Fantastic Canines & How to Train Them

18/06/2025

🌡️🔥 SCORCHER ALERT! 🔥🌡️

Heads up, dog people – tomorrow’s temps are soaring, and that spells danger for our furry companions. Let’s talk heat safety, especially for our snorty, squishy-faced friends (we’re lookin’ at you, Pugs, Bulldogs, Frenchies – our beloved brachycephalic breeds 💕). They overheat fast and can really struggle in the heat.

🚫 DO NOT walk your dog during the hottest part of the day.

☀️ Plan your strolls for early morning or late evening – and stick to the shade.

💧 Make sure fresh, clean water is always available – and check it often.

🧼 Use cool tap water to gently wipe them down if they’re hot.

🚫 Skip the wet towels on top of dogs – they can trap heat instead of releasing it!

📞 If you’re worried about heat exposure, don’t guess – call your vet immediately.

Heatstroke is no joke – it can happen fast and be deadly. Dogs can’t cool themselves like we can, and just because you’re comfy in the sun doesn’t mean your dog is.

Let’s keep tails wagging and paws safe. Spread the word. Stay cool. 🐾❄️

21/05/2025

🐾 Would You Recognize Pain in Your Dog? 🐾

Our furry friends can’t speak, but they communicate discomfort through subtle changes in behavior. It’s not just about limping—look for signs like clinginess, hiding, aggression, or a sudden disinterest in play or food. Early recognition and a trip to your veterinarian can make all the difference. Remember, social media isn’t a substitute for professional advice. If you suspect an issue, consult your vet right away. A healthy dog is a happy dog! 🐶❤️

19/05/2025

“Force-Free Doesn’t Work.” Do You Believe That—Or Just Say It?

Every now and then I pause and wonder:

Do people genuinely believe force-free training doesn’t work—like, deep down?
Or is it a defense mechanism? A rehearsed response? A way to avoid confronting the side effects of punishment?

Because I can be honest:
Yes, punishment can suppress behavior. It often gets fast results.
But I don’t like what it does alongside those results—
The fallout. The shutdown. The fear. The loss of trust.

So I don’t pretend it doesn’t work. I just question what it means to “work.”

Can we ask the same honesty in return?

Can those who preach balance admit that many “bad” behaviors were coping strategies?
Can they acknowledge the difference between obedience and emotional wellness?
Can they say, “Yes, it’s effective—but we don’t always talk about the cost?”
Can they acknowledge that suppression often fails—and not just because the trainer wasn’t skilled enough, but because the dog’s needs weren’t understood?

Take this argument I heard recently:
“Cooperative care in zoo animals is proof you can pair aversives with reinforcers to make it okay.”

That’s not just wrong. It’s revealing.
Because if you truly believe that cooperative care for wild animals is built on aversive control,
you’ve misunderstood everything about how trust-based handling in zoological and marine environments works.

The whole point is that you can’t use force—so you have to use understanding.
You have to go slow. You have to build trust.
And when you do, you don’t need the threat.
That’s not proof of punishment working.
That’s proof of what’s possible without it.

So when someone says “force-free doesn’t work,” I want to know:
What were you looking for?
What did you try?
What didn’t you understand?

Because if you’ve only measured “success” by suppression, you might not be seeing the full picture.

And if you have seen it, and still pretend it’s not real—
Then let’s call this what it is:
Not about truth.
Just about tribes.

14/05/2025

30/04/2025

Being kind doesn’t cost you anything but punishing completely normal dog behavior is an expensive price to pay.  rcefree

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25/04/2025

So proud of this little lad! He struggles with intense overstimulation, and restlessness. We’ve worked for a long time to get him to a place where he is able to take a breath.🩵🐾

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15/04/2025

🌟 Positive Reinforcement: Not Just for Dogs! 🌟

Did you know that even the most powerful and potentially dangerous animals can be trained using positive reinforcement? I recently watched an incredible video of a zookeeper training a tiger to calmly participate in medical procedures using a clicker and rewards. This tiger learned to voluntarily present its tail for a blood draw, remaining calm and cooperative throughout the process.

