Keeper Steve Animal Trainer

23/01/2024

Darcy in the sand.

26/12/2023

They may not be able to speak, but they can certainly communicate.

25/12/2023

My curious little friend was very interested in my garden activities today. Christmas colours and all!

03/12/2023

Tonight at 7.30pm (AEDT), I am going live for my FREE Conservation Detection Dog Webinar!

If you are interested in this field and want to hear answers to some of the most frequently asked questions, sign up at the link below to join me!

https://www.tateanimals.com/pl/2148003082

19/11/2023

These three worked their tails off over the last fortnight and would go again today, if I asked them! This was a well-earned swim!

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20/08/2023

Compulsory Tucker Box photo.

30/07/2023

He thinks he's funny.

22/07/2023

Found it!

27/06/2023

Great to catch up with some old colleagues today, including big boy Charlie (who has grown substantially in my absence!)

25/06/2023

23/06/2023

I had a great day yesterday at Raelands Farm with James and Roy!

15/06/2023

Winnie's at it again 🥹

08/06/2023

Salty dogs.

04/06/2023

It's so rewarding to see my dogs play a part in people overcoming their phobia!

29/05/2023

Hard at work in paradise 🌴

27/05/2023

26/05/2023

Simone was lucky enough to sight not 1 but 2 koalas walking across the road this morning on her way to work! 🐨 🐨

So many of Australia’s unique wildlife are crepuscular, this means they are most active just after dusk and just before dawn.
Often Koalas will come to ground to move between trees which is when they become most vulnerable to dog attacks and being struck by car.

The Koala Hospital Port Macquarie recently shared a devastating statistic that 26 koalas have died on Port Macquarie roads from being hit by a car so far this year.

August is the beginning of mating season which will see more koalas frequenting the ground in search of a mate.

Slow down and keep your eyes peeled! It’s a pretty terrific sight seeing a koala, let alone an active one outside of its usual sleepy state curled up in a tree!

See our stories for footage of another one Simone spotted on her journey to work.

22/05/2023

Frosty morning in Moss Vale ❄️

22/05/2023

Notes from the field 😆

21/05/2023

19/05/2023

Just emerging from the frost after a week of camping out in Coolah Tops National Park conducting koala surveys with TATE Animal Training Enterprises for NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.

12/05/2023

29/04/2023

Five Ways to Entertain Your Dog in Wet Weather While Staying Dry

For many of us, a wet weekend ain’t so bad – it’s a good excuse to do nothing, catch up on some sleep and watch our favourite feel-good films. Many dogs will disagree. If your dogs are like mine, they will scarcely notice the rain and be just as keen to get out for a walk or some training as if the sun was shining. However, they will also not understand why they can’t come right back inside, drenched through and dripping mud.

You can grit your teeth, don your best wet-weather gear and get outside, embrace the adventure and accept whatever drying and grooming (for your dog and yourself) will be required on the other side. OR, you can get creative and find other ways to satisfy your dog that keep you both dry.

First thing to realise is, unless you have an ENORMOUS house or a dog-friendly treadmill, you will not be able to expend as much of your dog’s energy as you would with regular outdoor exercise. However, you can stimulate them mentally, which, when done right, will fulfill and exhaust them.

Here are five simple options:

1) Practice Obedience Skills
Concentrating on working with you to walk on a loose lead, practicing turns, stops and stays challenges your dog in a different way to long hikes or free play at a park. This is an activity that can be achieved in dry places, like hallways, garages, or undercover car parks.

2) Food Puzzles
Get super creative with feeding by layering cardboard packaging, wrapping towels, freezing treats, or using food toys. Anything you can do to push your dog’s problem-solving skills will work their brain and help wear them out.

3) Train a Trick
Lazy days at home are a great opportunity to train something new. The learning process is an excellent mental challenge for your dog AND you can impress your friends with how talented you (they) are! (Let us know in the comments if you want a how-to guide on training any particular trick!)

4) Scent Games
We’ve said it before, and we will say it again: getting your dog to use their nose is the best thing for them. Whether you want to get started on formally training a target (check out Ryan’s ‘Introduction to Scent Detection’ course to learn more), or simply playing some scent games with favourite toys or treats (check out our recent video for some tips), it’s an excellent, stimulating exercise to start inside.

5) Watch a Movie
Your dog probably won’t care much about the film, but spending time together giving pats, cuddles, massage, and/or grooming can not be undervalued. This bonding time is critical in fulfilling a strong relationship with your dog.

Wet days needn’t be a write-off for your dog or their progress. Take it as a challenge to mix up the routine and you might unlock something new and great together!

