Azurita's Dog Diaries

06/10/2022

I always have ideals of what a life with a specific dog may look like and what I would really like it to look like. Whether that be hanging out at a pub with them, collecting firewood in the bush with them, or running x amount of kms with them through some trails.

I used to fantasise about how I would have a dog that is completely bombproof. One where I could take them anywhere and where they would be completely fine and be able to cope with everything and anything I threw at them.

But the older I get, the softer I get too. And with age comes a little more experience as well.

I no longer think about how an animal can serve me (unless it’s Butch who will eventually carry the beers down to the camp site!) but instead how can I make the animal’s life easier and better. And that’s what determines the training we do moving forward.

Everyone has to battle their ego from time to time. As dog trainers surely all of our dogs should be able to do x, y and z and be able to cope with all the things our daily lives throw at them.

But our dogs can’t. All 4 of our dogs have some form of a limitation to where they can get to, or more accurately how far we are willing to push them.

In 2020 we took on Adira and Sunrise. Both with their own very serious issues. Alongside this we have fostered numerous other dogs and puppies as well. We have also taken on ‘rescue’ chickens, cows, sheep, goats and 1 little duckling.

Every animal I get to know, shows me how different each animal is. They have different likes and dislikes and ultimately different needs.

Lots of people will say you should not anthropomorphise animals - but I think everyone does. I do. And I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Obviously we shouldn’t insist they require human specific needs but if it helps you see them as an individual as opposed to a belonging, this is not a bad thing in my book.

When I get to see a dog that I have worked with previously, I’m not excited about what they can or can’t do. What really makes me smile is to see how happy and comfortable they are to be back with me. I’ll take happiness over obedience any day.

The training is the easy part, keeping them happy is the hard part. Trust can take years to develop and only seconds to lose. Dog training is a continual journey but once you create habits they’re very hard to break - this is why training the dog for ‘life’ is so important.

Whenever I get to know a dog I ask myself what could make this dog’s life better?

Then, how can I train this?

If I think of something else I will ask myself ‘will this benefit the dog?’ If the answer is no, then I ask myself ‘will it be too stressful for them to learn or achieve?’

If the answer then is yes I probably won’t train it (unless it’s for things like vet visits etc).

If it won’t be too stressful then I’ll figure out a plan and if I can be bothered I’ll simply start training for it.

Here’s Jasper (was Dud) ‘watching’ some TV.

Thanks to all our foster supporters and to Nature's Ki - Pet Wellbeing for helping us help them.

Www.Thinkdog.nz

06/10/2022

Training tip Tuesday: got scary new Halloween decorations in your neighborhood? Help your dog feel better about them!

This time of year, through Christmas, often presents with a ton of novelty on your neighborhood walks. Giant staring skeletons and blow up Frankenstein monsters like you see in this picture roll into turkey inflatables and Santa Claus statues, and every walk becomes an unpredictable event for your dog.

If your dog is bothered by these decorations, you’re not alone! Lots of dogs seem to struggle with our holiday decorations, and can sometimes have very pronounced fear reactions to them.

This is one of the big reasons I like to have food with me on walks; yes, occasionally reinforcing behaviors I like is one reason, but the other is that I can make positive associations for my dog with things they may be worried about! Instead of leaving my dog to their own devices and letting them figure out decorations aren’t going to hurt them through trial and error, I actively pair these decorations with yummy snackies and help my dog feel good about the novel things they see on their walks. By doing this, every year I see a reduction in my dog’s fearful reactions to novel “stuff” and I see them rebound quicker and more readily when they ARE taken aback by something!

05/10/2022

02/10/2022

A big problem with dog ownership is that we project our thoughts onto our pets.

And not in the sense you think. I’m not telling you your dog is reactive because you’re feeling anxious and it’s traveling down the lead. I’m not telling you your dog has problems because you are subconsciously telling them to behave that way.

I’m telling you that issues may occur when the idea of a dog overrides your actual dog.

Some dogs don’t like playing with other dogs. Some simply don’t enjoy being in close contact to people. Some don’t want to run around and chase balls.

