Snouts Honour

11/10/2022

Loose Lead Walking Tips...

I would like to add that you should always reward eye contact with a treat or praise AND do not hold the lead taut!




















📸 All Positive Dog Training

10/10/2022

Some fun Monday vibes ⬇️

07/10/2022

When cleaning up a potty accident, any cleaning material with ammonia in it will only draw a dog back to that specific place. The ammonia in cleaning materials only makes it smell more toilety to them.

A half a cup of vinegar to one cup of water works like a bomb when cleaning up accidents. Your house may smell like a fish and chips shop for about half an hour but it does work!

06/10/2022

⬇️ This is a fantastic read

BEHAVIOUR, EMOTIONS AND NEEDS - THE LINK

Behind every behaviour is an emotion, and behind that emotion is a need. Understand and fulfill the need and emotion may improve which will improve the behaviour.

If your dog is reactive - he probably is stressed or worried and needs space.

If your dog is chewing up your furniture - he is probably is bored and needs more mental and physical stimulation or appropriate chewing opportunities.

If your dog is marking in the home - he could be anxious and may need more empathy, attention and understanding.

If your dog is nipping your child - he may be irritated and needs space from your child as the child is playing too roughly.

If your dog is growling when you approach his food bowl - he may be feeling insecure about his food and needs space to eat in peace.

If your dog is refusing to get off the couch - he is probably feeling comfortable there and wants to stay on unless you can show him an equally or more comfortable space to go to.

If your dog is stealing stuff off the counter - he may be entertaining himself and needs more mental stimulation and training. He also needs less temptation...

If your dog loves her ball and is obsessive about playing with it - she could need more variation in mentally stimulating activities as she is feeling bored and frustrated.

If your dog pulls on a lead - he may be excited to sniff a nice smell or he may need to feel a bit unrestrained so make the lead longer and walk where he wants to go.

If your dog is afraid of a storm - she could just want you to comfort her.

If your dog cries when left alone - she could be feeling abandoned and afraid, and therefore needs company as she was not taught how to be alone. Giving her activities when alone could help her focus on something else and not her loneliness.

If your dog is digging holes - he could feel compelled to dig as digging is in his genetics so provide him a digging pit.

If your dog is barking excessively - he could be bored or stressed or lonely. He could need human companionship or mental activities to occupy himself with.

If your dog is not coming back when you call him - he probably needs something more rewarding when he reaches you as opposed to 'good boy'.

These are SOME examples. What does your dog's behaviour tell you about his needs and how can you fulfil it safely?

05/10/2022

Anxiety and fear in our dogs looks completely different to what we would expect it to look like, you may think your dog is behaving confidently when they behave as below ⬇️ but the reality is that they cannot cope in a situation and are scared.

04/10/2022

Weather warning for Gauteng this week 🥵
Heatstroke really does kill

The South African weather service has issued a warning of scorching temperatures across Gauteng this week 🥵

Heatstroke is an extremely dangerous condition that can develop if a dog gets too hot. Normal body temperature for a dog tends to sit between 38-39°C, this can rise a bit if they are unwell with a fever. If your dog’s body temperature goes above 40°C they are at risk of heatstroke, which can cause seizures, organ damage, internal bleeding, coma and even death.

Heatstroke is more dangerous the longer it lasts, so the quicker your dog treated, the better the chances for recovery.

Early signs that a dog’s body temperature is becoming dangerously high include:

🥵 heavy panting
🥵 rapid breathing
🥵 drooling, or bright red gums and tongue

If relief from the high temperature is not provided the condition will worsen and serious and life-threatening complications will occur. Flat faced dogs (pugs, boxers, bulldog) are at a greater risk for heatstroke along with dogs that are overweight, have other health concerns, or have dark colored or thick haircoats.

