Funny Farm K9 Coaching

Shout out to all the local small businesses who are doing their best to navigate the constant restriction changes legally and carefully in spite of what you may believe. This has been an emotional and financial disaster for most of us but we still keep doing the best we can with what we have left of ourselves. Dog Training can be pretty emotionally draining as it is trying to help as many people and their dogs as we can all the while trying to convince people that causing fe...ar and stress in your pet in the name of training may temporarily subdue the bad stuff but will literally come back to bite you (or someone else). But now we have a community of humans living in that fear as well. This makes helping dogs even more of a challenge because of the fear we are emitting combined with that of our dog. It also makes what I do even more important! Fear free and force free mean exactly that! We get dogs to be a fun companion to hang out with not as a master but as a friend. Have fun with your dog while you teach them and you'll spend a lot more time and energy on the fun and less on the stress. All lessons at the Funny Farm are well within the ever changing restrictions. My level of care and cleanliness has not really changed, social distance has always been a part of my lessons, yep, even before covid. Why? Because it's the best thing for our pets and ourselves. Come and try out my Growing Pains program to get started on a positive and healthy approach to dog training. Angel Dumoulin KPA CTP PS if your dog is having a really hard time coping with the world, my good friend Dog Training with Tara Martice specializes in complex training issues and is certified Fear Free. See more

There's always someone watching at the Funny Farm

SASS socialization every Wednesday at 7! Join us at True North K9 Compound

So many stressful things going on in the world right now but not here! Thanks Dog Training with Tara Martice for the awesome pictures. And for bringing Karen and Lexi to play with puppies with me. SASS socialization Wednesday evenings! Register now

Training Tip Tuesday! As dogs mature, they can become dog selective which means that they may not like or want to play with every single dog that they meet. A...s humans, we also develop preferences over time and that’s totally ok. Your dog doesn’t have to love every single dog that he/she meets. Love the dog in front of you. #dogtraining #dogs #ccpdt #certifieddogtraining #TipTuesday ##doggos See more

Thanks so much to Mike Herter at Dirty Deeds for clearing my little parking area. Great service with a smile Hope your dogs are enjoying the Peanut butter cookies

We are having a SALE! Funny Farm K9 Coaching and True North K9 Compound are teaming up to offer lessons for the newest, exciting dog sport to hit Medicine Hat, Treiball! If you register (and pay) for your 5 week class before December 23, 2020, your January classes are 50% OFF. Classes will be available on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday evenings starting in January. Visit funnyfarmk9.ca to preregister.

Since we are unable to attend any Christmas markets this year, we have a lot of treats and toys made for sale, with no place to sell locally. As a result, I now have a store on my website as well as a calendar to book training classes! Check out the snuffle mats and tug toys and buy your dog some homemade cookies for Christmas. Free delivery in Medicine Hat funnyfarmk9.ca

We are having a SALE! Funny Farm K9 Coaching and True North K9 Compound are teaming up to offer lessons for the newest, exciting dog sport to hit Medicine Hat, Treiball! If you register (and pay) for your 5 week class before December 23, 2020, your January classes are 50% OFF. Classes will be available on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday evenings starting in January. Visit funnyfarmk9.ca to preregister.

I am sad to announce the cancelation of all Funny Farm classes today Happy dig your way out day!I am sad to announce the cancelation of all Funny Farm classes today Happy dig your way out day!

Happy Halloween from the Funny Farm!

