Author: Sam

dog training, Pet Care, Pet Love, Pet Training

A Review – The Place 4 Paws: Play Unleashed

Sam

After receiving a recommendation by a client of mine, to check out a private off leash park you can rent by the hour, I decided to give it a go. I have a reactive dog, and many of my clients do as well, which means that off leash dog parks are often a no-go for those who I am friends with, and those who I work with. Off leash dog parks come with a host of issues, from not knowing if other dogs are carrying parasites or disease, to not knowing whether or not they are truly friendly and social with all dogs(have you heard of how often fights happen?), and more! Often, our dogs become overstimulated, overwhelmed and stressed by the high number of strange dogs charging at them from various directions, and a lot of owners miss these signals that their dogs are highly stressed. It creates for quite a chaotic environment, for sure. So, then, the question is asked of where we can take our dogs to enjoy some off lead time, where their stress hormones aren’t spiked through their systems, and we can all relax?

The Place 4 Paws clearly had this thought in mind, when they opened up two, large, off leash areas that are fully fenced in and you can rent to use! Of these two parks, there is an open field, called The Field of Dreams(great if you want to do more fetch, or maybe do some off lead training), and The Enchanted Forest(excellent for those who love to bound through tall grass, brush, and sniff around). You can rent the space all to yourself and your own pups, by the half hour or the hour for an exceptionally affordable price!

Here are the things that we loved about The Place 4 Paws: Play Unleashed park. We chose The Enchanted Forest, hoping to give our dogs a bit more of that physical and mental stimulation through exploration.

The Rules & Regulations:

  1. Please check in at reception prior to entering the off leash area.
  2. Online booking and payment is required for use of Play Unleashed(their online system wouldn’t allow me, so they accommodated by allowing us to come in!)
  3. Members are required to read and sign all waivers, as well as supply current up-to-date vaccination records(we love that this is required, so we know other dogs aren’t bringing anything into the park!)
  4. All dogs must be under control at all times and on leash while in transit to and from the park(perfect, no chance of our pups having a run in with another dog!)
  5. Owners must pick up after their pet at all times, no exceptions. Failure to comply will result in revocation of your membership(clean parks are always so great. Nobody likes to step in doggy poop!)
  6. For the safety and comfort of all guests, please do not allow your dog to dig or damage anything while on-site.
  7. For the safety of all pets, no collars or harnesses are permitted while in the park; please remove all gear in our gated air-lock prior to entering(they have a double gate system accommodate this, as well as a hook for your gear on the inside of the park!)
  8. Under no circumstances, are aversive measures permitted to be used on your pet while in our park. This includes, but is not limited to, hitting, kicking, punching, rolling, choking, or any other form of contact that may be perceived to be aggressive, threatening or abusive. (I think it is obvious why I love that there is a zero tolerance policy for this – not only am I a member of Organizations; PPG and AFFA; whose ethics are to use humane, force free methods with our best friends, but I fully believe that our furry – and otherwise – pets, should always be treated with the utmost kindness!)
  9. Please notify our staff if you notice anything that needs attention in the park.
  10. There are risks associated with any activity involving off leash play with your pets. Please ensure that your pet is not over-exerting themselves, allow time for breaks and proper hydration.
  11. Water is not provided by Play Unleashed, nor are water pails. Please come prepared with water and dishes for your pet during your session.
  12. Play Unleashed is not responsible for any injury or damage to oets or owners due to use of our parks, Use of our parks is at your own risk. Play Unleashed is not liable for injuries or accidents that may occur on our property. By entering the park, you assume all risks associated with off leash play. Please ensure that you play responsibly.

 


For list of rules, see above. My apologies for the poor, over-saturated photos – the sun was shining pretty heavily at the time we went.

Here are some of the things we loved about The Enchanted Forest.

