Ashley's K9 Solutions The Lowdown on Dogs

01/06/2025

Yep. I use ecollars. Slap me in cuffs now. These "abusive tools" have saved the lives of thousands of dogs, more than medications or treats alone.

The blunt stimulation that it uses is no different to that of a TENS unit. It's used more at low levels for recall, but it can also be used to give a reminder not to do certain bad behaviors.

Treats and reward are important to first help your dog if they're afraid, but when treats and play can't get through, and when you are tired of being bitten or fighting to stop your reactive dog from lunging on leash, the remote collar can communicate that something is not okay.

Large or small, it is used to keep dogs and humans safe. In as gentle a way as possible.

The proper use is conditioning first. You need to teach the dog how to turn it on, off, and that it's you doing it. You do this through rewards that are given after the low level stimulation. Mark with a "yes" after the dog turns to look at you, and guide him toward you for the reward.

This simple act will help to communicate that this weird feeling not only will mean good things most of the time, it always means "pay attention, I'm asking you something."

It can communicate far better than any tool out there when your voice alone can't.

The rush of adrenaline in a dog is immense when it's in fight mode or when it's targeting something. Because adrenaline is a pain dampener, the ecollar may need to go higher to get through or you can use a more visual interruptor like an air canister or bonker. Oh no, I said "bonker." Should probably slate me for abuse there, too.

The goal is to not have to go high with the ecollar. If possible, it's used with other techniques first on lower levels to set the dog up for success. It can't always be helped though, but a single nick on an ecollar at a meaningful level can help your dog learn the wrong answer from the right.

But the ecollar itself is not a last resort. The longer a dog is allowed to repeat a bad behavior, the more practiced they get at it. Behaviors like biting and attacking, counter surfing and bolting out doors shouldn't have the chance to become more practiced.

Some would argue "well we'll just manage the dog then." Management can fail 75% of the time, especially in our busy, hectic real life scenarios. The sooner we stop a dog from performing and practicing dangerous behaviors, the more likely we can keep that dog living its best life with its family.

I use a mixture of reward, punishment, and counter conditioning to achieve the best results. And if it's best for your dog to use a remote collar, then, yes, I'll use that, too.

"But would you want that around your neck?"

I actually have worn it and used it on high. It doesn't tickle, but it isn't burning skin or electrocuting me. TENS units apply stimulation to the muscles. They don't tickle the higher you go, sure. But the goal is to not have to go high. And if we need to, it's done as little as possible.

Over the years, I've grown as a trainer. Mentoring under certain trainers taught me the wrong way to use these tools. But when I saw the harm that can cause, I've tweaked the technique, learned from true master handlers, and now take things a lot slower.

You can't rush the process. It's not a sprint to the finish line. But when used right, paired with rewards, the ecollar is an amazing tool that can really change the game for you and your dog.

Anyone saying otherwise is most likely the first to recommend medications or euthanasia. They'll claim it's cruel, while still throwing out those suggestions before even attempting to save your dog. Too often, dogs slated for euthanasia came to me and we saved this dog from the needle. Through the use of this tool and other techniques.

Don't discount what you don't understand.

10/08/2024

Yes. Please research before you buy.

279.2K likes, 6437 comments. “Edit: yall im talking about breed restrictions on renting in the US. Many apartments dont allow “aggressive” or “pit type” dogs. Some people get a pit, realize they cant find housing as renters, then rehome the dog. I am NOT saying high energy dogs cant live i...

09/12/2024

This.

How do you feel about exposing your dog to stress?

This young Weimaraner started a board and train recently. During the drop off, I informed his owner, he'd be living under some different rules at my house than what he'd been used to for the past few months of his life.

He would be subjected to some "healthy stress.”

Among other things, he would be sleeping in a crate at night, learning to walk nicely on a leash, and participate in proprioceptive exercises to build body awareness.

Essentially, he would be learning some problem solving skills and because of it, develop greater resilience.

The first day here he found himself stuck on the opposite side of a pole than the side I was on.

Can you guess what I did?

