A dog won’t stop barking if you yell at them or punish them. Yelling at a dog when they’re barking will just confuse them further and often worsen the barking. Similarly, shock or bark collars don’t work long-term and are not recommended for use by Mad Paws. 

It’s normal to want to keep barking to a minimum, so take a read of these few strategies you can put in place to minimise the triggers for barking. 

But first, why do dogs bark?

Barking is a form of communication and a very normal behaviour, so it’s important to have realistic expectations when owning or caring for dogs. Normal barking should cause no concern, but if a dog is barking persistently you’ll need to investigate the cause to ensure nothing is wrong. 

Causes for your dog’s barking & how to help them

Barking can be caused by an array of things; boredom, frustration, attention seeking, information seeking, fear, overstimulation, pain and more. The key to stopping barking is understanding the cause which can be hard and offering an alternative solution. If you can’t determine the cause, offering an alternative activity is a good place to start. 

Things like traffic noise, neighbourhood dogs barking or people on the street can be triggers. You can utilise background noise to drown out external noise by keeping the TV on or having music playing.

Sight barriers are also a great way to eliminate triggers. Ensuring there are no holes in the fence, closing curtains and setting out-of-bounds areas are great ways to do this. 

If barking is non-stop and persistent even after you’ve tried multiple management techniques, be sure to consult a Vet. The barking could be caused by some illness, pain or another condition such as OCD.

Each reason for barking will need a different approach to help deter the barking, however for most of them you will need to work towards desensitising them to the trigger by distraction. 

• Barking out of boredom: You can increase the amount of enrichment and exercise the pet is getting to occupy them. If they’re not engaging in activities on their own, causing the boredom, you’ll need to work towards teaching them to do enrichment or other activities alone to curb boredom. Enrichment toys for dogs can assist with curbing boredom.
• Barking from frustration: Try to remove the issue that’s frustrating them. Often it will be a barrier so work on desensitising them to the frustration trigger. You can also use sight barriers so they can’t see ‘off-limits’ things or areas that are causing the frustration. Frustration can be caused by a pet not being able to do something they normally do, so you should also check for pain or health issues that might be prohibiting them.
• Attention-seeking barking: This can be an indicator of separation anxiety in dogs. Attention-seeking is difficult to stop unless you let the dog be with you at all times which isn’t always possible. To help ease it you can provide the dog with a comfy place to settle, maybe placing a warm hot water bottle under the bed, adding extra blankets or anything that makes it feel cosy like a cuddle.
• Information seeking: This is one of the hardest causes of barking to fix as we can’t communicate with them to answer their ‘questions’. Information barking is often very direct, up-close and personal and loud. Information-seeking barking can often lead to aggression since the frustration is likely to build up so the best approach is to settle the dog and spend some calm time with them. Try to form a bond, or win them over with treats and play so they’ll feel at ease in your company.
• Fear barking: This can lead to aggression quickly and will often be paired with growling or snarling. If a dog is fear barking, you must step away and give them space so they can feel safe and calm down. Slowly build trust with the pet while maintaining space and providing them with a safe space to feel safe and be undisturbed.
• Overstimulation barking: Often accompanied by jumping around or pacing. These are displacement behaviours where they behave in a certain way because they’re not sure how to react to their feelings. You should aim to settle the dog, calm them down and then separate them so they can spend some time alone to rest and re-calibrate. 

If the issue of excessive barking continues, it may be a good time to consider a Dog Trainer who can help identify the cause/s and provide techniques to help reduce the triggers.

Find a Dog Trainer near you >

The post How to control your dog’s barking appeared first on Mad Paws.

Here’s a little bit of advice to help them cope through wild winter weather.

What dogs understand about thunderstorms

A dog’s point of view of a thunderstorm is very different to ours, for them, it’s loud noises and flashing lights that have no meaning or source. They don’t understand the concept of weather and how it works or that it’s not harmful like we can which is why some of them have such adverse reactions.

When they’re young we’re able to use habituation to help them become comfortable with storms so they’re not fearful as they grow up, if they develop fear as they get older the good news is we can still help them. Whilst comforting them we can make an effort to create a positive experience and teach them storms aren’t scary regardless of their age.

What to do when they react to thunder

The most important thing to understand when a dog struggles through a thunderstorm is that it’s okay to comfort them.

When a dog is struggling and displaying undesirable behaviour such as barking or being destructive, it is common not to want to ‘reward it’ however, there is a difference between rewarding and comforting. The goal of comforting the dog is to help them get past the fear and stress where they’re not displaying displacement or undesirable behaviours to cope. 

How to comfort a dog during a thunderstorm

• Provide a safe space for them

One key step to comforting them during a thunderstorm is creating a safe space for them, making it cosy and providing a quiet spot where they won’t be disturbed. This can range from their crate, their own bed, or a spot nearby you. Add lots of blankets, preferably with a familiar scent, adding pheromone sprays can also be a great calming tool. The goal is to create a spot that they can curl up into and avoid other disturbances. Avoiding high traffic or noisy areas will help the dog stay calm, if they don’t have to perk up and check every little noise they’ll settle much faster. 

Australian company SASH Beds have a Calming Dog Bed that’s specifically designed to help dogs through any form of anxiety. A deep, donut-shaped bed like this will help them to find a place of sanctuary, where they can curl up and find shelter and safety.

