puppy school Archives - Brisbane Dog Training & Pet Behavioural Specialist

training your dog | dog trainer brisbane

Two most important concepts when training your dog.

I want to share with you the two most important things to think about when training your dog. Each time you train with your dog think about these concepts and you will set yourself and your dog up for success. These concepts are:

What your dog is feeling is what they are learning
What your dog is rehearsing will get stronger

So when implementing a training program we should spend 80% of our efforts on management. Management means preventing our dog from practicing unwanted behaviours or feelings. The other 20% is on teaching skills and reinforcing alternative behaviours, so teaching your dog what to do instead in situations when they previously performed unwanted behaviours.

Tip 1 # When training your dog “What your dog is feeling is what they are learning”

The driving emotion behind any behaviour is vital for us to understand. We need to identify why the dog is doing what it is doing to identify an appropriate strategy moving forward. To change these behaviours, we always need to ask ourselves prior and in the moment what might our dog be feeling. It is the feeling and emotion that the dog will remember next time; and it is the emotion that will shape behaviour.

Let’s say you have a puppy and you want to socialise it to other dogs. If you take it to a group puppy school session with multiple other dogs and they all rush up to your puppy and they feel overwhelmed, then they are learning to feel overwhelmed or scared by other dogs. Which is the opposite of what you want to achieve with socialisation. Alternatively, you start at a large open space between you and other dogs, when your puppy notices the other dogs you give them a tasty treat. Bingo! Your puppy is learning to feel good about dogs.

Maybe you already have an adult dog that barks or lunges at other dogs when they are on leash. If the emotion driving this behaviour is fear, and a choker chain or a shock collar is used to stop the reaction, this will supress the behaviour, but exacerbate the underlying fear. Your dog is learning that every time they see a dog, something bad or uncomfortable happens. Although they may not express this emotion in ways we notice each time, the emotion will get stronger. This can often result in additional anxious behaviours, and result in increasing the level of aggression around other dogs. Alternatively, we could help this dog to create an environment where they feel safe and comfortable and teach them good things happen when in the presence of other dogs and over time the dog will no longer feel the need to react.

Your dogs feelings and emotions is the most important consideration in every moment you create with your dog, particularly when trying to address unwanted behaviours.

Tip 2 # When training your dog “What they rehearse will get stronger”

People often struggle with this concept. It seems almost too simple when we recommend to prevent the dog from rehearsing the behaviour. However this takes a lot of effort to implement. If you don’t do it well it will be like creating holes in a bucket you are trying to fill. You will feel like you are not getting anywhere with improving the emotion and/or behaviour of your dog.

Think about practicing a dance routine; the more you do it the more it becomes muscle memory and you don’t even need to think before dancing. It is no different with our dogs. If they keep practicing the unwanted behaviour while we are trying to create a new behaviour in its place, the existing muscle memory stays just at strong.

It is no different with our dogs. For example, each time your dog jumps on someone, they are practicing what to do next time. Instead, if your guests, arrive and scatter treats on the ground before your dog jumps, you are taking away the opportunity to jump and reinforcing four paws on the ground and helping them to feel good.

We are here to help

These strategies are not always this simple and do need careful consideration and assessment of the behaviour and emotion. We can help you implement these strategies in a way that is kind and effective. You can book a service either face to face in your home or via zoom or phone here or contact us.

How to train a puppy | One thing you must know when training a puppy

So you have a new furry family member and you want to know how to train a puppy. You have quickly enrolled in your local puppy school hoping they will help you create your dream dog. When deciding what puppy school to enrol in, what were the deciding factors? For most people it is location and schedule that are the motivating factors. However, if you really want to know the secret to training your dream dog, you should be looking at what do the trainer and training provider know about looking after the emotional health of your puppy. That starts with making sure they are certified by the Pet Professional Guild Australia, who have checked out each individual trainer and certified that they have relevant qualifications and experience and are committed to the latest scientifically proven methods that are ethical, positive and effective.

How to train a puppy whilst considering emotion

The most important tip that I wish every pet parent knew when training their dog is “what they are feeling is what they are learning”. This does not matter what you are training them to do. If you are socialising them to playing with other dogs then how did they feel during this encounter? If they felt overwhelmed, then they are learning to feel overwhelmed when encountering other dogs. Perhaps you are working on separation and home alone training; how did they feel when you left the room or left the house? If they felt frustrated or distressed then they are learning to feel frustrated and distressed when separated from you.

