It's honestly time to do away with the stereotype of dog prams being a cutesy accessory for crazy dog people.
I have never seen a dog in a stroller for aesthetic reasons only, apart from maybe in Japan where there's a whole other thing going on with dogs (it means they make the best dog strollers though!)
Most people are wonderful seeing us out, but we still get comments like 'he's got the life' or 'who's walking who'. His stroller is a mobility aid, like a wheelchair, imagine saying that to someone who needs a chair if they have to go long distances. I know people aren't thinking but that's why I'm making this post.
When duke is in his pram, usually at the front of my mind is the fact that his quality and length of life are both limited by pain and I don't know how long I'll have left with him. So I don't need Gary or Susan insinuating that he's being babied.
The pram has been used to various degrees over the years, ever since his first cruciate surgery over 5 years ago. It not only helps him but it helps me. Duke starts a walk ok but often gets sore before making it home. 8.6kg is quite a lot to carry 500m + home, especially with me also suffering chronic pain and chronic fatigue.
It also means I can meet both of our needs; his for a stroll and sniff, and then my need for exercise.
The pram is also like a portable crate that helps keep him safe while camping or while I take a swim and allows us to do more together.
We need to change the perception of doggy strollers and empower more people to use these aids for their senior or disabled pups to provide quality of life and comfort for both pup and human.
#CAM #caninearthritismanagement #caninearthritisawareness #seniordog #dogsofinstagram #dogtraining #lovedogs #cutedogs #whitefluffydog #dogbehaviour #dogtrainer #positivereinforcementtraining #forcefreedogtraining
May be a bit boring to the non trainers out there!
Been working on Otto bringing toy to me.
It’s easier for him if I’m sitting down but I also need to use a bit of the toy play to build up that desire (carefully though as his arousal peaks pretty quickly with toys).
So I start marking him orienting to me with the toy then small increments of movement.
And a nice one at the end when I’m sitting but he doesn’t go get his food as he knows I’m going to throw the toy (I had been throwing it while he was eating then he would bring it to me)
Introducing and integrating dogs can so easily go wrong in the early stages and once that happens, you will struggle to undo the damage. In this case my brothers dog and my dog were not able to be around each other- Duke is a mature reactive/selective man in pain and Piper was a young, highly energetic breed with some chasing/herding urges.
By taking it super slow and controlling the narrative we’ve now reached a stage of them being in the same areas a lot and mostly ignoring each other!
Introducing a puppy is also a time when things can easily go badly and the more distance and choices you provide the existing dog, the better chance you have of success.
It does not always work and we see those sad cases of puppy or senior dog getting rehomed 😢
Consulting a trainer BEFORE you add a new dog is so valuable to the long term success
Biggy has a peaceful quiet life on the farm. So things like a car coming past and humans moving around are pretty exciting, a big deal, and maybe a bit concerning 😳 we can imagine Biggy might not know how to feel about it,
So, we teach,
Teach to look calmly
Teach positive associations (yum treatos)
Teach to look away from the thing, to human.
If we think about how a calm confident dog might respond, they would probably gather info by watching and sniffing, very possibly alert bark a little, but be able to respond to humans and be called away,
That’s a nice goal to work towards that Biggy can be interested but be able to relax again quickly and move away if asked. While doing this we also build his confidence and positive feelings so that he is comfortable and calm in a variety of scenarios
I know 100% that it is difficult to always be organised enough and always have enough energy to have treats ready to go on walks, or to prepare treats before going. so I thought I’d share this little handy reinforcer idea that you can just have in the cupboard. All you have to do is cut the corner off and you are ready to go.
That way you can ensure that you are maintaining reinforcement of the behaviours that you want to see more of on your walk.
A few reinforcers that Nugget enjoys. Does your dog enjoy any (or all) of these?
Why would I be working on disengaging, in a dog who is pretty socially appropriate? Sometimes it’s just not a good time to be playing! Also, his family recognise that not all dogs want to play, or are good play partners and Nugget still needs to keep his brain.
There will also be occasions when Nugget himself is not totally sure about another dog and this helps him practice moving away with his family on those occasions. This will serve him well as he matures and doesn’t always want to play.
