AbiK9 Dog Training | Pet service

AbiK9 Dog Training

Phone: +61 477 006 431

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22.01.2022 For those looking for well run puppy classes, check this out!

21.01.2022 It’s fun to get tasks from clients for training out of the ordinary skills to their dogs. And while this is a lot of fun for Remus, it’s got a very serious real world application. Remus the SDiT has gotten very good at offering to ‘orbit’, which will later be used to create space between his handler and other people in crowded locations. Service dogs, particularly those being trained for handlers with invisible illnesses, are becoming increasingly common in Australia.... A kindly reminder to please give space to service dogs and their handlers, and to treat them as you would any other kind of medical equipment (IGNORE them). I’m continually shocked by the amount of people who approach and attempt to touch the service dog prospects I’m working. While I always take the opportunity to educate these people, it can be very stressful for handlers/owners who suffer from anxiety or PTSD (or anything else) to continually have to do the same.

20.01.2022 I was recently at a community event that had nothing to do with dogs. A local professional, upon finding out what I did for a living, quickly interrogated me ab...out my responsibility as a dog owner when out in the parks. Her questions were like a slap with good intentions, and were a rude awakening about how dog-owners are failing to blend in with other people in my community. We aren’t. We have become a problem in the eyes of others, a problem that will soon be made to go away if we don’t change. I realize my freedom with my dogs is a privilege, not a right. I’m lucky I’m able to have them, and try to be as respectful as possible when I have them in public. Then halloween occurs, and Facebook lights up with posts condemning fireworks because dogs don’t like them. I have weird herding breeds in my house and have to make special plans on firework occasions to continue preventing having an issue. That is my responsibility for these three days a year. That is what I signed up for when I became a dog owner. Reading the comments on these threads made me realize how entitled we dog owners have become. No wonder we are being perceived so poorly. Because your dog is scared and panics at fireworks, rather than preparation in advance with medication from your veterinarian or training, you expect an entire community to change their habits and enjoyment. Fireworks are already heavily regulated here. We won. Now be nice on the 2-3 events a year when they are allowed. At what point did society change to become all about each individual? We used to have tolerance for each others behaviours that we didn’t like. Playing nicely in the sandbox was a skill taught in school. Why have we adults all given it up, to only focus on our own selfish needs and wants? Where I am, unless dog owners start keeping their dogs to themselves and not allowing them to approach other people and dogs and respect birds and wildlife, we are about to lose all the freedom and privileges that we have worked so hard for. My guess is the authorities will make a shit trail or two for us dog owners, and squash all of us whiners in this one area. Once the problem is contained, the rest of our parks and trails will be for everyone else to enjoy without us. The truth is, when we dog owners complain and whine about our dog’s hurt feelings, we’ve failed to realize that our gripes are only furthering the divide. If you find yourself trying to control people and the world around you, rather than your dog, it is to you that I am talking... Please change your ways before a bylaw is forced on us. Your job is not to control the behaviour of other people but that of your dog. Make sure your dog blends in when out and about in the world. We need to change the public perception towards dog owners and that can only be done by respecting the needs of other people first. Monique Anstee Metchosin, BC Author of As a Dog Thinketh, available at The Sugar Shack and Corner Store

20.01.2022 ** EXCITING NEWS ** We will now be running dog- training classes every Wednesday afternoon during Term 4 for NEW members who have never attended the K9 Academy.... We plan to continue this in Term 1 of 2021. This is for anyone seeking to join the NCK9A, including puppies from 8 weeks of age. Anyone wishing to join the NCK9A, will commence in our Wednesday afternoon classes, with the intention of progressing to our Beginners classes held on Sundays. (This does not apply to existing members). Our Wednesday classes will be specifically tailored to younger dogs (as well as handlers wishing to improve their skill level), focussing on basic obedience, lead-handling, socialisation and much more... We are moving to this format due to the large class sizes we are seeing on Sundays, as we want to give you the best dog-team to trainer ratio we possibly can. We also want to get our younger dogs and pups off to a flying start. To those people we have recently emailed and given a time-slot for this Sunday, you are fine to keep attending Sundays. All Beginners from Term 3, please come to your usual time-slot this Sunday as this DOES NOT apply to you. We will shortly email back all new enquiries with registration forms and we will be commencing our first Wednesday class on the 21st of October at 5:00pm. Stay tuned and for any further info, contact: Sophie on 0401934576 or email [email protected] NCK9A Team

19.01.2022 A kindly reminder; just because someone has a dog in public does not give you the right to touch them.

17.01.2022 I get questions from prospective clients on a daily basis asking me if I use positive reinforcement, am force-free or 'science-based'. I love, LOVE, that people are more aware of training techniques and broad methodologies now compared to when I first started training dogs. But let me be absolutely clear; the choice to abstain from using compulsion at some point in a dog's training program is an ethical one, NOT one based on evidence and science. I hate saying that, it makes...Continue reading

17.01.2022 If you've contacted me through my website and haven't heard back, please check your junk mail! I will *always* reply within 3 days. I'm also having some technical difficulties with my phone - it's hit or miss as to whether I can take or make calls. New phone on its way!

