Alberta Force Free Alliance

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Alberta Force Free Alliance

The Alberta Force Free Alliance is an organization dedicated to promoting humane, force-free methods

"The purpose of the Alberta Force Free Alliance is to provide a one-stop resource for dog owners who are passionate about ensuring all dogs are handled in a loving and force free manner in all areas of their lives, be it training, veterinary services, grooming, doggy daycare, breeders, kennels and boarding, animal events or retailers. Everyone listed in the resources have signed a pledge promising

that dogs entrusted to their care or under their instruction are handled without intentional intimidation, flooding, force or pain, and with as little restraint as is safe for the dog and humans involved and without intent to cause harm. The retailers listed will not sell or promote any training accessories that work based on the principle of scaring or inflicting pain such as citronella collars, ultrasonic bark deterrents, pet correctors, choke collars, prong collars or shock/bark/e-collars."

25/08/2024

We advocate for positive reinforcement with all animals.
Sometimes the best way to show why force free is a batter alternative is by showing videos of aversive and non averisive.
Check put this dogs body language.

What do you notice?

https://www.facebook.com/657789007656726/videos/1219890721446549/

23/08/2024

Potty training can be one of the hardest for some pups to learn. Patience, consistency and routine are key.

It is hard...no doubt about it.
Having a new puppy is challenging. Also rewarding 🥳🍾😀.
We have just uploaded a new video to YouTube that covers all the tips and tricks we KNOW work, details in comments.
There will be good days, there will be bad days.
Puppy toileting issues are just as common as feeling the puppy blues and often they go together. It can be incredibly frustrating for everyone, including your puppy.

Hang in there new puppy guardians ! 🙂

Everyone is free to share these posts on social media, off social media use is protected.
Please respect that these graphics take time and effort to make . All graphics belong to ABC Dogs NZ and are under copyright. Unmarked graphics are available for $ 1.20 or $ 2 NZD each (approx), these are then able to be used off Facebook for client handouts, posters etc. Please visit ABC Dogs Patreon Shop for Graphics

01/08/2024

We had lots of fun at the Corgi Beach Day event this past Sunday! Here are a few attendees enjoying the snuffle station, taking a moment to relax via sniffing. Enrichment doesn’t have to be expensive! Here we have boxes, paper towel rolls, cut up pieces of fleece blanket, rolled up towels and a few custom made snuffle mats by .junk.drawer

31/07/2024

It's been a tad hot out there.
Here is a great article on heat stroke in dogs.

https://www.facebook.com/share/nntFPvs4u3GhELYQ/?mibextid=oFDknk

Heat stroke in the summer months. Know the signs of heat stroke in dogs and how to administer first aid treatment.

24/07/2024

Prong collars are a painful and unethical training collar some owners put on their dogs in an attempt to stop them from pulling on the lead.

22/07/2024

Come say hi and enter to win some awesome AFFA merch! We’re so looking forward to hanging out with all of our corgi friends and supporters! This Sunday, July 28th from 10 am - 1 pm at Devon Voyageur Park! ☀️⛱️💜
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18/07/2024

Flooding is not training. Unfortunately, this style of training is still out there and can cause far worse behaviors.

If you are afraid of spiders and someone locks you in a room of spiders, would you overcome your fear? Or would it become worse?

10/07/2024

Force free often gets mistaken as "cookie pushers" it is far more then giving treats and calling the dog a good girl or boy.

https://www.facebook.com/share/qKo2jPb5CwRX16Yr/?mibextid=oFDknk

28/06/2024

Dogs respond best to praise—and food or toys. Positive reinforcement training uses a reward for desired behaviors.

https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/positive-reinforcement-training.

26/06/2024

20/06/2024

You have options! The way we used to train dogs many years ago, the methods we see on social media, the advice from friends and family is not the final answer.
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18/06/2024

What are your thoughts on these?
Do you have them? Or have you used them?

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/ogNodb4XzZnXycF1/?mibextid=oFDknk

Conversing with your dog has been a long held fantasy, one that may have come true thanks to talking button for dogs.

11/06/2024

If you are a dog professional in Alberta, The Alberta Force Free Alliance is looking for your feedback! This includes veterinary, grooming, training, daycare, boarding, pet sitting, rescue organizations and retail shops. If you are a force free professional, we need your input.

The AFFA currently accepts approximately 10 certification courses as pre-requisites to becoming a member. We are asking for feedback on these courses to maintain high educational standards for our members.

Help us by filling out the form attached. You do not need to be a member of the AFFA to provide feedback.

The Alberta force Free Alliance is looking for feedback on the specific programs and certifications required to become a member of the directory. In order to provide the best possible service to the public, we are altering membership requirements for new applications and renewals. We would like hone...

05/06/2024

How much do you know about dog body language?

Would you be able to tell if/when your dog was uncomfortable, stressed, fearful ect.

https://post.bark.co/fun/never-let-kids-sit-on-dogs/

31/05/2024

Opinions on this topic?

Agree or disagree?

Friendly, constructive discussion please ☺️

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/o4Mi2vquase6jGZT/?mibextid=WC7FNe

I recently came across the video in a Facebook group and the theme of the video is one that I have encountered countless times before.

