Magic Mutts

07/02/2022

February is the month when many Badger cubs are born. So keeping small dogs on their leads near setts is vital as they can very easily access the underground nursery chamber. We can all do our part in keeping our wildlife safe. Don't leave it to someone else. BE THAT SOMEONE!

26/10/2021

You have heard of the dark side of raising two puppies together, right?
I hope so.
Be it siblings or different litters.

I am not going to rehash thousands of articles on Google, you can do that yourself. I am going to share my personal experience.

Apart from being a full time behaviourist I also run a small exclusive boarding facility in my home. I am the proud owner of a puppy which overlapped with a clients boarding puppy for two weeks. They were of a similar age.

I honestly don’t know how people manage two puppies together! It was a pain in the ass to put it mildly.

As the days went by, I found myself continuously reducing time together, until eventually walks, sleeping, visual exposure and play was cut out COMPLETELY.

Why did I do this? :
-Play was wild with no thought process going on. “After lots of laughing comes crying”. It was going to end badly!

-Babies are not the best teachers for babies.

-On walks, both pups did little to no exploring and were unable to experience the world at large as they only had eyes for each other. They were blinkered to anything else around them. Leashing up and rotating was not effective.
This is a critical learning period in puppies lives and they were missing out!

-The experienced senior dogs disengaged completely and for the most part, were not interested in getting involved with the delinquent puppy play. The pups were missing out on the valuable lessons adult dogs teach!

-There was no off switch. The puppies would have continued play until they literally fell down exhausted. This is not healthy and had me constantly playing helicopter Mom being the party pooper. Far too much work and irritating at the best of times.

-Splitting the pups with a barrier was not terribly effective either as they continued to play ‘bitey-face’ or chase games along a fence line. I was not going to allow this to happen on my watch. I was responsible for my puppy’s learning as well as that of the boarding puppy.

-Recalls plummeted. It took a lot more effort to engage the puppies and have them acknowledge anything else other than each other.

The main reason the ill-informed push two puppies together is that “they will keep each other company and entertain each other”.
No kidding!!
There is however a lifelong cost to this!
It is the over attachment to each other that inhibits individual learning. Instead of creating individual puppies who reach their full potential, one could argue that puppies growing up together become half of what they could be.

Over the years, I have taken care of sibling dogs for owners. I see the emotional fall out as clear as day. The behaviours may not be irritating or of concern to the owner therefore there is no need to address it. I do ask myself quietly how much better the individual dog may have coped in our world if they were not one of two pups growing up together.

There is often pride and endearment when owners say their pups love each other so much that they can’t be without one another. As life is no fairy tale, I find this very sad, as the extent of trauma, should the second dog need a vet visit or passes away, would be amplified for the dog that remains. This is easily preventable.

It is as simple as having some self-control, a little patience, putting the work into one puppy first so when the second pup arrives the now older dog can assist in raising the new pup.

My personal recommendation is a two-year gap between puppies in pet dog homes.

If you got away with worst case scenario of two puppies fighting when together and panicking when split, you are the lucky ones. Speak to those who didn’t and hear their heartache.

If you are in the market for a puppy and the breeder or welfare organisation push two puppies onto you, ….. run! Say no! Pushing two puppies at the same time is irresponsible – if you experienced this in the past, were you ever informed about the down side? Probably not.

If you are wanting two puppies because you have two children and they each need a puppy; sit down and hear me when I say the puppies will NEVER belong to your children. You as the adult are solely responsible for the puppies – they do not ‘belong’ to the children. Your children can get their own puppies when they move out and are paying rent.

If you are still not ready to hear this advise that is ok. There is no judgement, and I will do all I can to help you make the best of a current situation.

If you have not obtained the puppies yet, I would like to ask “What is the harm in waiting?”
Hindsight is a funny thing.
Is it really worth taking the risk for your emotional benefit?

07/10/2021

It really doesn’t matter if your dog is friendly or not.

What matters is that you don’t take the choice away from another owner (and their dog) as to who they interact with.

There can be so many reasons why a dog and their owner need space from you and your dog.

Please allow them that choice 💙

22/02/2021

A great illustration about reinforcement history. Focus on reinforcing the behaviours you like and you will see more of them. 😊

28/08/2020

It is so important to be aware of how our dogs are feeling, not just how we think they should be feeling and to do our best to ensure that they always feel safe.

