Yooper Paws of Love is dedicated to providing training with love to you and your 4-legged friend! My mission as a trainer is to EDUCATE owners to ENGAGE better with their dogs to EMPOWER them to function as an effective team together. As a trainer, I help families & their dogs learn to enjoy each other’s company by developing a teamwork and games based approach to dog training that is as individualized as the family I’m helping!
Friday, June 3, 2022
The NOSE knows How to Relax!
Wednesday, June 1, 2022
Listen up! Sometimes more training isn't what's needed
This hit my inbox after a masterclass that I took with another Trainer. But it was so good, that I reached out to Stephie to get permission to share her story! This involves something that has been on my mind alot lately. As Cam turns 9 yrs old in a few days, his body is starting to slow down and I'm watching him for signs of pain every day. Most days, Cam is great but some days after a bit more activity then normal or after twisting the wrong way I can see subtle signs of pain. Which is why I took this masterclass to begin with. Thankfully the author of this email agreed to allow me to share her story....so here it is!
You remember the bit in the masterclass where I talk about hidden pain?
Two year old spaniel mix Henry and his guardian had been working with a behaviourist to try to resolve Henry's unpredictable reactivity to other dogs.
The techniques that his guardian had learnt were all kind and thoughtful, totally beautiful and exactly what we're looking for in modern dog training...but they'd got stuck.
They weren't making progress.
After seeing my different approach to working with dogs, his guardian sent me a message reaching out for help, and one sentence jumped out at me.
"Henry can walk by dogs have a quick sniff and move on but he always seems ready to react, very alert, stiff. On our particular walk this morning he greeted a few and we moved on but then approached a springer spaniel and he reacted."
Henry's guardian and I exchanged a few messages and she sent me some video of the interaction.
I could instantly see that Henry was behaving like this because he anticipated pain.
- When other dogs stayed away from his rear end, he was able to meet, greet, and move on.
- But the moment any dog went to sniff his butt - a very normal and polite way for a dog to meet and greet - Henry anticipated pain and tensed up - and that hurt.
We jumped on the phone and had a chat, and it became more and more obvious to me that Henry was struggling with undiagnosed chronic pain that he'd been hiding from everyone for a long time.
Following our discussions, his guardian felt able to take Henry to her vet and push for further investigations.
This is what they found:
"Hi Stephie, Henry’s ct scan report came back and I thought you’d like to know the result. He has two lesions in his spine, one at t11/12 and one at t13/l1. They are suspicious of disc extrusion and the recommendation has been to cage rest Henry for a month alongside anti-inflammatories. I’m still trying to get my head around this as his symptoms have been present for so long and try to understand how and why it happened. Waiting to hear back from his physio and set up a plan. Thanks "
If his guardian hadn't reached out, Henry would still be struggling with behaviour that was driven by the anticipation of pain. They would still be stuck.
If any of this resonates with you, if you're stuck with your training and aren't making progress, if your vet has said they can't find anything wrong...
- keep an open mind
- hop over to my calendar today and
- grab the next available hidden pain assessment chat
Click this link: BOOK A FREE HIDDEN PAIN ASSESSMENT CHAT
Stephie
The Shouty-Barky Dog Lady™
https://www.facebook.com/
June Theme of the Month
The NOSE Knows!
- The nerdy side of how the dog's nose works.
- The enrichment effects of nose work games.
- The stress relieving side effects of sniffing.
- Training the Service Dog nose.
MAYbe It's Time to Seek Help!
MAYbe it's time to get help from a Dog Trainer or seek the advice from a Behavior Consultant?
But how do you know? And how do you find one that can actually help you out?
This is going to be the last of my MAYbe posts for this monthly series. Like usual, I didn't get to all the blogs I wanted to write but I've tried to hit on the most important ones. If you have a MAYbe type question feel free to reach out to me at yooperpaws@gmail.com for help.
How do you know that it's time to seek the help of a Dog Trainer or Behavior Consultant?
- Your dog has a habit that drives you crazy! (This could be jumping, barking, nipping...anything really, but it's driving you crazy!)
- Your dog has had a sudden personality change such as becoming fearful, more hyper, more tired, or not wanting to do previously loved activities.
- Your dog seems to be needing something and you can't figure out what it is. (This can often drive you crazy as they may seem to need more...exercise, food, etc.)
- Your dog is hurting you or other people or themselves! (Safety is always a huge concern.)
- You wonder if your dog can learn to do a specific behavior but you don't know where to start.
Do you need a Dog Trainer or Behavior Consult?
You know you need help, but how do you get it?
- Look for a DT/BC who shares your ethics and beliefs when it comes to animal care. There is a big divide among trainers of those who train with a dominance based, "My dog should do what their told!" & those who train with an animal centered approach, "My dog and I are a team, but we need to learn more together!" Then there are some professionals that are somewhere in the middle between those 2 approaches. Deciding what is important to you or where you are on this scale is the first step in finding help. Then look for a trainer that has the same ethics and beliefs that you have.
- Look for someone that teaches in a way that is easy for you to understand. Especially with the issues revolving around Covid, DT's have been forced into seeking alternative training outlets and now most will offer in-person & virtual services. All people have a learning preference or style of learning that they are more comfortable with. Some people would rather read books and print materials, while others want to see the skills in action. Some people learn better in a group setting where they can share ideas with others who are working on the same skills, yet others prefer to work independently. With all these options, dog owners can really play to their own strengths by finding a DT who teaches with the best learning style for the dog owner.
- Look for someone that you can talk to easily and develop a connection with. A good DT/BC doesn't just want to push you through classes, but actually wants to help you and your dog be successful. The best way to ensure success with clients is to connect with them on a personal level. This makes #3 one the most important things to do when searching for a dog professional. You should be totally comfortable discussing anything and everything dog related with your DT. And if you are a Service Dog Handler, you may also need to be comfortable discussing your medical issues with your DT so they can better assist you. If you can't be open and honest with your DT, it's going to impact your ability to make progress as a team. Like all relationships, this doesn't happen overnight but you should never be afraid to ask your DT questions about what you are supposed to be doing or why you should be doing it.
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