Shelburne Pet Center

09/09/2022

09/03/2022

Do You Give Your Dog These Health-Boosting Foods?

To reduce your canine companion’s risks of health problems and enhance their immune function, add these beneficial foods to their meals. 👇

Read today’s free article for more ways to boost your dog’s immunity: https://bit.ly/3pKb8TY

08/31/2022

08/17/2022

THE GIFT OF THE GROWL
Why growling should never be punished and also never be ignored
Not all growls are negative. Some growls are play growls, attention seeking growls, pleasure seeking growls or frustration growls. They may all sound a little different and may be unique to the particular dog. This post is not about different types of growls, but about warning or aggressive growls.
When a dog growls, maybe even at us, the natural human response is to feel offended and maybe even angry. Surely dogs need to learn not to growl, growling is bad, growling is unacceptable, growling is a problem and needs to be punished so a dog learns it’s wrong, disrespectful and not to do it again, right?
NO, this couldn’t be further from the truth! A dog that growls has just provided us with a very valuable communication signal. In their way, they have just communicated to us how they feel without resorting to a bite. Dogs use growling in an attempt to avoid having to resort to biting, not to initiate it. They could just as easily have not even bothered to growl and gone straight to a bite.
Growling is a dog's way of saying "please stop," "stay away from me," "go away," “I’m not comfortable with this and I’m feeling threatened”. A dog that growls is trying hard to communicate and punishment suppresses this ability to communicate. Punishment doesn’t change the level of the dog's discomfort; it creates more stress and the dog will feel more threatened.
Growling is not the problem. Growling is the result of and the symptom of a problem. A dog that bites without the warning of a growl is a far more serious problem than a dog that growls but doesn’t bite.
Look for any other early warning signals that may precede a growl. Recognize and take note of what makes your dog feel threatened and create distance between your dog and whatever is triggering them.
Be grateful for the gift of a growl - it provides us with an opportunity to address the cause & prevent the bite.

06/18/2022

LET ME BE “NOSEY”
Imagine going on a long-anticipated walk, through beautiful scenery, after you have been cooped up in the same place all day, but you have been fitted with a blind fold and are being dragged along at a quick pace. I imagine that this is how dogs feel when we don’t allow them time to stop and sniff 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 is not in their best interests and as much as physical exercise is important, the mental stimulation that sniffing provides is equally, if not more important.
Studies have shown that allowing dogs to spend time sniffing provides so many benefits – promoting calmness, lowering stress and anxiety levels, lowering pulse rates, preventing cognitive decline and providing mental stimulation and enrichment are just some examples.
Make time for a slow “sniffing walk”, where your dog is allowed to decide which direction to go and allowed to simply be “nosey” and follow wherever their nose leads them. It may take far more time and patience as we wait for them to finish smelling that blade of grass, but the benefits are well worth it.

06/14/2022

Please educate yourself! Remember your dogs and cats can’t sweat and they are much more at risk for heatstroke which can be deadly! Keep them up in the heat of the day and provide lots of fresh water and shade when outside.
We also need to be drinking plenty of water and watching this heat! It’s dangerous friends! 🥵

05/23/2022

Love the dog in front of you and commit to the lifestyle they need ❤️

None of us went looking for fearful, aggressive, reactive, separation anxious, or medical dogs. Most of us wanted hiking partners, brew pup patio buddies, dogs who could go anywhere. We thought it would just naturally happen because of that old saying "it's all in how you raise them." They would be raised right, so it would work out fine.

Maybe early on there were red flags. Maybe you didn't notice until they became an adult. I wish it was as easy as placing a puppy or rescue dog in the right home and adding love to "fix" things. So many people struggle with how things could have gone, should have gone, what they might have done wrong. There's a lot of baggage we carry into training from the past.

Many people want to negotiate out of the problems with their dogs. "What if we don't follow the plan? What if I can't manage it? What if I just wait for them to 'grow out of it'?" It can be hard to reconcile the dog you wanted with the dog that you have. I understand. I didn't know Zelda would be epileptic and how devastating that would be.

Mourning the dog that you thought you were going to have can help you move forward with the one you have. Forgive yourself for mistakes and commit to changing patterns moving forward. Thank your dog for doing the best they can with the cards they were dealt. Forgive them for hating the strangers at the brew pup. Forgive them for lunging on walks. Understand why they don't want to meet your friends who come over for dinner.

We often hear "train the dog in front of you." I suggest we love the dog in front of us. That doesn't mean we aren't going to be frustrated, sad, angry. That doesn't mean we aren't going to wish we had a dog who could go anywhere and do anything. But it might help us appreciate what they can do and who they are. We wish it were different, and so do they. Mourn the dog you thought you'd have and fall back in love with the dog in front of you.

