Happy Paws

22/07/2024

A few of us Cape Town girls in the canine profession/dog training world, spent our “67 minutes” of Mandela Day this Sunday at the TEARS kennels, volunteering to create some DIY enrichment / sensory activities for the dogs.
Shout out to the lovely ladies who were there,
Nicole
Jess

And also, the very generous donation of goodies from Lorraine Jooste Erasmus, the towels and blankets from Hayley & Delmaine De Klerk, and the extra material from Gillian & Dan Manojlovic.
We hope these doggies enjoy the fun, and find their forever home soon.

19/07/2024

OUR DOGS WOULDN’T BE FRIENDS, and that’s ok. They’re still good dogs!

18/07/2024

Pretty posing

18/07/2024

TRAUMA ISN'T WHAT *YOU* THINK YOUR DOG GOES THROUGH.

I consulted with a young dog this week who has developed a fear of interacting with people.

"I just can't think why this has happened" his people said, "we had him since a puppy and nothing bad has happened to him!".

I've been binge watching the show on Netflix New Amsterdam. A very poignant story line was shown and whilst I know it's fiction, the point is too good to not share.

A school kid came in to see the psychiatrist due to avoiding school. In conversation the kid disclosed that she was scared to go to school after seeing one of her friends shot down in a school shooting. Completely understandable, right?

Upon debrief with the kids parents the parents were highly confused - there WAS no school shooting, they'd have been aware if there was.

Turns out the "shooting" was a drill. It was acted out by accomplices but only the "shooter" and the kid that got shot was in on it. None of the other kids or teachers were aware, for them it was a real threat.

Now this is fiction and I sincerely hope this isn't what really happens in school drills (!) but I think the point made is excellent.

The kid in the psychiatrist office knew AFTER that it was a drill. Her friend stood up and everyone was told it was just a fake incident. But that wasn't enough. She had a legitimate trauma reaction to what she believed to be true in the moment. That trauma reaction doesn't just immediately evaporate because her truth in that moment didn't match what was REALLY going on.

Back to the dog I consulted with. His people were able to identify a few incidents in his puppyhood where people forced themselves onto him without him being comfortable. It was not done out of malice to the pup - far from it - but the dog as a puppy didn't know that. Puppies aren't born understanding our every move and intentions - we need to help them understand the way people work, gently - but as a society we also need to understand the way dogs work.

It is NOT ok to over-handle any dog you don't know. Puppy or adult. Trauma isn't a result of what you know a dog to go through; it's a result of what they perceive themselves to go through. You may know you only have good intentions to a puppy/dog when you immediately start fussing them all over and inviting play through rough housing (for example). But the dog/puppy doesn't immediately know your intentions - they aren't mind readers! To them in that moment you are being threatening, and a threat to their sense of safety is trauma.

It is so important we respect dogs and their right to their own body boundaries. I am noticeably hands off generally with the dogs I see. In fact, for this dog I consulted with I didn't even LOOK at him. Eye contact had become a threat because with eye contact comes interaction. No, the dog's life wasn't put at risk from our perspective - but it isn't our perspective that matters. It's the perspective of the dog that either creates a trauma response or doesn't.

Whilst introducing my new rescue Lily to the wonderful people in my life I'm very cognisant of HER perspective, not mine. What I've found works for Lily is if I kneel down with her as she's approaching someone new to her (I also label them as "friend" so she can start to build up positive associations with that word and it'll help her understand her new world if we name things.). In that way she knows I'm right there and my presence helps her to feel SAFE in this unknown interaction. I do not force her there and she can walk away at any moment but generally in a couple of seconds Lily feels comfortable and safe and her friendly self pops through. Once I see that helicopter tail and wiggly body I know she can manage alone (but not with strangers, only people I know to be respectful of her). NOTE- there is no use of food, I'll run through my reasoning for that in another post.

Even apparently friendly dogs need to feel comfortable first. It's a huge error to see puppies or friendly adult dogs as beings who will be fine with you inviting yourself into their space and immediately fussing them all over.

Picture of Bella puppy because she was a puppy who needed gentle introductions to other dogs. We would have created trauma had we just thrown her in with a group of dogs and called it "socialisation". From her perspective that would have been threatening even if I knew all the dogs were friendly and had good intentions, she wouldn't have. But taking things slow & steady and she is now an integral part of our group dog walking and mixes with dogs with no concerns whatsoever.

We must ALWAYS examine things from our dogs' perspectives, not our own. That is key to setting up our dog to succeed in building positive associations with things.

