GM News - October 2025

Top Tips, Canine Body Language, Nillumbik Pet Expo, Spring Dangers, and When Training Seems So Sloooow . . . in Edition 71.

Amanda, David, & Ruth
Gentle Modern School of Dog Training

Top Tips

Susan Garrett outlines the three pitfalls that impede dog training success in Dog Training Tips: 3 Big Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake #1: Skipping the Relationship Foundation
The relationship between you and your dog is the cornerstone of everything: build a bond with your dog based on kindness - your dog trusting that your goal is to provide positive learning and life experiences and that you'll care, support and advocate for them ("Rover doesn't want to be patted right. Maybe next time. Bye.")

Mistake #2: Chasing the “Sexy” Instead of the Fundamentals
"It is tempting to rush to the impressive-looking part. . . . that might be expecting a young dog to cope off leash in a busy park, to settle under a table at a café, resist food that falls to the floor or to stay calm when visitors arrive, all without preparation."
Build a solid foundation of skills, practice and success before you expect your dog to perform in difficult/challenging situations.

Mistake #3: Ignoring the Feedback Your Dog Is Giving You
"Dog training isn’t a one-way conversation. Your dog is constantly giving you feedback about how they’re feeling, how well they understand, and if they’re enjoying the process.
Some common forms of feedback include:
Sniffing or checking out → “I’m stressed or confused.”
Jumping on you or nipping → “I don’t understand what you want.”
Spinning, zoomies, or grabbing things at random → “I’m overwhelmed.”
Visiting people or leaving work altogether → “This isn’t fun for me right now.”
Refusing or hesitating on equipment → “I might be sore, scared, or unsure.”"

Body Language

Stephie Guy of the Calmer Canines Academy suggests the following process to developing your canine body language reading skills in Learning to Speak Doglish
Step One: Start with the silhouette
Look at a digital photo that you've removed the detail from so that you're clearly seeing just the stance and body part positioning.

Step Two: Add in the finer details
Put the detail back so that you can now see the facial expression and the way the coat appears.

Step Three: Put it into context
Zoom out so you can see what's around the dog. For example, your dog might be on their back

which could be submissive/anxious if an intimidating dog is coming into frame, or
it might be playful if a puppy playmate is coming into frame, or
your dog might be inviting a tummy scratch if a favourite human is approaching.

"The key to learning Doglish is simple. Describe what you see, then add the details, and only after that decide what it might mean. With practice, you will start to notice signals in your dog that you may have missed before - and that is the first step to truly speaking their language." Stephie Guy

Nillumbik Pet Expo 2025

10:00 AM to 04:00 PM
Sunday 19 October 2025
Marngrook Oval
28 Main Hurstbridge Road, Diamond Creek

All the activities are FREE including:

Cuddling cute little livestock animals at the animal farm
Reptile education
Vision Australia puppy performance
Face painting
Bubble play
Plaster painting at Community Safety
Dog agility activity
Educational talks for cats and barking dogs
Check out pets for adoption

Competitions to win awesome prizes provided by Pet Barn

Best Trick
Best Dressed
Best owner/lookalike
Smallest Pet
Biggest Pet

Retailers and Food Vendors (e.g. Ice cream, BBQ, Kebabs, Twisted potatoes and Coffee)

Please reach out to Nillumbik Shire for accessibility requirements (phone 9433 3111). The grounds are flat, areas are open, we have quiet spaces, and our team is here to support everyone.

The Community Safety Team are offering FREE first-time pet registration and giving away cool goodie bags.

Spring - Beware of Grass Seeds

Some plants, such as Foxtail Grass, have barbed seeds that can lodge in paws, ears, eyes, nose, and sometimes work their way right inside the body. The Dangers, Signs to Watch out for, How to Avoid by Petzyo

Trainer Harriet Alexander has written a great article, Stuck in the Middle, on how to survive that period when you feel like your training on behavioural issues feels like a grind or feels like it isn't progressing.