Press Play Dog Services

21/01/2022

“Impulse control” is a bit of a buzz phrase in dog training - the idea that your dog should have ‘self control’ and know not to interact with certain things in their environment.

This sounds a bit vague to me. After all, dogs have no concept of right or wrong… they only know what actions produce consequences - ie: pulling towards the nuggets box sometimes gets them discarded leftovers!

Instead of putting the responsibility on my dog to know what I DON’T want, I’m going to spend the time showing her what to do instead: “That box is just a distraction - I want you to walk with me!”

And the results speak for themselves - long & loopy lead, matching my walking speed, and only looks over at the box before coming along when cued. Proud of my girl ☺️

(Eagle eyes will catch doing some lovely heel work past it as well!)

02/01/2022

Couldn’t have said it better myself! We all share public spaces, so please be respectful of everyone. Just because your dog is friendly, doesn’t mean you are allowed to ignore leash laws.

𝗟𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗴 𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 🗯️

Unfortunately Jedi & I had an awful experience today.

A German Shepherd circled us as I struggled to hold my distressed, 30kg dog my arms, as the Shepherd blissfully ignored her guardians nonchalant attempts to recall her away from us.

"𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨" I was told.

And

"𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘨 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤"

He said, after calling me names.

😔 I'm really saddened by this experience, as not only does it push myself & Jedi back on our training, it also shows me the mentality some people have regarding their "dog-social" dogs vs "dog-reactive" ones...

As a dog reactive owner, and trainer to other clients with dogs who have big feelings, I can't stress enough how carefully we manage our dogs when we're in public.

🚗 Drive-bys before entering a new area
👀 Constant scanning while in the area
⌚Going at off-peak times
🧀 Treats & toys strapped to the hip
🔒Muzzles, harnesses & long lines
⚠️ Wearing signage to visually indicate to strangers to keep their dogs away
🎓Practicing emergency U-turns, and quick reflex to name training religiously
🏃🏼‍♀️Changing direction at the sight of another dog to maintain distance
The list goes on...

All dogs deserve exercise and all dogs and people deserve to feel safe doing so.

There are some things that dog-social guardians could easily do to help everyone enjoy public spaces and avoid dog attacks.

𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀

⚖️Dog Act 1976: https://bit.ly/3pJh2FE

✍️ Recall Training: https://youtu.be/6uTgSr0acBo

🔒 Long Lines: https://nativecollars.com/collections/dog-leads/products/long-line-biothane

⚠️ Visual Aid: https://www.roccoandco.nz/visual-aid-vest-collection

09/11/2021

All of this - Couldn’t have said it better myself!

Allow me to introduce you to the 3M’s that assist with changing behaviour

⚡️ Management looks like setting your dog up for success so they can’t continue to rehearse the undesirable behaviour

⚡️Modification is where new learning takes place, at the learners pace and often along side a professional, certified trainer

⚡️Monitoring is alllll about collecting 👏🏽 that 👏🏽 data 👏🏽 It’s important to keep track of how things are progressing, regressing or staying the same, so we can adjust our plan accordingly!

02/11/2021

“Hold an object” is not something Kira naturally does - in fact, her genetic make-up tells her that she should shred and kill said item instead (we have lost one of these Kong Stix before to those teeth!). So this is tricky for her! She had to:
1️⃣ Gently take an offered object
2️⃣ Keep hold of said object without biting it in half
3️⃣ Maintain that soft hold until cued to release

You can tell I was pretty happy 😅 I forgot to take it out of her mouth before partying 🎉

28/09/2021

Each dog breed was bred for a specific purpose… knowing the story of your dog’s genetics can explain a lot about behaviour.

Your terrier is ripping up toys? They were bred to kill vermin!

Your Labrador is carrying socks around in his mouth? He’s being the best retriever he can be!

Your dachshund is tenacious and loud? They had to face down badgers. BADGERS! 😱

This doesn’t make them bad dogs - it’s just who they are. Knowing what makes our pups tick is half the battle 🙌🏻 The other half is learning how you can use those behaviours for good (that’s the bit a good trainer can help you with 😉)

Despite what the Internet might have led you to believe, dachshunds were not specifically bred to dress up in hot dog costumes.

