Halloween can be daunting for many dog owners because of Trick and Treat and knocks on the door, especially with Bonfire night days after.
So I have created a poster you can print - completely free. So you and your dog(s) can have a peaceful night and the kids still get their treats. Win, win! Image description: purple, orange and pink night with a moon in the centre, with silhouette trees, graveyard and headstones. A blue raven sits on a tree branch in the top left hand corner. 3 Wolfdogs and a Spaniel in white ghost sheets and a row of pumpkins at the bottom of the poster with fog throughout. White text with black shadow reads: All treats, no tricks. Please don't knock our dog is scared. Please help yourself to the treats by your feet and have a fantastic night. Thankyou
0 Comments
Consent
One of the things that annoys me and saddens me the most is lack of consent. Viral videos of dogs being put into the most horrible situations and people liking, commenting and sharing their content. But… What if consent videos become viral and the norm? Where we hold adults accountable for their behaviour. We focus on children, not respecting dog boundaries but what I see is a lot of adults not respecting dog boundaries. Plus who is filming the child? Instead of withdrawing from social media, which is needed on occasion when emotional buckets become full, what about changing the narrative? This isn't just for professionals but for everyone, whether you're a dog guardian or dog professional. Dogs can and do consent to being touched, even the most sweet tempered dogs who are super cuddly and fussy. We all need a break sometimes and want space. Dogs deserve this too and this level of respect. Humans put lots of boundaries in place for dogs but what about boundaries the dogs have for humans? https://youtu.be/Vf4x9eLjYDk Still today, people worry about giving their dogs treats and see this as bribery. Giving dogs treats isn't only a kind thing to do and the bank account analogy (I'll briefly refresh - the bank account analogy is every dog has a bank account. When we pay our dogs with treats the account fills, which means we are making not only a payment to our dog like we do for work but we are also forming an association of, training means treats, which is likely to encourage the dog to repeat the behaviour again).
For me personally knowing that when our dogs see us, we give them treats or verbal praise, an area of their brain lights up is absolutely amazing. Not only does this area of the brain light up but the dog recalls these memories and the process of learning. The limbic system is a beautiful and complex part of the brain. Which must be treated with care and respect. The limbic system can control and influence emotions like joy, happiness and excitement. But the darker side of the limbic system is that it also controls fear, anxiety, aggression and sadly this area of the brain can overtake the dogs thinking and decision making part of the brain which causes a dog to feel overwhelmed, stressed, bite or depressed. For me personally I would much rather know that everytime dogs experience something good, their brain lights up and how beautiful that is. Rather than ever putting dogs in a position where their brain chemistry is altered through a negative or aversive experience. So there we have it, science, in its beautiful simplicity with a magical piece of knowledge about the wonder that is dogs. Image description: title in grey "Cookie pushers vs the limbic system" a comic strip with 4 windows with a grey background. The first window on the top left has two speech bubbles, one says "I was called a cookie pusher today!" on a dark pink and purple background on a spring. The second speech bubble says "That's a good thing, I'll explain why!" on a green background with white clouds. There is an image of a chocolate smartie cookie and a plain smartie cookie. Three pink stars surround the cookies. The second window to the top right has the dogs brain with the larger outer of the dogs brain and an intersection of the smaller inner brain of the dog. With two arrows pointing out the cerebrum and caudate nucleus. There are two speech bubbles. The top right speech bubble reads: ”the caudate nucleus lights up with rewards and love!” and the bottom right speech bubble reads ”the cerebrum is the limbic system, responsible for over riding the cortical system during times of fear and stress! Who would want to do that to a dog? Not a cookie pusher! The bottom left window has an explosion speech bubble in the middle of the top of the window which reads Thanks to Dr. Berns fMRI study (2015) The bottom left speech bubble reads ”the caudate nucleus is also responsible for learning with good old habituation!” To the right of the window there is a jar of treats filled with sprats, cheese, beef, crab sticks, bacon stripes, chicken and Jr pate coins. Above the treat jar is an orange explosion bubble which says "Wow" in blue and green gradient. The right hand bottom window has a purple speech bubble with lightning coming from the bottom which reads: Just like us Dr.berns also used hotdogs (no cookies). There is a green and red speech bubble which reads: ”so remember each time you use positive reinforcement, you are literally lighting up your dog's brain!” to the right of the window is a grey and cream Wolfdog, with his tongue lolling and amber eyes. To the left of his head is an explosion bubble in yellow and green which reads "wow." Separation Anxiety can be one of the hardest dog behaviours to work with and emotionally overwhelming for both you and your dog.
