My most favorite memories
Are the quiet ones with you.
OUR DOGS WILL ONLY BE AS SUCCESSFUL AS:
1. THE KNOWLEDGE WE HAVE - lack of knowledge = lack of understanding = miscommunication = a confused dog. When we know better, we can do better. Learn your dog’s perspective, how they view the world and communicate, what’s important to them, and what they need, especially from you. They can only think like dogs after all.
2. WE PREPARE AND SET THEM UP TO BE - Who are we encouraging them to be? bold, reactive predators or thoughtful, social members of society. What skills are we teaching them? To use their mouth with no inhibition, attack weakness, challenge, chase anything that moves or appropriate social skills with people, dogs, and other animals in different environments. Who do we represent to them? Unbalanced excitement and weakness, incapable of keeping them safe putting all the stress on them for survival or calm, assertive, strength and leadership that they trust and respect to keep them safe and guide them through situations that are unnatural to them. Are we actually teaching them? Or managing them? Are we showing them where the danger is? What to stay away from? We choose our dogs and we create their reality.
3. WE ALLOW THEM TO BE - sometimes it’s as simple, but not necessarily easy, as releasing our preconceived notions and control and allowing our dogs to be good and gain experiences WITHOUT us interfering. We must understand what OUR part is in the issues we’re having with our dogs.
OUR DOGS WILL ONLY BE AS GOOD AS WE ARE.
Social behavior does not mean “a dog who loves other dogs.”
It’s not the dog who barks at other dogs because “he wants to play.”
It’s not the dog who engages with another dog who isn’t interested in an interaction. Over and over again.
This is an overstimulated, unbalanced, emboldened dog who is not reading the social cues of other dogs.
Just like with humans, there is an etiquette in socialization. An initial respect for each dog to learn about one another.
A social dog is able to coexist with other dogs.
They are able to observe.
They are able to receive corrections from other dogs.
They are able to express their disagreement with another dog without getting into a fight or causing harm.
They are able to read social cues of engagement in play and cues of no interest in an interaction.
8/5/2021
Just found this gem. How to put a dog in a backpack 😆
When 11 dogs feels this good 🤌🏽✨💫
Proud of these dogs! And not just this group, I’m proud of all the dogs in this program. I’ve been asking a lot of them lately as we’ve undergone many different changes and they’ve all exceeded my expectations 🥹 they all know my boundaries, expectations, and they put so much trust in me. I’m so grateful for that.
This evening was pure bliss. With the 3 guys I love the most. The sun setting during this golden hour is the same light shat shined down on me during my dad’s service almost 3 years ago. In that time of grief I felt the light and the warmth of the sun so strongly and I felt him. I still feel that and my dad when the sun is setting at this time in the sky. And these fields, they’re the same fields Cake followed Fox and I as we rode. Now Anchor follows in her footsteps. Lots of feelings here. Lots of love. 💛✨💫
WANNA GO FOR A WALK??
I’m talking to you, not the dog 😉 I love + respect my dogs enough to not speak to them like that.
I thought it would be fun if Anchor + I took you with us on our walk/jog.
NOTE: this is NOT a how to video!
This is just a little glimpse into how I choose to set him up for success during this activity. It’s important to understand there is so much more than just what you are seeing here. There are many different factors we must consider when it comes to our dogs + activities like the walk. Some that come to mind are: who the dog is as an individual, what they’ve learned, who do we represent to them, how can we influence them, how do they see their environment… depending on the above, we must adjust accordingly.
With that said, here we go!
1️⃣This is where the walk begins, before you even leave your house. I choose to not communicate to him verbally, only through my body language. I do not put energy into the dog because this 100% carries over + can lead to issues on the walk. Because of the relationship I’ve established and who I represent to him, Anchor respectfully + patiently gives me space at the door. NO obedience commands EVER!
2️⃣I lead him out + down our stairs.
3️⃣I lead him to an area to smell + relieve himself because I do not allow him to mark on the walk.
4️⃣From the hierarchy I have established with him, he chooses to follow me. He has 1 ear to me + 1 ear to the environment. I don’t physically control him with the leash. I rarely use it. I focus on mentally + emotionally influencing him.
CONT IN THE COMMENTS ⬇️
BIG birthday wishes to these 2 special members of the family! 🥳🥳🥳 Today Casey pony celebrates her 32nd birthday!!! She’s been in our family for 27 years 💜 and I’m a few days late, but Fox celebrated his 24th birthday on 5/28! 🥳🥳🥳 he’s been in our family for 15 years 💜
Happy Happy Birthday!!!!!!! 💜💜💜
Our dogs are victims of our choices.
As humans, when we are faced with adversity, we are able to choose how we will navigate through the situation and hold ourselves.
Our dogs are victims of our choices.
This has been weighing heavy on my mind. I repeat myself to emphasize it. Our dogs don’t get to choose. Our dogs don’t choose where they live, their people, or their daily routine. Ultimately, those are choices we make for them. We choose to bring a dog into our lives. We choose to provide for their needs, or not. We choose to work on issues we’re having with them, or not. We choose to educate ourselves, or not. We choose to change, or not.
My heart aches as I see Addie’s face on my feed. This video is of her last day with the pack and me. I don’t know what her fate was, but I do fear she is no longer here. The experience of working with her, seeing so much progress and potential, then having a timeline put on her life, then her owner mentioning euthanasia as the only option was full of emotion, gutting, and eye opening. Addie was a victim of people’s choices. She is not alone. So many dogs are also victims. Dogs who are encouraged to be bold predators, to move forward, to use their mouth without inhibition, to challenge humans, then isolated, frustrated, and misunderstood. Dogs who are not given the environment or time needed to come back to balance. Dogs who fall through the cracks and experience a similar fate. This experience made me feel so helpless and stuck, while also motivating me. There is a lot of work to do. I learned there is a lack of knowledge in dog professionals when it comes to the language of dogs. A lack in understanding that behavior is the communication of feelings. Let’s understand what the feeling is, why the dog feels that way, and what the dog needs, rather than ending their life. I learned that there is a lot of fear in what we do not understand. I write this post as closure, but not to forget. I will always remember Add
See through your nose.
At least if you’re a dog, that is our goal.
When our dogs experience situations using their nose they become more curious and balanced. They take in the environment and what is happening around them. When a dog is only using their eyes and ears they are most likely unbalanced, moving forward, and reacting rather than responding.
The nose of a dog, such a powerful sense. Let them use their nose. 🐶🐾
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#pieceofcakedogbehavior #packadventures #dogs #dogpack #dogsocials #dogbehavior #dogtraining #virginiabeach
Hello friend.
I miss you 🤍
