Yamba Dog Walking

Walk and Train Session with Sarge I want to share more videos like this just of me working with the dogs. Good to see Sarge starting to lock in and enjoy Fetching the Ball and playing Tug. Previously he would disengage and go focus on the environment instead. I'm also starting to get him to work for the play more, setting some rules around the game and ultimately using it as a reward. These dogs need these kinds of outlets and opportunities to work to be able to thrive. Otherwise they find their own ways to entertain themselves. The biggest change in Sarge is that he's starting to self regulate and calm himself down quicker when out in public. There has been times that I've taken him out and he's just manic for the whole hour. Also his reactivity towards cars has improved massively. He's a good boy. I'd like a Shepherd one day. Very intelligent breed.

Building Confidence with Leo the Golden Retriever Its been a privilege to watch this boy flourish and to see him having fun like this and being a normal dog again. He's been extremely anxious since fireworks were set off by his neighbours on New Years and reacts to any loud sounds and gets nervous being out in public and on walks. You can see a bit of how anxious he was at the start of the clip. I don't have any footage of how shutdown and afraid he was of the world. Tail tucked, shaking, his heart pounding, startled by any noise, trying to bolt and take off on his mum, pulling on leash, etc. Basically having regular panic attacks. The vets had prescribed him Valium and Prozac. I know they are just trying to help him and I have a lot of respect for them, but personally I think there's so much more to try before putting a dog on psychotropic medications. Especially such a young dog (1 Year old). Of course it all depends on the situation, the meds do have their place in some cases. This will always be a contentious topic between trainers and vets. Leo's come such a long way in the last 2 weeks. I told his mum to spend time with him letting him just be a dog, let him have fun, give him space, play with him, show him how fun the world is, allow him to observe the triggers in the environment and give him time to work through it himself. Forcing him to do obedience or directly exposing him to his triggers to face his fears wouldn't have helped him at all. It won't change the way he feels about things, it would just cause mistrust between the handler and dog, probably even learned helplessness. I saw a trainer putting a slip lead on a shutdown dog and forcing it over obstacles in an attempt to build its confidence. That ain't it. Or that one Cesar Milan episode where he forces a Husky into a bath and acts like the dogs comfortable with it (thats what learned helplessness looks like). The key to building confidence in a dog is to allow it the autonomy to

Teaching Charlie how to play tug and the rules around the game This is only our 2nd game, Charlies very play driven so its a bit easier to teach her then a lot of dogs. I’m going to share more videos like this to help clients understand what I mean when I say Structured Play as an outlet for your dog. Look how happy it makes Charlie, she gets to express her prey drive, she's getting physical exercise but also having to stay focused, in control and use her mind. This is how you satiate a dog. Theres a myth that you should never play tug with your dog or let them win. People are scared to let their dogs be dogs and express genetics. But games like tug allow you to tap into the dogs drives and build control when they are in those higher states. When people say that their dog stops listening to them when they are overexcited or see another dog or wildlife. This is how you start to change that.

Just some happy and clever Yamba doggos It's time for a short break, its been a busy 6 months I'll be back at it 29th July

Mistakes People Make with New Puppies There are lots of mini Millies getting around the area at the moment, I took her pup Ruby out for a bit of socialisation work and to make this video. She's a sweet girl but a little unsure of the world. We can work through that. If you have a new puppy or a young dog my advice to you is to go gently, be patient and set your pup up for success. It's so much easier to prevent behavioural problems from developing then to try and fix it later. Some problems can never be fixed. Relationship is key, have fun with your puppy!

Crate training is so much more than a place for your dog to sleep at night, in fact my dogs don't sleep in their crates I wish more people would listen to my advice about crate training their dogs. It can change the whole dynamic in the home, prevent so many issues from developing and help to work through major behavioural problems like separation anxiety and reactivity But it has to be trained properly and its never to be used as a punishment

Mia

And Mia brings the treats

Tomi’s jobs

Tomi brings me the junk mail. Next to teach her how to put it in the bin

It's been a great start to the midweek group classes. Awesome to watch the dogs and their handlers progress. So far the focus has been less on obedience and more on building engagement, communication and developing a stronger working relationship. I appreciate everyone thats been coming down. We've lost a few due to covid and life events. And it was unfortunate to hear that one of the dogs Sully was attacked while out on a walk with his family. Hope he recovers well and can rejoin us at some point. And shout out to Tomi for being the best and most patient demo dog. She gets lots of chicken nuggers after class for being the goodest girl.

Shiba Inu vs Sausage Roll

My little mate Teddy is back in town and up to his old tricks terrorising sausage rolls No bakery is safe Great to get to hang out with him again