Paws 1 on 1 Dog Training

17/12/2024

I see it time and time again, someone wants an instant result in training their dog. The quick fix idea, that by simply slapping a shock collar on a dog, or punishing them hard enough the problem behavior will simply be dealt with. To paraphrase Ed Viesturs; "there are no shortcuts to the top." Meaning there is no such thing as a quick fix in training. And any one who is promising you one, is likely lying to you, or going to put your dog, or you, in harms way.

Good things require time, great things require work. The secret sauce of dog training is both of those things; time, and work. Being consistent with teaching your dog, practicing both of your skills, is the only way to achieve a dog who is reliable off leash, trusted at the family BBQ, or a peaceful joy to walk down the street.

You can't run a marathon with out spending a lot of time training to build your endurance and pacing as a runner. Your dog can't be 'well trained' with out you spending the time and doing the work to teach them how.

And if you're struggling with the work, reach out. We can always help with that.

“There is nothing else in life like getting to the summit. What’s more, I’ve always felt that the greater the challenge, the greater the reward.”
― Ed Viesturs, No Shortcuts to the Top: Climbing the World's 14 Highest Peaks

26/11/2024

🐾 There are many dogs who love to play with other dogs. Most of the time these may be dogs that the dog sees regularly and knows, but some adult dogs do not enjoy interactions with every dog they see.

Socialisation isn’t about every dog playing together or always getting along. It has become a very loosely used word that technically describes a specific period of puppyhood development.

Puppies approach interactions quite differently than adult dogs as they would be in a different stage of their development, and are naturally more social butterflies, however, as they grow up (like we do) some dogs start to socially decline and become more dog selective, and/ or dog tolerant. Not all dogs want another dog's nose up their bum.

👨‍🦰Many people believe that all dogs should be friendly and get along. Unfortunately, stereotypes from dog park culture and social media often reinforce this idea. As a result, dog guardians may unintentionally push their dogs into interactions with others in public, often saying, 'Don’t worry, my dog is friendly'...

This can be both frustrating and unsafe, especially when an on-lead dog is approached boisterously by an off-lead dog. Such situations can lead to negative interactions, as the on-lead dog may feel trapped and unable to move freely or express their body language clearly.

💥One of the ways your dog shows you that they are unhappy or uncomfortable is by trying to avoid an approaching dog, or by lashing out and being reactive. Imagine some stranger walking up to you and giving you a cuddle? I don’t know about you, but that’s not going to be something I would enjoy. Not all dogs like to greet or be greeted.

If you have a dog who does not like interacting with dogs they don’t know (especially while on leash) - that’s ok! Your dog is allowed to feel this way.

Be your dog's advocate and tell the other dog guardian to not approach you with their dog. This is being proactive, and preventing your dog from being in a situation that may cause them distress. Additionally, if you know your dog doesn't like dogs approaching them, manage your environment by choosing quieter areas, using distance, or positioning yourself between your dog and others to help them feel more secure.

❗️It is important to not allow your dog to get into the habit of greeting every dog that you walk past because:

- One day you may walk past a dog who doesn’t like being greeted which could cause your dog to get lunged at.

- It puts them at risk as you may not be able to tell if that dog is a good match in temperament for your dog.

- You don’t know if the other dog may have had a negative experience in interacting with other dogs.

- It may cause long-term nervousness if your dog is constantly being snapped at by other dogs which may lead to your dog becoming reactive.

🐕Creating space will help with making your dog or the other dog feel safe - just in case the other dog lunges. If a dog starts to approach you in the street, cross the road to the other side.

Remember, you’re not alone—if you’re finding this challenging, we’re here to help:

www.seespotlearn.co.nz 🐾

26/11/2024

It is Black Friday time!
Anyone who has ever come to class will know I use lickimats of all sizes and shapes. Honey Paws has a Black Friday special on some lovely ones.
Pop over to https://honeypawsstore.com/product-category/black-friday-2024/

Send a message to learn more

25/11/2024

When living with a dog who has lots of energy it can seem logical to think that they need more exercise to tire them out - longer, faster walks, more throwing of a ball (or using a ball chuckler), always more, more, more...

While this does on the surface seem to make perfect sense, when following that advice what we are actually doing is making the situation worse. Think about how an athlete works to increase their fitness - they do more and faster. Now think about throwing a ball for the dog repeatedly. This is much like the shuttle runs those athletes do to increase their speed and fitness levels.

The great news is that there is another option for these high energy dogs. Yes, they need physical exercise, but they also need mental exercise. Luckily, mental exercise is a fairly easy thing to provide for all dogs, and we can even fit a great amount in on our daily walks.

