Rose's Puppy School

24/08/2024

Having trained my own dogs (including German Shepherds - for those who think big dog = need to use force) and helped many people to train their dogs, I can say that this is 💯 correct. Sharing to help 'the public' be more informed and know that they don't need to make their dog uncomfortable in any way to train it. And if your dog has behavioural issues, there are qualified animal behaviourists to help. We know better so we try to do better.

Science shows that aversive methods have risks for dogs’ welfare, so we have to keep explaining that the best approach to dog training is one that uses rewards.

17/08/2024

I'm looking forward to meeting these cuties on Tueaday when they come for their first puppy class. We're going to have a fun and productive few weeks together with their people, developing their understanding of the world and how to navigate their way in different situations. At the same time, their handlers will learn more about understanding their pup, which will help to strengthen their bond.

27/06/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/inDWygbgv4yFpkNw/?mibextid=oFDknk

Helping your dog overcome separation anxiety Does your dog hate goodbyes? Our guide will provide advice to help your dog feel comforted, even when you're

30/05/2024

Two feet up is a shaping game we use for several reasons: Humans learn how they can work without luring to help their dogs learn, they also learn to be quieter and let the dog work it out (so hard for some!). The dog is learning to try different things to figure out what is going to get her the reinforcer and, therefore, new neural pathways and improved problem-solving skills and optimism are developed. We start by marking and rewarding any approach to the object and gradually increase the criteria until the goal is reached. 2 feet up and other object interactions are the basis for body conditioning. Wins all round, smiles and happy tails! #

22/05/2024

Ready for big school! 4 pups and their humans just completed the 6-week puppy school course. Well done, you're learnt a lot and had some fun!

08/05/2024

Language of a Yawn

Yawning is one of the many signals that dogs use to calm themselves or others down when they’re feeling stressed or uncomfortable.

Neuroscience shows that yawning is also triggered during moments of transition from one behavioural or emotional state to another - waking up, falling asleep, moving from being relaxed to alert or from an anxious to a calm emotional state.

Although we may be unaware of it, we also use types of calming signals. Think about the kind of body language we might show when we’re in a situation that doesn’t allow us enough personal space, like getting into an elevator with a group of strangers.

We may instinctively not face anyone directly, look down at the floor, watch the indicator buttons, focus on our phone and avoid any eye contact - these are all “calming signals” that people use to prevent any potential conflict.

If you notice more yawning than usual, or yawning in a specific situation, look into what may be causing this.

A yawn caused by stress is usually longer, more intense, with the tongue curled up at the end.

Sometimes there is so much more to a yawn than we may think.

04/05/2024

Amen to this!

01/05/2024

Awww they want to meet, look at their wagging tails ⚠️
A wagging tail is never a good indicator of your dogs emotional state.
It can simply mean their emotional state has changed, apart from happiness and joy, that can also include changing into a fearful, anxious, angry, confused state. Tail wags are not a good indicator when deciding your dogs (or another dogs) emotions.
I know this is controversial for some to hear but very few dogs are truly dog social....many are highly selective.
They may only like their own breed.
They may only like female dogs....small brown dogs...or curly coated dogs.
They may have their own unique preference.
They have (and are ALLOWED) their own social preference....just as we have our own social preferences.

Or they may just dislike any other dog outside their/your family and friends.

Encouraging dogs to meet a dog walking down the street (even with the best of intentions) can cause some serious issues. If your dog pulls you down the road at the mere glimpse of another dog, your dog is likely in a highly aroused emotional state. Allowing them to meet others in that state is habit forming and rewarding....so they WILL repeat it.
Other dogs can respond badly to over aroused dogs.

Why not just let two dogs meet ?
There can be lifelong consequences to "just letting them meet"
Reactivity and/or aggression.
Anxiety and stress
Injury.
A lessening of the strong bond they may have with you as they can no longer trust your judgement.
Why not take a bit of time and lessen the chance of these serious (and sometimes life altering) issues occur in the first place.

So.... meeting any strange or unknown dogs on a walk, JUST because there is another dog there is something I highly discourage.