  • There is a PRIVACY SCREEN on the majority of the fencing in higher volume areas to prevent any visual stimulation that may trigger your reactive pet!
  • There is a double gate system. This is an excellent way to prevent dogs escaping the park, and also to help keep people from running into one another when entering and leaving the park, which leads me to the next security feature that I loved!
  • There is an OCCUPIED sign/clip that you can clip onto the bottom of the gate latch to prevent anyone from pulling it up and opening it while the park is in use. This way, you are aware of when others are still in the park or have left. When you leave, clip the occupied sign onto the fencing of the gate instead so others know when the park is open for use.
  • There is a poop bag garbage pail between the double-gate system, and a dispenser of poop bags on the inside of the gate to the park, as well as another poop bag dispenser at the seating area within.
  • Too top it all off, they have a hook for you to hang your dogs gear on within the gate of the park – which is great, since your dog is required to be gear-less.
  • The fence is approximately 6 feet high, and right to the ground.
  • It was incredibly clean and we didn’t step in dog poop anywhere.
  • The Enchanted Forest had lots of shade from all the trees and foliage, which was great in the heat of the evening.
  • Our dogs came home stimulated, tired, and happy!

Upon our arrival, I left the dogs in the car with my partner. Boone, as some know, is quite unsure of strange people and strange dogs. I entered their main building and was immediately greeted by a staff member, who began assisting me with signing waivers, paying the fee for my hour, and going over vaccination records. The owner, Cody Shepherd, also greeted me and helped with this process, and then took the time to show me the Occupied and Double Gate system, which was fantastic of him to do!

Afterwards, he went back to the building to give me some space for my pups, and my partner and I leashed up the dogs and went into the park. Despite some barking from the dogs in the boarding facility, our dogs were not stressed or anxious at all. There were no visuals, creating much more comfort for our pups.

We walked into the Double Gate System, latched the first gate with the OCCUPIED sign, read the Rules & Regulations, removed our pups gear, and then opened the second gate to let them run free. Closing the second gate behind us, we found the leash and gear hook and hung up our pets gear(less for us to carry!) and we set about exploring the park with our pups.

The park was GORGEOUS, well shaded from trees and foliage, and they even included a seating area for pet owners to relax while their pups explored and rampaged around the park. Of course, we love to adventure and explore too, so we checked our every inch of the park as well. Being a bit of a paranoid dog owner, I even explored some of the fencing around the edges of the park to ensure security and found absolutely zero flaws in their fencing(my Beagle is an escape artist, so even though I didn’t have him with me for this one, it was a force of habit). The park was larger than I expected, and our dogs had a blast running around.

We actually found that our dogs were fairly tired within their first half hour being there, from all the positive stimulation, and it was nice to have the seating where we could go relax as well! The lawn chairs arm rests were wide enough to rest any drinks you might bring in for yourself as well.

The things I highly recommend to bring to the park with you:

  • Water for yourself and your dogs
  • A pail or dish of some sort to give the dogs water in
  • Bug spray for yourself prior to park entry(as with any park, mosquitoes are everywhere)

I honestly, cannot say enough good things about the Play Unleashed parks and would highly recommend them to anyone who wants to go take their dogs to an off leash area, without the risks of strange dogs, or their dog running off. The staff were great, the park system is awesome, they truly thought of everything and I give them a 10/10.

For Boone, who rarely lays down to rest, he had a relaxing night of rest, and has been relatively relaxed today as well, and Ria loved the freedom she got to bound through the tall grass. Check out those lolling tongues!

dog training, Pet Care, Pet Love, Pet Training, Uncategorized

Tips on Camping with the Reactive Dog

Sam

CAMPING with the REACTIVE DOG

I did a post a while back about camping with reactive dogs, but I am making some revisions and going to go into further detail on how that looks for my household and our reactive dog/s.

To give some insight: Charlie, my Beagle, barks at other dogs, though he just gets some barrier frustration and wants to go say hi to everyone and be friends with everyone. Anyone who knows the, “He’s friendly!” issue, knows why I don’t let Charlie be that dog. Santeria is generally a very neutral dog, and usually my go to when working with on leash reactive dogs because she can keep her cool at a distance, but she will excitedly bark at the people who are coming into camp because she is so happy to see them! Boone is my truly reactive dog. He had a lot of odds stacked against him from the get go, from being a bottle baby because his mom rejected him at birth, to lack of socialization with his litter-mates, and genetic predisposition(his mom was very reactive as well). Boone is generally afraid of strangers, most typically men(fine with most women and children), other dogs, and anything else he may perceive as scary. His reactions are anywhere from a freeze and growl, to lunging, snapping and barking depending on his level of fear. He has come a long way through behavior modification, but that is another post in it’s own right.

