Rachel Townsend - The Honest Canine

01/02/2023

Before I tell you about Puppy Preschool let me tell you about who will be running the ship FOR puppy preschool at All4paws Pet Resort

These guys have a wonderful, kind, gentle and patient dog trainer on staff whom I have been working with for a hot minute now, these guys run doggy daycare out at their Pet Resort and often I work with people who couldn’t ever imagine their dogs socializing with other dogs, once we get them to that point and they ask what’s next, I suggest these guys.

Liv has always done a great job picking up where I leave and provide clients and their dogs with a great doggy daycare experience, and now she will be running the puppy preschool out there as well.

I will be helping these guys out for the next few months so if you want to get double to trainer and info for puppy preschool and two hands on deck during class, jump on in we have lots planned for you guys and your new addition to the family!

15/09/2022

We don’t get to choose others emotional state but we do get to set boundaries in how they can behave in our space no matter how they are feeling.

My approach to dogs is the same, I can’t choose or control how excited they get, or even how anxious something makes them feel, but I do get to set rules around what will and wont be allowed despite how they are feeling.

It sounds relatively simple but its not, establishing rules and boundaries takes good communication, repetition, and consistency, which isn’t always easy at the best of times let alone when emotions are heightened.
Not only that, we are all human, emotional beings ourselves and when others emotions are heightened and we are having trouble communicating what makes us feel comfortable and safe in an uncomfortable situation our emotions get heightened as well, as that starts to happen we start to become inconsistent with our rules and boundaries and harder to understand then it becomes a self feeding cycle.

One thing that always helps is shifting focus from HOW do I stop my dog from being over excited, how do I stop them from being anxious, how to I stop them from being reactive and ask yourself this.

WHAT do I want it to look like when they are in that emotional state, what behaves are ok, what ways can they express themselves and what ways do I need to build in change, how will I communicate that and is the dog understanding what rules and boundaries I am trying to establish.

This is why I wont teach sit instead of jumping, the dog is still excited, and usually having to stay still BUILDS the excitement so as soon as they get out of the sit they jump again, leaving owners feeling frustrated.

Instead I teach owners to make jumping not worth it and guess what you don’t have to be an as***le about it or intimidate/upset/hurt them, you just have to make them uncomfortable enough that they decide its not worth it and they choose something else to do instead. I have three different ways of teaching this but that’s a topic for another day.

Point is we pick a means of communicating that, that’s not how this is going to go, then we allow the dog to play out the behaviour we don’t want them doing, allowing them to continue to feel excited but to work through and calm down in a different way, like spins, full body wages running and getting a toy etc, allowing the excitement allows them to come up in their emotions and then work their way back down because excitement is totally natural and normal and I dunno about you guys but I like to see my dogs excited I just want them to keep their head enough that they remember what the rules are.

We don’t add to the excitement if we want them to calm down sooner, so we keep reinforcing the rules and patiently wait for them to calm and then we can interact with them, this gives them room for choices as well, sometimes they may want to run around silly, do some zoomies, ahwooo at us, sometimes they may just want affection and if we create the pattern correctly they start to see when they are settled we interact when they aren’t we don’t, but we also show what we wont allow in that emotional state.

Same goes for reactive dogs, we establish good leash skills within the home first, this is what your expected to do, read the length of the leash, understand when you are at the end and you need to slow down, that whether we have the leash long or short you understand where to place yourself, you don’t pull, and you know when to turn and stop and how to do it well. You do these things despite your emotional state, what ever it may be.

Then we build distraction slowly adding things that will increase their emotional state and work them through it re-establishing the rules, this is what we do no matter what is going on, no matter how you are feeling, yes we need to give space for difficulty, the more heightened our dog is emotionally the harder it is for them to listen, and follow those rules, so we need to be mindful of what is happening around them. We have trouble making good choices when our emotions are incredibly heightened, we can’t expect dogs to be any different.

