Club K9 Behavioural Practice & Teaching

25/06/2024

Hope to see you there! 🐾

🐾Calling all our *ESSEX* dog loving friends! 🐾 …… GUESS what? We’re baaaaaaaaaack!! 🥰

SO EXCITED to be delivering a fully interactive seminar on Sunday, 14th July - *limited spaces* available!

*Dog Behaviour*
Improving the relationship between you and your dog.

Exploring the following: 👇

✅ Socialisation
✅ Reactivity
✅ Canine-assisted Psychotherapy - what the relationship with our dogs can teach us about ourselves
✅ Trauma
✅ Heirarchy of needs (Michaels, 2015)
✅ Motivational systems (Gilbert, 2007)

Please join us for an exclusive x1 day seminar to help you deepen your knowledge and understanding of dog behaviour. Explore how much our furry friends can also teach us about ourselves!

Cost: £65 per person, light sandwiches/snacks tea and coffee included.

*limited spaces available*

Contact [email protected], or, send us a message via messenger to book your place!

Really excited to be back, and to see you all very soon ! ☺️🐾

➡️Venue: Snoopies Grooming, Hall Farm, Church Road, Little Bentley, Colchester, CO7 8SD
➡️Date: Sunday, 14th July
➡️Time: 11am - 4pm

See you there 🐾

*Bookings must be made in advance

*Facilitated by Natalia Bate BA(Hons), PGCE, Pg Dip, MA, (HCPC and BABCP accredited)

18/06/2022

This post is the most difficult one I have written to date... Nelson is officially retiring.
Looking back over the last 10 years this amazing boy has gone from a seriously traumatized rescue, to a confident, proud gentleman. He has spent his life looking after his Club K9 family at the centre on Mersea Island, and then when we moved at Layer De La Haye. He always kept a close watch out over his charge of 15-20 dogs a day, and had such tender relationships with all of them, in one way or another.

In-between field life he also worked with almost all of my clients... Dogs, who like him, had come to me with trauma and behavioural difficulty. Each and every time he worked his magic on them, and often their people too. Later on in life he joined the ranks of Dogs 4 Development and assisted the wonderful Natalia in her work with children and adults with mental health issues and complex trauma.

Over the last couple of years his mobility has gotten worse, and following a vet trip yesterday for x-rays and subsequent spinal treatment it's only fair that this young man gets all of the attention and support he needs, after everything he has given to so many others. Because of this it is not fair to ask him to continue doing the work he does when he doesn't feel fit and strong enough to do so.

My journey into the world of dog behaviour happened because of Nelson. I had to find a way to keep him alive and try as best as I could to make him happy. I think we got there... But to continue working with dogs I need to spend time away from Nelson and Nissy, and this isn't something I want to do. It doesn't feel right to continue with out him when Nelson's journey is now taking another path. So I am retiring with Nelson, so we can both focus on getting him all the treatment he needs and enjoying his retirement in the Lakes as much as possible.
If you met Nelson I'm sure you will remember him!
Thank you so much to all of you who have been a part of our journey. We couldn't have done it without you, and I couldn't have done it without Nelson! 🐾

20/05/2022

Why you'll never hear me talk about counter conditioning, antecedents, operant conditioning, systematic desensitisation... I don't even talk about positive or negative reinforcement why?
Because when we look at behaviours as an equation A+B with a bit of C makes D, we lose the nuance of what behaviour is.

Behaviour is about relationships and connection. Relationships to ourselves and to others.

A child regularly wets the bed. Is the child being given positive/negative reinforcement, are there antecedents to this behaviour etc... However your ability to address the issue is only possible if you can understand and empathise with why this child's body or/and mind are creating this behaviour. Most bed wetting issues in children steam from trauma... No amount of positive reinforcement is going to stop that child's body and neurological systems from doing what they're doing until that child is helped to heal from that trauma.

A dog goes to the toilet in the house on a regular basis. Dogs display a lot of information about themselves when they scent... That's why they do it. A dog who does not feel safe to advertise their presence is going to find a way to not do that when out in public... Hence they can walk for 45mins come home and then go to the toilet in their garden, or better still in the house where you'll get rid of it. No advertising, it's like they don't exist to the outside world.

Now you can give them a treat and a fuss every time they p*e in the garden... But to actually address the issue you need to make them feel safe. Just like the child.
Only when they feel safe and have started to heal from the trauma that causes the behaviour will the problem stop in a healthy way.
Safety comes through connection, through relationship and through time, understanding and empathy.

We do not teach children through a scientific break down of actions, we teach them through relationship and connection... Do the same with your dog, they'd rather have that real connection with you than a treat any day.

15/05/2022

Stop & rest if you need to!