I did nothing. I stood there, not moving, not applying more pressure to the leash, not coochie-cooing him...I just waited.

It took him about 90 seconds of wiggling, and whining to figure out what to do to get himself free.

Once he did, he was darn proud of himself, prancing about for a few seconds and then we moved on and enjoyed a short game of fetch.

The stress was short lived. He learned how to relieve it and was proud of himself as he discovered his power to problem solve.

We do our dogs no favor by immediately bailing them out of every little problem or struggle they encounter.

So often I hear, "My dog doesn't like the crate,” or "My dog doesn't like to be brushed,” or "My dog won't potty while on leash.”

As a woman who has raised two (now grown) children, I could not have imagined saying to my kids dentist..."well, they don't like having their teeth brushed so we just gave up." 🤣

I have news for you, there are very few dogs that immediately enjoy their crate, or being brushed and bathed, or being restrained on a leash.

It's our job to teach them to tolerate the realities of life in the human world.

For most things the teaching recipe is simple:

A bit of skill, applied over time, mixed by a healthy dose of patient persistence.

If you don't have the skill, the time or the patience, you can pay people like me to do the foundation work for you. It is like having the dentist clean the kids teeth...but if you don't maintain what the professional did, it's not going to become good habits that serve for a lifetime.

The main thing to understand is that stress and learning will be part of life. There is no avoiding it. It is how we learn to work through it that makes the difference.

By taking time to teach your dog how to tolerate some stress and learn to problem solve, you set them up for increased confidence, improved manners and an overall healthier mindset.

09/06/2024

This is the state of management that we get with positive reinforcement training done first. Is this dog being set up for success?

I will at LEAST give her some credit for using a correction. But ONLY after all the other things failed?

Punishment should not be the last resort. It is a basic natural clarity-inducing tool that helps living things navigate the world. In the real world, you either live or you die. If you're lucky, you only get punished for a bad decision. Yes. If you are LUCKY. Because then you can learn from your mistake and hopefully survive.

But punishment as a last resort is nothing other than filler, words and beliefs loaded with ego and unicorn farts. When you consider that this is what most rescues want you to do for the dog you adopt from them, and when you consider the actual lies that anti punishment advocates are spewing about their success rates, you eventually see the bigger and far more deadly picture of the state of our society.

This is why dogs die. Not because of prong collars or ecollars done right. Not because of a bonker or a sq**rt bottle or air canister done faster into the relationship. Not because of instilling the word "no" into your conversation right out of the gate.

Nope. What kills dogs is lack of clarity and wasting time wirh the fluffy stuff. Because they are not given clarity, they are not given a chance to succeed. Because we hold ourselves back, we hold them back. Because we are afraid to give non negotiable rules, true boundaries, proper corrections, to keep them safe, then they and those they interact with are not safe.

This dog is not likely to succeed, not as he is. He is too amped, too out of control, too snappy, and with the usual inexperienced owner that the rescue will allow to have this dog, this could be a disaster waiting to happen.

But hey, you make your own choice. If you want to walk through life with blinders, like people like this do, feel free.

But don't shame the people who want to actually fix their dogs. You have no right to judge those who punish properly and fairly when this chaotic mess is a glimpse at your process.

https://www.facebook.com/reel/874985550770721

08/28/2024

No matter how much dignity we want to give a dog. No matter how much kindness and articulation we wish to convey. No matter how much we must listen to our dog and hear what they're saying.

We have a moral responsibility to stop a dog from being a danger to itself or others as soon as possible.

If I don't want you to touch me or invade my space or act rude to me, it is not okay for me to punch you or shoot you because you broke one of my cardinal rules.

I must learn an appropriate way of telling you. Or I can take it a step further by seeing myself out and making space on my own if that makes me feel better.

I cannot threaten you with death without social consequences. I cannot attack you without legal consequences. I cannot expect my wishes to be honored simply because I threw a tantrum.

So the next time you feel you are needing to see things from the dog's side, yes, you do. You try hard to take their side into the equation.

But when their side is "I will hurt you if you break a rule I have" then you have to calmly and firmly deny them their wish.

