GM News - June 2021

Back on the COVID-19 Rollercoaster

This edition is geared to helping you and your dog get through the lockdown safely
- DIY food 'toy'
- food 'toy's to buy with a discount
- enjoying the abnormally crowded dog park
- pet trivia to take your mind off lockdown
- things to do to improve wellbeing

Plus, price increases.

Wishing you good physical and mental health,
Amanda, Rodna, David & Ruth
Gentle Modern School of Dog Training

After five years, GMSDT-Melbourne is increasing lesson fees from 1 JULY 2021.

Parklands in Heidelberg or another mutually agreed venue:

Single sessions can be booked for $70. Second and subsequent lessons will be $65
Three lessons, booked together - $190
Four lessons (recommended for training two dogs from the same household), booked together - $240

In your home (availability of home-based lessons dependent on your location and COVID-19 Conditions)
Each home-based lesson - $100

Looking for a tune-up and keen to beat the price increase? Book before 1 July (the lesson/s can take place after 1 July)
Call Amanda on 0418 371 060

Fees for Zoom/Facetime consultations and lessons remain unchanged:
Consultation via Zoom or Facetime - 40-minute session can be booked for $35.
Lessons via Zoom:

Three 40 minute lessons. Cost: $150.
Single sessions can be booked for $50.

Does your dog enjoy the odd bit of apple?

Core a granny smith apple and paste some peanut butter into the hole left - like a stuffed KONG but 100% edible!

You could also smear stewed apple on a LickiMat. Remember LickiMat have given us a 20% discount code for your use until the end of July. The code is GENTLEMODERNSCHOOL

Off-lead time

During Lockdown it seems everybody takes their dogs out multiple times a day and/or tries out different off-lead locations - good for the dogs but off-lead spaces can be more crowded than they normally are. Whole Dog Journal has a good article on making the off-lead experience as enjoyable as possible for everyone: 5 Tips for Avoiding Fights at the Dog Park by Jennifer Berg. I hope you'll check out the whole article - it has lots of tips, not just on aggression, but on making best use of fenced/confined spaces where dogs congregate generally.

Here's the tips in brief:
1. Ensure the park has enough space to minimise congestion
2. Assess park conditions before you head in
3. Be especially cautious in the area where most people are entering/exiting
4. Keep moving yourself and encourage your dog to move with you
5. Actively supervise your dog. This is more than keeping your dog in sight at all times. Think teacher on yard duty during school lunchtime. Read the body language of your dog and the dogs around. Be ready to act if your dog is becoming stressed or is causing stress to other dogs.

And finally, be mindful of your dog's needs and preferences; maybe the presence of unfamiliar dogs does not make for an enjoyable time for your dog.

Pet Name & Breed Trivia

Boroondara City Council recently released data on its most popular dog and cat names and breeds. It inspired me to examine our client data for this year so far.
Top 5 dog names
Charlie (we've worked with 1 Charlie so far this year)
Molly (0)
Max (0)
Coco       (we've worked with 5 Coco's so far this year)
Bella       (2 Bella's so far this year)

Top 5 cat names (for balance :-)
Bella
Coco
Milly/Millie
Lily/Lilly
Oscar/Oskar

Top 3 dog breeds
Cavoodle   (we've worked so far this year with 10)
Labrador (we've worked with 5 Labs, but 8 Labradoodles so far)
Spoodle (we've worked with 2)

Remember what they say: Happy Dog, Happy Family!

Check out 10 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Dog’s Life! by Mikkel Becker
In brief:
#1. Feed from food puzzles - dog’s mind, teeth and body occupied and happy.
#2. Have predictable routines your dog can rely upon. Specific times aren't as important as a reliable order to activities/happenings.
#3. Time to play and explore freely off leash in safely fenced areas or via the safety of a longline.
#4. Rotate your dog’s toys and chews.
#5. Reward more of the behaviours you like (such as polite waiting at the door instead of dashing through, eye contact instead of darting ahead on leash, sitting instead of jumping up, laying down by the couch instead of chewing it, quiet and closed mouth instead of barking, and so on).
#6. Respect your dog for the dog that they are.
#7. Consider walking your dog on a front-clip or multi-attachment harness.
#8. Create a Zen-like space for your dog within your home that’s filled with calming elements to help your dog to relax.
#9. Handling, grooming and health care doesn’t need to be stressful or anxiety provoking for dogs or their people. Seek professionals that provide an emotionally protective, happy experience for your pet.
#10. Check out the resources of Fear Free Happy Homes