I really wish my dog could talk to me – or maybe it’s a good thing she doesn’t. I’d never hear the end of how she’s hungry again or how there MIGHT be someone at the door but she’s not sure. Even though she doesn’t talk, she definitely does communicate with me! All dogs communicate using their body language and as humans, we can interpret how our dogs are feeling based on the signals or dogs are giving us. Below are a few signals you may see your own dog give you or other dogs:

Circle Tail Wag or “Helicopter Tail”

This behaviour is when your dog wags their tail by rotating at the base causing the tip to draw big circles, much like a helicopter! This means your dog is super happy and is usually given when playing or when the see someone they haven’t seen in a long time!
Lip Licking and Yawning

These two behaviours can usually be seen displayed at a similar sign. Most dogs will lick their lips when there is food around, however if there isn’t food around and your dog is licking his lips, this is his way of telling everyone he is uncomfortable with his the situation. This is the same as yawning. Of course, if you’re sitting at home watching tv and your pooch yawns, hes probably just tired, but if you’re sitting in the waiting room at the vet and he yawns, it is more likely to be because he is a bit nervous. If you see either of these behaviours in your dog, have a look around and see if you can spot anything that may be making your dog uncomfortable.

Hackles Up or Piloerection

Hackles is the term for the hair that stands up from time to time on the back of our dogs from the shoulders to the base of the tail. For a long time, we thought that a dog having his Hackles Up means that he is or will be aggressive however this is not always the case. A dogs hackles are an involuntary reflex, just like we can’t control when we get goosebumps, and it just shows that your dog is in an alert state. If you see your dog with his hackles up, see if you can spot what he is interested in.

Play Bow

I love this one! Play bows are usually dispayed when dogs are trying to initiate play with each other. It is when they will drop their front legs down as if they are going to lie down, but their rears will stay in the air, usually with a tail wagging flat out! If you haven’t seen a play bow, check out our CCC Logo, that’s what a play bow looks like! This is usually seen in puppies that are trying to get another dog to play with them!

Look Away

Yip, even your dog looking away is a signal! This usually means that they are uncomfortable with the situation and by looking away, they are trying to ignore it. For example, when our dogs think they are in trouble, the will not make eye contact with us, they will usually move away and look away from us. This is them saying “Please, I don’t want any trouble!” but as humans, we sometimes interpret this as guilt.

Fun fact: No studies have confirmed that dogs have the mental or emotional capacity to feel guilt. So for example, you come home and find your favourite shoes torn up on the floor and you know who did it – “FIDO!” You find Fido sitting in a corner and won’t look at you. To humans, this seems super guilty, but to Fido, he is just trying to stay out of your way so he doesn’t get punished while you’re angry. He is reacting to your behaviour now, rather than feeling guilty for what he did hours ago.

For dog body language, this is just the tip of the ice berg! There are so many other parts of the body to look at for signals but these few are some great ones to start with! For more information on dog body language, or if you would like to discuss behaviours that your dog displays, feel free to get in contact with our knowledgeable team members at CCC!

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By Bree Collins- Assistant Manager 

Guy Fawkes is one of the most stressful times of the year for our pets. The fireworks that are enjoyed by humans can be terrifying for our pets and this can cause lots of issues for our pets, and even put them in danger. Here are our top tips for surviving Guy Fawkes with your pet:

Keep your pets inside while the fireworks are on outside

Bring your pets inside before the fireworks start and create a calm place for them to spend the evening while we enjoy the fireworks outside. It is best to set up a quiet area with their familiar belongings such as their bed or crate, their toys and some water. It is an animals immediate instinct to hide during scary situations so giving them a small area to hang out in can help them calm down.

Play calming music or turn the tv on to distract from loud bangs outside.

Making your home as calm as possible will help your pet get through a stressful time. Playing calming music or leaving the TV on can be a fantastic distraction from the fireworks outside. Youtube and Spotify have some great free videos containing calming music for dogs, or alternatively, you could purchase the Through A Dog’s Ear CD which is a collection of classical music pieces that have been clinically proven to assist with anxiety issues in dogs. It is a we use here at the CCC day care centre to help our day care dogs calm down during nap times and we love it!

Shut curtains, shades and blinds.

We love the pretty flashes of lights from fireworks, but these lights can leave our dogs worried and anxious. We can minimise this part of the stressful situation by shutting curtains, shades and blinds so our pets can not see the lights. Shutting these can also help to muffle the sounds of the fireworks outside.