However....
There are some circumstances where you may have to introduce dogs. So these are a few tips which have been written about before (separately) in graphics but I have squeezed them together for a clearer reference.

One of the biggest mistakes people make is only concentrating on their own dogs emotional state and not watching the rising stress in the other dog involved....
These cause those "Out of the blue" reactions....

They weren't out of the blue, they were just missed.

🔵Micro meetings are essential.
🔵Parallel walks are a must.
🔵Avoid face to face.
🔵Keep your voices light and happy.
🔵DON'T make a dog sit or lie down.
🔵Tension creates more tension so keep those leads loose.
🔵NEUTRAL territory....not your yard, your house or even your immediate area around your house....go somewhere else.

Biggest tip though (as mentioned) watch the body language of both dogs.....IGNORE the tail wags and watch the whole body and all the little tell tale signs given.

If it doesn't feel right...it likely isn't.
Trust your own intuition.

ALWAYS advocate for your own dog no matter how "friendly" you are told the other dog is.

Please respect that these graphics take time and effort to make. Everyone is free to share on social media🙂, however off social media use of these marked graphics is prohibited.
Unmarked graphics are available for $ 1.20 USD or $ 2 NZD each (approx), these are then able to be used off Facebook for client handouts, posters or for personal use.
Screen shots are a violation of the copyright.
Please visit ABC Dogs Patreon Shop for unmarked graphics. All graphics belong to ABC Dogs NZ and are under copyright.

24/04/2024

Many trainers used ro be #2 type trainers (me too, although i never used an e collar and a prong only once) until we learned better and now do better and teach better.

24/04/2024

26 years ago (more or less), I started Rose's Puppy School with some trepidation and not much training. Catherine and her daughter Caroline were in my first class. Caroline is a dog trainer and behaviourist herself, and she's brought several pups to my classes over the years. Now she and Catherine are back with little Tickey! How awesome is that?!

01/04/2024

A small donation to vote for Baggins will increase his chances to win StarPet of the month, and thereby support an animal charity of my choice. No pressure, but if you want to vote for our favourite Uncle Baggins, please follow the link. Of course, it would also be nice for me to win a voucher for Absolute Pets and a cash prize.

Baggins is in the running for a share of 22,500 in prizes, plus for every vote we gain, 50% of the profit goes to charity! Please support us by voting here... | Baggins is everyone's favourite, a kind, well-balanced boy. He's Uncle Baggins in the puppy classes I run, teaching pups social skills and....

07/03/2024

𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐟𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝. 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐲:

𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐨𝐲𝐬: 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭-𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐲𝐬, 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐬 𝐊𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐮𝐳𝐳𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐠'𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐟𝐮𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞.

𝐒𝐧𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐥𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐬: 𝐇𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐠'𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐧𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐭, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐧𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐟𝐮𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲.

𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚 𝐛𝐨𝐰𝐥, 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐲𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐳𝐞𝐧 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬: 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐳𝐞 𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐱𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐠'𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐲. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚 𝐟𝐮𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞.

05/03/2024

Ethology,Neuroscience,Applied Animal Behaviour,Sentient,Sentient beings,Emotions,Animal Welfare,Dog,Cat,Training,Dog behaviour,Cat behaviour,Animal behaviour,Animal rights,Enrichment,Agility,Dog agility,Cat toys,Dog toys,Animals,Behaviour courses,Behaviour problems,Naughty dog,Naughty cat

28/02/2024

Simple pleasures! Egg cartons and toilet roll holders are quick, safe puzzles to keep a busy pup sniffing, chewing and thinking. And slows down their gobbling up the food. Fold up one end of the toilet roll holder, fill with pellets, fold the open end, and watch your dog have fun! Pop pellets into the egg carton, close the lid for more puzzling! # easydogtoys

02/02/2024

A useful guide to figuout what your dog is trying to tell you. From Lili Chin of www.doggiedrawings.net.

21/01/2024

20/01/2024

VACCINATE YOUR PETS! 💉

Protecting your pet is any pet owner's (and also ours!😉) top priority. Give them the gift of good health and protection against potentially deadly diseases by vaccinating them. 🐶🐱

Our vets are here to guide you through the process and ensure your pets are up-to-date on all necessary vaccines. Don't wait until it's too late - schedule an appointment with us today! 🩺🐶🐱

16/01/2024

4 of the 6 pups in our first class of 2024! Here's to a good year of learning and fun!

