About K9s

About K9s Helping you to build a great relationship with your dog using kind, ethical & evidence-based methods

While I was away, Maisie and Zelda got mail. Such good girlies
28/10/2025

While I was away, Maisie and Zelda got mail. Such good girlies

My office this long weekend
27/10/2025

My office this long weekend

Well done to puppy preschool grads Rook (along with Nicola and Jordan) and Poppy (and her humans, Trina and Joe). You ar...
23/10/2025

Well done to puppy preschool grads Rook (along with Nicola and Jordan) and Poppy (and her humans, Trina and Joe). You are all superstars! I hope to catch up with you all soon

19/10/2025

The Koolies and I have spent a fun weekend at a scent work trial in Mosgiel. Our results were mixed. Despite being a bit unwell, Enzo qualified in Master Container - maybe more by good luck than anything else. His Excellent Interior was a fail due to me. Zelda qualified in both her Advanced Interiors which means that, subject to Dogs NZ approval, she has her Advanced Interior award and Scent Work Advanced award. Today's wind proved too challenging for her Excellent Vehicle. Maisie's beautiful Excellent Exterior earned her a judge's choice award. She was so close in her Excellent Interior and I failed her in Master Vehicle. The surprise was discovering that she appears to have qualified out of Excellent Exterior!

This morning, Maisie didn't wake us up at the normal time. Unusual. I had a slight panic but, no, still breathing. Yup, ...
28/09/2025

This morning, Maisie didn't wake us up at the normal time. Unusual. I had a slight panic but, no, still breathing. Yup, daylight saving ๐Ÿ˜œ

25/09/2025

๐Ÿšจ New Dog Tethering Rules in Effect Today (25 Sept 2025) ๐Ÿถ

From today, new dog tethering regulations under the Animal Welfare (Care and Procedures) Regulations are active in New Zealand.

These rules arenโ€™t about banning tethering entirely - theyโ€™re about preventing harm and protecting dogs. SPCA New Zealand have put together some great FAQs you can read on this at the bottom of this post - but here's a quick summary:

โญ•๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ด๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฑ๐—” โ€“ ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—น๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐˜๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด
It will now be an offence to tether a dog if two or more โ€œsigns of prolonged tetheringโ€ are present. Examples include ground worn bare, buildup of faeces, injuries from the tether, locked collars, fly strike dermatitis, or behavioural signs like constant pacing or barking.
โญ•๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ด๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฑ๐—• โ€“ ๐—ฉ๐˜‚๐—น๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—น๐—ฒ ๐—ฑ๐—ผ๐—ด๐˜€
Tethering vulnerable dogs (puppies under 6 months, pregnant or nursing dogs, dogs in heat) will only be allowed in very short, supervised situations (e.g. for vet care or brief necessary tasks). Otherwise itโ€™s prohibited.
โžก๏ธ๐—œ๐˜โ€™๐˜€ ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜ ๐—ฎ ๐—ฏ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ธ๐—ฒ๐˜ ๐—ฏ๐—ฎ๐—ป
Dogs can still be tethered for periods of time - as long as theyโ€™re not showing signs of harm, and especially not vulnerable dogs outside the allowed exceptions.
๐Ÿ“–๐—˜๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ & ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐˜‚๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป
Inspectors will begin with a focus on education, helping people understand the new rules. But in serious or non-compliant cases, infringement fines can be issued ($500 for prolonged tethering, $300 for vulnerable dog violations). Importantly, the regulations give inspectors clearer legal backing to step in earlier where harmful tethering is occurring.
โ“๐—ช๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ ๐—ฑ๐—ผ๐—ด ๐˜๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐˜€๐˜‚๐˜€๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐˜€๐—น๐˜†
If you suspect a dog is tethered in breach of the rules (signs of harm, vulnerable dog, etc.), SPCA encourages you to submit a welfare complaint via their website or contact your local SPCA centre.

These regulations arenโ€™t aimed at responsible dog owners - theyโ€™re designed to protect dogs in situations where, until now, inspectors havenโ€™t had the legal tools to step in.

If youโ€™re a dog guardian, now is a great time to double-check how and where your dog is tethered - make sure itโ€™s safe, supervised, and doesnโ€™t show signs of stress or physical harm.

