Dunedin Happy Tails

01/02/2026

More excellent information from our friend Simon

Dogs Learn in Pictures, Not Paragraphs

Why Your Dog Knows What’s Happening Before You Do

Dogs don’t sit around weighing up options, debating outcomes, or thinking, “Well, statistically speaking…”

That’s us.

Dogs learn through association. Simple, fast, and brutally efficient.

They don’t reason their way through life, they link things together. One thing predicts another thing. That prediction becomes a picture. That picture becomes reality.

And once a picture is formed?
Good luck un-teaching it without some effort.

Your Dog Is a Walking CCTV System

Dogs are phenomenal observers. They notice things you swear you didn’t even do.

You might think:

“I just grabbed the lead.”

Your dog thinks:

“Lead + keys + boots + jacket = BIG WALK.”

Change the boots?

“Oh… hiking boots. This is not a walk. This is an event.”

Add the car keys?
Now the dog is emotionally halfway up the hill before you’ve locked the door.

It’s never just one cue.
It’s a collection of cues, time of day, your movement, what you’re wearing, the noises in the house, even your mood.

Dogs don’t read the script.
They read the pattern.

When the Picture Takes Over

Here’s where owners often come unstuck.

If the sight of the lead turns your dog into a vibrating mess of enthusiasm, spinning, barking, whining, launching themselves at you like a furry missile, that’s not “excitement”.

That’s anticipation without regulation.

The picture has become so powerful that it overrides:
• Calm behaviour
• Impulse control
• Any semblance of manners

At that point, you’re not leading the situation.
The picture is.

Changing the Picture (Without Losing Your Sanity)

If the lead has become the starter pistol for chaos, the solution isn’t shouting “CALM!” louder.

It’s breaking the association.

Pick up the lead.
Put it down.
Nothing happens.

Pick it up again.
Walk into the kitchen.
Make a cup of tea.
Dog is disappointed. That’s fine.

Clip it on.
Unclip it.
Dog wears it around the house.
Still no walk.

Eventually, the lead stops meaning anything on its own.

And that’s the point.

The walk only happens when you decide, not when the picture demands it.

The Same Rule Applies Everywhere

The Crate

If the crate only appears when:
• You’re leaving
• The dog’s “in trouble”
• You’ve had enough

Congratulations, you’ve built a portable resentment box.

But if the crate means:
• Calm time
• Food
• Chews
• Switching off

Now it’s a safe space, not solitary confinement.

Same crate.
Different picture.

The Car

Vet only?
Dog hates the car.

Vet, woods, beach, nowhere in particular?
Dog tolerates or even enjoys, the car.

Dogs don’t hate objects.
They hate predictable bad outcomes.

The Dinner-Time Psychic Phenomenon (Explained)

Feed your dog at 5pm every day and watch the magic unfold.

4:30pm – pacing
4:45pm – staring
4:55pm – intense eye contact
5:00pm – “I summoned this.”

No.
You rehearsed it.

Light levels, sounds, your habits, cupboard noises, all stacked into one very reliable picture.

This is why:
• Mixing up feeding times helps
• Hand-feeding builds engagement
• Enrichment feeders calm expectation

It breaks rigidity and builds flexibility.

You Are Painting Pictures All Day Long

Every interaction, routine, and habit creates a picture.

If a behaviour keeps happening, it’s because:
• The picture exists
• The dog believes it leads somewhere worthwhile

That “somewhere” might be:
• Attention
• Relief
• Excitement
• Avoidance
• Control

Dogs don’t repeat behaviours for fun.
They repeat behaviours that work.

Better Pictures = Better Dogs

Want:
• Calmer lead manners?
Start before the door.
• A relaxed crate?
Make it rewarding, not reactive.
• A solid recall?
Stop making coming back the end of fun.

Training isn’t just cues and corrections.
It’s environmental storytelling.

You are constantly teaching your dog what matters, what predicts what, and what’s worth getting excited about.

Final Thought

Dogs don’t overthink.
They over-associate.

Once you understand that, training becomes less emotional, less frustrating, and far more effective.

You stop arguing with the dog…
…and start editing the picture.

And when you control the picture,
you control the behaviour, calmly, clearly, and without the chaos.

12/30/2025

What You Allow in Your Presence Is Your Standard

And Your Dog Knows Exactly What That Means

There’s a quote that floats around leadership circles, military training, business coaching, and whether people realise it or not, dog training:

“What you allow in your presence is your standard.”

It sounds simple. Almost too simple.
But when it comes to dogs, this one sentence explains far more behaviour problems than most people care to admit.

Because dogs don’t listen to what we say.
They pay attention to what we allow.

