Joyful Obedience Dog Training

12/12/2023

Why punishment “works” Thanks https://www.facebook.com/rplusdogsbehaviour/

14/04/2023

Last Saturday, I attended an amazing workshop with Paws N’ Claws 911 Rescue. Tom Rinelli is an extraordinary teacher; everything he taught, he then put out to the group to practice several times, until we had it down. I learned how to make a make-shift muzzle, how to perform CPR on large, medium and small dogs, cats, and even dogs with barrel chests. I learned what to do when a dog is choking. And I learned so much more that will serve me well as a dog owner and a dog trainer. If you get a chance to go to one of his workshops, don’t hesitate!
(Tom comes with a truckload of full-sized and small stuffed dogs to practice on!)

29/03/2023

Find Dr. Yin's behavior and training tips along with many other resources on our website! Dr. Sophia Landing – CattleDog Publishing

29/03/2023

26/03/2023

Did you know that dogs are contrafreeloaders? That’s a big word for wanting to work, or hunt, for their food rather than have it always just sitting there in a bowl.
My clients are always surprised, after telling me that their dog doesn’t like their kibble, to see them running to get the single piece of food rolling across the floor. There’s nothing like animating their food to make it more exciting!
On a day when the weather is just too nasty for walks, there are all kinds of ways to offer your dog enrichment. Here are just a few:
Take an empty egg carton and put a couple of piece of kibble in each each slot. Close it up and give it to your dog to rip up and enjoy.
Fill an empty toilet paper or paper towel tube with kibble and turn over the ends. Shake it before you give it to your dog!
Roll kibble into a dish cloth and let your dog unroll it for the surprise!
I can give you more ideas another time, but meanwhile, save some of your dog’s daily food allowance out from the bowl and use it for enrichment. They will thank you for it!

25/03/2023

25/03/2023

One of my very favorite tips for dog training is to Avoid Rehearsal. What does this mean? If your dog drives you crazy barking out the front window, don’t let them see out. You can cover the windows with a fancy window film or a thick curtain, or you can move your furniture so they can’t be high enough to see out.
Note: Lace curtains don’t work! 😛

25/03/2023

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow author Gabrielle Zevin on the exquisite beauty – and pain – of loving an ageing pet

26/10/2022

My dogs crack me up! When someone comes to the door, I put them behind a gate on the stairs. But today I was having a couch delivered, which I knew would take some time. I didn’t want them barking the whole time, so I gave them a rawhide. Instead of running upstairs to devour them, though, they stood there like old men on a street corner.

23/10/2022

Oh, how I loved training this beautiful Chesapeake Bay Retriever puppy! I don’t think a dog has ever made me laugh so much. At only 16 weeks, she picked everything up so quickly, but when she lost interest, she’d roll on her back, laughing at me.

21/09/2022

This is incredibly wise. I love these trainers!

⚠️Lifeproof your dogs!⚠️

I was out for a run with my bestie the other day ranting (she's very tolerant) about one of my biggest bugbears in dog ownership which is the tendency for the most well-meaning owners to accidentally create frustrated, intolerant, inflexible dogs that are totally incapable of coping if something in their world changes. So here is how to avoid that by focusing on creating flexible and adaptable dogs that can thrive in the chaos of the real world.


Historically, dogs did what they were told, because they were told, and they were expected to tolerate everything without any support or training. Not very nice for the dogs I imagine, and not something I recommend. More recently though there was a big shift to becoming more aware of a dog's experience, focusing more on a dog's mental wellbeing, stress levels and quality of life. This is a brilliant shift, and definitely a move in the right direction but the issue I'm seeing is that we have almost swung too far in the opposite direction and now there is a tendency to shelter dogs too much and not expose them to any stress - resulting in dogs that can't cope in our world, which is inevitably at times, stressful.

We have shifted from moulding the dog to suit the world, to moulding the world to suit the dog - until we can't... and that is when the wheels fall off.

