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Canine Counselling by Mark

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25.01.2022 It is with great sadness that I have cancelled all upcoming puppy schools. Although not specifically forbidden, I think it is in the best interest of everyone that we all do our best to #StayHome. I am in the process of setting up online consultations via video conferencing. In the mean time, please stay safe and look after yourself and your dogs!

24.01.2022 Prepare your dog for your new baby! Shortly after lockdown began, we saw an increase in puppy and rescue dog adoptions ("isolation puppies"). That trend has continued throughout the year, and shows no signs of slowing. However, now we are seeing another trend emerge. Roughly 9 months after lockdown began I am seeing a lot more baby-bumps around! Isolation babies? ... Unfortunately, some dogs don't take well to a new addition arriving. Dogs with anxiety are especially sensitive and may not react well to all the changes and stress around new baby's arrival. But every dog will benefit from an effort to prepare them for a new sibling. Expectant parents should plan well in advance to prepare their dog for the new arrival. This includes things such as getting the dog used to all the equipment, motions, and noises of a baby. Implementing any new house rules (dogs not allowed in nursery, or not allowed to sleep on owner's bed any more, etc). Start spending less time with the dog, and increase enrichment activities to compensate for less face time and walks. And lastly, plan the introduction and space management very carefully. If you know anyone that needs help with their dog in preparing for a new arrival, please have them get in touch! An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure...

23.01.2022 Are you worried your dog may have separation anxiety now that lockdowns are easing and we are going out more? Do you know what they REALLY get up to when you leave? Or do you just think you know? I always recommend that people get actual data, and see how bad their dog's separation anxiety is, or isn't! I use a GoPro and set it up with a clock in view. I then record the first 30-60 minutes after leaving. This allows me to see the actual behaviour when the dog is left alone.... So rather than guessing, I can verify how good, or bad, it is... If you don't have a GoPro, maybe use a spare device (laptop, tablet, etc) and video call yourself from your phone. If your dog exhibits a large variety or high intensity of separation related behaviours (see below), for more than about 10 minutes, then we need to work on it. If it stops before 10 minutes and the dog settles or relaxes, then you may not need to do anything specific. Dogs that have separation anxiety display behaviours including: - vocalisations (barking, howling, whining, crying) - escapism (digging, destruction at doorways) - excessive pacing, panting, drooling - excessive grooming or licking of self - food refusal (won't eat the treat left for them) - toilet accidents If you think you need help with your dog's separation anxiety, get in touch and we can work on trying to improve the situation before life goes back to "normal." But the first thing I'll want to see is the video you took, or we'll take some at the consultation. The picture below is of my dog howling at the front door 5 minutes after I left. He then hopped on the sofa and slept for nearly an hour.

18.01.2022 Due to COVID-19, I have been doing lots of private consultations for owners with new puppies. My #1 piece of advice for toilet training still remains: GO OUTSIDE MORE OFTEN WITH YOUR PUPPY!... People underestimate the power of puppy FOMO (fear of missing out), and overestimate their puppy's capability to interpret and increase their bladder capacity. In 95% of my 3-hour consults we have ZERO toilet accidents because we go out every 30-40 minutes. I set a timer and we go outside with the puppy to give them the opportunity to toilet in the correct area. Once clients understand the effort and dedication required, they can dramatically reduce the toilet accidents in the home. One rock-star client texted me a week after our consult to say how they had taken the advice to heart and followed my example. They reported zero toilet accidents for the entire week because they were on top of it and went out to the veranda FREQUENTLY. Pretty quickly their lab started taking himself to the door to be let out to toilet. Remember, like all dog training, toilet training is a process and the more effort you put in up front, the quicker the results. So be proactive, stick with a plan, and you can dramatically reduce toilet accidents with your new puppy! Good luck!

17.01.2022 Do you know anyone looking to adopt a rescue dog? Channel 10 is looking for potential adopters that don't mind having their experiences filmed. This is a local adaptation of the popular UK show The Dog House. For more details, check the site below: https://www.thedoghouseaustraliacasting.com.au/home

17.01.2022 If you have an "energiser bunny" kind of dog, then several days of rain can present a real challenge in finding appropriate ways to drain those batteries. Check out the great graphic below for ideas on entertaining your dog and keeping them happy when staying inside is driving us all a bit stir-crazy!

