Paws for Thought Dog Training

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Paws for Thought Dog Training

We specialize in puppy training, behavior issues, and separation anxiety.

01/07/2024

Join us for Puppy Playtime on Tuesdays in July at First Avenue Veterinary.

Sign up using this link: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=24053165&appointmentType=64306897

In this off-leash play setting, puppies will build positive associations with other dogs and the valuable skill of relaxing around other dogs. Guardians will learn what positive puppy play looks like and how to watch for signs of negative interactions.

Puppies must be under 20 weeks old to participate and guardians must submit proof of first round of vaccines and negative f***l sample or proof of first dewormer.

14/11/2023

I once overheard someone say that I was "trying to kill my dog" after I didn't let my dog say hi to theirs. That seemed a little extreme to me but in my experience people have big feelings about this topic! I often feel like dog guardians take personal offense when another guardian doesn't let their dog say hi because they believe that decision to be a reflection on their dog. I'm here to say that'a not always the case! There are plenty of reasons why someone might not let their dog say hi. It's important to understand these and to respect the choices of others!!!

07/11/2023

We love our clients!!! Amazing feedback from another successful reactivity case.

31/10/2023

Happy Howl-oween everyone!

I hope you all have so much fun trick or treating OR if that's not your thing, enjoy staying in with some sweet treats and a spooky movie!

Remember if you're planning on bringing your dog out and about when trick or treating it's important to keep them safe and comfortable! Follow these tips to ensure everyone enjoys their HOWL-oween 🎃👻💀

13/10/2023

New blog post - link in bio!!!

If you've ever thought that dog trainers have the perfect dogs and probably don't struggle with the same issues you do...think again!!

We recently brought an adolescent foster dog home and oh my gosh is she putting all of my canine knowledge to the test.

If you feel like following along with our behavior journey or getting an inside peak into the frazzled brain of an overtired dog trainer then this is the content for you 🤪

10/10/2023

Does your dog hide from you the second you pull out the nail clippers? Is going to the vet a traumatic experience every time? Handling and grooming procedures can be a significant source of fear and frustration for dogs and guardians.

Ditch the stress! We can help you and your dog to feel calm and confident for vet and grooming procedures!

In this webinar, which we are offering for FREE in collaboration with you will learn how to assess if your dog is stressed during handling and tips for addressing their fear around handling!

Head to the link in bio to sign up!!!

21/09/2023

Have you been considering CBD to treat your dogs anxiety or stress? Well you're not the only one. Over the past few years we've seen the interest in CBD rise in not only humans but pets too!

There are so many more resources available now with peer-reviewed evidence of the effect of CBD on stress in dogs. Want to learn what we found out? Head to the link in our bio for the blog post!

Disclaimer, we are not veterinarians! If you do have an interest in trying CBD to address your dog's stress - speak to your vet first!

13/09/2023

If you're working with a trainer or behavior consultant they've probably recommended some level of management. This might be a new concept to you but it's one of the most important when beginning your behavior journey!

We'd love to hear what kind of management tools you're using to prevent your dog from performing less desirable behaviors!

07/09/2023

Raise your hand if you had a great summer! 🙋🏼‍♀️

Now that summer's wrapping up we are so excited to get back to work with all of our fantastic clients!

Friends of Paws for Thought, if you are a current package holder please make sure you look to the calendar to get your next Follow-Up session scheduled. With lots of travel this summer we've noticed that people may be cutting it close on their package deadlines! If you need help scheduling, reach out to us! We want you to get all the help you can in order to reach your pup's behavior goals!

14/08/2023

We're taking some much needed time for rest and relaxation!

We will be checking email and instagram periodically. We appreciate your patience while you wait for a response.

All current clients, you know how you can reach us!

11/08/2023

Had such a blast hanging with our friends tonight!

If you stopped by for free treats or training advice and would like to get more support for your dogs behavior struggles please don't hesitate to shoot us a DM or email! ☺️

08/08/2023

Have you ever had a trainer tell you that you should ignore your dog when you come home because they could develop separation anxiety if you make entrances a big deal?