Lock all doors and windows

As well as muffling the sound of the fireworks, locking our doors and windows can stop our pets from escaping the house. Every year, lots of pets go missing as they are trying to escape the fireworks so it is important that we keep them safe and in one place while the fireworks are going. When our pets are scared, they can do things that we wouldn’t normally see them do, such as jump a 6 foot fence, or break out of a crate. The best way to stop them from escaping your property is making sure they stay inside. Remember to shut any dog or cat doors too!

Make sure your dogs details are up to date

Both on the microchip database, their registration and if they wear a tag, make sure this is up to date too. In the event of your pooch escaping the house, it is important that whoever picks them up can trace them back to you. To change the address that your dog lives at, use this link here.

https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/dogs-animals/change-your-dogs-details/Pages/change-dog-address.aspx

If you need to change your pet’s microchip details in the NZ Companion Animal Register:

https://animalregister.co.nz/userupdate.aspx

If you have recently changed your phone number, make sure you change your contact details on your pets registration and microchip. Remember to get them a new ID tag to increase the chances of your dog being returned to you.

Use anti-stress aids to your advantage

There are lots of great anti-stress aids out there! We recommend:

• Adaptil:  this is a wonderful product that uses a synthetic pheromone that mimics the pheromone mother dogs emit after giving birth to help their puppies feel calm and secure. Dogs of all ages recognize this pheromone throughout life. It comes in a couple of different forms but the most popular products are the adaptil collars and the spray. The spray can be sprayed on a bandana worn on your pooches neck, or can be sprayed on their favourite blanket or pillow.
• Thundershirts:  these are vests that are wrapped around your pooch to create a constant, even pressure that gives the same effect as swaddling a baby. This secure feeling can help pooches feel safer in stressful situations.

Tire your pooch out!

A tired dog will have more of a chance of sleeping through the fireworks than a dog that has a lot of energy! Take them for a massive walk or a swim, and remember to use some fun mind games like puzzles and ‘find the treat’ to make sure your dog is mentally as well as physically worked out for the day.

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Rhiannon Taylor (Owner of Complete Canine Care Ltd)

Doggie day care, adventure walks, home visits and solo walks are just a few examples of the services we can enlist to care for our dogs while we are busy at work. With such a fast growing industry, that has new services popping up almost every other week, how does a dog owner choose which service is best suited to their pooch?

It is important to note that the New Zealand pet care industry is unregulated. Any Tom Dick or Harry can pick up a dog lead, give out some flyers and call themselves a dog walker the same goes for dog day care centres. If you have the funds, anyone can lease or purchase a building and start offering a day care service.

How do you sort through all of the businesses to find not only which type of service is best suited to your dog but also which service is run by trained and qualified professionals who follow local bylaws and the dog control act along with having appropriate policies, procedures and insurance in place?

Let’s start with dog day care. A dog day care is a facility where a dog is dropped off for the day. Dogs are placed in play groups with other dogs. It is much like a child’s day care but for dogs. This can be in an industrial unit, someone’s back yard or at a more rural farm like location.

Dog day care centres are best suited to dogs who:

• Enjoying being around a large number of other dogs

• Who already have good social skills or who are puppies and are learning important social skills

• Have good general manners

• Are non-aggressive to both people and other dogs

Dog day care centres are not suited to dogs who:

• Are aggressive to people or other dogs • Are overly anxious or fearful

• Who have little training and manners

• Who are overly vocal

• Who are quite reactive

Questions to ask when enrolling at a dog day care centre:

• What is your staff to dog ratio and is there always a team member in with the dogs? Ideally centres should have a maximum ratio of 1 staff member per 15 dogs, even better is 1:10 and play groups should be continuously monitored. Monitoring should take place by having a person in the each play group, having a person monitoring cameras which watch the dogs is not sufficient.

• What qualifications and training does the staff have? Staff should hold qualifications in an animal related field. While “loving dogs” is important, simply loving dogs doesn’t qualify a person to understand and effectively read canine body language. Staff should be trained in pet first aid.

• Does the centre separate the dogs into small and large? While seeing a Chihuahua next to a Great Dane can make a cute photo, it is far from safe. Small dogs should have a separate play area away from the big dogs to avoid any risk of predatory drift. Predatory drift is when something during normal play triggers the larger dog to “drift” into predation. This is dangerous as it can cause a larger dog to see a smaller dog as prey which can lead to fatal consequences.

Other good questions to ask are: What is their enrolment process? Are they insured? What is their bite policy? Do they suspend/expel dogs who are not suitable? Is any onsite training provided?