You can protect your dog from heatstroke by using the following tips:

🐾 Limit outdoor playtime or walks to the cooler times of the day
🐾 Keep play sessions and walks short with frequent rests
🐾 Provide lots of cool, fresh water to drink
🐾 Provide access to shade
🐾 Stop activity immediately and move to a cooler area if any of the early warning signs are noted
🐾 Do not leave pets in your car, even for short periods of time

If you suspect your dogs may be experiencing heatstroke, please contact your nearest vet ASAP.

30/09/2022

A puppy does not automatically know that an open door means they must potty outside.

You need to show them where they need to potty, they need to be consistently taken outside every hour and when they do potty in the right place; you need to throw them a party! Lots of ‘good boy’ or ‘good girl’ and a treat if you have them handy.

By doing this, you are reinforcing the behaviour you like. If they accidently potty inside and you scold them or smack them, the only thing you are teaching them is that it’s not safe to potty in this place when you are around.

23/09/2022

Majority of the time carsickness in puppies is due to stress. Their first car trip is the one where they are taken away from their mom and littermates and put into a completely new environment, this alone is an extremely stressful event and they do make an association to that event which can carry through to all car trips.

Try making car trips a positive experience for them by making it fun for them. Make it comfy for them and give them something yummy to chew on in the car and practice short trips and gradually building it up.

16/09/2022

Too much exercise for a puppy can be a bad thing as the growth plates between their bones are only fully developed from about 18 months of age.
Taking your pup for short daily scent walks, playing with them in the garden and supplying them with mental enrichment is way better for them than taking them for a 10 kilometre run.

15/09/2022

Puppy Classes - Starting the 16th of October

Book your spot now and email us on [email protected]

11/09/2022

Why is My Young Pup Turning Gray?

Dogs usually turn gray when they become a senior or geriatric, but unfortunately, there are a lot of young dogs with white muzzles these days. According to researchers, this can happen when young dogs have chronic stress.

There are many things dog owners can do to help relieve stress in a fearful, anxious pup. Read today’s free article (link below) to learn more.

Learn ways to help relieve stress in dogs here: https://bit.ly/3RdIhn2

09/09/2022

Dogs investigate the world with their mouths and chewing is a completely natural behaviour for dogs.

Chewing can relieve stress and anxiety, combat boredom and frustration. Puppies need to chew, especially when they are teething to help with inflammation and pain.

By supplying ‘legal’ chew toys for your dog it will save all the other things in your home that you don’t want chewed up.

Our favourite chew toy for dogs is a Kong stuffed with the dogs food, some yummy treats, a bit of plain yogurt and a little bit of peanut butter.

06/09/2022

Have patience and consistency with your doggo during this time of adolescence

02/09/2022

This is extremely important and something we try inform all our puppy owners to start from the beginning.

PSA: Please, PLEASE teach your dog to be okay when alone.
Every day we work with many online dog training students for a variety of different reasons. Reactivity, leash pulling, puppy training … and one big, overarching theme is that for many dogs this work does not actually start with the reactivity/leash/puppy/etc. training.
It starts with the fact that one or more dogs of the household cannot stay alone.
It is so tempting to feed into a dog that can never be by himself.
Maybe you are retired or work from home and the dog never “has to” to be alone.
Or maybe you have two dogs that have been together a long time (littermates, anyone?) and they have become so bonded to each other that one leaving is a huge issue for the other.
From a human perspective, this can seem really flattering.
“My dog loves me so much he cannot be without me” or
“My two dogs love each other so much they only stay together”
But from a behavior-perspective, this is really not healthy or beneficial at all.
There will be a day at which your dog needs to be separated from you/your other dog. I guarantee it will come.
Perhaps for a vet visit, or a family emergency, or “just” for training.
Quite a few of the online students that come to us to work on e.g. reactivity cannot start out with counterconditioning sessions at all.
They need to first figure out the seemingly impossible task of having one dog stay behind while they train the other (and then switch it up). If dogs have truly never left each other, this will be a lot of hard work before ever starting the actual reactivity training.
Attachment to the point of not functioning without someone else is NOT healthy. It is NOT cute and it is NOT a sign of amazing love.
It is a problem that will become bigger and bigger the longer it goes on.
I promise you:
If you teach your dog to stay calm when separated from you/your other dog, he will love you just as much.
He will still be just as good of a friend and just as loyal.
You will only add to his happiness and the relationship if the dog does not feel intense anxiety when separated.
Of course this does not mean that if you e.g. work from home, your dog needs to be in a crate in a different room for 8 hours.
Even 30min, twice a day with you (or the other dog) not in view is a great start. Practice these separations before you NEED them.
Helping your dog feel comfortable alone should be a life skill that you teach them *from day 1*.
Treat it as important as going potty outside.
Your dog WILL be happier … and you as well 🙂