• Distract them with entertainment

Providing them with entertainment will allow them to keep busy or distracted and at times can be calming. Each dog will seek comfort in different activities but long-lasting chews, enrichment snacks, enrichment games, or their favourite toy is a great start. If they’re too stressed to interact with enrichment or toys on their own, spend some time trying to get them engaged and work up to leaving them with the entertainment on their own. 

• Drown out the thunder with a more familiar noise

Competing with the thunder can be very helpful, putting on other noises that drown out or distract the dog from the thunder. Dog TV, children’s movies or music are great ways to settle dogs, there are lots of studies suggesting that classical music can be very effective in calming and helping dogs sleep. 

Encouraging and rewarding calm

When all these efforts to calm the dog are in place, it’s important to reward calm behaviour to teach the dog that it’s okay and create a positive experience with the thunderstorm. Any calm or positive behaviour can be rewarded with treats, praise, cuddles or anything of high value to the dog. Repeating this will help the dog to learn that storms aren’t a fully negative experience. 

Your mood has a huge impact on the dogs in your care, so it’s important that you remain calm and don’t over-arouse them. If you act calm and keep the household relaxed, this will be beneficial for the dog. The same goes for other people or pets in the household – keeping everyone as calm as possible will be very beneficial. 

Lastly, if none of these efforts work after a few tries it might be time to discuss with your local Vet if anxiety medication is an option that may help them cope during these weather occurrences.

The post Helping dogs through thunderstorms appeared first on Mad Paws.

This is one example of the importance of knowing your pet in every situation, and understanding their body language and triggers.

The biggest responsibility of a pet owner or carer is to be their advocate. Pets can’t speak for themselves and often people struggle to read their body language, leaving the pet’s guardian with the responsibility to speak and stand up for them to ensure they can live their happiest and safest life.

To help be the best advocate you can for your pet, evaluating characteristics like arousal levels in dogs will help give a clearer picture when it comes to knowing what to do in any given situation.

Understanding arousal levels in dogs:

Arousal levels are a dog’s level of excitement and mental control, it can completely control their behaviour, if a dog’s arousal level is too high their reasoning can go out the window. The goal is always to avoid hyper-arousal (the red zone) – this is the point at which a dog can not calm itself down and create a logical thought. 

Managing a dog’s arousal level is about more than avoiding a negative reaction from them but it’s also about creating a positive experience for them. As pet guardians, it should be our top priority to make their life as stress-free and positive as possible. Arousal levels in dogs needs to be front of mind in every aspect of our pet’s lives, not just training or when out of the house. The aim is for dogs to be in the green zone as much as possible, this will enable them to get proper rest in the home, enjoy their walks and cope with the everyday human lifestyle. 

A big component that affects arousal levels is our mood, body language and interactions with the dog. Dogs often appear to mimic our mood, this is because they can sense our mood through body language and even scent. This is not the dog mirroring us, this is them trusting our tone so if they sense you are stressed they will be on high alert and vice versa if they sense you are relaxed they are more likely to be relaxed.

This is why it is so important to manage our mood and body language in stressful situations so as not to aggravate the dog’s stress levels in an unideal circumstance. A great example of this is setting the tone for a walk, if you over-excite the dog whilst getting ready for a walk it will start the walk over-stimulated or in the yellow to orange arousal zone and this means the next trigger on the walk good or bad can send them into hyper-arousal. 

Maintaining arousal levels in dogs throughout the day looks different for every dog, it starts with the basics of making sure they’re fed, have water, and get adequate mental and physical stimulation and then it gets more specific to their daily routine. Making sure the basic needs are met creates a great base level to work on for the rest of the day. To be proactive, start by looking at the day ahead and consider the potential or unavoidable triggers for the dog, as simple as vacuuming the house or that it’s bin pick-up day. Then put an action plan into place, occupying them with enrichment or other comforting activities to keep them calm and happy whilst the trigger is occurring. This might take a few goes for them to learn so it helps to work on the proactive behaviour before you need it! 

Managing arousal levels is the best plan of action, however, it’s unrealistic to expect nothing will go wrong so to be able to bring arousal levels down explore what decompression activities work for that pet and keep them handy. Sometimes it might mean not going for a walk and just staying home to play to avoid external factors escalating the situation or it may mean going for a sniff walk for decompression it is purely dependant on the dog and their habits. 

Advocating for your dog

The biggest responsibility of a pet owner or carer is to be their advocate. Dogs can’t speak for themselves and often people struggle to read their body language, this leaves their pet guardian with the responsibility to speak and stand up for them to ensure they can live their happiest and safest life.

Often this can seem confronting, asking strangers in public not to approach or having to say no to that excited little kid who wants to play but it’s crucial to our pet’s wellbeing. The key to being able to advocate properly is knowing the pet well, knowing their regular routine, what they don’t like, their subtle body language cues and much more. A proactive approach to avoid negative experiences is going to be extremely beneficial for the pet short and long term. 

This goes for all pets not just dogs, nowadays people walk all kinds of pets, and everyone has to go to the vet once in a while so getting comfortable speaking up for any pet in your care is important.