These mighty dogs originally ventured underground to hunt badgers—in German, their name translates to “badger dog.” Their long, low bodies and brave temperaments were well-suited to digging and venturing into dark holes to take on prey. Miniature dachshunds, meanwhile, were used to pursue moles and rabbits—so when yours digs into their blanket or stares down a much bigger adversary, remember that they’re just following the lead of their ancestors.

22/09/2021

We always celebrate with kisses 😘

Kira and I were very lucky to take home 2nd Place today in our first ever scent work trial. It was a search for clove (q-tips soaked in 1-2 drops of clove oil) hidden in an outdoor area. I'm so proud of my girl for following her nose (quite literally!) and working beautifully in a new environment where there were strange people and dogs. She was confident, engaged, and keen to play - what more could you ask for?!

Thank you to the Advanced Tracking Club of WA for a fabulous trial!

21/09/2021

Reason #143 why we muzzle train: when your dog is on a limited diet but can still enjoy off-lead time because we can manage her ability to access any random food that may be on the trails.

Why do you muzzle train?

31/08/2021

Kira had to be fasted for a routine dental yesterday…. That means no snacks on our walk.

😱 THE HORROR! 😱

However, our skills are practiced often & consistently, so we now have a strong reinforcement history for walking politely next to the human. Loose lead walking is a difficult skill for both ends of the lead…. But every second of practice is worth it when we can go for a walk without my arm being dislocated (even if snacks aren’t allowed!).

03/08/2021

Ida certainly enjoyed her enrichment visit today - just check out the confetti she made from her snack boxes 🤣

14/07/2021

What is your safe space? Where do you go to relax, rest, and re-energise? For me, I love to sit on my couch with a cup of tea, a book and my dog - this helps me wind down after a busy day.

Our dogs need these safe spaces too. Check out this fabulous mini-webinar from IMDT Australia to find out how you can create a safe space for your pups.

Bonus for cute Kira footage at the end 💕

26/06/2021

Handsome Iroh learned that walking with mum can be fun! Our dogs often learn to pull on lead as a way of accessing things they want (smells, dogs or people!), so we took it right back to basics to help him build some strong foundations before adding distractions. Awesome work Team Iroh!

24/06/2021

Exposing our pups to the world safely during their socialisation window is definitely possible!

Busting some puppy myths this Thursday 🐶

#1 My puppy needs to have all their vaccinations before they can attend puppy preschool.

We receive lots of queries regarding puppy school and many people think that their puppy must have finished all of their needles before attending class.

This is FALSE!

A well run safe puppy school provides the ideal environment in which to socialise our puppies early BEFORE they have finished their vaccination schedule. The reason for this is the window of socialisation is short, we need to expose our pups to as many new experiences positively before 16wks of age (preferably before 13wks) so we can help them cope with the new world they find themselves in. Waiting until their final puppy vaccine means we miss this important time.

So if you have a puppy or are about to get a new family member make finding a good puppy school a priority - it is their behavioural vaccine.

If you would like more information on the classes we run please contact us via messenger or email [email protected]

22/06/2021

One of the more common issues I hear about from clients is vacuum chasing dogs! Luckily, with some solid foundation skills, this is an easy enough problem to work through. Kira has greeted our new Roomba very appropriately and is now completely uninterested…. Plus my floors are clean 🙌🏻

04/05/2021

I love setting things up that don’t *look* like a training exercise. I pre-loaded these rocks with small treats before directing Kira to investigate. She just thinks this is a fun game, but during this exercise, she is:
🐾 Using her nose to locate the hidden treatos.
🐾 Engaging her muscles to navigate uneven surfaces.
🐾 Using her body awareness to stay balanced & stable as she moves around.

What games have you played with your dog today?

27/04/2021

Busting myths and posted from my home state - double win 🙌🏻

10/04/2021

Love this! Such a great way to think about training our dogs 🐕

04/04/2021

Spending this long weekend doing geeky things with Institute of Modern Dog Trainers Australia’s Expand, Enhance & Enrich: Advanced Training Course. It’s so lovely to get to spend time training my own dog and working on my skills too!