Human and Hound

12/02/2022

Hello! 👋

Dog training/people coaching has been my second job, which I have squeezed around my first. While my goal is to work around people and animals long-term, right now I need to be flexible with what life throws at me and have had to put a pause on in home consults. As it is something I love so dearly, I only want to provide services if I can give my clients what they deserve.

Thanks for all the positive feedback and kind referrals to my service over the last couple of years, my clients are such wonderful people!

*for those who have messaged me I promise to respond over the next couple of days!

06/01/2022

04/01/2022

A great explanation of how to introduce some enrichment toys.
Like like a human learning a new game, it needs to be done at a pace so they understand how to play and don't feel frustrated or give up on the game.

01/12/2021

What is the most important part in this video? Turn taking.

Easily overlooked it can be very challenging to work with one dog if the other feels left out. Teaching dogs to enjoy taking their turn makes training much easier and much less stressful for both dogs. They both get rewarded frequently for waiting, as that can be just as, if not more difficult for them than engaging in training. Aussies just want to go, go, go!

This was back in 2018 while I was house sitting Kari's old friend Jesse and the little guy Kippie.

01/12/2021

I really enjoy working with families and children, and dog bite prevention is something I love educating people about.
This is just one of the many little courses that I've completed this year. I so appreciate education providers like DogNostics for providing accessible and affordable content.

22/11/2021

Want to foster a better relationship with your cat? Check out Zazie's post on how to pet them.

A great place to start is...
'..having more realistic expectations around the interactions which cats appreciate; frequent but short, will avoid unnecessary stress, fear and worry and will help strengthen the bond between cat and owner'

Another study in 2021 found that teaching guardians to follow some simple 'CAT' guidelines that involved offering choice and responding to body language made cats much less likely to show discomfort or aggressive behaviours, and made some cats exhibit more friendly behaviors.

C - Control - giving the cat choice in the interaction
A - Attention - pay attention to the cats body language and behaviour
T - Touch - think about where you are touching the cat and how they respond

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2021.714143/full

Give pets a choice, observe their body language and know where they prefer to be stroked.

08/11/2021

Choosing a dog?

Sometimes humans choose dog breeds for fairly superficial reasons. You’re an active sort so you get a Border Collie or a Kelpie, you are a badass so you get a German Shepherd or a Doberman, your friend has a really sweet tempered Great Pyrenees, so you go and get one, you had a perfect Jack Russel as a child so you get another one as an adult, you think pugs are cute, so you go and get one.

A mismatched environment for a dog, along with unfair expectations from guardians can result in very unhealthy relationships. Make sure you research what kind of breed specific traits and needs you might need to cater for and that those match your expectations. You can’t fit a square dog into a circle lifestyle.

How long ago their active working history is and what traits the breeder looks for in their breeding dogs matters too. Working line GDS, Labradors, Kelpies etc. generally have a much higher predisposition to have their breed specific traits than show lines.

Is a puppy the best choice? Even if you do all your homework and find a breeder and pup that suits you, puppies aren’t guaranteed to grow up into the adult dog you desire. Of course, good socialisation and training will help, but you might not have the time to dedicate to that. Having a flexible attitude and the ability to adapt your lifestyle to meet the dog's needs will also go a long way.

A suitable option for some can be an older adoptee. A mutt will have watered down genetics and a dog over the age of 3 should have reached social maturity, giving you a clear idea if this individual and yourself are a good match.

30/10/2021

If you've got a moment this Sunday morning, sit down with a cuppa and watch this fantastic video on how behaviour works.
Emily (Kikopup) and Susan (BehaviorWorks) in the same video is such a treat!

Today I'm honored and excited to have special guest Dr. Susan Friedman give a short explanation about how behavior works or in other words, why animals do wh...

28/10/2021

Our latest group of graduates 🥰

I don't think some humans realize they can take their not fully vaccinated puppies to a class. The first one is all you need to get into a puppy class; you don't need wait until they are fully vaccinated to go searching. If you know when you are going to get your puppy you can book in advance, the first class is a dog-free education night too, so no puppies needed!
The sensitive period (up to 12-16weeks of age) is so important to your dog's development and we want to be able to offer information and support as soon as we can!

