Haulin’ Aus, Inc.

23/01/2025

https://www.catanddogfirstaid.com/blog/how-to-make-paw-safe-ice-melt/?fbclid=IwY2xjawH_XjpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHQ87vBs6aDsnZD-koF401NPdvmdEs2H4EvW8C-EKI_R7HGbxDrCZ2anrUQ_aem_ehsyNiuQTSHLxHEt9bi9kQ

Winter Ice and My Pets’ Paws Don’t let the slick slippery step assailant coating our walkways and driveways harm you or your pets’ paws with harsh chemicals. There is a way to rid of the treacherous ice without causing harm to your pets, your walkway or your wallet. Most of us know that the ro...

23/01/2025

Terminology Tuesday ~ Learned Helplessness 🐶

As trainers who work closely with families, we are often asked the question of “will they just get used to the baby/ toddler over time?”

Something we always take into consideration is avoiding something called learned helplessness at all costs… But what does that mean?

Learned helplessness in dog training happens when people intentionally or unintentionally put their dogs in situations that the dogs are uncomfortable in repeatedly until they seemingly stop reacting.

This lack of a reaction doesn’t mean that they are comfortable, it means that they feel that no matter what they do, they will be forced into the situation so they begin to shut down emotionally. They feel as if they don’t have any other choice.

This is very dangerous as it can result in bites or reactions that people often describe as “out of nowhere” - which we know there is often no such thing as an “out of the blue” bite

To avoid learned helplessness in our dogs, we want to actively watch their body language for clues to how they might be feeling and respect their boundaries when they tell us that they are uncomfortable by adding in success stations and space!

We want to provide choice, not force 💚

21/01/2025

Love this!

Frustration in cats is an emotional state that arises when a cat is unable to achieve a desired goal or when their expectations are unmet.

Common Examples of Frustration are:
1) Unable to access food, water, litter boxes, or a certain space.
2) Boredom and lack of stimulation.
3) Desire for attention or interaction with their owner.
4) Changes in routine.
5) Conflict with other pets in the household.

When a cat becomes frustrated, especially consistently, you may notice these signs:
-Vocalizing: especially persistent meowing towards the owner.
- Restlessness: Pacing, circling, or not being able to settle
- Destructive Behaviors: Scratching the furniture or knocking items off a table/shelves.
- Swatting or scratching the owner as the owner approaches or walks by.
- Disengaging in normal behaviors and keeping to themselves.

Understanding and addressing frustration is vital to promoting a cat’s mental well-being and preventing stress-related issues.

21/01/2025

For anyone in the veterinary field or those that work with cats, this course takes handling and an appreciation of feline behavior to a whole new level. It's a must for those seeking to improve cat welfare.

20/01/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/14oXD8Gwtn4/?mibextid=wwXIfr

20/01/2025

Excellent explanation!

INVISIBLE FENCES

There seems to be a great deal of misunderstanding surrounding how invisible fences work, and a lack of appreciation of how aversive they are. Of the Five Freedoms set out to protect the welfare of animals, these devices violate three of them:

*Freedom from pain, injury, and disease
* Freedom to express normal behaviour
* Freedom from fear and distress
–Karen Overall, Manual of Clinical Behavioral Medicine for Dogs and Cats, 2013

The name "invisible fence" sounds harmless enough, doesn’t it? I have to say that I hadn’t heard of these until a few years ago, even though they are legal to use and are available to buy in the UK **(illegal to use in Wales- the use of shock on dogs and cats carries a £20,000 fine and up to six months jail term).

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-22093514

For those unfamiliar with invisible fences, they are an electronic underground containment system which provides an invisible boundary for your pet. As your pet approaches the perimeter, a transmitter sends a radio signal along the fenceline, which is then detected by the receiver on your pet’s collar, and delivers an electric shock to your pet’s neck. Doesn’t sound so harmless now, does it? I can’t imagine what it must feel like to live with the threat of being zapped in my own front yard, which should be a place of safety.

Even with some training in place to learn where the boundary is, what if something were to frighten your dog and he accidentally runs through the barrier, layering pain on top of fear? That in itself is going to be traumatic, then you have the additional dilemma that he no longer feels safe in his home environment.

