Pittsburgh mills dog training-lexie

12/08/2023

If anyone is interested in getting some fun designs on there pup we are doing it at the mills we can do stencles colored tail ears anything fun. I've had both my girls done and Faith does amazing work.

05/10/2023

I do hope nobody will need this but I did want to share as I've been having some issues with my pups and I've been finding it really difficult to get into emergency places avets did send me a list of other emergency places and I just wanted to share incase anybody would need it someday

04/17/2023

I got more fosters if anyone is interested let me know there's mom and 2 puppy's one male and one female I haven't started any training with them only thing we have worked on is stairs and getting used to having a leash on and all 3 seem to do well so far. There all super friendly and love attention

03/02/2023

I don't post on here much anymore but I just got this foster girl in yesterday she came straight from a Philly kill shelter after used as a breeding dog she's not in the best of shapes just yet but in a couple weeks she'll hopefully be ready for adoption so if if anyone is interested or knows anyone just let me know . I'm gonna also start to try to post some training videos with her also on here

11/20/2022

Because I love cats just as much as dogs these are all home made cat toys and super cute theams for the holidays!

11/15/2022

Good advice

11/05/2022

10/04/2022

Is mounting or hu***ng a sign of dominance in dogs?

Hu***ng or mounting is a fixed action pattern (FAP), which are innate behaviours. These are behaviours that are common to all members of a species and require no learning. A Fixed Action Pattern (FAP) is a predictable series and stereotypical sequences of complex actions triggered by a cue - www.simplypsychology.org. www.sciencedirect.com.

Hu***ng or mounting is NOT:
Dominance
Controlling you or another dog
Alpha behaviour
Only seen in unsterilised dogs
Only seen in males
Only seen in younger dogs
To cause you embarrassment
To get your attention or get back at you

Hu***ng or mounting by male or female dogs of any age CAN be due to:
Excitement
Sexual rehearsal
Burning off pent up energy
General stimulation...yippee, something’s happening!
Stress/Anxiety/Displacement behaviour
Play
Hyperarousal
A medical issue
Boredom
Frustration
Burning of excessive energy (like zoomies)
Ambivalence about a situation or a dog
Unease
Tiredness

If you are worried:
Make a note of how many times a day this is happening.
Take your dog for a medical check up.
Contact a up to date science-based behaviour consultant to identify the triggers and the emotions to be able to develope a modification plan to improve the emotional state and hence the behaviour.
What to do in the moment - if the dog underneath seems uncomfortable and stressed then please interrupt. It may mean that the 'top dog' is unable to read the body language of the other one. Rather redirect that energy to a toy or chew as opposed to saying off. Give him something mentally stimulating to do instead. If they are having turns and alternating this behaviour with other behaviours like chasing, tumbling, play bows, etc., then leave them be.
Be careful of your dog doing it to random dogs in a park that he does not know. The unknown dog could become aggressive due to not wanting the behaviour.

Note - many Google searches for this behaviour will bring up the word dominance. The behaviour is not due to such a simplistic, misunderstood term. Dogs do it to pillows, toys or furniture - do you think that they are trying to dominate those inanimate objects? Every dog is an individual with unique emotions. The feelings and motivations for the behaviour will differ from dog to dog but it is certainly not about dominance. Don't believe everything you read on Google and check your trainer's/behaviourist's credentials. Let's not label every behaviour beyond our understanding as dominant 🙂

Most guardians rush to sterilize their dogs when this happens...it may not make a difference.

09/13/2022

Both still learning this but who did it better the big dog or the little dog? 🤔