Abbyleighs Animal Training Solutions

29/04/2022

This takes me back in time to the amazing training experience I had at the chicken camps with the one and only Dr. Bob Bailey!

17/04/2022

This is a question trainers get asked frequently. This article will help prepare you to select and introduce your dog to new friends!

Whole Dog Journal‘s mission is to provide dog guardians with in-depth information on dog food, training, behavior, health, and more.

26/02/2022

Mya is currently in 7th place, you can vote daily until March 8th. Let's get her to 1st place

Mya is the perfect companion, sweet, cuddly, kind and super smart. She has worked her entire life helping humans do better.

24/01/2022

I have not been able to get messages on messenger for the past few days. If you have been trying to contact me and not getting a response please email [email protected]

10/01/2022

If you are working on training your dog to wear a muzzle try this neat idea......I love it!

*Please note, using this muzzle will not prevent a bite. It is to aid in the muzzle training process*

Here is a great example of the "false muzzle". The front of the muzzle is cut off to allow easier/quicker treat delivery, or even fetch/tug/toy play; this can really help with the desensitization process for some dogs. This is a GREAT stepping stone towards your end goal of your dog being able to happily wear their muzzle while out in the world.

Thanks for the photo !!

06/01/2022

Want to learn about appropriate training procedures and practices and much more? Check out this link!
https://apdt.com/about/position-statements/

Click here to read the official ADPT position statements on everything from LIMA, crate training to surgical debarking to fireworks and more

18/12/2021

15/12/2021

If you aren't using food puzzle toys with your dog.......you should be!

A Guide to Using Food Puzzle Toys with Your Dog By: Zazie Todd, PhD Click here for original post Food puzzle toys are a great way to provide enrichment for your dog. If you want to get started—or add some different food toys to your dog’s repertoire—this guide will help. The benefits of food p...

09/12/2021

From Laura Donaldson,
KEEP YOUR HOLIDAYS A HAPPY, CALM EXPERIENCE, PROTECT YOUR DOG (AND YOURSELF) FROM SENSORY OVERLOAD!! Read to the bottom for some great tips!

I talk to clients all the time about sensory overload. As someone who has been a companion to working Border Collies (with a flock of sheep), sensory overload is something with which I am intimately familiar. When trying to explain this to clients, I say that herding dogs come into this world watching 20 televisions at once and they don't have the ability to filter the cacophony of sounds, colors and movement coming from this bombardment of the senses. This is what gives Border Collies their world class ability to anticipate every movement of a sheep flock. However, in herding dogs within a household who have with no outlet for the overload this can cause behavioral issues like hyperarousal, chasing, persistent barking and underlying generalized anxiety.

Below is an excellent discussion by Kathy Kawalec on the sensory overload that is often caused by the sheer excesses of the holiday season. She discusses some easy ways to mitigate this. Enjoy and may your holidays be peaceful and non-aroused 🐾💕🎅🤶

🎄 Sensory overload is when your dog's senses -- especially their smell and hearing -- take in more information than their brain can comfortably process.
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When their brain is overwhelmed by this input, this puts your dog's nervous system into fight, flight, or freeze/shut down mode.
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Signs of your dog suffering from sensory overload can be hyperactivity, hyper-vigilance, difficulty in settling and relaxing.
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As you can imagine, what we humans can find delightful, or calming and joy-bringing at holiday season, our dogs can find overwhelming and stressful.
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Think about this:
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Your dog is a scent master by design. Dogs can smell up to 10,000 times better than a human because of their unique nose and brain configuration. A dogs nose as two different air passages, one for breathing and one for smelling. And their brain's olfactory cortex is about 40 times larger than yours, making them specialists in scent.
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Dogs can smell emotions like sad or happy, can identify if someone is pregnant and can even smell low blood sugar and cancer cells.
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Imagine how overwhelming your favorite holiday scents are for your dog!
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And what about dog's hearing?
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Dogs can hear sounds four times farther away than we can, they hear higher frequency sounds, and they can easily differentiate sounds - like they know it's YOUR car, even if the neighbor has the same exact model. They can pinpoint the exact location of a sound more accurately and from farther away than us because of ear mobility and a much longer ear canal.

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Holiday Sensory Overload
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Ok, so now we can understand why dogs might experience sensory overload around the holidays!
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So many smells, sounds, and changes to their environment ... and for sensitive dogs that are easily aroused, over-excited, reactive, anxious?
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Well, it's just too much.
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If you live with a sensitive dog, it will be so worth it to keep things safe, calm, and happy this holiday season.
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Here are a few key strategies that will help make the holidays happy for everyone, including your dog:
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- No scented candles, no flashing lights, no whirring motors...
- Use unscented cleaning products, be mindful of disruptive music and sounds.
- Make sensible choices with who and how many visitors...
-Ensure your dog has a safe place to retreat easily, and work with your family to pre-plan management strategies for holiday gatherings that would overwhelm your dog

11/11/2021

Great article! Well worth reading.

Whole Dog Journal‘s mission is to provide dog guardians with in-depth information on dog food, training, behavior, health, and more.

27/10/2021

It's so important to be able to read your dogs body language, these clips are absolutely frightening.

12/07/2021

As our temperatures rise it is critical that we ensure our dogs safety.

Summer is a great time to be a dog owner. But as the weather heats up, dog owners need to know about heat stress and heat stroke in dogs.