Epsilon Dog Training

09/09/2024

We talk a lot about high value rewards in dog training. But is high value always the best choice?

The great thing about high value rewards like hot dogs, chicken breast, cheese, and peanut butter is that they get your dog really excited. We want that for difficult behaviours like recall!

But have you ever found that your dog’s excitement got in the way of training?

Let’s look at a real example of my dog Ollie and a skill I’m working on with him. I want him to learn to lay on a mat outside the kitchen while I cook (instead of tripping me).

We started by using his regular freeze dried beef treats. Right away I realized something wasn’t going well. He kept popping up from the mat in between treats. I wasn’t able to get any duration. I could see his eyes getting huger by the second, hear his breathing get faster, and he looked like he was ready to spring into action.

Not the relaxed settle I was going for 😫

But then, we had a breakthrough one day during an unplanned session when he laid on the mat on his own accord while I was getting water in the kitchen.

I wanted to reinforce him, so I grabbed a box of cheerios. I started giving him cheerios on the mat. He was totally calm, focused, and I was able to start building a few seconds of duration! That’s when it clicked that I needed to train this with low-value rewards.

It’s been going so much better now. Ollie will rest in his signature sploot position between cheerios while I’m chopping vegetables.

Speaking of vegetables, crunchy greens like broccoli, spinach stems, and iceberg lettuce also seem to be perfect low-value rewards for this behaviour. I go with stuff that he will eat but isn’t crazy about.

If you have a super food-motivated dog like me, I encourage you to play around with the value of your rewards and see what impact that has on your training!

Have you ever used low-value rewards? What for? What foods work best for your dog when you need them to be calm and settle? Let me know!

30/08/2024

LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE

Most dogs actually do not enjoy being touched while sleeping.

Heck, most humans don’t.

One time my friend woke me up from a nap and I punched her in the face without realizing it!

It’s okay if your dog doesn’t like being petted while resting. They have boundaries that deserve to be respected.

Even if your dog has never snapped or growled or bitten when being touched while sleeping, let’s keep it that way by keeping our hands off them!

If you really need to wake your dog up, call their name or shake a bag of treats. If that doesn’t work, put something stinky right in front of their nose.

If your dog seems to be having a nightmare, you can calmly speak to them to reassure them. Don’t attempt to wake them up because this can be even more scary. Your dog will not be traumatized by having a nightmare. They probably won’t remember it.

21/08/2024

CALLING ALL HUSKY LOVERS

I had the pleasure of spending time with some adoptable dogs at Delta Community Animal Shelter today!

Pablo is the one wearing the cone. He is recovering from a toe operation but he won’t let that stop him from having the best time with his enrichment activities! He especially likes the licky mat and chomping on the rubber tire. Once he is recovered I think he will be a great hiking or Netflix-watching buddy.

Jaden is the other husky - he is super smart and affectionate. He likes doing food puzzles and nosework. I could see him excelling at trick training or agility!

Both of these pups are super friendly and affectionate. They warmed up to me right away when I gave them cookies! They are both very food motivated and will do great with some positive reinforcement training. They will both make great companions and are soooo ready to find their forever homes!

Jaden’s adoption profile:

http://www.delta.ca/services/delta-community-animal-shelter/adopt/jaden

Pablo’s adoption profile:

http://www.delta.ca/services/delta-community-animal-shelter/adopt/pablo

If you have any questions about Pablo, Jaden, or the adoption process, please contact the shelter (I am not a representative of this organization, just a volunteer)!

14/08/2024

If you’ve spent much time on dog training internet you might have seen some debate around whether fetch is safe or not.

Thankfully I am here to offer the most correct opinion.

Just kidding! My views on this topic, like most, are constantly evolving. And if my views change in the future, I’ll update this post.

But for now, here is my professional opinion.

There is a lack of scientific research on the impacts of fetch.

However, I have seen and heard of enough dogs getting injured while playing fetch to make me cautious.

That doesn’t mean you should stop playing fetch. Fetch can be a wonderfully fulfilling form of exercise for many dogs.

All activities come with some risk and we can take steps to promote safety.