When you go camping, you’re doing so for what is, likely a variety of reasons. Maybe you’re looking for the luxurious escape and quiet that nature brings, maybe you want to go roast some hot dogs and marshmallows on a fire in the middle of the forest, or maybe there are other reasons. But when we think about camping, we don’t often like to think of how our best friends might struggle with it. Heck, maybe they LOVE being outside, but being in a campground can be hard – you’re still bound to see people and dogs.

So how do you deal with that and combat it to set your dog up for success? And what are some camping list essentials for the pups?

I highly recommend, especially with reactive dogs, to research the campground you intend to go to, and if you have the opportunity, go check it out prior to deciding to camp there. You can see how the privacy is between sites, and best situate yourselves if you know what you have to work with. I like to avoid campgrounds that get super packed with people, and I like campgrounds with a lot of trees and foliage for privacy.

Camping List Essentials for the Reactive Dog:

  • Long lines(these are great for tethering your dog, and are a much safer alternative to giving your pup fomr freedom, to the flexi) and regular leashes
  • Collars with ID tags(just in case), and harnesses(particularly useful for dogs who might lunge, so they don’t do any damage to their neck)
  • Crates
  • Dog beds/blankets
  • Towels for drying off, especially if you have a water-lover
  • X-pens(I LOVE x-pens because they are handy for a massive variety of reasons, including creating fences, visual barriers, and can be used as an alternative to tethering your pup)
  • Clean water(I always fill their auto-water bowl, tip the jug upside down and cover the hole with a freezer bag, and cart it along with us). Many of the water sources in the wild can often actually carry parasites and diseases that aren’t great for our dogs either – Giardia isn’t fun to deal with!
  • Dog food/treats in a SEALED container so as not to attract wildlife
  • First aid kit(including dog-safe items)
  • Basket-style Muzzle – properly fitted for panting(if your dog needs it, if not, it is always a great idea to have muzzles in your first aid kit, just in case!).
  • Tick remover tool!
  • Dog booties(these can come in handy if your dogs damage or injure their paws, but are also great for abrasive terrain)
  • Carabiners(I use these to secure leashes to collars, harnesses to collars, x-pens closed, connecting leashes/long lines, etc)
  • Stuff to create visual barriers(we like tarps and extra sheets that we don’t care about – know those flat sheets you never use? Now you can!)
  • Treat/food dispensing toys
  • High value chews(LEARN from my mistake and DO NOT bring raw bones unless you are prepared for WASPS), like Bully Sticks, pig ears, etc.
  • Laminated Notes to hang around the entrance to your site(this is mainly to keep people such as the campground manager aware that your pup is fearful or reactive). I suggest something along the lines of, “Fearful dog, please announce yourself.”
  • Dog Lights(whether this is a light-up collar/harness, a light that hangs from the collar, etc. This helps you to see where your dog is when it is too dark outside.
  • Poop Bags(don’t be that person!). Regardless of being in the forest, if you are on a campground, most have rules for dogs to be on leash and cleaned up after, but more to that, others will likely be walking around the areas your dog goes to the bathroom and nobody wants to step in a fresh pile from someone’s dog!

