A very chilly but pretty morning doing our rounds, checking the goats and bringing our ducks into the yard.
PHASE 2: FREEZE TAG. Teaching pups it is more rewarding to sit than jump can be fun for everyone. Another great game from The Family Dog that also helps build your bond and recall. CHASE is a very rewarding part of a dogs 'Predatory Motor Pattern' that needs an outlet. By working with our dogs natural instincts we bring joy rather than take it away.
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN is a great game from The Family Dog that's fun to teach puppies. When kids or adults stop running, instead of jumping up, look down for a reward, which is a treat on the hand or ground if big enough to see it. It can easily get lost in the grass. Using their name as you run away helps build your recall. Have fun playing this game with any age dog.
Not only are bubbles better for marine life who might ingest deflated balloons but there are dog and cat (catnip) friendly bubbles too. Kids can have heaps of fun blowing bubbles for their pet. Autumn loved it when students blew them for her during recess.
I love seeing what people have been teaching their dogs in between our sessions! What's next Henry?
WELL DONE TEAM PIPER! All that practice has paid off. So great to see what you have achieved through positive reinforcement. Looking forward to building on these great foundations in our Teenage Class.
LEARNING TO STAY ON CUE!
Remy did a great job today waiting for the box to be placed on the ground before being released to play a game of "find" the treat. A fun way to teach self-control and add a little distraction, one small step at a time.
CREATING ENRICHING OPPORTUNITIES FOR NATURAL BEHAVIOUR! Giving my dogs the chance to express innate breed specific characteristics sometimes means letting the goats out to prune the trees so they can herd them. Usually it’s engaging with them on walks, making time for them to sniff their environment, playing games, searching for their dinner and teaching tricks to engage their mind, improve our communication skills and build cooperation. Of course l ♥️ giving them plenty of attention and chest rubs too because they are very social beings and part of our family! 🐾
ENRICHING OUTING! I hope Ivy picked up some new skills as she watched some of the best Working Sheep Dogs today. I certainly did.
WORKING SHEEP DOG TRIALS are on this weekend at Kings Park in SEYMOUR. Join Autumn and l as we watch these amazing dogs do what they do best! March 22, 23 and 24.
SOMETHING LEARNED WITH JOY WILL ALWAYS BE JOYFUL! When puppies come to "school" we want all their first and early experiences to be positive. New people, environments, dogs and animals, should predict good things. Studies show that with confidence comes optimism. Then when dogs go into new situations as adults they expect something good not bad to happen. Then we can enjoy taking them to more places. Going at their pace is key. That's why l offer puppies some individual lessons first. Learning new skills and how to focus on their human takes a lot of practice. New people and puppies can be very distracting, so it helps to introduce them in a structured way, and at a distance your puppy is comfortable. Listen to your puppy, they will show you if they need space. Then see how their confidence grows with enough time to process our busy human world, which is equivalent to a foreign country for us.
NICE ACTIVITY FOR A HOT DAY! Raven enjoyed an early morning dip, which we used to put the action of digging "on cue". Digging is a self-rewarding behaviour for dogs. Instead of trying to suppress this need, we can teach dogs where to dig instead. Fill a suitable container with water in Summer, or sand/soil/leaves in Winter. It's the perfect spot to channel their energy away from your garden. Raven played a short game of fetch with the new toy first, then we popped it in the water and encouraged her to "find it", a cue she knows from our box game. When she used her paws to get it we said our new cue "dig". Once they understand your verbal cue "dig", you can use it to redirect them away from the area you don't want landscaped and reward them with something to find buried in their "legal" digging pit!
AUTUMN IS 14 TODAY. She brings us so much joy. She spread joy to kids at school as a Therapy Dog for many years. She is a kind patient mother to Ivy. She loves life on our farm, herding ducks, goats and sheep at any opportunity. She loves swimming in our dam, sniffing on walks across the paddocks and resting in the hip-hole she dug under the olive tree near the gate where we come and go. She is a treasured member of our family, who sleeps peacefully by our bed after a gentle belly rub.
MEET PIPER! I'm enjoying getting to know Piper and seeing her new tricks each week. Tricks are a great way to build your bond and develop their focus on you. Attention is something we need to develop before we can expect them to listen out in the big wide world with all it's distractions. 'Following a hand' is a great foundation behaviour that enables us to move our dogs without physical contact or force. We can use it to teach them to move 'on' and 'off' a bed, onto high objects, into cars, onto the vet scales, out of our path and by our 'side' on walks, as well as fun tricks like "spin". Well done Piper.
DOG'S COMMUNICATE THEIR NEEDS IN DIFFERENT WAYS. We prefer some methods over others. Knowing their "tells" (signs they want to go out) can assist toilet training. You can be proactive and reward the behaviour you like or teach a new skill, like ringing a bell, then associate that with going outside.
For the video Autumn answered with an emphatic "yes you know l want to go outside". Unprompted, her "happy song" is telling me it's time to round up the ducks for bed, a favourite activity. Bless her!
SEEKING IS A CORE EMOTION. It’s all about anticipation. Neurobiology has helped us understand emotional associations with learning. Scent Games activate the seeking system that utilise a dogs dominant sense: activating their brain, building focus, confidence, perseverance, self-control and joy, as dopamine is released.
Searching for food/meals in one of a number of cardboard boxes has been great for Ivy as she recovers from surgery. A mentally stimulating activity that leaves her calm. l made it easy for her to begin and gradually increased the challenge. Start inside the house, before taking it outside. It's a fun way to satisfy a natural dog need.
“K9 Nose work” is an activity growing in popularity, that all dogs can enjoy, regardless of age or breed.
THIS GAME BUILDS YOUR RELATIONSHIP AND RECALL. Indi had fun demonstrating an adult-dog version of "Catch me if you can". Rather than chase puppies to retrieve items, running away builds value for coming to you. Instead of jumping up when you stop moving, puppies learn to look down for their reward. If you make it a fun game to come when they hear their name, you create a positive emotional response, and they are more likely to come when you need them to. You are also building a strong reinforcement history for a valuable safety skill that takes lots of practice in different places, with different distractions. Modify the game according to your capacity and your dogs. #thefamilydog
A BRIEF WINDOW FOR PUPPY'S TO EXPERIENCE NEW things with curiosity and confidence starts to close around 16 weeks of age! New things can be viewed with caution and even fear. Putting the work in early is important to shape your puppy into the relaxed, confident dog we all dream of. By gently introducing them to everything in a POSITIVE WAY and helping them LOVE those new experiences: people and animals they meet, places they go, stuff they smell, hear and touch. In a safe, structured environment your pup sets the pace with you guiding, teaching, building trust and rewarding their bravery. We recognise every pup as an individual with their own likes and dislikes, genetic makeup, formative experiences and learning before and after they entered your home.
FUN WAY KIDS CAN BE INVOLVED plus provide your dog with mental stimulation! Try different food dispensers to extend mealtimes. Great for pups who need to chew and pass the time. Build a positive association with their crate or designated area. Offer while you're having your meal or want to teach some alone time. Use to calm dogs during a thunder storm. WARNING: Size up for safety (especially as pups grow). Some are easier to clean but many can be frozen too. Get creative with combos of fruit, mashed vegetables, boiled eggs, natural yogurt, soaked kibble or meat.