So there will be times where we push a little too far, ask a little too much, and have a bit of a wobbly moment, we think they are doing better so we add to the difficulty go a bit closer to the thing that has triggered them before etc and that’s ok, its all information, you are working from WHAT do I need to do from here to help my dog do better next time, instead of HOW can I stop them from being this way, because you can shout, feel frustrated or anxious yourself its not going to stop their emotional state, what will shift it is coming at it from another angle that sets them up to feel things like most mammals but also follow the rules and behave in a safe manner.

There are exercises and training that help build emotional regulation skills in your dog, which then also help them work through their heightened emotional state, do you guys want to hear more about that?

02/09/2022

Having a dog zig zagging in front of you is one of a few very annoying things that can occur when out on a walk.

Here's the thing, they aren't doing it intentionally to annoy you, they are just following their senses and exploring the world, although I get it, it feels personal sometimes to me too.

What I like to do is use a vocal cue then my body and leash to signal they have crossed over an invisible line, its not enough to just say something like "uh uh" and then stop, because that's teaching them to stop, not move out of our way, instead we want to build communication and a pattern of excuse me, out of my way, and maneuver into them just enough that motivates them to work out how to get out of our way, rather than us trying not to trip on them.

When training like this is does take more repetitions in the beginning but I always fun the long term pay off is always worth the tedious beginnings of skill building and good communication

31/08/2022

It's been to long since I posted, look how big Rue is, also wanted to chat to you guys about making mistakes, especially letting your dog make mistakes. Hope this is helpful X

26/08/2022

Puppy Preschool Graduates hosted by the wonderful

11/08/2022

Meet Ted the 1 year old border collie

I was asked to help with a couple of things one was leash reactivity, with that improving and his owners feeling much more comfortable and confident with walking him, they wanted to expand into some more doggy socialization.

So today he had his first play date at All4paws Pet Resort, I popped out there to help Olivia with the transition, having someone familiar for Ted and also helping Olivia know more about him just makes that transition with a dog all the more easier, we didn't know how Ted would go but this was within the first half an hour of being there, I think he is pretty happy to keep going.

So proud of these guys and so proud to see them spread their wings and go off and do more than they originally planned with their boy, he is one happy boy with the best owners.

04/07/2022

DID YOU KNOW

That these guys do Puppy and Doggy Daycare?

Have had the privilege of seeing dogs I have worked with thrive even more with their help, I highly recommend checking them out if daycare is something you are interested in for your best mate.

27/06/2022

Confessions of a dog trainer

I’m not always consistent

But I KNOW a huge amount of success is accredited to being incredibly consistent.

Heres the biggest thing about dog training and working on behavioural issues and building new and better skill sets for your dog, you could know the best techniques but if you aren’t consistent its not going to hold or even begin to take shape.

I cant preach consistency to you guys without first admitting I’m human and I am not always capable of being consistent, sometimes I have too many things going on and I forget to work on the things and in the ways I said I would, sometimes I am so tired, exhausted that I just don’t have the mental or physical energy to reinforce the rules, over and over and over again because with consistency comes repetition.

We all experience that either from time to time or at certain times during the week or even day, and this is where things slip, this is where dogs find gaps in the rules, or they just get out right confused and don’t see the pattern and just decide hell its fun I’m going to do it anyway and gamble the consequences.

The approach I take with dog training isn’t just about the dog and what we want from them, but also what we are willing and capable of doing on a day to day basis, and each day can vary in what we are capable of doing.

I’ll give you guys the perfect example.

Rue LOVES shoes and slippers, while yeah we will tidy our shoes up, we do have a common dumping ground where we all kick off our shoes and just walk away, its never been a problem no one has ever been bothered about picking them up later when the house is being tidied up, until we got a puppy.

Easiest solution in the moment. Get rid of the dumping ground, except we all do it without even thinking about it, 4 people 2 adults that have lived their lives doing it and 2 kids who have followed suit all trying to change what they are doing, at least one person minimum is going to forget, but likely 3 out of 4 will forget because the 4th one is the one doing the bulk of the work with the puppy (not just my household but most households will have 1 main caregiver and teacher for their dog) which absolutely adds to the daily mental load, which will lead to the 4th will slip because the are tired.