Congratulations to the Class of Oct '21!! 🎓
These pups attended classes at our Aldinga and Willunga clinics. We are booked out now until the New Year! Please call and put your name down for the Jan classes if you are planning on getting a new addition to the family 🐶 Puppies need to be 8-14 weeks at the 1st class and have at least 1 vaccination!

27/10/2021

Two of the most important concepts you can teach a young puppy is calmness and confidence. One skill we try to pass on to our puppies and their guardians is teaching them how to settle. Usually by the last couple of classes most puppies are settling quickly, some still need some further help, but that's individuality for you.
Cute pups quietly listening to a health topic at Willunga puppy school.

13/10/2021

Searching through my videos and this one gave a good giggle. Little Nessie here is having a frenetic random activity period (FRAPS), lovingly known as the 'zoomies' triggered by the damp grass underfoot 🐕💨

❓ Is it okay for dogs (and cats!) to have the zoomies?
Yes, it's completely normal and as long as the environment is safe and they aren't going to hurt themselves there is no issue with it.

❓ Why do they do it?
There is little study on why they do it, but they often occur when they get suddenly aroused or excited, or after an event like pooping, having a bath, a grooming session or coming out of confinement.

When does your dog, or cat do the zoomies?

*sorry for the blur, still on the search for someone who knows how to use a camera 🙃

10/10/2021

Sounds simple, doesn’t it?

Often guardians don’t communicate clearly with their dogs when they do something well, leaving the dog uncertain that it did something worth doing again and no motivation to repeat the behaviour.

Reinforced behaviour repeats.
Puppies and dogs often learn to repeat unwanted behaviours (‘naughty things’ like chewing the table, stealing socks or barking) because it leads to reinforcement. You talk to them, you chase them around and you give them motivation to repeat the behaviour.
The puppy then might make a great choice like laying quietly somewhere, chewing on an appropriate toy or calmly watch a person pass the house and it gets ignored, leaving the dog with no motivation to repeat the behaviour.
Engaging in ‘naughty behaviours’ leads to higher reinforcement for the dog, so these behaviours will be picked more frequently.

Often leading to:
Dog=Confused
Guardian=Frustrated

Of course we can better manage the environment and train alternate behaviours but a simple beginning is making good choices more valuable and reinforcing than unwanted behaviours.

‘Nothing behaviours’ so often get missed, but they are the exact moments we should be looking out for to reward; not engaging in an unwanted behaviour is good behaviour. These behaviours might be:
• Relaxing
• Going on their bed
• Walking on a loose lead
• Calmly looking at something the dog might usually bark at
• Calmly watching the cat walk past
• Keeps all 4 paws on the floor when in the kitchen
• Keeps all 4 paws on the floor when greeting you or a visitor

Finding moments to reinforce, and many (50x!) of them each day, will communicate to your dog they did something you like and to continue to choose those behaviours (over the 'naughty' ones!). Provide positive feedback (reinforcement) when they make good choices, otherwise they have no idea!

02/10/2021

I haven't been able to make any general videos for my channel lately as I have been focusing on clients and making content for a puppy school manual. Here is one for the manual though on teaching a dog or puppy to be calm when using a mop or broom through counter-conditioning and desensitization. Can also be used for a pup that already has a negative or over-reaction to the broom/mop.

Key points:
🐕 Dog needs to be kept calm – any unwanted reactions mean you have progressed too far too soon! Decrease the level of the stimulus by moving it slower or from further away
🐕 Pair good/calm responses with food so the dog knows they did the right thing
🐕 Gradually increase the stimulus and only when the dog is comfortable and calm

If you are introducing something that also makes noise like the vacuum it would look something like:
• Sound from another room – no movement
• Sound in the same room – no movement
• Slow movements – no sound
• Gradually increasing until normal movement – no sound
• Sound and slow movement
• Sound and gradually increasing to normal movement
• Randomizing how long between each mark and reward, gradually working on longer duration of using the item

Archie the 5 month old the Border Terrier puppy usually chases and bites the mop. Here you can see how desensitization and counter-conditioning help to teach...

