Teacher's Pet - Dog Training

02/01/2024

Yeah!

16/11/2023

09/09/2023

🤪

22/08/2023

Yep!

13/08/2023

This is a repost from a few months ago....... but I know some people will find this very helpful, and we have a lot more followers than we did 3 months ago when this was last posted.
This is just a very general guide to helping nervous dogs to relax around others.
Having strangers in a home (or outside in yard) can be very confronting for nervous dogs. They don't understand why this person has suddenly appeared and the visitor may also be nervous ......which their dog will absolutely pick up on.
The quickest way to get dogs to relax around people is to ignore them.
Eye contact for many nervous dogs is extremely threatening.
I like to use my peripheral vision and may give a small glance or two.
Please note this is for adults...children are a whole different area that requires extra caution.
If you feel in anyway uncomfortable doing this.....stop and walk away. Nervous tension will only work against what is trying to be achieved.
If any aggression has ever been indicated by the guardian/owner please don't attempt this, it is best to seek help.

Body language is key to all of this. There is no rush and it can take many visits for some dogs to feel comfortable.....and if you have a nervous dog and someone doesn't feel comfortable enough to attempt this...respect that....it wouldn't make anyone at ease.

13/08/2023

NECK AND HEAD RESTRAINTS ARE NOT SO BAD

A few Followers need to try this type of very modern restraint while driving due to their limited driving knowledge and skills to save them from any foreseen and normal environmental circumstance. I'm sure that once they have been gently desensitized and counter conditioned to the restraint, it won't hurt or that they won't find it scary, and they will absolutely love it as it will provide a huge degree of safety while driving, even if they have a sore neck or throat, thyroid issues, esophageal damaged, collapsed trachea or damage to their neck muscles. Additionally, their range of head movement is limited which will prevent them from scanning the environment effectively for other cars. It will also restrict them from admiring the scenery, especially if the 'scenery' is wearing short shorts or a tight pair of jeans, much to the delight of their partner. And if they do decide to venture a peek in a direction that they should not, the restraint will gently yank them back into position...for their own safety and well-being of course. The benefits are endless really 😉

Or, they could learn to drive better, thereby lessening their reliance on so many restraints, and therefore enjoy everything the drive has to offer while being safe. They can also ask more experienced or knowledgeable drivers for assistance if their ego permits 🤣

Edit - this is a tongue in cheek post designed to have a Friday giggle 😉

13/08/2023

❌Walk content is more important than duration❌

Excessive walking builds athletes.

Walks including training, searching and interaction tire the body 💪 AND the mind 🧠 which help create calmness in the home.

Walks focused on physical activity, particularly fast paced adrenalin fuelled exercise such as ball chasing, can make it difficult for dogs to settle when they get home.

Put it like this. Could you take a nap straight after going on a rollercoaster?🎢 😴 👎

03/08/2023

This👇👍

Dogs. Aren’t. Toys.

A dog that remains completely still and seemingly ignores being roughly pulled around by a child isn’t something to cheer about. The dog is likely expressing a form of learned helplessness.

If you are overwhelmed and unheard, to the point where you just sit in silence and stew, at what point do you lose control and lash out? 🤔💥

02/08/2023

Amen

DON’T FORCE ME TO BE SOCIAL!
Do we like everyone we meet? Do we all enjoy socialising and spending time with lots of different people? I certainly don’t and refer to myself as a “caninetrovert” – a person that much prefers to spend time with dogs rather than people. Maybe I’m a little different to the “norm”, but be that as it may, we are all individuals with different personality styles and social preferences.

Some of us are extroverts, gaining energy from interacting with people; some of us introverts, who find people draining and need alone time to recharge our social batteries and some of us are somewhere in between.

If we acknowledge that we are all different in this way, we also need to acknowledge and accept that our dogs are similar.

They could be overly affectionate or fiercely independent, approachable or nervous, energetic or laid back, confident or cautious, sociable, tolerant, selective or reactive.

We may be really disappointed when our dogs turn out not to be the socialite we expected them to be.

Some may even see this as a behaviour problem that needs to be “fixed”. Sometimes it can be improved, especially if the cause is from a negative experience, but genetics, breed tendencies, individual personalities, health and age all contribute to tolerance levels and sociability.

Accept your dog for who they are, allow them to choose whether they want to be sociable or not, respect their choices and never force an interaction that your dog is not comfortable with.

27/07/2023

👂

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13/07/2023

Love this 👏

I do have to start this post by saying that your dog doesn't need to meet other dogs.
I know that is controversial for some to hear but very few dogs are truly dog social....many are highly selective.
They may only like their own breed.
They may only like female dogs....small brown dogs...or curly coated dogs.
They have (and are ALLOWED) their own social preference....just as we have our own social preferences.

Or they may just dislike any other dog outside their/your family and friends.

Encouraging dogs to meet a dog walking down the street (even with the best of intentions) can cause some serious issues.

Reactivity and/or aggression.
Injury.
A lessening of the strong bond they may have with you as they can no longer trust your judgement.

So meeting dogs on a walk, just because there is another dog there is something I highly discourage.

However....
There are some circumstances where you may have to introduce dogs. So these are a few tips which have been written about before (separately) in graphics but I have squeezed them together for a clearer reference.

One of the biggest mistakes people make is only concentrating on their own dogs emotional state and not watching the rising stress in the other dog involved....
These cause those "Out of the blue" reactions....

They weren't out of the blue, they were just missed.

