Force-Free Training with Candice

12/07/2025

Your legs.
Their friends.
Even your best cushion! 🫠
Where do you even start with this?
Well...it all depends why and when this behaviour is shown.
Some dogs do this when they just don't know what else to do!
Others may be looking for attention....either from us or a dog they want to interact with.

It might look "embarrassing" but it is natural and a way for dogs to release some energy, regulate their stress or they can even do this because they are so frustrated.
Some just don't know what on earth to do in a social situation and suddenly show this behaviour.

Look a bit deeper as to why this could be happening.
That is always key ...so an appropriate solution can be found.

It is natural.
It's normal.

It just may not always be appropriate.

12/07/2025

𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 are found in young dog's bones. They are a place where bone cells grow, mature and calcify. Their main job is growing the length and width of the bone. Closed growth plate (solidifies into bone) means that the bone is done growing. It is the weakest part of the growing bone and can be damaged (fractures, stress injuries), resulting in possible growth deformities.

𝐃𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬, so doing too much of the same thing is not good with them. It's better to strive for less repetitions/time and more diversity in exercise or training. This does not refer to not exercise pups at all, they need and benefit from various activities and exercises, but there are certainly some things we as dog owners can put some limits to in order to avoid putting excessive stress on their growing structures.

𝐃𝐎𝐍'𝐓𝐬
❌ Long walks or hikes, where your pup is not able to take some rest or go at his own pace
❌ Repetitive starts and stops like running after and stopping for a ball
❌ Jumping off objects (such as from the sofa, or down the higher objects in the environment), repetitive running up and down the steep hills
❌ Repetitive tight turns around the objects, sudden stops (landing after jumps, or to pick up a toy), fast changes of direction

𝐃𝐎𝐬
✅ Instead of doing a 5km walk do two half an hour walks where your goal is not the distance but rather the different experiences your puppy can get exploring different terrains, sniffing, playing, etc.
✅ Find flat or slightly varied terrain to prevent running up/ down the hill, jumping off things
✅ Playing gentle tug, food games; nose work games such as searching for a toy or a treat in the grass
✅ Working on puppy manners and useful behaviours you will need when the puppy grows up (recall, leash walking, settling...)

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫: healthy puppies aren't made of glass, and shouldn't be kept on exercise restriction, but we should use a common sense when it comes to encouraged activities - for example instead of exploiting their natural instincts of chasing, by having them chase a toy until they drop down dead tired, spend rather some quality time with your pups with a variety of different lower-impact activities where you let your pup dictate his pace. This will help your dog grow in a confident, capable and fit young adult. ;)

12/07/2025

Find where you and your dog can be successful :)

One of the big reasons that so many dog owners struggle to improve their dog’s reliability with following cues around distractions is that they never give their dog a chance to be SUCCESSFUL around distractions.

Practising your training with no distractions is important for when you’re first teaching a new behaviour, but if you’re only training at home your dog won’t get to practise with distractions at all. If you go straight from a no distraction environment to a super busy environment, your dog is likely to struggle and fail more than they succeed. Failing over and over again won’t improve your dog’s reliability around distractions either.

Instead, try adding some steps in between the two extremes, so that your dog has the opportunity to successfully respond to their cues around distractions. For example, if your dog will listen to their name in the house, but not at the park, try practising in your back yard. If your dog can walk nicely on leash in your backyard, but not once you step out the gate onto the street, try practising in your yard with the gate open. If coming when called away from playtime with other dogs is too hard, try calling them when they’re looking at a dog in the distance to start with.

As your dog's reliability improves, you can gradually increase the difficulty of the distractions, always ensuring your dog is able to succeed.

Don’t forget to use high value reinforcers to reward your dog for work around distractions as well!

If you’d like to learn more about why dogs struggle to listen around distractions, check out That Dog Geek’s video: https://www.facebook.com/ThatDogGeek/videos/2010281532532636/

- Maddie Ross CPDT-KA

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For more graphics and videos on training and behaviour, check out our library: https://www.beacondogtraining.com.au/thatdoggeek

11/07/2025

Your dog owes you nothing. Not a thing.

The decision for him to be in your life wasn’t his, it was yours. He doesn’t owe you anything. If you look at your dog as owing you something in return for your attention, food, medical care etc, then that’s the first problem we have to tackle before we can even begin true training together.

Your dog doesn’t owe you “obedience” he doesn’t owe you “respect” he doesn’t owe you “good behavior” simply because he gets to share the same space and life with you. If you want that kind of relationship and behavior; that’s on you to create, not him.

YOU owe your dog. You owe it to him to understand his history, his development and his ancestors. You owe it to him to learn about his needs, his characteristics and his individual personality. You owe it to him to become educated on how he communicates with you, his body language and train him in a way he understands and enjoys and doesn’t cut corners just because it’s easier on YOU. You owe it to him to protect him and keep him safe. You owe it to him to modify YOUR environment to help him be successful.

Dogs are a privilege. WE created THEM. We’ve done them so many injustices and yet they still go to war with us, herd our livestock, protect us, find people for us, assist us devotedly, meet us at the door wagging their tails and comfort us when we are down. The tasks they do for us go above and beyond any other partnership between species imaginable, so you have to be willing to do your part too.

Your dog owes you nothing. You owe your dog. Let’s get to work to make a great team.

- Helen St.Pierre
If you share please give credit.

11/07/2025

3 Questions to ask a trainer or behaviourist before allowing them to work with your dog.

ALWAYS choose a force-free, ethical trainer or behaviourist with qualifications and experience. Experience alone is not enough.