17.01.2022 Got a new puppy?? Learn what is normal and expected for puppies at various ages and stages of development. In brief: RELAX about emphasising strict obedience!! Recently a big part of my work is educating new puppy owners about what is normal for young puppies. ... I get that owners demand extremely high obedience and want a well trained dog from the very early stages. But you have to be realistic about what can be expected from a being that has been on the planet for fewer than 100 days. A recent client was complaining that their 16 week old puppy wasn't walking at the heel properly, wouldn't sit for more than 2 seconds before getting up, and was still chewing items around the home. EVERY puppy is going to be pulling on the lead, exploring the world, stopping a LOT, biting the lead, jumping on people, etc. A lot of it takes time and work to overcome, and a big part of that is simply letting the puppy age and mature a bit. Biting the lead, sniffing every twig/leaf/flower/stone, and random balking (stopping) all diminish on their own naturally. Just give it time, and things will improve on their own. Don't get upset that it isn't happening fast enough. Before you get frustrated with your young puppy being disobedient and not responding to your training, first learn what is reasonable and natural for the age of your puppy. Don't expect a 5 year old kid to sit through a calculus lecture patiently! Similarly, don't expect your 16 week old puppy to sit still through an entire hour of puppy class. When you relax and adjust your expectations accordingly, you can both enjoy the puppy phase a lot more, realising that things will get better in the future, in their own time. So relax, let a puppy be a puppy, enjoy the moment. Take things slow and you'll end up with a great dog at the end. Got any questions about what is normal and realistic? Get in touch or leave a comment below.

16.01.2022 It's great that everyone is keen to train their new puppies and get them started in the right direction. But recently I find myself having to remind some puppy owners about having realistic expectations. The biggest one seems to be around wanting a young puppy to walk at the heel from early days. So many clients are getting frustrated when their 4-6 months old puppy refuses to walk at heel, and is pulling on the lead or simply too distracted to heel for more than 2-3 step...s. I recommend owners to shift from focussing on the heel, to focussing on loose-lead walking. Let your puppy be a puppy, and stop, sniff, and investigate the environment. Work on keeping that lead loose and not teaching pulling on the lead. But be flexible at the start, and lower your expectations about having to march lock-step with you the entire time you are outside. As the puppy matures, we can ask for a closer heel or to keep up with us more. But in the early days, let's lower the criteria and make life easier for everyone.

16.01.2022 PUPPY ZOOMIES!!!! Hey, Facebook people, anyone have good videos of puppy zoomies that you don't mind sharing with me (and therefore my clients and students)? I'm looking for short (1-2 minutes) videos of puppies in full crazy OTT zooming. This can be running around, bouncing off furniture, or sharknado-ish snapping jaws and killing toys. Whatever you think is your puppy's most insane zoomies, I want to see it! Please send videos via DM, or text, email, or share with me via ...your favourite cloud storage service. Thanks for your help!

13.01.2022 Some good advice from the great Dr. Katrina! As always, buyer beware...

12.01.2022 Puppy Schools are back!! If you know someone with an isolation puppy, have them sign up for a puppy socialisation class soon. Spaces limited to 3 puppies per class. Classes starting at Surry Hills and Waverley next week.

12.01.2022 If you have a new puppy now, one of your biggest struggles is going to be providing enough socialisation during the times of lockdowns. Unfortunately, this can't really be made up later, and you have to do the best you can during your puppy's developmental stages. Here's a good article to get you started on socialisation during COVID-19 lockdowns. ... Have a read and feel free to get in touch with any questions. Stay safe and enjoy your time with your dogs! https://www.avidog.com/puppy-socialization-in-the-age-of-c/

11.01.2022 The longer I am a dog trainer, the firmer my belief that positive reinforcement is the only way to go! Focus on the behaviour you WANT, and don't worry about the behaviour you don't want. The great thing is that positive reinforcement works for all animals and creatures, including humans! ... Of course payment and money can be reinforcing. But for me, one of the greatest joys (and therefore positive reinforcement) I get from being a professional dog trainer is reading all the wonderful reviews I get from satisfied clients. The kind words go a long ways to telling me that I'm doing good work and changing peoples' lives and relationships with their dogs. Check out some of the great things clients have said, and feel free to add your own review! https://g.page/k9counselling

