Happy Hounds Dog Training

05/04/2024

Great tips and reminders from Grisha Stewart (www.grishastewart.com)

26/03/2024

13/03/2024

https://www.facebook.com/seespotlearn/posts/809631541172873

26/02/2024

Please let them sniff!!

Shake it…shake it off…

A recent study by two researchers in France looked at sniffing, pulse rate, and leash length on walks. Sixty-one dogs were taken on three separate walks, five minutes each walk, once with a 1.5m leash, once with a 5m leash, and once without a leash at all (walk order was randomized for each dog). Off-leash dogs sniffed the most, more than 3x as long as the dogs on short leashes. Dogs on long leashes spent nearly as much time as unleashed dogs sniffing, almost 3x as long as dogs on short leashes.

This study also found that sniffing resulted in lowered pulse rates, and the more intensely they sniffed, the more their pulse rates lowered. Pulse rate was also lowered when dogs “shook off” during walks on all leash lengths. The “shake off” behavior was often seen when the dog’s pulse rate was particularly high.

Read more about it below!

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1HX77kp2HBDiTxmq/?mibextid=Le6z7H

https://www.tuftsyourdog.com/everydaydogcare/giving-your-dog-time-to-sniff-on-walks-will-literally-soothe-his-heart/

What else can we learn about dogs from their walking behavior? Take your best friend on a Sniffari and see what you observe!

25/02/2024

Had the pleasure of evaluating Watson for therapy dog certification today. He and his mom did such a wonderful job bringing joy to the residents at this nursing facility.🥰♥🐾

24/02/2024

Another awesome group of graduates - human and canine! Congratulations to all!

20/02/2024

Come join me at the Open House at the new BOND VET in Bayside. Lots of fun things to do and learn, and puppies to play with!!

19/02/2024

07/02/2024

04/02/2024

If only everyone understood that not all dogs want to or are comfortable saying hello or being approached.

30/01/2024

Dogs are always talking, listen with your eyes.

30/01/2024

R÷ training!

30/01/2024

My kind of day LOL 😆

26/01/2024

My boy Bill 😴

11/01/2024

This!

Sometimes when I take my dog out for a walk, I just want to get it done. Check the task off of the never-ending to do list.
Sometimes it is REALLY difficult to have the patience to let my dog sniff and explore the world at his leisure.
Some days I just want to walk.

Here's the thing.
My 20-minute leash walk is doing VERY little to "tire out" my dog at the end of the day. The value he is getting from these outings is in the mental stimulation he receives when he sniffs (and sniffs, and sniffs, and SNIFFS), and exploring the environment he is in.

If I don't let my dog sniff, I am denying him access to healthy, normal, and beneficial canine outlets.
If I pull him along whenever he stops to smell something, I am putting my needs above his own, and making the walk solely about myself.

I'm not saying the walk is ALL about your dog, and your needs don't matter - not at all. But there is a way to find a balance between my needs AND my dogs, so we can both get what we want and need out of our walks together.

Let your dog sniff.
Let them take this simple and effective time to exercise their minds, and be fulfilled by the world around them.
Let your dog be a dog, and embrace their normal canine instincts and desires.
Press pause and just stop to enjoy your dog's joy as they absorb the world around them.

Your dog is going to be much more satiated physically AND mentally if you allow them to rehearse normal canine behaviors during these outings.

Let them sniff. Trust me - it's worth it.

26/12/2023

Let's get 2024 off on the right PAW!🐾🙂