SPCA FAQ: https://www.spca.nz/news-and-events/news-article/dog-tethering-regulations-faqs

We had a surprise visit from an SPCA inspector this morning. Someone had thought that Tahi was being left in the car for...
19/09/2025

We had a surprise visit from an SPCA inspector this morning. Someone had thought that Tahi was being left in the car for hours without water.

Tahi loves being in the car. To him it could mean we're off on an adventure.

The reality? The only time he is in the car at home is when we're pottering around the front garden (which isn't fenced). The car is always parked under a tree with the boot open and water in his bowl. And we don't leave him there all day.

The inspector checked it out and seemed satisfied that everything was fine. And Tahi rather liked her ๐Ÿ˜

The SPCA cops a lot of flak online but good on them for making sure Tahi was okay. A shout out to them for following up.

Here's Tahi later in the day, in his happy place after we got home from that promised adventure.

Train it before you need it.We keep a container of dog treats in the bathroom. Sounds odd, right? But sooner or later ev...
18/09/2025

Train it before you need it.

We keep a container of dog treats in the bathroom. Sounds odd, right? But sooner or later every dog needs a bath and I prefer to do that at home.

From puppy hood, I've made the shower a great place to be. There is a bit of a downside. Sometimes all the Koolies want to hang out in the shower at once! But I'll take that over dogs who detest being bathed. It makes life so much easier for them and me.

It may take a while, even weeks, for a dog to willingly hop in for a bath. Start small and build up to a full shampoo. Good things really do take time.

So, what was behind my post about e-collars yesterday?A rescue had shared that they were looking for one of these tools ...
10/09/2025

So, what was behind my post about e-collars yesterday?

A rescue had shared that they were looking for one of these tools to use on a dog with โ€œslight behavioural issuesโ€ that theyโ€™d rehomed. That concerned me.

E-collars (or shock collars) arenโ€™t magic wands. They donโ€™t gently โ€œcommunicate.โ€ They only work because the dog finds them unpleasantโ€”or worse, because they cause sudden and often unpredictable pain. Yes, a dog might look obedient and calm while wearing one, but in reality, they may just be shut down or afraid.

Even when used by so-called professionals, repeated exposure to e-collars has been linked to owner avoidance, long-term stress and anxiety, and possibly aggression. And let's not forget that aggression is an emotional response to fear, anxiety, stress, and pain.

So when I see someone suggesting an e-collar for โ€œslight behavioural issues,โ€ itโ€™s a big red flag. Maybe the trainer or owner wants a quick fix instead of addressing normal but unwanted behaviours with kind, ethical, science-based training. Or maybe the dog actually has serious behavioural challenges that should have been worked through with a veterinary behaviourist before being rehomed.

If I want my dog to be happy, learn and trust me, I will choose to raise them with integrity and kindness, not shock.

E-collars or shock collars are often touted as a cure-all for unwanted dog behaviours. They're not.
10/09/2025

E-collars or shock collars are often touted as a cure-all for unwanted dog behaviours. They're not.

Vet nurse: no jumping after surgery.Batdog: I have wings!
05/09/2025

Vet nurse: no jumping after surgery.
Batdog: I have wings!

This is one of Tahi's favourite toys. There's always been one on hand since he was a baby. Enzo also likes these toys - ...
05/09/2025

This is one of Tahi's favourite toys. There's always been one on hand since he was a baby. Enzo also likes these toys - a bit too much. We went to buy a replacement but there were none! Worse still, it was on clearance. But we could still buy it online through Animates Vetcare NZ . Yay for online shopping!

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Real world dog training for puppies, pets and sports dogs

Jo is a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner and a Fear Free Certified Professional. It is this comprehensive background in positive dog training that underpins her coaching programme. Jo encourages dog owners to use reward-based force-free (and fun) dog training methods with their canine companions.

Not only have dogs been part of Joโ€™s life since she was 9 (thatโ€™s Flynn on the left and Oscar on the right above), she has been helping dog owners for more than ten years as a volunteer instructor.

To find out how Jo can help you to teach your dog to be the dog that you want, visit https://aboutk9s.com/.