Why We Do Not Recommend Board-and-Train

Pawsitive Pet Care recommends all members of your pet's household be involved in the training process

This is a blog topic we've been wanting to cover for quite some time, but there seem to be so many important and interesting topics, and not enough time to cover them all!  

Why Pawsitive Pet Care Does Not Recommend Board-and-Train 

There are exceptions to every rule, however typically speaking, it is ideal for your trainer to work with you and the members of your household, as well as your pet, and below are the two primary reasons why.  

Dogs do not generalize well

Generally speaking, dogs do not take information learned in one context or environment and apply it to new situations in other contexts or environments.  So, for example, if your dog learns some fantastic new behaviours in a board-and-train situation, that's great.  However, once they get home, you and your family would essentially have to start from scratch and re-train the behaviours in the dog's home environment with the dog's familiar surroundings and people.  

For more on generalization and how to help your dog apply what they learn to new and various situations, Emily Larlham wrote a fantastic blog post on the topic.   

The humans in the pets' lives are the most important part of the training process

Positive training strengthens the bond and the relationships between humans and animals.  When you have fun working, training, and playing with your pet, you bond with each other.  This trust and kinship will also improve how well your pet responds to you, and how well you understand your pet & why they do the things they do.  Training is about 75% teaching the humans and 25% teaching the pets.  This applies to everyone from brand new pet-owners to experienced pet trainers, because we all need to adapt our environment and our approach to fit the needs of the pet we are working with in the moment.  Pet owners also need to learn the fundamentals of animal behaviour and training, as well as learn to read and understand their pet's communication, particularly their body language in order to effectively and humanely train and work with their pets.

Some of the best help your trainer can give you is to explain what you need to do with your pet in a way that you can understand, demonstrate it for you, and then watch you do it and give you constructive and specific feedback.  This last piece is the most important part because sometimes a subtle change in positioning, body language, or cueing can help solve a training challenge and help reduce frustration for both animal and human.

Have you ever had someone set something up for you, maybe a new computer program, or a new entertainment system of some kind, and then later you run into trouble?  Because they did it for you and didn't walk you through the steps, now you have no idea how to troubleshoot or how to go about fixing the problem.  It may seem convenient that the outset, but sending your dog off to be "fixed" and then returned to you is not empowering you and the members of your household to be able to build upon your pet's training and have the skills to deal with any new issues that may arise.  

As we noted in our blog post, Finding A Trainer, 

"Your trainer needs to be able to explain to you what they are doing, why they are doing it, and how you will be able to do it once they leave.  They are not a magician, they are a teacher, and their job is to educate and empower you to understand how your dog learns and how to get desired behaviours from your dog.  This should be done in a way that works for you and your family and in a way that helps strengthen your relationship with your dog."

Think of a trainer as a teacher for you, any members of your household, and for your pet.  Their job is to give you the tools and information you need so that you can feel good about moving forward in a positive direction.  

In addition, training isn't just about solving behavioural problems after they have begun.  In fact, good training is proactive and intends to prevent these problems from coming up in the first place.  And the best training (in our opinion), is training that is done just for fun!  

For More Information

Please visit our website or contact us for more information.  

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About Pawsitive Pet Care

Pawsitive Pet Care is a Professional Pet Care business that has been serving Manitoba since 2010.  

Update:  November 16, 2020

It appears that the State of Emergency Orders related to animal and pet care are unchanged from March.  

Originally posted on November 12, 2020

Please excuse us if this email delves slightly into the political.  As a business, we try our best to remain neutral and focus on doing what we do best.  It seems politics are unavoidable at this time, as we are seeking direction and clarification from our government with regards to the latest code red pandemic response mandates.

Covid Confusion in Manitoba

Unfortunately Manitoba's second wave of Covid-19 has been among the worst in Canada, and per capita we currently have the most cases.  As a result, Manitoba has gone into a Code Red pandemic response.  

As pet care providers, we are considered essential when providing care for pets.  This means we should only be visiting the homes of clients who are themselves considered essential workers and must go to work, or for any reason cannot provide care for their pets and need us to do so.  Otherwise our staff should not be attending client homes or interacting with others outside of their own households per the code red mandate.  

If you are unsure as to whether you fall under these categories, please rest assured…  neither do we!  

Unfortunately direction and specific information has not yet been made available from the Manitoba government, despite the fact that the code red comes into effect for the entire province as of tomorrow.  

Essential Services ... ? 

 

According to the initial State of Emergency, issued 7 months ago in March 2020, our business may fall under one of essential services that:

"73. A business that provides for the health and well-being of animals, including farms, boarding kennels, stables, animal shelters, zoos, aquariums, research facilities and other service providers."  

