DogCentric

11/03/2023

So here I'm reflecting... so to change a dog's behaviour we can pair rewards at the sight of the scary thing. We can then get closer to the scary thing. However when a dog might be very food driven, they can end up in a situation where their food drive, overrides their fear. This is when distance, and small steps become vital.

20/12/2022

My learning this week... So our lovely Spike just loves kids, he goes up to them and wags his tail, makes a beeline to prams.

Yesterday he met a toddler who has a similar looking dog who knows him well. This boy was a hugger. He gave Spike a pat then repeatedly grabbed him around the back and bottom. Spike swung around to look at him, his body language was appeasing, then he started to lick his lips - a clear sign of stress.

So I intervened.

So I learnt that Spike loves kids that don't grab and hold him. A good reminder to always monitor your dogs and if they are stressed change the situation!

Keep your dogs safe xx

28/11/2022

Excellent article with links to more great information!

We expect dogs to live serenely & effortlessly in a world of human’s making without showing any signs of being dogs. We are surprised when they act like dogs.

03/11/2022

So smart!

Girls rule and boys drool comes to mind! 😂🤣

Excerpt from The Daily Telegraph

25/10/2022

Training Tuesday - My dog is 'stupid'!

I often get clients telling me that their dog is 'stupid'. When I ask why they are saying this the answer is: He knows exactly how to sit at home in the kitchen but now in class, it seems he has never heard that word before!

Your dog is not 'stupid', we humans have just forgotten about the 3 Ds in training:
- Distance
- Duration
- Distraction

This simply means if you are in a new environment (more distractions), stay a bit closer (distance) and only ask for a short sit (duration). If necessary go back to a lure and then phase the lure.
I promise your dog tries their very best with limited information in a challenging environment!

11/10/2022

22/09/2022

Here’s a corrected infographic to help fix the popular but incorrect meme that has been circulating on social media this last month.
Please DON’T post “But I’ve heard X food is toxic” in the comments, rather, post the research studies (not links to outdated dog websites or blogs that haven’t bothered to clarify their poorly written material) about foods that have been declared “toxic” if consumed by pets with no science to back up the claim.
When you spend time searching the literature for toxicology studies on the feeding of fresh fruits and veggies to pets you come up shockingly empty-handed. AAFCO/FEDIAF state we should not feed these foods to pets: onions, grapes/raisins, macadamia nuts and chocolate. Those studies exist, but that’s it. 4 foods.
Compare that to never ending TOXIC/DON’T FEED lists found all over social media and it’s so confusing; even worse, people share these posts without doing any research.
There’s a big difference between feeding a giant pit in a fruit (or a wad of bark or leaves) and feeding normal amounts the actual edible fruit or veggie; same goes for your two-legged kids. Toddlers and pets need to have the rinds, cores, seeds, leaves, stems and pits of fruits removed prior to eating, and all fruits and veggies need to be chopped into tiny, bite-sized pieces. Common sense, right?
I believe pet parents also have some common sense and won’t offer rinds, pits or cores to their pets as treats; AKC and ASPCA, please update or clarify your out-of-date website info 🙏🏼.
Suggestion for pet websites discussing feeding real foods: put a * by foods that have a rind, pit, core or stem. Remind folks training treats should less than 10% of an animal’s daily calories, and if your pet has never had the new food before, always feed them slowly, giving the GI tract time to adjust. Chop them into tiny pieces and offer in moderation.
It’s time to declare common sense for the win; pet parents aren’t idiots, so it’s time we stop perpetuating fear-based myths and denying animals the fresh food treats they deserve. 🫐🍎🍒🍑🥭🥑🥝🥦🥬🥕🍌🥚🥒🍆🥥🍉🐾

18/09/2022

I used to be a dog has to sit at each corner person - a long time ago. So many dogs are given few choices - runners are the worse...

Giving dogs choice and control in their lives is so important for their well-being.

When you think about it, we control so much of what happens in our dog’s lives - what and when they eat, where and for how long they walk, when they’re allowed to sniff, where they sleep and which dogs they interact or play with etc.

Providing your dog with opportunities to make their own choices, using some of the ideas below, has so many benefits! ☺️❤️🐶

28/08/2022

I’ve posted a couple of articles recently about reactivity. It’s an all too often misunderstood behaviour. Here’s a great infographic explaining what it means and what it doesn’t mean when a dog is displaying reactive behaviour:

17/08/2022

Often tricky to work out...