Fat Pibble (2024)

15/09/2023

Enjoying the last bits of summer ☀️ ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

13/09/2023

Occam's razor, or the law of parsimony, suggests that the simplest explanation or solution is often the correct one. Applied to dog behavior and training, this principle implies that the solution with the fewest assumptions is typically best when deciphering a dog's behavior.

The law of parsimony serves as a reminder to explore simple explanations before delving into complex ones in dog training. While dogs are unique, with individual experiences and temperaments, the principle aids in clearer communication and more successful training results.

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07/09/2022

Big Sur Pibble

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05/09/2022

Today is the day!!

Tae is 12 weeks old which marks the end of his socialization period!

Here is the final tally:

109 Positive introductions to unique humans in 20 different contexts.
66 female • 43 male
9 kids • 95 adults • 5 seniors
115 Positive introductions to unique dogs
55 female • 60 male
3 giant • 14 large • 50 medium • 31 small • 17 toy
15 puppies • 25 adolescents • 70 adults • 5 seniors
24 Different locations visited ( .pet )
3 Puppy classes at
4 Vet happy visits at Bush Animal Hospital & an actual exam
2 Grooming happy visits ( )
3 Restaurant patios ( )
Continued husbandry exercises
Continued resource guarding prevention
More sound exposures via Spotify

It’s been super fun visiting all my friends in the pet industry and I am super thankful for all the help they’ve given us. Tae has made such great progress and between all the work the breeder .aussies has done and all the work that I’ve done, I am confident that we’ve set Tae up for success!

So what now?

Well this questionraises a couple more questions. There is still uncertainty around the actual time that the socialization window closes, and it most likely varies among individual dogs. The consensus among professionals is that it it somewhere between 12-14, possibly 16 weeks. There is also uncertainty around how fast the window actually closes. Does the door slam shut or does it tapper off? So my answer to the question “what now” is…we’re just going to keep on keepin’ on 😎

I will continue to update our progress regularly so stay tuned!

31/08/2022

My copilot 💙

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29/08/2022

Tae’s 11 weeks old!

He has now been with us for two and a half weeks. It’s been so much fun getting to know him. He’s gotten much more comfortable with strangers, albeit still a little shy around strangers in new contexts. He’s gotten very comfortable with dogs, pretty much any shape or size doesn’t phase him. He plays with dogs very balanced and takes frequent breaks. He’s got wild streaks, but he’s still a relatively chill pup.

I typically don’t do active training with young puppies, it’s mostly passive training and management. The first week or so he wasn’t very food motivated, but that’s changed a lot. We’ve done a tiny bit of active training and he’s very smart, but will check out after a short period of time. He loves puppy class!

Since he’s been so good with all the essential socialization points that we’ve started to do some elective type experiences. We’ve done a couple restaurant patio visits during off times and he settles comfortably on his mat like a champ.

We’ve done a few happy visits at the vet and he absolutely loves it. He had his actual vet visit to get his next booster series and he loved it.

This coming week marks the last week of his socialization period! We will be working on items that he’s still a little leery of. Nighttime is definitely a little stressful for him. We’ll focus on some night walks this week. He also gets leery of certain sounds, like airplanes overhead. I’ll add some more sounds to our spotify playlist. We’ll also do some more fun stuff like getting conditioned to water and a life vest!

Here is the progress so far:

52 Positive introductions to unique humans in 10 different contexts.
60 Positive introductions to unique dogs.
9 Different stores visited ( )
5 Parks, 2 with kids/playgrounds
2 Puppy classes at
1 Quick mall walkthrough at
4 Vet happy visits at Bush Animal Hospital & an actual exam
1 Grooming happy visit
2 Restaurant patios
Continued husbandry exercises
Continued resource guarding prevention
More sound exposures via Spotify

One more week left!!

