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Pawtential Dog Training

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24.01.2022 My Motto to all my clients "If your dog is unsure then get their nose to the floor!" For super sniffy time!

24.01.2022 This is Hugo. We hung out together recently working through some emotional issues!

22.01.2022 Kangaroo kisses.

22.01.2022 Please remember! All behaviour is caused by the environment, therefore all behaviour needs to be considered in the context and environment in which it occured. Thanks to the Pet Professional Guild Australia for the poster. #equinebehavior

22.01.2022 We’ve had massive break throughs with sunrise this week. She’s been happily coming over to me with a loose, wiggly body. She’s initiated some cuddles.... I have been able to walk around without having to have her on a leash. And this morning we had our first little play. All 20 seconds of it before she changed her mind. Small progress. But it’s progress. You shouldn’t be judging your dog’s behaviour on any other dog. The idea you have in your head of what a ‘normal’ dog should be or do is likely very far from reality. Most dogs have their issues and battles just like most people do. What may not be a big deal for me, will likely be a big deal for someone else, and vice versa and what may not be a big deal for one dog will likely be for another. Sunrise is quite a special case IMO. It’s been just under 3 months and it’s been painfully slow. But, when things start going well, it all becomes very worth while. Moral of the story, don’t give up and trust the process. Thanks to all our patrons for helping us get to this point. If you want to help and get access to exclusive content consider becoming a patron here: www.patreon.com/thinkdogtraining

21.01.2022 A few weeks ago, I had a spider bite me and also a spider crawl into my ear.... I was a little bitch with both scenarios. When the spider crawled into my ear, ...doctor google said to fill the ear canal with vegetable oil and then flush it out with warm water. I knew what was going to happen and I still made a complete fuss about it. We had to flush my ear out 3 times because I kept flinching and yet I had complete control over the situation, I just really didn’t like it. Here’s poodle getting his nightly ear medication. He’s so much more tolerant of it than I was. I’m trying to make it as tolerable as possible, but to think that he’ll one day enjoy things getting squirted into his ears is ridiculous. But we can try to make it as co-operable and as stress free as possible. Point of the story is we expect so much of our dogs compared to of any other species, including ourselves. Training 100% helps (that’s why we do it), but don’t expect miracles unless you’re willing to put in A LOT of work. If you do put in a lot of work, it might actually feel like a miracle is at play.

19.01.2022 This video of a dog watching a soccer game is just .... hysterical!

19.01.2022 I think the biggest thing a lot of people struggle with when initially starting to train their dog using 'positive reinforcement' strategies is that they don't ...see how this will STOP any 'problem' behaviours. As dog trainers we are constantly contacted about help with stopping x,y and z behaviours and very rarely are we contacted asking for help to teach any behaviours instead If we can change the way we think about behaviour modification this would be a lot more helpful for everyone, especially the dogs. When I work with dogs, the first thing I think about, is what exactly do I want the dog to be doing in certain situations. At the pub, for example, I want the dog lying down and chilling. So I focus on teaching that. I don't focus on STOPPING anything. I set the dog up so they can lie down and then I reinforce that behaviour. If they are then taught what to do and then I reinforce that behaviour heavily (making it very likely to keep occurring) I don't have to even consider stopping anything. A dog can't be lunging and barking if they're lying down calmly or asleep. And the same principle applies for the most common problem we get contacted about - reactivity towards other dogs. Instead of thinking about 'stopping the reactivity' first ask yourself what you would like them to do instead. It might be as simple as walking next to you and looking at you as opposed to the other dog. That's a good and realistic starting point. Then we simply teach it. And we can start right now, in the house. With reinforcement based training we need to build what we call a 'reinforcement history' of a specific behaviour initially. This will help your dog develop the 'good' habits. We don't start when they're outside going crazy at other dogs. We start in an environment that allows the dog to learn. The home environment is the perfect place to start as it's likely the most comfortable environment for them. Literally just walk around and feed your dog when they walk next you. They will start to realise that the good stuff happens when walking next you. This is the start - it's very basic. Then we gradually introduce more distractions slowly and before you know it, that's the default behaviour for your dog to practise. We then look at different reinforcement strategies so it works in all different environments so the reinforcement will change, how we offer it changes and what WE do changes too. That can be the challenging part because too many people think positive reinforcement means to 'give the dog a treat when they do something good', which is like saying 'maths is just adding and subtracting' and then wondering why you can never work out how to do algebra. There's a little more too it than most people think. So here's Mack. He has very BIG feelings. He has a tendency to react towards other dogs. But, as you can see he's offering a different behaviour when a dog on the opposite side of the road shouts at him. And the cool thing about positive reinforcement is, once you get the behaviour, you just need to maintain it. You don't need to constantly feed them as you walk past the triggers. I was just letting know Mack he's a goodfella here because I like him and he likes to think of himself as a bit of a gangster as well. For help, more in-depth videos (70+ and growing) check out our patreon page here: www.patreon.com/thinkdogtraining