I fell into this trap myself, which is why I understand and can sympathise when it happens. With my OG dog Tory, I wasn't a dog trainer yet and I wasn't very knowledgable. I put her in stressful and scary situations that were not fair, because I wanted her to 'toughen up', 'get used to it', and learn to 'roll with the punches'. It was not ok, and I would not do this now, BUT luckily for me, it didn't backfire and I have a pretty damn robust Tory-Dog. Then, after 8 years as a dog trainer, I swung too far in the opposite direction as I described above. I got Poodle, and I did everything in my power to make sure that every experience he had was positive. That he never felt frustration, was never spooked, never got told off by another dog, never got restrained if he didn't like it etc. It was extremely well-meaning of me, I wanted the absolute best for him and I wanted to fix all of the mistakes I had made with Tory - but it resulted in a marshmallow of a dog that would crumble in the face of stress or in situations that fall outside of his training. Which, in retrospect was also not fair of me.

Stress is a very normal and unavoidable part of life. We need to train our dogs to be as resilient and robust as possible so that when they do get faced with a change in routine, environment, or any other stressful situation, they're better equipped to brush it off.

There's a balance to be struck and it's not an easy, straightforward road map, because each dog is different. Some are naturally more confident and robust and others are naturally more sensitive or predisposed to fear/anxiety/nervousness etc... Nature vs. Nurture and all that jazz. So it's about working with the dog you have to help them be the best they can be. But let's take a little look at ways that I think we could all be working to humanely 'life-proof' our dogs (assuming the dogs in these examples do not have any severe behavioural issues):

1️⃣ Alone time.
Even if your family are homebodies that rarely go out for more than 3 seconds, or you have other dogs that can always be with your dog - it is extremely important to teach your dog to be comfortable and feel secure when they are alone. What if an emergency happens and they need to be left for 8 or 10 or 12 hours? Not ideal, but if they've been trained to be ok with this - they'll likely just be bored and sleep, no problem. If they've never been left alone before then that's going to be very very stressful and unfair on them.

❓HOW❓
Make a point of separating them from you within the house or going out without them sometimes. We want strong independent dogs that choose to hang out with us because they want to, not because they need to or they'll have a meltdown.

2️⃣ Confinement.
Whether you choose to have your dog crated long-term or not, having a dog that is comfortable being confined to a small-ish area sets them up to not panic if they ever need to be confined in the future. Crates on a plane. Crates in a vet clinic. Crates in a grooming salon. Crates in a car. Crates or kennels at a boarding facility. It's just life, your dog is likely going to need to be crated at some point.

❓HOW❓
Make it less stressful for the dog and those caring for them by crate training them, and then maintaining that association life long. You don't have to crate them every day or every night but crate them periodically with a chew or overnight so they remain crate-able.

3️⃣ Being left out of the fun.
This one is a biggy, and it's probably the bit where my eye starts to twitch a little. Dogs that cannot be separated from their people or fellow dog friends, or watch fun stuff going on that they're not involved in without throwing an almighty frustration tantrum (not talking about separation anxiety here). It really limits what you can do with them! And it's not their fault, it's a gap in our training. Examples of where I've noticed this most:
- Dogs that can't be left outside while the humans are inside without barking incessantly at the door
- Dogs that can't handle seeing the other resident dog go for a walk/play/training session without them
- Dogs that can't handle seeing the kids play and not be involved
- Dogs that tantrum in their crate when anything mildly fun is going on that they can see.
- Dogs that lose the plot when visitors arrive and they aren't immediately allowed to leap all over them.

❓HOW❓
Exclude your dog sometimes. That sounds harsh, but it's really that simple and the goal is for the dog not to care. We emphasise children learning how to share and take turns, the same goes with dogs. So start small in situations that won't cause the tantrum, and progressively build up to more exciting things. If you have 2+ dogs, walk/train/play with them separately sometimes. If you have a dog-proof yard, leave them out there with a scatter feed or chew while you do chores sometimes. Pop your dog in their crate when you have visitors over sometimes.


