Bright Paws

Bright Paws Private Dog Training, Paw-sonal Training and K9 Yoga, T-touch, Canine Behaviourist, Pet supplies.

13/06/2025

Too often we only notice the barkšŸ“¢...because its a clear, loud and it gets our attention.
Remember the old cartoons where dogs wore helmets to "translate their thoughts" ?
Turns out we don't need them after all (funny thatšŸ™ƒ)....because they truly do speak to us.
When we step back and observe, we can see what they are saying.
Way before the barking there are subtle signs.

Posturing.
Facial movements and maybe tension in the mouth and eyes too.
Jumping.
Destruction.
Quick glances and even heavy staring.....this is them talking to us, whispering or shouting and it is pure communication.

When we look at the bigger picture....when we open our eyes to see what they can are expressing....that is when we see their true personality, wants, needs and emotions.

It makes all the difference in the world to our relationship together.

03/06/2025

JUST SHAKE IT OFF

A ā€œshake offā€ is one of many types of body language and is one of the easiest ones to notice.

The shake off can provide us with important insight as to how our dogs are feeling.

Besides being a very effective way to get rid of dirt, bugs or water - dogs can remove up to 70% of water in one single shake off - the shake off is often seen just after something that a dog needs a mental reset from.

Itā€™s a way to flush out adrenaline and could be compared to us taking a deep breath to reset our nervous system and calm ourselves down.

Dogs instinctively know they feel better when they just shake it all off!

Itā€™s their way of saying ā€œPhew, Iā€™m glad thatā€™s over, now I can put it behind me and move onā€.

Shaking off is a positive way to calm down, reset and cope with stress ā€“ be that negative or positive stress.

Itā€™s a healthy way of transitioning from one emotional state to another.

Itā€™s important to be aware that shake offs may sometimes be caused by an underlying medical issue like an ear infection, allergies, itching or pain.

If you notice a shake off, look at what has just happened beforehand. This will provide a good clue as to what it is that your dog feels they need to reset from.

03/06/2025

We don't all have the same challenges.šŸ‘ˆ
We also have unique dogs with their own quirks, likes and dislikes.

Crates and their use can be tricky.
I appreciate this may spark a discussion (and healthy debate is always encouraged).

IF you are considering using one....it shouldn't feel like restricted confinement.
It can absolutely take weeks or months.
If it is a choice you would like to make, they must be introduced kindly and positively.

If you can do that, youā€™ve just helped your dog discover a place they truly love to go.
A place of calm and quiet.
The best place to have a chew on a favourite toy.

If you don't like them and don't want to use them.....absolutely ok too.
A rug, bed or mat may be just the place for you dog.

Whichever way you go...a sense of security and peace is the aim.
šŸ’¤

03/06/2025

šŸŽ‰ Employee of the Month: Stitch! šŸ¦”
While the rest of the team runs around causing chaos, Stitch has chosen a more... restful route. By entering hibernation, heā€™s avoided all drama, all deadlines, and all effortā€”earning him the coveted title of "Best Employee" for doing the absolute least with the utmost commitment. šŸŒŸ

03/06/2025

šŸ“ø Emma's Animals - Behaviour & Training

03/06/2025

NO FACES NEAR FACES (and no exceptions!)

I say this lots as I work with families that need help getting their dog used to children in the household. I give this advice as it can prevent bite incidents!

Dogs often donā€™t like faces right near theirs as itā€™s not how they communicate and they can find it confrontational and quite intimidating. Also, if we are going to have an incident and a dog snaps, the last thing we want is a bite to the face šŸ˜¢

childrenā€™s faces should NEVER be near a dogs face- no lying down on the sofa with heads together, no leaning over the dog to kiss them, no toddlers popping up to face height of a dog on a sofa, no toddlers crawling towards dogs on dog beds etc.

If a dog gets worried and tries to use distance increasing behavior- a growl, or even an air snap to ask the child to move away, itā€™s a worry of faces are anywhere near the dogs face. Itā€™s a totally avoidable source of risk.

Itā€™s also good advice for adults too! This photo is just a tiny amount of the blood that came out of my head last year as I had an accidental injury from my northern inuit.

I feel asleep with my head on her chest (as I often do, completely ignoring my own advice šŸ˜³), as sheā€™s really cuddly and likes it. She woke up and did a huge open mouthed sneeze (heā€™s quite a dramatic sneezer)ā€¦ and a canine tooth went into the top of my head. She has huge canines and it caused a wound in my scalp that poured with blood. My house looked like a crime scene.

Totally accidental, it was just a sneeze, but it could have been even worse. Hurt my head (lots) and also hurt her tooth but it could have been my face. Itā€™s made me really remind my kids not to put their faces next to the dogs (and my dogs all LOVE my kids).

We also model for our kids with our own behaviour and itā€™s no good us telling out kids not to put their head on the dog if we are doing it ourselves!

So really- NO faces near faces and NO faces exceptions (even for me and Iā€™m trying hard to stick to it!)

03/06/2025

*** Unpopular Opinion ***

Your dog may not enjoy everything you do. There I said it and I know there are going to be people that don't like it.

Recently Corey and I have attended two crowded, noisy events.

The first was a local food festival not geared towards dogs but dogs were welcome.

The second was the million paws walk which is a dog centric event.

We left the first one an hour in. We saw nine dogs at that event. One appeared relaxed and comfortable. One seemed indifferent. The other seven all exhibited signs of stress. That upset me. I was even more upset that the guardians of these dogs were oblivious to the avoidance and stress exhibited by their dogs.

Corey and I talked about this. We wondered did they not see it. Did they just not care. One very large dog repeatedly moved behind his handler who just kept moving him deeper into the thick of the action. He was really scared and backward in his body position. He was lip licking, his forehead was furrowed and still people tried to touch him. His guardian rather than advocate for him and move him further out and ask for people not to touch him instead chose to try to get him to engage with the people.

This escalated in the time we were there. Such a gentle boy. He didn't threaten or bite. This time. He was learning that day about how much trust he could afford his person though.

This festival had a presentation stage, a live band, roving musicians and a DJ on a single block. It was busy. Lots of people. Congestion at the stalls.

I couldn't unsee it. I wish I could. That level of stress on a reluctant dog is how bites happen on people and other dogs. Not giving dogs space when they need it can lead to explosions. At the very least your dog learns you are not a good decision maker. You aren't going to keep us safe so maybe I need to escalate to keep myself safe.

At the dog walk we saw someone with a tiny dog who was trying to get away from the other dogs walk her in amongst them. They thought it was very funny. Imagine the person you need to trust letting you down like that!

We saw lots of happy dogs too. Ours included. But had they exhibited signs of discomfort we were ready to move away and leave if necessary.

I love having the dogs with me but I accept that I have one who would hate these events.

I don't really enjoy crowds but I would imagine my perspective would be easier than what a dog faces. I chose this picture to illustrate that our dogs are down around our legs. Think about what they can see, smell and hear. They are not as visible, more likely to be stepped on and to boot they have better hearing than us. Now add in that people will want to touch them - pat number 31 after a couple of hours may not be as desirable for even a social but tired dog.

If you want to take dogs to events you need to work towards this. You also need to understand you may need to alter your plans dependent on their responses to the environment.

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