Pet Friends with Gemma - Dogs

23/08/2024

PUPPY CLASSES NOW BOOKING ....

INFANTS ( up to 5 months)
5 Week Course Starting:
- Thursday 29th August 7pm (2 places left)
- Saturday 31st August 10am (2 places left)

JUNIORS (6-10 months)
4 Week Course Starting:
- Thursday 5th September 7pm (1 place left)
- Saturday 7th September 10am (FULL)

Online Booking Only ...

Puppy Classes availabe through positive reinforcement training. The kindest form of dog training based on proven scientific methods which is a fun and enjoyable experience for both the dog and the owner.

18/08/2024

Best bits from this last week 😍

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17/08/2024

Dog owners have been sharing reports of cases of serious illness among their pets, after visiting parks in the north Wicklow and south Dublin area, in particular Shanganagh Park in Shankill, which is hugely popular with dog owners in Bray, as well as Cabinteely and Kilbogget parks.

13/08/2024

🧡 Bawnie, Tiger, Meg & Paudie 🧡

Lovely to see these four again last week, always so happy to see us and just love all the playtime and attention they get 🥰

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10/08/2024

🎉🎉 Congratulations Puppies 🎉🎉

Four more gorgeous puppies completing their puppy classes this weekend, lots has been learnt, but this is just the beginning of their training journey so we wish them and their owners the very best going forwards 🙏

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09/08/2024

🧠To understand your dog’s reactivity, you need to understand the basics of how your dog’s brain works.

A dog may not have the capability of processing higher complex emotions of what humans can, however, you can’t look at a dog and tell me they don’t feel. Of course, they do! Their feelings are just not as complex as humans, but interestingly enough they do process information from all parts of the body similar to our human brains.

So, the brain is made up of soft tissue and nerve cells, and is composed of the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem. These 3 areas of the brain interprets information, controls all functions of the body, and responds accordingly. The brain does not only control physical responses, but chemical ones as well.

Now, let’s go to the autonomic nervous system. The Sympathetic nervous system originates in the spinal cord which is connected to the brainstem at the bottom of the dog’s brain. One of its main functions is to activate the physiological changes that occur during the flight or fight response. This means that the dog's neurotransmitters in the brain send chemical messages to parts of the body to release hormones, and other chemicals to prepare the dog's body for intense action when the dog is experiencing a stressful, or overwhelming event.

The body can fluctuate between flight and fight, and rest and digest. This is because the brain is constantly sending messages and signals from one part to another.

When the dog is feeling heightened emotions such as arousal, stress, happiness, excitement, fear, anxiety, or pain, the brain sends the body messages to react in the following ways:

1. Increased heart rate and respiration,
2. Dilation of eye pupil (to see with more clarity).
3. Inhibition of the lacrimal gland (responsible for tear production and salivation).
4. Dilated airways for increased oxygen,
5. Dilated blood vessels for blood to flow to the muscles.
6. Inhibition of stomach and upper intestinal action to the point where digestion slows or stops (The body can’t process food when in flight/ fight response, it needs to save its energy for survival).
7. The liver releases glucose,
8. The kidneys release adrenaline,
9. Relaxation of bladder.
10. Constriction of blood vessels in many parts of the body.
11. Auditory exclusion (loss of hearing).
12. Tunnel vision (loss of peripheral vision).
13. Shaking.

I want you to keep in mind that all animals (even us humans) are deeply wired to protect ourselves against a perceived threat and each individual has their own interpretations of what is scary and what is not.

For example; I am afraid of spiders and anything that may resemble a creepy crawly, where you may not be bothered at all by the sight of a spider. Fear begins in the brain, and then travels through the body adjusting along the way for the best defence, to run away, or defend oneself as quickly as possible. All these changes happen so fast that the individual wouldn’t even be aware of them or have a chance to really process what is happening.