If we can achieve this level of trust and cooperation with a big cat, imagine what we can do with our canine companions! There’s no need for force, intimidation, or pain in training. Positive reinforcement builds trust, encourages good behavior, and strengthens the bond between human and animal. Let’s choose kindness and science in our approach to training. 🐾✨

I denne video kan du se dyrepasseren træne hantigeren. Tigrene i Zoo trænes, så det er lettere for dyrepassere og dyrlæger at arbejde med dyrene og komme tæt...

31/01/2025

“Cute Now, Problem Later! 🚨🐶”

It’s easy to laugh when a tiny puppy barks at their reflection or playfully nibbles on your hands. But what happens when that behavior sticks around into adulthood? Suddenly, you’ve got a barking, overexcited, mouthy dog—and it’s not so cute anymore.

Dogs don’t grow out of behaviors; they grow into them. If something is reinforced as a puppy, they’ll likely keep doing it as an adult. Some common ones I see:
🔹 Encouraging barking at the mirror (can lead to barking and lunging at unknown dogs)
🔹 Rough, mouthy play (turns into painful nipping in adulthood)
🔹 Jumping up for attention (cute at 5 kg, not so much at 30 kg)

Instead of letting these behaviors escalate, guide your puppy toward better habits early on. Teach calm greetings, redirect mouthy play, and reward quiet moments. Your future self (and furniture) will thank you!

What’s a behavior your puppy did that became a bigger issue later? Drop it in the comments! ⬇️

💙🐾

29/01/2025

Teaching Your Dog to Settle: Why It Matters

A well-trained dog isn’t just about sit, stay, and recall—teaching your dog how to settle is just as important! 🐶✨

Many dogs struggle with self-regulation, leading to excessive energy, restlessness, and even anxiety. Teaching a reliable “settle” cue helps your dog learn how to calm themselves down, whether at home, in public, or during exciting situations.

🔹 Reduces Overexcitement – Helps dogs transition from high-energy moments to a relaxed state.
🔹 Prevents Attention-Seeking Behaviors – Less jumping, barking, or pacing when they learn to relax on cue.
🔹 Builds Emotional Regulation – A calm dog can handle new environments and situations with more confidence.
🔹 Great for Vet Visits & Public Spaces – A dog that knows how to settle makes outings much easier for everyone!

Training tip: Reward calm behavior before your dog gets restless. A comfy mat and a stuffed Kong can help create positive associations with relaxation.

Do you practice “settle” with your dog? Tell me how it’s helped! 👇

💙🐾

27/01/2025

Did you know that not too long ago, veterinary medicine believed animals didn’t feel pain like humans do? Pain relief and anesthesia weren’t standard practice. Thankfully, science evolved, and veterinary care changed—now pain management is essential for animal welfare.

Dog training is evolving too. We now know dogs learn best through positive reinforcement, not fear or punishment. But traditional and balanced training methods still rely on fear, intimidation, and outdated techniques that can harm the human-animal bond.

Just like veterinary medicine moved forward with better knowledge, it’s time for dog training to do the same. Let’s embrace modern, science-backed methods that build trust, confidence, and a stronger bond with our dogs!

💙🐾

25/01/2025

Why do dog trainers often refer clients to a veterinarian before starting training?

One key reason is to rule out any medical issues that could be contributing to the behavior driving the owner to seek training help. Medical conditions like pain, discomfort, or hormonal imbalances can manifest as behavioral issues, and addressing them first ensures we’re not missing an underlying cause.

Training might not be effective if the dog is experiencing health problems. If you notice sudden changes in your dog’s behavior—like aggression, anxiety, or lethargy—it’s important to consult a vet before starting training. Health is foundational to behavior, and getting the right care can make all the difference in the success of training.

By addressing medical concerns first, you ensure that your dog’s behavior is not a result of physical discomfort or illness.


💙🐾

23/01/2025

Would you be able to recognize the signs? 

When NOT to train your reactive rascal.

