Happy Puppy Training

09/08/2024

Does a wagging tail mean your dog is happy? Not necessarily! Dogs use their tails to communicate a number of different things and wagging can be a sign of excitement, insecurity or aggression among other things.
In the video below you can see Millie wagging her tail as she barks and growls after picking up the scent of coyotes in the distance.
I have also linked an excellent article that explains the many meanings of a wagging tail.

https://vcacanada.com/know-your-pet/interpreting-tail-wags-in-dogs

07/08/2024

I took my dogs to Henderson Lake for some training. They are sometimes challenging to walk together because Millie prefers speed walks and Toby likes a leisurely stroll. There were lots of distractions, fun things to smell, people and other dogs and they did great!

03/08/2024

If you are at Henderson Lake, don't let your dogs in or near the water. Blue-green algae is deadly for pets

17/07/2024

Because we live on an acreage, I don't always have time to bring my dogs into town to work on their skills. And being closest to a small town, we don't run into other dogs often. Today Toby had an appointment in Lethbridge so I took advantage and took him to the park after. He was amazing. He watched several dogs go by at varying distances and was able to watch all of them without any reaction. His body stayed relaxed and he was able to calmly watch them go by and then turn and walk away and even took time to do some sniffing while a dog went by. When I first got Toby, an entire baseball field away from another dog was still too close. Although he doesn't get to practice much with other dogs, we have been working hard on disengagement skills and learning to walk away when he feels uncomfortable instead of lunging and barking and he gets to practice these skills with all the other animals on the farm. We still have work to do as we are not able to get closer than this right now but I'm so excited with the progress he's made.

12/07/2024

The chickens have moved out to the chicken coop which has been a challenge for my bird obsessed dog, Millie. I was away on the weekend and the sitter told me she spent the entire weekend running laps around the coop( not the sitter's fault ) When we're dealing with reactivity, it's all about 1% improvement at a time. This week I have made sure she's under supervision every time she's outside and built value in moving away from the chickens. She will still go and check them out periodically but we have had more than 1% success a day. She is consistently making the choice on her own to find other things to do and is able to redirect away from the coop when she does decide to go over there. I am so proud of her and so excited to see the progress she has made this week.

06/07/2024

Do you have a pressure sensitive dog?
You might if they:
*Stare at you and do nothing when you give them a cue they know
*Walk away and go lay down when you ask them to do something
*Freeze up when they're unsure what you're asking
*Shut down when you try to teach a new skill
*Take and eat rewards in slow motion
*Refuse to listen, seemingly not hearing you even though they're staring right at you
Many people with pressure sensitive dogs misinterpret these signs as stubbornness, unwillingness to learn, attitude, lack of obedience, etc.
The tricky thing about these dogs is that the more pressure you put on them to perform or listen to you, the more they get overwhelmed and shut down. In order to train pressure sensitive dogs, we just need to make a few tweaks to the training process.
If you were to look up pressure sensitive dogs in the dictionary I'm pretty sure you would find a picture of Millie 😂. When I first got her I just couldn't figure her out. Nothing I knew about training dogs worked with her even though she was extremely smart. Most of the time when I asked her to do even the simplest behaviors she would either turn her head and refuse to look at me or go to her bed and go to sleep. No amount of treats or toys could entice her. As I searched for ways to help her and for something to help me understand her, I came across information on pressure sensitive dogs and it completely changed everything for us in our training and our relationship. It has been a frustrating journey at times, but I am so thankful for this beautiful girl and everything she has taught me.

05/07/2024

Millie got to come help with some dog socializing today. Molly is usually scared of dogs but her and Millie did great! It didn't take long for Molly to want to come say hi and they had a good walk in the park together. Molly has come leaps and bounds in so many ways🥰

04/07/2024

03/07/2024

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!! I am working with a very bike reactive dog and need some volunteers to ride their bikes so I can train her. We will start at the dog park so that there is a fence barrier between us just in case so that everybody stays safe. If you are interested in helping me out, please send a message. Thank you!!

10/06/2024

Shared from Dr. Tom Mitchell, Behavet.

08/06/2024

It's P**p Up Days!!!! Come join us at Trout Pond!