🔵Micro meetings are essential.
🔵Parallel walks are a must.
🔵Avoid face to face.
🔵Keep your voices light and happy.
🔵DON'T make a dog sit or lie down.
🔵Tension creates more tension so keep those leads loose.
🔵NEUTRAL territory....not your yard, your house or even your immediate area around your house....go somewhere else.

Biggest tip though (as mentioned) watch the body language of both dogs.....IGNORE the tail wags and watch the whole body and all the little tell tale signs given.

If it doesn't feel right...it likely isn't.
Trust your own intuition.

ALWAYS advocate for your own dog no matter how "friendly" you are told the other dog is.

17/06/2023

Don’t always interpret a wagging tail as a sign of a happy dog!

31/05/2023

😍

28/04/2023

Best tips that I’ve read for a long time!

15/03/2023

Dogs who wear muzzles are good dogs. Dogs who aren’t dog friendly are good dogs. Dogs who are leash reactive are good dogs. Dogs who need space are good dogs. Dogs who are scared of strangers are good dogs.

If you see someone clearly making steps to avoid you or your dog while you are out walking, please respect them.

If someone lets you know that their dog needs space or isn’t dog friendly, please respect them.

If you see someone clip their dog on lead when you approach, clip yours on too and give them space.

Some dogs don't want to interact with other dogs or people and that's fine. I'm sure you don't want to interact with everyone you see either! They still deserve to have a great quality of life and go everywhere yours gets to go as long as they are taking the right precautions.

Having a dog that needs space is a challenge all of its own, but we are doing our best to advocate for them to insure they live the best lives we can give them. Training can't happen at all unless we take these dogs into public places. To everyone with friendly dogs, please don’t be offended and please don't judge. A nervous dog can happen to anyone at anytime. Instead of playing the blame game, let's all try make that dog's life more comfortable and its owners life much easier by being understanding 🖤
Picture credit : whole dog journal.
- hope, the rescued street dog ❤️🐾

🌟For help with barking/ lunging or aggression towards other people or dogs on walks our online reactivity course is available via this link:

Want to take part in a dog sport with your reactive dog?

Look up mantrailing Global.

🖥️https://unleashingpossibilities.thinkific.com/

26/02/2023

Love this.

22/02/2023

Yup! I get reminded every day!!

09/02/2023

Don't compromise your dog's safety and trust to be polite to someone.

Things you might need to say to a friend, a stranger, a trainer vet staff or others:

Please give my dog space to sniff.

You can say hi if she comes to you. Please do not pet her right now.

My dog needs a minute to explore the new environment.

No, you cannot pet my dog.

Two hands is too much.

Ok, that's enough. Please give him space now.

No, you cannot hold his leash.

06/02/2023

😍

Repost.....but again a very important message.
Socialisation is so much more than we realise.
Socialisation is NOT play.
Play is play.
Socialisation is very misunderstood......Enjoy the post.
---------------------------------------
Neutral
A great aim.
I realise this is going to be highly controversial for people that DO have a very social dog...but believe me you are in the minority.

Your dog does NOT need to stop, sniff and meet other dogs when out walking.
Your dog does not need to interact with dogs they do not know.
Dogs do not need to meet other dogs and play at a park.
Dogs do not need to have other dogs invade their space to "sniff each other"........They smelt them half way down the road.

This is also society's fault for perpetuating this myth that ALL dogs must be social and get on with ALL other dogs.

They do not....and for the MAJORITY of dogs they NEVER will.

In fact it is damaging to a dog to expect them to interact with all other dogs.

Neutral is a great aim.

Indifference is great !!!!

Expecting interactions can affect many dogs negatively and is a definite causation of reactivity in dogs. Many highly anxious dogs are encouraged to "play" and meet other dogs.
Your dogs body language may be screaming they are deeply uncomfortable....yet often it is ignored as dogs "should socialise with other dogs".

I am not talking about puppies here as they are usually all social (and should be heavily socialised when young)....this is purely aimed at dogs (though some from 5- 6 months onward). Every dog falls into the social spectrum and the actual number of adult dogs that are TRULY dog social is TINY (around 10 %) ....and if you do have a truly social dog this concept can be difficult to comprehend.

10 % of all dogs are truly social. They enjoy most dogs company.

40 % of all dogs are dog selective. They may only like their own breed, small white dogs, large female dogs etc.

40 % of all dogs are tolerant. They tolerate most dogs but choose only to interact with a select few.

10 % of all dogs are anti ALL dogs (apart from perhaps another family dog).
Credit to Augusta Grayson.

Where does your dog sit ?
Of course this is an approximate percentage and I encourage you to look up the dog sociability spectrum to see where your dog sits.

This is why being neutral when seeing other dogs should be the goal....not interacting, not sniffing and certainly not accepting every other dog in your dogs space. Accepting that there are other dogs in the world....and that they do NOT have to meet every other dog....and they certainly don't need to meet them in a hyper aroused state.

Dogs naturally become FAR less social as they age. Yet people expect them to friendly to every dog they meet....and for the other dog to be friendly back.
Disinterest/neutrality when other dogs are around can save everyone from SO many issues. Advocate for your dog, you will enhance your bond because your dog can start trusting your decisions more.

Advocate for your dog, stop encouraging your dog that is deeply uncomfortable and barking to calm down and play with their new "friend".
Neutrality is true socialisation.

01/02/2023

This 👇

There are some smaller neighborhood and apartment dog parks that very rarely have other dogs at them, or it only may be 1-2 at a time, but as a general rule this is true for most dog parks. Especially with a deaf dog.