🤓 I see waaaaaaay too many dog owners trying to chuck food at their reactive dogs, who are already over threshold and reacting. No point. Absolutely zero point. If your dog is already reacting to a trigger - you have missed the training opportunity. The best thing you can do now, for your dog and yourself, is to swiftly exit the situation and go home. And then allow your dog sufficient time to destress & decompress, ideally with the use of appropriate enrichment and minimising any exposure to more triggers for the rest of the day.

😳Why tossing food at your reactive dog, as they react, doesn’t bring the expected effect of “getting better” around the triggers?

🫨When a dog ‘reacts" to a trigger (such as another dog, a person, or loud noises), they can enter what is known as “survival mode.” This state is driven by the body’s stress response, which releases stress hormones and activates physiological and neurological changes in their bodies. Trying to teach a dog, who is in that state, anything, is virtually impossible, because they are no longer thinking logically or able to process new information. Here’s why.

🫥Stress response - adrenaline and cortisol🫥

😯When a dog perceives a threat, their brain activates the sympathetic nervous system, which initiates the “fight, flight, or freeze” response. This process involves:
1. Adrenal glands release stress hormones, primarily adrenaline and cortisol.
• Adrenaline increases the heart rate, breathing, and blood flow to muscles, preparing the dog to fight or flee.
• Cortisol maintains this state of alertness for a (potentially much) longer period by regulating glucose levels and energy.
2. Amygdala (the part of the brain responsible for detecting danger) gets activated and takes over. It essentially shuts down the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for logical thinking, learning, and decision-making.

🫤What about any “invisible” to the eye changes happen when a dog enters this emotional state -(physiological and neurological) ?

• Increased heart rate and breathing - oxygen is directed to the muscles instead of the brain, preparing the dog for immediate action, rather than thoughtful behavior.
• Tunnel vision - the dog focuses solely on the perceived threat, ignoring everything else in the environment.
• Impaired memory and learning - high levels of cortisol inhibit the hippocampus, the brain region responsible for forming new memories and learning.

👉Why learning is impossible in survival mode (and why any attempts of training, desensitising and counterconditioning will be ineffective here)?

✴️When a dog is over their “threshold”—the point at which they can no longer cope with a trigger—they are consumed by their stress response. Their brain is focused on survival and their own safety, not on absorbing or processing new information. At this point:
1. Cognitive function is impaired - the prefrontal cortex is effectively offline, so the dog cannot focus, follow commands, or learn.
2. Reinforcement is ineffective - positive reinforcement training, like food, often goes unnoticed because the dog is too overwhelmed to care about rewards. Some dogs MAY still eat the food, but this is in no way in a constructive training way.
3. Behavior is instinctive - the dog reacts based on instinct, on what they know or what has previously worked for them, rather than training or previous experiences.

⚠️REMEMBER:

✅You need to understand where your dog’s threshold (emotional safety distance) is. If your dog reacts to say other dogs at 10 meters, but doesn’t react at 15 meters - start there.

✅If your dog is already reacting - exit the situation calmly but quickly, removing your dog away from the trigger (do an emergency U turn) without getting any closer, as this would push them further above the threshold.

✅Don’t tell your dog off if they ‘react’ - it’s the normal body’s response to threat. Instead, praise any early signs that they are becoming worried, anxious, nervous. It’s good for your dog to understand that early communication means YOU take them away from trigger, as it will boost their confidence in communicating and being listened to, and it will do wonders for your bond with them.

✅Learn to scan the perimeter wherever you go - you are in charge of where you go with your dog, so make sure it’s safe, including emotionally safe.

✅Practice emergency cues, such as “this way”, “look at me”, “let’s go”, which can be used to calmly shift your dog’s attention onto you when triggers appear.

✅Work on systematic desensitisation and counter - conditioning of triggers, when your dog is BELOW threshold. It absolutely works IF done correctly.

✅Understand that your reactive dog doesn’t react for fun & giggles. They react because they are struggling with the environment. Review what environments work, and those that don’t, for your dog. And avoid the latter like the plague.



References
• Sapolsky, R. M. (2004). Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers.
• Overall, K. L. (2013). Manual of Clinical Behavioral Medicine for Dogs and Cats.
• Horwitz, D. F., & Mills, D. S. (2009). BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Behavioural Medicine.