19.01.2022 With permission from Lewis Nicholls This is fantastic !! #dogbehaviour

18.01.2022 When you wanna play fetch but someone starts playing fiddle music Video idea from Greg Dobbin

16.01.2022 The thinking side of the dogs brain is where they make decisions, is able to process information clearly and is able to think about what they are doing and what... consequences that behaviour will have. It’s the best frame of mind for learning and so where we need to be training dogs. The danger brain is only there for survival. It’s their fight or flight centre but every piece of information our dogs receive passes through this before getting to the thinking brain. If it senses information that is new, or learned to be a potential threat, it can override the thinking brain completely in 0.02 seconds and the dog does not choose if this happens, it’s reflexive and impulsive. Once it activates, the dogs only motive is self preservation. When a dog is acting under stress and it’s danger brain has kicked in it may be barking, lunging, trying to flee or even being aggressive, it’s not choosing to do so! It’s panicking and it’s goal is self preservation. When a dog gets affected by stress fear or anxiety to the point that this side of the brain has been activated our only goal should be to do what it takes for this to no longer be the case. Calming them down, making them comfortable and bringing them back to the thinking brain by removing the dog from the stimulus, the stimulus from the dog or offering something they enjoy such as food. Punishing a dog for these behaviours may put an immediate stop to it but will ultimately compound the issue further. Strengthening the learnt negative association that caused the aggression in the first place. People get worried about using positive reinforcement when the dog is acting this way. It is physically impossible to reward a negative emotional state and make them want to feel that way again. No amount of treats or pats in the world will make them want to have a panic attack again. See more

15.01.2022 Start ‘em young! When you start taking your pup out, teach them that you’re just as fun and interactive (if not more) when you’re at a park as you are at home.... If you’re no fun, then they’ll look for other things that are. You’ll just be someone in the background. The training requires effort on your part as well. The things I’m focusing on here are reinforcing any type of engagement, how I’m offering food to make it more fun (ie adding a chase element) and where I’m offering it (low to the ground to reduce the jumping up - puppies love jumping up!) Simple but effective stuff! If you want to work with us from a distance, check out our patreon: Www.patreon.com/thinkdogtraining

15.01.2022 The importance of the sniff

13.01.2022 Online lessons available with Pawtential!

13.01.2022 I think this woofer made a new friend!

13.01.2022 Reinforcement is what drives behaviour. Not necessarily ‘treats’ or food, but reinforcement. It’s that simple. Food is just the easiest reinforcer we all have... and use every day. Even if we’re not aware of it. Most people aren’t interested in being amazing dog trainers, they just want their dog to stop shitting in the house or pulling their arm off when out for a walk. So if you’re feeding your dog each day, use it more tactically and you’ll be able to help teach your dog what you want them to do and it will also help you develop a good relationship with them. When working with any animals classical conditioning is always at play. They are always forming associations. Are you a bit of a dick or are you the source of the good stuff? If you’re focusing on them respecting you, you’re probably a little insecure and that’s what you probably want to focus on instead. Them respecting you is the last of your worries. Here’s our young chooks. Our older chooks have mites so we had to treat them yesterday and trying to catch them was like watching rocky with an out of shape Rocky with a lot more flapping in the face. So with the youngsters were teaching them to hopefully enjoy interacting with us or at least tolerating being handled. It makes things so much easier and less stressful later on.

12.01.2022 Absolutely let them sniff! Graphic by our own Welfare For Animals

11.01.2022 Hey Buddy Comics

10.01.2022 Many times every week I tell owners of reactive dogs the same thing: Please stop worrying about taking your dog for exercise walks. Maybe it is time to stop wal...ks for a while. And here is why. . If your dog crosses his threshold reliably when you walk him - whether that is because he reacts intensely to every dog in the neighborhood or he is highly anxious about traffic noises or he cannot be around people at this point - then every time you expose him to his trigger in a high intensity HIS REACTIONS WILL GET WORSE. . Stress responses rarely disappear into thin air one day. Rather, the dog goes through a cycle of encountering his trigger - being stressed - reacting intensely - and becoming EVEN MORE LIKELY to react badly the next time. . What you might be doing by continuously walking your reactive dog in an environment that’s full of trigger is to actually ingrain and strengthen his reactive response. . Now, I am all for exercising dogs both physically and mentally. But we need to look at this in the bigger picture. What good does it do if your dog had a 2 mile walk but he flipped out 10 times during it? Is this really the level of adrenaline you want him to associate with a stroll around the neighborhood? Should we not weigh the dog’s longterm mental wellbeing against the benefits of physical exercise through walking? (By the way - an on-leash walk is not actually tiring physical exercise for most healthy adult dogs anyway) . For most dogs with reactivity problems, we need to cease all random exposure to triggers and work on them in isolated, well-planned out settings. This could mean not walking your dog in your neighborhood at 7pm when everyone else is out. Or maybe not at all in your neighborhood - and instead in a less busy area nearby. Or maybe it means finding other forms of exercising his mind and body for a while. Please do not feel like you need to walk your dog in the presence of his triggers daily. . You know your own dog best. Does he seem highly stressed after his walks because he encountered a dozen scary and difficult situations? Then that walk is probably not worth it. . Be your dog’s advocate - if you listen to your intuition you probably already know if he should be walked or not. See more

