Oh My Darwin Animal Behavior Solutions

12/11/2024

I'm so proud of the progress Bo & his parents have made with their training plan!! 👏 By utilizing his relaxation mat, Bo has been learning to be more focused & relaxed out in the real world. 😍 Even he gets excited about learning! 🎉

06/11/2024

How adorable are these two?! 😍 My Pearl & her new boyfriend Aries. They are both 1 year old & their play style was amazingly appropriate ❤️

05/11/2024

This is Vito. He was the cutest, craziest little spitfire chi I've had the pleasure of working with in the vet hospital. Really though, Vito was super anxious & fearful of vet care. So he would try to bite anyone who came near him, hands or ankles, nothing was safe! Figuring out how to we could give him & mom the most low stress/fear free visits possible, as well as successful medical care (that over the years included bloodwork, xrays, dental sx) was truly one of the most challenging things I've done in this field. But, we did it. And like nobody else in the area could have!! I will always be grateful for the experience, that mom cared enough about his mental health to work with me, for being able to help the vet staff give this scared little guy medical care, and that he chose to sit in my lap & let me pet him ❤️ Even though shortly after he tried to bite my ankles😆.
Last week I woke up to an email from his mom saying that she had to say goodbye to Vito. He was 14. Thankfully, he was able to leave this world in the comfort of his own home. Run free Vito ❤️ There's no more fear. 🙏

23/10/2024

Great info graphic here!! Very important to know the difference here

Does he really want a belly rub or is he asking for space? Learn more in this post: https://rescuedbytraining.com/2024/10/21/appeasement-behaviors/

17/10/2024

ABWC would like to thank all the AMAZING veterinary technicians out there but especially the ones we call ours- Thank you Michelle (Fairfax), Cara (Fairfax), Lisa (Fairfax), and Kristi (Richmond) for all you do! Happy Vet Tech Appreciation Week!!

16/09/2024

Providing extra training & enrichment is key to keeping everyone from losing their minds when a pet has activity restrictions after surgery!🤯😜 Here is my Pearl demonstrating her beginner relaxation skills in the front yard after being spayed on Friday. Good Girl Pearl!

30/08/2024

22/08/2024

Rosie has been hard at work on her cooperative care training lately! This segment is our prep for potentially using the medication Sileo, (which is given via syringe to the cheek) as a PVP (pre-visit pharmaceutical) for her upcoming sedation appointment. ❤️

20/08/2024

Sometimes our senior dogs need a little help learning how to use a ramp to get in the car. I've known Nestle & her parents since she was young & wild at heart. Now, well, she's old & still wild ❤️😆 but needs help getting into the car these days. Her parents couldn't get her to use this ramp, so we did some ramp training work & then I made some modifications to help Nestle feel better about walking on it & into the car. And then in she went! The next step is for her parents to get a Help em Up Harness, or one similar, to aid in her stability & ensure her safety on the ramp. ❤️

25/04/2024

Charlie & Bruno's parents did so well teaching them how to how go to their mat using the "Place" cue that we were able to work both dogs together. Ignore the fact that Charlie's place includes crushing Lambchop, he's whacky like that😆❤️

20/03/2024

Great information! Your dog IS NORMAL!!

* Bringing this post out of the vault, because it’s so important * 👇🏻

I think it’s common to think that when our dog is unruly, there is something wrong with them. 

Especially when we look around us and see perfectly behaved pups strolling happily down the street with their owners. 

But the truth is…

Everything your dog does is NORMAL. 

Chewing…

Digging…

Barking…

Pulling on the lead…

Lunging at other dogs or joggers…

Growling…

It’s all NORMAL. 

This is  a normal response for a predator (because that’s what dogs once were) that got plucked out of their natural environment and dropped onto your sofa. 

What’s not normal? 

Walking on a leash at a mind numbingly slow pace as you stare at your phone…

NOT chewing things, or mouthing you…

Holding a sit stay or a down stay as you chat to a friend…

NOT losing their mind around another dog. 

Sure selective breeding has curbed some of the more natural responses our dogs have…

But the truth is…

Your dog’s behavior is a NORMAL response to them trying to adapt to an environment that truthfully is NOT normal for them. 

So tell me…

What does that shift for you? 

Because your dog isn’t “Bad”. There’s nothing wrong with them. Everything they are doing is completely normal.

08/02/2024

Look at all the great things you can do with your cats!

Training your cats cannot be overstated or emphasized enough. These kittens have been with us 6 weeks and already know an entire repertoire of cues.

Can you guess one of the single most important things I taught them? To allow their mouth to be opened so they can accept pills!!!!!

