Kyla's Pawtastic Dog Training LLC

05/09/2025

05/02/2025

“Perfectly trained” does not always mean truly happy.

We often admire quick results in dog training, but it is important to question how those results were achieved. Did the dog genuinely enjoy the process, or was compliance rooted in stress, fear, or pressure?

Just like calm does not always equal comfort, impressive obedience does not always indicate kind or humane training.

Real kindness matters. Always look beyond the results.

❗️Follow, share, and help shift the narrative because the emotional truth lives beneath the behavior.

05/02/2025

04/21/2025

Controversial for some.
If we want to ensure that a new puppy becomes a well acclimated dog, we need to look with OPEN eyes at the messages another dog in the home may be giving.
Expecting a new puppy to lessen your first dogs serious behavioural issues can verge on abuse (harsh but true for some).
Expecting your dog (that struggles socially and is unable to read subtleties) to accept a new puppy and teach that puppy appropriate play and interactions is very unlikely to happen.
In fact they can "teach" a puppy the exact same issues they themselves struggle with.
Of course there are exceptions....sometimes it does work out.
Though they are rarities.
If you have a dog make sure they have the necessary and WANTED skills and behaviour you want....before they are entrusted to pass on what they know to your pup.
There is nothing wrong with a dog using appropriate behaviour when a puppy is just "too much".....but that response needs to be just that.....appropriate!
If not, a puppy can learn some very unwanted behaviours which they can repeat....and the cycle continues.

This dog training graphic is available (as well as over 130 more) from abcdogsnz.com. Just click the dog training graphics tab and scroll through🙂

04/14/2025

This

Behaviors like jumping, leash pulling, and nipping can disrupt our daily lives and lead to a lot of frustration. Many of these behaviors are emotional responses, not defiance or being stubborn.

➡️ What if we gave dogs the same patience we give people?

➡️ What if we asked why before asking how to stop it?

04/08/2025

There is so much misinformation about dogs and dog training and it is sooo annoying! Do you feel the same way? Did you know that, unfortunately, every time we repeat misinformation--even in order to correct it--it makes it seem more true? That's because simply hearing something multiple times makes us feel like something is true. It's called the illusory truth effect, because the repetition is creating the illusion of truth. That's why, when talking about dogs, it's really important to stick to facts and to stories that are true and illustrate those facts.

It's also why "myth vs fact" articles--on any topic--make steam come out of my ears. They are spreading the myths! It's one of many reasons to be positive about being positive in dog training. If you'd like to know more, check out my blog post here: https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2019/04/being-positive-about-being-positive-in.html (link in bio). It goes into the science on this and includes practical tips too.

This doesn't just apply to dog training, but also to cat behaviour, and anywhere else there is misinformation, whether it's about climate change, elections, or science. We all need to practice correcting misinformation by repeating what's true--and stop repeating the false info.