We think that's a load of phlewy!!!

Here's the reality, there are a lot of factors that could lead to separation anxiety in dogs. Sometimes we're looking at genetics, othertimes we could be focusing on a change in environment. Either way, if your dog is not currently showing signs of separation anxiety I don't recommend that you change your habits to ward off something that isn't already there!

Even for my SA clients I don't instruct people to ignore their dog when entering. We may modify the greeting so it's a little less arousing but it's ok to say hi to your dog. They missed you to!

01/08/2023

If you have a dog with separation anxiety you're probably feeling like you've tried everything and you're at the end of your rope when it comes to finding a solution.

We're going to clue you into a secret, there's no quick fix for separation anxiety.

To address this issues in your dog it's going to take perseverance and life changes. It's going to be really tough, we won't lie. But when you finally get to the point of being able to walk out the front door and not worry about your dog at home, it will all be worth it.

Are you ready to REALLY give training a shot? If you are we're here for you! DM us to book the initial assessment or email us at [email protected]

27/07/2023

Have you heard of the term “trigger stacking” before?

I like to explain this idea in human terms. Think about your average morning before getting to work. If you wake up and realize you’ve slept poorly that might not be a day ruiner. If on your way to work you miss your bus your frustration might be rising. If you get to work and realize after all that, you’ve left your key card at home and now can’t enter the building, you might be pretty upset. Now given your crappy morning, it’s understandable that you blew off a little steam by yelling at your intern for a mistake they made in their email yesterday. Right?

Our dogs experience similar stress increases as they are exposed to triggers along their walks. Stress compounds and it doesn’t lower until there’s a chance to decompress.

So while your dog might be ok watching one dog from a distance walk by, after they’ve come across a skateboarder, a car backfiring, and a bicyclist in the span of one walk they might be a little on edge.

The more triggers they are exposed to on a walk the lower their threshold or tolerance for triggers will be. Which is why by the 5th trigger they see they are no longer able to keep their cool and are barking and lunging at the end of the leash.

Now that you know about trigger stacking, what will you do to try to avoid this on your walks? Let us know in the comments!

25/07/2023

We love hearing success stories from our fantastic clients!

Team Benson worked so hard to get him comfortable with being home alone. And it turns out that separation training really was a game changer for them!

12/07/2023

If you have a dog who barks and lunges at one point in time you’ve probably heard a professional say the word “trigger.”

Usually when discussing reactivity, behavior professionals refer to the stimuli that elicit your dog’s barking and lunging as they’re “triggers.”
 Dogs can have very specific triggers or they can have a variety of triggers that result in barking and lunging behaviors.
 It’s important to learn what your dog’s triggers might be as a first step to addressing the behavior problems.

10/07/2023

Have you heard of cooperative care training?

Through cooperative care training you can teach your dog to take an active role in their veterinary and grooming procedures.

These techniques are extremely useful in decreasing the amount of stress and fear your dog experiences at the vet!

We have been practicing these techniques for awhile but we FINALLY got around to acquiring our Fear Free Certified Professional credentials so we thought now was a perfect time to bring them up.

In this blog post we talk about what cooperative care is, what the benefits are, and we take a look into new evidence from the science world examining the effect of cooperative care training on dogs!

29/06/2023

When your dog is having a behavior problem it can be tough to know where to start when it comes to addressing the issue.

Especially living in a city so many of our clients struggle with reactivity on leash or in cars.

That’s why we want to know, what questions do you have surrounding your dog’s reactivity? We’d love to hear from you! Drop your questions in the comments or DM us!

15/06/2023

This client’s dog was struggling with their adjustment to Florida. Their dog who is a nervous gal was showing fear outdoors and uncertainty around dogs in tight spaces.

The client had previously worked with a punishment-based trainer and wasn’t feeling comfortable with the usage of an e-collar on her dog.

Here at Paws for Thought we don’t judge clients for their previous training choices. As long as you are open-minded and willing to give reinforcement-based training a try, we are here for you!