WHY WE DON’T OFFER GROUP WALKS OR SOCIAL GET-TOGETHERS FOR ADULT DOGS We get a lot of requests for socialisation opportunities for adult dogs. The reasons fo...r these requests seem to be the following: 1. The dog has little or no socialisation history so the owners want to try them with other dogs e.g. the person has taken on a rescue dog they want to take out or decided to start walking a dog that hasn’t previously been off the property 2. The dog is reactive towards other dogs or has poor social skills and it is thought that this can be fixed by letting them mix with a group of dogs 3. The dog plays with other dogs at every opportunity and tends to be hard to manage around other dogs, so the owner wants to provide more opportunities for the dog to play to fulfil this apparent need in a safe way. I guess I do understand why people make these requests. They make them, because they see celebrity dog trainers taking a dog that has shown aggression towards another dog and putting them in a big group of dogs where the dog magically stops reacting and doesn’t cause any trouble. They see adverts from dog walkers offering to pick your dog up and take them for pack walks that are marketed on the premise that running around like a lunatic with 20 other dogs is the true essence of what it means to be a dog. They see friends taking their dogs to dog parks or walking in big groups with other dog walkers and think that the dogs seem to be having so much fun as they race around, barking and chasing each other isn’t their dog missing out if they don’t have the chance to do this? So, why don’t we provide these kinds of services? Why don’t we get groups of dogs together and let them play for an hour or two? Wouldn’t it do them all the world of good? Wouldn’t the nervous dog learn to have fun, and wouldn’t the reactive dog be sorted out by the other dogs in the group and learn to behave? Wouldn’t the inexperienced dog learn great social skills, and wouldn’t the super playful dog have the time of his or her life? Well, let’s have a look at the likely outcome for the dogs listed at the start of this article 1. The dog with little socialisation history: We have no way of knowing how this dog might react. They might be completely overwhelmed at first and not do much at all (the stress will manifest later) or they may be so emotionally aroused by the situation that they respond with fight or flight. If they flee and the other dogs run after them, even to play, their fear will escalate to terror and the experience could be so traumatic that one trial learning takes place, creating a phobia of other dogs. If they respond with aggression and they survive the situation, they will learn that using aggression is a good option when confronted with other dogs. Neither of these outcomes is desirable. 2. The reactive dog or the dog with poor social skills: Again, if this dog is reactive due to fear, they might initially be overwhelmed and shut down which looks like success to the trainer or dog walker who does not understand body language and does not take emotionality (how the dog is feeling) into account. Often though, as these dogs get more used to the situation, they will revert to using aggression to cope and the reactivity will return and the dog will have plenty of opportunity to rehearse the behaviour we actually want to avoid. If, on the other hand, the dog is reactive, because they tend to become over-aroused in play or when there is any excitement happening around them, this will be the perfect situation to increase their arousal even further and escalate the reactivity definitely not what you want to be doing! 3. The compulsive player: What about the dog that just LOVES playing with other dogs? Shouldn’t they be given as much opportunity to do this as possible? The problem with the compulsive player is that adding more play does not decrease the need for play instead it tends to create even more of a desire to play at every opportunity, to the point where it can become a type of addiction that supersedes the relationship with the owner, breaks down training skills (especially recall) and eventually leads the dog into trouble i.e. on-leash reactivity as a result of frustration when they see a dog, but can’t get to them to play or trying to play with the wrong dog and getting into a fight. So, is it wrong for friends to walk in groups with their dogs? Is it a mistake to allow your dog to play with other dogs? That is not what I am saying at all. Play with other dogs can be a great and joyous activity for dogs IF they are ALREADY COMFORTABLE with other dogs. Walking with other dogs can be a great activity to fulfil social needs, IF your dog ALREADY LIKES being around other dogs. HOWEVER, even then, which dogs you allow your dog to walk with and play with should be something that is decided very carefully. You need to be able to answer yes to these questions for a social walk to be a GOOD experience for your dog: 1. Does my dog enjoy the company of ALL my friends’ dogs in this group? 2. Does my dog still respond to me when around these dogs? 3. Does my dog interact well and rehearse good social skills around these dogs? 4. Does everyone in the group take responsibly for their own dogs and manage them appropriately when encountering members of the public? 5. Am I still making enough time to do one-on-one walks with my own dog, where the focus is on my relationship with my dog and not my dog’s relationship with other dogs? On the other hand, if you answer yes to any of the following, then this is not the right social group for your dog and this situation should be avoided: 1. Is there any dog in this group that my dog actively avoids? 2. Is there any dog in this group that my dog tends to bully? 3. Is there any dog in this group that my dog gets bullied by? 4. Does my dog become over-aroused and non-responsive when around these dogs? 5. Does my dog join in with any of these dogs to practise anti-social behaviour towards other people or other dogs outside of the group that we meet while on a walk? 6. Is my dog quieter or more withdrawn than usual when walking with this group? It is really worth taking the time to honestly answer these questions. Don’t feel pressured by friends or a social group to put your dog in situations that they are not comfortable with or where they will learn behaviours that will be detrimental to their long-term behavioural health. Protect their emotional and behavioural wellbeing by saying no when a situation is not in your dog’s best interests. And what about the inexperienced, reactive or over-the-top player dogs? If group activities are not the answer for them, then what is? I strongly believe that building a strong bond with their humans and enriching their lives with non-dog related activities should be the priority, rather than arranging for them to be around other dogs. This is the foundation that has to be in place for a dog to be happy and healthy and to stand any chance of gradually and carefully being introduced to some other dogs, if it is necessary and appropriate.