Advocating for your dog or pet means putting their needs first, there is no obligation to put them in a situation for the benefit of someone else. This means you do not have to stop on a walk to let people pet them, let other dogs approach or allow anything to happen that might trigger, upset or overstimulate the dog.

The top tips for advocating above detail the easiest ways to ensure you can safely and proactively advocate for them, gaining the confidence to speak up can be difficult so proactivity helps avoid confrontation for you and the dog. 

The post How well do you know your pet, really? appeared first on Mad Paws.

As lovers of all things 4-legged and furry, it was only natural that support the RSPCA for their nationwide Million Paws Walk.

On Sunday 28 May 2023, we had a stall set-up at the up the Sydney Olympic Park location to support RSPCA’s work as well as raising awareness of our services. 

The stage was set for a fur-bulous day out, with the Sydney weather turned on for all who came.

With the pup-arazzi on hand to take photos, snacks at the ready, and the sun shining, it was a paw-fect day to walk to raise awareness for RSPCA and the amazing work they do for animals in need.

And, we were able to raise $1,901 to help RSPCA fight against animal cruelty. That equates to 52 dogs who can now access a warm bed, love and care for one day in an RSPCA shelter.

We loved every second of the sniffs, licks and cuddles with all the furry friends we met

Check out some happy snaps from the day:

What is the RSPCA Million Paws Walk?

Last year, 20,000 dogs turned to the RSPCA for help. Many were victims of cruelty, bred to turn a profit, or abandoned by the humans they loved unconditionally. Even one dog is too many. Each step taken at the Million Paws Walk helps in their fight to bring that number down. 

Fundraising to fight animal cruelty

The RSPCA Million Paws Walk:

• Helps fund crucial community outreach programs about the importance of responsible pet ownership. 
• Helps put an end to the ugly roots of animal cruelty at the source. 
• Helps to grow and maintain RSPCA’s shelters and care for more and more pups in need.

We’re thrilled to have been able to raise $1,901 to help the RSPCA fight animal cruelty  

Here’s a recap of how the donations from RSCPA Million Paws Walk help rescue, rehabilitate and re-home dogs in need.

Can’t get out to walk your fur friend as much as you’d like to?
Find a Mad Paws Dog Walker to take them!

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The good news is there are always opportunities for them to learn. Whilst there are optimal times for training and we want to ensure that a dog is in the ideal mindset, it’s important to remember that our dogs are always learning, even when we’re not teaching them so we need to optimise learning opportunities. 

Training during the optimum arousal levels

There is no right time of day for every dog, but there is a mindset and time frame that we can optimise and this is what the ‘right time’ means. The most important factor in creating the right time is the dog’s arousal levels; referring to the image below, the green zone is ideal and the yellow is still functional. Environmental factors largely contribute to creating the right time, taking into consideration things that might influence the dog’s mood such as other dogs or loud noises like construction, music or yelling. Environmental factors are primarily influential at the time they’re present, but it’s important to consider the after-effects of them and that a dog will need time to decompress to get back to a stable arousal level. For example, if a dog is afraid of thunderstorms and there is a nasty storm it’s best to wait several hours or a day before focusing on training and instead prioritise a positive environment and comforting them back to an ideal mindset. 

External factors influencing training

External factors are easy to spot and often avoid, internal factors that contribute to the dog’s mindset can be more difficult to interpret or understand as they can’t simply tell us how they feel. Sleep, diet, hunger, health, pain, and mood are very impactful on how a dog can respond and learn. It won’t always be easy to tell something isn’t right until you try and the dog shows they’re not able to focus or listen.

When a dog’s internal balance is off if they’re tired, too full or not feeling well it inhibits their ability to focus and therefore their ability to learn. Whilst these factors are not completely controllable, we can make an environment that enables them to make the right decisions and optimise their internal environment. Simple things like putting their bed in low-traffic areas so they can get un-interrupted rest and sticking to a routine for eating, exercise and social interactions.

As a Sitter, it can be increasingly difficult to control this when the dog is moving environments or undergoing change like having the owners away so, it’s important to make an extra effort to nurture factors like this that impact their internal well-being.

How to determine the ‘right time’ for dog training

The real question is, how do we know it’s the right time? There are a few ways to help determine if the ideal training window is open but the easiest way to tell is by knowing a dog and understanding their body language. Dogs thrive off of routine, as carers, a routine helps us gauge their mood throughout the day and other important factors like when they’re hungry, normally rest or toilet.

Putting these two components together, you can gauge a good prediction of a dog’s headspace. Body language is such a powerful tool because it’s how dogs communicate with us, for example, if a dog was yawning lots, itching and hyper-aware of their surroundings they’re most likely stressed and it would be an awful time to do some training. A great example of a ‘right time’ to train would be after a dog has had their morning nap post brekkie and it’s not too hot. They’ll be well-fed and rested and looking for something to do until their next nap.

It’s all about context, if a dog is super food motivated it’s okay to use their meal to train so starting a session hungry is a positive. It’s useful to do some decompression before a training session to help bring the dog to a stable arousal level, for example letting them sniff around the park for a while before starting a training session. 

This time can be tricky to catch when you’re not with the dog 24/7, as a dog walker or trainer schedules a time to see the dog they can’t just wait until the dog is ready. This is where it’s important to be proactive and communicate with the Owner to create an ideal environment and time. You can run through the routine with the Owner to figure out an ideal time to try, then encourage the Owner to make an effort to maintain a good arousal level. 