At the campground:

  1. When you arrive to your campsite, bring your dog out on a leash and allow them to sniff around and familiarize themselves with the area prior to setting up. This gives them a chance to settle, as well as to have a potty break if they need it!
  2. When you begin setting up, create visual barriers to help him feel safe. For reactive dogs, seeing lots of strangers, or other dogs can be hard, and you can reduce their stress by putting up these barriers.
  3. Give them breaks in their safe place, if they need it, to decompress. I highly recommend doing this regardless of whether they have any reactions, as this can help keep them calmer. If you wait until they have an outburst, you may give them the feeling of being punished instead. This can be done in an x-pen, car, crate, tent, etc. Wherever they feel safe enough to relax, and comfortable. NOTE: DO NOT LEAVE DOGS IN HOT CARS.
  4. Take the dogs for walks at quiet times(avoid peak busy times, such as morning bathroom breaks for people) so that they can get plenty of sniffing(naturally calming behavior) in, some mental stimulation, and physical stimulation.
  5. Bring high value chews(NOT RAW or you will see wasps!), for your dogs to settle down with and to give them something constructive and positive to do. These are great for times when you are busy or need the dogs to settle on their own for a period of time.


This is the view of our campsite from inside and outside. As you can see, there is plenty of visual coverage for the dogs. For the most part, people and other dogs cannot see in, and our dogs can’t really see out, helping to reduce their stress levels. 

All in all, our camping weekend was a massive success(even despite rain and hail – thank you gazebo and tarps!), and our dogs were comfortable for the majority of our trip. Many others were a little astonished at our set up and we received lots of compliments on it.

We set up the dogs crates in the van for at night time, as they all feel safest there and the temperatures were supposed to be fairly mild/cool throughout the nights we camped. We had plenty of bedding and blankets for them, and even hung a few curtains for visual barriers within the vehicle as well. I also highly recommend a portable fan to put on at night if you go this route. 

My biggest recommendation – have fun! Relax, breathe, and enjoy your outing with your dog/s!

– Sam

Healing, Injury, Personal

A little more personal..

Sam

My ankle after surgery.

I’m going to do something that I don’t do very often. I am going to get a little bit personal in this blog post. As some know, in early 2017, I shattered my tibia and fibula. When I had finished getting ready for my evening, about to head to a dog training class to assist, and then to a friends, I walked down the stairs. Boone, my youngest dog attempted to meet me part way up the stairs to greet me. Unfortunately, as he stepped up, I stepped down and, as I’m sure you’re getting the picture, my foot landed on his paw and the floor was literally pulled out from under my feet when he darted away. I went down hard, sliding down two stairs on my ankle. Hitting the floor, I was gasping in pain. I was in shock, and denial to put it frankly. My husband rushed to me, while I cried tearless cries of pain. He went to touch my knee, I screamed at him not to touch me because it hurt too much. He told me it was probably broken. I remember saying, “No, it can’t be broken. I just need a minute. It can’t be broken, I have class, I have too much to do.” I remember wanting to get up, but I couldn’t. He called an ambulance while I simply tried to breathe through the pain. I remember them[EMT’s] trying to use Laughing Gas, but it made things throb more, made me more aware of the pain and where it hurt, so they ran an IV into my wrist and gave me morphine instead.

At some point after I arrived at the hospital, I had x-rays performed, and then they “set” my ankle and put me in a cast. I don’t remember most of this. My ex-husband says I was screaming swears. I must have blacked out or shut it out from my memories, because it isn’t there for me in the files in my brains bank of consciousness. The surgeon came to see me, he called it a Trimalleolar fracture. He said we would schedule for surgery in three days. For three days, I sat in the hospital with my ankle healing in a cast, until they would do the surgery to add a plate and screws. I ended up with five screws, one on my tibia, and a plate and four screws on my fibula. After I awoke from surgery, I was in what felt like more pain than I had been in when I had broken it in the first place. They gave me morphine, and it didn’t touch the pain, so they tried fentanyl, and when none of that was working, they gave me ketamine. I stopped breathing. I don’t remember any of it until I was being wheeled back to my room with an oxygen mask on. They made me keep the mask on until the day I was discharged.

When you have three dogs and a three, almost four year old child, you don’t want to be laid up in a bed or on a couch, or stuck on crutches. I had a big two story house, dogs who needed to be walked, a toddler who needed to be looked after, and classes I needed to complete. My ex-husband did his best to support me while going through a lot of his own things, and working. I had family and friends step up and try to help in every way they could.

