Have you ever stopped to think about your personal needs, those parts of your life that help you to feel satisfied, fulfilled, happy and safe? Ask yourself, “Are you investing in your dog’s basic needs piggy bank?” (or really any captive animal you share your life with) Those are things that really should be considered every day that you share with your pet because they speak to your pet’s quality of life, your relationship with your pet, and minimizing problem behaviors…and stress. Ask yourself, “Am I investing enough into my dog’s basic needs piggy bank?” [Read more…] about Your Dog’s Basic Needs Piggy Bank
Dog and puppy enrichment
How To Walk your Leash Reactive Dog
When I ask a new client about their dog’s exercise, more often than not, the answer has to do with, ‘walking my dog in my neighborhood.’ Walking their dog on a leash – or walking their off-leash dog as I have been seeing in my neighborhood (but do not advocate for) – is just what people do with their pets. The activity can be a wonderful enriching, bonding experience…but it can also be a very stressful practice of unwanted emotions and behaviors for the reactive dog or puppy. And with practice comes a greater likelihood of reoccurrence. Continuing to expose pets to stimulus that cause big feelings and behaviors puts these dogs in a chronic cycle of stress. What is the owner of a leash reactive dog to do? Should you walk your dog? And if so, how do you walk your dog safely so that it can be a positive outing? I’ll delve more into this in this post. [Read more…] about How To Walk your Leash Reactive Dog
What Does It Mean When Your Dog Plays Keep Away?
I was asked by a man the other day about when his dog growls during play. Specifically, he shared how his dog loves sticks and playing keep away. He described it as his dog teases with bringing the sticks up to him, only letting go with a growl. His question was whether he should wait to engage with his dog until his dog drops the stick. Below I answer that and also share some tips for playing with your dog and tugging with your dog. [Read more…] about What Does It Mean When Your Dog Plays Keep Away?
Holding A Successful Dog Play Date
Playing is such a great for form of enrichment, exercise and practice of social skills. That is…so long as it is good, healthy play. If it isn’t a positive experience for both dogs or puppies, it could be teaching and strengthening behaviors you don’t want to see. And, be aware that, just like with human kids, things can change quickly and unpredictably. In this post, I will talk about holding a successful dog play date including sharing tips for recognizing dog body language, good play as well as tips for how you can help to make it as safe and fun as possible. [Read more…] about Holding A Successful Dog Play Date
Explaining Extinction In Dog Training
Meet Cody. An almost one year old havanese who mastered the art of barking at, pawing (and scratching), and jumping on his human mom (I will refer to those behaviors as needs seeking behaviors) to get anything he wants in life. He used those behaviors frequently to get treats, attention, play interaction with his mom (or other people), or the opportunity to go outside. It was making life with him pretty intolerable. In this post, I talk about extinction in dog training and why just ignoring your dog is not the most effective way to stop unwanted behavior. [Read more…] about Explaining Extinction In Dog Training
Stuffing a Quizl Dog Enrichment Toy
As a dog and puppy enrichment toy, the West Paws Quizl can keep your pet busy for awhile. Like stuffing a Kong dog toy, you can stuff the Quizl with soft food and then freeze it for dog enrichment. In the large size, try stuffing a carrot or other vegetable or a string cheese down the center.