06/06/2023

Very excited to announce that I’ll be doing an in-person Ask the Trainer event with URvetcare.

There will be DIY doggy crafts, complimentary treats, and lots of dog talk. Oh and did I forget to mention that I will be raffling off a FREE private training session! What’s not to love?!

The best part is that URvetcare’s fear free staff members will be joining me.

So stop by if you want to talk about your dog’s behavior problems and discuss some easy tips for helping your dog to have a more pleasant vet experience.

If you’d like to register for the chance to win a private training session with me head to www.pawsforthoughttraining.com/askthetrainer

01/06/2023

New research suggests that probiotics can be a treatment in addressing your dog's aggressive and anxious behavior.

But you might not want to run out to your local pet store quite yet.

Ready to dive in? DM us for a link or head to our blog at www.pawsforthoughttraining.com/blog

25/05/2023

When someone tells you they are a “science-based dog trainer”, do you know what that really means?

When many trainers say this, they are using that phrase as a catch all for the currently approved techniques that are practiced by the positive reinforcement training community. Most of the time these techniques have been extrapolated from current peer-reviewed evidence but it’s very rare to find techniques that have been directly tested in a peer-reviewed journal article.

There are so many amazing ethologists, canine cognition experts, and applied behavior analysts who are trying to change that. I’m incredibly proud to say that I can now count myself among them.

When I started my Master’s degree I had no idea where it would lead. I’m so excited to have met some incredible mentors who helped me to realize my full potential. The publication process took 1.5 years, plenty of frustrated moments, and lots to learn along the way. Academia is not for the feint of heart! 😅

All that being said, I don’t think I’m quite done yet! Thank you to and Gal Ziv for your expert mentoring and guidance. I couldn’t have done it without you. And thanks to all the wonderful canine participants and their parents who took part in this study!

If you'd like the link to the study DM me!

16/05/2023

I recently received this lovely card from a client who was working on dog-baby integrations with me and it made my heart soar 💗💗💗

I am so lucky to work with fantastic clients who really want to understand their dog and the emotions driving the behavior we see.

Thank you to Congee's family for being such amazing dog parents!!

11/05/2023

When you begin one of our separation anxiety training programs we ask that you make a promise to your dog that you won’t leave them alone for longer than they are ready.

At first, this can sound like a very daunting idea. That’s where we come in. Our goal is to help you consider all of your options and come up with a solution together that best suits your and your dog’s needs.

Ready to learn more about our separation anxiety programs? DM us or head to the link in our bio!

04/05/2023

Have you signed up for our FREE separation anxiety webinar?

The details: Saturday, May 13th at 11 AM.

Sign up: Via the link in our bio!

For a limited time, we will be offering a FREE body language assessment to the first 3 webinar participants who send us footage of their dog at home.

20/04/2023

We are very excited to announce a FREE separation anxiety webinar!

The details: Saturday, May 13th at 11 AM.

Sign up: Via the link in our bio!

Topics:
- What is separation anxiety
- How to determine if your dog has it
- What to do right now to start treating your dogs fear

For a limited time, we will be offering a FREE body language assessment to the first 3 webinar participants who send us footage of their dog at home.

14/04/2023

Has anyone ever told you that it's okay to just "let them cry it out" when it comes to leaving your puppy alone?

Guess what? That's not the approach we take when getting puppies and dogs comfortable alone!

Want to know why... dm us or drop us a comment and let's chat. Don't forget to head to our separation anxiety guide at the link in our bio if this hits home for you!

06/04/2023

Does your dog struggle with separation anxiety? Check out our 3 steps to tackling separation anxiety.

Thoughts, concerns? Want to learn more? Head to the link in our bio to schedule a FREE phone consult or your Separation Anxiety Initial Assessment!