02/09/2022

When we look at our dogs, it’s hard to imagine that they evolved from wolves right? They did, however selective breeding and the domestication of dogs took place over at least a 13000 – 24000 year period.

They may have genetic similarities but that’s about it, there is no way that you can compare them to wolves and how wolves may behave in their natural environment or captivity.

There does not have to be a “pack leader” with domesticated dogs and trust me, dogs definitely know that we humans are not the same species as them.

01/09/2022

Please read the below and be very careful when exercising your puppies or allowing them to jump

This is something everyone should see. This xray is of a 2 week old puppy.

When you get your 8/10 week old puppies, please keep this image in mind. Their bones do not even touch yet. They plod around so cutely with big floppy paws and wobbly movement because their joints are entirely made up of muscle, tendons, ligaments with skin covering. Nothing is fitting tightly together or has a true socket yet.

When you run them excessively or don't restrict their exercise to stop them from overdoing it during this period you don't give them a chance to grow properly. Every big jump or excited bouncing run causes impacts between the bones. In reasonable amounts this is not problematic and is the normal wear and tear that every animal will engage in.

But when you're letting puppy jump up and down off the lounge or bed, take them for long walks/hikes, you are damaging that forming joint. When you let the puppy scramble on tile with no traction you are damaging the joint.

You only get the chance to grow them once. A well built body is something that comes from excellent breeding and a great upbringing-BOTH, not just one.

Once grown - around 12-18 months depending on their breed, you will have the rest of their life to spend playing and engaging in higher impact exercise. So keep it calm while they're still little baby puppies and give the gift that can only be given once.

31/08/2022

DON’T TOUCH MY STUFF!
RESOURCE GUARDING OR POSSESSIVE AGGRESSION
We all guard our resources, it’s a natural reaction to a threat of something we value being taken away. It’s essential for survival and dogs and other animals would not have survived in the wild if they didn’t guard their resources. We also don’t get to decide what’s valuable and what’s not – different things have different values to different dogs. Food is usually the most common, but toys, furniture, beds, pieces of clothing or even a certain person are all things that may be seen as a valuable resource. The warning of a hard stare, moving away, turning the head away, growling, snarling, snapping or whale eye may quickly escalate into a serious bite in an attempt to protect that valuable possession.
Punishing or forcing a dog to give something up is probably one of the worst things to do. Resource guarding is rooted in the emotion of fear – the fear of that resource being taken away. Punishment further increases that fear, which increases and reinforces the need to protect that resource.
Change the emotion of fear into a positive emotion by swopping or trading something that has a similar or higher value than what the dog has. This is one of the most effective ways to address resource guarding of objects as it works at the root cause of the behaviour by changing the emotional response.
Is resource guarding ever acceptable? – Yes - If dog 1 is eating his food and dog 2 comes over and tries to share, dog 1 may growl or snap at dog 2 and he will hopefully understand the message and go away. Dog 1 has every right to do this; he’s protecting his food, a valuable resource and this is a normal, expected behaviour, but if dog 1 viscously attacks or injures dog 2, this is not acceptable. This example could have been prevented if both dogs were given their own space and time to eat alone without the threat of another dog interfering.
Resource guarding can usually be prevented, addressed and managed by understanding why dogs feel the need to resort to this behaviour and doing whatever we can to prevent it from happening in the first place.