10.01.2022 Hung out with Reggie the French Bulldog puppy this morning

09.01.2022 The action of running and catching the object releases adrenaline and some experts now believe that this can lead to the release of the powerful chemical corti...sol.... Many animal trainers and behaviourists are concerned that overexposure to cortisol can result in behavioural changes. Moderation of ball games, avoiding daily, repetitive ball games and varying it with scent games like searching for scattered treats or hidden scents are much more healthy alternatives, that also work to bring down stress levels and tire out an individual more effectively. https://pethelpful.com/dogs/Is-Playing-Fetch-Bad-For-My-Dog https://www.nytimes.com/20//27/science/dogs-fetch.amp.html

09.01.2022 We all often hear the argument Our dogs can discipline each other and be fine - why can’t we do the same? I recently for example had someone comment this on ...a post about reactivity training. That’s extra curious to me, as reactive dogs obviously are struggling with some part of doggy communication, so using more of the same might not actually be the best way? . Anyway - why DO we not utilize the same kind of swift, often harsh corrections that dogs have no problems using for each other? We need to look closely at what dog-to-dog relationships really look like. Of course, the corrections do work. I am not claiming they don’t. Dogs that are stern and harsh with other dogs certainly manage to make their boundaries very clear. We all know a grumpy dog that all the other dogs make sure to stay far away from because he snaps as soon as they come close. So why not follow his example? . The answer is that we are never - NEVER - only training one voluntary behavior. We are always - ALWAYS - training a conditioned emotional response to go along with it (how our dog feels about us and training with us). That grumpy dog that snarls whenever another dog comes too close does not just teach them to stay far away. He actually mostly teaches them that he is difficult, somewhat unpredictable and NOT someone that’s fun to be around. . The way dogs interact with each other can highly depend on the level of social skills, friendliness and predictability another dog has. We are not dogs. Our dogs don’t believe we are dogs. There is no reason to behave like a dog and harshly correct a dog due to the reasoning that this is somehow intuitive to them. . I want my dogs to see me as an always predictable, kind and reliable partner. There actually are dogs that have great relationships with each other and do not have any escalations. Let’s model our relationship after those, rather than the dogs that always use their teeth to get what they want! . Happy Training :) See more

08.01.2022 I am irrationally scared of shots. I know they are going to keep me healthy and they don't usually hurt but that doesn't make me feel better. Dogs do not under...stand that most vet procedures are there to keep them healthy or make them better. It is more similiar to an alien abduction then my trip to the doctors office. They don't understand that the vaccine is to keep them from getting sick or that you are checking their temperature to make sure they are healthy. To them it is just scary. You can help them by working on cooperative care at home and then eventually at the vets office, taking them into the vets office just to visit and get treats, and work with a fear free vet who sets up their office to make the trip as easy for your pets as possible. Here is a video of Luna who is doing great practicing injections.

08.01.2022 REUNITED!!!! Heartfelt gratitude from Jo’s family to all the kind people who shared this post!!! Thank you so much!! PLEASE SHARE THIS POST. ... Beautiful Jack Russell puppy stolen from someone in a white vehicle from my friend’s home on Chevallum Road in Palmwoods, this afternoon at about 5.20pm. They are heartbroken. He is a 10 month old, long haired brown & white male. His name is Gus and he’s very friendly. He is microchipped. Please share this post as you never know how it might help.

05.01.2022 Some select few individuals have had the audacity to suggest my 100% guaranteed, no ifs or buts recall isn’t working for them. This is obviously not true and i...t’s a user error issue. So I’ve broken the steps down you need to take... #recallchamp

04.01.2022 Something people should know when interacting with an assistance dog team... spread it wide and far Thanks for putting it out there @stark__raving__sane #mindDogAustralia #minddogau #minddogs #minddogau #psychiatricassistancedog #psychiatricservicedog #breakthestigma

01.01.2022 When your lack of sheepdog experience is cruelly exposed on your first day. : Imgur user WOBaskerville