Christmas Hoopers week to finish off the year where we ran courses of Baubles and Christmas trees (as seen in video with my level 2 class) as well as smaller baubles and candy canes for my beginners class. Lots of running and laughs, lots of bloopers but most of all lots of fun! If this looks like something you and your dog may enjoy we are starting new classes next Feb. Merry Christmas everyone!
Check out Tobis progress! Tobi is a very strong boisterous and determined young man. He used to pull to anything and everything he wanted but now clearly understands how to walk at heel. He has moments of freedom and moments of walking like this. This video starts with me walking him (ecollar was not used to train heelwork)...note my changes in speed and how Tobi pays attention to them... a little thing I do when advancing the heel. Also note how lovely he is walking for his owner. Its usually quite easy and quick for me to change a dogs walking style but if the owner cant also get the same result theres no use in it. Tobi is still a work in progress, adding distractions and working on him staying calm near other dogs but hes making lovely progress. Well done team Tobi!!
Some dogs just want to please...like Matilda...sometimes the problem is that they have been never shown how! Are you teaching your dog what you want?
Matilda used to get super whiney in the car with anticipation and be reactive to dogs...we now walk like this on every coastal walk. Today she even met a dog on lead and was super calm (as was the other dog or I wouldnt have let her).
We used a combination of rewarding the calm and the odd necessary correction to help her make better choices to reach this outcome.
Well done Matilda, you are a pleasure to take out.
When your minime watches you train then wants to try 🥰.
Reminder: ALL DOGS ARE DIFFERENT!! . These 2 dogs are dogs I walk but technically dont train however I have informally taught them enough to make my walk easier eg. when I say heel you walk beside me. Look at how differently they both do the same thing.... Sasha (older dog brown lab x) "no worries Ill wait for you" ( does as little as possible and moves slowly) vs (Franki jack russel x) flips into heel as fast as her little legs could respond and is eager to please.
To my group clients...try to not compare your progress with others if you are doing the homework the best you can. Breed, age, and personality make such a difference and all dogs progress at different rates.
CLIENT SPOTLIGHT!! Po has been working with me for some time now in private lessons and on social Wednesdays and his owners have been working hard at home and in group classes also. Po is a friendly, sensitive but anxious dog, can be very flighty if startled but can also be very determined in certain cases so needs a special balance of lots of positive with the occasional negative. He used to run away when you went to lead him up, wouldnt stay on his bed when visitors came over, reacted massively to gardeners etc in his back garden, reacted to cars, refused to sit most times at the road, wouldnt allow anyone to touch his back legs, attacked the vacuum ....the list goes on..... this video compilation is just a couple of wins but there have been many more. You wouldnt even think he was a fearful dog (except at the start when the lead threatens to dangle in his face 🤣) and the best bit is that the owners are seeing the wins too!! Po still has off days or off moments but his overall improvement has been substantial. Well done team Po!! (PS. Sound is off because I talk way too much to dogs and sound terrible!). PPS You will see him wear an ecollar in some videos however this is just to get him used to wearing it in case we wanted to use it in future for recall but hes never had it used on him.
Sometimes training sessions dont always go to plan! 🤣 Ps. Im doing a ball on string order soon if anyone looses theirs as frequently as I do!
After a clean out long weekend and finding some agility equipment I had lost, I thought Id see how the Wednesday crew go using it... (Cookie the staffy got it in the end just not on film). Also a stay and then search game....(not suitable all dogs but these dogs are good at sharing and I supervise closely). Its interesting to see who the bright sparks are...the ones who work out that the foods on the discs and look straight for the other discs.... Kaya and Franki win that award!
What a rewarding morning! Kobe feeling relaxed enough to freely explore with Franki and a client sends me a video of her positive progress at home. Love this job! Some days are tough and make you question yourself but others are so rewarding!
Today we introduced Po to the pack. Po is a dog friendly and politely playful dog but is generally very fearful and resorts to fight rather than flight to get himself out of scary situations such as passing cars, buses, noises, some men, or anything he is unsure of etc. I spent many sessions making sure that he would be comfortable in my car, in the crate, with a couple of the dogs who need slow introductions, and it really paid off today. As you can see he fitted in perfectly, all the dogs welcomed him with open arms and he had no issues in and out of the car. He brought new life to the team today. Cant wait to have you back Po!
