Talk to the Paw

09/30/2025

DOG REFUSE TREATS AT TIMES?

😣 If you are trying to work with your dog there are a few things that can indicate your dog is what we call "over threshold" - in which your dog's stress levels are too high to properly learn, listen or think properly.
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‼️ Thresholds are important in training because they can make or break your success.
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There are several indicators that your dog is stressed. (Not an exhaustive list!)
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1️⃣ Refusing food

2️⃣ Spitting out food

3️⃣ Barking/lunging

4️⃣ Appearing to "not listen"

5️⃣ Heavy panting

6️⃣ Scratching (as if itchy)

7️⃣ Full shake off (like a wet dog does)

8️⃣ Freezes or won't move

⏱ If your dog frequently goes over threshold or is stressed and you aren't sure what to do, or if what you're doing isn't working, it's time to start a behavior modification program to get it under control!

🦸🏼 Get in touch with the proper professional for optimal results.

📸 The attached handout/image (click to enlarge) is from Grisha Stewart's BAT protocol (Behavior Adjustment Training) and shows stress on a very lovely illustrated, easy-to-understand scale. Illustrated by Doggie Drawings by Lili Chin
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Stacy Greer, CPDT-KA

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COPYRIGHT NOTICE
© 2025 Stacy Greer
All rights reserved. Feel free to share via the “Share” link to the original post. Downloading for redistribution online or in print form is strictly prohibited.

08/16/2025

If only we could honor who they are!

08/16/2025

08/02/2025

Thanks for the reminder Stacy!

🛑 NO! FIDO! STOP! 🛑
Do you find yourself trying hard to stop your dog from doing XYZ?
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Behavior changes more quickly and reliably, while having lasting results, when you find ways to say "yes" more than "no".

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✅ Dog training is hugely successful when you find way to teach your dog alternate behaviors to replace the bad ones instead of trying over and over to stop or punish the bad behavior.

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EXAMPLES

1️⃣ If you have a dog jumps on guests instead of punishing the dog for jumping a better solution is to train your dog to do a behavior instead of jumping. So, training Fido to lie on a mat when the doorbell rings and guests enter would eliminate his need or ability to jump on the entering guests.

2️⃣ If you have a dog that pulls on the leash instead of jerking the leash and trying to stop the pulling, give treats and rewards when Fluffy walks nicely next to you. Train her that walking on a loose leash next to you yields treats, and then sniffs to the grass to follow then she'll look forward to walks and learn that walking on a loose leash brings on good things. She'll choose that behavior every time the more she's trained to understand this.

3️⃣ If you have a dog that barks out of the window instead of punishing him for barking, teach him to settle on a mat away from the window and/or that when he sees things outside good things happen and there is no need to bark frantically.
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⁉️ Are you finding ways to tell your dog yes instead of no? If not, you should start.

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Here is a great poster designed by Dog Latin Dog Training and Behavior Consulting illustrated by Doggie Drawings by Lili Chin .

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Stacy Greer, CPDT-KA

🐕🐩🐕‍🦺🦮

COPYRIGHT NOTICE
© 2025 Stacy Greer
All rights reserved. Feel free to share via the “Share” link to the original post. Downloading for redistribution online or in print form is strictly prohibited.

05/03/2025

04/24/2025

The problem with punishment in animal training is that it does work, and oftentimes quickly, at changing behaviors. But at what cost?🧐

Aversive methods suppress unwanted behaviors by causing pain and/or discomfort that the animal will try to escape or avoid. While this works to stop a behavior, it does not address the underlying motivation for it. This can be effective in the short term but often leads to unintended consequences and lasting harm.

Research has shown that aversive methods increase fear and stress, and also risk causing aggressive and unpredictable behaviors. We also put our relationship with our pets in jeopardy. Punishment fails to teach the learner alternative behaviors and coping strategies, and can lead to learned helplessness.

If you feel stuck or don't know how to achieve your pet's behavior or training goals without using aversive methods, please reach out to a credentialed reward-based trainer, behavior consultant, or veterinary behaviorist. We are here to help educate and make training and behavior modification feel achievable for everyone, without risking pets' welfare.

04/24/2025

Flowers and plants can add beauty to your home, but some may pose a risk to curious pets. The good news? You don’t have to give up all floral décor! Check out this list of toxic and pet-safe flowers to keep your home bright and your pets safe. Make sure to reward your furry friend for keeping out of your indoor jungle by shopping with our friends at Chewy using aspca.org/Chewy 🧡

04/10/2025

I am a 21st century dog….
-I'm a Malinois.
Overskilled among dogs, I excel in all disciplines and I'm always ready to work: I NEED to work.
But nowadays I get asked to chill on the couch all day everyday.

-I am an Akita Inu.
My ancestors were selected for fighting bears.
Today I get asked to be tolerant and I get scolded for my reactivity when another approaches me.

-I am a Beagle.
When I chase my prey, I raise my voice so the hunters could follow.
Today they put an electric collar on me to shut up, and you make me come back to you - no running - with a snap of your fingers.

-I am a Yorkshire Terrier.
I was a terrifying rat hunter in English mines.
Today they think I can't use my legs and they always hold me in their arms.

-I'm a Labrador Retriever.
My vision of happiness is a dive into a pond to bring back the duck he shot to my master.
Today you forget I'm a walking, running, swimming dog; as a result I'm fat, made to stay indoors, and to babysit.

-I am a Jack Russell.
I can take on a fox, a mean badger, and a rat bigger than me in his den.
Today I get scolded for my character and high energy, and forced to turn into a quiet living room dog.

-I am a Siberian Husky.
Experienced the great, wide open spaces of Northern Europe, where I could drag sleds for long distances at impressive speeds.
Today I only have the walls of the house or small garden as a horizon, and the holes I dig in the ground just to release energy and frustration, trying to stay sane.

-I am a border collie
I was made to work hours a day in partnershipwith my master, and I am an unmistakable artist of working with the herd.
Today they are mad at me because, for lack of sheep, I try to check bikes, cars, children in the house and everything in motion.
I am ...
I am a 21st century dog.

I'm pretty, I'm alert, I'm obedient, I stay in a bag...but I'm also an individual who, from centuries of training, needs to express my instincts, and I am *not* suited for the sedentary life you'd want me to lead.

Spending eight hours a day alone in the house or in the garden - with no work and no one to play or run with, seeing you for a short time in the evening when you get home, and only getting a small toilet walk will make me deeply unhappy.

I'll express it by barking all day, turning your yard into a minefield, doing my needs indoors, being unmanageable the rare times I'll find myself outside, and sometimes spending my days sunk, sad, lonely, and depressed, on my pillow.

You may think that I should be happy to be able to enjoy all this comfort while you go to work, but actually I’ll be exhausted and frustrated, because this is absolutely NOT what I'm meant to do, or what I need to be doing.
If you love me, if you've always dreamed of me, if my beautiful blue eyes or my athletic look make you want me, but you can't give me a real dog's life, a life that's really worth living according to my breed, and if you can't offer me the job that my genes are asking, DO NOT buy or adopt me!

If you like the way I look but aren't willing to accept my temperament, gifts, and traits derived from long genetic selection, and you think you can change them with only your good will, then DO NOT BUY OR ADOPT ME.

I’m a dog from the 21st century, yes, but deep inside me, the one who fought, the one who hunted, the one who pulled sleds, the one who guided and protected a herd still lives within.

So think **very** carefully before you choose your dog. And think about getting two, rather than one, so I won't be so very lonely waiting for you all day. Eight or ten hours is just a workday to you, but it's an eternity for me to be alone.

Written by *unknown*