Dog trainers provide group courses, drop-in classes, private training, and even online training. All in the hopes of helping pet parents meet their dog's needs but ultimately to have dogs behave and act in the way that their owners want & like. And so when pet parents think of that desired goal, there's perhaps a question they should ask themselves before picking up the phone and reaching out to their neighborhood trainer: "Why is my dog doing this particular behaviour that I dislike?" The answer to this question is a lot simpler than you may think. And if we begin to explore this motivator further and further, it can help us not only better understand but also relate to and appreciate our dogs, and thus make even better use of the training tools, approaches, techniques, and lessons we'll learn along the way. And so what is the magic answer to why your dog does what he does? Simply put, it's because it works. Dogs are no different than you when it comes to making choices and decisions. We both have the capacity and will to choose what's the most beneficial and in our best interest. And this is why, we can then more easily begin to understand that our dogs do, repeat and practice both wanted and unwanted (by us) behaviours on a daily basis. Let's go through a few examples to further bring this to light. Let's start with digging. Digging is a, more often than not, fun activity that the majority of dogs will be inclined to do naturally, and/or because they've seen another dog (or sometimes even a human) do it. This exercise can work in your dog's mind as a way to relieve stress, physical energy, or just an entertaining way to pass the time! For other dogs, it's an activity that ensures them that they'll get your attention once you see your dog digging in your backyard, where you may not want them to. Regardless of the reason behind your dog's digging, ultimately it's a reason that makes it so this behaviour works in your dog's mind in achieving some kind of goal, and thus they then feel the need to repeat it. What about barking? A dog's barking is a handy tool when it comes to communicating a myriad of feelings, emotions, and messages. Some can be as simple as "I'm very excited and barking helps me indicate that to those around me!" and in response to that, another dog can hear, understand, and respond in a way that fulfills the first dog's needs to get some excitement redirected back at him, likely in the form of play and engagement. It's easy to see in this scenario why a dog would try to repeat this behaviour under these circumstances. In other cases, a dog can bark at another across the street to let them know that they're too close for their comfort. This type of bark is one mailman and delivery carriers experience often and is even more often repeated by dogs, purely because after the barking starts, the next thing that happens is the person or dog in question likely gives them the space and distance they were asking for. And so it makes sense in a dog's mind, as to why they would continue to practice this behaviour. These examples and more are among many that help us understand that dogs don't do what they do for no reason. When they're young they try things on their own (which is where our guidance/training comes in best to redirect, prevent and manage unwanted choices) and if what they tried worked for them in one way or another, you can bet you'll see them do it again and again!

Nobody is perfect! Whether it's a product or service you're looking for, at the end of the day you're dealing with another individual, sentient being and what worked for one may not work for another. That said, we ARE dealing with our best friend, and so we need to make sure that we find the very best dog training support available. Here are 10 red flags you want to look out for (in no particular order), before working with a trainer: 1. 'Too good to be true' promises in a short amount of time. When you're working with an animal, particularly when you're looking to change something about them/their behaviour, please assume that it will take more time than you think. Dogs do not act or live based on a clock, meaning they are never rushed, and thus to best understand them, we need to do the same and not fall into the false appeal or promise of achieving a certain goal within a short amount of time. Instead, look for a trainer that focuses more on how good you and your dog will feel every minute working together, on your road to your goals! 2. Correction-based methods. Your dog isn't acting one way or another due to a lack of corrections, but rather because what they are doing simply happens to work for them and their individual needs/wants. So instead, look for a trainer that will work WITH that, rather than against it. Meaning if your dog finds himself digging often in your yard, an ideal trainer will help you consider providing healthy and practical opportunities for your dog to be able to dig to their heart's content in a location and time that you're happy with. Or if you have a very energetic dog, don't let them recommend corrections but rather healthy outlets to that energy like agility training, nosework games, scavenging, food puzzles, etc! 3. Not providing an understanding of the root of your dog's issue(s). Going hand in hand with the previous red flag, this one requires knowledge, patience, care and experience, all resulting in a good trainer is to help you understand why your dog does what he does so that you can all work together and prevent it, instead of putting a correction or fix/bandaid on the matter and risk it resurfacing in another way because the root of the issue was never addressed and handled properly. 4. Not providing ways to prevent unwanted behaviours. Also going hand in hand with red flag #3, it's important that your trainer will provide you with tools, scenarios and methods to prevent unwanted behaviour. Otherwise, you are more likely to find yourself instead having to manage the behaviour as it's already happening, instead of preventing it so that your dog can eventually forget it and leave it behind, replacing it instead with a different, wanted behaviour. 5. Forces you to buy a specific tool. No one training tool will address and fix all of our concerns. It all comes down to how you train and guide your dog in different scenarios. That said, if your trainer is requiring that you only use one type and only that type of tool, this could be a red flag that indicates they have built their support system on that single product, as opposed to guiding your dog to succeed in all (pain-free) circumstances and tools. Look instead for a trainer that is more open and provides you with multiple options you are not obligated to use. (Bonus) 6. Something just doesn’t feel right about their recommendations. Trust your intuition. If something just doesn't feel right for you, no matter what you've heard, read or seen about the trainer you're looking into, then it's best that you proceed with another. Better to listen to your intuition rather than perhaps risk regretting moving forward with the support of a service you didn't fully believe in and feel good about.