Tips for Owners:

• Avoid the ‘walkies’ hype, this can be done by staying calm whilst preparing for a walk or training session and making efforts to keep the dog calm like getting them to sit while putting on the harness. Ideally, maintain a calm environment for a minimum of an hour before the session. 
• Ensure the dog has had an opportunity to get ample rest before the session. 
• Practice, practice, practice. The more Owners can reinforce the training and good behaviour at home the smoother and faster training will progress.
• Advocate for the dog. It’s not the job of the dog or Owner to please others so tell them it’s okay for them to say no if it’s going to make the dog uncomfortable or impact their training. 
• Never stop. Training is never ‘done’ especially when it’s with behaviour like reactivity, so remind the Owners they need to work and maintain the training even when you’re not working with the dog.

What to do if it’s not the right time for dog training?

Unfortunately, there will always be times when you start a session and the dog’s not in the right frame of mind, or an incident will happen and derail the session and it’s important to quit while you’re ahead. It’s crucial to keep training and working with a dog as positive and fun for them as possible, so when the dog shows us they’re not having a good time or able to focus it’s time to switch to decompression mode and provide them with an appropriate outlet to decompress and rest. 

If you’re unsure or still learning the dog’s specific body language you can always test out the waters by asking for some simple tasks like sit or anything they already know and gauge their current attention span. Capturing that ‘right time’ where their arousal levels are steady and there are minimal distractions is going to optimise any training you do.

Once you’ve got any training down pat you can start increasing the difficulty, by increasing the distance or distractions depending on the specific training. Remember, there is a lot of work that goes into nurturing a dog for the ‘right time’ so have realistic expectations and work to their strengths for an optimal outcome. 

Need a helping hand to train your dog?
Search for a Mad Paws Dog Trainer >

The post When is the ‘right time’ to do training? appeared first on Mad Paws.

The benefits of crate training a dog

Crate training also benefits the dog’s well-being when they go to a vet or groomer where they’re kept in a cage throughout the day as they will be significantly less stressed. It’s important to consult a force-free/positive reinforcement trainer on crate training a dog to ensure their other quirks/training regime is aligned.

Where a Pet Sitter is assisting with crate training a dog, always consult the Owner before commencing.

What not to do when crate training a dog

This guide is a general flow of how to crate train a dog but ensure to tailor it to each individual dog for success. At no point should a dog be left in a crate crying, barking or howling in distress. “Letting them cry it out” is not an appropriate training method. An un-crate trained dog can cause serious harm or injury to themselves if left unattended in a crate.

The steps work best for a dog with no previous training, a dog who was improperly crate trained or has a negative experience with a crate will need much more training to de-sensitise them.

10 steps to crate training a dog

Step 1: Get a crate suitable to the size of the dog. The crate must be at least big enough for them to stand up and turn around, ideally not too much space that they can run around.

Step 2: Ensure the crate is secure and sturdy. If it’s a pull-up, secure it with zip ties or alternatives to avoid any chance of the crate collapsing or busting open while the dog is left unattended. 

Step 3: Make the crate welcoming and comfy, adding in a pet bed, blanket or other items. Ensure the items are not a choking or strangling hazard if the dog is going to be left alone or unsupervised. 

Step 4: Introduce the dog to the crate, letting them sniff around and explore it – rewarding them for being close or in it. DO NOT close the door at this stage if they go in. Once they’re comfortable doing this a few times you can move to the next step. 

Step 5: Begin introducing the dog to entering the crate, throwing treats in there for them to get and rewarding them again when they go in. Just make sure you know how to properly use treats to train your dog – DO NOT close the door at this stage if they go in. Create the association that entering the crate = reward! Rewards can be treats, cuddles, praise, play or anything of value to the dog. Do this multiple times until the dog is very comfortable. 

Step 6: Once the dog is comfortable going in the crate, a good indication is if they’re choosing to go in there by choice to ask for a treat rather than being coaxed in, then you can start working on getting them to sit, stay and lay down in the crate. This should be one step at a time and with lots of rewards! 

Step 7: Hopefully by this point, the dog will be choosing to go into the crate on their own accord and spend some time in there with the door open. This is when you can look to start closing the door. When they’re extremely comfortable in the crate, you can start closing the door and re-opening it immediately. If the dog stays calm you can reward them. If they react negatively, continue step 6 and try again at a later date. If they’re comfortable, close the door (re-opening it straight away) multiple times each time they’re in the crate, rewarding them each time. 

Step 8: Once the dog is very comfortable with the door being closed, you can start keeping the door closed for short periods. If the dog begins to whine, bark or stress they are not ready for this step! Depending on how comfortable the dog is with the crate and your motivations for crate training,  you can start by leaving them in the crate with the door closed and something to do like a kong, licking mat or snuffle toy while you supervise. Repeat this many times building up from a few minutes until the time you require, until you’re confident the dog will not be stressed if left unsupervised in the crate. 

Step 9: The next step is to leave them unsupervised in the crate for the first time. Start with very small increments (minutes) of time and work your way up until they’re ready. This will be very different for every dog, do not leave them in there if they’re barking, crying or stressed in any way. Repeat this many times building up from a few minutes until the time you require, until you’re confident the dog will not be stressed if left unsupervised in the crate. 

