Fighting for Fido

20/09/2023

There is a lingering misconception that using force free and fear free methods consists of just ignoring any 'bad' behaviour and giving a dog food. The reality is that force free training is so much more than that.

It requires an understanding of the history of dogs, why they do the things that they do and how to change their behaviour. Of how to manage the dog's environment so they don't get to practice the behaviour we don't want to see while reinforcing the behaviours we do want - dogs do what works for them so reinforcing alternative behaviours makes the original behaviour much less likely to repeat.

Most of all it means having an understanding of the dog in front of us, their needs, likes and dislikes, so that we can help them with their fears or show them the behaviours their humans would like without danger of fear and pain, or of the dog becoming frustrated or scared.

10/01/2023

I think everyone by now knows reactivity is a passion of mine.....some trainers fear reactivity work as it is not your "typical" training.....and they are right.

It is emotions.

One thing that I do see over and over is people choose the distance to start this work rather than let their dog choose....and it is usually far closer than their dog can handle. They may not be barking but the hackles, hard stare, tensing still shows they are too close.

Some people insist on a sit or a down in the face of a trigger.... but many dogs become instantly stressed by being in a position they cannot remove themselves from quickly.

Choice means everything to a reactive dog.

Can I please ask that if you see my charts elsewhere and my logo has been removed and replaced with theirs to please let me know. Also please feel free to share these graphs but often the post itself is an important part of the whole picture. They do need to go together.

Thanks everyone.
All the best on your own reactive journey.

28/11/2022

Barking can be for many reasons, including pain. Remember, it's their way of communicating with us 🐾❤️🐾

08/10/2022

03/09/2022

🐹💙🐰
Either you choose a guinea pig or a rabbit, make sure that you are prepared to care for them for that long.😊

Responsible pet ownership should be learned about before acquiring a new furry family member! 🥰

🍉Read more about guinea pigs and rabbits by clicking the link!
https://guineadad.com/blogs/news/rabbit-vs-guinea-pig-which-pet-should-i-get-with-infographic

15/08/2022

Punishing dogs for displaying normal behaviour is the mark of unqualified abusers.

16/07/2022

09/07/2022

04/07/2022

It took time to help Buddy learn how to live in a humans world. (And like all of us, he is still learning)
Being passed around from home to home he struggled with confidence, trust and had had no guidance on basic manners.
But now he WANTS to settle in his own space (he loves his man cave pillow bed)
He stays in the same county as me when off lead 😜
He comes to me when called because fun time begins
He walks next to me because it's a safe place that also pays out big time.
He knows that leaving something usually means something even better is coming.
Yes, these things have taken time but his welfare was/is more important than my ego.
There is no quick fix if you want to train a dog.

Any idiot can shut a dog down using aversives, and the dog may "look" calm, but the underlying emotion is still there, the dog is just to afraid to show it.
Any idiot can choke a dog it stop it pulling on a lead..... but that is not training
Any idiot can shock a dog to stop it in its tracks, or shut it up .... but that is not training
Any idiot can threaten a dog to stay in one place.... but that is not training.

And yes if you are using pain, fear or intimidation you are an idiot,
There is never a need to use these things on a dog.

02/07/2022

ROGERS, ARKANSAS This beautiful 7 month old, 40lb "lap dog" is "Frosty Possum"! 🥰 A double Merle, she was found as a stray, most likely abandoned for being special needs. Being deaf and partially sighted is a common genetic fluke in Merle dog breeding. However, these dogs still make amazing family pets once in the right home! The ideal home for Frosty would be one with people familiar with deaf and vision impaired dogs, and no children under age 10. A dog like Frosty is completely trainable and can live a comfortable life. If you are interested in adopting, fostering, or can help this pup in any way, please contact us here or message Angela Lea Head.
Thank you! 😊

02/07/2022

If a fear reactive dog is in the height of a reaction your dog is beyond learning anything. It is in its flight, fright or fight state and correcting this does absolutely nothing to teach your dog how to not be reactive.

When a dog is reacting it means that the dog has lost control of logic and his brain is flooded with stress hormones. This makes reasoned thought or learning impossible.

Your dog cannot learn in a reactive state.

Counterconditioning and desensitisation, while keeping your dog under threshold is a proven, effective way to lessen reactivity.
The best thing to do if your dog goes over its threshold and reacts is to walk away in the opposite direction.....keep going until your dog stops and do a U turn to reengage at a better distance.

If you do not reengage your dog will begin to think its reaction worked (it created distance between it and the fear)....and you can have a cyclical reaction.

Always work under your own dogs threshold .

Celebrate the wins and remind yourself this is a process.