31/08/2022

Train for the situation not in the situation

TRAIN NOW, PREPARE FOR THE REAL SITUATION
It’s a common thing to see a dog owner react in the moment – “Fido, down! Sit!” “Fluffy, stop! Drop it! Leave it!”

⏳ These are moments that could be avoided with training ahead of time.

👌🏼 Many of these situations are quite simple things to train.

🛳 If you find yourself yelling for your dog to come, as your dog runs down the street . . . you’ve already missed the boat!

👟 If you yell “drop it!” as your dog runs off with your shoe . . . you’re not prepared.

🕰 Train ahead of time.

🏅 Set your dog up for success.

❌ Don’t ask something of your dog that you’ve not taught him yet . . . or not gotten to a reliable level.

❌ Don’t get upset at your dog for your lack of preparedness.

❌ Don’t set up your dog with unrealistic expectations.

👉🏼 Ask yourself a few things first

1️⃣ Is my dog prepared for this?

2️⃣ Will I like my dog’s reaction in this situation?

3️⃣ Will I know what my dog’s reaction will be in this situation?

4️⃣ Have I trained my dog well enough to respond in the way that I want her to?

✅ If you answered “no” in to any of the above then you need to do some more training!


––
Stacy Greer, CPDT-KA
Copyright© 2022

26/08/2022

Dogs learn by association. If the consequence of their behaviour gets something nice, they will be more likely to repeat the behaviour, if the consequence is bad they will be less likely to repeat the behaviour.

With training, I feel the recall exercise is one of the most important exercises to teach your dog.
Have you ever called your dog and they don’t come? Think why this is. You called your dog, they are taking their mighty fine time coming to you when you called them, when they do come (eventually) you reprimand them for taking so long. What has that taught them?
That coming when called just gets me into trouble so I will not do it

Here is a little task for the weekend to practice in your home environment, if you want to give it a bash?

Call your dog to you, when they come (no matter how long it took them to come back to you), you give them a lot of attention and praise, maybe a treat if you have handy. Repeat this as much as possible and see how quickly they start coming to you when called because you turned it into a positive experience.

25/08/2022

We couldn’t of said it better ourselves. Scatter feeding has so many benefits.

Give it a try and see the positive changes happen

SCATTER FEEDING - DID YOU KNOW?

What is scatter feeding? It's the scattering of food an any surface - grass, floors, decks, patios, stones - so that your dog or cat can search, forage or hunt for their food.

Did you know that MOST dogs love love love scatter feeding as it's internally rewarding to them? It switches on their 'hunting' genes and makes the whole process of foraging for food more exciting...

Did you know the food bowls are a popular thing because of GUARDIAN preferences and convenience? Also, lots of money to be made from different types and colours of food bowls...

Did you know that the best slow feeder you can find is the one outside your door? Also very inexpensive...

Did you know that scatter feeding resolves a lot of emotional and hence behaviour issues?

Did you know that scatter feeding and the subsequent foraging for food fills your dog's brain with positive neurochemicals which help with stress, frustration, anxiety, boredom, food guarding, etc.?

Did you know that most pet dogs never get to engage in a natural activity like scatter feeding while living in captivity because the guardians do not like it, as THEY think that scatter feeding is a weird idea irrespective of what the dog likes?

Did you know that the pros outweigh the cons? A dog's life in captivity is filled with risk everyday irrespective of how they eat. This method does not 'teach' them to sniff for or look for risky things like bird or fox p**p. Eating from a bowl does not teach them to be any less of a dog. Newsflash - irrespective of any eating method, they will sniff, lick and chew things that displease their guardians. After all they are dogs doing what comes naturally. You certainly cannot manage or stalk their every move 24/7...