Whether you have a young pup or an older dog, it’s good to know what tools and options you have to help him or her love nothing more than feeding time! We oftentimes come across dogs that have lost the appetite for their meals, but it’s never too late to change things up to get them interested in their food once more. Let’s go! 1. Snuffle mats Snuffle mats are probably the best way to feed a dog, regardless of their age, breed, or behaviour! It creates a fun sense of having to scavenge for each piece of kibble (or small pieces of their treat). You will never go wrong with using a snuffle mat instead of a regular bowl. Browse snuffle mats here. After your dog is done snuffling, provide a frozen kong so that your dog has something fun to chew and lick and encourage a relaxed behaviour that is in itself a reward for everyone! 2. Food Puzzles The first solution is great for mental stimulation and this one is no different, except that it provides more opportunities for problem-solving skills to develop! Most puzzles come in different levels, so make sure you start with the easiest one, especially if you have a young pup, and that you supervise their interactions as to ensure that it’s a manageable difficulty to avoid any frustration and chewing/destructive behaviour. You can explore different food puzzles here. 3. On Walks/Outings This option is different from the others as it’s completely free and the most flexible! When using snuffle mats and/or food puzzles, leave a bit of your dog’s food left for your next walk. You can do this in your backyard as well. Bringing your food on your walk will add a fun element to it where you can then have your dog find every small piece of kibble you toss along your walk. It’s extra fun when the pieces happen to hide in the grass and your dog can then use his nose to scavenge. A useful item that can help you is a dog trainer pouch! Keep in mind that expecting your dog to snuffle for their food on walks and outings can sometimes be a tall order if you find that there are too many distractions at the time, in which case you are better starting and reinforcing this type of activity with a mixture of food and treats that your dog doesn’t get at other, less distracting times and eventually you will be able to work your way to their regular kibble & food! Try these out! Feel free to reach out to let us know how these options worked for you! Young pups will take to these quickly and appreciate access to a mixture of these habits and other enrichment activities. Older dogs may need a bit more time readjusting if you’re planning on switching from their bowl (you should!) to some of these options!

Have you noticed how most of your dog’s communication is non-verbal? The majority of it is physical and carefully done through body language, all while they read our own body language as well. Yet at the same time, we’re very fortunate that dogs work so hard to learn and understand as many of our verbal cues as possible. Whether it’s through classes or simply from what we teach them at home. But that said, here’s something you can practice next weekend to better improve your communication skills and understanding of what your dog is saying! It’s simple: practice a full, non-verbal weekend where you use no words or verbal cues to address or guide your dog. That’s right! Take a weekend to understand your dog like never before by practicing and enhancing your communication skills with your dog by only using gestures, your hands, signals, and your overall body language to let your dog know what you need and want! Doing this can result in either a mere and fun weekend where you discover fun ways to express yourself to your dog or you can also develop a more in-depth understanding of what a day in your dog’s life is like, as they communicate with us without any words or sounds (at least in any that come in the form of a language we can translate!). Either way, I can guarantee if you practice this often, you will find your dog will with time more easily understand what you are saying as he or she will have only your body language to focus and feed off of, as opposed to what your body language may be saying, while your words or tonality may be unintentionally saying something else.