09/01/2024

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=770578768446020&id=100064817121250&mibextid=Nif5oz

09/01/2024

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=761111349382993&id=100064524049312&mibextid=Nif5oz

Understanding and addressing the intricacies of dog behaviour is critical to ensuring our canine companions' well-being. COAPE International is a 30-year-old established educational institute and offers a comprehensive and detailed program - the Diploma in Dog Behaviour - to provide in-depth insights into the world of dogs for anyone wishing to obtain a serious qualification in behaviour.​

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This course is a comprehensive educational journey that delves deep into various facets of dog behaviour, animal emotionality, psychology, and training. Developed by a team of renowned animal behaviourists and experts, the program is designed to equip learners with a holistic understanding of dog behaviour, its complexities, and practical techniques for behaviour modification, including the expert behaviour assessment tool - MHERA.​

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From setting up private consultations to working in rescue organizations or animal shelters, the diploma opens doors to a wide range of rewarding careers within the realm of dog behaviour and training and will see you graduate as a COAPE Certified Animal Behaviourist.​

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We are proud that our membership organisation, CABTi, is part of the UK Dog charter and is working with the UK government toward self-regulation in the animal behaviour sector. ​

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For more information on our Diploma in Dog Behaviour, contact us [email protected]

04/01/2024

🖐️ 🛑 🐶 YOU DON’T HAVE TO TOUCH THE PUPPY!

For two weeks after Mohawk arrived, I barely got to stroke him! I could tell that if I tried, he would likely mouth and bite me, and I didn’t want him to rehearse that any more than was inevitable.

In his second week with us, he got startled by an impact driver being used by a mechanic on our driveway. He scuttled inside and came to me for reassurance. Since then, he became a very affectionate dog, although there were still times where it would have been foolish to stroke or cuddle him!

So often I see puppies mouth/bite in response to being handled, whether that’s being picked up or stroked.
It can take a lot of self control to leave a cute puppy be. After all, we get pets so we can have that connection and boost that oxytocin!

Children can understandably struggle with exercising the self control needed to prevent or reduce the puppy mouthing or biting them. Over time, puppies can associate the presence of children with certain emotional or arousal responses and associated behaviours.

I get plenty of clients who report puppies immediately rushing at children entering the room to jump and mouth at them. This can be due to the increased stimulation that children may bring into the environment, such as an increase in noise, movement and/or an increase tactile contact!

You can’t STOP puppy mouthing tomorrow. It’s a development phase related behaviour. But you can prevent it becoming a behaviour that extends beyond the development phase and you can also reduce the intensity of the behaviour.

Whilst every puppy is different, Mohawk didn’t draw blood once as a puppy. Just a couple of teeth hole cags in my clothes! I imagine my ability to avoid hard mouthing was due to the following:

✅ Knowing when to stroke Mohawk.
✅ Spotting the early signs of mouthing/ the zoomies.
✅ Not excessively picking him up.
✅ Giving him plenty of things to chew, such as hooves, horns, raw meaty bones, dried animal body parts (when he was over ten weeks!).

To help reduce puppy mouthing here are ten tips:

1️⃣ Only pick your puppy up if you absolutely have to. Consider giving them a treat while being picked up to make it less unpleasant, unless they are super relaxed and non wriggly.

2️⃣ Let sleeping puppies be!

3️⃣ Hands off excitable or busy puppies! The best time to stroke a puppy is when they are relaxed and they have approached you asking for fuss!

4️⃣ Stop stroking after three seconds, see if the puppy asks for more. If they disengage, or ignore you or the person- that’ll be a ‘no thanks!’.
If the puppy is blissed out next to you with soft, closed eyes, or they ask for more then gentle strokes can continue, just watch for those eyes opening or then shifting their body away as an early sign they’re done with the fuss!

5️⃣ Have a barrier somewhere to put your puppy behind when they are about to get the zoomies or when children are exciteable in their behaviour! This is better in a social but quiet area, so the puppy is not isolated nor having rest inhibited by over stimulation. You should be able sit close to the barrier to be a calm reassuring presence - as social isolation generally doesn’t help most puppies calm down.

