Rose's Puppy School

25/01/2025

Do you want your puppy to experience novelty to increase their confidence and socialisation skills while learning basic cues and developing their relationship with you? Rose's Puppy School can help!
A new course will start this Wednesday 29 January at 5.15 pm. DM for further information.
Pups need to have had at least their first vaccination and be under 4 months at the start of the course.

16/01/2025

Saying it again and again and again:
"Searching "vaccinations and socialisation" in my posts on this page this morning, I found I have written so many articles on this subject, because sadly it comes up again and again.
And bizarrely, it seems to be getting worse... we now have vets telling people not to take their puppies out of the house until not only parvo, but rabies vaccinations are complete, which ends up being around 4-5 months of age. I could honestly cry. I don't understand why we are moving backwards in terms of balancing physical and emotional risks and what vets think is going to happen with all these unsocialised puppies as they mature with a vital piece of their developmental puzzle having been thrown away.

Then we have the new trend of breeders keeping puppies until they are 11 or 12 weeks old, claiming all sorts of benefits which I have yet to see actually pan out in ANY puppy homed at this age. What I do see is puppies that have stayed in the same environment around the same people and dogs for most of their socialisation period and who appear "fine" in that environment, but who fall apart emotionally when they are suddenly ripped from everything they have known at the very age when social attraction is waning and hazard avoidance is overtaking it. New puppy parents in this case have a week or two
(unless they have a GSD or other breed who has already exited the sensitive period at 10 weeks) to try and grab what's left of the socialisation window and get out and about, but because the pups are often not in a great space, a week of that is spent just trying to settle them at home and before they know it, the opportunity for easy assimilation into the outside world has shrunk to almost nothing.

This has to stop. (From Kommetjie Canine College ,with thanks)

14/01/2025

Little Skye only joined her family today, so we'll meet her next week. Lots of sharp teeth and cuddles ahead!

05/01/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/1JdzGXSKs9/

20/12/2024

If you still think Cesar Millan uses anything as gentle as a whisper to 'train' dogs, please read this. Research, science, and the personal experiences of hundreds of dog trainers and behaviourists around the world have shown that all dogs from the smallest puppy to the most reactive dog can be helped without stress and pain. https://www.facebook.com/share/1E6UdseQYn/

I mean, are we even on the same planet?! 😵‍💫

Cesar Millan is a well-known figure in dog behavior, but his methods often rely on outdated dominance theories and aversive techniques, such as corrections and aversive tools.

He's not a single entity, unfortunately, there are many people who go on to work with dogs learning directly from him in his mentoring programs or indirectly from the amount of publicity he has been given.

Not to mention the repercussions of the misinformation that he has communicated to the public.

And although he has had many opportunities to correct his path, he has yet to pivot.

The mark of any decent kind person is to try to correct the wrongs that they have made, especially when they are as catastrophic as the ones that he has contributed to the dog human relationship.

While his methods may yield immediate compliance, they can suppress behavior, often leading to fear or stress in the dog - until they submit to what he wants them to do.

In a twist of incredibly sad irony, HIS methods dominate dogs who are, in fact, not dominant - they are just animals trying to figure out the way the world works.

Kindness in working with dogs is about fostering trust, addressing their emotional well-being, and teaching through positive, evidence-based methods.

Modern research shows that fear-based approaches can cause more harm than good, while positive interactions strengthens the dog-human bond and promotes confidence building, among many, many other benefits.

Kindness isn’t about control.

Kindness is about creating a safe, collaborative environment for our dogs to thrive in.

It's about having an understanding of dogs.

It's about cultivating empathy.

There is absolutely no identifiable way that anything his methods bring are related to kindness.

I can't see it.

What are your thoughts?

04/12/2024

Take note!

04/12/2024

This llittle sweetie came for an individual class so we could work with him and his 12 year-old person. They both did so well, starting to build understanding and trust.

12/11/2024

Great thinking from Nerina Napoli from .
https://www.facebook.com/share/15dAf2ALp4/

Why do we train our dogs? When I ask my new students this question, it is often met with the phrase, "so that they obey us."

This horrified me as the last thing I want is a scared slave of a dog behaving in a robotic manner. So that begs the question, what do I want to achieve in training so that we can enjoy an enriched life together?

These are the life skills I would like to help my students instill in their dogs at the very least.