The fear response starts in a region in the brain called the amygdala. The job of the amygdala is to detect the importance of the stimulus and how much effect it would have on the dog's well-being. This creates a cascade of events which involve the hypothalamic-pituitary and adrenal glands. This is the main driver of the endocrine stress response. The hypothalamus receives information and sends chemical signals to the pituitary gland which signals the adrenal glands to increase the production of cortisol aka “stress hormone”. This stress hormone helps to increase energy in order to deal with a stressful event.

The instant an event is happening it triggers the sympathetic nervous system which signals the adrenal glands to release adrenaline (aka epinephrine) which leaps into action and goes into the bloodstream to increase the blood flow throughout the body which causes quick responses.

The reaction depends on the threat level of the stimulus. The more threatening the stimulus the more intense the response is.
The sight, or sound of something the dog finds scary, intimidating, or threatening creates a stressful event and triggers neurotransmitters in the brain which transmits signals through the synapse from one neuron to another in a chain reaction which changes the way the dog responds to the trigger. These neurotransmitters release a chemical substance at the end of a nerve fibre and these chemicals travel throughout the body and react accordingly.

So now the brain is super alert, pupils dilate, breathing and heart rate accelerates, blood pressure increases, and glucose increases which seeps into the skeletal muscles to provide energy to move quickly.

The takeaway from this is that fear keeps us alive, and it is involuntary. Not one individual has conscious control over it. Even though it is unpleasant and interferes with our everyday lives and functioning, it should be respected not punished.

Maintaining a balance of chemicals in the body is crucial for emotional regulation and stable behaviour. A reactive dog is one who is struggling and may require assistance, possibly including medication alongside a behaviour modification program. This combination aims to establish positive associations and boost the dog's confidence. Veterinary behaviourists specialise in managing a dog's mental state in such cases.

References:

Riva J, Bondiolotti G, Micelazzi M, et al. Anxiety-related behavioural disorders and neurotransmitters in dogs. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 2008;114,168–181.

Beerda B, Schilder M, van Hoof J, et al. Manifestations of chronic and acute stress in dogs. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 1997;52:307–319.

Berteselli GV, Servidaq F, DallAra P, et al. Evaluation of the immunological, stress and behavioural parameters in dogs (Canis familiaris) with anxiety-related disorders. In: Mills D et al., eds. Current Issues and Research in Veterinary Behavioral Medicine. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press; 2005:18–22.

06/08/2024

Along with our holiday pet sitting clients we also had the pleasure of walking/visiting some more gorgeous dogs to break up their day at home over the weekend 😀 😍

💙 Declan
🩷 Korky
🩵 Myles
🧡 Loki
💛 Sully
💜 Willow

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05/08/2024

🩷 WEDDING DAY 🩷

Huge Congratulations to Willows humans who got married on Friday 😍

We hope you had the most amazing day from us all and especially Willow ❤️

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03/08/2024

When Rusty & Alfie met up with Jodie for a mini group walk in Kilbeggan this week .... best of friends 🧡

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31/07/2024

Some of our lovely dogs this week so far 🥰

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30/07/2024

❤️ Ernie, Oscar & Biscuit ❤️

Welcome back! Lovely to have these three for a couple of walks with us over the weekend, always a joy being around this trio, they are so so good 🥰

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28/07/2024

Welcoming a new baby to the household? ... learn the safe way to introduce your dog to the baby .... free downloadable resources available

Did you know we have a plethora of resources to download? And, they’re free?
We have Dog and Baby Safety Tips, Dog and Toddler Safety Tips, Coloring Sheets (fun for kids!) and SO much more.

Visit us at: https://www.familypaws.com/resources/.

27/07/2024

Check out these gorgeous pups we have training with us at the moment, aren't they all just adorable 🥰

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Force Free Dog Training Tullamore

24/07/2024

Communication signals given by your dog can be so subtle but it's so important to recognise them and know what they mean 🙏

These can occur in a split second and you may not notice them.

Take note of the context in which they occur, if your dog yawns when they are all snuggled up and sleepy, it is a simple yawn, but if they yawned as another dog approached or when you touch them in a certain place then it is communication, as well as a decompresser. Studies have also shown that dogs can show contagious yawning where they yawn on seeing you yawn.