4️⃣ Restraint.
Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a big cooperative care nerd, BUT, life also happens and throws curve balls that you might not be ready for in your training. In those situations, having your dog understand the concept of restraint is really crucial. There have been so many cases with my clients where a dog has injured/hurt themselves but because they can't be safely handled, they get a sub-par assessment at the vets (not the vet's fault at all). What if you need to carry them out of a sticky situation? What if they get something stuck in their foot that needs removing? Training to make your dog as handleable as possible (this may include muzzle training etc.) could potentially save their life, or will at the very least reduce their stress if/when it needs to happen.

❓HOW❓
Start easy and quick and build up from there. Short restraints = big payoffs with toys/food etc. Teach 'stillness' as a trick, and over time build on what that trick can tolerate.

5️⃣ Changes in routine.
Last but certainly not least. Often my favourite clients are the nerdy ones with the perfect routine for their dogs. They get walked for 45mins from 7-7:45, then they get breakfast in this interactive feeder, in this location while I get ready for work, then, then, then etc. I love these clients because they are so committed to their dogs. But often what these dogs struggle with is changes in their routine. Routines are great to help fearful/anxious dogs have more predictability in their life, but I'd argue that if that isn't your dog, then mixing it up is better for them long term. If your dog has only ever slept in your bed, how will they cope when they need to go to a boarding facility? If your dog has never been tethered before, how will they cope when the air BNB you hire doesn't have a fence & you need to tie them to the deck? If your dog has never been walked/trained/handled by anyone else, how will they cope when you have to leave them with a friend for a few days? How will they cope with their dinner being 3 hours late because an emergency happened? How will they cope if they don't get a walk for 3 days in a row because you broke your foot? How will they cope if the friend's house you're staying at for a week doesn't like dogs on the carpet so they have to sleep in the garage overnight?

❓HOW❓
Mix it up! Crate them tonight, and let them sleep in your bed tomorrow night. Leave them outside for a couple of hours tomorrow. Feed them dinner late one day. Give them a day off walks once a week. Have them be walked by someone different occasionally. Find whatever your dog can currently tolerate and build on that. Expand that circle of flexibility.

Life happens. A lot of the examples above are situations that would be great if our dogs never had to experience. But life does happen, and we need to prepare them for the less-than-ideal bits so that they aren't unnecessarily stressed out by them. The balance is something in between how I raised Tory and how I raised Poodle. It's not about letting them experience extreme stress with no support, or about sheltering them from real life. It's about letting them experience mild stressors that they can easily work through and recover from, regularly enough that they are no longer phased. It's about training our dogs to be able to tolerate stuff they probably won't naturally enjoy. And it's about aiming for flexible and adaptable dogs that can thrive in the chaos of the real world. The good, the bad and the stressful.

If you've made it this far and you'd like to learn more, head to our website www.thinkdog.nz for hundreds of tutorial videos and free articles 🖤

21/09/2022

⚠️Lifeproof your dogs!⚠️

I was out for a run with my bestie the other day ranting (she's very tolerant) about one of my biggest bugbears in dog ownership which is the tendency for the most well-meaning owners to accidentally create frustrated, intolerant, inflexible dogs that are totally incapable of coping if something in their world changes. So here is how to avoid that by focusing on creating flexible and adaptable dogs that can thrive in the chaos of the real world.


Historically, dogs did what they were told, because they were told, and they were expected to tolerate everything without any support or training. Not very nice for the dogs I imagine, and not something I recommend. More recently though there was a big shift to becoming more aware of a dog's experience, focusing more on a dog's mental wellbeing, stress levels and quality of life. This is a brilliant shift, and definitely a move in the right direction but the issue I'm seeing is that we have almost swung too far in the opposite direction and now there is a tendency to shelter dogs too much and not expose them to any stress - resulting in dogs that can't cope in our world, which is inevitably at times, stressful.

