. Occasional “can be located” at the State Police barracks, or any number of constabularies in each community. Every cooperative police ststion will pick up any number of loose dogs, and untold numbers of others will end up at animal control.

Dogs do things because they can. Opportunities present themselves and in the absence of direct guidance, dogs will dog. Even if it means chasing your neighbors cats, their kids, their cattle or their pet geese. Dog will also run wildlife, obstruct traffic, menace the neighborhood, raid trash and engage in an assortment of inappropriate activities because there is a popular and growing opinion that dogs can’t be or shouldn’t be corrected for their behavior, that dogs can’t or shouldn’t be confined, and heaven forbid, you should ever make them do anything they don’t like to do.

Well, for the decades preceding this one, dogs have successfully learned what they can do and should not do. I have trained dogs to hunt, and I have trained dogs not to hunt. I have helped train dogs to bite and have trained many dogs that biting isn’t necessary. I have trained dogs to do all sorts of things, and I have trained them to abandon certain behaviors that their owners considered problematic.

It doesn’t take a genius, really, but it does require strategy. It requires deliberate practice, repetition, and a relatively significant degree of effort, whether that is made by a professional trainer, or facilitated by the owner. Someone must put in the work. Dog training takes more time than people think it does, but it’s still less time than it takes to potty train a toddler or teach a high school student to understand calculus.

It may not be rocket science, but I see a whole lot of people mucking it up.

When a dog has established a history of behaving a certain way, it takes many repetitions for the dog to forsake that behavior in favor of a new habit. During that learning phase, access to the previous, noxious behavior must be disabled completely. The dog must only have access to reinforcement through the behavior being learned. There also has to be a compelling reason to do so.

Dogs are predators. Controlling the predatory behavior of a dog requires thoughtful planning and the ability to understand how to motivate the dog to *not* do one thing, in favor of another. Understanding when to inhibit a behavior and when to encourage a behavior requires a nuance that ‘certifications’ are rarely able to convey.

There isn’t enough doggie treats on the planet to deter a high-drive retriever from retrieving. Controlling that drive is the art. The same tools used to channel that drive can help the dog learn that the opportunity to retrieve is accessed through the ex*****on of self-control.

That drive is inherent to all dogs to some degree. Dogs are apex predators. Every one of them is born with the sequence for predatory response encoded deep into their DNA. Humans may have influenced to what degree each of those behavioral links manifest themselves, but they have never been eradicated from the canine genome.

Those instinctual drives spill out when the dog is denied access to enriching pursuits. I’m not talking about the ridiculous suggestions for ‘sniffaries’ and allowing the dog to dictate the terms of the human/animal social contract, or permitting the dog to ‘follow its nose’ as it drags the owner into oncoming traffic after the cat or squirrel that crossed the sidewalk in the little burg they call home, either. I’m talking about meaningful work.

So many fulfilling tasks can be used not to distract, but to occupy your dog meaningfully and with considerable benefit.

You can own any number of breeds successfully in urban and suburban settings, but you absolutely must exercise your dog’s mind in ways that don’t have you running afoul of the law or your neighbors. Train your dogs. Teach them that open doors aren’t an invitation to escape into the wilderness and get hit by a car or shot by a farmer.

Training is as much an art as it is a science, and if you aren’t getting the results you need from what you are currently doing (or not doing), maybe it’s time to look for an alternative.

The roads are littered with the remnants of failed training. You really don’t want that to be your dog. You really don’t.

08/19/2024

30 Days of Happiness.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

Thank you Charlie’s Dog Obedience Training for nominating me for this challenge. ( I did rip this from your page 👀😂)
How it works - Post 1 photo a day for 30 days of anything that brings you happiness. Your photo can have an explanation or not. Tag 1 Page every day with your post so they can carry the torch and start their own 30 Days of Happiness.

Day 1- I nominate Oreothestaffy11 (figured you'd enjoy this the most so I started with you 😉😂)

Keeping it simple first...

Nicole says I can't human without coffee first 😅

So it seems fitting to start with coffee ☕😉

08/19/2024

08/19/2024

That moment when you have to stop your dog half way down the stairs, have him turn around and come back to you because someone is holding the door open at the bottom after seeing you...

Believe it or not, people will try to make your dog fail...

It's ok because I try to make Ghost fail too 🤭