I hear sometimes, when prescribing dog reactive dogs to be walked away from unknown dogs, that it isn’t fair for them. That it’s no life for a dog not being around their own kind. My argument to this is, if your dog being walked in close proximity to other dogs is causing literal, quantifiable stress and anxiety for both themselves and you, *that* is no life for them. The potential for them to be upset that they’re not frolicking with their own kind (which they have never shown any interest in doing) shouldn’t override the daily stress they endure when being forced to socialise with dogs that make them feel unsafe.

Imagine you’re scared of spiders, and you have the option of having your dinner in a room full of spiders or a room without spiders. Which would you choose? If we have the option of making our dogs’ lives a little less stressful, we should grab it.

Because not all dogs are dog social, and that’s okay. Plus, taking away those daily stressors and doing counter conditioning at a distance can actually change their emotional response towards other dogs. So after a while of not forcing daily dog to dog interactions, you might end up with a dog that even enjoys saying hello to the occasional dog.

I know this, because this has happened with my own dog reactive dog. I avoided dogs as much as I could- I chose obscure locations to walk, dived into bushes when dogs came near, kept her on-lead if there were dogs around. Now, she’s able to be walked around strange dogs and will actually go to greet unknown dogs pretty frequently. Because I didn’t force it and let her take it at her own pace.

Our idea of a dog that’s planted firmly in our heads by heartwarming tv series and Disney films is a bumbling, hyper social, do-no-harm best friend to all. Typically based on a Labrador or golden retriever. THIS. IS. NOT. EVERY. DOG.

Just as we can be introverted, extroverted or anything in-between based on environment, energy levels, pain etc, so can our dogs. Don’t force them to be the idea of a dog that’s seated in your mind, when your real dog is screaming something totally different.

TLDR: your dog isn’t Dug from Up. He might not want to be best friends with everybody in the world.

01/10/2022

Yeh not cute. Just silly, irresponsible guardians 😔

25/09/2022

PHRASES THAT RUFFLE TRAINERS' FEATHERS ... AND WHY!

So I came across an interesting post started on a dog trainer's personal FB page and it got me thinking. She asked "what words annoy you when you hear them?" She did state she didn't want the "why" of it just the words/phrases. As I scrolled down her comments I realized I agreed with many and thought - if a non-dog behavior expert was reading this they might think "why do these words bother so many trainers?!"

So, I decided to lay this out and explain the "why" to a lot of this.

Why trainers don't like the following phrases:

➡️ DOG OWNER SAYS: MY DOG IS STUBBORN!

👂🏼 DOG TRAINER HEARS: I don't know how to communicate/train properly with my dog and she's not doing what I ask so I assume she's hard-headed.

💡 REALITY: I get it. Dog owners aren't usually dog trainers, hence why I have a job! So, you don't know what you don't know. However, if your dog isn't listening or "obeying" the reality is likely that the dog isn't listening because of one, several or all of these factors: hasn't been trained to understand what you are asking of him, is confused, has the incorrect motivation in that moment, is stressed, and/or has made a poor association with the thing you ask and therefore won't do it at all out of fear/stress/anxiety. Really this could be a lot of things!

🐕 BOTTOM LINE: Training & some understanding of dog behavior will fix this label.

➡️ DOG OWNER SAYS: HE'S BEING DOMINANT!

👂🏼 DOG TRAINER HEARS: I watch a lot of Cesar Milan but don't really know exactly what all that entails .... and/or I think if a dog is doing a pushy or bratty behavior it's because he's dominant and "thinks he's boss". OR Someone hasn't been in tune with up-to-date science and studies on dog behavior and training.

💡 REALITY: Your dog can't be "dominant" as a whole. It's not a personality trait. It's not like saying my brother is "out-going". Dominance is fluid and only happens in certain contexts. Usually over resources and a dog that is aggressive or insecure is reacting for other reasons that aren't even related to "dominance". I could go on and on about this topic. It's very sadly been used and misused by a lot of trainers. The truth is that science has shown other answers to what decades ago was always blamed for "dominance". You can read more on dominance in dogs here: http://bit.ly/2GElznQ

🐕 BOTTOM LINE: Get to the root of the problem with a qualified professional (that doesn't adhere to the dominance/pack theory of yonder years.)

➡️ DOG OWNER SAYS: WE TRIED POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT TRAINING, IT DIDN'T WORK.