05/15/2022

"Beneath every behavior there is a feeling. And beneath each feeling is a need. And when we meet that need rather than focus on the behavior, we begin to deal with the cause, not the symptom."

💕🐾💕🐾

In my upcoming live Love Trust Grow Challenge, I'll be teaching you about the 5 crucial needs that we need to meet for our dogs to thrive and to be happily cooperative.

Instead of focusing on more training, more socialization, more desensitization, more counter conditioning, more transacting ...

We can change our life and our relationship with our dogs by digging under the surface for root causes, and learning to make simple changes that work in real life.

I'm READY to work with you all week and get you and your dog started with your partnership lifestyle.❤️

I'll be teaching the 4 daily practices that diffuse reactivity, over-arousal, and other challenging behaviors...and create a calmer, happier, and more peaceful life with your dog.

You get PDF workbooks, and live daily classes where I'll answer your questions and teach you EXACTLY what you need to know so that you can start enjoying life with your dog.

You'll also get invited to our pop-up Facebook group full of support from me and my team, connection with dog moms just like you, and get answers to your questions about living in harmony with your dog.

Signup for free:
dancinghearts.link/love

See ya there!
Kathy xo

PS: Can't attend live? No worries, we will post the replay of each session on our replay page.

05/07/2022

"When our dogs are overwhelmed by big emotions, it's our responsibility to share our calm ... not join their meltdown."
~Kathy Kawalec

Truth be told, that's a lot easier when we understand that our dog's behavior is simply their way of communicating to us.

When I think of how to best describe my ideal life of connected cooperation with my dogs, I think of "living in partnership".

It's a way of being that is harmonious, reciprocal, respectful of one another ... each partner contributing to make the quality of our life together better than it would be individually...

Not just co-existing, but intimately interdependent through a two-way flow of benefits and mutual responsibilities.

A Partnership lifestyle is not a set of rules for dog parents to follow, but a set of beliefs about what dogs need to develop and thrive ... and a set of principles that guide our daily choices to support that development.

My principles and beliefs include honoring our dog's agency, and consent, and focusing on connection, and cooperation ...
.. and that it's my responsibility to take the leading role in co-regulation and to establish 'how we do things' in a way that is natural for all socially intelligent, sentient beings ... like humans and dogs. No obedience training needed.

I believe that focusing on our dog's behavior as something to be manipulated is seriously missing out on the main thing.

What if we focused on connection, and accepting our dogs for who they are? What if, instead of jumping to training and transactions, we created space for cooperation to develop, as we lovingly guide them?

That's what living in partnership is, and it feels so good to break free!

I'd LOVE to help you create a new level of cooperation, connection and understanding with your dog and that's what we'll be working on together in my upcoming live workshop!

Signup for our free "Love Trust Grow" workshop that starts May 16th.
https://www.brilliantpartnersacademy.com/5daysignup1

See ya there!
Kathy xo

04/27/2022

Dog body language and human body language are... well, they're two different languages. The forward and direct behavior humans use is intimidating and rude to dogs, so instead, take a deep breath, take a step back, and try using some of their language to start a conversation.



[image description: the silhouette of a dog looking towards you with shy body language of down ears, low in the shoulder, and a low tail is above silhouettes of a person reaching towards another dog who is cowering away. A red X interrupts this graphic. Below that is another dog silhouette, this one the dog's tail is high and curled, and a paw reaches forwards slightly. Text reads: Rules of Engagement! How to make dog friends: continue speaking with the owner as you normally would while the dog approaches you. Keep your hands to yourself - trust me, the dog can smell you just fine from there! Often dogs will approach to get information, not affection - let them tell you the next step! A dog who wants to be pet will tell you clearly by pawing your leg or arm and/or shoving their head into your hand - pat them a few times and take a break - if they come back for more, you've got a new pal!"]

04/27/2022

FEED SPIRULINA TO YOUR PET FIRST AND THEN YOURSELF!

Allergic reactions can come from an unbalanced immune system. In animal studies, spirulina has been shown to have very positive effects on the immune system therefore reducing the incidence of allergies.

Similarly, a study conducted on cats found that Spirulina improves disease resistance and boosts the immune system -
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8872496

Dosage: 1/4 tsp per 1 cup of food for dogs and cats.

- Rodney Habib

04/21/2022

Try gently scratching under the chin and on the neck instead. Much less threatening. Always avoid coming down over top of the head for the traditional “pat”.

I was watching a family and their dog a few days ago.

I was watching them (discreetly) and loved seeing the interactions between them all. A very well loved dog indeed!