My dog isn't really eating her food, but still drinks her water. Sometimes she'll eat out of my hand or I'll have to sit right next to her. We feed her Authority and she had it since she was a puppy and she loved it. Do we have to try different foods? She has also been in heat. That's a very good question. So I'm assuming that we're not dealing with a very young puppy here, likely, an adolescent, young adult pup, or an adult dog, in this case, there are two things that you want to consider. One is, if a dog is not eating their food, it's not totally unheard of, especially with adolescent young adult dogs they can definitely go through phases even when you do everything right. And dogs, will, it, it's not at all rare for them to go without eating for long periods. A dog that is hungry will eat if you are concerned. And this is where I would first start by reaching out to your vet. If your vet is not picking up on anything with regards to your dog's health or any concerns on that in, in that area, then I would either rule it as, My dog is likely going through a phase where he or she's just not eating the food that I normally have. If they're still eager to eat treats or very interested in the human food that you have, then that could be an indicator that it's time to change food. And, or mix it with something else. That's where I would then again, go back to your vet. If your vet is recommending the same, the same type of food that she already has, then I would definitely consider reaching out to another vet. That way you can get a second opinion, potentially even a third. And a pro tip that I have is, joining a Facebook group for the breed of your dog. Oftentimes, even, better than trainers, better than vets, better than, anyone else. The people that are growing up with the breed that you have likely have a lot more information, and experience and know exactly what will work for that breed because they live with it. So consider joining a Facebook group. You can just type it up on Facebook and find a group that corresponds with your dog's breed and start a conversation there so that people can let you know what they feed their dog. How often they feed, and how they do it, and then you'll definitely see some common answers so you can go based off of that. As far as your dog eating out of your hand, or you having to sit right next to her, that can let me know that, potentially the food that you're giving your dog or feeding time in general isn't something that provides much for your dog. And I don't mean that. The food you're giving her is not good or that she doesn't like it. But feeding time is really a meaningful activity for dogs and us as well, we feed after we've had a few hours at work. During lunch, we feed. Once we've come back from work, we feed, we go to restaurants and we pay, we share things. It's a very engaging activity. And if it isn't the case for your dog, I would really look as to how she's getting her food on a daily basis because, unfortunately, most pet parents that I work with, the way that they feed through a bowl, and that is definitely the easiest, most convenient way to feed. But I would look at alternatives to that. Even just a snuffle mat, a food puzzle, or a slow feeder can be okay, but unless your puppy is eight weeks old, nine weeks old, 10 weeks old, a slow feeder probably isn't gonna provide much as far as enrichment, mental stimulation. So I would really consider snuffle mat a food puzzle as a way to feed her food. You can also, of course, do activities with her. It sounds like the activity she's gotten you to do is to sit next to her and feed her from your hand. So, it sounds silly, but to her it probably provides a little bit more stimulation than just out of her bowl. And so I would take that as a very good indicator that it's probably time to look into. Some activities that we can incorporate feeding time with to make her food, not just fulfill her stomach, but also her need, to do things, we don't have the breed here, but she likely wants to problem solve. She likely has a skillset that she wants to do, and if she's not really getting to do it in other areas or maybe, areas are not. Tied to food, now is the time so that we can reassociate the meaning to food, so that she can then enjoy even more so as a result and hopefully eat all of her food, her daily intake. And the last item on that is that she is in heat. That can very much play a role, that can affect her mood, her demeanor, her behavior. Again, I don't know how young or old she is. But if she is young, still around adolescent hood, young adult. Chances are you'll still be able to get her to eat if you change the meaning of food, or at least start there as opposed to just thinking that you need to change food, or upgrade her food to something different. Change how you provide the food because in my opinion, that is the most important element when it comes to dogs eating. It's how they get every piece that they have that you have available for them. And again, snuffle mats. Food puzzles. Kongs are great, but I would save that for the end when we want her to just lick and chew on something. But as far as the actual activity, snuffle mats, food puzzles, I would also consider, using car boxes to put the snuffle mats, put the food puzzles inside of them. Maybe even add some towels, add some more cardboard to make the activity even more engaging for her. And that of course depends on her drive. If she has little to no drive, then make the activity very easy for her to do, and then she's still going to gain the benefit of feeling good problem-solving and associating that with food.

