North Country Dog Training

09/28/2021

Do you have a leash reactive dog? Good read!

Walking a dog that lunges and aggresses on leash is not a pleasant experience. The anticipation of a problem tends to cause human tension, which is transmitted down the leash to the dog, effectively making the lunging behavior worse. Dog and owner are then locked in a vicious cycle of tension and leash lunging that becomes hard to change.

https://positively.com/dog-behavior/aggression/leash-aggression/

09/02/2021

Have questions about positive training? Read this!

Positive training is not a scientific term. You will not find it in any scientific journals, and you will regularly hear it being mischaracterized by those who do not fully understand it.

So what is it, exactly?

https://positively.com/dog-training/positive-training/what-is-positive-training/

05/28/2021

This is so true! Where does your dog fit?

Never force a dog into a situation that they do not want to be. Some dogs are super social, dog park dogs. Some prefer leash walks and playdates with a few select doggy friends. Some prefer not to interact with other dogs at all and enjoy your company alone. Be as respectful of your dogs preferences as you would your friends. Set them up for success!!

01/22/2021

How do you view muzzled dogs?

Repeat after me. Muzzled dogs are NOT BAD DOGS.

Muzzled dogs have good humans.

Muzzled dogs can have more experiences because they are managed. Their quality of life is INCREASED because of the muzzle.

Muzzled dogs can still have treats.

Muzzled dogs are not miserable.

Muzzled dogs are muzzled for ALL KINDS OF REASONS. Not just aggression. Maybe they eat too much stuff off the ground and get sick. Maybe they play too rough. Maybe they over correct when startled. Maybe they want to eat squirrels. Maybe they need to learn better social skills. Not all dogs in a muzzle have a bite history, some have them on to prevent that in the first place. Sometimes the muzzle is more for the HUMAN than the DOG because it allows them to feel more confident. Big dogs, small dogs, and all breeds and sizes need muzzles sometimes. It is not a breed specific tool.

Muzzled dogs are GOOD DOGS WITH GREAT HUMANS who are setting their dog up to not fail. Judging a dog in a muzzle and their owner is the same as judging someone for wearing a helmet. They are choosing safety and being proactive and it takes WORK to get your dog to a level that they are happily working and walking around in a muzzle so kudos to the humans and dogs I work with who put that time in to better their dogs lives.

If you see a dog in a muzzle, don’t stare, don’t ask rude questions, just say “nice job, great looking dog!” And carry on. Believe me, you will have just made that humans day.

Written by Helen St. Pierre if you share please give credit. No Monkey Business Dog Training

12/31/2020

What a great analogy. Learning is a life long adventure!!

Training aka teaching takes steps and practice to achieve fluency.

It is not a one and done. Learning doesn't work that way.

What happens if you do not practice for awhile?
Your dog might forget. You might need to go back a few levels (like me when I do not use Duolingo for a bit, sorry Duo owl).

It's OK! Don't beat yourself up or your dog. If you fall off the training wagon don't worry. You can hop back on. It's ok to take a break and begin again at an easier version.

12/20/2020

Not to be a buzzkill and we love people getting excited about adopting animals, but we do have to remind everyone looking to adopt a new pet for the holidays to remember a few things:

🐾Pets are a lifetime commitment
🐾Not all animals, especially puppies, are going to come perfectly trained and will need patience and time
🐾 Life might be a lot of time at home right now, but that could change and you and your new animal will need to be prepared for that

We love the excitement for animals, but we also want everyone to be aware of what they're getting in to when they think about adopting 🙏

12/17/2020

Yes! Giving your dog some kind of job is so good for their brain!

I often use the term

11/18/2020

I love this article. What does leadership mean to you?

We’re told as dog guardians that we need to be the

11/05/2020

Please please please don’t ever allow your child to ride on or sit on your dog. The pictures people post of such things make me cringe inside. Your dog deserves personal space. Any dog, even great dogs, have a tipping point, especially as they get older. Please save yourself, your child and your dog from a potentially terrible outcome that doesn’t even need to be on the table of possibility. That is the PSA for today!

10/23/2020

Pit bull awareness month!! They are my favorite breed hands down 🥰😍

It's Pitbull awareness month and we're a huge fan of those velvety land seals. Our trainer, Barb, of Dog Talk Training MN recently shared this and we just knew we had to share it all with you:

According to the latest ATTS breed temperament test data, the unique breeds commonly assigned to the broad "pitbull-type" category (including the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier) continue to achieve excellent temperament scores - scoring in the top 23% of all breeds tested. Not only do pitbull-type dogs have excellent temperament scores, they are also great family pets - validating their status as outstanding canine citizens in millions of U.S. households. Furthermore, the ATTS (American Temperament Test Society, Inc.) data reflects similar conclusions found in scientific studies about the positive temperament of pitbull-type dogs while also providing further evidence that the behaviour, trainability, and overall disposition (all factors related to temperament) of pitbull-type dogs is excellent.

ATTS tested 804 Pit Bull type dogs from 2010-2011. Of these 804, 695 passed the temperament test with flying colors. This means that 86.4% of the pits tested had a good temperament. In fact, many of America’s “favourite” dog breeds scored significantly lower than pits. With Golden Retrievers coming in at 84.9%, Chihuahuas at 71%, and Yorkshire Terriers at 82.5%. The only breed of dog with a better temperament than the pits, were the Labradors with a 92.4% ranking.
A UK Study into human directed aggression in domestic dogs found that breed does not determine aggression. Factors relevant to aggression include un-neutered dogs and dogs subjected to punishment-based training methods.

Pretty neat! We just might love them even more than we did before 🥰

10/05/2020

This is such an important and useful skill to train!!

I lived with a Labrador. She was a hungry hound who was on a constant mission to find food wherever and whenever she could get it. When she reached the grand old age of 16 I thought her food obsession might diminish a little, but it remained as strong as ever.

09/28/2020

Anyone else having trouble getting in to see their vet and wondering why? Give this a read :)

The pandemic has made getting your pet quickly into the vet office more difficult than ever.