Kokopelli Dog Training

18/06/2023

You get out what you put into it....Dogs are not an accessory or come ready made.

25/04/2023

This....

17/04/2023

15/04/2023

I'll add another...call me when I am going in the opposite direction

31/03/2023

Very Important to know!

Learn first-aid techniques now – including the Heimlich Maneuver – so you can save a choking dog in an emergency.

17/03/2023

As dog guardians, we all want our loyal companions to be well-behaved and happy. But when our dogs exhibit undesirable behaviour, we may be tempted to resort to quick fixes like punishment collars or trainers who use forceful techniques. However, these methods come at a high cost to both the dog and...

14/03/2023

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/

25/02/2023

What do you do if an off-leash dog approaches you while you are walking a dog? Make a plan today, learn more.

05/02/2023

REACTIVITY REDEFINED
Although reactivity has other causes, many types of reactivity are triggered by the core emotion of fear.
The fear of whatever is making a dog feel unsafe, the fear of a valuable possession being taken away or the fear of a strange person or animal coming into their territory. Anxiety, stress, over excitement, over stimulation, feeling overwhelmed, trigger stacking, or a dog that is tired, in pain or even has chronic itching will often feel irritable and may be reactive in certain situations. When being reactive is successful in making the scary thing go away, it becomes a rewarding behaviour because it’s something that works and makes them feel better.
Reactive dogs are often misunderstood. A dog that is reacting is not trying to be difficult, they are having a difficult time coping with that particular situation and are trying their best to make the thing go away in the only way they know how.
It’s not easy to be the owner of a reactive dog. One of my dogs is reactive and I know how dogs like this can leave you feeling embarrassed, ashamed, angry or frustrated. Why do they have to be so difficult, why can’t they just behave normally? Everyone is looking at me, judging me, thinking that I’m a bad owner, have no training skills, can’t control my dog or have a unsocialised, vicious dog that shouldn’t be taken out in public.
As hard as it may be, we need to take the focus off how we as owners feel about their reactivity and focus on how our dogs are feeling and what is causing their reaction. Whatever it is, it’s not something our dogs can overcome on their own and we need to take steps to help them cope. Reactive dogs need compassion, understanding, management, force free, positive reinforcement interventions and decompression – a return to a normal, more relaxed state after a period of intense stress, psychological pressure, or urgent activity. These interventions take time and patience but are so important in helping our dogs feel safe and learn more acceptable ways of coping.
I have learnt through many mistakes, to recognise what triggers my reactive dog and take steps to either avoid those situations, provide enough distance, or provide her with an alternative choice where she feels safe and more in control. There will always be unexpected triggers around the next corner that are not within our control, but doing all we can to manage reactive triggers has so many benefits.

31/08/2022

15/06/2022

This is one of the reasons I love scent work so much.

LET ME BE “NOSEY”
Imagine going on a long-anticipated walk, through beautiful scenery, after you have been cooped up in the same place all day, but you have been fitted with a blind fold and are being dragged along at a quick pace. I imagine that this is how dogs feel when we don’t allow them time to stop and sniff the environment. Dogs largely perceive their world through scent and it’s how they collect and process information and make sense of the world. Taking away an opportunity for sniffing on a walk is not in their best interests and as much as physical exercise is important, the mental stimulation that sniffing provides is equally, if not more important.
Studies have shown that allowing dogs to spend time sniffing provides so many benefits – promoting calmness, lowering stress and anxiety levels, lowering pulse rates, preventing cognitive decline and providing mental stimulation and enrichment are just some examples.
Make time for a slow “sniffing walk”, where your dog is allowed to decide which direction to go and allowed to simply be “nosey” and follow wherever their nose leads them. It may take far more time and patience as we wait for them to finish smelling that blade of grass, but the benefits are well worth it.

30/04/2022

I've said this as both a trainer and a breeder. Not a good idea. Can work, but so much harder!

09/04/2022

STUDY FINDS HERBICIDES IN THE URINE OF PETS AFTER HOME LAWN CHEMICAL TREATMENT.

“Considerable interest has been generated by a recently published study by PCOP scientists and key collaborators at Purdue University and the University of North Carolina.

The purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which lawn chemicals are taken into the body of dogs and eliminated in the urine.

This study was in follow-up to an earlier study that showed a significant association between lawn chemical exposure and increased bladder cancer risk in dogs.

Some of the important findings and conclusions are summarized below:

• Lawn chemical exposure was widespread in dogs. At least 1 of the 3 chemicals measured in the study was present in the urine of dogs in the majority of the 25 households after lawn chemicals were applied to the grass.

• 'Untreated' grass also contained lawn chemicals, presumably from drift from nearby treated areas. At least 1 of the 3 chemicals was detected on the grass in 7 of 8 control households, as well as in many of the “treated” households BEFORE the chemicals were applied.

• Half of the dogs living in 'untreated' control households had lawn chemicals in their urine.

• The condition of the grass affected how long the chemicals persisted on the surface of the grass where they would be taken up by dogs. Chemicals persist longer on dry brown grass. Chemicals were detected on the grass at 48 hours after treatment in the household study." - Purdue University

WHAT’S EVEN WORSE:

“Once contaminated, dogs can pass the chemicals on to their owners and to others in the household. The study only looked at dogs, but the researchers suspect that cats and other pets could also be affected.

‘Dogs can pick up the chemicals on their paws and their fur,’ Deborah Knapp, lead author of Purdue University's Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, explains. ‘They can then track the chemicals inside the house, leaving chemicals on the floor or furniture. In addition, if the dog has chemicals on its fur, the pet owner could come in contact with the chemicals when they pet or hold the dog.’

John Reif, a professor emeritus of epidemiology at the Colorado School of Public Health, told Discovery News, ‘The paper presents important information since exposure to 2,-4-D, a widely used broad leaf herbicide, has been associated with increased risk of cancer in pet dogs and humans.’" – Discovery News

This means that we, the humans, are unknowingly exposing our pets to cancer and they, our pets, are unknowingly returning the favor as they bring the toxins back into our households.

The bottom line is pets can absorb lawn chemicals from exposure to their treated lawn, exposure to their untreated but contaminated lawn, and from other treated areas such as parks.

Researchers suggest that if owners still must use herbicides, they should follow manufacturer guidelines, allow gardens and lawns to dry before allowing pets out, wash their dog's feet each time the dog comes inside, and consider treating the back yard one week before the front (or vice versa) so that pets will have an area of less potential chemical exposure available to them.

For more info and lawn maintenance ideas, click here - http://ow.ly/4n2prU

Rodney Habib - Pet Nutrition Blogger

"An educated, informed and well-researched community of pet owners can only put more pressure on the pet food industry to be better! When pet owners know better, they will only do better!"

04/04/2022

I use titers all the time. Have not had to revaccinate a dog in years. CT does not allow titers for Rabies though.

04/04/2022

MasterPoo

Masterpoo….

20/03/2022

I have used muzzles for stopping grass and p**p eating as well as reintroduction of dog/dog aggression in the home.

23/02/2022

Ok, you all know how I feel about retractable leashes. This is hysterical and you have to watch to the end.

22/02/2022

Too funny, too true, but then we would never have known about the flying monkeys!

06/01/2022

So true.

27/11/2021

I try and tell this to people all the time...

AGREE!!! Especially true for Shelties.

10/11/2021

All dogs should be crate trained!

14/10/2021

I support responsible rescues and responsible breeders. There are good and bad in both, but stating breeders are why mixed breeds are in shelters is not true.

Every time that I mention breeders or dog breeding in the widest sense, I can rely on several comments stating “Better yet: Adopt, don’t shop” or “There are no responsible breeders!”
And you know what, I have had it with this.
I definitely invest a lot of time and energy and money into rescues. I have fostered dogs, I have driven dogs to meets & greets, I have taught seminars to foster families on my own time, for free. I am writing a lot of free articles for newsletters of rescues and we are actually donating online courses and training to rescue volunteers *every single week*.
So don’t come saying I am not in favor of rescuing dogs, it’s just not true.
But do you know what I am NOT in favor of? People claiming that there is no responsible way to breed. That good breeders are contributing to filling shelters. They are not!
My 4 dogs are all from breeders. And you know where they will not end up should anything happen to me? At the shelter. Because it’s actually in the contract I signed that their breeders will take them back at any point in their lives, if circumstances make it necessary.
“There are no responsible breeders”