Crate training is no easy task! Your schedule is hectic and unpredictable. Some days you have more energy, patience, and time than others. In addition to that, your puppy isn't in any way born knowing how to be away from you for more than a second, let alone within a confined space! This means that crate training is something we have to teach our puppies, while this is also a process that goes against his social animal instincts, which tell him he has no clue how to behave on his own without someone being there to guide him. But there's hope! You've seen others do it so you know there's a way to. Here are the 5 reasons your puppy is crying when inside the crate. 1. In your puppy's eyes, you have become/might be becoming a source of excitement. Especially the moment you're getting ready to leave the house by saying goodbye in a baby voice, and the moment you come back and say hello in a similar, excited manner, and thus your puppy just can't help but feel a big difference when he is alone, compared to when you're home. What you can do about this: We know how hard it is to just behave in a calm manner around your puppy at all times. This is tough because when we look at our puppy, we can't help but feel this tingling sensation that makes us excited that we have a puppy! However, that's not exactly how your puppy sees you, nor himself. Your puppy associates you with guidance and it's important that you remember that on a daily basis. Without you, he doesn't feel like he knows what to do, and if your guidance represents excitement above all, he won't ever know what to do when you're away, in a calm manner. You want to be more of an authoritative figure in your puppy's life, much like a policeman or security guard is to you, as opposed to that friend you have that behaves in comedic ways 24/7. So, next time you put your dog in his crate, practice avoiding eye contact, saying anything, or petting him goodbye. When you come back home, you will need to open his crate to let him pee, but just the same, try no eye contact, no touch, or sounds until your puppy is behaving as calmly as he can. This will tell him that if he behaves calmly and does his best to be patient whether you're at work or really close to him, you will only be there and then provide him with everything he loves about you! 2. Left in the crate full of physical and mental energy. What you can do about this: We've all heard it, go for walks and tire out your puppy! A tired puppy is a happy puppy and being physically and mentally tired provides your puppy with the association that the crate is the place he gets to go to, to find rest and relaxation, not anxiety and excitement. Here is the secret formula to this: "After X (minutes) amount of Y (physical and/or mentally stimulating game) activity, my puppy sleeps for X amount of time." This tells you everything you need to know to be able to plan ahead and to know when the right time to leave your dog in the crate is. Have to leave for work at 8? You now know how much time you need to give yourself so that your pup is set for success! Unfortunately, we can't just sit down and talk to our dogs to explain to them why he needs to be calm and wait because the clock says 8:00 AM. And thus, the only way for our dog to give us what we want when we want it is for us to provide them with what they need beforehand. Not sure if the games you're doing with your dog are actually tiring him out physically and mentally? Is he maybe just lying down asleep because he is bored? Test him! You can test if your dog is really tired, as you work daily trying to master the secret formula, by getting his triggers going. A common one is the doorbell, or knocking on the wall. If your puppy reacts to either of these with a 10 out of 10, then you know you haven't yet found the 'Y' to the formula, that actually challenges your pup and makes him want to look for rest and have zero energy to react to his surroundings. 3. The crate represents something negative. What you can do about this: The most common association people make with the crate is that it is the place you put your dog in when they have misbehaved, and this is perhaps the worst thing you can do with your puppy. Instead of doing this, practice #1 and #2 for your puppy to make the proper association with the crate, above all others. This will make the next point much easier to practice. 4. He only gets placed in the crate when you are away. What you can do about this: Not engaging with your puppy while he is outside of his crate? You've already stimulated him physically and mentally? In the crate, he goes! If you're not guiding your puppy by socializing him or challenging him while he is awake, there is no reason why he should be allowed to roam free if you don't yet trust him to behave the way you would like, whether you're right next to him or not. A pup being allowed to roam free without guidance is a negative outcome waiting to happen. The more you practice putting your already stimulated/tired puppy in his crate (even if you're not leaving the house) just because, the more he will learn that all he needs to do is go inside the crate, stay put, wait, and trust that you will take him out when you have something for him to do (Refer to #2). This will carry over to when you leave the house and your pup, has by then, practiced simply being in the crate calm and patient waiting for you. 5. You leave for longer than your puppy can handle. A common mistake a lot of owners make is they bring a new puppy