You can even say sorry in your mind if you want. But you still must tell them it's not okay. It's okay to be scared. It's okay to want space. It's okay to need time to process a situation, presence, or pressure. And it's up to us to give them this.

But if they are to coexist with us, and go into public with us, then how they ask for their needs to be met cannot be with teeth.

In relationships, how we communicate matters. How we word things can be the difference between arriving at an understanding or entering into an argument. A counselor's job many times is to teach both sides how to speak and how to listen. The more aggressive "you need to" becomes a more cooperative "I need this from you." People are corrected for their harsh language and overreactions, either by a firm reprimand or handcuffs. Friendships and marriages are broken when one person is too violent or refuses to see things any other way than their own.

While I'm not saying go marry your dog--though I guess you do you, no judgment--we are sharing a space with our dog sometimes more than we do our human family. So why is it that we don't hold our dogs to the same standard of communication? Mutual respect is needed.

Your dog can say "no," but you have every right to critique their point of delivery. Otherwise you may as well be living with an abusive partner.

And that's not okay.

08/25/2024

Recall without ecollar. Is it possible? Yep!

If you are absolutely hell bent on not using a remote collar, you can still have a recall, but be prepared for more gritty, lengthy, and frustrating work than you would with an ecollar. Treats are great, but they are not the be all to end all. They can teach a dog what to do, but they won't help your dog to CHOOSE to do it in all distractions.

That's where accountability comes in.

Here are the steps:

1: First, make sure you know your dog knows how to come. Teach it the old way, with treats, clicker, happy praise, toys, etc... Ideally this is done in an area with minimal distractions for best results.

Then test this by calling your dog without showing treats for a bribe. See if your dog comes in this area. If they do about 40 times in a 50 time attempt, then we can assume they understand the come command.

2: Take your dog, on a longline, to a semi more distracting area. The amount of distractions will greatly effect the reliability of your dog's recall. They will make choices to blow you off, especially if you only have the same boring treat to encourage it.

Work through some of this by creating reward events. These can be a minute of food chasing, or an impromptu tug game when they come to you. Make it fun! Change it up so they get some different recall moments. And make sure to not take them inside.

Do not end the fun when they come to you. Do not poison the recall command by calling your dog and then taking them away from the fun! Instead, release your dog to go be a dog some more, waiting for the next fun moment that you call them.

After you've done these things, now it's time for the gritty accountability phase....

3: You may have done the reward events. You may have given huge praise and fun and made coming to you not end their good time, but your dog has still not learned to come no matter what.

He can STILL make choices.

So take him to an area with more distractions. Have him on this longline. Call him. If he does not come, then this is what you do:

Do NOT repeat. Do NOT get angry. Do NOT charge and chase and turn it into a game.

Simply say NO (very important you say it first) and then go get them.

Step on the leash if it's easier. Walk on the leash toward your dog to keep them from escaping, or just walk to your dog. When you reach him, grab your dog by the collar, rough enough that they know they screwed up but not so rough that you intentionally scare them.

Now wait. Do not let him go or praise him. Just hold the collar. Show some mild disappointment. And wait until he sits and looks like you made an impression. Watch for pinned ears, a glance away, a closed mouth, wide eyes. These all show concern, so don't push the matter or you could create a possible bite. If your dog has issues with collar grabs then work on that issue first apart from this training. Make sure your dog's tendencies there have been dealt with first. Your dog should NOT see this collar grab as a reason to bite you, but they SHOULD see it as a reason to listen and be a little concerned with you.

Yes. They should be feeling it's no longer a game. Not coming when called is NOT a game. In fact, it is one of the top reasons why hundreds of dogs end up dead each year.

So don't play around with this command. There NEEDS to be some form of accountability there for ignoring you.

This grabbing of the collar can create this accountability if you repeat the process. Call. "No." Go get your dog. Grip collar. Hold. Wait for dog to accept your consequence and show appeasement.

Keep repeating this until you see your dog starting to come to you...even if it's not perfect still praise and it's a party!