Step 10: Remember to never leave the dog in the crate with any hazards, ensure they have an easy-release collar that will unclip if caught or remove their collar altogether. Don’t leave any toys, treats or chews that are a choking hazard or risk of getting stuck. Most importantly never leave them if they will be stressed and attempt to get out this can cause serious injury. 

How dog crates can be useful:

• To separate dogs. Whether it be they don’t know when to stop playing or for feeding time it helps keep them safe and provides an opportunity to rest. 
• To secure them whilst opening doors, cleaning up a dangerous mess, having a tradie or guest over, or keeping them out of any negative situation. 
• To keep them secure if leaving them alone or unsupervised.

Would prefer some expert help?

Find a Dog Trainer near you to help get started with crate training your dog. 

The post 10 steps to crate training your dog appeared first on Mad Paws.

Even the most committed stay-at-home pawrent has to occasionally crate their puppy or leave their dog at home while they run errands. This is where dog enrichment toys become vital for our peace of mind. Let’s look at why interactive dog toys are key to happy dogs and list our top enrichment picks to keep our pups having fun.

Why our dogs need enrichment toys

• They’re essential for our dogs’ well-being

Enrichment toys do exactly as their name suggests; they enrich our dogs’ lives. In fact, studies confirm that enrichment toys enhance a dog’s welfare and quality of life and suggest that dogs should have a variety of toys to pique their interest. 

Interactive toys stimulate a dog’s natural impulses to chew, gnaw, chase, and forage. They also keep their minds busy with the opportunity to solve problems in exchange for a reward. Not only do puzzle toys give your dog’s brain a workout, but they also allow your dog a positive sense of achievement.

Like humans, being able to solve problems and being rewarded for it is good for a dog’s overall mental well-being. 

• They prevent unwanted behaviours

The major reason we want to keep our dogs mentally stimulated is to channel them away from unwanted behaviours. While exercise, playtime, socialisation, and training are all key to a well-behaved dog, we can’t hover over our dogs all day to ensure they don’t fall into nuisance behaviours like digging, excessive barking, or eating our favourite pair of shoes.

Making sure our dogs have puzzle toys, chew toys, and other high-value items simply keeps them busy and provides them with a positive outlet. In other words, preventing our dogs from being bored is the number one way we keep our shoes intact.

• They help prevent separation anxiety

Another reason that we can never have enough toys to keep our dogs busy is that it helps our velcro puppies who grow anxious about being alone. After all, not all problem behaviour is rooted in boredom. Dogs that suffer from anxiety and stress may resort to:

• Urinating or defecating in the house
• Excessive barking
• Fear-related aggression
• Destructive chewing
• Digging

Some dogs can even injure themselves trying to escape when they are left alone or affected by loud noises or other stressors. This is why having toys ready to teach our dogs that being alone can be fun and to distract them during stressful events like thunderstorms is so crucial.

The 5 best dog enrichment toys we recommend

Luckily, interactive toys that stimulate a dog’s mind are plentiful on the internet and easy to have delivered to your door. Online stores like Pet Chemist and Waggly have fantastic ranges to pick from. 

But in case you’re not sure what to get your canine, we’ve put together a small list of five doggy enrichment essentials.

1. The KONG

No doggy toy box is complete without a KONG. The classic KONG remains one of the dog trainers’ and behaviourists’ favourite tools to keep our pups busy and engaged in their environment. 

Kongs can be filled with treats, but a pro tip is to fill them with their dog’s dinner and a bit of broth and throw them in the freezer during summer. This makes feeding time a far more interactive experience and is great for soothing the gums of teething pups. 

2. SmartyPaws Interactive Puzzler

We love slow feeders that utilise our dog’s problem-solving skills. Not only does this puzzle toy slow our grub guzzlers down when they eat but it provides them with plenty of mental stimulation and reward.

This toy has different difficulty settings, making it suitable for dogs of all ages, and a non-slip base to keep it still while your dog puts their mind to the task of getting those treats!

3. KONG Gyro Treat Dispensing Toy for Dogs

The KONG Gyro is by far one of the most interesting toys to hold an active and inquisitive dog’s attention. The spinning orb in the centre holds treats, and dogs need to paw, nudge, roll, or push the toy to get their reward.

It’s a great way to get a break while your dog plays independently. It also provides that essential mental stimulation that keeps dogs occupied to ease separation anxiety and boredom.

4. Tasty Bone Nylon Trio Bacon Chew Toy for Dogs

If you have a chomper who loves to gnaw and chew, we suggest the Bone Nylon Trio Bacon Chew. Made from nylon, it won’t damage your dog’s teeth, but the flavour will ensure that they get just as much joy from it as from a real bone.

The tough core in this toy is ideal for even the strongest of jaws, and it has the added benefit of doing some dental cleaning while your dog is chewing.

5. SmartyPaws Sunflower Puzzler

A great enrichment toy is all about appealing to your pup’s curiosity, and testing their problem solving skills. The SmartyPaws Sunflower Puzzler has three tiers that, when rotated, reveal the goodies hidden inside!