Speaking of safety, these fences do not provide the security that a solid, traditional fence does; what if the system fails, or is incorrectly set up; there might be a power cut, or the batteries might run out. What then? Or, what if your dog is so agitated by something that he runs through the fence, despite the shock? Even if the fencing is effective in containing your dog, it will not prevent others from gaining access. What if he were to injure someone on your property, or cause an accident in the street? How do others know that your dogs are, indeed, contained, and not loose?

Let’s say that your dog really likes children, and rushes to the boundary when the neighbours’ kids walk past, but in his excitement to approach, he triggers the system and receives a shock. The first time, he might be taken by surprise and be a bit confused, but after the second or third time, as he learns that children being close at hand means that he gets hurt, he might try to chase them away to protect himself. We know that, with or without our influence, dogs are constantly learning and making associations, and we cannot control what they might pair the shock with. It isn’t much of a stretch to picture the potential for disaster here.

Unfortunately, one of my own dogs has first-hand experience of this, after weeing on an electrified cattle fence whilst out walking with some friends and their dogs. Poor Trigger nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt the shock, and he immediately rounded on his best friend, who was right next to him. From that moment onwards, Trigger became terrified of his former friend, because he believed that he had caused the hurt; this clearly demonstrates that we must not underestimate the impact of single event learning and the risk of long-term trauma.

It has been proven that the use of shock is damaging to canine welfare; there is a real risk of electrical burns to the neck, it causes stress, fear and anxiety, contributes to frustration and aggression, and renders your dog extremely vulnerable. A physical fence is always going to be the safest, most humane option, providing you with peace of mind, as well as protecting and containing your dog, but supervision is the only fail-safe way to ensure everyone’s safety.

Invisible fences are a disaster waiting to happen- ditch the devices and supervise, for safety's sake!

©️ Trailie Paws For Thought
www.trailiepawsforthought.com

I'm very happy for all of my content to be shared, but please do not copy and paste (to avoid sharing from source), screenshot, or download any part of it. THANK YOU! 🐾 🐾

19/01/2025

17/01/2025

Celebrate Train Your Dog month with a foundational exercise, nose targeting. Take it to the next level with a few small adaptations while building even more engagement! Read the article by our very own Hannah published today.

The January Behavior Byte® is out now and it's all about making nose targeting fun again! Practice this essential, easy skill in just minutes a day.
https://hubs.ly/Q032T9qM0

16/01/2025

FLOOD WARNING!

For those of you who may not have come across it before, “flooding” is the term used in dog training for fully exposing our dogs to the things which frighten them. It is throwing them in at the deep end so that they “face their fear” and will hopefully just "get over it". Whether or not the act of flooding is actually intended, it can still occur. It may be used deliberately with the aim of suppressing certain behaviours, or it may happen accidentally, with the best of intentions in trying to help the dog.

Despite the common belief that this approach will result in habituation (the dog becomes used to something over time), repeated over-exposure will not help a dog become comfortable with something they fear. In fact, it is more likely that he will sensitise to it further, reacting increasingly to a specific stimulus and becoming *more* fearful. By removing his ability to escape, he will either shut down emotionally, or he will opt for the fight response in desperation.

Flooding is a technique which is sometimes used in human exposure therapy to help overcome fears, a practice for which the patient gives their consent, fully understanding what is involved. However, when applied to dogs, who cannot give consent, and have no understanding or rationale regarding the process, it becomes unethical.

To avoid flooding, the dog should always be given the choice to move away from a trigger and have a clear escape route to help him feel safe. Exposure should always be very carefully managed and controlled at a neutral level, which will allow him to think clearly enough to process the situation and facilitate learning.

Sadly, flooding often appears to be effective to those unfamiliar with canine body language. The behaviour may disappear, albeit temporarily, but the dog will still feel the same way about that trigger, and worse, undoubtedly. He will have learned that, when he feels scared, the people he should be able to trust are going to ignore his attempts at asking for help, leaving him to flounder in the deep end, so to speak. He will learn that his feelings and communications don't matter, which leads to emotional shutdown and Learned Helplessness.