Reminder - never leave your dog alone with ANY pet professional (force-free or not), whether it be for 1 hour or 1 month. This includes board and train facilities.

11/07/2025

WHY DOGS NEED TO CHEW

Did you ever wonder why dogs love to chew so much? They sometimes chew furniture, the couch, your shoes or your books!

In the the wild, they have to kill their prey and eat it. Grinding and gnawing on the carcass bones can clean tartar off teeth, while shredding and tearing aids in flossing for healthy gums. The dexterity needed to chew keeps the dog’s jaw, neck, and forearms well-muscled. So for our pet dogs, the need to chew is a hard-wired, healthy, normal dog behavior. The act of chewing is internally rewarding and brings our pet dogs much enjoyment. It also helps with boredom and mild anxiety relief.

Though our pet dogs may not be using their teeth as weapons anymore, it’s still important our pups chew for their dental health. Chewing is also a great outlet for extra energy in our dogs. Providing the proper chew toy can even help reduce mouthiness and nipping during puppy play, and prevent inappropriate and destructive chewing at home. Always supervise your pet when given a chew. If you have other dogs, pets, or children, be sure to give your dog a safe, quiet place to chew without being bothered.

Take away items that become too small and could be a choking hazard. Be proactive and prevent guarding behaviors by teaching your dog to “trade” for a treat when you take away bones and chews.

Consider the following types of chews:
- Frozen raw marrow bones. The enzymes from the raw marrow help break down plaque and tartar naturally.
Frozen raw bones are much less likely to splinter or crack than cooked bones. They last forever, and getting more chew action equals cleaner, healthier teeth, and a happier hound. They are inexpensive and accessible at natural pet food stores or local butchers.
- Tendon chews. All-natural and completely digestible. Inexpensive and flavourful. Tendons are especially great for extra flossing action.
- 100% natural beef or ostrich sticks. This is my personal favourite.

Avoid:
- Rawhides (bleached or flavored) as rawhides are not safe. Dogs can choke on these, get ill from them, not digest the rawhide completely and need surgery to remove it.
- Busy Bones. Contains every ingredient NOT to feed your pets. You will spend a lot of money for your dog to devour the whole chew in less than 5 minutes, then have mushy clay-colored p**p for 3 days.
- Greenies. Albeit better than Busy Bones, they still have very little nutritional content and encourage weight gain. Also, very expensive if given as recommended (daily).

Remember to always supervise any chewing, as with any other enrichment activities. Not all bones are appropriate for all dogs as some may damage their teeth due to being hard chewers. Cooked, smoked and prepared bones are a no no as they break and splinter easily.

What daily chewing opportunities do you afford your pet?

10/07/2025

As we are still fully in the throes of summer heat here in the south, consider teaching a head dunk behavior for your dog or being prepared with cool water to soak a towel to put over their head. A recent study shows these are the most effective ways to quickly cool them down.

Summer brings long days of sunshine and outdoor adventure and for many dogs, that means backyard play, long hikes, training sessions, or athletic competitions. But with rising temperatures comes a real danger: heat injury. Just as you might crave air conditioning and ice water after time outside, yo...

10/07/2025

Like the tail wag (and all other body language), context matters for the “bow” position!

Body look like a ski jump?⛷️
We need to recognise bows as more than just play.⬅️

"My dogs bows are because of pain"
Valid point and I am kicking myself a bit this isn't on the chart but it is really important.
This can be a position that can indicate illness or discomfort.

"She does this when she wants to leave"
Yup....because that position allows for fast movement.
An exit preparation when they find themselves overwhelmed.
Your dog wants to bolt away if needed.

"He shows this when the other dog is too energetic"
It can be a calming signal ....a way to show the other dog "hey, I need a breather"

Stalking
A classic pre stalk position.

If we only believe bows mean play.... we are closing the door on that deeper understanding.

They are communicating.
We just need to keep a more open mind and perhaps not assume or hope it "just means play".

10/07/2025

10/07/2025

Excellent work!! Cooperative care ❤

10/07/2025

🗣 This quote is one I say to a lot of my clients, but especially the ones who have dogs with stranger danger, anxiety around certain people, or with dogs who don’t like petting from unfamiliar people or petting in general.

🌎 As a society, I think we tend to “feel bad” telling people our dogs need space or that they can’t be pet or touched. Also, people sometimes tend to feel there’s something “wrong” with dogs who won’t just willingly allow complete strangers to come waltzing over to immediately talk to them, touch them, hug them, and gaze at them.

🐕 So if you have a dog who needs some space, I am here to tell you that there is nothing “wrong” with your dog! They just have feelings and boundaries that we need to respect, and help manage and train properly to improve their reactions over time.

🐾 We of course want to help them feel better in these situations that make them uncomfortable, and training can certainly assist with that. But some reactive dogs or dogs who don’t want to be handled by strangers, won’t all of a sudden become social butterflies, if ever. As pet parents, our job is to respect our dog’s boundaries and work with them to make better choices.

🐶 Dogs, like people, are allowed to say no, to not want to stop and hug a stranger, to not want to be gazed at by unfamiliar people or be touched by any random person on the street.

👍🏽 It’s totally ok for your dog to say no, although it should be our goal as their humans to not make them feel like they have to. Tell people no for them - be their advocate!

Here are some ways to say no for your dog:
- “We are training right now. ”
- “She needs space.”
- “We are working on ignoring people.”
- “Not today.”

🚨 Bottom line: speak up for your dog. Don’t be afraid to tell strangers no on behalf of your dog. Remember, your dog is your family and you’ll probably never see Bob from the hardware store ever again. So don’t appease a stranger at the cost of your family member’s feelings or well-being. 💕

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