Ambassador K9

12/24/2024

Casey is boarding with us through the holidays. Here she is curled up and cozy on this snowy Christmas Eve.

10/26/2024

Rigatoni in Foliage. 😍

10/20/2024

When your dog stays with us, they are family. A home away from home.

10/18/2024

Sailor Weekend!

10/09/2024

Would you do me a favour?

I have two questions.

Firstly, would you describe the purpose of a head collar as shown on the dog below as being a tool that is designed to

A. Apply an uncomfortable pressure on the muzzle of the dog each time the dog pulls into it, thereby causing the dog to learn that ‘not pulling’ avoids the discomfort, or that backing up and ‘giving to the pressure’ escapes it?

Or

B. Something other than what the tool is designed to do that you have dreamed up?

Please don’t say ‘management tool’ as that means nothing in terms of explaining how and why the tool is intended to alter the behaviour of the animal.

In short, is a head halter designed and intended to apply an aversive stimulus (tightening pressure) which the dog is required to learn to escape and avoid by ‘not pulling’ through trial and error learning?

2. Would you expect a team of professional, behavioural scientists to acknowledge that this tool is

A - not designed to work as a positive reinforcer (or reward), but as a negative reinforcer (an aversive stimulus to be removed or avoided by the animal), and

B - If it is being used, ought the researchers not include the fact that this stimulus is used, especially if used by a ‘reward training’ trainer, during the training sessions used to provide the data for a research paper evaluating the effects and effectiveness of ‘reward based’ training, compared to training including electronic training collars?

Is it too much to write “There were elements of the ‘reward based’ training group that included the use of an aversive tool (including the application and removal of general leash pressure) to seemingly counteract the size and strength differences between the trainer and the dog. Equally, for the majority of aversive inclusion in the e-collar group, the principal aversive applied was not the e-collar itself, but rather the training style and mannerisms of the the trainer, making it difficult to separate the effect of the electronic training collar from the effect of the individual trainer when establishing causation upon the overall behaviours displayed and observed from the dogs”.

Or am I alone in thinking that transparency matters where published research is then used to determine the fate of millions of animals?

Thank you in anticipation.

09/03/2024

Ambassador K9 seems to be a home for many fitness junkies. Most of them talk about the gym as an outlet and endorphin source. Stillness is not generally a core part of their lives. Activity is always a good thing to incorporate in to ours and our dogs worlds but mindfulness and calm are practiced skills separate from the physical drain that achieves a similar looking result. I’ve said it many times, but place is your dog’s yoga mat. Enlightenment is only achieved when a dog learns that the amazon delivery is none of their concern. 🙏🏼🧘🏼‍♀️😌

07/29/2024

The sweetest boys hanging out 🥰

06/25/2024

06/23/2024

Will work for:
Treats
Tug
Running
Praise
Affection

Did you know you can use their meals as the treats or reduce meals to balance the calories of the treats given? The reality is that treats are rarely as nutritionally balanced as what we feed them for meals and using meals as a reward is the best way to combat obesity in dogs.

06/22/2024

She’s a shepherd, but there’s something un-German about her 🤔🤔🤔

06/22/2024

Welcome Aspen!

06/19/2024

Often times invisible fences and reactivity go hand in hand.
Like a football player restrained by their peers, it’s easier to act tough when they know they can’t reach you.

The best invisible fence is a backup plan to other tools and training. The cheapest invisible fence is an e-collar, training, and supervising your dog. 🤷🏻‍♂️

06/17/2024

WE ALL AGREE WITH NO MORE UNWANTED LITTERS. We should consider newer, safer alternatives than a traditional gonadectomies to prevent long-term health concerns.

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA)🏥 has just announced their new spay & neuter guidelines.🙀 Due to growing evidence of adverse health effects of traditional gonadectomy (spay/neuter) and increases in cancers and joint disorders, WSAVA suggest the best practice for RESPONSIBLE pet parents is to leave dogs and cats unaltered (intact). Additionally noting, spaying or neutering a dog younger than 6 months of age is NOT recommended because of an increase of detrimental health risks. Acknowledging in some circumstances, such as rescues and shelters, where leaving an animal intact is not an option, they stress the importance of education and acceptance of newer, alternative sterilization techniques that have less long-term health concerns. 🙌

Discussing these alternative techniques and the pro’s and con’s today, plus much more in the Inside Scoop.

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06/16/2024

Happy Father’s Day to dads and dog dads alike!

05/03/2024

Perks of sending your dog to a trainer for a day. Some training opportunities come up organically that are impossible to recreate in a controlled environment. From deliveries to the temptation of toddlers running around with snacks, there are lots of moments that are hard to predict but incredibly valuable for setting expectations with our dogs.

04/29/2024

When it comes to puppies, it takes the same amount of effort to train a puppy as to spoil them. Give them lots of excitement while you are helping them learn their markers. Give them tons of treats when you are teaching them new skills. Give them lots of affection for making great choices. We all want to spoil them rotten but the when and why are the subtle gap between training and spoiling.