Curious Noses

16/03/2023

Welcome to the Curious Noses family, Biggie!

08/07/2022

Curious Noses is Hiring!

If you love spending your days outdoors with dogs, we may have the perfect position for you!

Find out more and apply at:

https://ca.indeed.com/job/private-leash-dog-walker-4a78b678a745f119

07/07/2022

Great opportunity for puppy socialization from our friends at Raising Fido Canine Behaviour & Training Centre

We still have spots left in our 12pm Small/Young Puppy Social tomorrow (Friday) at Noon! If your puppy is between 8 and 16 weeks and you haven’t come for a Social yet, you’re missing out!! Give us a call or send as an email if you’re interested in joining tomorrow or any other Puppy Social

06/05/2022

Welcome to the Curious Noses Family, Bodhi!

06/12/2021

Offering private walks allows us to tailor your dogs walk to their needs and preferences, so they get maximum benefit from their time with us.

"Dog walkers – when they are responsible and qualified — may be incredibly beneficial to dogs and their people. However, the so-called “power” or “pack leader” walks can create stress and take an emotional toll on your dog. It’s not worth it."

Pack walks are popular with people but not necessarily with dogs. Here's why this activity may not be right for your pooch.

27/11/2021

The Alberta Court of Appeal officially recognizes that animals are sentient beings and that animal cruelty is a crime of violence!

GROUNDBREAKING NEWS: The Alberta Court of Appeal officially recognizes that animals are sentient beings AND that animal cruelty is a crime of violence!🎉

This ground-breaking decision is proof that times are changing. Animals are highly vulnerable to mistreatment and exploitation and are incapable of communicating their suffering, and sentences for animal cruelty must reflect these realities.

The court held that “Animals [are] sentient beings that experience pain and suffering [and] must be treated as living victims [….] “animal cruelty is a crime of violence”

Yesterday, the Alberta court of appeal recognized:

- that it is the animal’s experience of the violence, pain and suffering during and after the event that is relevant.
- that not every contravention of the animal cruelty provisions will be a crime of physical violence; crimes of neglect can be equally serious
- the Violence Link - that the abuse or killing of an animal can be motivated by a desire to assert control over or exact revenge on another person

Humane Canada™ provides essential education to prosecutors across Canada to raise awareness, encourage collaboration and highlight legislative and policy amendments that bring about lasting and systemic change. We have been following and sharing insights about the R v Chen case closely.

Please join Humane Canada as we push to update our inadequate animal cruelty laws and recognize animal sentience across Canada. Donate here: https://humanecanada.ca/how-to-help/donate/

19/11/2021

Welcome to the Curious Noses Family, Reuben!

27/10/2021

Today we wish safe travels to our dear friend Jax and his wonderful parents as they head back home to the UK. It's been such a joy and pleasure to have you as part of the Curious Noses Family over the last 3 years. Be safe, we will miss you sweet friend 💕

26/10/2021

Welcome to the Curious Noses Family, Hunter!

25/10/2021

Welcome to the Curious Noses Family, Bert!

08/09/2021

Welcome to the Curious Noses Family, Boston!

04/09/2021

Welcome to the Curious Noses Family, Ethel and Grizwold!

04/09/2021

Welcome to the Curious Noses Family, Maisie and Eclipse!

29/07/2021

Beware of the Foxtail plant. The foxtail plant is a grass-like w**d. This plant can be risky for your pets.

While foxtails are often caught in the fur and can be quickly removed, they can also migrate internally through several common routes such as the nose, ears, and eyes. If these problematic hitch-hiking seeds find their way inside of your pet, they can cause many serious problems. Once inside, foxtails cause internal abscesses and even infections of the bones around the spinal cord, they can also become lodged in the abdominal organs or lungs.

Foxtails aren't always easy to spot, but if you see any of the following symptoms during foxtail season, contact your vet immediately.

Nose: violently sneezing and pawing at the nose, and sometimes a bloody nose.

Eyes: rubbing the eye, squinting and pain, excessive tearing or discharge

Ears: head tilt or violent shaking of the head from side to side, pain, discharge, or odor.

Mouth/Throat: gagging, loud coughing, difficulty swallowing (you will notice your pet having “exaggerated swallowing” movements, like when you have a sore throat), and possibly increased odor.

Paws: continuous licking of the paw or pad, or the appearance of a swollen “bubble” between the toes, or a small “hole” in the skin which is indicative of a draining tract, which is the path the foxtail is taking under the skin

Under skin: formation of sores or abscesses.

17/07/2021

Welcome to the Curious Noses Family, Hank!

30/06/2021

Happy Canada day long weekend everyone! We are closed for the long weekend and will respond to all messages and inquiries on Monday the 5th 🍁

29/06/2021

Welcome to the Curious Noses Family, Moose!