We have shifted from moulding the dog to suit the world, to moulding the world to suit the dog - until we can't... and that is when the wheels fall off.

I fell into this trap myself, which is why I understand and can sympathise when it happens. With my OG dog Tory, I wasn't a dog trainer yet and I wasn't very knowledgable. I put her in stressful and scary situations that were not fair, because I wanted her to 'toughen up', 'get used to it', and learn to 'roll with the punches'. It was not ok, and I would not do this now, BUT luckily for me, it didn't backfire and I have a pretty damn robust Tory-Dog. Then, after 8 years as a dog trainer, I swung too far in the opposite direction as I described above. I got Poodle, and I did everything in my power to make sure that every experience he had was positive. That he never felt frustration, was never spooked, never got told off by another dog, never got restrained if he didn't like it etc. It was extremely well-meaning of me, I wanted the absolute best for him and I wanted to fix all of the mistakes I had made with Tory - but it resulted in a marshmallow of a dog that would crumble in the face of stress or in situations that fall outside of his training. Which, in retrospect was also not fair of me.

Stress is a very normal and unavoidable part of life. We need to train our dogs to be as resilient and robust as possible so that when they do get faced with a change in routine, environment, or any other stressful situation, they're better equipped to brush it off.

There's a balance to be struck and it's not an easy, straightforward road map, because each dog is different. Some are naturally more confident and robust and others are naturally more sensitive or predisposed to fear/anxiety/nervousness etc... Nature vs. Nurture and all that jazz. So it's about working with the dog you have to help them be the best they can be. But let's take a little look at ways that I think we could all be working to humanely 'life-proof' our dogs (assuming the dogs in these examples do not have any severe behavioural issues):

1️⃣ Alone time.
Even if your family are homebodies that rarely go out for more than 3 seconds, or you have other dogs that can always be with your dog - it is extremely important to teach your dog to be comfortable and feel secure when they are alone. What if an emergency happens and they need to be left for 8 or 10 or 12 hours? Not ideal, but if they've been trained to be ok with this - they'll likely just be bored and sleep, no problem. If they've never been left alone before then that's going to be very very stressful and unfair on them.

❓HOW❓
Make a point of separating them from you within the house or going out without them sometimes. We want strong independent dogs that choose to hang out with us because they want to, not because they need to or they'll have a meltdown.

2️⃣ Confinement.
Whether you choose to have your dog crated long-term or not, having a dog that is comfortable being confined to a small-ish area sets them up to not panic if they ever need to be confined in the future. Crates on a plane. Crates in a vet clinic. Crates in a grooming salon. Crates in a car. Crates or kennels at a boarding facility. It's just life, your dog is likely going to need to be crated at some point.

❓HOW❓
Make it less stressful for the dog and those caring for them by crate training them, and then maintaining that association life long. You don't have to crate them every day or every night but crate them periodically with a chew or overnight so they remain crate-able.

3️⃣ Being left out of the fun.
This one is a biggy, and it's probably the bit where my eye starts to twitch a little. Dogs that cannot be separated from their people or fellow dog friends, or watch fun stuff going on that they're not involved in without throwing an almighty frustration tantrum (not talking about separation anxiety here). It really limits what you can do with them! And it's not their fault, it's a gap in our training. Examples of where I've noticed this most:
- Dogs that can't be left outside while the humans are inside without barking incessantly at the door
- Dogs that can't handle seeing the other resident dog go for a walk/play/training session without them
- Dogs that can't handle seeing the kids play and not be involved
- Dogs that tantrum in their crate when anything mildly fun is going on that they can see.
- Dogs that lose the plot when visitors arrive and they aren't immediately allowed to leap all over them.