You realize that many breeders plan pairings years in advance, after having studied pedigrees extensively, and after very expensive genetic and other health tests … to guarantee that the puppies they bring into the world will be as healthy and happy as they can be?
“There are no responsible breeders”
You realize that many of these puppies are spoken for before they are conceived? They won’t end up at a shelter because they have a home BEFORE THEY EVEN EXIST.
“There are no responsible breeders”
You realize that these breeders raise their puppies with ENS, expose them different sounds and surfaces, invite kids and adults to socialize them, buy ball pits and little tunnels and often start crate, potty and obedience training as well in the first 8 weeks?
“There are no responsible breeders”
You realize that many breeders keep in touch with their puppies’ families throughout their lives … because they are not puppy factories, but dog lovers that enjoy sharing their passion?
“There are no responsible breeders”
Last year, one of my dogs had a very painful bone infection a few days before Christmas and was suffering terribly. The soonest surgery appointment we could get was weeks out. I reached out to her breeder for help, who rallied and got us an appointment 48 hours later.
“There are no responsible breeders”
Another one of my dogs just got a BIRTHDAY PARCEL from his breeder. Read that again. Tell me one more time breeders don’t care.
I’m not going to push anyone to buy a dog from a breeder, and you won’t bully anyone to adopt, ok?
At the end of the day we all want the same: Wellbeing for dogs. We won’t make that happen by arguing with each other.

14/10/2021

Leash reactivity is a fairly common issue, check out this online course to help you with your leash reactive dog!

09/09/2021

And they leach into our water supply as well! Stop putting chemicals on your lawn!

STUDY REVEALS THE LINK BETWEEN OUR LAWNS, OUR PETS🐾, CANCER🔥 AND US

Beware pet parents: Treating your lawn with yard chemicals☠️, allowing your pet to eat or play on grass that’s been sprayed💦, or walking your pet on golf courses⛳️ can negatively affect our dog’s health, according to several studies. In fact, it can impact your entire family, as pets can bring those chemicals back inside!

In our new book, The Forever Dog, it was critical for us to highlight things in and around your home that could damage your pet’s DNA. According to Dr. David Sinclair, Professor of Genetics, and co-Director of the Paul F. Glenn Center for Biology of Aging Research at Harvard Medical School- “DNA damage speeds up aging.”

Several studies show: dogs exposed (through laying, playing, ingesting or inhalation) to treated lawns has been associated with a significantly higher bladder cancer risk, and dogs whose owners reported use of professionally applied lawn pesticides were 70 PERCENT more likely to have lymphoma (cancer). In fact, there was an even higher risk of lymphoma if owners used self-applied insect growth regulators on their yards to control cockroaches, fleas, and other pests!🐜

Our book focuses on how to raise the healthiest, happiest, long-lived dogs, and in it we teach you how to evaluate your dog’s indoor and outdoor environmental chemical exposure⚠️. In the section of the book titled Environmental Impact: The Body Burden, where we offer you tips like:

• Safer lawn-care options
• DIY non-toxic w**d killer recipes
• Home Chemical Exposure Pet checklist
• Forever Dog Foot Soak Recipe
• Supplements that support chemical clearance

We know many of you Longevity Junkies have already pre-ordered your copy of the book (thank you!!😻) but are desperate for solutions and suggestions right NOW! We put together a handy guide with gems from the book you can institute this week.

This free resource is crucial this summer if you have pets spending time outdoors because even if you don’t buy lawn chemicals, it doesn’t mean your dog isn’t being exposed. Home foot soaks after walks in parks and public spaces can go a long way in reducing your dog’s chemical exposure.

The Forever Dog is available now for pre-order all over the globe! www.ForeverDog.com/about

If you’ve already pre-ordered, get your free DIY recipes & resources gift here: https://www.foreverdogextras.com/rethinklawncare

26/08/2021

This is such great news!

Rory Diamond, CEO of K9s for Warriors, says for the first time in American history, the VA can pay for service dogs for veterans with PTSD.