home and decide to take a week off of work (like a paw-ternity leave) or even a month, and when that week is over, they head back to their regular work schedule, without having prepared the pup for this reality, which doesn't include someone being at home with him 24/7. Though there is absolutely nothing wrong with taking some time off work when you get a new puppy, it's important that you take that free time you have to work with your puppy as if you weren't off from work. This means that you should be walking in and out of your house regularly, and make yourself busy so that not all of your attention is on your puppy. This makes it so your puppy will have an easier time getting accustomed to reality and can then begin practicing being alone. Doing so then paves the way for to you learn, as a pet parent, how much time your pup is able to handle being on his own. When practicing leaving your pup alone in his crate, try doing so in small time increments. Try leaving him alone in the crate for 5 seconds, even if you're standing 2 feet away from him, and once the 5 seconds are up, invite him out and repeat. As you practice this, you will see you can start pushing the amount of time your puppy is in the crate. This is his way of telling you what he is capable of. Do not wait until he begins crying or whining to let him out of the crate, otherwise, he will learn that whining and crying is what gets your attention and opens the crate. Bonus reason: Not all dogs are capable of handling being crated and/or being away from you. No matter how well you set everything up, unfortunately, there are other dogs that by nature just struggle with crate training much more than others (regardless of the breed).

I just adopted a two-year-old pup a few weeks ago, and he is not socialized. What are the best tips to socialize an adult dog? He does great when walking until he sees a person or a dog he doesn't know. He cowers down and tries running in the opposite direction. I've tried treats and toys to redirect him, but he will not show any attention to me. Or he'll freeze in place and bark. And I can't get him to walk in the other direction with me. He will use all his weight to stay in one spot. So what we have here is a two-year-old that got rescued, a few weeks ago, that is not socialized and it sounds like he's putting the brakes when they're out on walks. This can of course be very frustrating when you're hoping to socialize, go for walks, bathroom breaks because it sounds like this dog is just ready to freeze. And isn't really ready to move forward or isn't really ready to handle outdoor situations that he is in. We don't have a lot more information other than that. But this is pretty common as far as a dog that, whether it's a rescue or a puppy, a dog that's having a tough time coping with his environment and has not yet spent too much time with the pet parent. To build that bond that's going to help him choose to move forward. Just as it's stated here.   I can't get him to walk the other direction with me.  So what she's referring to, and I don't know if she's purposely trying to do this, but, when we're walking with a dog and whether they're reactive or just unsure or, they don't know how to handle the environment, we'll do what we call a reset. Which means we're gonna help the dog take space by walking in the other direction to get them to refocus on us. This is something that's actually, I'm glad that, this person has tried, but it sounds that he's putting all his way to stay in that one spot and that's where the problem can very much lie. So what I would say to this, Is if I'm walking with a dog where I don't yet have, that much of a strong bond, cuz it, it's only been a few weeks. A few weeks is enough to develop a bit of a bond. However, if they're going through scenarios that are maybe too challenging for both of them as described here, they're not really getting, Anywhere when it comes to walking, they're not really sure how to handle it. What I would recommend instead is making the walks a lot easier. There may perhaps be some expectations as far as, how long the walk needs to be or how far they need to go with a rescue or an eight-week-old pup. I would keep the walk very short and sweet, because not only will it make it easier for the dog to navigate, To feel as though they can do it, but also make it so they feel as though they can do it with you. And so that's what's gonna be very important here when we're working on building the relationship of a dog with their new handler or pet parent. We wanna make sure that is done. In a way that feels successful to them both dogs very much learn by association and so do we, but especially dogs. And so if the walk is something that's uncomfortable, and of course, it's being done with this pet parent, then it all jumbles together. And so what I would do is keep the walks very short. Very sweet. I would maybe try to figure out at which point during the walk, perhaps it's five minutes in, or, it's five meters into the walk or two feet out. At what point is my dog maybe letting me know or showing me that he is, a little concerned, weary? Perhaps afraid, unsure, because that's when I would start doing the resets, which is what they're trying here. They're probably trying to do them when it's too late. When the dog's already barking over threshold, overwhelmed by then, it's too late and the dog just is just shutting down at that point. So what I would do instead, is again, keep those walks very short, where