❓HOW❓
Exclude your dog sometimes. That sounds harsh, but it's really that simple and the goal is for the dog not to care. We emphasise children learning how to share and take turns, the same goes with dogs. So start small in situations that won't cause the tantrum, and progressively build up to more exciting things. If you have 2+ dogs, walk/train/play with them separately sometimes. If you have a dog-proof yard, leave them out there with a scatter feed or chew while you do chores sometimes. Pop your dog in their crate when you have visitors over sometimes.


4️⃣ Restraint.
Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a big cooperative care nerd, BUT, life also happens and throws curve balls that you might not be ready for in your training. In those situations, having your dog understand the concept of restraint is really crucial. There have been so many cases with my clients where a dog has injured/hurt themselves but because they can't be safely handled, they get a sub-par assessment at the vets (not the vet's fault at all). What if you need to carry them out of a sticky situation? What if they get something stuck in their foot that needs removing? Training to make your dog as handleable as possible (this may include muzzle training etc.) could potentially save their life, or will at the very least reduce their stress if/when it needs to happen.

❓HOW❓
Start easy and quick and build up from there. Short restraints = big payoffs with toys/food etc. Teach 'stillness' as a trick, and over time build on what that trick can tolerate.

5️⃣ Changes in routine.
Last but certainly not least. Often my favourite clients are the nerdy ones with the perfect routine for their dogs. They get walked for 45mins from 7-7:45, then they get breakfast in this interactive feeder, in this location while I get ready for work, then, then, then etc. I love these clients because they are so committed to their dogs. But often what these dogs struggle with is changes in their routine. Routines are great to help fearful/anxious dogs have more predictability in their life, but I'd argue that if that isn't your dog, then mixing it up is better for them long term. If your dog has only ever slept in your bed, how will they cope when they need to go to a boarding facility? If your dog has never been tethered before, how will they cope when the air BNB you hire doesn't have a fence & you need to tie them to the deck? If your dog has never been walked/trained/handled by anyone else, how will they cope when you have to leave them with a friend for a few days? How will they cope with their dinner being 3 hours late because an emergency happened? How will they cope if they don't get a walk for 3 days in a row because you broke your foot? How will they cope if the friend's house you're staying at for a week doesn't like dogs on the carpet so they have to sleep in the garage overnight?

❓HOW❓
Mix it up! Crate them tonight, and let them sleep in your bed tomorrow night. Leave them outside for a couple of hours tomorrow. Feed them dinner late one day. Give them a day off walks once a week. Have them be walked by someone different occasionally. Find whatever your dog can currently tolerate and build on that. Expand that circle of flexibility.

Life happens. A lot of the examples above are situations that would be great if our dogs never had to experience. But life does happen, and we need to prepare them for the less-than-ideal bits so that they aren't unnecessarily stressed out by them. The balance is something in between how I raised Tory and how I raised Poodle. It's not about letting them experience extreme stress with no support, or about sheltering them from real life. It's about letting them experience mild stressors that they can easily work through and recover from, regularly enough that they are no longer phased. It's about training our dogs to be able to tolerate stuff they probably won't naturally enjoy. And it's about aiming for flexible and adaptable dogs that can thrive in the chaos of the real world. The good, the bad and the stressful.

If you've made it this far and you'd like to learn more, head to our website www.thinkdog.nz for hundreds of tutorial videos and free articles 🖤

03/05/2022

I just love training this beautiful dog. 💖

20/04/2022

Yesterday I let Dunkin loose. Usually on walks he’s hyper-vigilant, worried about everything that moves. He’s also not food-motivated, but he adores his squeaky squirrel! His mom, Krystelle, and Dunkin and I walked to a big field. I snapped a long training leash on him and started squeaking his toy. His tail went up and his eyes lit up and, I swear, he smiled. We had so much fun! …and the best part is, he came back to me because I turned away and I ran sideways but never towards him, and I even made my crazy noises. I can’t tell you how joyful it makes me to see him truly happy.
After we played, I decided to try walking him on the long lead instead of the short, two-ended one that he pulls on. He was such a different dog, much more relaxed and happy and even sniffy! I learn something new every time I train, and, most of all, to train the dog in front of me!