However, the SOE was last updated October 13, 2020.  When we visited the Manitoba Government website the latest bulletin was posted November 9, 2020.  We don't yet know if changes will be made to the SOE Order tomorrow (November 12, 2020) when the expanded code red comes into effect, and we don't quite know what the government's definition of "well being" covers.

For Pawsitive Pet Care, an animal's well-being includes proper socialization and exercise, as well as the basic necessities such as food and water.  Our government has thus far not provided any information beyond what is listed above, so we will have to use our best judgement until we receive clarification, putting the health and well-being of our staff, clients, and their pets as our first priorities.  

Our best understanding at this time is the following: 

• If a client is able to work from home, then we are not considered essential if someone in the household is able to provide the necessary care for your pet(s).  

• If a client has a disability or injury that prevents them from being able to provide this care, or if a client is an essential service worker and must continue to work, then we are able to continue providing care. 

As such, our current services available are: 

• Dog walking and pet care visits only for essential service workers or clients physically unable to provide these necessities for their pet(s) at this time.

• Boarding or pet sitting for essential service workers only, and only if the client is away from home for an extended period to perform work related to those essential services.

• Doggy daycare will not be available during Code Red.

• Training services will be by virtual consult only.  

Thank you for your support and patience as we work hard to balance consideration for the health and well-being of our staff, clients, and their pets.  We also must follow the provincial mandates to the best of our ability, and be responsible citizens and community members, as well as working hard to provide exceptional and safe services for our clients who need us.

Please visit our website or contact us for more information.  

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About Pawsitive Pet Care

Pawsitive Pet Care is a Professional Pet Care business that has been serving Manitoba since 2010.  

Teaching Your Dog to Look At You on Cue

Building Attention: "Watch Me"

Goal:  Build  your  dog’s  focus  and  attention  on  you  by teaching  him  to  make  eye  contact  on  cue.

Step 1:  Place a treat in your hand and close your hand around the treat.  Your dog may sniff, lick, paw, and may even gently nibble at your hand.  Don’t move your hand away or say anything, just wait until he stops, even for just a second.  When he leaves your hand alone momentarily, click and give him the treat.  If you don’t use a clicker, you can use a verbal marker, such as “yes”.  Make sure it is a clear, crisp word that you will use consistently to mark when your dog has done the behaviour you were looking for.  


Do this a number of times in various locations until he stops licking or nosing at your hand altogether.  

Step 2:  Once he’s really good at leaving the treat with a closed hand, expect him to do so for a little bit longer (a full second, two seconds, and so on) before clicking and giving him the treat.

Step 3:  When your dog can leave the treat for at least two seconds, repeat step one, but this time do not click until your dog gives you a flicker of eye contact.  Timing is important here: as soon as you see his eyes meet yours, click and give him the treat.

Important to note:  Some dogs (especially shy ones) find eye contact intimidating, so do not expect extended eye contact.  Even if your dog's eyes just flicker toward your face and away, click that and reward it.  The goal is to increase your dog's attention on you (and away from a trigger), and to put it on cue, the goal is not a staring contest with your dog 😉

Step 4:  Once your dog is catching on to step 3, expect slightly longer eye contact before you click and give him the treat.  Count seconds in your head, and each time wait for eye contact for one second longer before clicking & treating.  Again, only slightly longer, and only if your dog appears comfortable with this prospect.  Don't push if your dog seems shy or uncomfortable about the eye contact.  

Step 5:  When you are satisfied with steps one through four, add a cue, such as “watch me”.  Hold your hand out with the treat in a closed fist and say “watch me” or “look” or whatever cue you would like to use to ask for eye contact.  When your dog gives you eye contact, click and treat, repeating step 4 but incorporating a verbal cue.

Step 6:  Fade out the treat in a closed hand.  Once your dog is very good at step five, hold the treat somewhere else (behind your back, out to the side, in your pocket) and ask for eye contact using your consistent cue.  

Tip:  If your dog doesn't look at you when you say your cue, do not repeat the cue.  Wait a beat to see if your dog just needs a moment to process.  If your dog does not seem to understand the cue, go back a step and practice the behaviour more before adding the cue.  

When your dog gives you eye contact, click and treat, as before starting out with a flicker and each time expecting slightly longer.

Practice this all around the house, in the backyard, under zero or low distractions. 

When your dog is a pro at “watch me” in your yard, move it to the streets and try it on a walk when there is no one around.  If you practice this, giving your dog a delicious treat each time, he will learn to pay attention to you and ignore distractions in the environment when you want him to (i.e. passing other dogs on the street).  

Remember that he needs practice doing this (and we humans need practice at our timing as well!), so be patient and realistic when moving from low distractions to medium and high distractions.  Go at his pace and set yourselves up for success.