Bam welcome to inconsistency city, destination frustration street.

So how do I tackle this?

When I am NOT tired and I am keen to do training which is basically just repeating myself over and over again. The shoes are left where they are which is majority of the time, Rue will grab them, I give feedback “uh uh” which we have built the meaning to be you’re heading in the wrong direction I am prompting you to make a better choice if you don’t I will intervene.

He now often drop it and move onto something else but if he doesn’t, I move to phase two where I slowly, calmy go up to him, if he starts to run I stop immediately, he can’t harm the shoe unless he is actively chewing it, while he is looking for a spot to lay down he cant chew, the reason I stop is so that we don’t build a game of chase where he seeks this interaction from me by picking up the shoe to invite play, so I make it as boring as I can to take the item off of him.

I use our word to let go “out” hold my hand like a claw over the top of his mouth and put pressure on his top lips into his teeth until he opens up as soon as he does I remove my hand, pick up shoe and put it back exactly where it was and repeat.
I wait a minute and then encouraging him back to his toys, I wait because I don’t want to build the pattern of this is how you start a game with me, I want those two things to be very separate and this is how we prevent pups and dogs doing things just to initiate a play session.

He is improving and engaging with the shoes and slippers less as the days and weeks go by, he will sleep on them, sometimes with his nose inside them, which is fine, as long as he isn’t chewing or taking them around elsewhere its all good. Boundaries around shoes is consistently being set when they are in reach.

I want him to understand what the rules are around shoes and even if I was to pick them up all the time, that one time they aren’t, when he is an adolescent and none of us are watching is going to be the time he destroys them because oooh smelly chew toy that I haven’t been able to get my paws on before let me play with this how I play with all my other toys. At some point because he naturally gravitates towards him I am going to have to teach these rules, Unless I can guarantee I can keep these out of reach always and will a house full of other people I can’t do that so I need to put in this work.

So when and where am I inconsistent? When I am tired or too busy with something else I am slower to notice what he is doing, I am more likely to react emotionally and become unaware of how I am going about stopping him, chasing him without even releasing I am doing it, making it a game from his perspective. I don’t notice I am being inconsistent until I see the change in his behaviour, he is running more, after I take them off him and put them back where they were he is straight back to them, that’s when I know something in me is different and he is finding it a fun game.

When that’s happening the shoes absolutely go up and away, I know the shoes aren’t the issue, because if it wasn’t the shoes it would be something else, he doesn’t know the value or true purpose of many things he is just existing and experimenting with the world around him and he will absolutely gravitate towards outcomes that his brain perceives as fun no matter how annoying and inconvenient I find it.

and this is the bridge between control and mirco managing your dog – taking all the things they want to do but you don’t, keeping them up and away or keeping them away from said thing and knowing that you can’t for one second let your guard down because you know they will be straight onto it.

If you aren’t telling them how to do something or restricting their access they have absolutely no impulse control and will do the thing every single time to having your dog be able to make better choices more frequently and will less and less help and shaping from you over time. So that you can trust them more and more with said thing and they will most likely gravitate towards the appropriate choice and do so more faster and more frequently as you practice setting those boundaries and choices.

So if I can’t be consistent I shift into management and control mode, you can not have access to these things because you currently don’t make good choices when it comes to said thing, and I am far too tired to do my part in reinforcing the rules correctly.

When I am able to be hella consistent, I am going to leave that thing in your reach and absolutely be up your ass about it until you get bored and decide its just not worth it and move on to other things.

And if that’s how it always is, then their brain accepts that and moves on and eventually doesn’t even see interacting with a certain thing in an undesirable way as an option any more.

