That’ll Do Dog - Canine Training

04/26/2025

04/23/2025

Terminology Tuesday: Capturing 🐾

Ever notice your dog naturally doing something awesome—like lying down calmly or offering a sit? That’s a perfect moment to capture the behavior!

Capturing means marking (using your reward marker) and rewarding a behavior your dog does on their own, without prompting or luring. It’s all about timing and reinforcing what you love as it happens.

This may look like your dog laying down while your kids are playing on the other side of a baby gate or when you’re walking your newborn baby around.

The more you capture, the more your dog will repeat those great choices. So keep your treats handy and your eyes open—you never know when a great behavior will pop up!

04/13/2025

A dog is more than a well-behaved pet; they are individuals with specific needs and emotions.

It’s essential to understand their limits, respect their natural behaviours, and provide an environment where they can thrive.

Training should always be about enhancing the relationship with your dog, not forcing them into situations they’re not ready for.

04/09/2025

In honor of Dog Bite Prevention Week, I'd like to remind everyone that there is no such thing as a warning-less dog bite. Every bite always has a reason, and dogs typically give multiple signs that are more often than not missed.

It's up to us to get to know our dogs, their comfort levels, and the signs that lead to a dog bite, so that we can better advocate for our dogs and avoid the need for a bite.

04/07/2025

“Why is your dog wearing a muzzle?”

A question we love to answer! 🙂

Too many people still assume a muzzled dog is dangerous. That it’s aggressive. That the human on the other end of the lead has failed. But the truth? That muzzle is often the result of love, training, and responsibility.

🐾 Some dogs are muzzle trained because they get overwhelmed in busy environments.

🐾 Some wear one at the vet… because they’re in pain, and pain makes behaviour unpredictable.

🐾 Some have a history of trauma or reactivity, and a muzzle gives them safe access to the world.

🐾 Others have a habit of scavenging… things like chicken bones, trash, or even medications left on the ground.

🐾 And for many, it’s just about being prepared. Emergency situations happen fast, and a muzzle trained dog is safer to handle when things go wrong.

Pain, fear, stress, overstimulation… these are real, valid reasons a dog might struggle. A muzzle doesn’t mean they’re a threat. It means they’re protected.

The more we educate, the more we create empathy. 💕

The more we normalise muzzles, the more we protect dogs from judgment… and from situations that could cost them their lives. 💕

We muzzle because we care. Let’s start changing the question from “What’s wrong with that dog?” to “How can I learn more?”

Who is with us?

04/06/2025

Stick your hand out🤔
Don't stick your hand out❓
Last week there was a post (elsewhere) about why we should stick our hands out when we greet a dog.
I am not into social media "wars" and I don't like mocking others that disagree or have a different opinion.
There were also reasons given regarding the Jacobson's organ and how it plays a vital role....which it does....but I still wouldn't and don't put my outstretched hand towards a dog to sniff when I first meet them.
Quite seriously....I probably wouldn't have a hand left.
I take the pressure right off.
Generally speaking, I don't interact at all for several minutes (or much longer) and nor do I make sustained eye contact.
Meeting a dog (especially in this profession) is very nuanced and I guess because I work with a lot of anxious and reactive dogs...I am privy to hearing about how dogs bit when people put their hands towards them "to sniff".
Does that mean I don't allow a dog to come up to me to get a good whiff of my pheromones and to read that "up close and personal information" they need.....of course I allow it, when the time is right.
I allow them to approach.
I don't approach.
Works well for me, you may think differently and that is all good.
Everyone is free to respectfully disagree.

This dog training graphic is available https://www.abcdogsnz.com/product-page/abc-dogs-how-to-greet-a-dog?srsltid=AfmBOoqJRrqZLBYSdKC33O8GJAxKBBcX_dqHh9AlSzX8q2Xnyus8Blrb

04/06/2025

This week there was a post from a well-known dog influencer claiming that "dogs don't need enrichment" and that we should focus on their "real needs" instead.

I'm not sure if this statement was made simply to create controversy and get a rise out of people, or if it reflects a genuine belief. Either way, it fundamentally misrepresents what enrichment is and why committed dog owners invest time and effort into it.

Let's get something clear: Enrichment IS meeting our dogs' real needs. It's not some frivolous extra - it's acknowledging the reality of who our dogs actually are.