👂🏼 DOG TRAINER HEARS: We did that a couple times, didn't get immediate results so gave up and said it doesn't work.

💡 REALITY: The thing with positive reinforcement-based training is that it does, in fact, take work, consistency and dedication on your part. It's not magic and it never works if you only do it a few times or if you are inconsistent. You often see immediate results but for them to "stick", and for long-term goals like great leash work (no pulling on leash) and coming when called, you will need to be consistent and diligent in your training efforts.

🐕 BOTTOM LINE: Don't give up. Listen to your well-educated, qualified, positive reinforcement trainer ... and stay consistent!

➡️ DOG OWNER SAYS: OH, HE'S KNOWS WHAT HE DID WAS WRONG!

👂🏼 DOG TRAINER HEARS: My dog is trying my patience on purpose and doesn't listen just to spite me even though that's not the case because dogs aren't humans so they aren't spiteful and do things "on purpose".

💡 REALITY: Dogs that continually do things do so because it works and usually there is some kind of reward in it for them, even if just the satisfaction of chewing things or tearing something up ... or they had to potty so they did it on the floor because they just couldn't hold it ... or they were anxious when left alone and so they peed the floor from anxiety/stress (not uncommon at all).

Also, dogs that *appear* to have look of guilt are only doing this based on muscle memory --- the last time she entered the room and I was in this spot she was mad so I'll hang my head low in hopes she doesn't become confrontational --- or your body language, which dogs read far better than you can even realize. Remember dogs can smell a seizure so they can smell when your adrenaline is up and your mood is changing as well as your eyes, your face, everything.

🐕 BOTTOM LINE: Your dog isn't plotting against you. He just needs proper guidance and training on what to do.

These are just a few things that dog trainers hear often and have different "meanings" for dog owners than they do for trainers.

If you need help finding a proper trainer read my blog post on this topic and tips on how to do this here: https://bit.ly/whattypedogpro

Happy training!

––
Stacy Greer, CPDT-KA
Sunshine Dog Training & Behavior
sunshinedog.com

17/09/2022

Being a good dog owner includes knowing when *not* to get a dog.

Today I saw some absolutely beautiful puppies, little border terriers that are local, come from a great breeder and whose parents do agility classes with me. The offer was there to have one of them, and they were totally perfect. I said no.

Why? Because it wouldn’t be fair.

As a kid, I dreamt of having a house full of dogs. Dogs of all breeds. I thought that as soon as I had my own house, my own van, my own money and no longer had my parents telling me I couldn’t, that dream would be a reality.

I have all that now, and yet I still said no. I would love more than anything to have one of those gorgeous little puppies, but my three dogs deserve to be a priority. Willow, at eighteen months, is still a baby herself. Tulip, at five, is just starting to settle down and enjoy her life to the full. Bramble, at twelve, is still fit and active, but she doesn’t need another puppy to look after.

Dividing my time between these three is enough. A puppy is an enormous responsibility and it took a huge amount of planning and work to raise Willow. She did four puppy classes a week, swimming lessons fortnightly, she did visits to cafes, farms, shops, high streets… she was years in the making, and she’s not even fully baked yet.

And I have to be realistic. Three is manageable. They get on well, are easy dogs and life is smooth right now. What if the puppy was reactive like Tulip, and I had to separate them? What if I became ill and somebody else had to look after them? What if finances become an issue, could I afford another pup? What if I wanted a holiday, are there people I can trust who will take all four dogs? These things and more need to be considered before even thinking about getting a new pup.

It can be hard, this isn’t the first puppy I could’ve had, other students and friends have offered me equally beautiful, exciting pups. I know that young-me would be screaming at present-me for not taking all the puppies. But that’s growth.

Having unfortunately once known a family who bought puppies on an impulse and rehomed them once they weren’t cute and small anymore, over and over (a sickening amount of times), without once thinking of the consequences or impact it had on these dogs, I just couldn’t do that. Dogs mean more to me than that. These three deserve my full attention, and the adorable little puppies I saw today deserve their future owners’ full attention.

I could get another puppy now, but I’ve learnt that being a dog lover isn’t about having all the dogs, it’s about giving all your love to the dogs you own.