Adventure Group Walks

Known by a number of names (adventure walks, discovery walks, group socialization walks). These walks involve a dog walker picking your dog up from home taking it out with a number of other dogs to a dog park, beach or forest usually for 1-2 hours and then dropping the dog home. As the walker is picking up and dropping home a number of dogs you pet often is away from home for 3-4 hours when transport time is included. Adventure walks are best suited to dogs who:

• Enjoy the great outdoors

• Have some social skills and are comfortable around other dogs

• Have good off leash manners • Are non-aggressive to both people and other dogs

• Good for dogs with a bit of anxiety get over their fears. Small sized walking groups 4-7 is best for working on such behavioural concerns

Adventure walks are not suited to dogs who:

• Are aggressive to people or other dogs

• Have major health issues such as extreme arthritis or dysplasia. The walks often take place on difficult terrain and can be quite lengthy so an on lead or shorter walk is better suited to these dogs

• Have no recall

• Have poor off leash manners e.g. jump on passers-by, poor dog-dog greeting style

Questions to ask when enrolling for adventure walks:

• How large are your walking groups? The DogTec Dog Walking Academy recommend 6 dogs per group as an ideal number. Large groups 8+ are a health and safety risk

• What qualifications and training does the walker have? Many people will pick up a leash and call themselves a dog walker. When choosing a professional to walk your pet make sure they have a background and training in the pet industry

• Does the walker have staff? Best to opt for a business that has more than one walker. This provides insurance that when the walker is sick or away there is still someone available to walk you dog

• What is the walkers screening policy? Do they just take any dog into their groups or do they select which dogs fit together well to ensure there is good group dynamics

• What equipment and training do they use? Choke chains, slip lead, prong collars and e-collars are out dated and should not be used by dog care professionals. Opt for walkers who choose positive training and management methods. Head haltis and front attachment harnesses are much more humane tools for managing dogs who pull on lead.

Other questions to ask: are they insured? Are they trained in pet first aid? Do they following council bylaws in regards to access to off leash areas?

Solo dog walks

These walks involve a dog walker coming to your home and picking up your dog. Your dog is then walked either by itself or with one other dog. These walks are on or off leash depending on what has been agreed upon with the owner.

Solo walks are good for dogs who:

• Have dog-dog issues

• Have additional needs and training requirements as this service allows optimum one on one attention

Solo walks are fine for almost any dog provided the walker is aware of the dog’s individual requirements and needs. Solo walks are generally less exercise intensive as group walks or day care so can be a good options for dogs with exercise restrictions.

Whichever service you choose to use for your dog, the carer/s should be trained and experienced in reading canine body language and should follow a code of ethics fitting with the current, scientifically proven, positive approach to canine training and management. Most importantly they should be transparent, open and honest and care more about the welfare of your dog than the money in their pocket.

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gosh it has been a while since my last post…SORRY!

We now have some lovely new team members.

Our interns Kirsten, Gemma and Sydney are now our casual part timers. All three are studying Animal Management and we found them to be a real asset to our team while completing their work expereince hours. We couldn’t bare to lose them so we hired them to join our team.

Bree will be starting with us this week as our new full time trainee. She will be taking over Nichole in the new year. She holds a diploma in vet nursing and we can’t wait for her to start with us

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Complete Canine Care Internship

Become part of the Complete Canine Care team and gain knowledge and experience in the dog day care industry. The internship includes basic cleaning, canine handling, customer interactions, taking bookings, sales, phone manner, using our computer system, pet first aid training and more.

If you are currently studying any of the animal management courses at Unitec or equivalent an internship at Complete Canine Care is a great way to complete your required work hours while gaining insight into the animal care industry.

We have limited vacancies throughout the year. There is a six months and nine month option varying from five to eight hours per week.

If you are interested in becoming an intern please email [email protected] reference: Internship.

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We are very excited to announce that our online store is now up and running.

We are selling quality pet care products at reasonable prices. No high retail store mark ups. Check out the “Shop” tab at the top of the page to see what we have to offer.

All items can also be purchased in store at our dog day care facility

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We had another great class on Saturday with 9 loving, caring and responsible pet owners and pet care professionals.

If you would like to know more about our classes visit pettech.net.nz, pettech.net.au or pettech.net

You can also find us on facebook! Just search Pet Tech NZ

We want our dog day care to provide excellent care for all of our four legged clients which is why all of our staff are pet first aid trained

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