About The Author

Jillian is a fear-free certified and CPDT-KA certified animal behaviour specialist and has been working in the animal care and behaviour field since 2009.

CELEBRATING OUR TENTH ANNIVERSARY!

Tenth Anniversary Special! 

All half-hour weekday dog walks will be 25% off from June 15 to June 30 in celebration of our ten year anniversary!

Visit our website to learn more.  

Thank you to our wonderful clients and staff 💛

CELEBRATING OUR TENTH ANNIVERSARY!

Pawsitive Pet Care has been providing professional pet care services including dog training, dog walking, and pet sitting in Winnipeg and Headingley for more than 10 years.

Our pet care business was founded June 18, 2010, originally named Sturgeon Park Dog Care, a dog walking service in the Crestview and St. James neighbourhoods of Winnipeg.  

We very quickly grew into a full-time operation, and when Jillian went on maternity leave in 2012, we began hiring staff to continue providing excellent care to our clientele.  

When Jillian returned from mat leave in Fall 2013, we expanded our service area and our service offerings, outgrowing our original name to become Pawsitive Pet Care.

We are very proud and excited to celebrate our 10th anniversary of providing premium pet care services in Cartier and Winnipeg Manitoba.  

A huge thank you to all of the amazing staff and clients who have helped us become who we are today!

To learn more about us, please visit us on Facebook.  

About The Author

Jillian Enright is the founder of Pawsitive Pet Care and a fear-free certified and CPDT-KA certified animal behaviour specialist.  Jillian has been working in the animal care and behaviour field since 2009.  

Slowly Returning to our New "Normal"

Slowly Returning to our New "Normal"

Returning to work soon and needing professional pet care? We can help!  

*We have ONLY been providing services to essential workers for the month of April and have always maintained social distancing protocols.

*We continue to wash our hands before and after every visit, as always, per our disease prevention policy.

*We are only returning to dog walking and pet sitting on a gradual basis for people whose workplaces are beginning to re-open.

*Our staff work independently and only visit family pets, so it is very easy for us to maintain social distancing and minimize any risk.

*Our first priority is the health and safety of our clients, their pets, our staff, and our community.

Please visit our website for Covid-19 related service updates.

Pawsitive Pet Care has been serving Manitoba since 2010, we will be celebrating 10 years of caring for pets on June 18, 2020!

Celebrating Our Tenth Anniversary! 

Pawsitive Pet Care was founded June 18, 2010,  originally named Sturgeon Park Dog Care, a dog walking service in Crestview and St. James Winnipeg.  

We quickly grew into a full-time operation, and when Jillian went on maternity leave in 2012, we began hiring staff to continue providing excellent care to our clientele.  

When Jillian returned from mat leave in Fall 2013, we expanded our service area and our service offerings, outgrowing our name to become Pawsitive Pet Care.

In March 2017 we moved out to our current rural location, in the R.M. of Cartier, and expanded our service area and staff team even further.  

We've been so lucky and are so grateful to have such amazing clients, and to meet amazing pets, thank you all for your ongoing support and for allowing us to do what we love.

 Visit us on Facebook

Pawsitive Pet Care COVID-19 Updates

Pawsitive Pet Care COVID-19 Updates

Updates will be posted regularly on our website and on our Facebook page.  

April 29, 2020

On Monday, May 4 Manitoba will begin Phase One of restoring non-essential services to our province.  Details on this plan can be found on the Manitoba.ca website.  


If you will be returning to work and would like to resume pet care services, please contact us through our Facebook page at or email Jillian.

Please note that while schools are closed, Jillian will still need to be home with her son, but our caring and qualified staff team will be available for pet sitting and dog walking services and Jillian will be available by email and for virtual consultations by appointment.

As always, we will continue to observe social distancing requirements and will wash hands before and after every visit, per our disease prevention policy.  

We cannot wait to return to some semblance of normal and see our furry friends again, we've missed them so much! 

Facebook.com/PawsPetMB

Please refer to manitoba.ca/covid19/updates/index.html for all the latest information directly from the Province of Manitoba.  

April 17, 2020

Updated Orders have been posted on the Government of Manitoba's State of Emergency web page. 

With regards to essential services, the section impacting Pet Care has remained unchanged.  We can continue to provide pet care services to essential workers, or to those for whom we are an essential service.  This includes anyone listed under the updated order 67(3) of the Public Health Act and our clients who cannot care for their pets due to disability or injury.  

April 13, 2020

Manitoba has extended public health orders shutting down non-essential businesses and limiting public gatherings for an additional two weeks, to be re-evaluated on April 28, 2020.  