our reset should, in theory, be a lot more successful then, and what that might look like practically in the first few days. Or even just the first day where you want to go for a walk. Other than the bathroom break, hopefully, if you have a backyard, you can have your dog go there. But even then, if you can just take a few steps to the nearest grass patch. Have their bathroom break be done there, I would then go back home and then maybe an hour later, half an hour later, go for another little walk, but, don't make it anywhere further than the previous one. Keep it very short and sweet and make it so that they're enjoying every step of it by keeping it short, keeping it in the way where they come back home feeling as though this wasn't so bad. Maybe next time I'll go a little bit further out. But this has to be built with time and this is what's gonna let your dog know. When I'm on a walk with you, it doesn't feel too bad, it doesn't feel too bad walking with you, and so I'm gonna be a little bit more responsive to your guidance. This person mentioned that they're trying to use treats, to redirect and toys, and those are all very good attempts. But the fact that they haven't worked lets me know that bond is not necessarily there yet, but even more so that the dog is probably already over threshold, meaning the dog has already, for a little while now, it could be a few seconds to a few minutes, has already been potentially displaying signs of discomfort or feeling unsure, weary, but the handler probably has not picked up on that. And so by the moment, or at the point where the handler does pick up on it, it's potentially too late. So I would definitely go back into baby steps. Pretend as though this two-year-old dog is actually a two-month-old pup, and break things down in ways where they feel successful, both to you and your dog. Because ultimately the amazing thing with dogs is they're never gonna ask you why or when they can get to that next point. An eager dog will, maybe do that but then you know, you can move on to the next one, one that isn't too sure. Take your time. The more you can. Be in the moment. Slow down. Just be with them. Their own curiosity is going to show you that they're ready for the next step. But even then, just take it slow. Take it one step at a time. If something seems too difficult, make it easier. Once it feels too easy, then take that next step. Your dog is not in a rush and this is what's going to let them know. Hey, this person does listen to me. This person does hear me out. And so that will very much strengthen your bond and help you guys overcome the challenges that will come later on once your dog is maybe in scenarios where, there's a dog that just came outta nowhere and this is very difficult. That's when your dog is most likely to go. Okay, that's challenging. But I know that if I check in with you or if I just listen to, your cues that I'll be okay. So let's go ahead and do that. But until then, Keep things short and sweet, break them down into what you feel is doable for both you and your dog, and take it from there. Okay?

Dogs bark, they react and make decisions based on what they know and how they feel. The difference between one dog’s reactivity vs another, however, is the intensity of what they do. Let’s take a quick look into why your dog is reacting to your door a lot and what you can do. Dogs don’t learn through the use of words and explanations like we do, unfortunately. They instead learn by association. This means that if you take your dog to the vet only twice a year for example, and something hurtful happens, chances are your dog won’t want to go back, and who would? The same logic applies to the ritual that takes place when your doorbell rings. Barring any pent-up energy and frustration (as we often mention, dogs that aren’t properly physically and mentally stimulated will find outlets to their energy on their own), the reason your dog barks intensively when the doorbell goes off is that your doorbell goes when something exciting is about to happen, based on past experiences of his. This is why it’s a good idea to not wait until people visit to practice desensitizing your dog to the sound of your doorbell, or the overall ritual of the door opening. What you will want to do on a daily basis, once you have provided your dog with some physical and mental challenges, is to recondition the brain to have it associate the sound of the doorbell with calmness, not excitement. You do this by repeating the ritual of the doorbell, as well as the door opening and closing, without having anyone actually come in and with no reaction on your end. The first few times you will try this, you will find your dog will still react as he has been conditioned to, despite being tired. However the more you practice this at the right time, the more your dog will begin noticing that there’s nothing really exciting that happens after the door opens and thus will begin to decrease his level of reactivity. That said, even after thoroughly practicing this, if and when people do come through the door, if what follows is a lot of excitement coming from your visitors, then it makes it a bit harder for a dog that is getting reconditioned to not react to this level of energy that is coming into your home, with his own. This is why it’s always best for guests to visit without engaging with your dog at all until he displays to everyone a more calm and relaxed behaviour that we will want to encourage and reinforce.