If your dog loves to fetch, here are my guidelines for minimizing risk of injury:

🏈 Throw the toy in the direction your dog is facing to prevent twisting
🏈 Play on stable, even terrain with no holes in the ground
🏈 Throw the toy low to the ground to prevent jumping
🏈 Do not let your dog chase a toy down stairs (✋🏻I did this and my dog needed a $3000 surgery to repair his knee)
🏈 Do not play on slippery floor
🏈 If your dog does not take breaks on their own, enforce breaks by putting the toy away and offering a calmer activity such as a treat scatter
🏈 Just because your dog can play fetch for hours a day, does not mean they need to. Less is more!

🌾 Tip for added mental stimulation: hide your dog’s ball in tall grass or a bush so they have to use their nose to search for it! This activity is better for meeting their enrichment needs than repeated ball throwing.

Fetch is great fun, and you could potentially save yourself thousands in vet bills by playing it mindfully.

Practice safe fetch everyone! 🥏

03/06/2024

https://www.thisdogslife.co/cesar-millan-just-celebrated-20-years-on-tv-not-everyone-is-happy-about-it/

Cesar Millan’s influence on dog training is undeniable, marking two decades of shaping public perceptions and practices. But not everyone is celebrating.

10/05/2024

It is hot! Our officers are proactively monitoring parking lots in the Langley area. We’ve already found two dogs locked in cars where the temperatures inside were dangerously high. This can quickly become a life threatening situation.

Please leave your dogs at home or bring them into the store with you if you’re permitted.

If you see a dog locked in a car please contact us at 604.857.5055

10/05/2024

There are a lot of great 'red flag' resources out there, but we wanted to create something short, simple and shareable.

Four easy ways to avoid broker rescues:

1. Do not sign adoption papers or pay adoption fees if you have not met the animal.

2. Do not sign adoption papers or pay fees for an animal that comes directly off a transport vehicle.

3. Do not sign adoption papers or pay fees for an animal unless you can speak to someone (foster home, kennel attendant, etc.) who has personally cared for this animal.

4. Do not sign papers or pay fees for an animal unless the rescue has a clear “Plan B” if this adoption doesn’t work out.

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ℹ️ Meet the animal first and get first hand information. This should not be controversial or counter-intuitive advice. You would never commit to a life partner, adopt a child, or even get a roommate without doing this.

A reputable rescue cares whether you are a match for the animal in their care. They will not pressure you to commit to an animal based on a bio or photo or sad story. You are making a 10-15 year commitment to a living being with unique needs and personality traits. You both deserve some time and information to make sure this is a good fit.

🅱️Have a Plan B. You may want to help an animal and feel ready to adopt. You may be sure you can make things work, but adoptions can fall through for many reasons. Online bios aren’t always accurate and the dog described as “good with kids/dogs” may not be. It may be noisy, or not housetrained, and cause problems with strata or landlords. It may have crippling separation anxiety and you have a job out of the house. Your life situation may change.

A reputable rescue will have a foster program, a foster-to-adopt process, or a matching system with multiple steps: to set everyone up for success, and be a resource if it’s not a fit.

If you are adopting from an overseas rescue without a local representative, trainer, and network of foster homes lined up, this is a red flag.

🚑But the urgency!! Unethical rescues will use a sad story or a sense of emergency to pressure you into ignoring your instincts or skipping the steps above. Urgency and need is all around you – the best way to help is to donate, volunteer, or foster for a reputable rescue, NOT to rush into a long-term commitment to a new family member.

Use your head AND your heart to support ethical rescues. If everyone followed the simple steps above, rescue brokers and puppy mill re-sellers would go out of business.

🚩 Please link your favourite "red flag" resources below!

06/05/2024

Fact or fiction: “it’s all in how you raise them.”

Have you ever been told this? If so, how did it make you feel?

Share your thoughts down below.

✨Send this post to someone who needs to see this! ✨

04/05/2024

Are you new to force-free dog training? Are you not sure how it works or if it will be effective for your dog? Read a short, detailed explanation in my latest blog post linked here!

Force-free is a training methodology that avoids the use of threats, intimidation, coercion, and violence. Instead, it uses a variety of humane techniques to train dogs. Traditional dog trainers use unpleasant methods like leash jerks, pinching, scuffing, shouting, and spraying water. Some of them a...

03/05/2024

Today Schultzy learned to recall in his backyard to a whistle! He also learned how to use his nose and critical thinking skills to solve a problem.