So as Rue grows his interest in interacting with shoes as if they were toys will drop because the game is always cut short, because I am right behind him stopping it immediately but if I don’t have the mental space to do so they aren’t there.
Shoes for Rue is a good example because he naturally seeks them out, but this could be applied to anything in your home.

Of course there are many layers to this, why don’t I punish him for it? Is that affective? Isn’t that faster? how do I apply this to barking, digging and other common issues? Etc etc

But I will cut it off here for today but if you do have any of those questions or if this has sparked anything else please feel free to reach out and ask x

04/06/2022

Introduction time!

16/05/2022

Meet Narla

Her owners biggest struggle was getting her to enter places like pet stores and the vets. Her number one goal was to have Narla happily do these things without a struggle.

Narla was brilliant at putting the breaks on and refusing to budge and when made to go in her anxiety would increase.

We worked on a few things outside of these situations, to build her understanding and skills around the things we would lean on to help her feel more secure in what was happening around her, then we had a session where we focused in on not only getting her to go into the pet store but having her WANT to go in there, then we built on that by doing the same exercises around entering the wash area and she had her first bath in quite some time, her owner was stoked!

This was their very next attempt without me around and they absolutely nailed it, not only that but they had the confidence to try going to the vets solo and it went wonderfully!

When it comes to situations where dogs are feeling certain emotions in very strong ways, the shift and work does take time and repetition, these guys will have to continue building that confidence around these situations and other situations that may show up to be a bit of a struggle as they are able to now explore the world together even more so than before, its not a one and done type of deal.

Narlas perception of these places is not fully healed, but progress is certainly underway and its all thanks to her owner stepping up and asking how she can do things in a way that helps Narla improve and see her struggles differently and knowing its all about what she can learn and do for when I am not there to guide them and she is absolutely killing it.

12/05/2022

Progress video!

Zeus a 2 year old Rottweiler came to work with us about 3-4 years ago now, I thought I would show you guys what he was like week 1 of meeting Shane vs week 3 of meeting Shane.

25/04/2022

A couple of weeks ago I did a video of Dexter shuffling around in the background quite stimulated by just me talking and especially when it wasn't directly at him, grabbing stuff, hu***ng things etc thought I would show you guys how he is doing now and I also chat about the on off switch I talk about often with clients.

Sorry for looking out the window at the end I thought I was needed back inside

18/04/2022

Should dogs sleep in your bed?

This always divides people its either a hard no or a sheepish yes, as if they are about to get scolded for doing so.

Unless your dog guards that space, it simply comes down to personal preference.

Lets talk about the guarding for a sec, if your dog does do that, keeping them off the bed keeps you or others safe but it does not address the underlying issue the motivation behind the guarding, it doesn’t properly address the issue to ensure it does not happen with other things throughout the home.

Keeping them off the bed also doesn’t prevent guarding behaviours. Topic for another day, but if they do, do it yes, get them off the bed keep them off the bed but also get help ASAP.

Now lets say you have a dog that is not inclined to that behaviour. As I said personal preference, some people love it, some people hate it.

That’s totally ok.

I have always owned multiple dogs, and would allow them on the bed throughout the day but not at night, its just too impractical
But since we lost 2 dogs last year, Jax no longer has his mates to sleep with so to help him with the transition of being in a multi dog household his entire life to it just being him, he is now allowed on the bed when ever he pleases.

It will probably stay that way now until we no longer have him.

We are also about to get a puppy soon, for the first 2 weeks he will sleep with me in the bed as its far easier to wake to them needing to go to the toilet and its more comforting I am someone who values sleep highly so this works for me.

We will be crate training during the day for small periods at a time and building up the duration then we will transfer from sleeping with us to sleeping in the crate at night time, this will help with toilet training and being able to settle in a safe place just for him BUT my son loves having a dog sleep with him so I am sure he too will end up being a dog that sleeps on a bed most of the time, as long as I can crate him when I need to, it works for us.

Doing it other ways is ok too.

There are no hard and fast rules in dog training.