If you asked me to name the single most important thing you can do for your dog, it would be this.

Keep your dog feeling safe.

This is not to be confused with your dog being safe, or whether or not you think your dog is safe. This is about keeping your dog *feeling* safe. Which means identifying what your dog finds stressful or scary by learning how to observe and read their body language to recognize when, where, and under what circumstances they feel uncomfortable, and doing whatever you can to avoid those situations.

This can mean that your dog never visits another dog park.

This can mean that even though it’s a beautiful Sunday and you’d love to have brunch on a patio of your favorite restaurant with your dog, your dog stays home.

This can mean that you politely (or not) decline requests to pet your dog.

This can mean that when children come over your house, your dog is in another room with a yummy Kong.

This can mean that you walk your dog during quiet times of the day.

This can mean that you drive your dog to walk them in a different area.

Whatever it means for you and your dog, keep your dog feeling safe.

You are your dog’s best and only advocate. You are what stands between them and the rest of the world, a world where dogs are set up to fail every day with often heartbreaking consequences. This doesn’t mean that we don’t also actively and *humanely* work to help our dogs feel more comfortable and confident in this world, but it does mean that until they do, WE HAVE TO KEEP THEM FEELING SAFE.

Our dogs are relying on us, it’s our job to have their backs.

17/08/2020

Polly 2005 - 2020 💔😥

We very sadly had to say goodbye to our special little Polly on Friday 7th August. She had been going downhill for a while, and after trying many different medications in an attempt to improve her condition, we had to make the hardest, but kindest decision to say goodbye.

We miss our Polly Puddle so much. Despite her little legs she always kept up with the bigger dogs, right into her old age. She knew exactly how to communicate and tell us what she wanted and made sure that we always followed her instructions! Her most favourite activity was swimming and if water wasn't deep enough for her to swim, she would quite happily just stand in it, hence her nickname! She was a great friend and role model to Magic and Rufus, who she outlived by many years.

I chose Polly from Dogs Trust, in 2006, for my wonderful Aunty Despo, who sadly passed away in 2016. Polly had already spent some time living with me while my aunty was poorly and stayed with me, before then spending her retirement years with my mum, which was perfect for both of them and she got to enjoy lots of sofa snuggles, lie-ins and extra treats! Polly still enjoyed coming out with me and all of her doggy friends, even in her special dog wagon, when it all got a bit much for her old legs.

Polly loved little Beto, my degu, and would always run in the kitchen in the morning and greet him with a big bounce. Polly loved her food and it always made us laugh when the vet asked us if she was still eating ok! After all, she was part Labrador, so food was definitely a priority and that served her well living with a Cypriot family!

Our family is not the same now, without our Polly, however there is a little bit of comfort in knowing that she had a good long, happy life and that she is now reunited with her mum, Despo, and her cousins, Magic and Rufus.

Sweet dreams gorgeous girl. You will forever be in our hearts.
### ❤️

25/12/2018

12/02/2018

13/01/2018

It is very easy to be infected with this! Please read........

This is very serious... please be aware! 😂

16/10/2017

Internationally renowned dog expert Carolyn Menteith explains why the idea of an alpha dog or pack leader is a dangerous myth leading to poor welfare.

29/07/2017

This is a useful article listing some common summer dangers for your dog.

https://www.vets-now.com/app/uploads/sites/3/2017/07/VEN2549R-Summer-Infographic-Dog-v1.pdf

18/07/2017

Happy Tuesday everyone! 😊

14/07/2017

MYTHBUSTING MONDAY: "When a dog ________, you have to _________ so he learns not to do that."

So goes most of the training advice of the last century. Human beings are amazingly creative when it comes to punishment (just look at medieval torture devices), and dog training is no exception. From devices that intentionally cause pain and discomfort, to innocent-seeming products like "The Pet Corrector," which is a can of compressed air, and ultrasonic "bark control" boxes.

Here are two problems with this line of thinking and the consumer industry that supports it:

1) It only occurs after the dog has ALREADY barked, jumped, run off, snapped, etc., and

2) Dogs don't misbehave just because they haven't been told not to.

Unwanted behavior is caused by a variety of factors that vary with each individual dog.