And all of that was achieved with only ONE exercise! 😲 (how is that even possible??)

Schultzy’s guardian also learned how to replicate this training exercise AND how to keep his recall super strong even after I leave!

Do you want your dog to learn skills like this? Are you interested in learning fun and efficient ways to train? DM me or contact me via the form on my website to get in touch!

02/05/2024

Flower power 🌼

28/04/2024

NEW ON THE BLOG

My dog is reactive. Now what?

Read an excerpt:

…caring for a leash reactive dog is extremely stressful. Whether your dog’s issues are with other dogs, humans, bikes, or cars, it’s impacting your ability to enjoy walks together. You feel frustrated, trapped, embarrassed, and you don’t know where to turn to for support. Is this just how things are going to be?

Read the full post here:

https://www.epsilondogtraining.ca/post/leash-reactivity-and-what-to-do-about-it

25/04/2024

Walkies with Jessie’s cousin Violetta!

Swipe to see the CHOMP 🦈

08/04/2024

BC has a broker problem.

These “rescue” organizations purchase dogs from puppy mills, make up fake back stories, and flip them to unsuspecting customers.

Or they scoop up mass quantities of dogs from foreign shelters and import them to Canada with little to no veterinary screening - transporting parasites and disease into our communities.

They don’t disclose past history of aggressive behaviour or flight risk, leading to trauma and heartbreak.

Then they disappear - or feign ignorance, or threaten lawsuits - leaving pet guardians to foot unexpected vet and training bills - or to have no choice but to rehome their dog.

These “rescues” are often operated by unstable and litigious individuals. Which is why I shall not be naming any publicly. More info is available to those who wish to reach out to me privately.

Stay safe, stay informed, and don’t support scammers.

More info on the dog broker crisis:

BC Rescue Watchdog

Rescue red flags to watch out for:

https://justice-for-bullies.myshopify.com/pages/rescue-red-flags?fbclid=IwAR3cXhj3qUiXNXKJC7Mh-dJx3fo8RPY1MmUzrJFOHF8CA2TIw-LzaT5FWoQ_aem_AdJ-qjNMXJgdHTbUok9ryTtaK4RWOTIoYrBtJ6sTs1MyMbMd6tYFJhFUqApDqrEQwh8

Responsible pet ownership starts early, from the minute you source your new family member. Whether you choose a breeder or a rescue, it’s your responsibility to do your research and make a responsible choice.While we would like to believe that any “rescue” has the best interest of the animal a...

04/04/2024

We often have unrealistic expectations going into getting a dog. We think we are getting a cute, fluffy, cuddly little friend who hangs on our every word and is eager to please.

What we end up with is a dirty, stinky, trash-eating goblin who steals food off the dinner table and blows off our recall to harass a local squirrel.

Our dogs possess a lot of qualities that we love, but let’s be honest, some of their behaviours are often at odds with our human needs and desires.

Some “trainers” resort to punishing dogs out of their natural behaviours - but I don’t accept that strategy.

I firmly believe that through education, setting realistic expectations, and utilizing smart management, the vast majority of dog parents can learn to live with their furry friends in harmony.

If you’re at your wits end with your dog’s “doggy” behaviour - or want to prevent problems before they arise - DM me or reach out via the form on my website!

Which of these 7 things does your dog like to do? 😇

03/04/2024

Most pet dogs are anxious, and that could change if we socialize our puppies and breed from less anxious dogs. Read more:

A Finnish study finds that 72.5% of pet dogs show at least one form of canine anxiety..

01/04/2024

Long-Term Resident Spotlight.. COSMO! ✨

Can you believe this oh so handsome and majestic boy has STILL not had much of any interest? Cosmo has been in shelter now since JULY of last year which is far too long for any dog, let alone a husky breed!

Cosmo is truly a stand up guy.. the full package if you will, with beauty AND brains! He is intelligent, obedient (well most of the time) and affectionate too. He can be somewhat naughty at times, but with the help of continued training, mental enrichment and physical activity were such these behaviors will be kept at bay! Some of Cosmo's favorite things include: belly rubs, treats, squeaky toys and playing with his favorite doggo friends!

Cosmo could be your new best friend, so what are you waiting for!? Fill out an application TODAY and make Cosmo's day 🩵 Can't adopt? PLEASE SHARE!