10.01.2022 Today I want to ask you to say MORE to your dog! As I mentioned last post, we rely too much on verbal communication with our dogs. And our dogs are masters at visual communication. But there is one situation where I often see people using another form of communication altogether, and it grates my nerves! Far too often I see people using the LEAD as a communication device. They use the lead like reins of a horse to control their dog. They pull back to tell the dog to slow dow...n or stop. They pull the lead to ‘steer’ their dog. I hate most when people yank up on the lead to tell their dog ‘sit’... If you ever want to have your dog listen to you when they are off lead, then you need to use something other than the lead to communicate with them. So think of your voice as the steering wheel, and lead as the safety wire. When your dog is on lead, don’t use the lead to communicate with them. Use your voice and words that you have trained previously! Don’t tug up on the lead to get them to sit. Just use your voice, and ask them to sit! Don’t yank the lead to get them going. Use your voice and a ‘let’s go’. If they don’t respond to the verbal or visual cue, put more effort into building that reliability. Don’t resort to using the lead for communication. The added benefit will be a reduction in selective hearing that clients often complain about. So stop using the lead to communicate to your dog, and use your voice more!

10.01.2022 I've said it before, but it's worth repeating again: If you're having difficulties training or teaching a new behaviour, break it down and take smaller steps. I had a puppy school client express her frustration recently how she couldn't get her puppy to stay while she took even one step away... ... My solution? Don't take a full step away! I took "one step away" and broke it down into several smaller components. I then rewarded and reset after each one, and slowly moved to the next one. - just move left foot back a little - move left foot back further - shift weight slightly to left foot - shift more weight to left foot - move right foot back a little - move right foot back to beside left foot So it actually took me around 10 repetitions to just take "one step away". When you and your puppy are both getting frustrated over a "simple behaviour", maybe think about how you can make it even simpler! If you're stuck and can't think about how to make something simpler, just leave a message below or get in contact and I'll see if I can help you get unstuck.

09.01.2022 Train or just manage?? One of the biggest takeaways people get from my consultations is that you don't always have to be making it better every time you leave the house. Sometimes, just not making it worse is enough! Lots of owners feel pressure to always be improving things every time they go for a walk or take their dog out. But that doesn't have to be the case. You can work on training when you have the time, the patience, the plan, and are prepared. ... But if you are missing any of those, then it is perfectly fine to just manage, and not actually be training. For example, if you have a dog that is reactive to other dogs on lead, you don't always have to be actively training when you leave the home. Maybe you want to just pop down to grab a coffee and come back. Or it has been a really stressful day and you want to walk the dog but don't have the energy to try and do the training. In those cases, just think about how you can go out without making it worse. Maybe you cross the street when you see another dog. Or you do an emergency U-turn, or walk around a parked car. It doesn't make things better, but at least it keeps things from getting worse. So don't be afraid to pick and choose the times you want to actually train, and all the other times just resort to management. If you need ideas about management options, feel free to get in touch or leave a comment below!

08.01.2022 If you or anyone you know is looking to get an "isolation puppy", please BE CAREFUL! Per the linked article, scammers are targeting puppy buyers heavily during this time, and even asking for premiums due to the COVID-19 situation. Do your homework and make sure the seller is legitimate. Be very careful about sending money in advance.... You can check their reputation on Facebook, state breeders associations, or breed associations, etc. Demand to see all the puppies via video call, including showing the home, and some form of ID during the call. Ask for a veterinarian reference to confirm the seller has taken the puppies somewhere and the vet knows the seller. Otherwise, good luck with your new puppy and hope it all goes smoothly! https://itwire.com//scammers-hit-aussies-looking-for-a-cud

08.01.2022 Great graphic explaining why most dogs are great at sit and not so great at recall... Add to this example, every time you punish the recall, you are actually removing a token from the jar. Reinforce doesn't have to equal food, and punish can be as mild as clipping on the lead to go home. I know a lot of dogs whose token jar is negative balance for the recall! So yeah, start reinforcing more the behaviours that you want to see more of.