It's really hard to find the correct information to help your dog, especially when Google is filled with "let them cry it out", which isn't only inhumane and cruel but also further damaging the emotional wellbeing of your dog. It's important to first run through a checklist, such as even if your dog appears healthy, if this is a new behaviour and not a puppy, get a full vet check. Not a 6 month check up but a formal appointment for separation anxiety. If the vet can't find anything medical, reaching out to a Canine Nutritionist can also be beneficial in ensuring diet isn't playing a role. Keeping a journal, documenting sleep patterns and the hours of sleep they have. Their diet and whether they are eating or not eating or needing more. If there are any changes in the home or in the environment outside. Addressing noise phobias and as well as sound desensitisation see https://youtu.be/DygQqzykxFk also invest in a white noise machine to help to drown out noise. Entirely change your routine and lifestyle for the time being, try to ensure someone can be at home with them during the training process. Sit with your coat on or shoes and grab your keys, sit down and read a book, go on your laptop etc, give them enrichment and allow them to get used to being with you but occupied. Once you have come past this stage and your successful then move onto the same set up for them with enrichment and try to do chores in another room. So your still home but not with them directly. If they come in or follow you, don't stress, just try another time. Also feeding from a licki Mat or a snuffle mat, depending on the texture of the food that you feed your dog will have a big impact on their mental stimulation which can also be soothing and promote natural sleep. Enrichment and licking help to soothe dogs and promote the feel good brain chemicals. You can move on from this step when your ready slowly building up to leaving the house for short incremental bursts. For a full protocol the following books are super helpful: The Do No Harm Dog Training and Behaviour Handbook by Linda Michaels MA https://amzn.to/3i8ogSq Don't Leave Me! By Nicole Wilde https://amzn.to/3i9DKWj Treating Separation Anxiety in dogs by Malena Demartini-Price https://amzn.to/3EqVUKA I can vouch for all of these books, highly recommend them and they all share the same protocols and practices to work with your dog holistically! Or reach out to the team for direct help . . Image description . . Image description: six window comic strip on a grey background. The title reads: separation anxiety, written and illustrated by Tasha Attwood of Miyagis Dog Training and Behaviourist Services brought to you by #cookiepushersunited The first window has a Wolfdog howling in front of a window with a black and white stripe background. With the title: "a brief guide to helping your dog" The second middle window on the top row reads "Now is the time for an holistic training plan" on a pink backdrop with white clouds. The third right top hand window has a journal, keys, a Kong and an ostrich twist. With a red bubble which reads "vital", an orange speech bubble which reads "Vet check for any changes or new behaviours and Check with a Canine nutritionist so diet can be eliminated." A white speech bubble which reads "Keep a journal! Document the good & bad Document what works and what doesn't, Keep notes of any changes In behaviour." The first bottom left window has the owner sat on an orange sofa reading a book, whilst the Wolfdog plays with a Kong on a red rug. The first green bubble reads" Pick your keys up, sit back down Put on a coat or whatever you normally wear. Grab a book, give them enrichment and chill." The second speech bubble in green and yellow reads, "Try and observe if there are any sound sensitivities for example a change outdoors such as bird scarers" and the blue bubble reads, "White noise machines are great for drowning out outdoor noises or noisy neighbours as well as TV or the radio." The middle bottom window has a Wheelchair user washing the dishes whilst the Wolfdog is in the other room on his back playing with the Kong by the orange sofa on the red rug. The first green bubble reads,"Once you've got to a point your dog can relax and not interact try doing chores in another room whilst they enjoy their enrichment." The second pink bubble reads "If they come into see you don't get stressed, let them be and try again later." The last bottom window has an a image of the Wolfdog is in the other room on his back playing with the Kong by the orange sofa on the red Rug. The other half of the picture is the wheelchair user on the pavement with a bag of shopping. The Wolfdogs thought bubble reads "Nom, Nom, Nom, I'm so happy…", the Wheelchair users thought bubble reads "I wonder if he will be excited to see me when I get back? It's took time but it's so worth it to see him happy and settled" The bottom yellow speech bubble reads "It takes time, dedication and repetition, you need to go at The Dogs pace and keep them under threshold, but with a clear plan, you can do it!" Finally the last white speech bubble reads, "Don't be tempted to rush the process or go back to old habits." The Emotional Bucket