I find with clients once we get things on the right path, things are flowing and things they were struggling with are healing and progressing the rest just comes down to personal preference.
But I get it when you are in the thick of it, its so hard to know what could be contributing to the issue and what things you do just because of personal preference.

That’s part of a dog trainers job is to help you see clearly what contributes to a problem, what helps and what doesn’t matter – the things that are individual to you guys and how you prefer to live with your dog.

And that’s often what we get wrapped up in is investing too much time effort and thought into the things that have no overall impact, and we end up feeling like we are busting our asses for no results at all.

The people I work with never lack the ability to do the work, to be devoted to their dog, to make changes, stick with them and see progress, its never from lack of ability, dedication, or love, its just that they work hard on things that doesn’t make much of an impact, and not knowing what actually will.

That’s what we are here for to help you understand what is just personal preference and what areas really do need time and work to improve things.
I’m down for making this a series, there are so many things that come down to personal preference.

Is there something that comes to mind whether people should or shouldn’t be doing, whether something is personal preference or a contributor to behavioural issues?

If so throw it down in the comments below and we can have a chat about it.

12/04/2022

Teddy was a shocker for scooting out the door and taking off any chance he could, what made it even worse was that the only way you could get anywhere near him to catch him is if he was distracted by another dog out on the street.

Before Teddy heads off to his new home we wanted to make sure that not only did he have a great recall but also that he was happy to hang around with humans and enjoy spending time with them instead of running around crazy doing his own thing.

I had to start recording as he chose to just plod along side Eleanor with her hand gently placed on his back 🥰

We use "let's go" as a way to prompt a dog forward this was not his recall but just a request to finish up sniffing and come along with us.

12/04/2022

Client feedback 🥰

08/04/2022

Dexter can be reactive on leash when a situation is too overwhelming for him, I will put together some progress videos for you guys

but today I wanted to touch on leash skills what needs to happen first before anything else especially with a reactive dog.

Your dog needs to know how to read the leash better but most importantly follow your verbal cues.

Starting in calm situations like just simply your home - if they can't be focused when that leash comes out, at just the idea of going out for a walk you have no hope getting them to focus once you step out that door.

I teach my clients verbal cue first, then body movement then leash pressure.

This way we are working them mentally, keeping them connected and communicating with us.

AND building an easy to read pattern for the dog that encourages them to listen to verbal cues so as they improve and so do we (because it takes practice for both walking partners to communicate all this well) we rely on the leash less and less and it simply becomes a safety net if we ever need it because dogs aren't robots and life is unpredictable!

Everyone has their own style of walking every trainer has their own personal preference and they will teach you based on that preference

For me, I don't want to teach heel, I found it boring and not fun to walk a dog, I want them to experience the world around them I want to see them sniff and look around etc

but I have my rules, read the length of the leash, whether I am holding it short or long, I want the dog to be able to feel the leash starting to pull up and know to slow their pace down, or slow down when I cue them to do so.

When they sniff, I don't want to have to stop, so again pay attention to the length of the leash and where the tension is at, if they get onto a really good smell sometimes I will stop for them most of the time I want to cue to keep moving and them follow that verbal cue well.

and lastly I don't need them to sit at a crossing but I do want them to stop when I give them that cue and I don't want them to move forward unless they are cued to do so, this is what Dex and I were practicing during this walk he nails the stop until my body moves and I can use a gentle uh uh to let him know nup try again.

A lot goes into communicating with a dog incredibly well but once you get the system working, man it just makes life so much easier to enjoy with your dog.

02/04/2022

Its probably too late for tonights fireworks but I wanted to share my go to for dealing with dogs who don't like wind, thunder, or fireworks.

Now storm phobia and sound phobia are a whole different can of worms BUT I often deal with dogs who become uncomfortable with these things and not know what to do with themselves, this can lead to poor decision making and lead to carrying out behaviours that reinforcing the brain that there is something to be worried about and we need to be more alert next time.

What my go to is crating my dogs, crate training helps give dogs a safe space to switch off when introduced correctly.