I don’t think anyone thinks about how much they take certain things for granted. The ability to walk my dogs? The ability to put my son to bed without help, or give him a bath, or clean the house on my own..? I spent a lot of time feeling really crappy, being depressed. When I was finally given weight-bearing status again, and began trying to put my foot down to walk on it, I couldn’t. What had happened, was I hadn’t been casted properly, or maybe my cast had loosened or shifted over time, and I ended up with what was referred to as “Ballerina’s foot” – this is where the toes are pointed downwards, so my foot was not at the 90 degree angle it should have been. I could not place my foot flat on the ground, let alone put any kind of weight on it. My surgeon promptly told me that I had two weeks of physio to get my foot flat on the ground and walking on it or he would put me through another surgery and cut my achilles. When I had originally asked for physio, he had argued with me, this time he gave me the note I asked for.

For two weeks, I busted my butt in physiotherapy. I cried, I hurt, I pushed my limits, but I did it. I managed to finally get back onto my foot and walked into my appointment without crutches. I limped, but I did it and damn right he didn’t try to schedule another surgery. Six months later, I went to see him because I was still struggling with a lot of daily pain and problems with my ankle. He brushed off all of my concerns, didn’t listen, and simply said, “”What do you expect with that kind of break?”


See the angle my foot is at? This photo is also upside down for some reason.


Swollen and bruised after cast removal.


The side I have had nothing but problems with.

I went to my family physician and requested a referral to a new surgeon of my choice. She tried to argue with me, tried suggesting I choose a different career path even! I went back and stood my ground with the help of my wonderfully supportive girlfriend and got my referral sent in. It turned out that the screw on my tibia was sticking out and rubbing my muscles.. The new surgeon listened to all of my concerns, looked at me and said, “We can remove this. We don’t even need to put you out.” And we scheduled the appointment to remove the problem screw. I finally had a surgeon who was willing to listen, and better yet, I didn’t have to go back under anesthesia, which I was terrified of doing thanks to the complications previously. During that appointment, I nervously covered my eyes and counted the seconds until it was over, and then walked out with my ankle stitched and bandaged up. He even gave me a note for more physio!

After meeting with the new surgeon, prior to removal.

Since all of this, little things are huge successes for me. From the first time I crutched my way into my sons room to lay in bed with him, to the first time I managed to bath or shower alone without assistance, to the time I managed to walk without crutches, albeit painfully and awkwardly, barefoot on a rainy ground.

I have learned a few things from all of these experiences:

  • Don’t take things for granted
  • Even the little successes are successes
  • Free Shaping(training technique) is a TON of fun and can be done while off your feet
  • I have a huge support network that loves me and support me
  • This created a large set back in behavior modification with my own fearful pup, but we are getting back to where we were
  • I don’t need toxic, negative, or unhealthy relationships in my life
  • How to advocate for myself and those I care for
  • I can push my limits

I have overcome little hurdles one at a time… First, I overcame getting around on crutches, and then doing daily tasks while using crutches, and then getting back onto my foot, and learning how to advocate for myself, and another surgery, and even walking dogs again. But the process was a slow one. We are coming up on almost two years since I broke my ankle, and I still deal with pain almost daily. It still gets incredibly stiff and difficult to walk on. I walk dogs during the day and at night, struggle to go up or down stairs or walk around once I have sat on the couch to relax. My biggest fears have been going through another surgery: I did it. Falling down stairs again: Of course my clutzy self has achieved that one again, albeit without a broken bone. Walking dogs individually without getting injured or being dragged around: Successful! Walking two dogs at once: Huge success!

But probably the biggest and most notable success for myself so far… and while it is little, it is huge… I walked Charlie and Ria together. Now, some of you may be thinking, “Wait… but aren’t those two of your own dogs?”

I walk my three separately for numerous reasons.