To read the Order from Manitoba's Public Health officer, please visit  www.gov.mb.ca/asset_library/en/proactive/2019_2020/orders-soe-03302020.pdf

To comply with this order, and to keep our community, our clients, and our staff safe, we will only be providing pet care services to essential workers, or to those for whom we are an essential service.  This includes anyone listed under order 67(3) of the Public Health Act and our clients who cannot care for their pets due to disability or injury.  

If you have questions or concerns, please contact Jillian.  Please be advised that, due to school closures, Jillian is currently homeschooling her child and may not be readily available by email or phone.  We thank you for your understanding and patience during this challenging time . 

If you do not currently require pet care services, but are interested in our video consultations, please visit www.pawsitivepooch.ca/video-consultations.html to learn more. 

April 9, 2020

According to a CBC News Summary of today's press conference, both individuals and businesses can be fined for not following the social distancing mandate.  

To read the full bulletin from the Province of Manitoba, visit news.gov.mb.ca/news/index.html?item=47465

If you do not currently require pet care services, but are interested in our video consultations, please visit http://www.pawsitivepooch.ca/video-consultations.html to learn more. 

April 1, 2020

As of April 1, 2020, the province of Manitoba has restricted operation of non-critical businesses, per order 67 of the Public Health Act.  Under that order, businesses that provide for the health and well-being of animals, including boarding kennels and other service providers, are permitted to operate.  For more information on the State of Emergency and pursuant legislation, please visit the MB Government's website at https://www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/soe.html.   

That being said, our first priority is the health and safety of everyone in our community.  This includes our clients, their pets, our staff, and their families.  Our staff have the right to choose to remain at home during this challenging time and have been given the option to take a leave of absence until the state of emergency is lifted and social distancing is no longer mandated. 

Pawsitive Pet Care staff who are continuing to work will only be visiting those clients to whom we are, indeed, an essential service.  This includes clients who are unable to care for their own pets due to disability or injury, and clients who require pet care services because they themselves are essential service workers and must continue to work in order to serve, provide for, and care for our community.   As always, we will continue taking every possible precaution, including sanitizing hands before and after every visit.

To those front-line workers:  We thank you for your efforts during this difficult time and we will do whatever we can to assist.  Thank you for all your are doing and have done.  

To our staff:  Thank you for caring for the pets of our front-line workers, we will do whatever way we can contribute to the fight against Covid-19, and however we can provide peace of mind to our front-line workers.  

To our clients:  Thank you for your words of support and for your kindness.  We very much look forward to seeing our furry friends again as soon as possible.  We miss them, we miss our daily routines, and we value your business.  Most of all, we value the relationships we have developed over the past 10 years, with our clients and especially with the loveable animals we see every day.  

To our larger community:  This will pass.  It is a challenging time, but please continue to practice social distancing, follow the advice of our medical experts, and take care of yourselves and each other.  We look forward to seeing you when we are out and about walking dogs and visiting pets.  Be well.

Sincerely,

Jillian and the Pawsitive Pet Care Team

As we know, this is an ever-changing and evolving situation.  Please check back often for updates.  We will be monitoring manitoba.ca/covid19/updates/index.html for daily information and will post any changes on our website and Facebook page.  

**Don’t forget to visit www.pawsitivepooch.ca/you-can-help.html to find out how YOU can help! 

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YOU CAN HELP (Covid-19 in Manitoba)

Please take care, stay safe, and STAY HOME to help Flatten The Curve.

Please practice social distancing so that small businesses like ours can get back up and running as quickly as possible.  During this time many businesses, like ours, are essentially shut down.  The longer we need to practice social distancing, the greater the harm to our economy.  This is especially true for small businesses and their employees who rely on the jobs they create.

Thank you for doing your part.  Be well.

From your friends & pet-caregivers at Pawsitive Pet Care

In the mean time, we are offering a special on video consultations for as long as social distancing requirements are in place.  

We want to get back to doing what we love and what we do best!

Can you Help?  (Covid-19 in Manitoba)

Image from the MB Health Website

I was listening to the latest Covid-19 press conference update and Minister Friesen provided a list of products and services needed in our province to help in the fight against the novel Coronavirus.  

To my surprise, one of the services needed is pet care, so of course we signed up immediately!  Perhaps front line workers will need people to care for their pets while they are caring for our humans. 

If you go to https://forms.gov.mb.ca/GoMCovid19 you can see a list of products followed by a list of services currently needed in Manitoba.  If you, or anyone you know, can help with anything on this list, please encourage them to go to this link and fill in the relevant information.  

If we can all help in our own way, we can come together as a community to flatten the curve and do our part.  

Please STAY HOME and help to Flatten The Curve.
Take care and be well.

Jillian Enright, CPDT-KA 

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