I prefer stair gates or large penned areas to crates, because puppies may need to move around to displace arousal or change where they rest in order to regulate their temoerature.
Have your puppy enjoy enrichment in this area across the day so they have positive associations with the area.

6️⃣ Look!
Look for the early signs of mouthing or the zoomies. If you are certain high intensity behaviour is about to begin, calmly guide your puppy behind the barrier and give them plenty to do (chews, Kongs, forage boxes). Sit close by!

Look at how your puppy responds to being touched. Do they mouth everytime you stroke them on the top of the head? That perhaps means they don't like it, and the easiest solution is to stop touching them on the head!

7️⃣ If your puppy is only mouthing somewhat more gently, but hard enough for you to want the behaviour to stop, then disengaging is usually enough! That may be withdrawing your hand away, folding arms, standing up etc. You DO NOT need to say “no” or “ahh ahh”, and I don't yelp intentionally (I allow myself to genuinely express a pain response, but do not do so to teach!)

Super inhibited mouthing is okay by the way! Just be clear and consistent as to what hard mouthing is, so your puppy learns what is too hard and what's not! :)

8️⃣ Make sure there’s plenty in the general environment for your puppy to displace their behaviour onto.
Plastic toys are not great chews. I recommend providing a variety of textures of natural hard chews but also providing edible chews once a day - always supervised!

You may need to rotate toys and chews to maintain your puppy's interest.

9️⃣ Be aware that redirection can be a reinforcer.
In other words, if your puppy mouths you with full awareness and intent, and you grab a toy to play- they can learn mouthing equals play. Disengage a little first, pause calmly and when the mouthing has stopped briefly, then redirect!

However, be mindful that exciting games sometimes riles puppies up more and only delays/fends off the mouthing briefly! Excitement is rarely the solution to calming a wound up puppy down, but games can be helpful when puppies are in a lower arousal state.

🔟 Calm yourselves 😆
Recognise when to stop the interactions or calm/wind them down. Humans are often awful at exhibiting self control when playing with puppies and often get them too riled up! Tickling them instead of calm strokes, playing games too excitedly or for too long! They then get frustrated at the puppy for mouthing, often unaware that they prompted that behaviour in how they interacted!

Remind yourself that between you and your puppy- you’re the species with the larger frontal cortex! 😂 🧠 You’ve got this! 💪

Lastly, stay calm! 😌
Take a deep breath 😮‍💨
Aim your swear words skywards 😤

Mouthing can be painful and frustrating, but telling a puppy off is unlikely going to help calm them down.

02/01/2024

🥵 HEAT AND DOGS

As the weather gets hotter we're starting to see dogs struggling while being walked when it's too hot. Please be aware that dogs can suffer from heatstroke and that it can end tragically.

With thanks to Friends of the Dog Walkers - FDW and Kommetjie Canine College to the following:

It's sizzling in Cape Town so please remember🌞:

1. Avoid walking in the heat of the day - early morning and late evening is usually cooler (before 8am and after 6pm )
2. Consider a swim rather than a walk where possible
3. Make sure your dog always has plenty of cool water available - dogs can even get thirsty when swimming at the beach, as they can't drink sea water!
4. Be careful of walking your dog over hot surfaces, which are about double the air temperature.
5. Close curtains to cool the house down
6. Make sure your dog has access to cool floors, such as tiles, to lie on and allow them to rest indoors
7. Consider a wet towel or cooling mat/collar to help cool them down
8. If you suspect heat stroke (excessive panting, nausea, dog looks thirsty but won't drink, listlessness, loss of appetite) wet your dog with cool/tepid water (not ice cold) and seek veterinary attention immediately.

16/11/2023

Pet parents are really good about getting their puppy's vaccinations for physical diseases, but not near as good about getting the behavior problem vaccination-socialization!

Socialization needs to take place in the correct way (positive or neutral experiences) before the puppy is 14 weeks of age. Yes, we continue after that time, but the time up until 14 weeks is an essential socialization period.

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