Engage Veterinary Behaviour and Training

Louis - 11.5 weeks - socialisation Socialisation - "introducing the puppy to the things he will encounter during his life, at the puppy's pace, so he grows in confidence and is not afraid of people, dogs, and other things he will encounter....different environments, strange/sudden/or loud noises, moving vehicles/bikes, different surfaces - slippery modern floors, stairs, different animals, people in different clothing...and the list goes on. I want my puppy to have positive experiences and gain in confidence quickly. Although positive associations are most easily formed early, before 12-14 weeks (sometimes less in some breeds such as the German Shepherd, and longer in sociable pet breeds)... and so I don't want to waste this precious time... I can only go as fast as Louis tells me... Although Louis is up to date with his puppy vaccination schedule, I cannot be entirely sure that he is protected from horrible and potentially deadly diseases such as parvo, because the maternal antibodies may have interfered with the early vaccinations. Thus I am taking a calculated risk of exposing Louis to the world in the safest way (not at dog parks, public parks). I feel that the benefits of increasing Louis' confidence around people at this early age when his brain is most flexible are too important. Louis was a little concerned of being in a moving trolley - though he has had lots of experience with being at heights at home - the heights didn't move at home! He quickly accustomed to it, but he was much more confident on his own 4 feet where he can control his approach to people and things. Louis LOVES children - and seeing little kids at Mitre 10 is the greatest reinforcement for him and will help him feel that it is a great place to visit. Thank you Mitre 10 Kenmore for being so helpful!!!

Louis - my 11 week groodle - Station/platform Look at his tail wag! Station/platform training is so important and so useful in so many ways. I have found so many benefits for my past dogs and for clients. I have numerous home made carpet topped coffee table size tables and now I have some smaller Cato boards. Here the platform "training" is building confidence in Louis that "he is in the driver's seat, doing stuff and getting rewarded for it". (I use my human brain to set up the situation so that Louis is choosing to do what I also want him to do!) Instead of describing all the benefits, I will link to a great post I saw from Lighten Up Dog Training recently in the comments.

Louis 8 weeks First harness fitting (verdict - too big!) This video shows me luring Louis' head through the harness neck loop and NOT reaching the head loop towards Louis and over Louis' head. We sometimes complain that the new puppy invades our space and jumps up....but then we invade their space and pick them up and reach towards them and put different things on their body... Puppies and dogs are really tolerant of us humans...and sometimes they aren't.... And we can be quite scary looming over and reaching into their personal bubble... I take things slowly when first introducing a harness (or any equipment I will add to their body) I have not shown the prior steps of teaching Louis to follow some food in the hand as a lure. And I also put the harness on the ground and let Louis sniff it first. Louis practiced following a food lure for the first few days he was home. This was also a great way to bond with my puppy! I just used the puppy kibble he was eating at his breeder home in a cupped hand. There are so many things to teach my puppy so that he knows how to navigate life in my household. I use food strategically. That doesn't mean that Louis misses meals. This also doesn't mean that Louis always has to "work for his food" Strategic food also means his food being put in the playpen with an open gate so that he builds positive associations with being there.

Louis 8 weeks - Snuffle Mat Settle This is Louis' first session with the snuffle mat settle. He is doing so well. This is his first "down" as well! Here I am doing the beginning steps of a relaxation protocol that I use a lot - lure down (with the help of "tented legs") and eat treats off the snuffle mat, and then repeat. This is the beginning of learning how to settle... and is not the same as "mat/bed/station training" where Louis would remain in "working mode" focused on me and actively "staying" or "tether/crate/playpen training". I also do this training - but I use different "pictures", and different techniques. This activity provides so many benefits. Immediate benefits are that I can use this activity to lower Louis' arousal when he has eaten and played and needs a little help in funneling the energy down. Later benefits are that this snuffle mat "picture", and the extra cues I add later, will signal Louis that – “this looks like calm down and rest time” – rather than him being busy and frustrated not knowing what to do. By showing Louis this behaviour and practicing it daily, Louis will be more likely to choose this behaviour as a coping strategy of his own accord. Many of the poodle crosses and cocker spaniels (and many other breeds and X-breeds) I see need help in learning to switch off and relax. I plan to set Louis up for success in my home by teaching him this important skill early!

Louis socialisation 9 weeks Socialisation - "introducing the puppy to the things he will encounter during his life, at the puppy's pace, so he grows in confidence and is not afraid of people, dogs, and other things he will encounter....different environments, strange/sudden/or loud noises, moving vehicles/bikes, different surfaces - slippery modern floors, stairs, different animals, people in different clothing...and the list goes on. I want my puppy to have positive experiences and gain in confidence quickly. Although positive associations are most easily formed early, before 12-14 weeks (sometimes less in some breeds such as the German Shepherd, and longer in sociable pet breeds)... and so I don't want to waste this precious time... I can only go as fast as Louis tells me... the tortoise beats the hare... I have noticed that Louis is a little fearful of standing adult strangers when he is on the ground. I noticed this on some visits to friends. He may have some genetic predisposition to be cautious of strangers, but he also may not have met many adults outside his family in the first 8 weeks of life. He did grow up with children and he gets very waggy when he sees children! Louis is quite sensitive to different noises in the environment (though he was quite calm and playful in the recent loud thunderstorms). He "notices" noises - and shows a little concern, but he does want to investigate, rather than run and avoid. Thus I am taking things slowly (as you should always do). Car Park TV from the travel crate is a perfect mode of socialisation. I parked near a pedestrian crossing at the local shops in the late afternoon/early evening when it was cooler and "just the right number" of people would be around. Louis was able to view the new environment and passersby from the safety of his semi-enclosed high vantage point in the car. Louis has already had many short car rides. I was feeding Louis high value kangaroo jerky as he took in the world. Socialisation

