Feiffer and I went to the vet last week for her pre-spay appointment. We discovered that this silly, little heeler is not comfortable with basic veterinary handling. And thus emerged our new training goals, husbandry work. It’s very important to me, and my vet, that my pets feel as safe and secure as they can at the vet office. I have an amazing doctor who uses fear free practices to make health care as stress free as she can.
Even with a fear free vet, it’s my job as a pet parent to continue training at home to help Feiffer feel at ease with her visits. So the first thing my squirmy little monster and I will be working on, is conditioning her to the stethoscope. If your dog is nervous around a stethoscope, you can buy one on Amazon. I got mine from my friend Amanda, who is a real life, superhero a.k.a. a nurse! Thank you, Amanda! But, I wanted to share a video of our training session because I know a lot of pets struggle with routine vet care. So here’s how to make it just a little bit easier for your dog or cat!
#dogtraining #husbandry #vetcare #behaviormodification #snohomish #positivereinforcement
Do you ever wonder what your dog trainer does on their weekends? Believe it or not, I have friends that aren’t dogs and I enjoy talking about stuff other than animal behavior 😅 Even though we LOVE our jobs, work/life balance is important for us too. Here’s how I spent my weekend, how did you guys spend yours?
#dogtraining #hikewithdogs #dogtrainer #pnw #blueheeler #americaneskimo #zachbryan
FIT CHECK!! Because I know y’all think I look so fashionable when I’m walking in the pouring rain 😂 No, but really, here’s how I survive walking reactive pups in the PNW.
BASEBALL HATS: I was a rookie today and didn’t bring my hats. But, having a couple of hats in the car to rotate throughout the day keeps your face from getting wet. That way don’t end up like me with mascara on only one of my eyes because the other eye got washed off from the drips running down my hood. I’m not picky about my hats but if you’re a trainer and want a dog training hat, no one does it quite like woof cultr.
https://woofcultr.com/collections/hats
RAINCOATS: Like I said I carry 3 coats in my car. Working 8 hours outside in the PNW you will rain through each of them by the end of a super rainy day. Each of my coats are different so I can utilize them each season. The lightest coat I have is a shell or windbreaker from Mountain Warehouse. Having a light shell is great for early autumn and spring. I don’t love this jacket though because it’s not breathable and I wouldn’t buy another MW jacket again. Next is my Columbia fleece lined raincoat which keeps me warm for most of fall and winter. Lastly, my Columbia parka for when it’s freezing cold outside. Columbia gear is great because it’s breathable, good quality and affordable!! I’m not trying to spend $200+ on a jacket when it’s just going to be jumped on by muddy dogs.
https://www.columbia.com
RAIN PANTS: I just slide these on over my leggings when it’s raining. I have two pairs to rotate them if needed but only have to do that one suuuper rainy days. These are fleece lines so they keep me warm and dry. I got them off amazon and they are very affordable and good quality.
https://www.amazon.com - BenBoy Hiking Pants
RAIN SHOES: I love my Vessi Chelsea boots! I used to wear hiking boots but they were heavy, hard to take on and off. Plus I would have to bring multiple pairs of socks to work because wate
We are working on focus at my house ✨
Having your dogs attention on you is one of my top 3 most important skills to teach your dog. I teach focus in a couple different ways. First I teach it on cue so you will have a dog who looks at you when you ask. Next, I teach offered attention and reinforce my dog whenever they pay attention to me! This game will help you get the dog who is focused on you in any environment they are in.
Let’s work together! Email [email protected]
#dogtraining #basicmanners #focus #puppytraining #everettwashington #positivereinforcement
I wanted to share a quick tutorial on the do’s and don’ts when holding a large reactive dogs leash.
DO:
• consider a waist walker, especially if your dog has a bite history or can over power you. That way, you can use your body strength to create distance when needed.
• I like leashes that have a loop close to the dog so you can have a double hold on them if needed.
• if you are using a regular leash or don’t have a leash with a handle, create a handle by looping the leash around your thumb (the strongest bone in your hand and least at risk for a fracture) then making a fist around the rest of the leash.
• use two hands down the leash if you need to!
• NOT IN THE VIDEO if your dog is a bite risk, double leash them and muzzle train 🤗
• anchor your arms to you hip bone. This will give you more strength if needed.
• watch your feet! Keep those feet shoulder width apart with one foot slightly in front of the other and your knees just a hair bent - like your surfing 🏄♂️
DONT:
• stand with your feet ankle to ankle, you will fall over if your dog lunges!
• don’t wrap your leash around your hand! I have seen so many accidents where a dog lunges and the handler fractures a bone!
Anything to add? Comment below 👇🏼
#reactivedog #dogsafety #dogtraining #dogtrainer #everett #lakestevens #positivereinforcement