Similarly if they do a nose lick because you are holding a tasty treat in front of them, then it is not a sign of stress. Dogs will often do nose licks when you go to take a photo, (because they are unsure) and it is the camera that picks this up, or if you lean over the top of your dog, for example.

With blinking, note whether your dog is blinking faster or slower than usual.

22/07/2024

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19/07/2024

❤️ Sully & Loki ❤️

They have to be the happiest of dogs .... such gorgeous 'smiley' faces 😍

We loved walking these two this week, always a pleasure 🤩

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17/07/2024

Some of our favourite moments from last week 😍

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16/07/2024

They always want to ride shotgun 🤣🤣

10/07/2024

July/August Group Classes ....

Starting Saturday 13th @ 10am - INFANTS - 1 place left

Starting Friday 19th @ 7:30pm - JUNIORS - 2 places left

Starting Saturday 20th @ 10am - JUNIORS - 2 places left

Please book online www.offalypetsitting.com/dog-training

* Infant Puppies (8 - 21 weeks old) 5 week course
* Junior Puppies (5 - 10 months old) 4 week course

(Puppies can switch between the Friday evening and Saturday mornings to help those that are unable to commit to particular weeks where times clash with other activities)

Puppy Classes availabe through positive reinforcement training. The kindest form of dog training based on proven scientific methods which is a fun and enjoyable experience for both the dog and the owner.

08/07/2024

🩷 Willow 🩷

Always double checking if there are any treats left before its hometime 😉😍

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03/07/2024

‼️ REMINDER - FULLY BOOKED‼️

We are fully booked for July & August, and currently unable to take on new clients at this time.

Please note we are a small business with limited time on our hands having our own children off school, and fitting in last minute bookings is very difficult during the summer period.

🙏 So we please remind all our current clients that we unfortunately are unable to take anymore bookings until September onwards as we are very fortunate to have had so many bookings this year and we are being stretched to the maximum.

Thank you so much for your continued support ❤️

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01/07/2024

July/August Group Classes ....

Starting Saturday 13th @ 10am - INFANTS - 1 place left

Starting Friday 19th @ 7:30pm - JUNIORS - 2 places left

Starting Saturday 20th @ 10am - JUNIORS - 2 places left

Please book online www.offalypetsitting.com/dog-training

* Infant Puppies (8 - 21 weeks old) 5 week course
* Junior Puppies (5 - 10 months old) 4 week course

Puppy Classes availabe through positive reinforcement training. The kindest form of dog training based on proven scientific methods which is a fun and enjoyable experience for both the dog and the owner.

29/06/2024

🩵 Blu & Daisy 🩵 💛 Roxy & Buddy 💛

We love walking these gorgeous pairs, it always makes walks very entertaining having two dogs from the same household and they always get up to such mischief 😍

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27/06/2024

When Alfie finds his name when out exploring the woods with his doggie friends today 🤩

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24/06/2024

🌟 CLIENT REVIEW 🌟

It absolutely makes our day receiving such lovely reviews from our clients, it really does make what we do feel so rewarding and worthwhile knowing we can make a difference to both owners and their pets 🥰

Thank you so much Aoife ❤️

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If you would like to leave us a review, you can also visit our Google page listing, search Offaly Pet Sitting Limited 😍

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23/06/2024

HOT HOT WEEKEND

Please be mindful of your pets paws when out walking today/tomorrow ..... tarmac heats up quickly and can hold its heat all day .... evening walks are not always cooler!!!

22/06/2024

🎉 Congratulations 🎉

More pups graduating after being put through their paces these last four weeks in our group classes to set them off on the right track 🤩

Big good luck to Goldie, Myles, Bruce and Willow going forward 👏 👍

Bookings open for the July/August term on our website ...
www.offalypetsitting.com/dog-training

20/06/2024

🧡 Argo 🧡

Welcome back to the very handsome Argo, definatly the celebrity of the town as I'm pretty sure everyone knows this gorgeous teddy bear 🧸 😀 😉

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