Urban Canines

05/09/2026

25/08/2026

Are you friends with everyone.....we forget like humans, dogs should have the the opportunity not to be forced to like every dog or human.

The pressure WE put on our dogs can lead to anxiety, reactivity and aggression.

Ian Dunbar speaks frankly about this and we should learn to be advocates for our dogs and ourselves.

23/08/2026

The week ahead at Urban Canines

14/08/2026

📣📣📣📣📣📣

12/08/2026

Enrolments for this course open.

21/06/2026

For the past 2 weekends Urbans trainers as well as 2 of their awesome clients have competed in the Albury Border Kennel Clubs Sprintdog Trials.

All of our dogs either gained a title or gained points towards their next level up.

Saturday morning Open Age Classes will continue this week.

19/06/2026

Any dogs at any age can learn Scentwork and once they get the game they love it.

Using their natural ability of smell and brain engagement excites them and gives the handler a new team work challenge.

Liz is a stellar teacher and from personal experience i highly reccomend her.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18phxyw8HP/

17/06/2026

Last night's class was about when to reward, and where our hands should be to get the dog to be more reliable.

This is so well explained in this clip.

16/06/2026

We should all learn to read the body language of our dogs.
Many times we keep patting our dogs to satisfy our tactile need or our thinking that is loving our dog.

Imaging instead of shaking hands with others we all patted each other on the head.....funny as it may be but does it show affection?

Learn how to show your dog affection in the manner that your dog with positively respond to.

🐾 Not every dog wants to be touched — and that's okay.

Dogs are not public property, and we should never assume that an unfamiliar (or even familiar) dog is inviting interaction just by being present.

The golden rule: don't approach unknown dogs. Give them space, stay relaxed, look slightly away, and let them come to you.

And even when a dog does approach you, sniffing, standing nearby, or coming close is NOT necessarily an invitation to pat them. Wait for clearer signals — loose, relaxed body language, leaning into your leg, gentle eye contact, a nudge, a paw, or a play bow. Those are consent.

Once you have those signals, you can ask their guardian if it's okay to interact. Keep it brief, and pause to check if they want to continue.

🚫 Avoid: patting on the head, pushing your hand in their face, hugging, or overwhelming them with too many people or too much intensity.

⚠️ Signs a dog is uncomfortable: lip licking, yawning, looking away, moving away, ears pinned back, tail tucked, whale eye (whites of the eyes showing) — and of course snapping or growling, which is an immediate request for more space.

This applies to children too — teaching kids that unknown dogs are not to be approached is one of the most important lessons we can pass on.

I've put together an infographic breaking all of this down — save it and share it! 👆

And if you want to go deeper, I've also made a video exploring whether people should even have the expectation to pat an unknown dog — and why "asking first" doesn't always make it okay 👇
📺 https://youtu.be/K2D8cOGUhs4