BCDog Listener Dog Training

06/08/2025

03/08/2025

02/08/2025

29/07/2025

Ever heard of Freework?

It’s a beautifully beneficial and enriching activity that offers your dog the chance to engage with their environment freely.

No cues, no commands, no expectations. Just your dog exploring, sniffing, licking, chewing, and moving however they choose.

Freework includes things like:

Laying out different textures (mats, snuffle cloths, cardboard)

Offering boxes, tunnels, or soft obstacles

Providing chews, frozen treats, or sniffable herbs

It’s about choice and agency. Your dog gets to decide what to interact with, how, and for how long.

Coined by Sarah Fisher and part of her ACE Freework brand, ive used for my own dogs and many client dogs and see and hear of its benefits regularly.

Why does it matter?
✅ Promotes calmness
✅ Builds confidence
✅ Helps decompress and regulate emotions
✅ Encourages natural behaviours
✅ Improves body awareness

But here's the key point:
If you're going to offer enrichment, make sure your dog can enjoy it.

That means:

Choosing a quiet, safe space

Allowing your dog to fully relax into that moment.

Imagine someone booking you a luxury spa day... and then handing you a toddler to manage during your massage.

That’s what it’s like for a dog trying to enjoy enrichment activities while feeling anxious about another dog nearby or being in a busy environment.

So when you give them the gift of Freework, Enrichment or chews, try to ensure you give them the freedom to actually enjoy it, otherwise it might not be as beneficial as we think.

29/07/2025

Since when did we equate sitting with "politeness" ?
Is it time to reassess the "Sit"?
It's a reflex of ours to always ask for it.
It becomes a "default" cue....whether it's "needed" or not.

A change of position does not change their emotions.
It can be incredibly frustrating for them.
Is there anything wrong with just standing near us?

Do we insist on a sit when they are clearly showing us they are feeling anxious?
Is it always the most asked for position?

Does it really help?....or is it a habit that we have and it's difficult to break?

19/06/2025

’tIntimidate

01/06/2025

Trainers:

If you’ve ever felt out of your depth when a case turns medical, you’re not alone.

Maybe you’ve said, “You could ask your vet about meds,” and weren’t sure what else to say.

Maybe a client’s dog started Fluoxetine and you didn’t know what changes to expect.

Or maybe you’ve watched a dog struggle through a solid training plan and thought, “This just isn’t enough.”

This webinar is for trainers who want clarity on what behaviour meds do, when they help, and what your role actually is.

Emily has spent 15 years working with behaviourally complex dogs and cats, including those dealing with severe fear, aggression, compuslive disorders and anxieties. Many of these cases involved medication, and she has spent years supporting clients, their pets and shelter animals through the referral process, tracking progress alongside prescribing vets, and making sure that everyone is supported to get the most out of any training plan. Emily has also been training and guiding shelter staff, vet med staff and other trainers on behaviour for years, and brings a supportive, laid-back approach to her teaching. This webinar brings that real-world experience into clear, practical guidance.

We’ll cover:

-How to talk to clients about the possibility of medication without stepping outside your scope

-How to know when medications might be helpful

-What kinds of meds are typically used, and what they’re actually for

-How to track progress once a dog is medicated

-What to do when meds don’t seem to be helping

-What your job is in the vet-client-trainer triangle, and what it isn’t

How to advocate without overstepping, and support without guessing
Date: June 27

Time: 10:00am Pacific

Cost: $29 CAD (about $21 USD depending on exchange rate)

Recording included for all registered attendees!

If you’ve been avoiding the medication conversation because you weren’t sure how to handle it, this is for you.

Register here: https://wildatheartdogtraining.as.me/behaviourmedications

30/05/2025

30/05/2025