Hi Furbaby friends!
As the days start to get shorter and that hot weather begins to back off, it’s time to start grasping some realities which are very real: autumn, colder weather and finally getting that training for your puppy in hand.
I was reading an article recently thanks to our friends at Blue 9 Pet Products about the essentials of training your dog. Blue 9 is the maker of The KLIMB™ – the world’s first professionally designed and engineered dog training platform. It was specifically designed to improve the relationship between you and your dog.
In the article, I was reminded that dogs, and all animals for that matter, learn by the consequences of their actions. Consequences, pleasant or unpleasant, can increase or decrease the likelihood of a behavior being repeated in the future. What struck me was how we, as pet owners, can use this information to our advantage.
Knowing that when our dogs display inappropriate behaviours, they are not trying to be dominant or take over the household. These behaviours allow us to take a step back and truly analyze the sequence of events. We can look at three main components: Antecedent, which is what happens before the behavior; Behaviour, what the dog does; and Consequence, what happens after the behaviour that may be reinforcing or punishing it? We can change behaviour by manipulating the environment (antecedent) or the consequence.
We can also change the consequences for the dog’s behavior. When our dog jumps on a guest, we can utilize negative punishment by having the guest ignore the dog until a more appropriate behaviour is displayed. We can also use positive reinforcement by delivering a treat or other reinforcer when the dog has all four feet on the ground.
Teaching our dogs a strong repertoire of reinforceable behaviours will provide tools we need to manage the dogs in our lives. While many pet owners are tempted to simply tell their dog ‘no’ or punish unwanted behaviours, this does nothing for teaching the dog what to do instead. Teaching replacement behaviours such as to sit calmly for pets or relax on the KLIMB while you cook dinner will help give the dog more direction in those situations.
There are great tips for training on The KLIMB™ website, or you can also come to us at Furbaby Pet Care for some one-on-one direction.
DID YOU KNOW FURBABY PET CARE OFFERS PERSONAL DOG TRAINING?
Our trainer and Furbaby Park Supervisor, Ana Supynuk, utilizes these techniques mentioned in this blog post to help you and your dog overcome some tricky situations. Things like your dog misbehaving when guests come over, aggression or anxiety when in larger groups of other dogs, pulling on the leash or jumping up on people. These are just a few things Ana will cover when you book a session with her at Furbaby Pet Care.
Ana will show you that dogs have adapted and evolved to live in our lives over the past 14,000 years. They behave far differently than their wolf ancestors. While there was once a popular belief that we must be dominant over our dogs, or act as a pack leader, this has since been tossed aside in favor of a behavioral approach.
We also use The KLIMB™ platform in the Furbaby campus. We have them for sale as well so you can work on your techniques at home – indoors or outside.+
FURBABY PET CARE ALSO OFFERS REFRESH SESSIONS FOR YOUR DOG!
If you dog needs a mid-groom touch-up, or just a good old scrub, contact Jazzmine McCrea at Furbaby Pet Care. You can give us a shout at (306) 912-7783. Or check out ALL of our services to find out more. Jazz will give your pup a bath, a trim, a brush out or will dremel your dog’s nails so you don’t have to wait for the next grooming appointment. It’s affordable, convenient and can take place when you drop your dog off for Doggy Day Care at Furbaby. Most everyone knows Jazz – she’s our Intake Supervisor at Furbaby and she’s also on her way to becoming a full-fledged groomer too. We’re proud of each and every staff member at Furbaby and love to support each person in their endeavours.
AND….THANK YOU FOR BEING PART OF THE FURBABY FUNDRAISER!
Finally, a big thank you to everyone who attended the first-ever parking lot party at Furbaby Pet Care. Even with COVID-19 crowd restrictions, we had an amazing time. The music from The Whiskey Jerks was incredible, the food and coffee from Simply Grounded Coffee Gallery was great and it was heart-lifting to see everyone who attended. It’s our aim at Furbaby to support local and give back to the community and we’re glad we could do it together with you.
There will likely be another parking lot party again this fall, so stay tuned for more details.
And thank you for your support. We love seeing your dogs and cats at Furbaby Pet Care and we’re honoured you chose our campus.
Jocelyn