EKG Pet Care

08/23/2025

The look of a dejected baby who wants me to stop reading research articles and go chase lizards outside instead 😂

08/22/2025

Oh goodness. The way I want to foster this dog. Austin would be so upset with me though 😹 Let's help this Sweet Pea find a place to land 🥰

Polk County, Florida

08/22/2025

Anyone who has met me can probably attest to my loudness 😹 My mother's favourite thing to say when I was little was that I only had two volumes: whisper or yell 🤪 I will gladly yell for the rights and welfare of animals

08/19/2025

08/19/2025

Let's help them get their fencing!

We have so much going on, and we desperately need to buy the fencing to finish the property. We are using the board-on-board fence from Lowe's at $74 a panel. Please, we cannot afford to match. We need 100 panels

08/19/2025

Fortunately, I am NOT this type of trainer

An aside, I wasn't always a positive reinforcement trainer. I used alpha rolls and scruffing on my own dog-aggressive dog. I fell for the LIE that I had to be the alpha (debunked as dogs actually are not pack animals and even wolf-dog hybrids have less social cohesion than full wolves, let alone regular dogs).

I thought my dog's bad behaviour was a challenge to me rather than what it really was: communication that I was not doing enough to meet his physical, cognitive, and emotional needs, and that he needed a different approach. His behavior got worse until I stopped using any aversive methods at all; after the switch, he improved a lot.

I can't change the past (I am sorry, Blitz) but I can help other people learn that their dog isn't a dominant, alpha dog who needs harsh treatment to learn their place. They are just a dog who's saying something and we can figure it out together.

QUICK TIP: I've been posting this for the past 15 years, as many of you know, but I will keep positing it until it is common knowledge.

If the trainer you are considering using falls into any of these categories, you should pick another trainer.

• If the equipment recommended for basic obedience includes or is focused on choke collars, prong collars, or shock collars.

• Trainers who ban head collars of any kind may rely unduly on force.

• If the trainer instructs you to manage your dog’s behaviors by pinching toes, kneeing the dog in the chest or abdomen, hitting the dog, forcibly holding the dog down against their will, constantly yelling at the dog, frequently yanking the collar constantly, or using prong, choke, pinch or shock collars or electronic stimulation.

• If the trainer believes most or all training is about encouraging the person to be “alpha” and teaching the dog to “submit”.

• If the trainer explains that most dog behavior, for example jumping on people, occurs because the dog is trying to be “dominant”.

• If a trainer recommends “alpha rolls”, “scruffing”, “helicoptering”, “choking” or any other painful or physical methods as a means of “training” or modifying behavior.

(Source:https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.dacvb.org/resource/resmgr/docs/How-to-select-a-trainer-vet.pdf )

*** The American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (ACVB)

08/18/2025

08/18/2025

I was reading a research article recently where fear issues were some of the most commonly reported behavioral concerns seen by dog owners. Fear is not unusual and is actually the norm at certain stages of development.

It’s normal for puppies, adolescents and even adult dogs to be worried of new things. Treating unfamiliar objects or environments with caution is a survival mechanism. It could potentially save their lives.
You might even see these periods increase then die down again as they grow. These are kicking in at same time as the need to be more independent.
Our job isn’t to encourage or push. Our job is to support patiently, provide choices and confident reassurance.

08/17/2025

Curiosity is a beautiful thing.

08/15/2025

08/15/2025

Fight fight fight 😆