26/04/2023

PREVENTING DOG ATTACKS

A week and a half ago, Ryan spoke to a few media outlets following several incidences across Queensland involving injuries from a dog bite.
Annastacia Palaszczuk, Premier of QLD, made a statement at the time - “We need to step up responsibility and their needs to be stronger consequences. I want action to happen by the end of this month.”

Whilst we can’t influence change on a council/political level immediately, we can offer our advice on a behaviour level.


1.) ALL DOGS ARE CAPABLE OF BITING

Just as the most mild-mannered person has a tipping point where they will finally get snarky, or break down in tears and crumble in a heap, the most placid, well-socialised dog can have an off day and lose their tolerance too.
Dogs aren’t robots! They will all have days where they might feel unwell, be suffering from underlying ailments, or experiencing unknown, compounding stresses which can all contribute to a dog acting out.

2.) BREED IS NOT THE DEFINING FACTOR

There are no bad dogs and there are no bad breeds. There are, however, dogs that are more likely to bite as a result of their past experiences and the situations they are put in. There are also breeds that are more likely to cause serious damage when the unthinkable occurs. It is typical that news-making incidents involve big, powerful breeds, such as shepherds, mastiffs and Staffordshire terriers. This is because the power in these breeds’ jaws (and their position in relation to a child’s face) make these incidents more serious. However, the statistics across the board show that all dogs bite and the greatest frequency of bites is actually in smaller breeds.

3.) UNDERSTANDING DOGS

Typically, when these incidents occur the dog involved is known to the victim, living in the same household, or with a friend or family member. The shock is that they “Never thought it was possible” and “there were no warning signs”. The reality is that the signs are usually there, and we all need to get better at reading them. Subtle cues, such as turning their head away, licking lips, ‘smiling’ (barring teeth), seeing the whites of the dogs eyes or yawning, are all signs that a dog may be uncomfortable. Too often these are completely missed, ignored, or misinterpreted as cute behaviours, allowing dogs to get more stressed and frustrated, and putting people at risk.

4.) MANAGEMENT

Management is key to knowing your dog is comfortable and people remain safe. There are a multitude of ways that you can simply, safely and comfortably separate dogs when supervision isn’t possible such as separate rooms, baby gates, crates and dog runs, but it takes effort and time to help a dog feel content being removed from the action. Invest in independence training slowly and steadily at a pace your dog is comfortable with.

4.) FULFILLMENT

Dogs are not designed to be left in a yard to entertain themselves. Unfulfilled dogs are more likely to be anxious and are more likely to bite. Know what will fulfil your dog genetically and provide for them with diet, exercise, training, scent games and enrichment.

** Children are statistically the most likely to receive a serious injury from a dog. Kids’ unpredictable nature can be unnerving and off putting to a dog. When it comes to our kids, we will NEVER let them interact with any dog, unsupervised. No matter how much trust we have in a dog, or child, it’s not fair to expect them to act in a certain way around each other every time. If we are unable to supervise due to work or distraction, or we see something in a dog’s behaviour that makes us think they are no longer comfortable, we simply separate them.


PLEASE REACH OUT TO A PROFESSIONAL IF YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT YOUR DOGS BEHAVIOUR BUT EQUALLY PUT INTO PLACE THE ABOVE TO PREVENT MORE INJURIES IN THE FUTURE.

24/04/2023

Steve and Ryan with the South Australian born and bred dogs, Darcy and Alice.

We are always looking to fresh genetics for our conservation team and these splendid youngsters, bred by Patrick Torrens and Ben Harding, have been a phenomenonal addition.
Both dogs bring the steady sensibility of their UK field trialling ancestors, with just the right level of insatiable work drive. Expect to see big things from these young dogs in the future!
We couldn’t be happier with these two beauties! We will post another video later this week of Alice’s genetics in action.

19/04/2023

Woo Girl Winnie 🖤🩶

11/04/2023

Do you have a beggar?

There’s something adorable about those meme-able puppy dog eyes staring hopefully up at you when you are enjoying a meal: a chin placed firmly upon your knee, the occasional lick of the lips (in case you failed to get the message.)

It can also be a bit much.

There are times when a begging dog is not on. Perhaps the behaviour has escalated: they are no longer content to sit quietly and cutely, but have added a whimper to the routine, or are pushing their case physically. Perhaps you have guests over and want to appear as though the dog doesn’t completely rule your household. Perhaps they take it too far with certain members of the household.

