The Bark Side Dog Care

23/09/2023

I know we’re playing catch-up, but let’s time travel for the day so I can share our day and some heartfelt thoughts… ⏩️

BRIAR TURNS 1️⃣: Today was Briar’s first birthday and he had a truly awesome day! We started with some obedience training over breakfast, then a relaxed walk around the neighbourhood. Then we drove to a fitting studio where Briar was fitted with a new harness just for him. He was an absolute angel in the studio, considering by the end we had an entire pile of tried and discarded harnesses to show how long we’d spent fitting him, not to mention the number of times we’d made adjustments. My impatient, touch-sensitive doggo did great! Then it was lunchtime – okay, fine, that means he sat next to the café table while the humans ate lunch. But still! Always nice to visit somewhere new, right? Last of all, we stopped by the pet store to get a recent weight for photo-a-month project (those of you who have been following know the one!) and to pick up a few oh-so-necessary birthday items. Every birthday boy needs a bow tie! Back home we did the final photoshoot for our project and a special one for his birthday, and then finally it was naptime! It was truly a good day and I am SO proud and thrilled with his behaviour today.

He hasn’t been an easy dog for me. Combine a tenacious temperament with a family not prepared for a dog like him and then throw in some big life challenges for me along the way – poor health, work changes and so on – and it’s been touch-and-go so many times. Most days I’m still asking myself if I’m doing the right thing by having him in my life. He hasn’t been the dog I expected and right now, the picture of our lives looks nothing like what I thought it would. But I’m hoping that’s okay, and we will continue to live and learn together, and work towards some of my goals. Days like today make it worth it. Happy birthday, buddy. 💚

(Today, 23 Sept 2023)

27/02/2023

It took me many years to get my own dog. I didn't mind the wait, because I've had the pleasure of living and working with so many of your dogs.

But yes, I GOT A DOG! Life has a way of throwing curveballs and I've had a lot to juggle recently, so I've only just gotten to making an Instagram to share the newest member of my family. We're still at the baby polar bear stage of the album, but I will catch up to where we are now, I promise!

Meet Briar the White Swiss Shepherd - born Sept 2022 and home with me since Nov 2022. He's a handful, a great dog, and I've been promised it'll all be worth it. Follow us to see the journey.

13 Followers, 10 Following, 24 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Briar ()

13/09/2022

So you’ve got a herdy dog. A Border Collie, Huntaway, Kelpie, Beardie, etc etc. They need a lot of exercise, right?

So you head out to the park, ball thrower in hand and play fetch. Back and forward back and forward, with the dog getting more and more amped and fixated on that ball with each rep.

They might be temporarily falling over from physical exhaustion by the end of it, but their brains are more wired than ever. A quick rest later and they’re ready to go again, often crazier than when you started. You’ve created a dopamine and adrenaline addict who needs more and more to be satisfied.

🙅🏻‍♀️ Please, stop. 🙅🏻‍♀️

On a busy mustering day on the farm we regularly covered over 30km, double that on occasion. I made my farm dogs ride on the bike for as much as I could, but they still did at least double that again running back and forward, up and down the steep hills rounding up bulls and barking at full noise the whole way. So yeah, they are CAPABLE of a lot of exercise. If you’re running ultra marathons in the mountains at top speed maybe you could tire them out physically.

But the important bit about the working life IS NOT the amount of physical exercise they’re doing. It’s the work and the control around it. Left, over, push em up, get in behind, and the “oh s**t that bull is coming at me I better move out of the way” or “hey, mum missed that yearling - I better grab it”. They are thinking and responding the whole way. THAT is the bit they’re bred for.

Instead of straight up trying to wear your herdy dog out, think about the work they are designed for and give them an outlet for that instead.

🌟 Use a ball, but use it as an object to develop control around rather than a mindless back and forward high arousal activity. I trained a few herdy dogs their lefts, rights and stops for work and life using a soccer ball - if they can listen while a ball is moving, that’s a nice stepping stone towards control on stock or in other high arousal situation. A flirt pole or tug toy can be used in much the same way.

🌟 Use their nose. Put them in a down, go hide their toy or some treats out of sight then release them to go gather them back up. Without that visual target to be fixated on, they are forced to slow down and really think rather than it being a mindless game of chase.

🌟 Get them learning new cues. They’re bred to want to work with humans, so teach them some things you can do together. Whether that’s trick training, agility, obedience or whatever you choose. Use that magnificent brain.

🌟 Put them in a structured heel. They can exercise with you, but they have to engage their brains and think about where they are in relation to you.

🌟 In contrast to that, give them decompression time where calmness is the focus. Let them learn to exercise and sniff around without it needing to be a high arousal go go go thing.

Put your working dog to work and watch the magic happen.

If you’ve got a dog you want some help with, flick me a message. I offer training consults throughout the Waikato, as well as virtually. www.wolfedogs.nz

18/03/2022

WE REALLY DID IT.

Mousse has been adopted into his forever home as Rafiki - "friend" in Swahili - as he will be a treasured companion to his new doggy brother, Twiga the Ridgeback X!

Twiga is an incredibly good-natured, curious, happy fellow who will no doubt guide Rafiki through life. Between Twiga and his caring, patient, dog-experienced human mum, I could not have asked for more. Rafiki loves his new mum and sleeps every night indoors snuggled up with his new brother.

PICTURED: the day I collected him from the shelter; ⏩ the day he discovered the deep dark secret of squeaky toys 😱 (he's a sensitive soul, ok?); ⏩ the day he met his new brother but played like old friends.

