Morgan Guimond Dog Training LLC

02/05/2023

What makes us different? We focus on empathy, compassion, and understanding for both humans and dogs! Contact us to get started today! 860-841-1145 www.thedogswillrise.com

03/08/2022

WHY SQUIRTING IS HURTING
Using a spray bottle to sq**rt water at a dog to stop an unwanted behaviour is not something I support and I’ve seen many cases where the consequences of this have caused long term problems.
This method of stopping a behaviour is unfortunately still very popular and even some puppy schools and dog trainers believe that it’s an effective, humane way of correcting behaviour. Just because it doesn’t cause physical harm doesn’t make it right. There are emotional consequences. Consequences like creating negative associations, fear, mistrust, a fear of water and / or bottles and more. Behaviour is driven by an underlying emotion, creating more negative emotions certainly doesn’t solve anything.
Consequences like a puppy being continually sprayed for chasing a child that resulted in the puppy associating the child with the punishment. This family had been advised that this was the quickest and easiest way to stop the behaviour. This pup developed a fear and dislike of children that he may never fully get over.
If a dog is sprayed for jumping up at a person, it doesn’t teach the dog what behaviour they should be doing instead. Rewarding a dog for having four paws on the floor instead of jumping up is the logical way to teach this. Yes, it may take more effort and time, but the dog will learn an alternative behaviour and the jumping up will stop.
Teach dogs what to do instead of what not to do. Dogs live in our world and are expected to follow our rules. How can we expect them to behave the way we want them to if we only punish unwanted behaviour and don’t teach them what behaviour we are looking for? Stop focusing on unwanted behaviour and focus on teaching an alternative behaviour – how else will our dogs know what to do?

28/07/2022

Do you know what pressuring a dog can look like? One of the things about being a dog in a very modern (especially modern urban) world is that there is a lot of pressure on you! Dogs are expected to conform to a standard of behavior that can be really challenging for them. And as human guardians we can accidentally put a lot more pressure on our dogs than we realize. We mean well, and it can be really challenging to know when we've tipped the scale from a little to too much until our dog's are over reacting to something. Our instincts tell us that we can prove that new people are a good thing through what we assume are positive interactions with new people. But very often those interactions are very overwhelming for our dogs.

Two of the biggest mistakes we make in trying to help our dogs adjust to novel stimuli (new people, new dogs, new environments etc.) Are that we ask for too much proximity, and too much interaction. Meaning we as a dog to be too close to the thing they find unsettling, or we engage a dog directly with the thing (or person!) they find unsettling. This results in a lot of pressure, and becomes very overwhelming. And often times we will see dogs in these situations escalate their level of reactivity in an effort to push back against the pressure and get some relief.

If your dog is struggling with reactivity, stranger danger, novelty uncertainty seek out a qualified professional to guide you! This reduces the risk that you accidentally put too much pressure on your dog! And gives you constructive tools to build resiliency and reduce reactivity!

27/07/2022

I have many clients asking about harnesses and leashes and collars and what I recommend. I have created a page on my website dedicated to the products I have used, owned or recommend. Each of the products are tools I have used or owned and can stand by my recommendation!

Using humane, punishment-free training methods to get a happy, healthy, polite dog of any age and any breed.

25/07/2022

Here is the latest blog post: a review on Belpro multi-use harness that I bought for my dog, Beau!

https://mguimonddogtraining.com/blog/f/review-belpro-multi-use-dog-harness

23/07/2022

New to enrichment and looking for ideas? This great infographic from R Plus Dogs might just help you out

22/07/2022

21/07/2022

There are two types of training I engage in; active and passive. The first is what we all think of when we think dog training. You cue a dog for a behavior, and they perform it and are reinforced for that performance. We teach a dog the cue to dance like a bear, or fetch the newspaper. But the second is just as important, and that is passive training. That is the idea that I can reinforce behaviors my dog's offer, but I did not necessarily ask for. For example when my dogs are just chilling I can drop reinforcement in front of them to reinforce the idea that hanging out doing nothing is a pretty good way to spend their time. I often don't even mark these behaviors, I just drop a little "manna from heaven." Another good example of passive training is when I am teaching with a demo dog. I will often just hand out reinforcement for my demo dog offering a stationary sit or down while I talk and explain things. This is a great way for me to teach my dog that sometimes when we stand around we just do nothing for a while. Remember we can use reinforcement to shape and encourage behaviors we ask for, and those we don't but the dog offers! Take a few minutes today to consider what you could reinforce your dog doing that you haven't expressly asked them to do!