And therein lies the rub.

Dogs Are Brilliant Pattern-Spotters (Unfortunately for Us)

Dogs are not moral creatures. They are not stubborn, dominant, manipulative, or “testing you”.

They are exceptionally good at spotting patterns.

If a behaviour:
• happens repeatedly
• receives no consequence
• is occasionally successful

…then as far as the dog is concerned, it’s an approved behaviour.

Not because you like it.
Not because you trained it.
But because you allowed it.

Your dog doesn’t need consistency in rules.
They need consistency in outcomes.

Allowance Is Training (Whether You Like It or Not)

Here’s where many owners get uncomfortable.

Most unwanted behaviours are not taught deliberately.
They are taught by tolerance.

Let’s look at some everyday examples.

Example 1: Jumping Up
• Dog jumps up at visitors.
• Owner says, “Oh, he’s just excited.”
• Dog occasionally gets fuss, eye contact, laughter, or hands on chest.

Result?
Jumping works sometimes.

Congratulations, you’ve just created a variable reinforcement schedule for jumping.
That behaviour is now robust, persistent, and very hard to extinguish.

Your standard wasn’t “no jumping”.
Your standard was “jumping is acceptable under certain conditions”.

Your dog understood that perfectly.

Example 2: Pulling on the Lead
• Dog pulls.
• Owner tightens lead, carries on walking.
• Dog reaches the sniff, lamp post, or other dog anyway.

Result?
Pulling moves the world closer.

You may dislike pulling, but you allow it to succeed.

Your standard isn’t “walk nicely”.
Your standard is “pulling works eventually”.

Again, crystal clear to the dog.

Example 3: Reactivity

This one really stings.
• Dog barks, lunges, explodes.
• Owner tightens lead, panics, soothes, apologises to the dog.
• Other dog goes away.

From the dog’s perspective:
• Big display
• Owner gets emotional
• Threat disappears

That behaviour just worked.

Now, I’m not saying the dog is “being naughty”.
But I am saying that what you allowed in that moment became the standard.

Standards Are Not Rules, They Are Repeated Outcomes

Many owners believe they have rules:

“He’s not allowed on the sofa.”
“She knows she shouldn’t bark.”
“He knows better.”

Dogs don’t live by house rules pinned to the fridge.

They live by what happens next.

If a behaviour:
• is ignored
• laughed at
• managed instead of trained
• excused because the dog is tired, young, stressed, excited, old, or “having a day”

…then that behaviour is being maintained.

Not maliciously.
Not deliberately.
But very effectively.

Your Emotional State Is Part of the Standard

Here’s the uncomfortable bit for handlers and trainers.

Dogs don’t just learn what behaviours are allowed.
They learn what emotional responses are allowed too.

If:
• you panic, your dog learns panic
• you hesitate, your dog learns uncertainty
• you negotiate, your dog learns resistance
• you escalate, your dog learns conflict

Calm, consistent leadership sets a standard before a command is ever given.

That’s why two people can handle the same dog and get wildly different results.

The dog hasn’t changed.
The standard has.

“But I Don’t Want to Be Harsh”

Good.
You shouldn’t be.

Standards are not about shouting, punishment, or dominance displays.

They’re about clarity.

Clear standards are:
• predictable
• fair
• consistent
• unemotional

Dogs actually relax when standards are clear.
Ambiguity is stressful.
Inconsistency is confusing.
Negotiation invites chaos.

Structure isn’t cruel.
It’s calming.

Working Dogs Understand This Instinctively

In working dog environments, military, police, search and rescue, this principle is non-negotiable.

If a handler allows:
• sloppy positions
• delayed responses
• environmental fixation

…those become the working standard.

And working dogs will work to the standard presented.

Pet dogs are no different.
They just have far more opportunity to train their humans instead.

Raising Your Standard Raises Your Dog

Here’s the good news.

Standards are not fixed.
They are adjustable.

The moment you:
• stop allowing rehearsal of unwanted behaviour
• start rewarding what you actually want
• manage the environment while training clarity
• become consistent in outcome rather than intention

…your dog adapts.

Not because you became stricter.
But because you became clearer.

A Final Thought

Your dog is not asking for perfection.

They’re asking for:
• guidance
• consistency
• leadership they can trust

Every interaction sets a standard.
Every allowance teaches something.
Every repetition reinforces a belief.

So the next time a behaviour crops up and you think,
“I’ll let that slide just this once”…

Remember:

What you allow in your presence is your standard.
And your dog is always paying attention.

12/30/2025

Excellent article on one of the most important aspects of living with your dog. Wednesday night AKC star student know all about this ⭐️

12/28/2025

Unicorn kisses