29/08/2022

We love the desert so much 🌵 ☀️

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28/08/2022

Sunday morning walkies 🐾

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28/08/2022

*This is a post I wrote a while ago, but I’ve been so busy with the puppy I’m just posting it now*

I’ve been making a socialization plan for quite some time now and I’m excited to finally implement it. The puppy arrived late Wednesday night and I’ve taken Thursday and Friday off from work so that I may have a few days to get him comfortable in his new environment. I’ve made a tiered list, in order of importance, that will be my guide to his socialization. Since he will have to come to work with me starting next week most of the tier one goals are related to this.

These goals are as follows:
Being comfortable in a crate for up to 2 hours
Being comfortable in the car for up to 15 minutes
Being comfortable alone for up to 2 hours

Here’s the rough plan:
All feedings will be done in the crate with the door open, or in the car.
I’ll be leaving him in his crate for increasing (but variable) periods of time, starting with short sessions only a few seconds long
I’ll be taking him for drives for increasing (but variable) periods of time, starting with short sessions only a few seconds long
I’ll be leaving the room, with him in his x-pen for increasing (but variable) periods of time, starting with short sessions only a few seconds long
I’ll be leaving the room, with him in his crate for increasing (but variable) periods of time, starting with short sessions only a few seconds long

So this is tier one, the most important things the puppy will need to be conditioned to. We only have a couple of days it’s time to get to work!

28/08/2022

Sleepy boi 🥰

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28/08/2022

*This is a post I wrote a while back, but I’ve been so busy with the puppy I’m just now posting*

Being proactive is incredibly important when working with puppies. Here is a short list of preparation items that I’ll use with Tae!

X-pen

The puppy will spend most of its time at home in this area. It will be furnished with toys, water, and his crate. It has a rubber flooring because smooth surfaces aren’t great for developing puppy joints. It will give the puppy an area to himself, away from the other dogs in the house, and keep him from making bad choices such as chewing on furniture. Whenever the puppy isn’t directly supervised he goes in his pen.

Crate

The purpose of the crate is to create predictable potty habits. Dogs typically are hesitant to soil the area where they sleep and eat so we use this to our advantage. He will sleep and take his naps here so that when he wakes up he won’t be able to potty somewhere before I get to take him outside.

Crate rotation

The general rule of thumb is puppies can “hold it” for as many hours as they are months old plus one. Tae is 8 weeks old, so he’ll need to go out every 3 hours. He’ll get some play time, followed by a nap, and then he goes outside to potty. Repeat in 3-hour rotations. When he hits 12 weeks old the rotation becomes 4 hours.

Toys!

Lots of different toys of varying sizes and materials. Variety is key here.

Collar & Harness

I try to condition both right away. They both have purposes and it’s important to get puppies comfortable with each. It is extremely important to work on desensitizing collar/harness grabs as it is a common bite trigger in adults!

Kongs

I am a huge proponent of feeding from Kongs, Wobbles, puzzle toys, etc. I love Kongs because they can keep a dog occupied for a long period of time while providing good enrichment and soothing licking/chewing behaviors.

Husbandry Tools

Brush, nail clippers, toothbrush. These will be necessary throughout the dog’s life, so it’s super important to start conditioning early.

I’ll be posting frequent socialization updates so stay tuned!

27/08/2022

*This is a post I wrote a while ago but haven’t posted because I’ve been so busy with the puppy 😂🤦‍♂️*

Being proactive is incredibly important when working with puppies. Here is a short list of preparation items that I’ll use with Tae!

X-pen

The puppy will spend most of its home time in this area. It will be furnished with toys, water, and his crate. It will also have a rubber flooring because the slippery floor can be not so great with a puppy’s developing joints. The pen will give the puppy an area to himself, away from the other dogs in the house, and keep him from making bad choices such as chewing on furniture. Whenever the puppy isn’t directly supervised he goes in his pen.

Crate

The purpose of the crate is to create predictable potty habits. Dogs typically are hesitant to soil the area where they sleep and eat so we use this to our advantage. He will sleep and take his naps here so that when he wakes up he won’t be able to potty somewhere before I get to take him outside.