This was the case for us when we brought an adult dog into our family. He was great with people, but far too keen on food, and was clearly used to taking what he liked. He quickly learnt that paws on benches would not be tolerated and that food on counters was not his to take. However, it was some time before he understood that just because someone had food in their hands, did not mean he was entitled to a share. This was particularly difficult for my youngest daughter, who was of a size where the food was held at his mouth height, and who was also quite nervous of the new arrival already (that is a post for another day!)

So it was that our new dog clearly targeted our youngest when she had food in hand, pressing her to share her snack and would immediately start hassling at the table as soon as we sat down.

As with many of our training solutions, the answer starts with effective management. This is far easier to get right from the start when raising a puppy. I have always made a point with puppies raised in the house that they are separated when the family sits down for a meal. This is a convenient time to practise independence building. Perhaps they will simply have time to play outside; they may go to their crate, they may be in the puppy pen, or they might be practicing a tie up or café exercise. Perhaps they will have a meal or a chew toy, or perhaps they won’t. Even in this, I prefer not to be predictable or build expectation. The key thing is that they are not making an association between people eating and receiving food.

It is a little trickier if you (like us) take on a dog who has not learned these lessons, or have missed this critical lesson when raising your puppy. It is often a realisation that strikes a family during their dog’s adolescence, that they are actually a massive pest during meal time!

Here’s how I fixed it:

Our boy was not one to settle well outside, particularly when we were eating right on the other side of the glass door. He was good in a crate, but I didn’t want to be permanently dependent on crating him for each meal; rather we wanted to establish new, more appropriate behaviour for him when we were eating. Instead, I placed a dog bed in front of the tv stand, just a few metres from the table, cued him to it, then tethered him in place (on a loose lead that would allow some movement, but not leaving the bed entirely). I could have simply cued him to the bed, but I did not want to be constantly drawn into interacting with him when he inevitably broke during the meal, so I utilised the lead, allowing me to ignore his behaviour and focus on dinner with the family.

I do not recall exactly how he responded for the first meal – I have no doubt that there was a bit of whimpering and some attempts to move off the bed. However, the family were able to enjoy our meal without the constant prodding of a nose in our laps, or the legitimate concern for my youngest that there would be a hostile takeover attempt on her food! At a point when he was settled and calm, I slipped him a few leftover treats from the plates and let him go. The next meal we did the same.

I have never given this dog a great deal of credit for his intelligence. He can be downright belligerent when his instincts take a hold. However, within a week or two, not only did he accept that he needed to remain calm and on his bed for the entire meal, but he started to pick up on the various pre-cursers to a meal (the table being set, plates being dished up, kids being called to the table) and took himself to his bed and settled down. The combination of some non-negotiable consistency and the realisation that this was the best (and only) pathway to receiving some tasty leftovers quickly shifted behaviour and established a new, preferrable routine.

Dogs learn from experience. Treating your begging dog (cute as it may be) will reinforce that behaviour, making it likely to reoccur and even escalate. Better to consider the behaviour you want to see in your dog when it comes to food and proactively shape and reinforce that!

07/04/2023

Happy Easter!

The Aussie Easter “Bunny”

For many Australians, the bilby is a species that is only recognisable thanks to a marketing effort by conservation organisations to substitute it as the bearer of Easter choccy in this part of the world.

But what is this strange, rabbit-like creature? How similar are they to introduced bunnies? Similar enough to have been named “rabbit-bandicoots” by early European settlers and similar enough to be enormously impacted by the rabbits they brought with them. The Lesser Bilby was extinct by the end of the 1950s and the only remaining species, the Greater Bilby, remains threatened.

Apart from their appearance and habitat, the bilby is actually very different from the rabbit. For one, they are a marsupial, bearing their young (and presumably Easter treats) in a pouch. This, in itself, reflects a slow and steady approach to breeding that rabbits lack (see phrase: “breed like rabbits”.) Immediately this puts bilbies on the back foot when it comes to competing for habitat – both species create burrows for reproduction, but rabbits’ rapid reproduction will take over a region very quickly. They are frequently pushed out of the prime real estate and come off second best when foraging for food. Like rabbits, bilbies are easy prey for introduced predators, such as cats and foxes. However, unlike rabbits (which breed like rabbits), every bilby lost to such predators impacts the population.

There are some fantastic organisations that are doing great work to preserve this unique Australian species. Because feral species are so established and rampant in our environment, the only true way to ensure the survival of bilbies is to create vast rabbit and predator-proof habitats, where bilbies are able to enjoy a natural existence, breeding and foraging for food without the competition of introduced competition.

We have worked on several eradication programs in sanctuaries that preserve bilbies and other vulnerable native species. We hope that the part we have played ensures Easter chocolate for many more generations of Australian children!