Today we went for a walk... I was not on form for a number of reasons and Nelson, bless his furry little socks, knew it.
Today wasn't about Nelson's limitations and development, it was about mine.
So we took it really easy, and enjoyed lots of rests in the sunshine.
Stop when you need to, you can't fill another's cup if yours is empty!

11/05/2022

09/05/2022

Making time to build and strengthen bonds.

Do you have rituals with your dog? Are there certain things you do everyday, just you and your dog?
Every morning I wake up and have a snuggle with Niss who sleeps on my bed, we say good morning and have a mutual 'groom'. Next I say good morning to Nelson who is in his bed in the living room.
Throughout the day they will both come to me from time to time to see what I'm up to. No matter what I'm doing, I will always put whatever it is down and give them my full attention even if it's just for a few moments. Sometimes they want a snuggle, sometimes just a smile and hello is what they need.
In the evening I make time for them. I will purposely put an hour aside with no phone, no distractions, and we cuddle, play, groom, check for lumps and bumps and rest in each other's company.
Relationships and trust are built, they are worked on, they require your undivided attention. Sharing quiet, relaxing time together, just the three of us is something we all need and cherish.
And of course every night I say 'good night, sweet dreams, see you in the morning', just like my grandmother and mother did to me.

28/04/2022

It is not about the behaviour we see.

This is the super smashing tiny Thai. He had a very wobbly start in life and ended up with the RSPCA at 6 weeks old. Because of the time it takes for court cases to be concluded he has been in a foster home since then.
Thai was officially adopted a few weeks ago and what a lucky boy he is! He has landed on his paws, but his past has had a big influence on how he sees the world now.

Thai's new family started to take him out and introduce him to the wider world but quickly found this absolute cutie, became a tiny, barking, lunging, growling mess on the end of the lead whenever he saw another dog.

It is not about the behaviour we are seeing, it is not about making Thai stop barking and lunging, it is about understanding WHY he feels that is the only way to deal with the situation. This is coping behaviour, it is an over reaction, and it tells us Thai does not feel safe. If we tell him off, if we pull him away, if we keep exposing him to the same situations and hope he gets better, all we do is show Thai we aren't listening, we don't understand, and he can't trust us.

So what do we do? We create a bond of trust, we work hard to show Thai whatever he needs we're here for him. Then we give him information... As much time and as much information as he needs to feel safe. We support, we nurture, we teach, we listen... Only then will Thai be able to stop this behaviour because he feels safe.

For the best demonstration of this process, we let the masters work. Nelson and Niss took Thai through a lesson about information exchange. They provided all the answers Thai needed and showed patience, consistency, tolerance and gentleness. Within no time Thai was hanging out with them feeling relaxed, calm and ready to explore under the careful and protective wing of Nelson.

Dogs that are struggling don't need 'telling', they need 'teaching'. They don't have to learn, WE HAVE TO TEACH.

24/04/2022

My favourite sessions... Watching the magic work! 🥰

This morning I had a second session with Rosie, Luna and Nushka. Two GSDs and a Collie. All three dogs have big disruptions in their development, their education, and in Luna and Nushka's case have also experienced trauma.

The last few weeks have been spent building bonds and re-defining their relationships with their people. Today we took these new bonds out into the world and started exploring how we can use them, to help these three pups not only cope, but relax and enjoy these environments.

No tricks, no treats, no clickers, no fast fixes, just connection. 🐾

22/04/2022

Why do a lot of dogs exhibit difficult behaviours in the evening?
"My dog is a nightmare in the evening, when it starts to get dark."

Let's look at the neurological developmental here... Why do we leave the hall light on for kids when they go to sleep? There is a point where neurological developmental enables the understanding of threat. Toddlers wouldn't think twice about wobbling towards a cuddly looking grizzly bear.
Developing the concept of threat goes hand in hand with the development of imagination. For young children this creates monsters under the bed and scary looking shadows when it gets dark. So when we have a child who feels scared of the dark we leave the light on, a reminder of safety, we are still there for them.

Let's go back to puppies... imagination aspect aside, their neurological developmental follows the same process. Young puppies with their mum have no problem sleeping and settling if they feel they are in a safe environment.
So where does this go wrong... If the young pup doesn't have a strong sense of safety in their environment and within their career when they develop the ability to understand threat, they will start to be aware of the fact there is also a lack of safety, no hallway light that signifies their people are there and can help.
Even worse, if the young dog has experienced threat directly connected to their people, this can be as simple as taking a dog into a busy town centre or a puppy party where they got scared. Their person didn't keep them safe and actually put them in the situation that scared them.
If a dog doesn't have a strong sense of safety with their people, when the environment changes and they feel uncertain, like when it gets dark and they are more sensitive to noises and smells, they will start to ask questions.
These questions come in the form of behaviours that will test whether or not you are going to keep them safe. They are going to test your patience, your steadfastness, your emotional regulation and your ability to help them cope when they are unsure.