Remember it is MUCH harder to undo a trauma response than it is to create one in the first place. Importantly, not all trauma responses can be "undone", regardless of whether the truth wasn't quite as they perceived 🐾💜

15/07/2024

Prepare your dog and yourself for the rollercoaster ride of adolescence 🐾

10/07/2024

Training shouldn’t be long and drawn out! Keep it fun and simple. Grab a handful of treats, and see what you can get done with that!

03/05/2024

This feels important to reiterate

01/05/2024

One of my favourite things to see is when people give their dogs as much time as they want to sniff. Smell is the primary sense our dogs use to navigate, interpret, and make sense of their world. They can tell who has passed by and how long ago, and update themselves on their canine version of social media picking up the messages left by other dogs who have been there earlier.

The part of the dog's brain that is dedicated to analysing scent information is a huge proportion of their brain compared to ours (around 40 times the size), and they have up to 300 million scent receptors while humans have around 6 million. These facts alone highlight the importance of olfactory information and sniffing for our dogs.

Sniffing is one of the most instinctive and natural behaviours our dogs possess and giving them time to sniff is a free and incredibly easy way to add enrichment into their lives. Sniffing is also great brainwork as they hunt out and interpret the differents scents they encounter.

A 20 minute period spent out of the house sniffing and interpreting the scents they discover (a sniffy walk or 'sniffari') can often tire a dog out as much as an hour's 'normal' walk, and is also really good for younger dogs (post-vaccination or in safe areas where dogs of unknown vaccination and health status don't go) and senior dogs who aren't quite as mobile and fit as they used to be.

The more time I spend watching my dogs investigating and interpreting their world through their noses the more fascinated I become by observing them, and the more clearly I can see how much enjoyment and pleasure they get from having time to carry out this most doggy of behaviours.

So let them sniff - they will appreciate you even more for giving them the time and opportunity.

You can help tell the world about the importance of sniffing with some of the designs available at the GG store 😊 Find it here: https://good-guardianship.teemill.com/

15/04/2024

03/04/2024

Stop, and take a moment to sniff.

01/04/2024

Thank you for having us

01/04/2024

28/03/2024

Hi all
Me & my Ruby 🐕 will be featured on DSTV channel 263, on EKSE, representing Dogz at Home Training Centre
The show will be aired at 4-5pm on Monday & 9-10am on Tuesday.

Tune in to hear about us & see Ruby do some tricks ! 🐾

15/03/2024

Happy 5 year adoptiversary to a very special boy 💖 we love you Mac !

14/03/2024

It was our very own Ruby’s birthday this week! Happy 3rd birthday pretty girl. We adore you! 💖🐾

03/03/2024

Consider it your doggy school bag 🐕

26/02/2024

How do you add enrichment into your dogs day? 🐶

20/02/2024

Looking for a suitable trainer in an overflowing unregulated field can be overwhelming. Make a list of what is IMPORTANT to you and your dog, and make sure whatever trainer you choose, they have the same interest in your dogs welfare.

08/02/2024

Worth a forever spot 😍 Phoebe sitting pretty. This goofy girl is so awesome 🐶

01/02/2024

Sending your dog on a pack walk feels like a recent upward trend. Compromising our dog’s wellbeing should not be a trend.

01/02/2024

Happy birthday Zen! He turns 12 tomorrow ! This awesome guy loves his adventures with us, and it is a mutual feeling.
Wishing him all the muddy puddles and rivers to rinse in 🐾 💛
Love from the happy paws gang xoxo

23/01/2024

Dog training – a costly business?

Times are tough for many of us financially and unfortunately it seems that pets are often the first to lose out when it comes to cutting back on living costs. As behaviourists and trainers, we often face this reality when dealing with people who want help, but are reluctant to pay for it. Unlike veterinary care, training and behaviour modification is not always viewed as essential and unlike veterinary care, there are also many options when it comes to finding behaviour or training assistance in a totally unregulated industry. Anyone can start a page and claim to be a dog trainer!

Aside from the fact that this means an enormous amount of dangerously false information is dished out to the public on the subject of dog behaviour, it also means that there is no industry standard for what should or shouldn’t be charged for services. While most qualified trainers and behaviourists (people with actual recognised, decent qualifications in the field) charge very similar rates for the same services, those who are not qualified will sometimes charge a pittance, because they are really just dabbling and have other sources of income, or exorbitant and frankly quite crazy amounts - let’s be blunt – because in many cases they are simply crazy and it is their eccentricity and apparent self-assuredness that attracts clients.

