Frenchie de Rêve

08/30/2023

Mini Tess se cherchent une famille pour la vie. Contactez moi en privé seulement.

08/30/2023

08/30/2023

Tessa & Mini Tess

08/30/2023

Les bébés se cherchent une famille. Contactez moi en privé seulement

08/29/2023

Officiellement annoncé mes chiots qui seront prêts pour leurs famille d'ici 2 semaines.

08/24/2023

08/24/2023

Poison pour es chiens...

⭐Next up on our A-Z pet poisoning campaign is the letter H⭐

A beautiful addition to any garden, but were you aware of the risks of hydrangea to your pets?

The flowers are pink, blue or occasionally white, purple or red, this is a very common, deciduous shrub or more rarely a climber found in gardens and parks, particularly in the southern UK.

If ingested, hydrangea can cause vomiting, abdominal discomfort, diarrhoea and lethargy.

☎️ Pet owners can call Animal PoisonLine on 01202 509 000
🤳 Veterinary professionals can call VPIS on 0207 305 5055

08/24/2023

We want to build a foundation of calmness when outside. I call it "existence socialization," which is just the idea of being around stimuli without feeling the need to interact with it.

This is also the reason I don't allow strangers to pet my puppies out in public until a certain point in their training, and when I finally do, it's when I give both the human and that dog permission. I don't feel that level of socialization (interacting with everyone and every dog) is natural, and it can lead to issues later on. Not simply obedience issues, but also social issues.

08/24/2023

There is a common misunderstanding that if a dog comes and sits or lies near you, they want you to stroke them. Lots of dogs enjoy closeness and even contact without actually being stroked.
Misreading this is a common reason dogs will start to give off stress signals, which if ignored, may escalate to a growl to ask you to stop. Unwanted contact may be even more difficult for dogs who are in pain, have touch sensitivities, or dislike certain areas being touched.

🤔 How do I know if my dog actually wants me to stroke them, or if they just want to be close?
Your dog may indicate that they want that sort of contact by nudging you, pressing their head in to you, or pawing at you.

🤔 How do I know if they want me to stop?
Look out for body language such as excessive blinking, showing the whites of eyes, leaning away, turning their head away, licking their lips, yawning, panting (when they aren't hot), narrowing eyes, lowering their head. If this sort of thing is ignored then they might escalate to growling.

🤔 Why don't they just walk away?
Not all dogs feel comfortable doing this or they may be conflicted if they want the proximity to you, just not the stroking.

🐕 Consent testing
I always recommend consent testing to give your dog a choice. Allow them to indicate that they actually want you to stroke them. If they do, go ahead, and stop after a few seconds. They may ask you to carry on, if they do, stop again after a few seconds. This regular stopping gives them the opportunity to move away if they've had enough.

In this photo example, is me and my boy. He loves proximity to us and will even lean against us like he is here. This doesn't necessarily mean he wants us to fuss him every time he does it. He isn't the sort to move away on his own because he wants the closeness.

In short...closeness does not always equal consent, and we should ensure physical contact like stroking is choice-based, as an important part of safety around dogs (as part of bite prevention) and to prevent stress to the dog.

To learn more about consent, choice-based methods, and dog body language, pick up your copy of Empowering Your Dog Through Choice on Amazon.
You can also find my webinar on The Importance of Choice, which is a 1 hour webinar including replays for one year, here: https://knowyourdog.thinkific.com/courses/the-importance-of-choice
If you're not sure which to do (book or webinar), the book is more in-depth and comprehensive, but the webinar is a great introduction before reading the book, or a good option if you are more of a watch & listen type of learner than a reader.

08/22/2023

I found this amazing template in CapCut. Tap the link to try it out! https://www.capcut.com/t/ZmFV61TqP/