15/07/2022

Are you worried your dog is going to escape their harness or collar out on walk? Do you want some ideas on how to keep them safe? This blog post is for you! This post is all about the safety measures I take out on walks to prevent dogs from escaping.

https://mguimonddogtraining.com/blog/f/escape-resistant-equipment

08/07/2022

Along with the blog, I have started my own Etsy shop selling digital downloads. These will be for anyone who has rescue animals (both dogs and cats!), along with people committed to positively training with humane methods. I currently have one listing, but stay tuned for more!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/MorganDogTraining

05/07/2022

Another blog is up! This is how I include enrichment for Beau in his daily life.

For those that don't know, enrichment is anything you give your dog to do that will enrich this lives, usually mentally or emotionally. Since Beau's world is pretty small, I like to add anything I can to make it more exciting. If you need ideas for your dog, this is a good place to start!

https://mguimonddogtraining.com/blog/f/enrichment-for-beau

Before getting Beau, I knew about enrichment. I knew a lot about enrichment, but for the most part, I thought all enrichment was created equal. After getting Beau, I realized that yes, enrichment is good for dogs, but no...

27/06/2022

Another Blog Post!

This is for anyone interested in my personal dog: Beau. There will be more updates on him in the coming weeks as well!

https://mguimonddogtraining.com/blog/f/how-i-got-beau

18/06/2022

Aversive tools are devices used to decrease unwanted behaviour in an animal using physical and/or emotional discomfort via the use of positive punishment. Examples include: prong collars, choke collars, shock collars, slip leads, martingales, and even misused leashes and flat collars. Positive punishment is defined as adding something a dog finds unpleasant or scary to decrease a behavior.

Imagine a dog is out for a walk while wearing a prong collar, and he begins to pull on-leash and/or a correction is applied by the handler. If this happens while he is looking at another dog, he may stop pulling toward this other dog because of the pain and discomfort the prong collar is causing. However, he is also making a negative association with the other dog ("that dog caused me pain"), and potentially many other stimuli that were observed or experienced while the punishment was applied, even if that was not the intended association. The more this happens, the more likely that dog is going to become increasingly concerned about other dogs and environmental stimuli while wearing the prong collar. This could start with slight worry, and possibly lead to full-blown leash reactivity: barking, growling, and lunging. This is how something as simple as pulling on-leash can evolve into more severe behaviour concerns. What started as innocent excitement or frustration from not being able to socialize with the other dog has now turned into an even bigger behavioural concern, resulting from pain, fear and anxiety.

Positive punishment can decrease and suppress behaviour, that is why it works! That’s not the argument. But the side effects and consequences are plenty. Increased fear and fear-related aggression, inadvertent and unintended negative associations, damage to the human-animal bond and it also leads to apathetic learners. You can start to see how positive punishment actually slows down an animal’s learning! So, while aversive tools do appear to work on a surface level, remember the possible costs to you and your pet before using them.

For FREE animal training resources, visit 👇🏼

https://www.companionvet.ca/dog-resources/

18/05/2022

Bruce is wondering why he hasn’t had any interest from potential adopters 🙁

So let’s share some facts about Bruce and get his info out there:

- He’s a pitbull
- He is between 3 and 5 years old
- Weighs about 50lb
- He’s an active guy who likes to play with toys
- He enjoys walking
- Squirrel chasing
- He should live in a home as the only dog but he’s made progress and is better at remaining calm when he sees other dogs
- He loves to give kisses and craves human attention
- He has some anxiety so living in a home where he won’t be alone often would be ideal

If you’re interested in giving this beautiful guy a home, please fill out an application and send it to Aileen at [email protected]

https://poainc.org/adoptable-dogs/bruce/

13/05/2022

I have started a new project! I have a lot to say about a lot of things and I think it's time I share them. If you are interested in learning more about positive reinforcement, my history as a trainer, dog owner and handler and my life in general, then you should check out my new blog! I currently have one post up so far, but I have big plans so look out for more links!

https://mguimonddogtraining.com/blog/f/why-am-i-a-positive-reinforcement-dog-trainer

07/05/2022

More group classes are coming to Pawsafe (In Ellington, CT)! We are keeping our Puppy Level 1 classes (for puppies under six months old at the time for the first class) and Adult Level 1 (for puppies and adults over six months old) and we are adding another class: Loose Leash Walking.

Level 1 classes are for adult dogs and puppies with any level of training. We discuss basic cues, like sit, stay, down and more advanced concepts, like leave it and an introduction to loose leash walking. It is an 8-week course and costs $250 (tax included)

The Loose Leash Walking course is an introduction to all things loose leash walking. We discuss loose leash walking skills needed for neighborhood walks, hiking and discuss the benefits of decompression walks. Any puppy or adult of any age can join! It is a 4-week course and costs $160 (tax included).

All Pawsafe Alumni receive a 10% discount on all classes!