14.01.2022 PUPPY RAISING SPACES The way you set up your home to accomodate for a new puppy in the first few months will go a long way in helping develop good long ter...m habits such as the following: INDEPENDENCE BUILDING. The biggest issue facing adult dogs in society is related to separation anxiety or distress. ‘Puppy only’ spaces are a great way to build your pup’s independence in the early days which will pave the way for when the time comes for them to stay at home by themselves. If you are not actively training, supervising or playing with your puppy, the best thing you can do is pop them in a contained area, close by, like this. This way they can’t practise following you around and in turn start to slowly develop the skills necessary to be okay on their own. Even if it begins with just being a metre away. CHEWING, NIPPING & BITING. Roughly around 10 weeks of age, a puppy will develop a new found confidence with their surroundings and following this, begin teething. Utilise this space and provide them with safe, puppy friendly enrichment to chew on and explore so they don’t practise deconstructing lounges, pot plants and clothing! TOILET TRAINING. Generally, a puppy that is contained to a smaller space during down time, is more likely to hold on to their bladder for a longer period. It also prevents them from wandering over absorbent surfaces like rugs and carpets which is usually the type of surface a puppy will gravitate to, to do their business. JUMPING. If a puppy is in a space like this, family members and visitors can enter the room without a puppy running over to them, jumping on them and inadvertently being reinforced for it. You can then pick the right moments to let the puppy out, when you have full focus on teaching them to ‘Sit’ for cuddles and affection. KIDS It’s a no brainer when it comes to kids and a puppy! A set up like this will give the puppy time away from the chaos to rest and reboot and when the puppy hits the teething phase, this place will allow kids to move around their loungeroom freely without the fear of being pounced on by the fluffy ankle biter. DOORBELL REACTIVITY Lots of adult dogs bark when there’s a knock on the front door or the doorbell rings. This can be learnt from being a puppy and having access the front door and learning of all the fabulous excitement and social greetings that follow a knock. Its simple: After experiencing a handful of times what follows the knock or bell (PEOPLE!), he may bark out of excitement and run to the door, person enters and gives puppy a pat. Voila. Puppy has learnt that barking at the front door when it rings or there’s a knock results in attention. By putting your puppy in a contained space and preventing them from receiving any direct attention related to someone arriving at the house, you may very well prevent a long term door bell barker! Who said puppy pens had to look ugly either?!! This pen set up is smart, unobtrusive and fits well in the space. This right here is the perfect indoor set up as far as we’re concerned. Early preparation and management is key in preventing any long term issues. - @dollythegroodle

14.01.2022 5 minutes of unedited fun with Rocco This might not look like much, but I’m very happy with how his play is developing. Play, and giving him an outlet for his desire to bite is going to be a big part of his rehab. This is where most of my bites from him have happened; he was a dirty biter and took tonnes of cheap shots. There was one point in this clip where he let the tug go and I mishandled it - he had a clear shot at my arm but he didn’t take it. ... He also had a bad habit of trying to bite my face after I cued him to let go. This was a tricky one to deal with because he was fast about it; he’d let go and pop up all within a second. I normally don’t introduce compulsion during play for a while, but I did with this dude. I also ended the game if he made contact with skin when he could have avoided it. It dampened his enthusiasm a bit, but as you can see it’s cleaned him up a great deal. Confidence will come, now that he knows what the rules are. And this is only day 4, I can’t wait to see his passion for the game after another week! It’s stinking hot right now and neither of us are coping very well. So his issues relating to dogs and any ‘serious’ training is being put on hold while we have regular, short and fun sessions indoors. This is helping to build our relationship, which can only help in the long run.

13.01.2022 Oldie but a Goldie! Ed was in for a board and train a little while ago for some dog-dog issues and general obedience. His owners also requested I teach him to play dead. Unfortunately he loved doing it so much he’d just offer it randomly... he got really good at making his head go *BANG* on hard surfaces and loved the laughter he produced from anyone who witnessed it. I never could get his tail to stop wagging though!