08/09/2021

Tina in a 'flop', Kari using 'chin' with a foundation of trust in one another. They do not choose to cuddle in their own time, preferring their own space. They always have a choice to engage in training, both clearly have a 'no, I don't feel comfortable doing that' which I always respect (Kari will turn his head away and Tina will just walk away). Love these two and all they teach me!

04/09/2021

Great advice about socializing your puppy!

RESILIENCE IN PUPPIES
So, this little fella (Zebedee) joined my household eight weeks ago. A lot has changed for him in those eight weeks – left mum, siblings, home, bonding with new mum and new siblings (some of whom like him and some of whom rolled their eyes and sulked for a bit), new food, routine, climate, and so the list goes on!

My approach to puppy rearing is very different to what it used to be. Gone are the tick lists of things he has to be exposed to, gone are the introductions to strange people or strange dogs (in fact to anyone outside of the house unless a very good friend of mine and only then for brief periods). The focus has been on me learning what makes him tick, how he responds to different stimuli and on ensuring that he learns that I’m his safe space (like a ‘magic mum shield’ that protects him against anything that might challenge him beyond his current resilience capability - ability to recover after an inadvertant stressor).

One of the most fun things to learn about him is how he processes exciting, anxiety generating or busy environments. We’ve created a conversation between us where he’s able to very subtly say ‘give me a minute’, at which point I find a safe space for him to observe the environment from for as long as it takes (some of our walks are him just watching stuff). He then either comes to me for a cuddle which means ‘can we go do something else please?’, or he starts sniffing and pulling forward if he’s happy to go a bit closer.

What’s been really interesting is that if I walked on he would follow and trot along regardless, so if I hadn’t taken the first few weeks to get to know his subtle whispers I could have very easily inadvertently over-faced him and increased the chances of a ‘surprise’ negative event and the development of unhealthy coping mechanisms because he'd got himself into a situation that he wasn't yet equipped to deal with. As it is now, because he has some say in whether he’s ready or not when things do happen eg a bus going past for the first time, he’s been able to take it in his stride. And it’s a cute little stride !

People often ask me how we can encourage the development of resilience mechanisms, well this is a good example of just that. It’s not a question of protecting Zeb from all things scary – life is unpredictable at the end of the day – it’s about building the foundations of our relationship on me being his safe space, the one who has studied his communication and will listen when it matters. Resilience isn’t constant throughout the life of a dog and whilst there are many things that can reduce it either temporarily or long term, there are also many things that we can do to support it’s development and maintenance throughout our dogs lives.

26/08/2021

Happy International Dog Day!
I hope you find a quiet moment to play, cuddle, go on a slow sniffy walk or indulge your fur friend in whatever they love to do.
Please share below anything you've done with your pooch today

24/08/2021

An opportunity came up to share two puppies cuddling and I couldn't help myself!

Lexi and Lenny are littermates. ‘Littermate syndrome’ has been sensationalized to a degree and whether of not it’s even a real thing is debatable.

Getting two puppies at the same time can go wrong – if we don’t allow them to have time apart and develop their own personalities, independence and confidence one puppy can become co-dependent on the other and not know how to cope with the world when on their own.
Socializing, training and having separate zones to relax in can help build their independence from their sibling.

Many of the rules that apply to introducing a puppy to a new dog work for siblings:
- Mediating play and teaching calm behaviours around each other
- Teaching them that time alone, or spent with the other animal = good things for them – no one should feel left out
- Making sure no one feels like they need to compete for resources (food/ toys/ people). Feeding separately, having ample choices and positively interrupting when one animal might be making the other uncomfortable should keep everyone feeling secure
- The key to a good relationship is feeling safe and like the environment has some predictability in it

It is certainly 2x the work, but for those who are willing to making sure both puppies get the attention they need, and time spent socialising them separately it can work for those keen to have two at once.