03/06/2024

Don't forget, this coming Saturday is P**p Up Days! Bring your dog for a walk around Taber Trout Pond to pick up the p**p that has been left everywhere (the Town of Taber is providing p**p bags and bag dispensers for your leash). Following the walk, there will be carnival style games for your dog. Aqua9, Pawparazzi Dog Grooming & Spa and Pet Valu will be there to help with the games. This is going to be a fun event so dont' miss it!

01/06/2024

Working on dog reactivity. Building value in doing other things is so important when it comes to reactivity.

07/05/2024

Mark your calendars!! June 8th I am hosting the first ever P**p Up Days at Trout Pond. We will begin with a walk around Trout Pond to pick up the p**p that has not been picked up. P**p bags as well as leash bag dispensers will be provided by the town. Following the walk there will be some carnival-type games for your dog. This will be a fun social outing for you and your dog and a great way to help keep our parks clean! Can't wait to see you there!

01/05/2024

If you have a dog that reacts poorly in a given situation (ie. jumps on people when they come to your house, barks at people on walks, resource guards, etc), the best way to tackle the problem is to train FOR the situation instead of IN the situation. When we're in the situation, the dog is not in a headspace to do any kind of learning. They are simply reacting. Instead we need to train them when they are in a calm state of mind, teach them the desired behaviour and help them gain the skills needed to perform that behaviour in the situation. Look at situations where you are not happy with your dog's behaviour, decide what you would rather have them do in that situation and start teaching them that behaviour outside of the situation.

27/04/2024

It's spring! Time to get out and enjoy the weather! And wouldn't it be nice if you could enjoy walking your dog without all the pulling? Happy Puppy Training offers in-home, positive reinforcement training so that you can enjoy walking your dog!

25/04/2024

It's a party! Come see me May 18 at Bone & Biscuit! I will be there 1-4PM

11/04/2024

Last one of the litter! This girl is so sweet and learns fast. Still looking for her forever home

10/04/2024

Learning to retrieve so she can go hunt pheasants with her dad! She is not keen on dropping things and I am so excited with the progress we have made with this!

10/04/2024

Some dogs like to be rewarded with treats and some prefer toys😂

09/04/2024

Does a wagging tail always mean your dog is happy? No, it doesn't! It's important to look at the whole body to determine how the dog is feeling. A happy dog will have a relaxed tail and a relaxed, loose body. The eyes will be bright and soft and the mouth will be relaxed, usually open.
If the dog's tail is high and moving back and forth while the body is erect and rigid, the dog is feeling uncomfortable. If the tail is high, stiff and moving back and forth narrowly and quickly, this is often a precursor to aggression.
If the tail is low and wagging slowly, this is a sign the dog is feeling hesitant, nervous or scared.
Notice where the tail is positioned but also look at the ears, eyes and mouth to determine how the dog is feeling. They will also hold their body differently depending on how they're feeling. A nervous dog tends to curl the body in, hunch, duck, try to hide. A dog that is potentially aggressive will stand still with a stiff body

07/04/2024

Don't forget to join me at Bone & Biscuit this week to learn all about reactive/ fearful dogs!!

03/04/2024

This doesn't look like a big deal, a dog lying in her bed. But for Millie, who has separation anxiety, this is huge! The last few days we've finally gotten to a point where I can move around the house without her going into panic. If I move too quickly, she will sit up, but she is finally at the point where she can settle again and yesterday she even slept while I puttered around. Separation anxiety takes time, patience and lots of baby steps but eventually the pieces start coming together. Proud of this girl🥰

02/04/2024

On Tuesday we got a big surprise and welcomed 2 little goats into our family. Today millie got to meet them. She was very unsure but was brave enough to sniff and watch them for a bit before running away😅

25/03/2024

Doing a little nose work with Millie on this cold, windy day. She's too good at it! Looks like it's time to make it a little harder!

23/03/2024

It's national puppy day! Celebrating my little fur babies and the fun we had in the puppy stage! And those cute little faces. I can't believe how tiny they were. Feel free to share pictures of your dogs as puppies. Lets celebrate these precious family members!