08.01.2022 Recently I've had several clients who were doing all the right things, but still weren't getting the results they were expecting. They had researched positive reinforcement techniques, and had success in lots of other areas of training their dog. But in certain areas they just weren't successful. In many cases, the reason wasn't to do with the technique, but with their expectations and the criteria they were using. ... They had made it far too difficult for the dog, and both the owners and the dogs were getting frustrated. In 2 cases, the owners were expecting complete relaxation and calmness when greeting visitors. This way too hard for dogs less than a year old! So in both cases, I asked them to lower their criteria and make it easier for the dog to understand. Once we made it easier, they started to see improvements quickly. So we started with the simple criteria of "no jumping up (4-on-the-floor)". Once the dog gets that, then we can start to increase the requirement, maybe to a sit. And then to a sit-stay as the person approaches. If you're struggling with teaching your dog a new behaviour, maybe consider how you can adjust the criteria to make it easier at the beginning. Sometimes, we need to take a few steps back before we can take steps forward. If you need help in finding ways to make things easier, just leave a comment below, or get in touch! Happy training!

07.01.2022 If your dog has separation anxiety, they must be loving the current situation! But, you won't be working from home forever. Eventually life will get back to a (new) normal state... Now that you are spending lots of time at home with your dog, this is the perfect opportunity to address their separation anxiety and try to improve it for when you eventually have to go back to work. Check out the article below for an explanation of why NOW is the best time to teach this. ... I am offering remote consults, so if you want personalised advice on how to train your dog to tolerate being on heir own better, please get in touch! https://thebark.com/content/separation-anxiety-training

07.01.2022 Do you want an obedient dog, or a well mannered dog? Most people will say ‘both’, or more likely, what’s the difference, aren’t they the same? To me, they are subtly different, and therefore require different approaches to training or teaching manners versus obedience. ... Obedience is all about teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to your dog. You teach cues that your dog responds to, typically by doing a behaviour. They learn that the word ‘sit’ means please put your bum on the ground. So an obedient dog is one that responds to cues, and does behaviours that it is asked to do. However, manners is more about dogs doing (or not doing) behaviours without having to be told. For example, my dog has learned not to jump up on me when I get home. I don’t have to tell him ‘sit’, he just knows what to do and not do. Too often I see clients so focussed on having their dogs obey cues, that they don’t give them a chance to learn manners on their own. The dogs are just constantly being told what to do, and (for the most part) they just do what they are told. I’d much rather have a dog that has some freedom, but also knows manners (the rules, limits and boundaries in my home). This requires a lot more patience in the beginning, but the pay-off is so much more rewarding! Leave a comment below if you want any tips on teaching your dog manners in a specific situation. Happy Training!

02.01.2022 I’m often asked is things should be BLACK AND WHITE with dogs, or are there GREY areas? As always, both can be correct, and it depends on the context. Rules, limits and boundaries are clearest when they are black and white. ... Examples include: - allowed on sofa or bed? - is jumping up on people ok? - is your dog allowed to mouth you in play? - etc In all of the above cases, you are much better off having a firm, clear YES or NO. Dogs do not understand ‘sometimes’ well, and it can be very difficult to train them to understand this concept. So if they are allowed on the bed, it should pretty much unrestricted. Not some arbitrary "sometimes is OK, others times is not." So, in my home, one sofa is dog friendly, and the other is no dogs allowed. This very clear and constant. I encourage you to adopt these kinds of black and white rules. The grey areas come into play when we are talking about teaching new cues or manners and behaviours. In many instances, we want to make it as easy as possible for the dog, then slowly make it harder and harder. Examples that fall into this category include: - sleeping on your own away from people - learning a sit-stay - teaching recall - go to bed while people are eating In these instances we start with very short durations or whatever the dog is capable of achieving. And then we slowly increase the criteria, little by little. I don’t expect a young puppy to perform a sit-stay for 5 minutes while I walk away. That’s just too difficult and unrealistic. So I start with getting him to sit for a few seconds, and build from there. I slowly add time and then eventually add distance. And after many weeks, I can get him to sit for 5 minutes while I walk away. So I’ll ask you think about dividing things into black/white rules, or making it easy then slowing increasing criteria. If you have a question about which category a particular behaviour or situation should fall into, just leave a comment below!