Look at those loose leads!
Bonnie and Rupert see me twice a week for walk and trains, focusing on loose lead walking and reactivity, and have also completed my group class together.
When I first met them, they were rarely walked together because of how reactive they were and how much they pulled their Mum along - but we set out to change that!
Mum has worked tirelessly to improve their behaviour and I see them for regular weekly sessions and look at how far they have come!
And did I mention we were walking past another dog? So great!
Having a multi dog household can be tough, especially when you are facing behavioural issues - but itโs not impossible!
Well done Bonnie and Rupert - so proud of you and your amazing, hard working Mum!
I had an amazing session today with Ash and her mum Fei - Ash will one day be an assistance dog so there are a huge variety on things we are working on, but today it was stair manners.
We are training Ash to walk beside Mum in a heel position instead of running up or down ahead and potentially pulling Mum down with her!
We use a hand blocker to show Ash where we would like her to be, along with a โWith Meโ command. Slowly as Ash learns, we will remove the hand blocker but keep the word, so that Ash maintains position without being shown.
This was only the first time we had done this and boy she was already doing so well! You can see her thinking about what is wanted of her, and what she needs to do.
Well done smarty pants! ๐พ
Enrichment ideas for home alone dogs!
One of the biggest pieces of advice I give to my clients is your dog needs to work their brain more! Lack of mental stimulation leads to destruction, separation anxiety, reactivity, low emotional thresholds and overall unhappy pups.
This video shows you what I give to my two dogs when Iโm leaving the house for long periods - to make sure they not only are kept busy and active while Iโm out, but give them the brain work they need to be happy and fulfilled!
Need more mental stimulation advice or guidance? Send me a message!
Lovely Kaycee and Luna on their joint training session today! Look how lovely and calm they are, and how nicely they walk together! Such amazing girls ๐๐ถ
Exploring the Queanbeyan Golf Course with these two lovely sausages - what more could I ask for! ๐ฆฎ๐
Todays Day Care Group were being particularly crazy today, and energy levels were getting too high in the house. We needed to expel some mental energy before our walk, so we did some scatter feeding!
If youโve been in my classes or spoken to me for more than 4 seconds youโll know that I am a MASSIVE scatter feeding fan.
Scatter feedings is when you throw food (usually kibble) out onto a lawn or large area for dogs to go hunting for. They have to use their brain and their scent skills to find the biscuits, and even after the last piece is gone, they still search.
Itโs a fantastic activity to use some of their crazy energy!
Itโs also a great activity if your dog eats very quickly and you want to slow it down, or if you are living or staying in a new place to get them used to the smells.
I know after this scatter feed they will be much less crazy, and not as excitable on our walk which will make it much more manageable for me, and more enjoyable for them.