They talk about it a little in this episode of ‘The Bitey End of the Dog’ (which I have really enjoyed listening to- thank-you Michael Shikashio!) https://podtail.com/en/podcast/the-bitey-end-of-the-dog/dr-amber-batson/

Have a great Wednesday!

18/08/2021

* I have enough puppy helpers now - thank-you!
Looking for puppy owner(s)!
Someone close to home (Mount Barker/Maccy area would be ideal) who would be happy to lend me their puppy so I can visit regularly to video the puppy doing some training and socialization. Wanting to make content for other puppy owners and my old boy doesn't quite replicate a jumpy, mouthy puppy.
Please message me if you might be interested.

18/08/2021

Just some of the many reasons to avoid these devices. I still see many of these in use, although happy to see that comfortable harnesses are growing in popularity, which are the best choice for most dogs.

By Niki Tudge, Susan Nilson, Debra Millikan and Louise Stapleton-Frappell* In addition to the potential psychological effects of using training devices that cause pain or evoke fear, there is also …

23/07/2021

Quickly whipped this up for puppy owners during our current lockdown. It's not particularly comprehensive but hopefully can provide a guide to get you through until restrictions ease.

Most of all have fun!


*Do remember with both young and adult dogs to keep their routines as similar as you can to normal life. Dogs and cats can find it stressful to have people suddenly home all of the time, make sure they have their space and alone time.
Some can also find when their loved ones return to work a very stressful period, so again, make sure you don't start routines that aren't going to be realistic when you return to work.

Just because you CAN spend all of your time with your new puppy doesn't mean you SHOULD, even if it is for a short period do start teaching your puppy to enjoy spend time alone. Perhaps you give them a fun toy, chew or puzzle toy while you spend time in a different room, or go and sit in your car with a book.

13/07/2021

Does you dog like to de-stuff or dissect their toys? This might be a good option for you!
If your dog is a fan of 'stufficide' this is an option that lets them pull apart an item that is designed to do, meaning we can reuse it many times over.

Once your dog has the general idea of how to engage with the toy you can play around with:
- Treats used. You might find your dog enjoys pulling the toy apart more than eating the food, in that case you can remove food. You could also place large pieces of dehydrated meats or vegetables in there as an added bonus.
- Start with about a dozen strips of fabric, but you can certainly add as many strips as you can fit in it.
- Make it the prize of a searching game. Teach pup to find it hiding in a location in the home, yard or a pile of toys
- As the dog gets familiar with getting out each strip you can stop leaving any of the fabric 'tags' out. It takes a delicate approach to pull out each one but is something my own dog enjoys the challenge of

Of course this is an activity best done under supervision and should not be given to a dog that is likely to ingest foreign material.
Helping your dog to play with this correctly from the beginning should greatly reduce the risk of them chewing the wrong parts of the toy.
The priority for enrichment is for it to be beneficial for the dog (otherwise it's not enrichment). If they look like they are struggling help them out and make it easier/clearer to them how to play. Even just treating the dog every time they mouth the fabric can be good start for a dog very new to these sorts of games. It's not about the challenge or how hard you can make it, it's about the dog having a good time.

06/07/2021

I've recently starting working with WAVS to help run their puppy classes. Their team is a joy to work for and the puppies and their guardians have been such fun! Just look at those sweet faces from our most recent graduates!

Congrats to the Class of July '21!

We run puppy schools at both of our clinics - do you have a new puppy? Enrol today by calling the team 🐶🎓

Human and Hound

05/06/2021

Stop door dashing dogs (or cats!)

This video goes through how to teach your pet to default to a wait when you open the door, and only pass through when asked to. We will be using approximatio...

30/05/2021

‘Fluffy just loves to please me’
Some dogs do appear to come across as ‘eager to please’, however do they do they really do anything solely for our sake? It’s unlikely.