When we as humans wake up, some days we just might not be feeling it. Our Dogs are the same, but we don't always consider this. Because the media presents dog body language so crudely, it becomes a part of the human brain to unconsciously think of our dog overly happy and boisterous, sad or guilty. Another blog on guilt another time. There could have been an incident the night before such as fireworks, a bang, an argument a child crossing boundaries, pain or unwellness that begins your dogs day as low. We consider our dog to have a metaphorical bucket, so if your dog wakes up feeling rubbish consider a cup of water filling your dogs bucket. So dogs are really good at hiding pain and unwellness and can be good at hiding negative emotions. So unknowingly the bucket has already begun to fill and we walk the dog, a HGV blares the horn right next to your dog, a cup fills the bucket. A dog is charging up and down behind their fence, growling, barking and yanking on the fence, another cup fills the bucket. Another dog with no manners comes and barrel rolls your dog, another cup fills the bucket. As your walking home your dog barks at other dogs, pulls after a vehicle, stops and refuses to walk any further observing another dog. Your embarrassed, mildly annoyed and scolding of their behaviour. Your dogs bucket is spilling over and they are super stressed, you may have heard this in another term, trigger stacked. So most humans will then proceed to walk the dog, two more times that day or the next day and the dog now is really struggling and vocalising on their walk, the human embarrassed further. It doesn't matter what TV says, or John's uncle's, cousin's friend's girlfriend who claimed to be an ex police dog handler says. We don't walk the dog. Stop the guilt or worrying about the neighbours calling the Rspca because you're giving your dog the canine equivalent of self care. Instead give your dog decompression time, give them enrichment, play with them, let them feel safe in their home with no pressure. Decompression empties the bucket and allows our Dogs brain to rest and reset. Lickimats are well known to soothe anxiety. When you have allowed them to decompress and are ready for your next walk consider sniffy walks otherwise known as sniffafaris, let them chill on a walk and advocate for them to others. Ask other people to keep their dog on a lead, if someone makes a negative or unsolicited comment, flip them off or if you have the spoons explain your dog is simply being a dog and needs space. You don't need other people who aren't qualified, making you feel bad about your dog. Your dog is awesome! If you want to understand further and geek out, fill your bucket (pardon the pun)! http://www.dogfieldstudy.com/.../at-the-heart-of-the-walk https://www.tail-talk.co.uk/stress-in-dogs https://www.susanmckeon.co.uk/dogs-stress-bucket/ https://barketplace.uk/the-importance-of-rest-days.../... https://www.sciencedirect.com/.../abs/pii/S0168159118304325 https://www.sciencedirect.com/.../pii/S1558787815001574 . . Image description: the title reads: The Emotional Bucket, written and illustrated by Tasha Attwood of Miyagis Dog Training and Behaviourist Services. The first window has a pink and purple gradient background, with a wooden window and yellow curtains at night with fireworks going off. A Wolfdog is thinking expletives due to the fireworks, there is a bucket in the right hand corner beginning to fill. The text box says "As soon as a Dog wakes up their bucket could already be filling This Can be due to pain, a negative experience the night before or just generally feeling low how we do!" The second top window on the right has a brown fence with a dog barking and growling behind it. There is a bucket filling with more water, there are two text boxes. One reads" As the bucket fills our dogs begin to feel worse, this is why they react at triggers such as dogs, traffic, people etc They are struggling to process the environment and their brain has entered into fight or flight mode. If they cannot escape the situation it is flight or shut down!" The second text box reads" If we don't realise our Dogs bucket is filling, take them for a walk and there is an incident such as a dog barking at them the bucket fills." The third bottom left window has a blue background, a red hgv and a bucket over