So, I would like to take the opportunity to explain the basis on which reputable training schools, run by qualified professionals, structure their fees:
1. It is our full-time profession. People often ask: What do you do the rest of the time? We always answer: THIS! This is what we do – we train dogs and work with owners to modify behaviour full-time. It is not a hobby. We are not dabbling. This is our livelihood. Many of us are also involved in teaching the next generation of trainers and behaviourists, but everything we do is in the same profession.
2. We have years of study at considerable expense under our belts: Believe it or not, dog training is a science. Modifying behaviour means understanding learning theory and how behaviour works on a physiological, neurological and emotional level. If you enjoy neuroscience, behaviour is a fantastic subject to study, but it is also hard work!
3. We have to rent suitable, safe premises from which to work: While amateur trainers may conduct classes on public fields, verges and in parking lots, running classes that are safe and secure for dogs means renting private spaces that are securely fenced, away from traffic, disease free, and do not allow access for free roaming dogs or strangers. As professionals, we put the safety of our clients and their dogs first – compromising on this is not an option. Unfortunately, renting grounds does not come cheap!
4. Paying staff: Successful training schools seldom manage with just one trainer. To provide enough individual attention for every client and to ensure the smooth running of classes, more than one trainer per class is generally needed. Those trainers need to be qualified professionals as well and they need to be paid accordingly.
5. Admin time and costs: While many people think that a trainer’s job is limited to the time spent on the field, many of us spend several hours a day doing admin for our training schools. Answering emails from clients, sending out information, planning lessons and working on training class aids like videos and notes etc. is all part of the job.

Please do take all of this into account when asking us for help. We love dogs and we love what we do, but we also need to eat! While this profession may be a calling, warm fuzzy feelings don’t pay the bills. Unfortunately, we often seem to be confused with animal rescue organisations, but we are not in fact a charity. Please consider that because working with animals has a strong emotional component, it is often very hard for us to set boundaries and to say no, but that we also must look after ourselves in order to survive. Before choosing a cheap dog training option, make sure you “compare apples with apples” – have a look at what other schools with qualified professional trainers are charging, rather than making comparisons with traditional-style training clubs with unqualified volunteers or hobby-trainers who think they know something after having a dog for 5 minutes!

19/01/2024

How long does it take?

How long does it take for a child to be able to walk proficiently on all or most surfaces, at differing speeds, when there are different things going on around them?

Around 4 years.

How long does it take an adult to learn how to drive well, under all conditions, or even at a safe, basic level under various conditions?

Dozens, if not hundreds or thousands of hours.

How long does it take us to teach a child to sit quietly in a restaurant or train and for them to learn how to deal with boredom (church as a child), hunger, being cold etc

As an adult, how often do you do social activities that you don't really enjoy? If you like quiet places, do you meet your friends in a noisy bar where you can't hear each other talk?

Let's shift perspective.

We expect our dogs to magically walk well on lead from puppies as if they somehow come with preinstalled software which allows them to do so. We expect them to do it over all terrain, when it's busy, exciting or scary. Can a human adult learn quickly under those conditions? Most can't but we expect our weeks or months old dog to.

We expect our dogs to settle in restaurants without training when we've never deliberately taught them to settle in the house. Our children can't do that unless we teach them to.

We expect them to like all the things we like just because we like them. About a decade ago, I had a moronic couple who would take their nervous dog to parties with lots of drink and drugs and wonder why she started biting. It never occurred to them to not to take her and when I pointed out that they shouldn't, their response was "but we like taking her."

There are two ways to get results quickly.

1. Suppression. Suppress all the behaviours you don't like using fear and pain (prong collars, ecollars, slip leads) until the dog stops behaving entirely. This is the Cesar Milan model (and other TV trainer model). Looks impressive, miserable dog (there's a lot more to this but I've hugely summarised).

2. We can invest time.and effort in the short term and act consistently for long-term dividends. I worked with a dog yesterday, we had a huge impact on her anxious and excited behaviours within an hour. Her people just need to follow through consistently for longer term results, which I'm sure they will.

Being a being on this planet is hard. Being a dog in a human world is hard. Let's not make it harder for them.

21/12/2023

Another year is drawing to a close. A big thank you to my clients, dogs, and supporters. We can’t wait to see what 2024 has in store ! 🐾

12/12/2023

Early Christmas photoshoot dump 🎄 A big thank you for the lovely pics & to .at.home for spoiling the trainers with this treat 🎁

11/12/2023

There isn’t a “quick fix” to creating a solid recall. It takes time and effort, and lots of good associations 🐾