  • They get individual one-on-one attention
  • We can do some fun training while on our walk
  • Boone is fearful and reactive of strange people and strange dogs so I have more control and can focus on his individual needs better
  • Ria is still working at being good on a leash(we worked mostly on her off leash skills when she was a puppy, inadvertently created a negative association with the leash by delegating her to the leash if she didn’t listen off leash – not how I would handle things now and I definitely have learned a lot as a trainer since she was a puppy!, she gets extremely excited and hits the end of her leash HARD, and her focus is everywhere except on the person holding the other end of the leash because everything is so much more interesting)
  • Charlie USED to be leash reactive, not fear based.. He was simply excited and wanted to go make friends with everyone, as many Beagles tend to be, so we have worked hard at calming him down about his excitement and showing him that he doesn’t have to yell “Hey be my friend!” to enjoy a walk
  • I was terrified of being pulled down or getting hurt
  • I didn’t trust myself or my ankle anymore

Not only was their walk a HUGE success… Both dogs paid attention to me, Ria showed exactly how far she is coming in terms of her on leash training, nobody pulled me off my feet and we utilized a reward system based off food and life rewards such as being able to go sniff and explore for paying attention or doing as asked.

I will admit that I cried. I cried because I was happy. It was a huge moment for me. I successfully walked two of my dogs together for the first time since breaking my ankle. For a year and a half, they have been walked individually, and I finally bit the bullet, and tried. I was letting my ankle hold me back, and worst of all, hold back my dogs who have made huge strides too.

I am learning to trust my ankle again. Slowly. And my dogs are coming a long way from where they used to be. And we have years ahead of us, of more fun. And while I am slowly learning to trust my ankle again and I am still dealing with nerve pain on a regular basis, I absolutely refuse to give up doing what I love: training. My plan is to continue expanding my business, complete all of the courses I wish to complete so that I may continue to expand my education and knowledge to better serve my clients and their furry best friends, and focus on the positives, one step at a time.

Uncategorized

Camping with Reactive Dogs

Sam

How many of you with reactive dogs, still go camping with them? How many find their behavior is different while camping, or perhaps avoid it because they’re scared their dog won’t enjoy it?

In August, we went camping, my partner and I, along with my Trouble Trio and some family(in another site but nearby) with their dog as well. I knew Charlie, my Beagle, would handle it well. He enjoys the outdoors, as many scenthounds do, and I knew he would not be a problem. Ria, being as well mannered as she is, and being as non-reactive as she is, we knew she would do well. She and Charlie had been camping many times in their lifetimes, respectively. Boone, however, is a fear reactive boy who is scared of strangers(especially men), and new dogs. We knew he would meet at least one new person, another dog, and who knows how many would be at the camp ground at the time we went, so we packed prepared.

Along with all of our general camping gear, I included: first aid products(especially dog safe necessities), extra dog bedding, an xpen, extra leashes/harnesses, dog booties(Ria has a tendency to hurt her paws often when hiking), lots of treats, tons of toys and enrichment stuff, chews, and crates. We opted to crate in the car, both for travel and to give breaks. Boone was basically raised riding in a car, so between that and his crate, we knew that would be an excellent “safe place” for him to be able to be. We stuffed Kongs(which seemed to actually be our best activity for the dogs without attracting a ton of wasps or other critters – we did bring raw bones and what a mistake that was with the wasps!) and stuck them in our cooler, individually wrapped. We brought puzzle toys and food dispensing toys. We brought and used long lines so the dogs could have enriching sniffy hikes with us along the creek and have the ability to go further from us while still being attached to us safely. We brought extra tarps/sheets/rope as well, for visual barriers.

Our camping trip was a success! Upon arrival, we let the dogs out to pee, then put them away and began to figure out how best to set up our campsite to create any potential visual barriers for the pups. To our surprise, Boone was more comfortable out of the city camping, than he is in the city. Less people per square foot anyone? In fact, he barked less than any of the three, only barking at some giant scary horse-beasts because “What the HECK is THAT!?” and once at a person because Ria barked first. Children cut through our campsite, other dogs went by on leash with their owners, numerous people came and went, kids on bikes, etc and you wouldn’t be able to tell Boone was reactive! I would argue to say that Boone was absolutely in his element out there.

