Quirky Companions

19/07/2023

DOGS NEEDED FOR TESTING!

Hi,

I am doing a thesis on scent preference for my MSc in Clinical Animal Behaviour and need participants! If you have 2 or more dogs and one of them fulfils these criteria, please follow the link to sign up for the Pets Can Do database so that you can participate in my study.
> 2-8yrs old
> Has not done formal scent work with anise, birch or clove essential oils
> Your dog has not been discouraged from sniffing

To participate, you will need to be able to collect urine samples from 2 of your dogs and bring in 1 or 2 of your dogs for testing in Minster House, Lincoln. You would need to come in on 2 separate days and testing would take a maximum of 50 minutes per dog.

Before you sign up, please read the following documents: Privacy Notice Participant Information Sheet Please ensure you have read and understood these documents before signing your pet(s) up, and if you have any questions please check our FAQs or contact us. You can also email the form to petscando@...

13/07/2023

Training your dog to do nothing- it sounds simple, but it is one of the things that Kaya and I are working on at the moment as it is challenging!

This skill of being able to just settle and "do nothing" is essential if you want to take your dog with you for a meal at the pub or a coffee, well it is if you want it to be enjoyable!

In this video, you can see Kaya and I practising settling with distractions around, as this further adds to the challenge! Because this is more challenging, I have made it easier for her- without distractions I had built it up so that rewards were infrequent and she wouldn't get them for looking at me, since I want her to be relaxing, not staring at me for treats the whole time! As I add more difficult distractions I go back to the beginning, with rapid rewards and low requirements to set her up for success, gradually rewarding less and expecting more- i.e. not looking at me. Because I want her to settle, she is perfectly fine to look at distractions if she wants to, but because this is the early stages, I watch to see whether she needs help in disengaging with distractions if she seems to be getting too interested.

This video may not look like much, but this was a dog who would upon seeing a dog or person, suddenly go deaf and be determined to meet everyone, so it is exciting progress! And we have had our first lunch out with Kaya and she did very well 😊

29/06/2023

Knowing when not to train 😴

As much as training can be amazing for you and your dog, it is also important to recognise when training may not be so successful or enjoyable.

When we are feeling stressed or easily frustrated, we can be impatient with our dogs and risk training progress, our dog's trust, and just put ourselves in worse moods.

During these times we have to ask ourselves, is there really any point?

I find it very important to check in with myself and how I feel before deciding whether to train with my dogs. If you are feeling as though training may not be the best idea, you can always opt for other ways of stimulating your dog, such as treasure hunts, puzzle toys, or simpler training tasks, like maybe brushing up on some rusty skills.

19/06/2023

How have you been keeping your dogs occupied in the heat?

When it is too hot to walk your dog, they may become restless since they aren't getting the exercise they expect to have. Finding creative ways to work your dog's brain can be really helpful at this time of year to help them have an outlet when going on walks isn't possible.

Ozzy has been enjoying treasure hunts in the garden, where I hide some of his biscuits around the garden (if you don't have a garden, you can do the same with cones in your house).

He has also been practising settling and being calm in the garden because he can find this quite challenging!

07/06/2023

Here is a photo of Ozzy enjoying his Tug-E-Nuff sheepskin tug toy. They are an amazing way of making yourself more interesting than other dogs (or squirrels!) and can make a great reward for recall training, agility, impulse control exercises or just a good game of tug.

My dogs absolutely love their sheepskin tug toy, but if your dog isn't usually very into toys, they have tug and retrieve toys that you can put food in, so your dog can learn to play in new ways.

I also have a 10% off discount code:
QUIRKYCOMPANIONS

I would appreciate if you could use this affiliate link so that I get a commission:
https://www.tug-e-nuff.co.uk/?ref=quirkycompanions

05/06/2023

It is so useful to film training sessions.

It is a great way of becoming better trainers because we can see the mistakes we don't realise we are making!

Below is a video of a mat training session with Ozzy, which is not perfect but shows what a real training session can look like. From reflecting on the session, I noticed that sometimes I reward too early, not giving him time to work things out a bit, so in some places he gets rewarded for standing on the mat rather than lying down, but if I had waited for him to correct himself, he would have learned more and what I wanted from him would have been clearer. Towards the end of our session, I also missed that he was ready to stop until he ended up barking out of frustration, when looking back, there were some signs that he was starting to need a break before this.

I hope this helps!

[Video of a pug doing mat training. They repeatedly get off the mat, then back on the mat and stay lying down there whilst treats are occasionally dropped on the mat]

04/06/2023

In celebration of Pet Appreciation Week, we are offering 25% off consultations and follow-ups until next Sunday (11th) at 10pm. If your dog or cat has any fears, frustrations or quirks that you would like help with, please get in contact for an online consultation, along with an individualised treatment plan.

Make sure to have extra fun with your pets this week! 😊

[Person with orange and brown hair wearing glasses, hugging a pug, with green leafy background].

Quirky Companions runs vet-referral only, online behaviour consultations for cats and dogs with various "quirks" (e.g. reactivity, phobias, fears, inappropriate toileting, aggression). We work with you to create an action plan tailored to you and your pet.

26/05/2023

Have you ever heard of safe havens? They are something that your dog may benefit from, so I have made a blog explaining what they are and how you can easily set one up.

Thanks for reading :)

What is a Safe Haven? A safe haven is somewhere your dog can go to, where they know they will feel safe, and it is somewhere great where only positive things happen. The idea of a safe haven, is that your dog can retreat there, and when they do so, you can't touch them, you can invite them out, e.g....

19/05/2023

I have made a quick blog to explain why we are vet-referral only

17/05/2023

Hi! My name is Phoebe and I am excited to introduce my business, 'Quirky Companions'.

I work with cats and dogs with "quirks", whether they have noise phobias, fears, separation-related problems, show aggressive behaviours, or something completely different. I provide a science-led, compassionate approach to clinical behaviour, providing individual-tailored treatment plans based on your and your pet's needs, following a Teams e-consultation.

I hope to provide a judgement-free environment where we can work together to help your quirky pets.

Quirky Companions runs vet-referral only, online behaviour consultations for cats and dogs with various "quirks" (e.g. reactivity, phobias, fears, inappropriate toileting, aggression). We work with you to create an action plan tailored to you and your pet.