Do this process and eventually, with a LOT of work and time, you might have a dog that comes to you...because they know you'll go get them anyway and make it suck unless they do. :)

Other ways to punish for a failed recall is the sq**rt bottle, air canister, bonker, leash pop, etc. Make sure you say "No" first. That is super important. Otherwise they'll run from you thinking the come command means they'll get sq**rted.

Make SURE there is heavy praise and reward for when they do come. Make SURE there is some consequence for when they don't come.

And be prepared for a LONG haul. You're not getting this dog reliable any time soon.

But this is the process to go through if you don't want to use an ecollar.

Come
"No"
Leash pop, collar grab, sq**rt bottle etc..
Rinse. Repeat. Grind away.

Ecollar or not, there will be a process. And you are playing with fire to think you can get a perfect reliable recall with treats alone.

Don't be ridiculous. Don't let your ego and stupid morality hurt your dog. You have a moral responsibility to keep your dog safe, your cute cuddly feel good "but I dun wanna hurt or scare him!" ethics be damned. The "I don't wanna hurt or scare him" mantra has no ability to stop a moving vehicle and stop your dog from colliding with it. Think about that. Let it soak a bit. Do the inner work, and get to work. :)

Good luck!!

08/14/2024

Note of the day:

The more bad you allow, the less good you can have.

When people come to me lamenting their situation with their dog, be it a biter, bolter, or slurry of nuisance behavior that they can't deal with, they tell me that what they've done to manage it is to take away the fun stuff.

Their dog is reactive so they don't take their dog for walks, except maybe at night. Boring!

Their dog is a bolter, so they either crate the dog or barricade him away in a room.

Their dog is aggressive so they never let him see people...by the humans not inviting people over.

Their dog has separation anxiety, so the humans never leave the house.

Cat aggressive? Cat is isolated or dog is isolated.

Counter surfs? Dog is backtied.

Gets into things? Dog is put on place for hours, backtied, or crated.

The dog might even be put down when all the rewards and love and drugs didn't work.

When does this torment stop? Easy.

When you punish the behavior that you're trying to avoid.

What does this accomplish? The behavior goes away after time, provided that the behavior is properly punished.

And it can be by making sure that the punishment is:

1: Intolerable: Dog can't tolerate/hates it
2: Unavoidable: Dog can't avoid it
3: Consistent: Always follows the word "no"
4: Clear to the dog as to why it happened: If "no" is properly loaded as the punisher marker, this should happen generically.

Then look at what happens!

You can walk your once reactive dog. In the day!

You can have your dog out of a crate or off place or off a backtie more often, because he won't bolt, counter surf, or look for things to get into.

You can have people over.

You can go places! See your friends. Visit family. And you won't have to worry about coming home to p**p, a puddle of drool, or a shredded mess.

You may be able to have your cat out more (never unsupervised!]

You can go, do, and see more with your dog. You can LIVE with your dog!

And God willing this may even help you enough so that you don't have to kill your dog.

Save them by punishing them when needed.

Let yourself accept the realization that punishment is freeing. It is relief. It is clarity. Peace of mind.

Because when you do this, and when you finally learn how to do this right, you have given your dog, and you, the greatest gift.

Time together.

08/14/2024

Dog trainers to clients: "Don’t let your dog on your bed."

Me: see picture below.

Explanation

My dogs won't kill each other when they're invited up. It is invitation only. They must respect the bed, each other, and everyone else. Any of this changes, off the bed and punished.

The catchiskm is no dog on bed. My belief is you decide if your dog can handle it, but while also taking responsibility if you have set them and yourself up for failure by thinking wrong and not doing your due diligence to train them.

Some dogs can't handle this privilege. Others can.

Do the hard work and you may reap the rewards.

Disclaimer: Just maybe try this with a queen bed rather than a full. Or your leg circulation may suffer a bit.

08/13/2024

I have had similar experiences, and still do to this day. Stop drinking the Kool-Aid guys!

08/11/2024

I need to stop reading reactive/aggressive dog forums....especially the ones that won't advocate for the use of punishment.