When a behaviourist suggests scatter feeding, it's because it's based on years of studying the brain and understanding how to create positive emotions by the manipulation of key neurochemical and neurophysiological processes, so that there is a gradual change to more positive behaviours...

Emotions inform behaviour.
Change or improve the emotions and you will notice a change in behaviours.

Scatter feeding is not about throwing food on the floor. It did not take me and others like me years to learn to throw food on the floor. So trust that maybe sometimes, just sometimes, we may know what we are talking about😉

Don't like the idea? Use a Snuffle Mat. Use boxes to hide their food around the house. Use food dispensers. Try something. Shake up the status quo. Enrich their mundane lives somehow!

Try it. What do you have to lose? Some outdated views and beliefs maybe with respect to what makes your dog happy...?

19/08/2022

A puppy’s most important stage of development and learning is from 3 to 16 weeks of age.

This stage of their development is the most important period where they will learn about the world that they will live in and share with their humans. After this very important stage, it becomes much harder for a puppy accept new people and experiences.

We always recommend getting your puppy at 8 weeks of age, from week 1 to week 8 they have done an incredible amount of learning from their littermates, from week 8 to 16 it is up to you to socialize your pup with other pets, people, get them habituated to different environments, situations, sounds and textures. All of this should be done slowly and every encounter the puppy has should be a positive one. This is why we recommend puppy classes, where everything the puppy needs to be exposed to is done in a fun, positive and correct manner, with a trainer who guides you and encourages you every step of the way.

We all enjoy learning when it is fun and positive and this is the same for your dogs.

18/08/2022

Don’t forget to book your spots

Our next puppy class will be starting on the 4th of September 2022

Email us at [email protected] to book your spot

15/08/2022

Meet Milo
He is a new member of Snouts Honour
He is in private training classes because he takes his mom skiing on walks.
We are busy with Clicker training, we are learning impulse control exercises and how to orient back to his owner on walks 🐾

14/08/2022

Today we celebrate a massive win for Nala👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 to is very nervous of a lot of new objects and takes her a while to feel confident.

But my golly we did not expect this today.. she went straight through the tunnel and she was oh so proud of herself🐕🐕

We all jumped for joy. She continues to keep going through as this was now a super fun game😝

Loving watch how her confidence grows week by week

14/08/2022

Meet Nala and Luna🐾🐾

These two we have been working with for 2 months and wow they have come a very long way.

They are both sister and are a husky / boerbull mix which makes them a bit suspicious of novelty things in the world.

We have been working on basic obedience but most of all building confidence, optimism, novelty, loose leash walking and much more.

We can’t tell you how proud we are of how far they have come and the amazing work their parents are doing with them..

They will be leaving for Cape Town at the end of the year so we will be helping them get ready for that car ride and new environments.

13/08/2022

Cutie pie Coco

We have been doing a lot of prepping for her humans, she knows how to do so many things already, she is as bright as a button! Such a fast little learner, she definitely keeps us on our toes!
Every week her human says…. Coco is way to clever 😂

Today we did confidence building (not that she needs it) and loose lead walking which she aced!

I love working with this little Snout

12/08/2022

Don’t forget to enter our exciting comp 🌸

12/08/2022

We cannot stress enough how important it is to know your dog’s body language, as we have mentioned before, this is the only way that dogs are able to communicate.

They are so apt at reading our body language. There are so many signs and signals that dogs show us when they are feeling stressed and uncomfortable in a situation.

Dogs do not just bite ‘out of the blue’; there are always signs and signals leading up to that. It is your responsibility as a pet owner to learn the communication signals of your dog and when to take them out of difficult situations.

11/08/2022

Give your dog some love when they feeling unsure

You cannot reinforce an emotion, only a behaviour.
🤔Think about it…

Behaviour and Emotion are two very separate things.

A behaviour is a way your dog acts in response to a stimulus or situation.

An emotion is an involuntary response to a stimulus or situation. This is the result of psychological and physiological changes that influence behaviour.