Crate rotation

The general rule of thumb is puppies can “hold it” for as many hours as they are months old plus one. Tae is 8 weeks old, so he’ll need to go out every 3 hours. He’ll get some play time, followed by a nap, and then he goes outside to potty. Repeat in 3-hour rotations. When he hits 12 weeks old the rotation becomes 4 hours.

Toys!

Lots of different toys of varying sizes and materials. Variety is key here.

Collar & Harness

I try to condition both right away. They both have purposes and it’s important to get puppies comfortable with each. It is extremely important to work on desensitizing collar/harness grabs as it is a common bite trigger in adults!

Kongs

I am a huge proponent of feeding from Kongs, Wobbles, puzzle toys, etc. I love Kongs because they can keep a dog occupied for a long period of time while providing good enrichment and soothing licking/chewing behaviors.

Husbandry Tools

Brush, nail clippers, toothbrush. These will be necessary throughout the dog’s life, so its super important to start conditioning early.

I will be making weekly updates on Tae’s progress so stay tuned!

12/08/2022

First full day home complete 🥰

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10/08/2022

Tae 😍

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05/08/2022

So happy summer is finally here ☀️

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04/08/2022

Waive the white flag 🏳🏳🏳

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27/07/2022

My reading buddy 🥰

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26/07/2022

I recently saw a post in which a trainer compared an e-collar to a front-clip harness, stating that they both work on the principle of negative reinforcement. Essentially this trainer is trying to justify e-collar usage by stating that e-collars are no more aversive than harnesses.

Negative reinforcement works on the principle that, when a behavior is successful in terminating an aversive stimulus, that behavior increases in future frequency.

E-collars work by applying a continuous shock to a dog until the dog does something desirable by the trainer, at which point the shock is terminated. The behavior that terminated the shock will increase in frequency. If recalling to you terminates a shock, the recall behavior will increase in frequency.

Supposedly, a front-clip harness works by applying pressure to the shoulders of the dog, who will stop pulling because they want to escape the pressure of the harness. Pulling in a harness applies an aversive pressure that will increase the behavior of ceasing to pull on the leash.

So can front-clip harnesses be aversive? Yup. Can front-clip harnesses operate in a negative reinforcement contingency? Yup. The problem is…

That’s not how we use harnesses.

Harnesses are not training tools, they’re management devices. Tools don’t train dogs.

The actual training involves positively reinforcing check in’s, close proximity, recalls, emergency u-turns, etc. The harness and leash are there for backup. In fact, the way we start teaching loose leash walking is without a leash at all. If a dog is hitting the end of the leash/harness, that’s an error on the trainer’s part, and we go back a couple of steps to properly set up our dog for success.

We use a front clip because tension on the back clip activates the opposition reflex which increases the tendency to put more force into the pull. It also turns them sideways so they can’t put full body weight into the pull. None of this is intended to teach the dog anything. There is no “learning” here.

So no, E-collars are nothing like front-clip harnesses!

21/07/2022

Jordy loves car rides 💙

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20/07/2022

He loves car rides 💙

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18/07/2022

“Why does watching a dog be a dog fill one with happiness” 🥰

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17/07/2022

WHY WON'T YOU DIE?!

In 1947 a swiss animal behaviorist named Rudolph Shenkel wrote a paper titled "Expressions Studies On Wolves" in which he postulated that wolves in captivity vie for rank in a hierarchy through conflict and violence.

20 years later wolf biologist David Mech extrapolated these ideas to his observations of wild wolves in his book "The Wolf: Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species", popularizing the idea of the "Alpha" wolf.

As the years went on, the cracks started to show in this theory. In "Leadership in Wolf, Canis lupus, Packs" (Mech, 2000), Mech states:

“Attempting to apply information about the behavior of assemblages of unrelated captive wolves to the familial structure of natural packs has resulted in considerable confusion. Such an approach is analogous to trying to draw inferences about human family dynamics by studying humans in refugee camps. “(Shenkel 1947) is particularly misleading”

On Mech's personal site (link in bio) he mentions that:

"One of the outdated pieces of information is the concept of the alpha wolf. 'Alpha' implies competing with others and becoming top dog by winning a contest or battle. However, most wolves who lead packs achieved their position simply by mating and producing pups, which then became their pack. In other words, they are merely breeders or parents".