Interested in rescuing or fostering? Look for the following green flags to make sure you’re working with the best rescue organization: 1. You get to speak with a team member of theirs via email, text, or phone call throughout the inquiring/interest process. It’s important that you can feel as though there’s someone you can speak to, to put your mind at ease should you have any concerns, before or after you adopt your rescue. 2. Have a meet & greet with your potential rescue. A lack of a meet-and-greet session should be a big red flag. It’s important for the organization to properly guide you through the introduction to any of their dogs and asses whether they think it’s still a good idea to proceed and how. 3. They require proof of training. The best organizations will require that you’ve purchased a training session with a positive reinforcement trainer, or at the very least include it as part of their agreement, soon after the adoption. 4. Have the organization provide you with photos and videos of the dog in question around people (especially strangers) and other dogs. An undersocialized dog can require a lot of training support onwards and that’s okay, just make sure you know in full detail how your dog does in social environments. 5. They provide you with a trial period. The above points should set you off on a great start with your dog. However a lot can change during the first few days or even weeks of adopting your rescue, and being aware of this should encourage you to inquire about a trial period and its length, prior to bringing home your new rescue.

We’re all familiar with Kongs and chewing toys and other dog products that allow our pups and dogs to have a designated item or two to chew on. But when is the best time to provide a chewing toy to a dog? Is there ever a bad time? When should a dog get to chew? Let’s see! Let’s start with how to best use dog toys in general! Dog toys like Kongs, balls, tug and pulls toys and more should all have an ideal moment when they should each be used so that you and your dog or pup can get the most out of them. And when is that? It depends entirely on how your pup is feeling. At #DigNoFurther we focus on dog training methods that rely on learning how to best understand a dog’s needs so that they can more easily understand our wants. And what that means is that we want to make sure that we are using the right training tools, ideas, and items at the right moment. This makes all the difference because it’s during these moments that your puppy or dog will start forming an association between how he or she is feeling, then the item/activity that is taking place. Let’s start! Since we’re talking mainly about chew toys like Kongs, the very best moment to use these toys and different types of chewing products is when your dog is feeling calm and at ease. That’s right! There is a big misunderstanding among pet parents that providing a dog, especially a puppy, with a kong or chewing toy will help them find an outlet to focus their energy. And to be honest, this isn’t entirely wrong, however, your best bet is to think of the Kong or chew toy as a human baby pacifier. We use pacifiers with young babies when they’re just about ready to take a nap or just want a little something to help them soothe. A Kong works just like that! A deliciously stuffed Kong can be a great way to redirect your dog away from an unwanted behaviour or help distract them for a moment but if you’re finding that your dog is feeling like he has some physical or mental energy he needs to let out, your best bet instead is to provide him with a proper outlet to that activity. An example of a physically stimulating game would be a game of fetch with obstacles and an example of a mentally stimulating game would be a new and challenging food puzzle. After those fun and enriching activities, it’s only then that you will want to bring out your dog’s Kong from the freezer (perhaps stuffed and frozen with a healthy, vet-recommended dinner/treat). This is because the Kong will then reinforce the fact that your dog is feeling mellow due to the previous activities all while still meeting that need to chew, which will relax him further and likely lead to a nice nap. What you will ultimately achieve through this as well, is a dog that grows up seeing the Kong as an item that comes out only when he is feeling a particular way (that we like) and that it reinforces it while maintaining its high value in your dog’s eyes. This will make it so if you had to visit your vet and/or go for a car ride, for example, and you know that your dog perhaps has a tough time in those scenarios, well what you will find is that Kong will help you communicate and bring forth the feeling you have helped him associate with it previously. Unfortunately what happens with most dogs is the Kong or chewing toy becomes an item that loses meaning or becomes boring because it’s not provided at the right time and/or it’s always available to the dog. Instead, keep it away and only use it When your dog needs it and when your dog will value it the most, especially at a young age! Try this chew toy that is also a slow feeder. It’ll work just like a Kong but the little spikes it has and the way its gaps and holes are designed will make it an engaging little puzzle for your dog to figure out, at the right moment! Give these tips a try and let us know how it goes!