18/04/2022

The perks of being a dog trainer: I got to hold this soft little nugget!

30/03/2022

I love this!

24/03/2022

I love working with these three dogs! Thank you, Cathy Ryan, for giving me the opportunity to work (play) with Charlie, Bailey, and Leia! 💖

22/03/2022

I have one opening for my Life Skills Class which starts next week on Thursday, March 31st, at 1.
We will work on loose-leash walking!
Your dog will learn calmness on a bed!
They will come when you call them!
and so much more,
but best of all, we will have fun together!

Details:
Life Skills Class
Laurel Grange, 21 Garden Street, West Newbury
6 weeks starting on March 31st at 1 pm
$180

Don’t miss you on this amazing opportunity. You and your dog will be happy you came.
Melanie Babendreier, Joyful Obedience Dog Training

01/03/2022

This is pretty goofy, but Krystelle Griskiewitz and Dunkin and I made a video of how to teach your dog to roll over - basically without a dog!

26/02/2022

This is a thoughtful, wise, and well-written article. It’s taken me a long time to truly understand why my dogs need to be on leash all the time.

Most everyone knows by now that when in an area requiring leashes, allowing your own dog to rush towards a leashed dog can be a recipe for a squabble (and the dogs won't like it much either). This author points out that, done well, a leashed walk can provide plenty of enrichment opportunity and joy, to both you and your dog!

https://positively.com/contributors/the-great-debate-to-leash-or-not-to-leash/

15/02/2022

I love this! Dogs don’t know what to do when we say “no!” or “don’t”, but they really love it when you show them what you DO want.

25/01/2022

17/12/2021

We had a blast in my last Life Skills Class! My students learned to trust their dogs, and the dogs learned to trust their humans. The humans found out how amazing their dogs truly are, and how capable of trying new things.
…and we laughed. A lot! All in the midst of a holiday fair set up!

29/11/2021

Muzzle Misconceptions: My story

Dogs wear muzzles because they bite. This is true, all dogs will bite they are dogs. However, many dog owners utilize muzzles as a preventative measure to keep their dog and others safe. The truth is many dogs have never bitten because they wear a muzzle.

I started to muzzle train my dog, Buddy because as he approached 14 months he started to growl and bark at unfamiliar people who wanted to interact with him in enclosed spaces (such as the vet).

Thinking back, he’d always been shy and wary of unfamiliar people, he would choose to stay at a distance, had a big personal bubble and would duck his head if anyone tried to pat him.

I realized that although I can teach him loads of skills and alternate behaviors for when he’s feeling unsure, changing his emotional response towards strangers would take time and there will be times where seeing the vet will be non-negotiable.

I now advocate for Buddy’s space all the time and watch his body language carefully - I want him to know his whispers are listened too so he doesn’t need to shout to be heard. Introductions to new people are executed carefully, and if need be, he wears his muzzle.

However, the muzzle doesn’t mean I get to mindlessly put him in situations that he’s uncomfortable with, it doesn’t give me a free pass to ignore his whispers and it’s NOT used to suppress or change behavior.

I understand Buddy better now, I listen to him, and I prepare him. For these reasons we have never had an incident.

It's often believed that a muzzled dog must be an aggressive dog, and sometimes that’s true. However, often they are dogs with great owners that understand that all dogs can bite.
.

11/11/2021

I’m looking forward to my next class!

11/11/2021

I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to train this beautiful and amazing little puppy. He is such a good boy!

04/11/2021

Almost every single morning, Deb and Baxter and I walk with my Daisy and Auggie. It has been the greatest blessing of my retirement and definitely kept me healthy and happy! I’m so grateful for my friend.

03/11/2021

I had the wonderful opportunity to go away for the weekend with my sister, Sarah, to a huge house by the sea. Auggie, however, was confused and kept fussing, so I did some tricks with them and then he was happy again! He cracks me up.