Additionally, he states that:

[My book is] “currently still in print, despite my numerous pleas to the publisher to stop publishing it."

In the journal article titled "Whatever Happened to The Term "Alpha Wolf" (link in bio) Mech states:

“Hopefully it will take fewer than 20 years for the media and the public to fully adopt the correct terminology and thus to once and for all end the outmoded view of the wolf pack as an aggressive assortment of wolves consistently competing with each other to take over the pack.”

Aside from all this, you’d still have to make the additional logical leaps that:

1.) Dogs are the same as wolves (they’re not) and
2.) Dogs think humans are the same species (they don’t)

So why does this myth persist? To sell sh!tty training? Control is reinforcing? Tell us what you think!!

16/07/2022

TGIF 🙌⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

10/07/2022

Weekend walkies! 🐾 ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

09/07/2022

Your dog is at the dog park. It's time to go. You yell for your dog, leash them up, and leave. You just punished your recall.

A solid recall is one of the most important things we can teach our dogs. Unfortunately, it's also one of the most abused.

Think about all the situations in which we use our recall...to leave the dog park, take them away from sniffing something on a walk, take a bath, or approach a stranger. In these situations, our recall cue has become a predictor of an adverse event. It has become a conditioned punisher.

It's critically important that our dogs learn that the consequence of our recall cue is more reinforcing than what the dog is presently doing. The dog needs to know that it will be "worth it." Imagine a family member who only calls you when they need something. Eventually, you stop answering the phone.

Because of the likelihood of a poisoned cue, I recommend that clients create a brand new recall cue that gets heavily reinforced every time it's presented. With this new cue, our dogs will be rocketing to us because they know something better is coming!

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07/07/2022

AVSAB position statement on humane dog training 🙌⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

04/07/2022

Summer weekends at the lake ☀️ ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

03/07/2022

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE to read, especially dog books. So I’m excited to share my thoughts on the books I’ve read in hopes that I can inspire others to read these great books. I can’t think of a better book to start with than my favorite dog book, “The Culture Clash”!

Summary

The Culture Clash is a shorter read with six chapters.

“Getting the Dog’s Perspective” ➡️ Common myths about dogs, such as dominance/alpha theory, morality (do dogs feel guilt?), and the “eager to please” fallacy.

“Hard-Wiring: What the Dog Comes With” ➡️ Ethology, the canine predatory sequence, & why dogs do the things they do.

“Socialization, Conflict Resolution, Fear and Aggression” ➡️ What is aggression? How big of a problem is it? What causes it, and can it be prevented? Socialization & why it is so crucial

“It’s All Chew Toys to Them” ➡️ Empathy & how to tackle common “behavior problems.”

“Lemon Brains but We Still Love Them” ➡️ How dogs learn.

“Nuts & Bolts of Obedience Training,” ➡️ How to train basic manners behaviors.

Review

This book touches on many dog topics, including common myths and misconceptions, ethology, history, genetics, behavior, learning, and training advice. It is an excellent survey on a broad range of topics.

In my opinion, this book is THE book on dogs. I’ve read it a million times, and I’ll probably read it a million more. It is required reading for my employees. In addition, it goes to all my clients who request resources on dogs.

Jean Donaldson’s writing style is unmatched. When you read her work, it feels as if you’re in the room with her having a conversation. She can communicate complex ideas in very accessible ways. Because of that, a wide range of readers with varying levels of dog knowledge can enjoy it, from the newbie dog owner to the seasoned professional. I highly recommend this book to anyone remotely interested in dogs.

Five stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Have you read “The Culture Clash”? Let us know what you think!

Swipe for highlights ➡️

29/06/2022

Chillin’ in the shade was a common theme this weekend ☀️😅⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

Fat Pibble

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