Help entertain and reduce boredom, giving them a challenge and ultimately a sense of accomplishment. Perfect for small treats or even kibble, to help slow down feeding time!

Final thoughts

Enrichment toys for dogs are not just a treat; they’re essential for dogs who need to spend time crated or hours alone at home. In general, they enhance canine well-being by stimulating their environment and channelling their natural instincts. 

Whether it’s a KONG or puzzle toy, having a collection of different toys prevents your pup from getting bored of just one. Remember, providing our dogs with positive and interactive ways of problem-solving, foraging, or chewing is best to help soothe anxiety and prevent unwanted behaviours.

The post The 5 best enrichment toys for dogs appeared first on Mad Paws.

There’s no doubt that dominance theory training is fast becoming a thing of the past. Read on to find out why. 

What is Dominance Theory?

Dominance theory is a dog training theory/mindset that stems from research by researchers such as David Mech on groups of wolves. Much of this research contributed to the popularly known ‘alpha’ theory that there must be an ‘alpha’ in each ‘pack’ and this determines the behaviour of each member in the ‘pack’.

The research studied wolves’ behaviour regarding resources and how this influenced their interactions with each other. This led to situational dominance where wolves were competing for resources such as food or a mate that was mistaken for competing for power.  Fast forward a few years, and Dominance Theory evolved into its own technique/mindset of dog training. 

Trainers took the misguided concept that an ‘alpha’ can rule a ‘pack’ and began using methods that they believed would make them the ‘alpha’ in their dog’s life. This mindset suggests that the motive behind certain dog behaviour is to assert dominance or achieve a higher status over their human companion. Therefore their thinking dictates that the owner or trainer’s reactions should in response assert dominance over the situation, often this involves aggressive or unsafe behaviour towards dogs. 

Example:

Dog Behaviour: Pulling on the lead.

Dominance Theory interpretation: The dog is trying to lead the human and this behaviour deserves a ‘correction’ such as yanking the lead, pulling them back harshly or forcing the dog to walk behind them. 

What the behaviour means: The dog is curious about their environment and keen to sniff something or greet another dog. 

How Dominance Theory is seen as outdated

There’s so much we now know about dogs, especially when raised in family homes. But it even stems deeper than this. Dominance Theory is widely recognised as an outdated mindset, and here’s why: 

Firstly, the study was done on wolves. Whilst dogs are descendants of wolves, there are over 10,000 years of domestication between the two species so it is not safe to assume that their behaviour is identical let alone similar.

The second biggest factor is that wolves were in an environment where they had to fight for resources, this is not something that domesticated dogs have to do often let alone ever so we can’t interpret their behaviour towards resources based on the wolves’.

A healthy relationship between owner and dog should be co-dependent, not dominant, we know this because we can get a dog to display desired behaviours by training them with force-free and positive reinforcement methods without negatively impacting their physical or mental health.

Dominance theory focuses on training undesirable behaviours out of the dog, but with other humane and effective methods, they focus on teaching the dog the right behaviour instead. The behaviours that a dominant mindset would see as seeking dominance are actually coming from a state of social confusion, frustration, fear, anxiety, pain or learning.  

Does punishment teach dogs?

Using punishment to teach dogs can technically work, it can cause the dog to suppress the behaviour out of fear. However, the impact on their mental health can be detrimental and often cause other undesirable behaviours to arise. For example, if you were to smack a dog on the nose for stealing food off a plate, you could cause them to be fearful when people come near their face and as a result, bite. An ethical alternative would be to teach the dog not to take the food off the plate and reward them for doing this so they associate not taking food off the plate as a safe and positive interaction. 

There is always a reason for a behaviour in a dog, often the most problematic issues such as reactivity, aggression or separation anxiety are stemming from a place of fear or frustration and instilling more fear in the pet is only going to aggravate the behaviour. The solution is to teach them that they don’t need to be afraid or give them an outlet for their frustration, this will manage the behaviour rather than suppress it. That is the key difference between dominance training and positive methods, dominance suppresses behaviour which results in further frustration and fear which manifests further issues and positive methods teach correct behaviour and manage fear or frustration so it doesn’t manifest. 

Examples of behaviours commonly misunderstood as dominance:

Dogs

Humping – The dog is trying to diffuse the situation, trying to make themselves feel good in a bad situation, trying to stop the other thing from moving or trying to settle themselves.

Resource guarding – a resource is anything that the dog finds of value at a specific point in time. They’re guarding the item because they feel like it will be taken from them and want to protect it. It is a very natural behaviour which can be created by taking things from their mouth and taking their food away from them when they’re eating, so it’s important not to do this.

Humans

Punishment – A dog and its owner have a dependent relationship. A dog relies on its owner for food and stability, so humans need to be in control. In this instance, being in control means creating stability, not exhibiting dominance.

Setting boundaries in the home – It is ok not to let your dog on every piece of furniture and each room. However, if you are going to limit your dog, you need to provide an alternative space for them to relax and unwind. Consistency is key to maintaining these boundaries.

So what’s the alternative?

Positive reinforcement. What is it and why should I use it?

Positive reinforcement or force-free training are both prominent in the training community, so it’s easy to seek support or guidance, especially if you’ve been misguided by a dominant/punishment trainer before. 

Here is a refresher on Positive Reinforcement to get you started. 