To put the science nice and simply: When your pet experiences something new, it builds a neural pathway in the brain. If it experiences something again it is more likely to travel along that neural pathway. For example, let’s say you go on a road trip. The first time you need to build a bit of a road map (let’s imagine a world without GPS). If you go on that road trip again, you are more likely to travel that road again. But this will also be influenced by how you felt on that first road trip. If that feeling happens again on the second trip then the emotional association is going to get stronger each time you travel that road.

Emotions drive behaviour

What we do also know is that feelings and emotions drive behaviour. The majority of concerning behaviours to pet parents have an emotional basis, and once we change that emotion to be more desirable for the pet and the parent the desirable behaviour easily follows. So whenever starting a training session or exposing your puppy to something for the first time, always ask yourself “what are they feeling?” as that will be the most powerful thing they are learning. It is why the science now also only supports the use of methods based on positive reinforcement, because if we punish a dog what are they likely to be learning?

How to choose a good dog breeder

You’ve decided to get a puppy and you’ve made the decision to get one from a dog breeder. You’ve done your research on different breeds and picked a breed that is right for you. Now, how to find a good dog breeder?

Below is our top list of things to consider when choosing a good dog breeder.

Is your puppy coming from a dog breeder or a puppy farm?

Can you meet your puppy’s mother before you select your puppy? Ideally you can meet the father as well, however this may not be possible if the father does not live at the breeder’s place.

Too often we are helping puppies with anxiety disorders. When we take a history for these cases, we often find out that the breeder wouldn’t let the mother be viewed by the adopting parents. They might have said something such as, ‘let’s meet half way and we’ll bring the puppy.’ Or, if you get to the property the breeder prevents you having access to view some areas of the property.

This type of behaviour from the breeder are big red flags. Most likely these dog breeders are actually puppy farms where large amounts of dogs are bred. The majority of dogs from puppy farms have ongoing physical and behavioural conditions due to how they were raised.

How a good breeder can minimise genetic physical and behavioural issues

If you do get to meet the parents and mum or dad appear anxious, hyperactive or aggressive, these behavioural traits have a good chance of being passed on to puppy.
Has the dog breeder done any relevant health or genetic tests for the mum and dad dog, and if relevant, the puppy? Each breed will have specific health issues that can be genetic such as hip displaysia or luxating patellas and these should be tested for before the mum and the dad dog get together. If an adult dog has a health issue, this can be passed on to the puppies.
The breeder should be keeping in contact with the families of previously adopted puppies to track if any behavioural or physical issues have occurred. This is important info for any breeder as it gives them information to alter future pairings of a mum and dad dog to avoid future issues.

Setting puppies up to be emotionally resilient

Is the dog breeder open to you visiting multiple times before puppy is ready to go home with you? This is ideal as it allows you to observe puppy and parents a few times. It also allows puppy to become accustomed to you. Also, we have heard stories of puppy farmers setting up a house to appear like a good breeder. If you visit multiple times you may pick up things like the littermates changing.
Can your dog breeder show you what socialization program they do with each litter of puppies? We now know that puppies can be set up to become more emotionally resilient individuals if they have a socialization program which commences at day one, that is at the breeder’s.
Note that socialization should extend beyond just meeting other dogs and people, and your breeder should be able to articular more than just these things. For some basic info about dog socialization, watch this video: Puppy Socialisation.
Can the breeder tell you when the sensitive or fear periods are for a puppy? This is important is it will impact the intensity of their socialization program each day.
Does your dog breeder have a commitment to positive reinforcement methods. Ask them what happens if either the puppies or dogs do any behaviour they don’t like. Beware responses including shouting, hitting, ‘time out’ or any other form of punisher. These responses impact on the short term welfare of the dog. These methods can also have long term impacts and create behavioural issues.