Below is the schedule for the first round of these classes. Please email me at [email protected] or call/text at 8604061788 to check availability!

02/05/2022

21/04/2022

09/01/2022

14/12/2021

I hope that these puppies can demonstrate how unethical it is to breed and buy flat-faced dogs. These puppies require very specialized care due to severe bra...

19/11/2021

Did You Know that teaching leash skills are not about picking the right tool, but about setting the right stage for learning?

Lots of gear in the pet shop flash golden promises that your walks will be perfect if you just buy their product. And I get it, it's easy to fall for. I've owned an Easy Walk harness too because It promised to fix my problems. Only for a few days though, before I chucked it in the trash. My dog was miserable. And not really pulling noticeably less.

So I put together this meme and some pointers for getting those leash skills down! I've made it for me, and for you. You've got this.

🐾 If your dog pulls, the safest option is a well-fitted Y- or H-shaped harness. Akira and Nikuya are wearing one each in the meme.

🐾 Harnesses are about as likely to *cause* pulling as a pair of ballerina shoes are to cause you to dance ballet. You can use a harness with no worries.

🐾 Comfort increases learning ability so choosing comfy gear increases your chance of success.

🐾 Collars are fine for dogs that have awesome leash skills. Shorty did, so she's wearing a collar in the meme. For dogs that pull, they're great for dog tags, if you don't want those on the harness.

🐾 Gentle leaders often take far longer to condition properly than teaching leash skills does. This is because most dogs simply don't like them, and that decrease in comfort may impair learning. Unless you have a critical need for physical management, I'd suggest skipping the gentle leader to speed up the teaching process.

🐾 Need help? I don't have a written guide - yet - but 101 DogSpots have this: https://101dogspots.com/loose-leash-walking/

🐾 If you have ever utilized a wonder product that has promised to fix pulling and found that it worked for you, it is most likely because the dog discovered that pulling in this particular piece of gear was either uncomfortable or painful. This absolutely decreases pulling, but at what cost?

06/11/2021

Sorry for being quiet but it's been a hard week in our little rescue world, here's why...

On Monday and again on Tuesday, we had to make the incredibly hard but right decision(s) to let two of our dogs go. Behavior euthanasia is a necessary part of animal rescue but its never easy or taken lightly. We're fortunate in that we don't have to make these decisions often and it's been tough that we had to twice in a week. Without going into too much detail, both Freddy and Bubba have been struggling behaviorally and their foster parents were injured as a result. Both will thankfully be okay. We appreciate everything they did for Freddy and Bubba including loving them as if they were their own.

As a rescue, we are responsible for the animals we place out in the world. We can't in good conscience keep/place an unsafe animal in a foster or adoptive home where it has the potential of seriously injuring the general public and/or their pets. Thank you for your continued support!

20/09/2021

We know better, so we do better.

(This can be a polarizing topic and we welcome kind debate on this page. Name calling, derogatory, and sarcastic statements will be deleted.)

05/09/2021

Pulling on leash is a behavior. It is up to us decide if we are okay with it, or if we want to train loose leash. No matter which option we go with, harnesses keep our dogs safe!

27/08/2021

Important Rant About Why Fake Service Dogs Are So Problematic - World's largest collection of cat memes and other animals

14/08/2021

THIS IS A PSA

Puppies bite. They bite a lot. They bite hard. Their teeth are sharp. You might bleed. It might seem relentless.

Scaring the pants off them by yelling, pinning, shoving or shouting will not only do precisely zero, it will potentially create a fearful adult dog.

Puppies bite more when;
They are tired
They are hungry
They are bored
They are overstimulated
They are teething

Read that again. They bite MORE when they are the above. They will also bite when they are absolutely fine. They are dogs not dolls.

Be compassionate not scary. They will grow out of it but only if you teach them a good alternative. Trade for toys. Use a pen or a crate. Teach calmness. Reward gentle interactions. Grit your own teeth and ride it out while reinforcing good stuff and proactively managing bad stuff.

Be proactive when you know biting happens like after some play, when excitement goes up, when they are overtired (7-9pm witching hour anyone?) and give them a good chew or help them settle, or channel that energy into some training.

It does get better basically. Don’t panic. Most puppy biting isn’t aggression. Be CONSISTENT and PROACTIVE and expect more than a few bites along the way.

Signed,
Aalto the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever (aka the ginger shark)

13/08/2021

This video shows the importance of completely ignoring service dogs. Both owner and dog needs to focus on each other and the tasks.

It is also very important that you do not say your dog is a service dog when it's not. It ruins it for people like this that actually need a service dog. Your unruly, misbehaving dog that you want to bring into target makes it harder for real service dogs!