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Videos

Don’t wait to start building cooperative care procedures until your dog develops handling sensitivities. If you start building your puppy’s comfort with grooming and veterinary procedures through cooperative care now you will be thanking yourself in the long run. TRUST US! Check out this video of puppy Honey opting in for brushing with a little bit of information about fear free handling on the side. #NYCDogTraining #GramercyDog #FearFreePet #CooperativeCare

We love the @westpawus Toppl toys over here! For me, they are the easiest to prepare and clean. They are also great for dogs with low frustration tolerance/ low drive because the dogs can easily access all the food, unlike with a kong. Here's a quick demonstration of what I do to prepare my dogs Toppl for the freezer when I'm using a filler that is a pretty loose liquid. If you're looking for a Toppl plug because you'd rather bypass the extra work I've done here @sniffingtons has some great options. You can also find Toppl plugs on Amazon. #NYCDogTraining #GramercyDog #DogEnrichment

Are you teaching your dogs this safety skill? One of the first things I teach puppies and young dogs is how to sit calmly during elevator rides and at doorways. I personally know puppies that have gotten their tails stuck in elevator doors so I won’t take that chance with any dog in my care. I like to position dogs in the far corner away from doors with their butts tucked into the wall. Once they’ve made it through the elevator ride I also ask them to sit and wait at doors while I open the door. This teaches them to wait to be released when moving through doors. This way I can avoid the dog EXPLODING through the doorway and it gives me the time to check our surroundings to make sure there’s no potential triggers in the environment. #NYCDogTraining #NYCPuppy #Gramercy #DogBehaviorModification

If you are planning on bringing your dog to a cafe or restaurant for outdoor dining this summer, here's a few easy tips to make the experience more pleasant for all involved! Remember if your not proactively training for these circumstances you need to have a back up plan, preferably one that's easy as pie! :) #PawsForThought #PawsForThoughtDogTraining #NYCDogTraining #PositiveReinforcement #RPlus #DogTraining #NycDog #GramercyDog #DogReactivity #DogBehaviorModification #Terrier

We have some new friendly faces here so I thought this would be a good time to reintroduce myself and talk about what Paws for Thought Dog Training does. I provide private training services to the dogs and humans of Manhattan. My main focuses are: 🔵 Helping new dog owners learn how to effectively communicate with their puppies and adopted dogs while preparing them for life in the big apple 🔵 Providing behavior modification services for clients and dogs who are struggling with big city life 🔵 Addressing separation issues for clients with dogs all over the US to help their dogs feel safe when left alone I use this instagram account as a way to showcase my clients’ successes and a platform for spreading reward-based dog training information. If it sounds like we’re the right fit for you, don’t hesitate to DM or email us! #PawsForThought #PawsForThoughtDogTraining #NYCDogTraining #PositiveReinforcement #RPlus #DogTraining #NycDog #DogReactivity #DogBehaviorModification

Take a look into a training session with Zoey. Zoey shows aggressive behaviors toward strangers. We are working on a plan to get her feeling comfortable around certain people at a time with the goal of slowly expanding her social circle. In the video I highlight the lovely body language Zoey is showing during our session. Zoey is not over threshold, or experiencing discomfort or fear during this session. Which is how dog training SHOULD look!!! If you'd like to learn more or if you have a dog with reactivity or fear- aggression send us a DM or an email to chat! #PawsForThought #PawsForThoughtDogTraining #NYCDogTraining #PositiveReinforcement #RPlus #DogTraining #NycDog

Does your dog wear a muzzle outside or at the vet? Or are you maybe working on muzzle training just in case? If you answered yes to either of those questions, first let us just say that YOU ROCK! Second, you probably have experienced difficulties when it comes to delivering treats quickly and efficiently to your muzzled dog at one point or another. This is a very easy and efficient way to deliver high value reinforcers to your muzzled dog without having to get your hands too close to their muzzled face. Give it a try and experiment with the food you put in the squeeze tube. Every dog has different preferences. We'd love to hear if you've used this technique before and your dogs favorite squeezable filling!!! Let us know in the comments! 😋 #PawsForThought #PawsForThoughtDogTraining #NYCDogTraining #PositiveReinforcement #RPlus #DogTraining #NycDog #DogReactivity #DogBehaviorModification

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