Ever watched an oncoming plane about to hit something? You want to stop it. You want to help, to prevent the inevitable, but you know you can't. The collision is coming. It's not a matter of if, but when.

That's how I feel when I scan such forum posts when they pop in my feed. I don't know why I let myself read it. I know there's nothing I can do. Let me say something and I'll be jumped on for using cruel methods. I'll still say something though. Let them jump me. If it can save a dog and human, so be it. If not and I'm banned? At least then I won't be receiving these posts in my feed anymore. :)

I guess I'm of the belief that it's more cruel to let a dog stay in this state of mind, either because he loves to control his owners or other dogs, or he thinks acting against something out of fear is acceptable.

In these forums, we usually have the "help please" post, where the desperate owner is willing to "try anything," except for things that might be "mean." See my previous post about why I think that statement is doggie doo. The emotionally-exhausted poster is seeking a shoulder to cry on, but when actual help is given, they have an excuse as to why they can't do what you suggest. So why post at all? If it's just because they can't afford a dog trainer, then they should at least not be dictating what they'll use, if this is truly a point of desperation. So what's the reason? Attention? Just need to vent? Solidarity?

That's fine. But when you want to fix the issue, let me know. :)

Or maybe we're past that now and it's a "my heart is broken" post. The poster was failed by the methods given in the comments from people who don't believe in actually fixing the behavior. Either this person ignored the comments saying to punish her dog, or all the comments from people advising punishment were already deleted, the writers of them jumped on by a hoard of rabid fur mamas and earlier banned.

So this "I'm broken" post is about how the poster needs comfort because she's preparing to put her dog down. She gave him his last hamburger and on her way to the vet as she writes. It just became too hard and she feels her dog needs his peace, but she feels awful and she feels like she's failing him. And everyone reassures her that she's doing the right thing, how not all dogs can be fixed, that this person did her best, etc....

Now let me go ahead first and say I am not against behavior euthanasia. What I am against is the belief that aggression can't be corrected. With the right approach, and the right clarity, a lot of the dogs who are killed could have been saved. But the right approach tends to involve something that owners don't have the heart to do. When they limit themselves, or become brainwashed into believing others who limit what can be done, then the only other option is this final destination.

Could it have been prevented? Could this fatal course have been diverted? We'll never know. The plane slammed that other plane hard and thorough, and all you can do is say it was a horrible tragedy. Do you blame the plane, in this case the dog? You could but why? Usually this mistake is due to operator error or due to the fault of the incorrect information that led them to this collision to begin with.

So be careful, all I'm saying. Comfort generally makes the comforter feel good too. And if all we're after are the feel good feelings, then we are much more likely to fail when it comes to aggression or reactivity. I get it. Punishment isn't fun.

But when done right, it saves lives.

Unless all you want is a hug, in which case, keep posting to those forums.

08/11/2024

Redirects and obedience alone cannot help a dog from an excited state of mind. Not unless you are also issuing a no nonsense communication to interrupt and cut out the shaninigans. This dog was a prime example of how a sit command was going to have no effect unless we first dealt with reducing her arousal.

Unless we gave correction, she would have stayed in that frantic state longer, and she could potentially hurt someone!

You are doing your dog a disservice if you allow this state of mind to continue unchecked.

08/11/2024

"I don't want to be mean."

This phrase, spoken from well-meaning dog owners, is incredibly detrimental to not only the dog, but others who end up a victim of that dog's behavior.

So what constitutes mean?

Well if we go into the dictionary, we see multiple definitions.

1: The average of the given numbers.

So you don't want to be the average of the given numbers? Numbers of what? The times you've allowed your dog to do a behavior? What if that behavior is dangerous to others, like biting or jumping? What if the behavior is dangerous to itself, like bolting out a door or eating dropped pills? Do you allow a high number "mean" of times this behavior has happened and therefore cost your dog far more than the sum of a punishment? If we're feeling especially "mathy," we can multiply the cost of vet bills or lawsuits, add one needle with a certain percentage of pink juice, and subtract one animal.

No. I suppose in this case, you would not want to be mean.

