Anything is Pawsable Dog Training and Behavior Therapy

12/11/2023

11/02/2023

10/05/2023

BEWARE OF THE QUICK FIX!
There are no quick fixes when it comes to lasting, successful behaviour change, whether with ourselves or with our dogs.

Want to lose weight? The quick fix of diet pills, meal replacements or slimming machines may initially be successful, but is unlikely to last. Long term success will require effort, a change in mind set, being mindful of emotions, eating less or differently and exercising – there is no quick fix.

Want to get a qualification? Hard work, long hours, commitment and effort is the only way.

The same principle applies to bringing about a change in behaviour.

We live in a society where we want and expect quick fixes. Our lives are often so busy, stressful and complicated enough without having to even think about spending time and effort in trying to “fix” our dog’s problems.

Why not just use a shock collar, choke chain, spray bottle, shake can or send them off to a board and train facility to quickly sort them out without us having to put in any time or effort? What about a trainer that guarantees quick results? There are never any guarantees when it comes to behaviour.

Stay away from quick fixes – they usually come at a great cost. Yes, they may suppress that particular behaviour but it is likely to surface in another way and we won’t like that either.

Changing behaviour takes time, it requires understanding, consistency, patience and commitment, but the results of “fixing” something the right way, are worth it.

This quote by Wayne Muller sums this up perfectly “In the soil of the quick fix is the seed to a new problem….”

09/20/2023

Stop the pressure!

08/06/2023

Biggest pet peeve! Don’t punish a growl, lip raise or snarl! It is your dog communicating with you. LISTEN TO YOUR DOG!

We need our dogs to growl so we know when they are close to their limit. That they really need us to listen and things are getting serious.

They are never a warning we should seek to remove but one we should be glad to hear. Because that’s what’s going to prevent things from escalating further.

08/02/2023

We often feel to blame when our dog barks, maybe even embarrassed and responsible. But while some of our dog’s barking can indicate something needs addressing, it is often the most effective ways they can communicate.

Not to mention the fact that we have bred our dogs to bark for hundreds of years. To let us know when they’re down a hole, when they’ve found a missing person, when there’s an intruder or when our livestock are under threat.

For every other animal, vocalisations are just part of who they are, but for some reason dogs are expected to be silent. Which just makes little sense when they are the one animal we’ve always asked to speak up.

06/16/2023

Great information!!

06/09/2023

05/28/2023

Acceptance can be huge when it comes to our training. Sometimes due to personality, genetics, trauma, physical differences, there are things that can’t be changed.

When we start to accept that, and even embrace it the way our dogs embrace us. We can’t start to move forwards in a more positive way.

04/23/2023

It can be tempting in our training to skip the little steps.

It’s great to have faith in our dogs but if we stick to small steps, it’s so much clearer to them what we want.

The result is getting to the end goal faster with a much more solid behaviour.

For more comic canine education join us on the support membership! (Link in bio)

04/09/2023

Hoppy Easter! Hope everyone has a great day 🐣🐇🐰🐶

04/08/2023

Happy Easter weekend. 😊

04/01/2023

Often we aren’t just learning something new, creating new pathways in the brain. But we are also having to close old pathways.

Both us and our dogs form habits, behaviours that have been practiced over and over. Our brains will always want to take the easiest route, the familiar one, the one that’s been cleared.

So from changing negative thoughts to positive ones, to changing barking at a trigger to walking away instead. Learning can take longer when we are forgetting old patterns in order to create new ones.

03/24/2023

Happy Spring!

03/20/2023

A lot of dogs want you to know this -

Instead of a fancy collar and bed? They’d rather have a fenced in yard - even if it has to be small and home made - so they can have off leash time to dog and dig.

Instead of daily neighborhood walks? They’d rather you drive to a dirt road and put them on a 30ft line and let them zig zag and smell as long as they like

Instead of twice daily meals in a bowl? They’d rather have food through enrichment activities that stimulates their brain and their nose.

Instead of basic obedience training? They’d rather have purpose driven training that feeds their genetic make up and needs AND helps them survive and thrive in todays world.

Instead of a human wanting something from them? They’d love a human wanting to understand them better.

Instead of focusing on perfect “heels” and “stays”? They’d love to learn how to be resilient and less stressed and cope with the outside world and our expectations.

Instead of harsh punishments and corrections? They’d prefer proactive management and rewards for good decisions.

We can’t change everything about the lives our dogs are forced to live with us in, but we can make these kinds of changes and see a huge improvement in their quality of life and wellbeing.

-Helen St. Pierre

03/17/2023

Happy !

03/11/2023

WHOSE WALK IS IT ANYWAY?
Imagine going on a long-anticipated walk, through new scenery and enticing scents after being cooped up in the same place all day, but you have been fitted with a blind fold and are being dragged or yanked along at a quick pace.

I imagine that this is how dogs feel when we don’t allow them time to stop, sniff and explore the environment. Dogs largely perceive their world through scent and it’s how they collect and process information and make sense of the world.

Taking away an opportunity for sniffing on a walk really isn’t fair and as much as physical exercise is important, the mental stimulation that sniffing provides is equally, if not more important.

Allowing dogs to choose when to stop and sniff provides so many benefits – increases self-confidence, promotes calmness, lowers stress and anxiety levels, lowers pulse rates, reduces cognitive decline in older dogs and provides important mental and environmental enrichment.

Make time for a slow sniffing walk when you can, where your dog is allowed to choose which direction to go and allowed time to just investigate, interpret the environment and follow wherever their nose leads them.

It may take far more time and patience as we wait for them to finish smelling that particular blade of grass, but the benefits are well worth it – after all, whose walk is it anyway?

03/04/2023

02/27/2023

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