27/06/2021

It's promising to be a toasty week. Remember to drink plenty of water, or at least play with it 💦

26/06/2021

Many times every week I tell owners of reactive dogs the same thing: Please stop worrying about taking your dog for exercise walks. Maybe it is time to stop walks for a while. And here is why.
If your dog crosses his threshold reliably when you walk him - whether that is because he reacts intensely to every dog in the neighborhood or he is highly anxious about traffic noises or he cannot be around people at this point - then every time you expose him to his trigger in a high intensity HIS REACTIONS WILL GET WORSE.
Stress responses rarely disappear into thin air one day. Rather, the dog goes through a cycle of encountering his trigger - being stressed - reacting intensely - and becoming EVEN MORE LIKELY to react badly the next time.
What you might be doing by continuously walking your reactive dog in an environment that’s full of trigger is to actually ingrain and strengthen his reactive response.
Now, I am all for exercising dogs both physically and mentally. But we need to look at this in the bigger picture. What good does it do if your dog had a 2 mile walk but he “flipped out” 10 times during it? Is this really the level of adrenaline you want him to associate with a stroll around the neighborhood?
Should we not weigh the dog’s longterm mental wellbeing against the benefits of physical exercise through walking?
(By the way - an on-leash walk is not actually “tiring physical exercise” for most healthy adult dogs anyway)
For most dogs with reactivity problems, we need to cease all “random” exposure to triggers and work on them in isolated, well-planned out settings. This could mean not walking your dog in your neighborhood at 7pm when everyone else is out. Or maybe not at all in your neighborhood - and instead in a less busy area nearby. Or maybe it means finding other forms of exercising his mind and body for a while. Please do not feel like you need to walk your dog in the presence of his triggers daily.
You know your own dog best. Does he seem highly stressed after his walks because he encountered a dozen scary and difficult situations? Then that walk is probably not worth it.
Be your dog’s advocate - if you listen to your intuition you probably already know if he should be walked or not.

26/05/2021

Welcome to the Curious Noses Family, Caoimhe!

21/05/2021

Where do you focus your energy?
Learning how to walk on a leash without pulling is a great skill for dogs to learn, however if your dog pulls because they are uncomfortable with what is going on in the environment around them your focus should not be directed towards getting a loose leash but more directed towards helping your dog to feel safe.
Safety is a prerequisite for learning.

20/05/2021

Puppies bite, a lot. And that's normal.

THIS IS A PSA

Puppies bite. They bite a lot. They bite hard. Their teeth are sharp. You might bleed. It might seem relentless.

Scaring the pants off them by yelling, pinning, shoving or shouting will not only do precisely zero, it will potentially create a fearful adult dog.

Puppies bite more when;
They are tired
They are hungry
They are bored
They are overstimulated
They are teething

Read that again. They bite MORE when they are the above. They will also bite when they are absolutely fine. They are dogs not dolls.

Be compassionate not scary. They will grow out of it but only if you teach them a good alternative. Trade for toys. Use a pen or a crate. Teach calmness. Reward gentle interactions. Grit your own teeth and ride it out while reinforcing good stuff and proactively managing bad stuff.

Be proactive when you know biting happens like after some play, when excitement goes up, when they are overtired (7-9pm witching hour anyone?) and give them a good chew or help them settle, or channel that energy into some training.

It does get better basically. Don’t panic. Most puppy biting isn’t aggression. Be CONSISTENT and PROACTIVE and expect more than a few bites along the way.

Signed,
Aalto the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever (aka the ginger shark)

26/04/2021

Have you ever noticed that dogs tend to sniff more when it's damp out? Humidity enhances smells, and since smell is a dogs primary sense, things suddenly get much more interesting!

23/04/2021

Sure I love climbing rocks, but in a pinch, a wobbly stack of old patio chairs will do - Obi 🐾

Letting dogs explore safe objects helps to keep them engaged with their environment, maintains or improves their confidence and sometimes let's them work on their balance to boot.

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21/04/2021

Nothing to see here, just a baby dog enjoying her apple ❤️

20/04/2021

Join us online for our interactive, instructor-led group classes.

Our classes are limited in size, so you are guaranteed individual attention. Just like in an in-person class, a certified trainer will provide you with step-by-step instructions and a demonstration for each skill. As you practice, your trainer will give you real time coaching and feedback. If you have a question, you are welcome and encouraged to ask it at any time along the way. 

Classes start next week! Register today at curiousnoses.com/online-classes

16/04/2021

🙌

10/04/2021

Did you know that dogs aren't completely color blind? In fact, they can see yellow and blue. Kobe is in the beginning stages of learning to tell the difference between the two.

10/04/2021

We are lucky to get to get to spend time with some mighty cute fur kids ❤️