What else? Learning to willingly eat gel caps off of a texture surface, accepting handling of their paws for nail trims, and that the scale is a place with delicious treats!

Of course they have learned fun tricks like hi-five, sit, target a mat, target a Clikstik, they are already on the skateboard!!! When you incorporate other fun cues, accepting their mouth open for a pill is no different than a hi-five!

Please, I implore you, if you learn nothing else from following my page, teach your cats to take medication before they need medication. It will save their life one day and it will make yours a hell of a lot easier.

03/02/2024

Yes the page has been quiet for some time. This past year was hard one as I said goodbye 1 year ago today to Darwin. Several months later, we said goodbye to Veena as well. Darwin was my inspiration for everything, especially learning more about how to help dogs. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have been involved in shelter work, spending years helping dogs. And there wouldn't be a reason to say Oh My Darwin! 😆🩵 We grew together as I learned to navigate life with the most difficult, energetic, loving, emotional, intelligent dog I've ever met! I'm thankful he opened my world & molded my thoughts & understanding about the emotional lives of dogs to what they are today. This helped me help him, help us. In memory of him, I made this video. It's what I call The Story of Us 😊❤️💔

28/04/2023

EXCITING NEWS! Wish it wasn't taking so long to take effect but it's still a big step!

Dogs all over England are smiling today. As of Feb 1st 2024 remote electric (shock) collars will be banned in England. Thank you to everyone who campaigned for 10 years to get this done! The dogs thank you!
https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/media-centre/2023/april/cruel-electric-shock-collars-banned-in-england/

21/03/2023

THIS!! Think about it when you read it :)

I still feel confused at times as to why there is still such a pushback to using food to train your dog.
“When will I not have to use it anymore?”
“Will I always have to have food on me?”
“Won’t he then become obsessed with all food?”
“I want him to do it because he loves me, not because I have food”
“Using food is cheating”
“Using food means you’re bribing not training”
“Using food will make my dog fat”
“I never had to use food with my last dog.”

These are all just some of the insane things I’ve heard and still hear. And it makes me crazy because I can’t imagine saying these things to my employees.
“When will I not have to pay you anymore?”
“If I pay you are you going to just become obsessed with money?”
“I really want you to work for me because you love me, not because I pay you”

Food is a tool. It is a TOOL. And just like any tool it can be used well or used poorly, but it’s one of the only tools in dog training that I hear more myths about than any other. And that’s unfortunate because when used properly it does so many good things -

Food is a primary reinforcer and for most dogs it’s the most valuable thing they can get. This makes it enormously powerful when trying to teach them how to do something new and/or complicated. That doesn’t mean they don’t appreciate a pet on the head, but they’d rather have the food and there’s NOTHING wrong with that. Just like you’d rather be paid in dollars rather than chocolate bars.

Food is fast. It’s easy to deliver, portable, and also variable in value (kibble vs cheese) so it’s very flexible also depending on your level and stage of training.

Food can help create powerful positive associations for dogs as well as counter condition negative associations they already have because of its value to them. Using food in the presence of other dogs, people and environments helps your dog have a positive association with them and this in and of itself is incredibly powerful. That’s something I don’t think we consider nearly enough when training our dogs even when they’ve past the learning phase.

Food does not have to make your dog a beggar, fat, or totally dependent on it. The context in which you deliver it, the way you ration out the food - treats vs meals and healthy choices - and also the way you cue the dog when training all help alleviate these issues.

I pay my dogs regularly and have no shame in that. As they get better at skills I ask them to work harder or longer for the pay just like as adults we have to work a full week or two before we get our paychecks. I use higher value for harder things - just like you like to get paid time and a half when you work Christmas, and lower value for easy stuff. I watch to make sure my dogs hope for the reward but don’t expect it and don’t take it personally when they’d rather come back to me for cheese instead of a pet. I focus on the fact that they came back.

Getting paid at work is a big reinforcer for us but it’s also not the only reason we go is it? The relationships you have with your coworkers, the pride you have in your job etc are all intricate parts of your motivation, but that takes TIME to build, and at first it’s usually just for the pay. Same with training your dog. At first, yes, it’s for the food, but as you continue and do it right it becomes more about the teamwork, the fun and the relationship, not just the pay. And THAT’S what I wish more people understood. Over time your dog will work often without food for you because he truly enjoys it now, and he’s been reinforced by the relationship and countless reinforcements over time. But you have to put that time and patience in first to get there. And it’s worth it. I promise.
-Helen St. Pierre

15/03/2023

17/01/2023

I just love this little sassy but sweet guy Barkley! Look at that snuggle tooth😆❤️ He's been learning to relax on his bed instead of guard his mom! Relaxation is where it's at😉