1. The ability to interact with other dogs and people in an appropriate manner. This means your dog has manners and is welcome at pet friendly places.
2. The ability to move with their owner on a loose lead. This means you can enjoy safe walks together and you won't injure yourself being dragged about.
3. The ability to switch off and settle quietly. This means your dog can accompany you places.
4. The ability to stay connected to their owner when off lead. This means the owners trust to allow freedom of movement and enriched off lead walks.
5. The ability to return to their owner when called. This means a lot more freedom to enjoy off leash walks.
6. ⁠The ability to play and have fun with their owner but calm down immediately if required. This makes it fun to take dogs on outings to exciting places but able to cope with more stimulating environments.
7. The ability to move confidently through the world. This means you have socialised your dog correctly and they are able to cope with many everyday noises, smells and experiences.

Training is not a chore, it’s a partnership, an enrichment journey, and a way to get enjoyment out of life with your dog.

At the Wag Way, these are the very basics we make as our priorities.

28/10/2024

Sweet, busy, and oh so smart! Pups learning and having fun!

22/10/2024

An unhappy Pippin baby! She has a teeny tiny foreign body in her cornea that even the clever eye specialist vet can't remove. So meds, meds and more meds for a couple of weeks to try and get it to move to the surface. Praying it does! She's actually such a good patient, still playing and not objecting to drops in her eye every hour or so.

20/10/2024

Amen to this! One comment says we should ask what we can give the dog, not what the dog can give us, and to then look at what breed or type will have the best possible life with us. We had to make the very hard decision to not get another GSD once our Minka died as we're getting older and will likely move somewhere smaller in a year or two, unsuitable for a large breed. And they need a lot of training, longer walks etc. Now we have a Spaniel x Schnauzer (fab combo except for chasing creatures!) And a Border Terrier, the sweetest funniest companion who still need loads of mental and physical stimulation and is very far down close to the ground when one treats her or leans down, but she's easy to transport.and manage.

Please get a dog who is a good fit for you.

It's not a pleasant post but a necessary one. Many of the "behaviour" and "training" issues we come across would not be issues if people had made different choices. I certainly don't mean to sound judgemental here, but with over a decade and a half of working with dogs and their people, I've seen a fair number of cases where people choose the wrong dog or type of dog for their lifestyle.

Some examples

Someone with 8 dogs. They didn't all get along, and the person was out of the house for 10 hours a day, 5 days a week. Some of their dogs were crated the full time, every time, they were out the house. Too many dogs, not enough space and time.

A retired couple who bought two giant breed dogs because "they had always had them." They did not training until the dogs were over a year old and over 60kg. Now reactive to other dogs and they couldn't physically control them.

A family with a working gundog breed. All the gear, no idea. They wanted to dog as a fashion accessory. No outlet for the dog's working needs, the dog couldn't settle as a result, so was now excluded, 20 + hours a day in the utility room. They had money and time, just not the inclination to take care of the dogs needs.

I don't think everyone has the lifestyle for a dog and I certainly don't think every person is suited to every type/breed of dog. When I'm in my 70s, despite being active and physically fit, I'll likely choose a smaller dog. If I live beyond that, I certainly will.

Ask yourself

Do you know what this dog was bred for? Cam you meet some of those needs?

Border collies and springer spaniels were bred to be active, throwing a ball repeatedly as theor exercise is not meeting their needs though.

Are you physically capable of controlling this dog if you need to? If you struggle to carry your shopping 10m from the car to the house, a 45kg labrador or German Shepherd isn't a good choice for you UNLESS your training is consistent and reliable.

Do you have the time in your life to train your dog (and no, exclusion and crating is not the answer to this)? Do you have the knowledge to do so? Or the willingness to learn? This takes time and effort and sometimes money.

Clients of mine years ago complained about the cost of lessons. The woman came to every session with false nails and the guy regularly went on weekend golfing trips with his pals (they were expensive from the description) but neither of them were willing to sacrifice their luxuries for a few months to help their dog (because what would their friends say?)

Who suffers as a result of all this? The dog. They get rehomed. They get ignored or excluded. They may develop destructive behaviours. They become fodder for some 🤡 to slap a shock collar or noose on the dog and hurt them for living.

Many people can have a dog, few (if any) can have any dog.

Having said all of the above, we work with truly amazing clients week in, week out, who rise to the occasion. They change attitudes, invest time and effort into understanding their dogs AND meeting their needs. We get feedback that working with us has not only helped improve their dog relationship but a greater understanding of behaviour has filtered into other aspects of their lives. The learned, adapted, overcame. It's truly awesome to behold.

Please choose wisely. Our dogs deserve it.

20/10/2024

We're learning so much about the emotional life of animals. This should encourage us to be more thoughtful and intentional in our dealing with them, in the wild or with our pets. Know better, do better.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1tFZnx4cjcgiPsnq/

21/09/2024

Bring your woofs and human family for a fun morning!
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/DVdLYirUeGLRSefy/?mibextid=oFDknk