Final things to consider

Does the breeder interview you? You want a dog breeder who cares and wants their puppies to go to good homes.
Is your dog breeder registered with the Queensland Government? Legally every breeder needs to be registered to sell or give away dogs. More info can be found here: Information · Dog Breeders Register (daf.qld.gov.au). In addition, your dog breeder should be affiliated with other professional organisations such as Dogs Queensland.
Do they breed more than one litter at a time or multiple breeds? These are warning signs that they may be more focused on financial return rather than welfare of the dogs.
Were the puppies raised in a normal home environment? If they were raised in sheds, this does not set them up well for adjusting to a domestic home and often means they may have trouble with independence training.
Search google and social media for any stories or reviews about the breeder. Don’t be afraid to post on a breed specific Facebook page for experiences too.

If you have been in contact with a dog breeder and you aren’t so sure – trust your instinct and keep looking.

Once you get your puppy don’t forget to enroll them in a puppy school!

Why we don’t do puppy play in our classes | Puppy School

puppy play | puppy school

Why we don’t believe that puppy play has a place in puppy school

It may be surprising to you, but puppy play is not an integral part of your puppy’s learning and development. You are not alone if you thought it was. I hope that this article will help you to understand that there are far greater skills that need to be focused on first.

Puppy School is a place for puppies to learn. If we introduce puppy play in a class, not only is there significant risk but we are not teaching our puppy the most important skill, which is to learn to be calm and focused on their own family in the presence of other dogs and people. If we want dogs to not be hyper-motivated to greet people and dogs on a walk or when coming to the home, then why would we imprint their first experiences with direct interactions and play.

Socialisation is so much more than puppy play

Socialisation is teaching your puppy how to feel when in proximity or when experiencing same or other species, surfaces, sounds, objects and more! Imagine if your first experiences of meeting someone was that they ran up to you very excited and hugged you and licked your face. It doesn’t sound like a positive experience, does it? Or maybe you did like it (stranger things have happened). If you did enjoy it, then when this person is around you will struggle to focus on anything but them. Not exactly conducive to learning, is it?

We do introductions slowly, when everyone in the room is comfortable, and after you have bonded with your human and learnt to listen to them. This way you are surely more likely to have a positive and safe experience, all the while setting you up with many more skills and knowledge to raise a resilient and calm dog.

Let’s talk about the risks of puppy play

We see so many dogs in our behaviour consults that have been imprinted with fear and anxiety due to attending an inappropriately run puppy school during their critical socialisation period.

Even being in the room with other puppies playing can be overwhelming for some pups. A lot of movement and excitement for a nervous or shy dog can be overwhelming and start to teach them to feel scared when in the presence of other dogs. Not only is fear a risk, over-excitement is, too. An overstimulated puppy is more likely to have less control of their mouths and bodies and more likely to injure themselves or others as they do not have the ability to think in an overstimulated state.

Playgroup and playing with others

Puppy play is not a necessity during socialisation. Once they have learnt to be calm, confident and have some impulse control, polite play will follow. We do offer playgroups for those pups that will find it a positive experience and we do keep it nice and calm and controlled but just like some people, parties or group situations are not for everyone.

Still have questions? Feel free to reach out to us at any time.

– Written by Cassandra Roland

Puppy’s First Lead

How would I feel if this was me?

In the case of introducing your puppy’s first lead, it is useful to imagine yourself in your puppy’s position. Imagine you have a collar or harness on. You’ve only really just started getting used to this on your body. Then, the humans attach a lead to you which restricts your movement and it sometimes jangles around your face. Initially, at what seems to be random times, you feel pulling on your collar when you reach the end of that lead. Over time, you learn that this tension happens when you get to the end of the lead. This tension is generally uncomfortable. Plus, there is the frustration of not being able to move in the direction you want to go.

So, this sounds perhaps a bit annoying or a bit frustrating, but not too big of a deal right? Not too big of a deal if it happens just once, but most puppies will have their lead on at least once a day for walks or other outings. This feeling of frustration every single day then compounds and long term affects our pup’s feelings towards their lead. This is where you may see the puppy biting at the lead to try and control the tension, or other frustration based behaviours.

How to introduce puppy’s first lead so they love it

Instead of having our puppy frustrated when on lead, we want them to love it. We’ll use the same approach we used in introducing puppy’s first collar. Note, it is best to introduce your puppy to the lead after you have had some sessions getting them comfortable with their collar or harness.

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