Camrose Kennels

09/19/2022

Dog training tip! 🐶When was the last time you and your canine friends practiced 'touch'? Training your dog to touch the palm of your hand with the tip of their nose seems like the EASIEST way to earn a treat in your dog's mind, and can be incredibly helpful during an emergency situation, when you need your dog by your side stat.

When dogs learn "come" they can often develop the habit of coming JUST close enough to 'check in' and then run off again, making it challenging to leash your dog at the end of a dog park adventure or in case of emergency. By teaching them 'touch' you can guarantee they come all the way to you, and you are able to leash them, lift them or hold their collar quickly to remove them from emergency situations.

Has teaching your dog 'touch' ever come in handy for your furry friend? Let us know in the comments below!

09/19/2022

Barks, growls, howls, whines, whimpers, even dog purring - different dog sounds have different meanings. Here's how to decipher them.

09/19/2022

THE CHOICE TO CHOOSE
WHY DOGS SHOULD BE ALLOWED CHOICE
Imagine that every little detail of your life is controlled - what and when you eat, where you sleep, when you’re allowed inside or outside, when you’re allowed to go out for a walk and if you’re allowed to stop and explore, who you’re allowed or forced to interact with, what activities (if any) you’re allowed to participate in, when you’re shown affection or receive attention, where you’re allowed to be touched etc., etc.…. This situation would create stress and anxiety, a feeling of helplessness, apathy, a lack of confidence and many other negative emotions. The same is true for dogs.
Dogs live in a world where just about everything is controlled by us. Allowing choice, no matter how simple that choice may be, provides many benefits. The context in which we allow choice is obviously relevant. Safety, boundaries, environmental factors, other people or animals always need to be taken into account.
Dogs that are allowed some control over their environment and how they respond to situations are more confident, more emotionally balanced, better able to cope with stressful situations, less anxious, less stressed and have fewer behaviour problems.
Allowing simple choices like which direction to take on a walk, which tree to wee on, how long to sniff that fascinating blade of grass or which toy to play with, which treat to choose, what game to play or allowing your dog to choose to interact or be touched by someone are all simple ways that we can provide choice for our dogs and help them to cope in a world that controls them.

08/21/2022

I mentioned I was really excited about an upcoming project. Here it is! I'm one of 21 international presenters for the Dog Anxiety Summit! FREE and online. My topic is near and dear to my canine behavior heart: why aversives don't work for anxiety. Register here: https://petaffiliates.center/123-14.html

05/26/2022

Hello! Welcome to our page!

We are a practice that focuses on excellent client care, both human and animal. We are also an educational resource for professionals and the private sector. We believe in and stand by the positional statement of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB), as you will see in the image.

That being said, we are also a safe space to engage in conversations with folks, even when we disagree. We cannot move forward in what we care about by operating in an echo chamber. We must engage all sides in order to make the difference we want to see in the world. This is how we work with our clients who come to us with their dogs on prong collars or e-collars. We address them with respect and grace, while helping them see the value of moving towards a force free way of engaging with their pets. We also engage with other professionals in the same way, regardless of background.

Communication is how to change the world.

Here are two recent articles where one of our doctors was quoted on why we DO NOT use or recommend equipment such as prong collars, choke collars, or electronic collars when working with our clients:

https://www.thedodo.com/dodowell/dog-shock-collar

https://www.thedodo.com/dodowell/dog-choke-collars

05/25/2022