The post Understanding Dominance Theory appeared first on Mad Paws.

At Mad Paws, we’re famous for our quality pet-sitting service. Trusted local sitters have helped us grow into Australia’s leading pet-sitting community – You can leave your beloved pet(s) in the hands of a vetted guardian who will provide them with the extra special treatment they deserve.

But did you know that pet sitting isn’t our only service? From grooming services to doggy daycare, Mad Paws can step in when you’re busy to ensure your four-legged companions never have to feel alone.

How Does Mad Paws Work?

We understand that pets are a part of the family – You can’t take a relaxing vacation without finding the perfect guardian for your pet. Still, if you’re fed up with begging family members or worrying that your friend/neighbour isn’t up to the job, Mad Paws can offer you the paw-fect solution.

We work by connecting you to experienced sitters in your local area, each vetted to ensure they can provide the highest level of care. Not only do we offer a trusted service, we also celebrate the individuality of companion animals and encourage our sitters to provide personalised care plans that you can tailor to create the perfect experience for your pet.

Simply enter your postcode (or search by area) and look at the profiles of sitters in your area. Once you narrow down the candidates to the personalities that match your pet’s needs, you can arrange a meet and greet to check they’re the perfect match for your pet before finalising the booking. 

And that’s not all. Mad Paws doesn’t just offer dog services; we can also help match you with sitters to care for cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, and birds. So whatever your pet-sitting requirements, we’ve got you covered.

What’s The Difference Between Pet Hosting And Pet Sitting?

When searching for pet sitters in your area, you’ll notice that next to “location,” you can also choose a “service.” Two are “pet hosting” and “pet sitting,” but what’s the difference?

Pet Hosting allows your pet to take a vacation of their own and stay with one of our trusted sitters. The big difference between a Mad Paws host and a commercial cattery/kennel is the level of personal attention and care your pet will receive. Businesses provide a standard level of care to each animal, ensuring their basic needs are met – but when you select a pet host from Mad Paws, you can handpick the right placement for your pet’s personality.

You can choose between cosy and secure properties or open and spacious ones with large areas to roam. Some hosts specialise in caring for one type of pet and may have modifications to the property to house their animals of choice, such as climbing walls for cats or outdoor runs for rabbits. Not only can you select the perfect vacation house for your pet, but you can also talk directly to the host each day with photo feedback and special requests. This way, you can sit back and enjoy your vacation, knowing that your pet is also receiving 5-star treatment.

But not all pets enjoy vacations; some are homebodies who feel calm in their own space. That’s why pet Sitting involves one of our sitters staying at your home. We know how sacred your living space is, so we provide only the highest-quality sitters so that you can rest assured that your home is in good hands.

The benefits of employing a pet sitter are that you can find someone to look after your home (and other living species like plants, fish, and aquariums), and your pets get to stay in the comfort of their home. This is particularly beneficial for animals such as indoor cats, who may experience increased anxiety if taken from their home. Pet sitting means your pets can experience the luxury of being home while having an experienced sitter on hand to cater to their every need.

What Other Services Do Mad Paws Offer?

Mad Paws doesn’t just provide services when you take a vacation – we connect you with the right individuals to create an ongoing care plan and routine for your beloved pets. From walking services to doggy daycare, here are some other services we offer.

Doggy (Pet) Daycare

You wouldn’t leave a child home alone all day, so why would you leave your pet? Our daycare services are the perfect solution to work around your routine and lifestyle. Whether you’re looking for someone to add a couple of extra play sessions during the week or you need someone to provide food and care for your pets at certain times of the day or week, you’ll find everything on our website.

Dog Walking 

If we had our way, we’d dedicate most of every day to our pups, playing games and taking them for walks. Still, many of us have families, jobs, and other responsibilities that demand significant time and attention.

Sometimes these responsibilities can get in the way of your dog walking duties, which is where our walking service comes in handy. Even if you have time, you might find that you’re exhausted after long days at work, and you would love to find someone to share this task with you so that you can take a night off.

Our experienced walkers are happy to structure their service around your and your pet’s needs, making them the perfect option no matter your circumstance

Dog Grooming

Make sure your dog always has a good hair day with our range of grooming services. Whether you’ve got a long-haired pet who has high maintenance needs or you’re looking for a one-off groomer to prep your pet for a special event, we’ve got you covered. Select from services like a wash, blowdry, nail trim or clip and have your dog feeling like a million dollars.

And you can even find cat groomers or cat spa experiences to provide a luxury experience for other pets.

Dog Training

Training your pup is simple enough in theory but often much more challenging in practice. To get the best results, you want to combine your love and care for your dog with a thorough knowledge of canine behaviours – and that’s where Mad Paws comes in.

We’ll connect you to experienced and professional individuals who can assist you with regular dog trainer practices. Allow your precious pup to play confidently by attending a meet and greet first to get to know your trainer and see if they are the right fit. By following this process, you can relax knowing that your dog is in capable hands and build up a consistent routine to get the best out of them.

House Visits

If you have independent pets who act as companions to one another, you might think that 24-hour care is excessive. Still, if you want to take a long weekend without your pets, our pet care services offer you the chance to have a professional sitter pop into your home a couple of times each day to top up food and water and attend to any other basic needs of your pet.