19/04/2022

🌿No tricks, no commands, no requests, no treats, just connection. 🌿
🐾
The number one thing to remember when working with animals and children... let go of your agenda!

Maisie's second session; her mum has been hard at work building connections, bonds and trust with Maisie since my last visit. Today we looked at how we can take all of those tools and use them in the world outside.

Maisie struggles with feeling safe outside, constantly on high alert, and more than willing to bark the whole time just in case there is a tiger coming up the drive way.
Being able to sit outside with a cup of tea , a good book and the quiet, calm, companionship of a happy, relaxed dog seemed like little more than a wish list.
Today we used the foundations that Maisie and her mum have been building to create safety for Maisie outside.

The number one thing to remember, let go of your agenda. Many people think the best way to achieve a relaxed calm dog is to 'train it' to be relaxed. The emphasis being on the dog to do what it's told, be calm!!! This doesn't work with people, I have never ever heard of someone immediately calming down when being told to calm down, in fact we would probably all agree it makes it worse! So why do we think a dog has more control over it's emotional state than adult human?

Asking Maisie to sit and stay in a certain place and be calm was never going to work for her. Until she was certain she was safe, until she was certain we were there for her whenever she needed us, she wouldn't be able to relax. So we waited, we waited for her to be ready. Maisie sniffed, wandered, explored, continued to ask if we were still available for her. When she had all the right answers and all the support she needed she laid down, in the front garden, in view of the pavement and passers by, next door coming in and out, and fell asleep, for the very first time.

No tricks, no commands, no requests, no treats, just connection.

08/04/2022

🐾Just because you want a cuddle, doesn't mean they do.🐾

What a stunning boy! This is a beautiful boy I haven't had chance to meet yet, but am doing online sessions with his wonderful people.

Hudson is a Briard. He looks like a snuggly, cuddly, teddy bear of a dog and of course lots of people want to come and say hello when you're this handsome!

If I saw Hudson while I was out walking I would certainly tell the owner how gorgeous their dog was, and mayby have a chat about his breed, who he is, what he's like. What I certainly wouldn't do, is approach him for a cuddle without asking the owner and without asking him.
Even if an owner says it's fine to say hello to their dog, it is always the dog's decision to participate in the interaction, or not, that is the most important part of the equation.

Connection, affection and physical contact should always be mutual. Most people would say I don't growl, or bite, I'm not a danger to people, however if a stranger came walking up to me, pated my head and tried to cuddle me, I wouldn't be particularly happy with that person. Now in this situation I can ask the person to back off, I can express my dislike of the situation through words.
Dogs will express this dislike in their language.

We should never put an animal into a difficult or frightening position because of our wants. Just because our intention was to have a cuddle with something we wanted to cuddle, doesn't mean that being wanted to cuddle us back.
Always ask, always listen to the answer. Just because a dog moves towards you, it doesn't mean they want to be touched. If you don't understand the answer, or how to tell if a dog wants to play, cuddle or not then get in touch, to learn how to speak dog!

05/04/2022

🐾Why do we equate morality with development?🐾

What is good behaviour? What is bad behaviour?
What we consider good behaviour for an adult is not what we expect from a child... Or is it?

How often do we take the expectations of good behaviour from an adult's level of neurological and emotional development and apply it, frustratingly, to an animal with a much lower neurological developmental stage? ..A LOT!

In a recent seminar I asked a group of prospective dog owners 'what would be the first thing you would teach a puppy?'
'Leave It', 'Walking to heel', 'Sit', 'Toilet training', 'No biting'. The answers were a mix of discipline and control all reliant on a well established base of self control, emotional regulation and understanding of human communication.

The problem with this approach to teaching a puppy, is that they don't have the well established base of emotional regulation to draw from. As human adults we like to think of ourselves as in control, of ourselves at least. We can't remember the last time we had a complete 'lost it' style tantrum, or a melt down over which sweets we want, or the last time we threw our food across the room because we were experiencing an emotion we couldn't cope with. Well most of us I would hope.

We have so much experience being an adult with a decent amount of self control we forget what it's like to not have it. When we interact with a puppy, we are dealing with a baby animal that doesn't have the ability to cope with its emotions yet, we are communicating with a baby animal that hasn't learnt what we are trying to teach them yet.

So when your puppy bites, cries, throws a tantrum, it's not being 'bad', it's behaving based on its neurological and emotional development.
Behaviour in children and young animals has nothing to do with morality. Rather than taking the moral high ground, teach, set the example through showing compassion and empathy, use your emotional regulation and development.
It is not bad behaviour, it is early emotional development.

Inspired by Dr Vanessa Lapointe.