Dogs are sentient being that do what works for them, and it’s more likely these dogs cooperate for their own reasons such as:
1. Genetics. Some dogs are much more genetically predisposed to be ‘sidekicks’, watch your movements and look towards their people for direction. They find working rewarding; they love a good task and challenge. This is what they have been selectively bred for and enjoy the prospect of working as a team. Some breeds are the opposite and were selectively bred for their ability to work out problems on their own and often find working with their people less innately motivating.
2. Teamwork makes the dream work. You’ve done an excellent job building a relationship with your dog. Through being a consistent source of reinforcers: play, food, affection, attention or whatever it is that motivates your individual dog you have a very high value in your dog’s mind, and they enjoy working with you.
3. Staying in the good books. Some dogs are particularly sensitive to their guardian’s moods and will do anything to avoid feeling intimidated. They do not behave how they do to ‘please you’ but instead to avoid a negative consequence.
4. Very few dogs will work for praise or petting successfully, for the few who do find this motivating enough to learn behaviours it can appear like they are working for the love of their owner, where really they happen to find petting rewarding. This is also often used in conjunction with point 3.

In believing our dogs work for our approval, means we miss what is really motivating our dogs and how we can use that to our advantage or perhaps miss that we might be (unintentionally or not) punishing at times to our dogs which does not foster a strong, healthy relationship.

A better phrase might be ‘Fluffy loves to work’

Behind each behaviour is a motivator. No dog is going to learn cues like sit, come or to give attention purely for you, they repeat behaviours because they like the outcome, or to avoid a punisher.

You want to recognise point 2 in understanding your dog’s genetic predispositions for taking guidance from people. Understand that your dogs breed might have strengths for dependence and cooperation with people or their strength might be a strong sense of self-preservation and the ability to work independently.

Point 2 is the main goal, find out what is rewarding for YOUR dog. Is it some kind of food (liver, chicken, jerky, cream cheese, etc.), some kind of play (squeaky toy, flirt pole, tug-of-war, etc.), tactile (butt scratch, ear rub, massage, etc.) or the opportunity to search, sniff, explore, rip, tear, chase or other environmental reinforcers.

23/05/2021

Having a dog that has started or regularly reacts to a trigger in their environment can be stressful and knowing what to do about it can feel overwhelming.

The good news is there are many skills and exercises that can help a dog learn new strategies for dealing with stimuli that stress or excite them so they can learn to cope and make good decisions.
The first important concept to understand is not letting the dog practice the unwanted behaviour. These behaviours are self-reinforcing (I bark at the car=it goes away) so if you continue to expose your dog to them thinking they will get over it, that’s not going to happen.

Any training you try with have a very ‘watered down’ effect if you put them into situations they don’t have the skillset to deal with. They need to know that you ‘have their back’ and will keep them out of harms way. Only through consistency will your dog learn that you have control of the situation and they don’t need to take matters into their own paws.

Find a distance from the trigger your dog can see, hear or notice it without feeling the need to react. We want the dog to be able to look and process what it is looking while feeling safe. Cues like ‘leave it’, ‘watch me’ or an ‘emergency u turn’ are useful when you are surprised by an unexpected trigger, however they will not help change how the dog feels about the trigger.

One way is by rewarding the dog for calmly noticing the trigger. You can find some further instructions here on how to go about it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNrn-Hp24LI

Do not ask your dog to sit or lie down. This limits their choice and can make them feel more restricted or insecure and we want them to be as comfortable as possible. This also means comfortable equipment and a loose lead, any tension on the lead will make the dog more stressed.

Smile, laugh and act happy when your dog’s triggers come into view, often they make guardians tense to, and this transfers to the dog. Your dog needs you to be calm and confident.
Plan your trips, come prepared, keep your dog feeling safe and be consistent.

These are just some things you can act on to help your reactive dog today, there is much more you can learn!

Depending on why and what your dog is reacting to can change exactly how we go about changing emotional responses, this is a very general guideline.