The video was a dog being walked by a dog trainer.

The dog had on a harness attached to a long leash.

The person was using food.

The dog was given time to sniff.

What the public saw in this video is a dog who was highly responsive, focused on the handler, responding promptly to every cue when it was given.

Cues like when to sniff, when to turn and when to walk in heel.

The comments gave nothing but praise.

You may think that the video would fill me with joy, but what I saw in this video was different.

I saw a dog under complete control.

A dog fixated on food.

I saw a dog who wasn't performing natural behaviors - even when they were given the opportunity to.

A topic that is left out of the conversation when discussing how we teach our dogs is how positive reinforcement can suppress behavior.

The positive reinforcement can be controlling.

Understandably highlighting how damaging and coercive positive reinforcement has the potential to be is not a popular topic.

But it's one that I think about often.

It's also a topic that I guide clients through shifting their mindset around.

When a client asks me how to teach their dog something I will often ask "Why do you want to teach your dog _______?"

Asking why allows me to understand what outcome they are looking for so I can guide them to the most dog-centered approach.

When we have all of the power and control over a vulnerable species like our dogs it's important for us to be intentional on what we teach.

Questions you can ask yourself to assess if something is important to teach:

❓Why am I teaching this? (ie Is it necessary?)

❓What is the least invasive way to teach this?

❓Am I suppressing a natural behavior?
Follow on Q: Am I routinely providing an alternative outlet for this behavior?

We want to believe that if we are using treats, toys and kindness to teach our dogs that this is enough, but there is more nuance that needs to be explored in the conversation so we are safeguarding our dog's mental health.

Follow .plus.dogs for more 💜

31/05/2024

Here are some awesome tips to help with your dogs barking in a force free way.

Dogs bark for many reasons including excitement, anxiety, for attention or to sound the alarm. Understanding WHY your dog is barking will help you begin to properly address and change the behavior.

29/05/2024

Sometimes barking can be annoying, or drive us bonkers, but dogs bark, and they do for many reasons. Utilizing a bark collar of any kind can be detrimental to your dog.

Here is a great article for you to read, we will post other ways to help with barking on Friday, so stay tuned for that.

https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/should-i-use-an-anti-barking-collar-on-my-dog/ #:~:text=Anti%2Dbarking%20collars%20should%20not,and%20lead%20to%20further%20problems

29/05/2024

Print Should I use an anti-barking collar on my dog? The RSPCA is opposed to the use of anti-barking collars that deliver aversive stimuli such as high-pitched sounds, electric shocks, or citronella. These devices are inhumane as they are designed to deliberately cause suffering [1, 2]. Due to...

28/05/2024

Please Note: We have been having some difficulties with our automatic renewal notifications for members on the directory. If you are a member and did not recieve a notification this year (you should have!) we may have sent an email to you notifying you of membership suspension. This is not a phishing email.

We have hopefully resolved the problem and should be back in working order from now on.

Thank you for your patience!

Send a message to learn more

22/05/2024

has a great post up right now about leash pulling.

Dogs don't pull on the leash to show dominance or to be the leader of the pack.

18/05/2024

Did you know?
https://www.facebook.com/share/ABQCpUouSEAKexxm/?mibextid=oFDknk

The Poodle is a multi-faceted dog that performs many functions. Poodles are standouts in the show ring, as hunting dogs, as therapy dogs, and more.

17/05/2024

https://thedogspov.com/how-to-spot-a-trainer-that-uses-aversive-training-methods/

Problems can arise when we enlist the help of a trainer that uses aversive training methods. If you are unaware what these are, learn how to spot them here

10/05/2024

🐾💗RESCUE SPOTLIGHT

Gears could really use your help finding a home for Kosmo!

https://edmontonanimalrescue.org/adoptable-animals/kosmo-2/

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http://www.albertaforcefreealliance.com/

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Videos

Pet Expo Ticket winners! If you see your name, please DM us to with your email to receive your ticket!

Some awesome AFFA swag! Tumblers, great to keep your drinks hot OR cold. $30- Pick Up In Edmonton $40- If needing It Shipped Message us if you would like one!

Winners of the Tickets to this Weekends Pet Expo!

The winners! ❤ thank you to all who entered! We hope to see you all there! Parking is $15 per car, heads up!

#truth

This video is regarding covid, but applies to dog training as well 😊 From the American Society of Veterinary Behaviourists - "Evidence supports the use of reward based methods for all canine training. AVSAB promotes interactions with ani- mals based on compassion, respect, and scientific evidence. Based on these factors, reward-based learning offers the most advantages and least harm to the learner’s welfare. Research supports the efficacy of reward-based training to address unwant- ed and challenging behaviors. There is no evidence that aversive training is necessary for dog training or behavior modification" From the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association - "The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) supports the use of training methods for dogs that are humane and based on current scientific knowledge of canine learning theory. Reward-based methods are highly recommended. Aversive methods are strongly discouraged as they do not address the underlying cause of the undesired behaviour and may cause fear, distress, anxiety, pain or physical injury to the dog. The CVMA supports the development of a national certifying body to establish acceptable and consistent standards for the training of dogs using non aversive methods"