Also pictured: Rafiki with doggy friends Scout and Charlotte — a big thanks to ALL the humans & dogs, too many to name, who helped on this journey.

Enjoy your new home, Rafiki - you now have everything you deserve and I know you will thrive. Thank you for all you have taught us. 💕

05/03/2022

We did it!

My work at the animal shelter keeps me busy. My role includes assessing dogs, training/rehab, managing their cases and trying to find the best outcomes possible for both humans and dogs. It's a tough gig, so work/life balance is important.

But there are times it's hard not to take work home. Last August, on impulse, I did. His name is Mousse, we guess he's about 5 years old, and he's my first foster dog (not counting puppy raising).

Mousse came to our shelter from a hoarding-type situation. He had been kept in a kennel in squalid conditions, and likely never lived in a home. He is a very sweet dog but was extremely stressed in shelter - panting, pacing, barking, not eating well. We thought I'd take him home for a week or two to make sure he could cope OK in a home environment before making him available for adoption.

Fast forward almost 7 MONTHS - scroll past lots of behavioural rehab, medical treatment, some sheer bad luck (why do birds hate him so much?) and lots of support from friends and colleagues - Mousse is finally ready for adoption!

It's been a long journey with big ups and downs. I've learned a lot - including how troubled an undersocialised dog can be, and how different a dog can be in and outside of a shelter. It's also reinforced the all important lesson for trainers: always, always, ALWAYS rule out potential physical causes of 'behavioural problems'.

But back to Mousse! He is a very sweet boy. Socially awkward? Yes. Noise sensitive? Yes. Thinks too much? Maybe. He's also affectionate, dog friendly, food motivated, quiet and toilet trained.

If you know anyone who has a place in their home and heart for the sweetest, most awkward kelpie ever, please let me know.

This is Mousse! Mousse looks like he's just strolled off the set of Muster Dogs. No need to worry, he's a far cry from participating in antics of the likes of Lucifer. If you're in want of your very own Muster Dog (in looks), but whose 'muster' is more about mustering the courage to even set foot in...

19/01/2022

💯 % this. My foster dog is timid and very undersocialised so I LOVE seeing him come out of his shell when another dog is present, but his lack of social skills and experience means that he will invade their personal space.

Now that he is gaining confidence he will also try to chase other dogs and occasionally nip them (normal behaviour for his breed). Some dogs enjoy this and join in the game with him, which is nice. Some don’t notice or mind, and that’s fine too.

But it is MY responsibility to leash him and move him away from other dogs who don’t like rude dogs, because that’s what he is - not responding to another dog’s signals to go away is rude! Just because he doesn’t know any better doesn’t mean others should have to tolerate his behaviour.

(Note it is ALSO my responsibility not to trap him in frustrating situations, leading to potential reactivity (a precursor to aggression). His emotional well-being is as important as the physical & emotional needs of others. Luckily, he responds very well to my direction here because I haven’t let him feel trapped - instead I’ve guided him out of a frustrating situation.)

Do you make sure your dog is considerate of others?

PS. Sorry for the radio silence! I have been busy with work and fostering, but hope to fill you all in as we go along.

01/08/2021

I think this is why I like dogs.
(That is, their persistent and oblivious insistence on what they enjoy, whether you want it or not).

08/06/2021

This this this! Many people with new puppies get told to randomly sn**ch their dogs food bowl away, stick their hands in the bowl or pet them while they eat to “make sure they can”. Actually, this annoys your dog and he might start being possessive of his food because he now knows you might sn**ch it away without warning! Just let your dog eat - or talk to your trainer about effective ways to prevent food aggression.

03/06/2021

I'm sure you've seen this comic floating around - originally posted on Tumblr by user cupcakelogic in 2015. All credit to the original artist!

This week's houseguest, Tora, may have been the muse for it! Who else has one of these dogs?

09/05/2021

MOTHER'S DAY. Today I planned to attend a family lunch at my brother's in-laws' home (covid = no restaurants for us). During the week, I had strategised how to make the absence of all humans in the house for a few hours as stress-free as possible for boarder Scruffy, who has shown signs of separation anxiety. He wasn't going to like it, but he would be safe and he would cope.

But Scruffy has been increasingly stressy for a couple of days now - not sleeping through the night, whining and demand barking at me all morning.

Despite my following a cunning 'escape plan' (with a few hiccups - our family would be terrible secret agents), Scruffy clearly wasn't coping. I sat in our driveway listening to him bark and waiting for completion of the final phase: my parents sneak out the front door and join the getaway car - but I knew I couldn't leave him to howl.

So change of plans - I'm home today with the Scruffball, instead. He's sound asleep next to me now. My mother will still enjoy her lunch with the rest of the family. I'm disappointed to miss out - but when I sent through my apologies, my brother responded: "you're like mommy to the doggo today!".

He's right - mothers, mother-figures and carers of all types - including lots of pet owners - make sacrifices to make sure their kids are happy, healthy and well-adjusted - little things like this and big things too. So to all those who are mother to a human or animal - thank you and happy mother's day! 💐

06/05/2021

For those of you who missed it - Scruffy is back! This funny dude first came to stay 5 years ago with his labradoodle housemate, Charlie. They've stayed a few times - Scruffy came on his own for training boot camp in 2017 😜 - but it's been a few years since the last visit. He's an interesting guy so keep an eye out for more Scruffy news to come!