Its super convenient especially if I have to go out, knowing its going to be sh*tty weather or noises they wont like and I can pop them in the crate knowing they are going to be safe and sound

BUT a create doesn't block out the noise that they can hear which can very well stop them from switching off and napping like they do under usual circumstances.

This is where I always blast sleep music from youtube, there are ad free hour long sleep music videos on youtube, sleep music doesn't change drastically so wont interrupt your dogs sleep when they are able to rest but also you can have it turned up fairly loud and its unlikely the neighbours will be annoyed if they can hear it, which helps drown out the sound that dogs can sometimes find triggering.

I also recommend this for young puppies who become restless or don't sleep well when their owners start to move around the house when a puppy has finally accepted that its time for a rest.

This isn't a cure but for mild reactions to these things it certainly helps!

01/04/2022

I'm often asked what my opinion is on medicating dogs, so I wanted to share that with you guys, where I sit with the idea, how I work with dogs already on medication, my views on that and if I would ever suggest it to clients to add to the work that we do.

Please note I am not a vet or vet behaviourist, I am limited in my knowledge of which medications do what and if it is the correct for your dog individually please ALWAYS consult with an expert when incorporating, or weaning off medications for your dog.

If you have any questions on this or anything else related to behavioural training please shoot it through!

If you would like a 1:1 chat you can book in a free phone consultation via our website - www.thehonestcanine.com

31/03/2022

I'm often asked what my opinion is on medicating dogs, so I wanted to share that with you guys, where I sit with the idea, how I work with dogs already on medication, my views on that and if I would ever suggest it to clients to add to the work that we do.

Please note I am not a vet or vet behaviourist, I am limited in my knowledge of which medications do what and if it is the correct for your dog individually please ALWAYS consult with an expert when incorporating, or weaning off medications for your dog.

If you have any questions on this or anything else related to behavioural training please shoot it through!

If you would like a 1:1 chat you can book in a free phone consultation via our website - www.thehonestcanine.com

29/03/2022

Dealing with behavioural problems isn't always about doing more but doing the things that gives your dog a sense of purpose on a daily basis.

Here's a tip to add more into your dog's life that is easy to incorporate every day

27/03/2022

Free Phone consultations are available and our first go to when considering working with us. Its important to know the details of what problems you are facing, what your training goals are and IF we are a good fit for you and your dog and how we can help!

Follow the link below to book in a free chat to get things started

https://thehonestcanine.com/contact/

Free phone consultations can be booked below To discuss behavioural issues, training goals and assist in working out what the next steps are to reach those goals and fix those problem behaviours. Allow for up to one hour for this call. You can also contact us via email at [email protected]...

25/03/2022

Meet Winnie (pictured on the right)

Winnie was struggling with leash reactivity, because of this she had gotten herself into some trouble with another dog who was triggered by her behaviour.

Leash reactivity is stressful at the best of times, but it also adds to the risk of dogs being hurt when out and about as it can set off other dogs and cause them to make decisions they wouldn’t usually make (which is why you should keep your friendly dog on lead and under control at all times)

We helped Winnie to feel safer and calmer on lead, to help her connect back in with her owner when things get stressful rather than forgetting she even exist and tackling the perceived big scary situation on her own.

And we discovered underneath the tough girl act she was an absolute sweetheart with other dogs.

Her owner really wanted her to make some friends at doggy daycare but was concerned with how she would go to begin with and didn’t want to have any set backs with the training we had implemented so I joined them on their first drop off to daycare at All4Paws pet resort.

The girls there were incredibly accommodating allowing us to let Winnie settle into each section of the building before we headed out to the yard where she could see all the day care dogs, from the safety of her own yard.

They then introduced her slowly to dogs that would match where she is at currently with her social skills and confidence and she had an absolute blast and made some new friends!

So proud of Winnie and her owner they make a fantastic team and can’t thank the girls enough at All4Paws pet resort for making it as stress-free and fun for Winnie as they did, they are absolute gems!