As you can see in this photo, we put tarps up behind any “open” spaces to create visual barriers, but also to prevent children from cutting through our campsite, as we discovered the first night that they had ZERO issue with doing. I don’t know when children became so bold as to cut through a strangers campsite, and approach strange dogs, but many of the children here had no issue with either of these things. Please, parents, remind your children that they are not to be approaching strange dogs without asking permission first! Not all dogs are good with kids(luckily mine are, but all the same).

 

In this photo, you can see how we used an old xpen and sheets/tarps to create another “visual barrier” of some open space, and create more barriers to prevent children cutting through our site. You can even see the “zipline tether” we created for one of our pups. We adjusted things though as we discovered the dogs were actually creating more hyperarousal and stress amongst one another, so we attached one dog to the car, another to this “zipline” and another dog in another corner to prevent them from stressing one another out. This worked extremely well!

Remember that our furry friends can often trigger one another’s stress and hyperarousal, which can create quite the mess when they all feed off each other. Ria and Boone fed off each other, which created a high stress environment, and Charlie and Boone’s interactions are quite controlled, so we strategically separated them. This helped to calm the environment. It also helped that we brought so many enriching toys/chews, and that we took them on regular sniffy walks, often only two or one at a time. We also gave lots of breaks in the crate or car(it was not hot and our campsite was well shaded) to help keep the dogs settled and feeling comfortable/safe. Boone needed the breaks mentally, and Ria needed the breaks when she began to wear herself out after over-exerting herself on the rocky ground, to give her joints a break. Charlie occasionally got breaks too. Between the breaks in their safe place, and the stuffed Kongs, our pups were set!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see, the pups had quite the fun time!

All in all, I would call our camping trip a success. Everyone had fun, and Boone even felt safe!

The biggest essentials I would recommend when taking reactive dogs camping: stuffed/individually wrapped Kongs, puzzle toys/food dispensing toys/chews, crates/safe space, visual barriers such as extra tarps. These were all paramount to creating a fun, safe, comfortable environment for our pups!

Most of all, have fun! We did lots of training games and tricks too, making sure the pups got lots of good mental stimulation.

 

 

dog training, Pet Grooming, Pet Love, Pet Training

Nail Trims

Sam


Nail Trims… The bane of many owner’s very existence, aren’t they? So many dogs hate them, many owner’s are frustrated trying to wrestle what is essentially an alligator doing a death roll. They can be frustrating, but it can also be dangerous, both for us, and for our dogs when not introduced properly. And even more damaging to our best friend’s emotional well being when we force these traumatizing events on them, without trying to find ways to make them feel better.

What I’ve been working on with my own dogs, is giving them choices. This isn’t a new concept. In fact, it’s used frequently in the training world, giving dogs choices to make their own decisions. One of my rescue dogs in particular, is not entirely fond of handling, and that’s okay! Not every dog has to love being touched and coddled. Boone has always been this way and finds it very aversive and uncomfortable. So we work within his comfort zone.

Instead, what I have been teaching Boone, is that if he offers a paw and lets me handle it, he gets a reward. A yummy, high value treat, to be exact. And we built it up. He knew Shake a Paw, so we built up him offering his paws through something called free-shaping. With this, I waited for him to present a behavior(something that might lead into him offering or holding his paw up for me). So for this, he would go to paw at me or place his paw on me, and using the clicker, I would capture the behavior with a click and follow it immediately with a treat. And from there, we built it up slowly in increments. So once he was reliably offering his paw on his own, I would capture and reward me reaching for that paw, and then eventually, touching and handling the paw, and then having the clippers in proximity to us, and me touching his paws with the clippers. This went on over several sessions.

We are now at a point, where I can trim one nail at a time, provided he offers the paw. Now, if he sees me sitting on the floor with the clippers, he begins offering his paw to me. We still change it up, sometimes I clip a nail and sometimes I don’t. When I do clip a nail, I often give him a jackpot(several tossed treats, versus just one) to make it highly rewarding.