Sniffing is an activity suitable for all dogs. Scent is the primary way dogs analyse and interpret their world, with an olfactory capability way better than that of humans. Simply giving your dog time and space to sniff on a walk gets that brain working and that will tire your dog more than you might realise. My own Border Collies (one of whom is the young dog sniffing in the image) will relax and snooze as much after 20 minutes of sniffing as they will after a 2 hour mostly off lead walk.

There are lots of ways to provide mental exercise for dogs, but this most powerful form is something that we can access free at any time, just by giving them the time to investigate their surroundings in the way that works best for them.

12/11/2024

This came to mind yesterday as I was out walking with my younger dog as we'd spent a full 5 minutes in one spot as she was investigated a plant in the hedge next to the pavement we were walking along.

By this point I was getting a little bored of standing in one spot and started looking around. Did I attempt to move her on? Not at all - what she was doing was her version of looking around, taking in all the information she wanted in that spot. After another minute or two her head came up and she trotted along (just a little further to another interesting plant).

The time we spend out walking is her time to interact with the world outside of our home. And yes, there are times when I do need to move her on when she wants to sniff something (yesterday there was something very interesting apparently in the middle of a road, but that's NOT a safe sniffing spot!) but unless absolutely necessary we slow down and take our time.

Sniffing does a great job of burning energy, too. I live with Border Collies, one of them an adolescent who can be highly energetic and generally poised for action. A 20 minute walk where they can sniff to their hearts' content will have my guys flat out asleep within minutes of getting home in the same way a 2 hour walk for a much greater distance will.

So take time to let them smell the world when you're out walking with them - it's their walk every bit as much as yours, if not more!

07/11/2024

WHEN SECONDS COUNT

This post is not advocating that dogs meet every other dog, but about how to go about it, if and when it does happen, in a safer way.

The 3 second rule for dogs meeting each other is used as a guideline to help foster positive introductions, prevent either dog from feeling overwhelmed or trapped and prevent any potential reactivity and stress.

A short 3 second introduction is enough time to provide important information to both dogs.

Enough information for dogs to know – “are you a threat?”, “do I like you?”, “do I want to learn more about you?”, “do I really dislike you?”, “do I need you to go away?” etc. Both dogs may not feel the same way – one may not be happy to engage while the other may want to.

All interactions should ideally happen like this, not just initially. Just like us, dogs can have off days – things like pain, trigger stacking, lack of sleep or a host of other reasons can influence whether a dog wants to interact or not.

There are countless times I have witnessed meetings or introductions between dogs that have gone on just a few seconds too long and have not ended well. This can have long lasting effects on future behaviour when meeting other dogs.

Understanding body language is critically important. If we are going to share our lives with another species, protect them, advocate for them and help them feel safe, then we need to understand and respect their language.

The examples in this post of red and green flags are just a few general ones to look out for – there are many more and these will differ depending on the individual dog, context and circumstances.

Here are some resources and links to learn more about body language -
On Talking Terms With Dogs - Calming Signals, 2nd Edition by Turid Rugaas
https://www.dogwise.com/on-talking-terms-with-dogs-calming-signals-2nd-edition/?srsltid=AfmBOoqj8ruQJx5bCP7qWb03TqCyAGfmAvCj988UuWk_L1_UHbYcZsES

The Veterinary Behaviour Centre
https://www.heska.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/TVBC-Canine-Dog-Body-Language-handout.pdf

Make sure those first 3 seconds count – they can make all the difference.

07/11/2024

My floors are currently a disaster as we speak 😂

05/11/2024

31/10/2024

A house goblin.
Apollo keeping watch on the garden service. When viewed from outside, he is so dark that you only see the bright pink 👅 tongue

06/10/2024

The girl is back in Rally!
So many things to work on. Selena just had an absolute ball. Smiles wrapping around her face.

01/10/2024

DON’T FORCE ME TO BE SOCIAL!
It may be really disappointing and frustrating when our dogs are not the social beings we expected them to be.

Many believe dogs should just naturally get along with other dogs, after all they’re the same species.

Some believe the “unsociable” dog has a behaviour problem that needs to be “fixed”.

Early, appropriately timed and correct socialisation is vitally important, but sometimes despite all of this, some dogs are just not that sociable.

Sometimes this can be improved, especially if the cause is from a negative experience, but genetics, breed tendencies, individual personalities, health and age all contribute to tolerance and sociability, which also change throughout life.

If we, as a human species, don’t get along with everyone we meet, how can we expect our dogs to?

Do we label every person that has an argument, doesn’t make friends with everyone they meet, doesn’t like every other person, prefers not to socialise - as having a problem that needs to be fixed?

Why is it so easy to accept that every individual person is different than to accept that every individual dog is different?

When we have done what we can to improve our dogs’ social skills, we need to accept and acknowledge our dogs for the individuals they are, allow and respect their choice of whether to be sociable or not and never force interactions that a dog is not comfortable with.

01/10/2024

Congratulations Zeus!!! What a special little boy!