Here are a few steps in our training plan for loading into a vehicle. Arlo is a tender, delicate 80 lb little butterfly of a dog, and although he LOVES going for rides in the car, that unfortunately has not translated into feeling confident about getting INTO the car. In fact, it was becoming more and more difficult for his mom to get him into the car.
His awesome people have tried various approaches, but he developed cold paws about all of them.
So we began to retrain car entries from scratch. His mom bought some light, sturdy and stable vehicle stairs, and we worked up a very incremental plan to build his confidence and get him happily entering the car all by himself.
We were very careful not to push him too quickly, and the plan we made is very "splitty", adding tiny increments of difficulty only when he is completely comfortable and confident with the current step.
Sometimes slow is the new fast in training; going at the dog's pace is paramount.
Arlo is rocking his vehicle entries and his moms' back is feeling much better nowadays!
#30daysofpractice #academyfordogtrainers
Having to stop and disentangle the leash from between Cashew's legs multiple times on walks is something I don't enjoy. So I am finally doing something about it and training her to "Fix the leash".
As with all behaviours, I use an incremental training plan and work in sets of 5 successful, confident repetitions before moving to the next more difficult step.
I begin this session with the leash right at her paw level and use the tiniest bit of pressure-just enough that she is aware the leash is there. Then I wait and mark and reward her for any weight shift or lift of the paw.
As we progress through the plan, I move the leash up higher toward her shoulder. This requires a bigger lift in Cashew's part and more closely approximates the finished behaviour that I would like on our walks.
Training is progressive and requires many, many repetitions over multiple sessions to build. I keep sessions short and make sure that we are both having fun.
From Linda Green, CTC, of #greendogstraining
#30daysofpractice #theacademyfordogtrainers
Practicing recall in a green space with client Jackson.
We have taught him a special word, "Hustle!", call it one time, and cheer him on. When he arrives we grab his harness (this is an important step as sometimes we recall our dogs because of danger and we sure don't want them dancing away from us).
Then we praise lavishly and reward with a steady stream of really high value treats.
Recalls are expensive behaviour for our dogs, and arguably the most important thing we need them to do.
Practice often, make it fun, pay well, and let your dog resume playing and sniffing afterward.
#30daysofpractice #theacademyfordogtrainers #positivereinforcement #recalltraining
Daily husbandry care such as nail maintenance can be fun when we teach our dogs through cooperative care. Here Panda is filing his own nails on a scratch board and a scratch tube. For dogs who are sensitive to having paws handled this can be a great help in keeping their nails short.
#cooperativecarehandling #fearfree #theacademyfordogtrainers #30daysofpractice
Want a pro tip to improving your dog's recall? When you are out and about on walks if your dog comes back to you unprompted, or even if he just comes close to you to pass you, pay these "drive-by's" and then tell your dog to go play again.
This does several things:
1) it makes it very worthwhile to your dog to come back and check in periodically.
2) It helps break possible associations between coming to you ending his fun. He gets a double reinforcer-yummy food AND returning to do whatever he was doing before!
3) It adds to your reinforcement history for "Come toward me and good things happen for you!"
**Remember-any behaviour that is reinforced tends to increase, so this is very good for the recall cause!
Try it and let me know what you see.
#theacademyfordogtrainers #30daysofpractice #recalltraining #positivereinforcement
Cold day entertainment for my pup. We went to a lovely pet store and did several nose work searches. This one was the third of three hides; an elevated hide. You can see how hard Panda is working to locate the odour. We did 5 searches and headed home. No real walks today (it is -22), but nose work tired his brain out and he is happily snoozing.
Winston LUVS other dogs. He gets so excited that he pulls toward them and can be difficult to walk on the wooded paths behind his home.
He gets lots of off leash doggy playtime, and dogs greeting on leash can be problematic. So I am teaching him that dogs we pass while on leash are not available to interact with, but I am, and I am very rewarding to pay attention to.
Look at him go here! So proud of this sweet dog!
When you break big tasks and big asks into smaller pieces, when you take time to allow your dog to get used to unfamiliar sensations, and when you pair all this novelty with something the dog wants, your dog will become a willing participant in many husbandry tasks.
Our dogs don't understand so much of what we do to their bodies on a daily basis. Allowing our dogs to have choice, teaching them stationing behaviuors, and moving forward when the dog indicates that he is ready takes time.
But the result is a dog who does not need restraint and who calmly participates in his care.
Cooperative care is a cinversation with your dog based in consent rather than obedience. It builds trust and enhances your bond. Want to learn more? Contact me!
Sometimes we have to subject our dogs to things they would rather we not. Maybe it feels scary, or perhaps it just doesn't make sense to them.
Taking the time to accustom the dog to what is about to happen, to hear the noises, to feel the sensations at a slower, lower pace, and giving them choice to stay or go can make a world of difference to them.
Today Cashew had her first water treadmill treatment. She has watched it with another dog and entered the empty tank once before.
We still took time to practice getting in several times. This time the tank was filled and the treadmill started at a very low speed. Cashew was not at all comfortable with the movement. So we stopped the band and just lured her in circles in the water, getting her used to the feel of moving in an enclosed space until she felt relaxed. Then we emptied the tank, feeding her hamburger throughout.
And once empty, we practiced entering and exiting the tank several more times.
She didn't have a treament today, although we paid for one. But she did have a positive experience and that is our best chance of her happily participating in future treaments.
Taking time to help our animals feel comfortable is always worth it.
If you would like to learn more about Cooperative Care and how to work with your dog please reach out!
Cooperative Care for Dogs # #
It is cold for walks and outdoor activities and Panda is still on restricted activity.
So we are mucking about and learning some tricks, which keeps his brain occupied and gives us something fun to do together.
Panda is channeling his inner artist and learning to paint!
This is a multi-behaviour trick, so we are taking it in steps.
He already has a "take and hold an object" and a sustained "touch" behaviour from prior training, so I am chaining them together to get him to take a paintbrush in his mouth and touch (eventually a canvas).
Here is our first training session.
Let Them Sniff
Today I planned a lovely walk with Gizmo and Panda along a path bordered by open fields. I thought we'd do a couple of miles at a nice crisp pace, all three of us getting some good exercise.
However, the dogs had a different idea. There are gopher holes all over the fields. They were absolutely focused on the intriguing smells and only wanted to sniff and dig. So we changed plans, because walks are for them.
It was fascinating to watch them moving through the fields, ignoring many mounds and holes, and then suddenly rushing to another identical (to me) set. I can only presume that they could hear the gophers.
Today was such a lesson in the differences in how dogs and humans perceive the world. We are so visually focused, and our dogs live in a world of scents and sounds that we are completely blind to.
We didn't end up doing a brisk walk. I let the dogs pull me along to wherever they wanted to go. We probably covered about a half a mile in an hour, zigging and zagging and backtracking.
It wasn't at all as I had planned, but it was delightful to watch them having such a wonderful time being dogs. Despite not covering much ground, and not running at all, this evening I have two exhausted and very happy dogs!
(No gophers were harmed in the filming of this video!)
#letthemsniff #sniffari #enrichmentfordogs