spilling, with three text boxes reading:" Your dog isn't trying to embarrass you, give you a hard time or be difficult. They are having a hard time, their brain is in overdrive." "Once the Dogs bucket over fills it becomes very hard for them to come back down. Unless they are allowed to decompress they remain in a perpetual state of stress." "If your dog has a bad walk, a limp, sickness, experiences fireworks, an attack etc we don't walk them again for three days Instead allowing them to sleep and only doing enrichment to soothe their anxiety and allow the brain to repair itself." In the last right bottom window, it is a grey background with an empty upturned bucket, with OMG written underneath, a lower arm and hand holding a phone to a text box, a Wolfdog upside down on a green rug by an orange sofa chewing a Kong and a pink cloud reading Boom! The four text boxes read: "If you take one thing from this... It is to remove the guilt. The guilt and ideology you must walk your dog daily. This is doing your dog more harm after a trauma." "Ditch the walk, give them enrichment. Trust the professionals not the tv." "Dogs need and love decompression Their Brain Relies on decompression To Function. A part of their survival system." "3 days rest, Opportunities To Sleep and enjoy safety of no triggers or frights." Why we use cue vs command
Command is a word frequently used within the dog world and within the force free community we have expanded our language to use cue instead of command. (I personally say "ask" because a cue is to ask our dog to do something and ask is just within my vocabulary). Cue and ask is a question, if we ask someone, be it dog or human we give them a choice of, yes or no. We might not like or expect the answer of no but it is one we have to accept. To command means that there is no wriggle room, here in the dictionary when ascribing to an action and not the military a command is to force someone to obey. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/command It's always difficult using new words and replacing a word and nobody is going to bully you for not learning right away, because this is the whole point of this post, learning is a process and a journey. But try it, try changing your language from "I gave my dog a command" to "I cued or asked my dog for a behaviour." If your dog doesn't give the behaviour, that's OK! Remember learning is a journey and if they don't give a paw or a down on the first cue, just try again later, chnage your handling skills or adapt the cue. It is OK to adapt learning for your individual dog, because all dogs are individuals and like us they all learn differently! . . Image description: Title reads: Why we say "cue instead of command" on a green background, with two white bones, a white cloud, white stars and a yellow tennis ball, with a photo of a Wolfdog on a walk in the centre with 4 pink petals as text boxes. Text box 1 reads: cue means we ask our dog to do a behaviour and connect with them on an emotional level. Text box two reads: command can means force and within the Oxford dictionary has negative connotations. Text box three reads: cue has the connotation of we want to make a connection and create a choice. Text box four reads: changing something as simple as command can change our perception of our dog. Christmas and dogs
First of all the team would love to take the opportunity to wish you a very happy Christmas if you celebrate Yule or your denomination of holiday. Every Christmas there are always social media posts that break the Internet, regarding something a dog has done that is deemed wrong. So this year let's beat social media to the punch, helping dogs and their caregivers to navigate this time. First, gifts. Gifts should always be kept out of reach so that your beloved friend cannot access them, they cannot rehearse a behaviour if there aren't any items to chew or investigate. Dogs don't do things out of spite, mostly it is a natural curiosity and dogs love ripping paper, it meets a biological need. Worktop surfing, the kitchen is a busy area in holiday times and the dog(s) see this as an explosion of their senses with all the amazing scents from the food. Instead of setting a dog up to fail, accessing the kitchen and reminding you of a sitcom or comedy Christmas movie, let's help the dog. Using gates or xpens opened up across the doorway can be a huge help, no need to close the door, still a sense of inclusion and community and your dog can be enjoying pre-made enrichment. If the layout of your home doesn't allow for this, setting up a Doggy Enrichment Land which is a safe area for your dog (non crate) and the freedom to roam and play with their own toys and enrichment still keeps them within the community of the home but unable to rehearse