Flooding only serves to suppress the emotions driving the behaviour, and it is just a matter of time before the fallout of these actions becomes apparent. This type of "training" will result in irreparable damage to the bond we share with our dogs, as well as to their physical and psychological well-being.

Management is a major component of helping our dogs to feel safe. They need time to decompress, so protection from exposure to triggers when not training is vital. Management could mean cutting out walks completely for a while, or changing routes to avoid triggering situations, using child safety gates as barriers at home, having a choice of bunkers/safe spaces to prevent access to triggers, putting up window film to reduce access to visual triggers, using household appliances to mask other sounds, and so on.

Fear needs to be addressed carefully, ideally with a knowledgeable and skilled qualified professional on board. A thorough veterinary check is always warranted, in order to check for anything medical which may be contributing to fearful behaviours, and to ensure any necessary medication is given time to take effect before attempting to modify behaviour.

We must avoid "throwing our dogs in at the deep end" at all costs, because the most likely outcome is that they will sink, rather than swim.

For information on ethical behaviour modification and addressing fear by changing emotional responses with positive reinforcement, why not check out my blog:

https://www.trailiepawsforthought.com/post/part-one-a-guide-to-counterconditioning-it-s-both-magic-and-science

Spotting the signs of stress:

https://www.trailiepawsforthought.com/post/the-science-of-stress-part-two-spotting-the-signs

Tips on management:

https://www.trailiepawsforthought.com/post/management-matters

©️ Trailie Paws For Thought
www.trailiepawsforthought.com

I'm very happy for all of my content to be shared, but please do not copy and paste (to avoid sharing from source), screenshot, or download any part of it. THANK YOU! 🐾 🐾

Image reads:
Successfully changing an existing emotional response takes time, careful planning and management; it isn't simply a matter of pairing food with a trigger. In order for counterconditioning to work, a neutral level of exposure and very graduated steps are essential so that the dog remains below threshold, otherwise we are in flooding territory. Exposing our dogs to triggers at full intensity will not help them overcome their fear, it will only increase it.

15/01/2025

Cats live in a vertical world. Look around your house and I’ll bet you can point to various elevated locations where your cat likes to hang out. It might be the top of the refrigerator or maybe on top of a bookcase or tall dresser. There are several reasons why a cat chooses those locations. The higher up a cat is, the more visual advantage and warning time. The cat can easily see anyone approaching. If you live in a multicat environment, this can play a big part in easing tension because a more timid cat has adequate warning of a potential opponent entering the room. Another benefit to vertical space is that a more assertive cat can “claim” the highest spot as a show of status. This can often reduce any actual physical confrontation two cats might have.

15/01/2025

And just practicing management routinely could potentially/likely prevent the undesirable behaviors.

13/01/2025

Happy Gotcha day to my partner W***y and what started Haulin' Aus.

11/01/2025

Carers of indoor cats - can you help us understand more about environmental enrichment and its impact on stress reduction in cats? A new study with the University of Edinburgh has just been launched and we're looking for participants.

We're looking for households with 1 or 2 indoor only cats. Households where the cats have access to a catio or enclosure can participate. Eligible cats are aged between 6 months and 13 years.

To access the short screening survey please either scan the QR code in the poster below using the camera app on your phone, or visit this url: https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/edinburgh/utilising-the-home-feline-stress-score-to-compare-the-impact-of

08/01/2025

Here kitty kitty.

07/01/2025

Many people choose to maintain management for issues with their pets and that can be a fine choice! See what Pat from Haulin' Aus has to say in this month's Ask LSH.

A reader recently asked the Low Stress Handling® team if management for their boisterous dog could be done long term since it's working well for the family. Find out the answer in this month's Ask LSH, out now.
https://hubs.ly/Q031tJKk0

06/01/2025

Big thanks to Alicia and Haulin’ Aus’ Hannah for creating this video! Training can be simple, fun, and rewarding for the whole family.

Capturing Desirable Behaviors is a timely update to Sophia Yin’s Learn to Earn Program, introducing a modern approach to animal training that emphasizes posi...