11.01.2022 Rocco man learning to hang with the gang, and make the right choices

08.01.2022 Is Your Dog the Next Big Movie Star?

06.01.2022 This is the end result of one of the scariest 'incidents' in all my years of being a dog Momma and why my girls will NEVER again wear a collar unless they are... under supervision of their Humans! Yesterday morning Jaz and Luna were downstairs wrestling and playing while I was upstairs getting ready for work. All of a sudden I hear what sounds like an awful dog fight. I ran downstairs to find what looks like Jaz at Luna's throat and Luna yelping like a banshee. I'm yelling for Jaz to 'release' but realized as I got closer that she can't because her lower jaw was stuck in Luna's collar! These 2 quite frequently wrestle and grab at each other's scruff and collars...what i think happened was that Jaz got Luna's collar and Luna rolled causing the collar to cinch around Jaz's jaw and in turn practically cut off Luna's airway Luna was so scared that she soiled herself I was able to calm them both, get my fingers under the collar and screamed for Dalton and Joey who were still sound asleep (how they slept through this is beyond me!) I told Joey to grab our Kitchen Shears and after what seemed like an eternity he was able to cut through the collar releasing both dogs!! Today, both girls are fine and seem to be back to themselves, other than the whites of Luna's eyes being blood red I don't even want to imagine what could have happened if we weren't home!! You do you...but my dogs will never again wear a collar while unattended! A dog's collar can get snagged by anything! I've read stories, but never thought it would happen to me. I hope my story can strike a chord and make you think about going collar free yourselves. **EDIT 10.23.20** With the number of comments on my post, its near impossible to reply to everyone. Jaz is 3 years old and Luna is her 6 month old pup. YES, they are both microchipped! The red in Luna's eyes is called petechial hemorrhaging caused by her near collar strangulation. YES, of course, we have been in contact with our vet! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE know the difference between a 'Quick Release' collar and a true Breakaway collar! A quick release collar still requires a human to release the collar whereas a breakaway collar releases automatically when pressure is applied. Collar strangulation is very REAL and happens more often than you think! Just read through the comments on my post! Although collar strangulation is most common while neck biting during play, collars can get hung up on anything! The carpet, an air vent or register, door knob, shrub, tree, fence, you name it. In the aftermath of Tuesday's incident, I scoured the internet looking for a safer alternative and wanted to share what I found: BREAKAWAY KEEPSAFE Collar Https://breakawaycollar.com ______________________ #labradorretriever #lab #blacklab #labpuppy #Jaz #PrincessJazmine #Luna #6monthsold #labsofinstagram #labs_of_insta #DogMom #FurBabies #PSA #CollarStrangulation

05.01.2022 Stress resilience is the biggest gift we can give a developing puppy or adult dog. By manufacturing pressure and mild to moderate stress during training and handling and showing our dogs how to THINK and work through it, we’re creating the neural pathways they need to work through stress and pressure that we can’t control. If we look back 30 years at how the majority of dogs were being trained, they were effectively being desensitized to stress and handling from day one. Bec...ause they had hands on them, manipulating them this way and that. It was what it was, and dogs learnt to cope. As much as I LOVE positive training methods and see how much value it’s brought to dogs and clients, it’s biggest pro AND con is it’s hands-off-ness. You put a hand on their shoulders to compel a ‘down’ and they wilt, or panic, or bite. This is NOT a downside of compulsion, it’s a result of a stress and pressure-free puppyhood. There is an art and a science to introducing stress in such a way as to build a dog, rather than crush them. And it’s similar to us humans; too much (particularly too early) we create sensitivities and a lack of coping abilities. But the strongest people I know are those who had to overcome adversity, and therefore have the belief that they can overcome anything.

05.01.2022 Nothing like a bit of peer pressure! Rocco loved the water but hadn’t actually gone beyond chest-high depth. This was also his first completely off leash/long line free walk with my gang and he hardly stepped a foot wrong. Poor Tato, I stole her Kong and tried to trick her into going after a stick into the water. I wasn’t sure if Rocco would follow Smitty into the water but I knew he’d follow Tato. Tato didn’t fall for it

05.01.2022 I'll never NOT be proud of my three dogs and their ability to handle the random situations I throw at them every day. In the daily grind, I often take it for granted. But sometimes it just hits me that I have my three perfectly imperfect dogs, ready with a toothy grin for every situation. I know it's not all my doing, I'm careful in my selection of dogs, but damn it I'm proud for any part I played in their development!

02.01.2022 When the weird noises the human makes to get a cute photo trigger ZOOMIE MODE!

01.01.2022 Please be advised that we're currently booked out until mid-November for board-and-train programs. If you'd like to book at some point in the future, I'd recommend you get in contact now. We're a very low-volume business. If I've got a service dog in training or a dog needing behaviour modification, I won't have any more than 2 dogs at one time. This is to ensure every dog gets the maximum amount of time possible without impacting on the quality + quantity of training.