Harmony Dog Training

16/12/2024

Have you ever had one of those days where things just seem to happen, one after another, until you just can’t take any more? Welcome to the concept of trigger stacking.

This is perhaps even more important to understand at this time of year, when there is so much activity and things going on, with lots of different people, smells, etc.

To explain how trigger stacking works, here’s an excerpt from my book Fight or Fright:

“Imagine a scenario for me. You are in the supermarket and get into a queue to pay for your shopping. You may not have much, and anticipate getting out of there smoothly, without hassle. Someone cuts in line in front of you. It is annoying, but they only have a couple of items and give you a big friendly smile. It really is not that big a deal, so although it could be considered annoying, you leave it and avoid the aggravation.

Let us rewind now to earlier in the day…

• You walk out of the house to see that you have a flat tyre. How annoying!
• Someone cuts you up at the roundabout. Clearly they are an idiot but no damage done.
• Every traffic light seems to go red as you are on your way. This ‘quick trip’ to the shop is taking forever.
• In the car park, the only space left is on the far side of the car park, next to someone that cannot park their car properly within the lines so it is hanging over into your space. This means that you have to squeeze in very carefully and just hope you will be able to get back in your car when you come to leave.
• You start making your way around the shop and it becomes clear that you have ‘that’ trolley – the one with a mind of its own and absolutely no intention of being steered anywhere meaning your back and shoulders are getting really sore.
• Then, to cap it all off, someone cuts you up in line and gives you this big over cheerful smug grin as they do so. That is just the last straw and you explode at them.

Anyone looking on would likely say ‘They just went off on one out of nowhere!’

Welcome to the concept of trigger stacking. Any one of the things that happened on the way to the store or during your shopping trip is annoying to have happen, but add them all together and it is just too much. Every one of those things that has caused you some annoyance lingers in the system for a little while, and that means that the effect is building up. One or two of those occurrences before the queue jumper at the store might have meant that you were left irritated but did not fly off the handle at the person barging in, but the added effect of all of them took you beyond what you could stand without losing it – it took you beyond your reaction threshold.

Dogs are no different.”

It’s not just negative things that can lead to trigger stacking. Over excitement can also result in a dog bubbling over and not being able to cope. Anything that raises the dog’s (or our) arousal levels can all accumulate until the point where it’s just all too much.

This is why it is so important to be able to recognise the signs of increased arousal so we can tell if our dog needs a break and a chance to calm down so they don’t reach that threshold point and life stays calmer for both them and us.

25/11/2024

21/09/2024

Great info, via Dr Emily Levine. Consider training your dog to “dunk for toys,” starting with an inch of water, gradually increasing the depth.

As summers continue to get warmer year-over-year, new research from the Penn Vet Working Dog Center (PVWDC) reveals the best way to prevent dogs from overheating.

After comparing various cooling methods, researchers found when a dog voluntarily submerged their head in clean, room-temperature water to retrieve a treat or toy, they not only cooled off faster, but also avoided dangerous post-exercise temperature spikes.

“During heat stress, blood flow to the head, nose, tongue, and ears is increased,” said Cynthia M. Otto, VMD, PhD, lead author of the study and executive director of the PVWDC. “Cooling the tissues of the head allows for rapid cooling of the whole body with limited amounts of water.”

🔗 Learn how to correctly teach your dog this game-changing method by visiting: https://bit.ly/4eajKuy

09/09/2024

Pedigree took part in a 'tail orchestra experiment' earlier this month, in which the pet food company presented dogs with treats — as well as other less appealing stimuli such as broccoli — and had an orchestra play music set to the wagging of the canines' tails. The music created is now availab...

17/07/2024

Myrna had lots of fun playing with her new friend Millie at Micky Niego's "Camp Runamuck"!

15/06/2024

Let's talk about this photo. It's cute, except it's not. I see a dog who cannot get up without telling the child to get off. How do you think a dog is going to do that?

The 7 Golden Toddler Dog Rules:
#1: If a dog walks away from you, you DO NOT FOLLOW.
#2: Always leave room for the dog to walk away from you.
---that right there is 90+% of dog bites eliminated---
#3: We do not climb on the dog.
#4: We do not grab or pull on the dog.
#5: We do not hit or throw anything at the dog.
#6: We do not touch the dog's food.
#7: We do not go into the dog's kennel.

I promise these are not overly difficult concepts for littles, nor will they rob a kid of their bond with the family dog. It will deepen that bond, while keeping everyone safe.

"Oh, it looks like Moose is walking away from you. She is saying she wants a break. Let's play with this instead!"

"It's Moose's dinner time! Let's give her space to enjoy her yummies."

"That is Moose's room(kennel) and only she is allowed to go in there."

"If Moose wanted a break, could she walk away from you right now? No she really couldn't. Let's move away from the play house. You can keep playing but now she can leave when she wants a break."

In conclusion, ***parent your child or your dog will do it for you, and you will not like how they do it.***

13/05/2024

17/03/2024

Happy St Patrick’s Day weekend!