DOGS DO WHAT WORKS. Dogs bark for a variety of reasons. It scares off the mailman (or at least that's how it appears to your dog). When a dog jumps on visitors, it gets people to pay attention to her. By allowing dogs to practice unwanted behavior, there's a better than even chance that the behavior will work for them BEFORE you can administer the punishment. Also, if your timing is off, the punishment won't be associated with the unwanted behavior, but with YOUR behavior. This is how dogs end up learning to avoid owners who reach for their collars, or worse, start to use aggression as self-defense, or quickly eat something after hearing "leave it."

So, what are you supposed to do? Outsmart your dog, that's what.

Parents don't leave sharp objects laying next to exposed outlets and then scold babies for electrocuting themselves. They baby proof the house. Putting away dangerous items and using a variety of tools to lock cabinets, cover outlets, and discourage busy toddlers from getting into places where trouble could happen.

This is management. By carefully managing your dog's environment, you can prevent a lot of problems.

Once that's done, you can work on teaching better behavior. When the "bad" behavior is no longer working -- meaning you've prevented opportunities for it to happen, thereby preventing opportunities for it to be rewarded -- you can now focus on making "good" behavior work better for your dog.

How? Well, that's where you use the formula in the image below. You know that ________ is a problem. Now, think about when it happens. All behavior has a trigger (antecedent). It could be the sight of something, the sound of something, even the smell of something.

When you identify the trigger, you can predict the behavior. When you can predict the behavior, you can manage it. Common management tools work in most cases, but you might need to get creative.

Dog owners are always surprised that such a simple solution exists. They never even considered that they could place their dog behind a baby gate in the hallway before opening the front door because they were so focused on what to do AFTER the dog escaped...or jumped...or snapped.

Now, here's the catch: Everyone has to be consistent. Management won't work if Mom is the only one doing it, but Dad thinks that's silly and a magical snap of the fingers (which worked on his last dog) is all it will take, or teenager forgets to put the gate up. But, that's true of training, in general. Everyone needs to be consistent...or the one person who can be consistent must take on full responsibility.

Once a solid management plan is in place, training sessions can begin. Training is not what you do or say once something goes wrong, it is practicing for those situations - this is why sports have "training practice," not "after-school football tournaments."

Training is practice. Management just helps you control WHAT your dog is practicing!

COPYRIGHT NOTICE
These images are free to share on Facebook via the “Share” link. Downloading for redistribution online or in print form is strictly prohibited. ©2015 Lisa Mullinax. All rights reserved.

12/07/2017

*Here is why you have to stop using a flat collar, choke or prong to walk your dog NOW*

(I get it, Ive done it with a flat normal collar.. but once you know why you shouldn't I'm hoping that you will stop too.)

We all love our dogs dearly, but what if we were harming them on a daily basis without knowing it? Sadly many of us are.....
Every dog pulls on the leash at some point in his life. some of us dont actually worry about it, and it doesnt bother us, to others who own strong or large dogs it can be a real problem.
but the problem isn't just our problem

It can be a BIG problem for your dog.
(I'm not talking about his behaviour here or getting himself or you into trouble.. I am talking about physical damage.... and Below I'm only going into three of a host of potential problems.)

Do you use a collar or choke or prong for walking?
I hope the answer is a definite no to the last two.. but i also hope its a no to the first one.
Why?? Believe it or not even a wide flat collar has a massive potential to cause damage to your dog.

1) If he consistently pulls, (in a collar) over time he will be damaging his eyes through raising the blood pressure to the head by the action of the collar constricting the main vessels in the neck.. (even gentle pulling will raise intraoccular pressure to some extent). The eyes are very sensitive structures, and not something that immediately springs to mind when deciding how to walk our dogs.... but its a known fact.

2) Potential for damaging the thyroid gland also exists... (it sits pretty much right where the collar does) and the thryoid is basically the powerhouse for the body... it controls more or less every system .. and once damaged.. there is no going back. (over represented breeds tend to be the large ones.. who incidentally and instinctively pull: boxers GSDs, golden retrievers etc..).

Thyroid dysfunction is often labelled as "autoimmune" but no one really knows how much of that trigger could be down to direct injury.. and its not hard to injure that gland with a normal collar... so you can imagine just how easy it becomes to damage when using a choke or prong.

3) Any attachment to the head or neck can cause serious damage if he lunges sharply (i include haltis in the danger zone here) through whiplash like injuries, direct damage to the musculature and also to the spine, which can be instantly noticable (and in some cases fatal :( ).. or cause your dog low grade pain and discomfort throughout life.

