empaw

11/10/2022

The spotlight effect & walking a reactive dog ... and great tips for how to make it a better experience

06/04/2022

Adding to the list of canine dream jobs

24/03/2022

A Dog's World on ABC iView ... about dogs, their logic & emotions, & how they've evolved to fit so extremely well into human society

Quite good

Explore the scientific journey of canine evolution from wild wolf to our best friend and trace the fascinating history of the human/dog relationship. Dogs were the first animal ever domesticated and this long-shared alliance has intertwined their biology with ours.

08/03/2022

How to introduce yourself to strangers... great tips from Irwin Dog Training. Also some good guidelines for meeting unfamiliar dogs in general, because:

- they might be nervous

- even happy-dancing, falling-out-of-myself-to-come-over-and-say-HI kind of dogs can benefit from being ignored at first, and not be fussed about by random strangers

It can help them to learn to approach strangers in a calm composed manner, and improve their chances of maturing into calm, stable, go-anywhere kind of dogs who know there's a time for parties, and a time for ignoring (and being ignored) in public

21/01/2022

Precisely

The more I do this work the more I’m convinced that what’s at the core of the most rewarding and joyful dog-human relationships isn’t training experience, or exceptional handler skills, or having raised dogs your entire life. It’s basic compassion and common sense.

It’s the ability to see the world from the point of view of another living being, in this case, from the point of view of our dogs.

It’s taking a moment to decenter ourselves and see our dogs’ behavior not based on how it impacts us, makes us look or feel, but from their point of view.

Dog training info and social media can be downright scary—pseudoscience, egos, fear mongering, and constant assertion of power and control.

People are made to feel guilty for showing their dogs basic acts of kindness or indulging in small moments of pleasure like sharing food or cuddling on the couch.

Our time with our dogs is so brief. None of us are going to look back and say, “wow, I’m so glad I never let my dog on the couch!” or “I’m so happy I didn’t comfort them when they were scared.”

Yes of course teaching life skills matters, but please don’t forget why you’ve chosen to share a life with a dog in the first place.

Don’t forget the joy and give them the compassion you’d want to receive if you were navigating a foreign world that wasn’t designed for you.

[ID: A screenshot of a tweet and tweet replies by Jack Herrera that read We give dogs a hard time for overreacting to normal things, but I think I too would react poorly if someone grabbed me and started trying to give me a bath. A stranger suddenly walks into my house? My reaction likely wouldn’t be quiet and calm. A massive explosion and a shower of sparks suddenly fills the sky for reasons I do not understand? I’d also be concerned!]

Original tweet: https://twitter.com/jherrerx/status/1483310435466153984?s=21

20/01/2022

How to invite a bite

29/12/2021

Fantastic resource - and remember to see body language in context

22/12/2021

Just a reminder this holiday season (and always)...
please DON’T walk up to dogs with your hand outstretched to “say hi and let them sniff”. Even if you think they’re friendly.

It’s common advice but it’s not good advice! This is not good doggy manners and you risk being bitten. Dogs don’t have hands and they don’t understand that weird human “handshake” ritual. Approach them while extending your hand into their personal space and they may well feel the need to protect their space and their body. This is especially the case if they are tied up.

If you really feel the need to greet a dog, let them approach you. Turn slightly side on, ask them if they’d like to come over and say hi by patting your leg and chatting quietly or making silly noises, and then *respect their answer* if they say no thanks.

You wouldn’t walk up to a stranger in the street and put your hand into their face, so don’t do it with a dog. The dog and your local ER doctor will thank you for it.

Visit this page, discuss with your kids and show them the cartoons:

https://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/preventing-dog-bites-by-learning-to-greet-dogs-properly/amp/

17/12/2021

An evergreen

You can find all the Christmas Bites, with lots of detail and video demos here: https://aniedireland.com/christmas-bites/

Including the current bite, no.3, here: https://aniedireland.com/2021/12/13/christmas-bites-2021-no-3/

01/12/2021

How to REALLY be a leader for your dog.

This is so good - a Kim Brophey podcast distilled into pictures by Canineology. I can warmly recommend the podcast too:
"Talking dogs, social currency and leadership" on DogSpeak
https://listennotes.com/podcasts/dogspeak/talking-dogs-social-currency-VEtQfsiRBWg/

24/09/2021

Precisely

🐑🐕
-Do you own a breed that was developed specifically to do a job or task?
-If they aren’t doing that specific thing- what do you do for/with them that scratches that genetic itch?

I’m sure other breed owners would love to learn about new ways to meet their dog’s needs. ❤️

Great post by SpiritDog Training!!