Emotions do not respond in the same way that behaviour does.

You can reinforce fear by actively doing something that could scare your dog when they are already afraid.

For example:

😫If your dog was sound sensitive and afraid of things like thunder, fireworks, truck/ or bike sounds, vacuum cleaner sounds, children shouting/ screaming etc…. by adding something the aversive like a cross face or scolding and shouting at the dog to not be ‘ridiculous’ or startle the dog by adding another loud sound, your dog will only continue to be scared and you would then be increasing the experience of fear by adding more fear.

👀 If you were afraid of heights and I forced you kicking and screaming near the edge of a cliff and told you to stop being ridiculous and get on with it, would that make you less fearful? Would your kicking and screaming behaviour be unacceptable behaviour or are you just trying to protect yourself?

👫 If we were on the edge of the cliff and I gently took your hand, and moved you away from the edge and said, “Come on, it’s ok, let's go this way so you don’t have to see it”, would that reinforce your fear, or would it make you feel a bit safer which would reduce your fear?

🧠 Dogs are not humans, and whilst animals do certainly have emotions, they are not intellectually advanced enough to experience the ‘higher’ more complex emotions that human’s experience. You do not need to over analyze or over complicate everything your dog does behaviorally. Comforting or distracting your dog when he/ she is genuinely scared can only help them to feel safer.

🐾You can distract your dog from a scary situation with some treats or toys. This can give your dog a moment of relief which can potentially reduce the experience of being scared. By repeating these interactions, you can pair a scary situation with something pleasant. This intern may reduce the emotion of fear.

🥓🤹‍♀️😘 By using treats, giving your dog affection, or distracting your very scared dog will not make their fear worse! They are a part of your family and comforting your dog when they are seeking reassurance can only help them to maybe feel a bit safer.

🐩If you are struggling and don’t know how to help your dog when your dog is behaving in a fearful manner then seek the advice of a force-free, positive reinforcement professional.

10/08/2022

Our next puppy class will be starting on the 4th of September 2022

Email us at [email protected] to book your spot

08/08/2022

Resting is super important for your dog as well. It’s not about keeping them busy for as long as you possibly can

05/08/2022

Dogs do have emotions, they may not have a vast array of emotions like those that we do have, but they have them. They experience fear, frustration, anxiety, happiness and sadness. Research has shown that a fully-grown dog has the equivalent emotions and understanding as that of a 2 ½ year old child which is very limited compared to an adult.

One emotion dogs do not have is guilt, yip guilt!
So when you think your dog looks ‘guilty’ after doing something you think they shouldn’t have done, they are reacting to the tone of your voice, facial expressions and body language which usually indicates to them then you are angry. They have no idea what they have done wrong. Dogs very much live in the moment, they don’t remember that half an hour ago they peed on the rug and that is why you are angry now.

When we reprimand them or s***k them with that rolled up newspaper, we are actually breaking down our trust relationship with our dogs and teaching them that their human is something to be scared of.

04/08/2022

Our clever Mac is to bright for me and his mom 😂

He is like a sponge and learns super duper quick, but we do have to say a WELL DONE to his Mom because she puts in the effort that he requires to continue to learn at the speed that he does👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Mac has the perfect Mom for him

Mac learnt how to catch in a few days👏🏻👏🏻 why do we teach catch? It helps boost focus, proximity and confidence.

01/08/2022

WIN WIN WIN!🐾🐾

Our exciting competition is here! Stand a chance to WIN a R200 voucher towards any of our services. In addition, you will receive a lick and snuffle mat which has huge benefits for your pup/ dog!

To enter, follow us on both Facebook and Instagram, like this post on both platforms and share this post in your story or newsfeed and that’s it!

A random winner will be announced on the 18th of August!
So, want these amazing gifts?

ENTER ENTER ENTER! T's&C's apply.

30/07/2022

Our website is live!

Check us out! Find all the solutions you need for you and your pup right here!