Louis - Playpen 8 weeks This is my day playpen set-up. I have used playpens from Vebopets for 15 years and highly recommend them! This playpen is 95cm high and will be suitable even when Louis is older. Many dogs prefer playpens with an open top to a crate. You can still have a small crate in the playpen for cosy sleeping. I do have a night crate in my bedroom. Since this playpen's door does not go the ground, I have organised my Cato Boards and also my favourite piece of training equipment - a carpet-topped low table - so that Louis can enter and leave by himself. The first step in playpen training is to position it in a place that your puppy will like. Some quiet and privacy but close enough to the action in these early days. I have an Adaptil puppy diffuser plugged in nearby. Then make it inviting! Louis has a small crate with a blankie with his mothers smell, a big fluffy bed, water, favourite toys and things to chew. Then let your puppy enter the playpen of their own accord. Usually this is by the strategic use of daily food. Here I have a Lickimat with some Prime100 SPD Slow Cooked Duck and Potato that Louis just loves! Louis already has been learning "sit to say please" (rather than jump up), and he offers me a lovely sit on the stairs - though I was not asking for a sit here.

Meet Louis! Louis is my new groodle puppy 😍. He is predominantly standard poodle with a dash of mini poodle and a dash of golden retriever. I adore him - he is confident, friendly, smart, very playful - and oh so cute🥰 I have not had him a week yet - but have taken a gazillion videos. This video was taken last week at 8 weeks - 5 minutes after he arrived home from a 25min trip in the car in a big Brisbane thunderstorm. He sat in the crate for a few minutes and I let him come out of the travel crate of his own accord - then he wanted to PLAY 😍 I will add videos of our everyday life and the lifeskills I am teaching him. Its all about "setting up for success" or "be proactive not reactive!" and timing and managing your daily routine as best you can to help your puppy be successful naturally. *Lots of interactive play with me with soft toys *Safely and curiously experiencing new objects, environments, sounds, people and dogs at his pace *Strategic use of food for lifeskills training and to promote calm when desired *Introduction of harness *My use of a playpen and babygates, and a crate for night sleeping *Safe and slow introductions with my 7yo German Shepherd Ava *The heeling "reward zone" *How I prevent puppy biting in my daily life And so much more...Stay tuned!!!

Molly the Labradoodle - Interactive Play I love how playful the poodle crosses are. (So much so I will be picking up a poodly Groodle puppy of my very own in a few days 😍) Interactive play is wonderful to build your relationship with your dog. It also uses up a lot of energy - your dogs and yours! Many dogs love these long soft bungee tugs - Molly is no exception. Some key points are to keep moving back/ running back to encourage the dog to come back to you. And don't take the toy off the dog unless she is getting it straight back. If you are always taking things off her then she quickly thinks you are going to steal her fun.

Molly - 2yo labradoodle - loose leash walking. Molly is with me for the weekend, so I caught some footage of her leash skills. I have been helping Molly with many life skills over the past year at her home. The video starts at the end of the walk - because people don't watch 3min videos! But the walk starts in the house. If your dog is too overwhelmed or excited to "hear you" in the front yard, then he/she is not going to be able to "hear you" when off walking. Molly had many anxiety problems and was not a good eater - even missing dinners - so we couldn't teach loose leash walking with food. Molly's training has all been done on a harness. She understands to move "with me" within the length of the leash or long-line. Her mum did lots of practice of the basic concepts at home, and when I met Molly she already understood to wait at thresholds (doorways etc), which is a very helpful skill. Molly is just a joy to walk - and oh so pretty 😍😍😍

Molly HomeStay - Predictable morning tablet routine I have the joy of looking after the beautiful labradoodle Molly over this weekend. Molly has a morning tablet - which originally an overwhelming idea for a labradoodle that does not eat consistently, dislikes body handling and is bouncy! With a rehearsed predictable routine and "picture", tabletting becomes quick, easy and low stress. Tablets are ALWAYS followed by something extra yummy. With Molly that is a teaspoon of liverwurst!

🐾 Molly the labradoodle 🐾 Home agility with her mum 🥰 I was so happy to receive this video from Molly’s mum. Molly has come leaps and bounds in her confidence and resilience. (I have discussed Molly’s anxiety in other posts.) This transformation has been the result of a holistic approach including ongoing learning using kind, clear, and consistent communication and listening to and respecting Molly’s body language of how she feels. Molly has been shown how she can use her thinking brain by “shaping games”. “What can I do with this object? >>> Go to it? Stand on it? Go around it? Now future learning is becoming quicker and quicker. And FUN 🤩

Frankie is the most gorgeous 1 year old labradoodle, with a fear of falling on slippery floors and stairs. She has fallen before and it was scary... Non slip matting created an immediate boost in confidence in the house 💕