There are days where he is comfortable with allowing me to handle his paws and doing these sessions and days where he isn’t and we work within his comfort zone. He is allowed to pull away and move away from me and has the choice of whether he wishes to offer his paws or not. This has made nail trimming stress free, for both himself and for me!

Here is a short clip of me working on one of these sessions with Boone.  You can see he approaches and lifts a paw, which I then take in my hand, clip a nail, then toss a treat. He then returns to once again, begin offering his paw, which you can see he begins lifting in my direction once again:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bk3xOIGALs3/?taken-by=beyonddogtrainingservices

dog training, Pet Love, Pet Training

To Muzzle Train Or Not To Muzzle Train

Sam
Boone wearing a Baskerville Ultra size 4(design added by me)

 

There seems to be a stigma in our world, that muzzles are a bad thing or that the dog wearing them is dangerous, when in reality, this simply isn’t always the case and often actually isn’t.

Benefits of Muzzle Training Include:
– Reducing stress at Vet visits where a dog is in a stressful environment or having procedures done
– In cases of emergency where a dog is badly injured and may be defensive
– Allows owner/handler peace of mind when out with their dogs, especially if the dog is fearful or reactive
– Keeps dogs safe in emergency situations such as natural disasters, etc, which may cause fear or may need to be in confined spaces with other people/animals
– Provides safe training/socialization with other people/animals
– Provides a clear, unspoken desire for space
– For dogs with medical or behavioral issues, keeps them from eating undesired objects
– Alternative to a cone for injuries/post-surgeries or healing
– Can be anxiety reducing for both the dog(if conditioned to enjoy the muzzle) and the owner
– Many groomers or vets need to muzzle dogs, your dog would be less stressed in this situation

Muzzle training can be incredibly beneficial, while also being responsible. Helping your dog to become comfortable with and even enjoy wearing their muzzle will reduce the stress of needing the muzzle in the first place, making whatever situation you are in much easier to deal with.

A lot of the stigma surrounding muzzled dogs is that they are dangerous, aggressive, or have some sort of intent to bite or do harm, which is not often the case.

Many dogs you see muzzled could be muzzled for any number of reasons. They may be okay with people, but maybe not with other dogs(ever had that off leash dog that comes barreling at you while the owner is shouting “He’s friendly!”? I have). Maybe the dog is a fearful rescue and needs space from strangers, so the owner has muzzle trained their pup in order to have people give them space on walks(ever had someone come up and pet your pup without asking? I have). I know of some dogs who will try to grab and eat anything on their walks, and have even heard of dogs diagnosed with Pica who will ingest anything, and a muzzle has provided them with a safer quality of life while preventing a dangerous outcome. The reasons for which a dog may be muzzled are innumerous and often the owner is just trying to go about their day with their dog, responsibly.

In some places, there is unfortunately BSL(breed specific legislation), or the law may state that dogs need to be muzzled while in public, and the dog may not have any behavioral concerns at all. Breed Specific Legislation needs to come to an end, and is another topic for another time.

All in all, there are a wide variety of reasons to muzzle train our dogs, there are many reasons people may be out and about with a muzzled dog. Instead of judging, or making assumptions, let us smile for the fact that someone is being responsible, or working with their dog instead of ostrasizing them. Let us give them space and understand that while they may or may not be people friendly, their owner is probably doing the best that they can to give their dog the best life possible. And let us condition our own dogs to a muzzle, if not because it needed, but because there may be a situation in the future where it could be and what is better than to have a dog that is happy and comfortable, than one that is scared or agitated by the muzzle on their snout.

Video Resources for Training and Conditioning with a Muzzle:
1. Pre-Muzzle Training Prep by Maureen Backman

2. Muzzle Desensitization and Counter Conditioning with BUMAS by Maureen Backman

3. Muzzle Training Positive Associations by Maureen Backman

4. Muzzle Training Tips and Troubleshooting by Maureen Backman

5. How and Why Every Dog Should Love Wearing a Muzzle by Zak George

6. Muzzle Training Focusing on Calmness by Emily Larlham(kikopup on Youtube)

7. Teaching a Dog to Wear a Muzzle by Domesticated Manners and Chirag Patel