Okay, next definition:

2: To have in the mind as a purpose; to serve or intend to convey, show, or signify. To have importance to the degree of.

What do you have in mind when you allow a behavior to carry on? What is your intention when you try and fail to create a proper inhibition in which to prevent future occurrences of a behavior? What importance do you place on the safety of your dog or others, and what degree of loss are you prepared to accumulate if you are not able to stop that behavior? When you allow a behavior to continue, it can become worse, more practiced. In the case of anxiety, poor impulse control, or aggression, it can also affect the health of your dog. Aggression should not have to happen if we are able to tell a dog that it is absolutely not allowed.

If your intention is not to prevent a behavior, then yes, I suppose you don't want to "mean" enough to your dog to save him from himself.

Next!

3: To direct to a particular individual.

This is an interesting one. What are we directing? Is it the knowledge that the dog is not allowed to do this behavior, or is it the knowledge that the dog CAN do this behavior? Are we directing proper clarity by giving definitive yes and no, or are we directing confusion by ignoring behavior (and therefore allowing it?) And who are we directing this at? If not our dog, then is it at the mailman who gets attacked? The child who is bitten? The cat who is killed? A guest who is knocked down?

Well in this case, we wouldn't want to be mean, but we're being VERY mean to others who suffer because of our dog's actions.

Rolling right along.

4: Lacking distinction or mental discrimination; of poor quality or inferior; worthy of little regard; lacking dignity or honor.

If we do not give our dog clarity in a non negotible way, we will be all these things to him. Dignity and honor doesn't matter to a dog. They eat p**p and sniff crotches. But in our own belief we feel if we do not punish, though we may end up causing our dog to not see us in a respectful light, at least we get to feel like we've achieved some form of honor. I'll tell you right now, that feeling is very short-lived when your disobedient dog hurts itself or others. Honor and dignity doesn't matter then.

5: Occupying a middle position; to serve as an intermediary; intervening.

There is no middle position in dog ownership. You are solely responsible if something your dog did comes to pass. You and your dog. You may of course serve as an intermediary in the handoff of your dog to Animal Control if he has to go to quarantine, and you may occupy the middle chair at a dog bite hearing, but that's about it. Unless you do a proper intervention before your dog's behavior gets to this point, this could happen, and it happens all the time, to well meaning people who never expected to end up here. If you are not a means to your dog's change of behavior, you are instead a means to his end.

6: Characterized by petty selfishness or malice. Causing trouble or bother.

Are you seeking to punish your dog out of selfishness or malice? Or are you punishing out of a compassionate desire to see him live a safe and full life without anxiety? Punishment-- done right, fairly, and with clarity--does not create confusion, anxiety, or fear. It creates an understanding, reduces stress, and even can strengthen the bond you have with your dog. But if you are not able to give a punishment to set your dog up for success faster, and this is because of your own morals, fears, or insecurities, then THAT is being selfish. And if you knowingly don't fix your situation, then you are putting your own feelings above your dog's wellbeing. And that is troublesome and creates much bother.

So no, don't be mean. Avoid this by being effective.

7: Excellent, effective. Useful. Helpful to a desired end.

Oh hey, look. If you don't want to be "mean," this one's for you. By not gaining excellent and effective control over your dog and his behavior, you are hurting more than helping.

So the next time you throw out that thought of not wanting to be mean, remember all the definitions for this word. Remember all the consequences for not giving proper and fair consequences. Remember that your role is not to let selfish emotion stop you from doing what will be beneficial to your dog long term.

Is a doctor "mean" for lancing your infected wound?

Is a teacher "mean" for giving you a failing grade and requesting you work harder?

Is a parent "mean" for taking away the car after you risked your safety and others by driving drunk?

Rethink your views. Do the inner work. Do whatever you can to keep your dog and others safe, up to and including actions that you currently consider "mean."

To do anything less is far worse.

08/09/2024

Here is a fellow trainer who is offering boarding and the possibility of social time with your dog. I know some of you were looking for that this time of year. If anyone's interested, give her a call and see if you are a fit!

🚨🚨ONE spot left for end of August!!🚨🚨