http://www.constructivecanines.co.nz/blog/ The latest Blog feeds from www.constructivecanines.co.nz en-us Wed, 06 May 2026 10:31:58 +1200 Rocketspark http://www.constructivecanines.co.nz/blog/post/124276/aim-for-co-existing-rather-than-being-besties/ When we have dogs and children in our homes we sometimes aim for too much with their relationship. We want them to be best friends, we want them to do everything together.We expect too much.We expect our dog to know how to act around a tiny human, we expect them to understand that their shrieks and cries aren't anything to worry about, we expect them to understand what are human toys and what are dog toys.We expect children to know to use gentle hands around dogs, we expect them to leave a dog t... Mon, 12 Feb 2024 23:35:48 +1300 http://www.constructivecanines.co.nz/blog/#post124276 http://www.constructivecanines.co.nz/blog/post/91981/calmness-is-key/ Taking your dog out for fun and adventures is important, but just as important is teaching your dog to relax and be calm whilst out and about. Can your stop and enjoy being in an environment? Or do they have to be constantly on the move, being hypervigilant about what is going on around them? Calmness is one of the most important things you can teach a dog. Having the ability to enter a new environment, explore it (we don't want to stop that!), then calm down, is essential. It stops a lot of unw... Tue, 04 Oct 2022 13:10:39 +1300 http://www.constructivecanines.co.nz/blog/#post91981 http://www.constructivecanines.co.nz/blog/post/82237/the-arousal-bucket/ ... Wed, 27 Apr 2022 16:25:36 +1200 http://www.constructivecanines.co.nz/blog/#post82237 http://www.constructivecanines.co.nz/blog/post/68244/stop-behaving-like-a-toddler/ As many of your will know, I have an 18 month old daughter.She is going through the ‘no’ stage. It feels like her answer to so much is ‘no, no, no’ It’s can be seriously frustrating!! No, you don’t want to have water?No, you don’t want a drink at all?No, you don’t want that cup?No, because you need a straw?Honestly sometimes it’s working through 20 questions to guess what it is she doesn’t want. Now, I know that the reason she’s doing it is to do with her knowing she doesn... Wed, 07 Jul 2021 11:34:09 +1200 http://www.constructivecanines.co.nz/blog/#post68244 http://www.constructivecanines.co.nz/blog/post/64757/why-is-rest-important-for-your-dog/ Dogs should be resting 12-14 hours a day. Puppies, seniors and unwell dogs need more! Just like us dogs can get cranky if they are not getting enough rest!Signs your dog is not getting enough rest:Unwanted and unpredictable behavioursLower tolerance and increased irritabilityIllness and itchiness How to encourage your dog to rest: Comfy places to sleepMinimal disturbances in a quiet and peaceful areaCalm chewing and lickingTeach them a calming behaviour such as boundary or crate workNatural reme... Tue, 20 Apr 2021 20:22:11 +1200 http://www.constructivecanines.co.nz/blog/#post64757 http://www.constructivecanines.co.nz/blog/post/58361/train-for-the-situation-rather-than-in-the-situation/ This is one of the most important concepts in training. Aim to get yourself and your dog prepped with the skills you will need out in the real world, by practising them at home or in a controlled training environment first. If you were a rugby player, you wouldn’t just be thrown out on the pitch as an All Black. You would have to attend lots and lots of practice sessions first to develop your skills. You would practice so much that those skills become like second nature to you.If you were a pl... Thu, 08 Oct 2020 23:03:50 +1300 http://www.constructivecanines.co.nz/blog/#post58361 http://www.constructivecanines.co.nz/blog/post/54515/Getting-Ready-For-Baby/ I’ll be honest, I was meant to write this and have it up before Chloe arrived, her due date was 21st January.  I was finishing for the year on 21st December, giving myself a full month to get things organised and write this. BUT little miss decided to arrive on Christmas Eve instead, best Christmas present ever!! So now I’m catching up and writing down how I prepared my dogs for Chloe’s arrival. The key thing for me was that I wanted the dogs to be used to as much as possible, before ... Tue, 23 Jun 2020 22:13:59 +1200 http://www.constructivecanines.co.nz/blog/#post54515 http://www.constructivecanines.co.nz/blog/post/42453/What-would-happen-if-you-just-stopped-walking/ You’re out walking your dog and they’re off leash, if you were to just stop walking, stand still where you were, no prompting, no nagging, no calling your dog back to you, what would happen? Have you ever tried it? Where would your dog be?Very quickly this is where my dogs would be: ... Mon, 08 Jul 2019 17:00:18 +1200 http://www.constructivecanines.co.nz/blog/#post42453 http://www.constructivecanines.co.nz/blog/post/40392/Canine-Enrichment/ Canine enrichment is the hot topic at the moment, the buzz phrase! But what is it? Simply enrichment is additions to an animal's environment with which the animal voluntarily interacts and, as a result, experiences improved physical and/or psychological health. There are so many types of enrichment and all animals can enjoy it, especially dogs! Now food is the most obvious, and usually the easiest, way of introducing enrichment in to your dogs life. If you haven't already ditched the bowl, I hig... Fri, 10 May 2019 14:41:31 +1200 http://www.constructivecanines.co.nz/blog/#post40392 http://www.constructivecanines.co.nz/blog/post/40385/Wedding/ On 4th January 2019 I got married!! The most incredible day marrying the most incredible guy!... Mon, 04 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.constructivecanines.co.nz/blog/#post40385