The Power of Breath

The Power of Breath (Feb 24th) 

Let’s take a whole new spin on dog training.  I have been noticing more and more about how our emotions and energy affect how our dogs respond to us.  Our emotions affect how fast your dog will learn!  Wow…fascinating.  Most of you may know this already as it is not the first time I have mentioned it.  I am going to say that I believe 80% of the dog training results you create with your dog are a result of emitting confident and relaxed emotions.  Think about it when you are stressed, fearful, angry, sad, etc. your dog feels this and he is probably more focused on your emotions then what you are training him to do.

This past week I have had amazing experiences with breath and dog training.  What I am referring to is taking the time to ground yourself by breathing through your belly.  As you are doing this be in a place of allowing.  You can see white light traveling through your body and being emitted into the ground.  The point is that you are in the moment and are channeling your energy to become more balanced.

Here are three amazing scenarios that I witness this week with breath work and dogs:

1.) Last Wed I had my students breath at the beginning of class.  The dogs immediately became quiet afterwards.  To be clear they were barking before we did this and it wasn’t minor.  It was a huge shift!

2.) I was at my boyfriend’s house and our dogs love to play rough.  We took sometime in the morning to breath and meditate.  The dogs were drastically calmer and played less that morning.  They were more grounded.

3.) My dog is still moving through his fear of cars.  Today I breathed when I walked him.  I also slowed my walking pace.  He was much calmer as the cars went by.  Of course I was doing training.  The truth is disregarding the training he was calmer.

Take some time and breath before you train and during your training.  Watch the difference!

Reading Dog Behavior Week 4

Previous Weekly Tips

Reading Dog Behavior Week 4 (Feb 17th) 

This is the last week on the series of “Reading Dog Behavior.”  I hope it has been helpful for you.  This week I wanted to target other stress signs that your dog may show when he is out of alignment.  These stress signs can be a result of fear (defensive behavior), aggression (offensive behavior), excitement (over stimulation) or just over aroused in general.  If you see multiple stress signs make sure you do something to calm your dog.  It could be something holistic, checking in with your emotions or hiring Four Legged Scholars for training advice.

More Signs of Stress:

Moving quickly or pacing

Sweaty paws

Rapid or shallow breathing

Shedding excessively

Clicking teeth

Lethargic

Not wanting to eat or gulping food quickly

Dry Panting

Another tip that is helpful for you to know is that your dog will respond to stress in one of the following ways:

1.)   Fool Around (Displaying Calming Signals to Relieve Stress)

2.)   Fight (Bit or Attack)

3.)   Flight (Run Away)

4.)   Freeze (Totally Shut Down and Do Nothing)

5.)   Faint (Pass Out)

Reading Dog Behavior week 3

Reading Dog Behavior Week 3 (Feb 10th) 

This week I am going to focus on calming signals.  Calming signals are signs that your dog demonstrates when he starting to get stressed and is wanting to calm himself down.  If you see many calming signals then you know that your dog is pretty stressed.  Remember that any dog that is extremely stressed can bit or fight.

These signs can be shown during play and also during training sessions.  If you see them during a training session it is best to end the training the session on a positive note.  Some of these signals can mean different things in other contexts.

Here is a list of calming signals:

• Eye Blinking
• Freezing
• Slow Movement
• Lip Licking
• Backing Away
• Yawning
• Sneezing
• Stretching
• Shaking
• Sniffing
• Paw Lifting
• Scratching as if for no reason

Have fun watching your dog and seeing these signals this week! calmin

Reading dog Behavior week 2

Reading Dog Behavior Week 2 (Feb 3) 

Last week I gave some tips on determining if your dog is feeling fear (defensive behavior).  This week I am going to focus on offensive behavior.  Offensive behavior is when the dog wants to move forward and is generally more likely to want to attack immediately.  Generally when a dog is offensive we call him / her aggressive.

Today I am going to focus on offensive behavior. Begin to notice the signs below:

• The body is stiff rather than fluid.  The muscles are tense.
• The weight is shifted forwards.  So the dog may be thinking of moving toward the stimulus.
• The mouth is closed verses being open and relaxed.  The mouth could also be open and the lips are pulled forward.  The lips look like a “C” shape and you mainly see the front teeth.
• The ears are pulled forward on the head (erect).
• He / She may be hesitant to eat or he / she takes the treat with a very tense mouth.
• The tail is held upward from the neutral position.  It may be wagging very quickly.  When it is held high and wagging fast this is called a “flagged tail” (The dog is extremely aroused if this occurring).
• The movement is generally fast and jerky.  There is not fluid movement.
• The respiratory rate is fast.
• Direct eye contact is toward the stimulus.  Generally the eyes are big and round.
• The dog is silent or has a lower pitched growl or bark.

The more of the above signs you see in your dog the more your dog is feeling offensive.  If you are seeing only a few signs then the offensive behavior is present and it is of a lesser degree.

If your dog is feeling offensive in certain situations my advise is to contact Four Legged Scholars so we can switch the response to happiness / calm behavior:)

Also remember any dog that feels offensive is likely to bite.

Happy Training!
Johanna Teresi, Professional Trainer and owner of Four Legged Scholars LLC 

Reading Dog Behavior

Reading Dog Behavior (Jan 27th)

Realizing what a learning curve it was for me to become really good at reading behavior, I thought it would be beneficial to write consecutive tips on how to read your dog.  Throughout the next few e-mails you will learn what your dog looks like when aroused verses being relaxed.

Today I am going to focus on fearful behavior. Begin to notice the signs below:

• The body stiff rather fluid.  The muscles are tense.
• The weight is shifted backwards.  So the dog may be thinking of backing away.
• The mouth is closed verses being open and relaxed.  The mouth could also be open and the lips are pulled backward showing many teeth.
• The ears are drawn back on the head.
• He / She may be hesitant to eat or he / she takes the treat with a very tense mouth.
• The tail is downward from the neutral position.  It may be tucked between the back legs.
• The movement is still (frozen) or jerky.  There is not fluid movement.
• The respiratory rate is fast.  You see intense panting.

The more of the above signs you see in your dog the more your dog is feeling fear.  If you are seeing only a few signs then the fear is present and it is of a lesser degree.

If your dog is feeling fear in situations my advise is to contact Four Legged Scholars so we can switch the response to happiness

Also remember any dog that feels fear if pushed could bite.

Congrats to Utah Humane Society

“Utah Animal Adoption Center wants to congratulate the Humane Society of Utah for the 2009 First Year of No-Kill for Dogs!  We are thrilled that we are part of Humane Society of Utah’s life-saving work!  Approximately 50% of the dogs Utah Animal Adoption Center rescues and bring to our Center are from the euthanasia lists at the Humane Society of Utah.  Let’s all keep up the good work, together we can make a difference!”

JoAnn Ortega

Executive Director / Utah Animal Adoption Center