unwanted behaviours. (Check out the Do No Harm Dog Training and Behaviour Handbook by Linda Michaels MA for full information on Doggy Enrichment Lands and set ups, available in paperback or ebook form from Amazon https://amzn.to/3PhC74z Not all dogs love visitors and vice versa so it is best to go to friends and family or if you do have guests to ensure your dog feels safe, secure and comfortable. Keeping visitors away from them and setting up a Doggy Enrichment Land for them. Advocate for your dog against visitors to not go near your dog or to tease your dog. Remember that when humans drink, some humans get silly and loud and a bit scary and this can be scary for your dog, so being mindful of limits like you would around a child will really help your dog to feel safe and ensuring visitors who are drinking stay away from the dogs and be respectful and responsible whilst in your home. Holidays can be hard with a lot of demands and trying to get things done but integrating your dog and ensuring their needs are met and they are safe will set you both up for success. Here are some links to last year's blogs with further information as to Christmas dangers to aid you to navigate quickly depending on the topic: Visitors https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1758707967668024&id=706073116264853 Toxic foods and items https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1751924575013030&id=706073116264853 Walking your dog over the holidays https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1764607160411438&id=706073116264853 Being prepared ahead of time for emergencies https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1761526344052853&id=706073116264853 Alcohol and dogs https://www.facebook.com/706073116264853/posts/1763296530542501/ New Years and Christmas Fireworks https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1759486014256886&id=706073116264853 Separation anxiety https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1760835424121945&id=706073116264853 Resource Guarding https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1766287113576776&id=706073116264853 Working at your dogs pace with changes within the home https://fb.watch/hsPECxVaKN/ Enrichment on a budget https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1761957417343079&id=706073116264853 Hopefully this will help you, your dog and family to navigate the holidays, armed with information and enable you to make a plan centred around your dogs. Google is a minefield and it is far better to have direct information to hand before and hopefully not, but at the time you need it the most. Again, happy holidays however you do or do not celebrate, stay safe and have a lovely time with your dogs. . . Image description: The first window is a green background with a Christmas tree, a fireplace with three red and white stockings with three text boxes. The text boxes read: "Christmas can be fun for your dog too!" "Every Christmas people get mad at their dogs, because people have made mistakes." "So let’s change that this Christmas, no shaming, no judgement, just the opportunity to learn and some advice to help out." The second right hand window is a blue background of a cupboard on the floor filled with Christmas gifts. There are three text boxes that read: " Prevent chewing first!" " During the gift opening, give your dog(s) enrichment. put new gifts out of the way!" "Put all gifts in a cupboard out of the way, preventing any unwanted behaviours." The bottom left hand window has an image of a kitchen, with yellow walls, a window and a worktop and sink, with a green tile floor with a dog bowl. There is a turkey and bacon rashers on a baking tray on the worktop. The second half of the image is an orange sofa and a Wolfdog is playing on their back with a Kong on a green rug. There are three text boxes that read: "Prevent the opportunity to worktop surf!" "Dogs don’t do anything out of spite or to ruin your day! Keeping your dog out of the kitchen with enrichment is your first step to avoid worktop surfing!" "Superhero." The right hand bottom window has a Wolfdog with a purple Teddy bear in his mouth, behind an xpen fence, within a Doggy Enrichment Land. A green wall with the bottom of a picture frame and a music speaker. There is a destruction box filled with balls, a Kong, a lickimat, a snuffle mat, an orange bed, a bone, an ostrich twist and a loose ball. There are two textboxes that read: "Visitors might not be fun for your dog, use a doggy enrichment land to help your dog to feel safe!" "Be vigilant for fireworks in your area & be ready to help your dog!" |
BlogFor Mutts & Mischief If you enjoy my blogs and
would like to support my work, you can support me by buying me a Coffee! Archives
March 2024
|