Make the change.. choose a harness and protect your dog from injury.
Find a harness with a "v" shaped neck, so that potential for any of the above mentioned injuries are all but eliminated... (straight front harnesses that sit high on the chest can cause problems too)

We love the perfect fit from www.doggames.co.uk especially because it has a front D ring which makes leash training so much easier.
There are plenty more on the market if you cant afford one of those..
EVEN if your dog doesnt pull.... please make the change. keep him safe... accidents happen. (you could fall yourself and jerk his neck heavily even if he never lunges or pulls in his life)

Your dogs collar should be for ID purposes , (or decorative if you are into that ;) )only.

Join the harness revolution!

11/07/2017

TBT – Think Before Throwing! In the past two days, I have worked with two dogs injured from overzealous ball playing, fetching, retrieving at quick paces, or whatever you want to call it.  When I m…

09/07/2017

Many breeds have stand-out physical characteristics that make it easy to identify them, but can you name the dog from its ears?

09/07/2017

"The idea that you should “be the pack leader” is one that is so ingrained in our community that it is considered by most of the general public to be an incontrovertible fact. We have all grown up with the concept of the “top dog” or the “alpha”, and most people believe statements like “he’s a dominant dog” without question.

The idea has been so universally accepted by our culture that telling somebody “there’s no such thing as an alpha in dog training” is met with a knee jerk reaction of denial. Most dog owners hear that statement with the same kind of scepticism they’d feel if they were told the Earth was flat or fire was cold..."

CONTINUE READING AT:
http://www.beacondogtraining.com.au/no-such-thing-as-an-alpha-dog

This article is not about the effectiveness or necessity of punishment, but about whether or not we should consider dominance when training a dog.

Not all trainers that think you should be the pack leader recommend the use of harsh punishments, and not everyone who uses punishment also subscribes to the idea of being dominant.

The concept of whether or not dogs need to be punished as part of their training is a topic for another post. What this post is meant to convey is that you should NEVER punish a dog because you want to be dominant over them.

Many of the more benign type of things that trainers do in the name of being alpha, like not letting dogs go through doors ahead of them, can be quite beneficial to a dog’s training. Not because a dog that is allowed to rush through doorways will think that they are dominant, but because doorway manners will help prevent escapes and keep them safe, and are a good opportunity to practice good manners and impulse control.

Consistency, confidence and boundaries are all necessary for good dog training – but NOT because having them will make you dominant.

Nothing your dog does is an attempt to take over your “status”. Dogs continue behaviours that work – so if being pushy, impulsive and demanding works to get the dog what they want, they will continue those behaviours. Both positive reinforcement and punishment will work to stop a pushy and demanding dog, but neither works by “teaching the dog its place”.

Here are a couple of quotes to think about:

“The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.” - Neil deGrasse Tyson

“Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is taking care of those in your charge.” – Simon Sinek

-------------

I had originally intended to cover "pack theory" in our series of myth-busting graphics, but the topic is such a sensitive one that I decided it was best handled in a dedicated article.

Many of you will feel the scepticism I mention in the article; if you do, please consider taking the time to read through it. You may be surprised about the origin of ideas that most dog owners consider to be true.

Challenging long term beliefs is never easy. It can cause you to look back on the past with the power of hindsight, and feel guilt that your actions had consequences that were not your intention.

Before I became a trainer I used training methods based on dominance with my fearful and reactive dog, Toby. I yelled at him, hit him, cut off his air with a choke chain and very nearly put him in a shock collar - all in the name of "training". I truly believed that what I was doing was helping him, even though I hated to do it.

When I first began to learn about modern, science based dog training, and the reality of dominance theory, my first reaction was dread and denial. I realised that if it was true that it wasn't necessary to dominate my dog in order to train him, then all the abuse I had been dishing out was unnecessary. It would have been much easier at that stage to deny the evidence before my eyes, and insist that the things I was doing needed to be done.

Instead, I made the choice to make a change. Toby and I embraced positive reinforcement training, and began the journey that led to That Dog Geek.

The guilt over the things in our past still plagues me, but it is most definitely worth it when I see how Toby has blossomed since those early days.

I hope the article helps those of you in similar situations to Toby's and mine.

Happy training Dog Geeks.

18/06/2017

Wise words...