At the end of the day, our dogs are animals living in captivity. Yes, they're domesticated, but we still ask them to live in ways that are profoundly unnatural to them.

Think about it:

❌ It's not normal for dogs to stay inside houses 22+ hours a day
❌ It's not normal for dogs to walk slowly on leash without pulling, sniffing, or interacting with their environment
❌ It's not normal for dogs to ignore other animals they see
❌ It's not normal for dogs to not forage, counter-surf, or dig up your garden

Our dogs actually make very big efforts to fit into our human world with all its arbitrary and weird rules. The least we can do in return is fulfill their natural needs as much as possible.

That's what enrichment really is: providing opportunities for species-specific behaviors like sniffing, chewing, licking, digging, shredding, and foraging.

In all my years working with clients, I've NEVER encountered a dog owner who spent "too much time" on enrichment. In fact, I've found the opposite - the more intentional enrichment a dog receives, the happier they are, the easier training becomes, and the better the relationship gets.

Why?
Because enrichment acknowledges dogs for who they are. We humans don't have innate needs to sniff, dig, shred things, or forage - but our dogs absolutely do.

When we don't provide appropriate outlets for normal canine needs, our dogs find their own solutions - which we often label as "bad" behavior.
The dog who shreds your couch cushions, digs up your flowerbeds, chews your baseboards, raids your garbage, destroys toys within minutes, or counter-surfs is actually just acting according to their natural needs. Enrichment helps bridge that gap by providing appropriate alternatives.

With my own dogs, I ensure they have several types of enrichment every day - chewing opportunities, licking activities, daily sniffing adventures, appropriate digging spots, and chances for shredding and de-stuffing.

To be clear, enrichment doesn't replace exercise, training, or social interaction. It's ONE important piece of a fulfilled dog's life.

The next time someone suggests that enrichment is unnecessary or superfluous, remember: It's not about mindlessly throwing toys at our dogs or creating Instagram-worthy snuffle mats.
It's about honoring their true nature within the constraints of our human world.

It's not a way to DISCOUNT what they need. It's a way to ACKNOWLEDGE who they truly are.

(BY the way: I am writing this as my own dogs are all eating their breakfast in the form of frozen slow feeders 😄)

Happy Enrichment!

04/06/2025

04/04/2025

Did you know that the senior research scientist David Mech, whose book into hierarchy in wolf packs created the 'alpha theory' idea, then went on to disprove his own work with a later more naturalistic study? 😮

Although wolves and domestic dogs are worlds apart nowadays, David Mech's original book on captive wolves is still used regularly as evidence for alpha-based and dominance training styles. Touting you need to act like a wolf and an alpha and put your dog in their place so they respect you. However, even if domestic dogs and wolves were closer in how they acted than they are, David Mech went on to do further research and instead found that rather than one domineering 'alpha' wolves actually work as a family group with the parents leading the pack. That doesn't sound that far off our human families really does it? In fact, despite what 'alpha theory' states in regards to an 'alpha' wolf always eating first, in reality wolf parents often feed their youngest, most vulnerable offspring first.

The issue with the first study the book used is it was based on captive wolves and not wild wolves and how they behaved in their natural habitat, once David Mech realised his mistakes he did more research, and with new understanding and data he has since gone on to try and repair the damage his original study has done in how we view wolves, and by extension dogs. This is what scientific study is about, updating with the times and the most up to date information. I give huge props to David Mech for instead of trying to save his ego and stick to what he said in his original work, he has followed the science and admitted the flaws of his original study, bringing new knowledge and research forward.

It is a shame that the original idea is still so prevalent in our cultural knowledge and understanding of wolves, whereas the later study is less well known to the masses. I can only hope that will also change over time by us bringing the more up to date information to the forefront. 🐺

You can check out the study mentioned in the graphic for yourself here: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1343&context=usgsnpwrc&fbclid=IwY2xjawJXnM9leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHXshUGAAph0Xwsn0DrwtrZjOlFCixYjnG0jIckiJ0Fd8blz98S_EIRXsHA_aem_DLw_PwqeczmrFd0Nrc8iMg

09/02/2024

At ADGTK, we don't use nor recommend the use of any training devices that will hurt or scare your dog. While these devices can change behavior, using them often results in unwanted side effects such as fear and aggression.

We don't use them because:

1. We didn't sign on as dog trainers to hurt or scare dogs.

2. We don't need them to change your dog's behavior.