Mad Paws is much more than a dog-sitting agency; it’s a service that connects animal-loving individuals to ensure that every pet receives the care they deserve. From nail trims to vacations, you can find everything you need to meet your pet’s needs while attending to everyday life’s responsibilities.

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Many of us may also be struggling with scorched or burned grass and may be wondering, “can dog pee turn your lawn brown?”. Having a dog can mean sacrifices, like the joy of ever going to the bathroom alone again or losing a favourite pair of shoes during the dreaded teething phase. 

But do dogs have to cost us our beautiful lawns too?

Let’s examine why dog pee makes brown spots and what to do about it.

Why does dog pee turn the lawn brown?

Dog urine contains a significant amount of nitrogen. When a dog empties their bladder on one spot, it’s like dumping a lot of fertiliser in one area. Any proficient gardener knows that too much nitrogen fertiliser burns the grass and causes it to turn brown and die.

Male dogs are off the hook for this one because they tend to lift their legs and squirt small amounts of urine on bushes or trees, mostly saving your lawn. But female dogs, puppies, seniors, or other dogs that squat tend to empty their whole bladder in one spot. 

This can cause the dreaded lawn burn of brown spots.

If your soil has a nitrogen deficiency, it can cause a spot of flourishing green grass. More often, it creates a ring of green grass around the brown spot. This is because the nitrogen was more diluted and acted as fertiliser instead of damaging grass.

So what do we do about this problem?

Can diet or supplements that change my dog’s urinary PH save my lawn?

Turning to a diet or supplements to change your dog’s urinary PH and protect your lawn is tricky, and we do not recommend it. Firstly, nitrogen in a dog’s urine causes the brown spots, not the acidity.

Professor Anton Beynan notes that vets will often recommend a low-protein diet. This is because the more protein in your dog’s diet, the more by-products like urea and ammonia they need to excrete in their urine. This is why high high-protein diets are bad for dogs with kidney problems.

Some supplements promise to acidify a dog’s urine with amino acids like DL Methionine. Never give these supplements without speaking to a vet. A dog’s urinary tract is sensitive, and becoming too alkaline or acidic can cause issues like infections or kidney stones. 

So stick to a normal healthy diet for your dog and be careful of trying to change the PH of your dog’s urine with nutrition or supplements to “neutralise” or “acidify” urine.. 

Supplements like Drs. Foster and Smith Lawn Guard claim to bind with nitrogen in a dog’s urine. The active ingredients are inulin, green tea extract, and Yucca Schidigera. These are antioxidants and soluble fibres with several health benefits, but it’s unclear how well they work for urine.

 Green tea extract is controversial for dogs, and its tannins can bind with iron and other nutrients. The main takeaway: keep a healthy dose of scepticism about these supplements and be wary of unintended consequences

How do I stop my dog’s pee from scorching my lawn?

1. Walk your dog first thing in the morning.

The best way to save your lawn is to get them out of the yard to pee somewhere else as much as possible. That means going for walks multiple times a day.

2. Have a designated area for your dog to pee.

Most of us leave our dogs to pee or toilet anywhere in our yard and garden. However, for those pet parents who want to make the most of their garden, it’s a good idea to create a designated area for your dog to pee and poop. Not only does this help save your lawn from brown spots and keeps all the poop in one area, making it easier to clean.

Not to mention saving you the hassle of accidentally stepping in poop while trimming the rose bushes. Having a designated area for your dog to pee is as simple as restarting potty training. But,  this time you always take your dog or puppy to the designated area with mulch or to toilet until it becomes a habit.

3. Teach your dog to pee on command.

A helpful little command to add to your dog’s obedience skill set is to teach them to toilet or pee on command. This is a great trick to ensure your dog toilets before travel. If you have a dog that wees on the furniture, it’s also helpful to make sure they pee outside before they come indoors.  

But getting your dog to pee on command also allows you to ensure they pee in areas of the yard that don’t damage your lawn. Here is a great video to help you get started teaching this command.

4. Turn on the sprinklers.

Watering down the area where your dog pees is one of the best ways to wash away nitrogen and neutralise the urine, reducing brown spots on the grass. The more irrigation, the less nitrogen will affect your lawn.

5. Reseed the brown spots or dead with grass that is more resistant to nitrogen.

Speak to a lawn expert in your area about which strains of grass are resistant to high levels of nitrogen.  Tough perennial ryegrass and other strains are often hardier and less prone to grass burn. You can also fertilise your lawn less to reduce the overall nitrogen in the soil.

6. Don’t turn to home remedies.

Whether it’s home remedies like garlic or salt to get your dog to drink more water, or home remedies like baking soda or gypsum to neutralise the urine on the grass, don’t do it. 

Garlic is toxic to dogs, and salt can be really bad for dogs with heart conditions. Gypsum and baking soda may actually make the brown spots worse. 

Final thoughts

When it comes to saving your lawn from dog pee, be cautious with supplements, diet changes, or natural home remedies. There are really three main strategies:

1. Control where your dog pees with a designated peeing area, teaching them to pee on command and going on many walks.
2. Growing more resilient strains of grass or turf.
3. Keeping your lawn well watered to wash away excess nitrogen.

The post Why dog pee can turn your lawn brown appeared first on Mad Paws.