Hiking Buddies 🌳🐾
Valen and I went out to the #chilliwackcommunityforest a few days ago and had a blast!
Among the physical benefits of hiking with your pet, have you thought of any of these additional benefits?
Sniffing...releases happy hormones in the brain and relieves stress, increases confidence and curiosity, and is a naturally reinforcing behavior for dogs 🐕
Jumping on stuff...easy skill to move off the trail for other people and dogs, good for building our dogs balance and problem solving skills, and builds our dogs' body awareness and confidence 💪
Exploring...sniffing, digging, running, searching, watching, and checking out new things are all skills our dogs are built for! Practicing exploration also helps grow confidence around new objects/people/places, and fights off fear and uncertainty 😄
Snacks...dogs may find new places over-stimulating in the beginning, but I still bring food to reward any skills we practice. "Catch" or "Find it" are easy ways to *enhance* the value of a treat in these situations. Treats in motion are more exciting! 👏
Obedience...a good mental workout, keeps our dog engaged with us, and helps proof our skills in more exciting environments! We don't do this for long when out in nature, maybe 3 minutes at a time. We're mainly out on a trail for FUN 🎉
Enjoying eachothers company...life gets busy! Try and remember why we wanted a dog in the first place! Take a deep breath, provide snacks and a pat on the head, and reconnect with your pup 🐶
Do you get out in nature with your furry pal? Drop us a comment if you do!
#dogtraining #explore #chilliwack #dogs
Teach your dog 🐕 AWESOME recall!!
Recall is a BIG ask of our dogs - leave something you want to sniff, eat, check-out, etc. and come back to me.
And oftentimes, we expect our recall to work out on a trail or in busy parks (like this one) without practicing in our own backyard first!!
There are many ways to build skills for total off-leash freedom, and this fun game builds your dog's engagement AND their recall skills! Nice!
Get excited with your dog and try this game out! Grab some high-value treats and practice moving around and recalling your pup. TIP: The quieter the environment and the higher the value of your food reward, the easier this game will be! 👍
There are other variations to this game and different reward methods you can use. Mister Zeffo sure had fun with this one - give it a try! 🎉
Be sure to share your videos and TAG STC so we can share it 😁 #dogtraining #dogs #fun #treats
STC Training Walks with Nala and Gus!
Nala took over to tell you guys about her training walk from today 😁 🐕
Both these pups struggle with noise sensitivity, fear of objects, people, and dogs, and are working on improving their leash walking skills since their owner is waiting on surgery.
Both pups are very energetic and love training, so lots of progress has been made. They've even managed to get rid of their pinch collars and have become more accustomed to busy stores like Home Depot!
If you think training walks would be a good option for you, please reach out to STC Chilliwack to learn more! We also have a link in our bio 😊
#trainingwalks #trainingtips #boxers #dogtrainer #pets #funtraining #dogs
Holidays with our pets! 🎁
There are many tips and tricks for handling the holiday season with our dogs, but this is just a short clip going over the basics!
Ideally, we want our dogs to feel safe, comfortable and happy.
If at any point your dog's body language begins to seem stressed or over-stimulated, try and change the environment so they might feel more comfortable. Watch for excessive panting/drooling/pacing, avoidant/hiding behavior, "whale-eye," or tail tucking. If you notice any one of these signs, err on the side of caution.
Here are some ideas of management strategies:
🛌 Bring your dog's bed with them to friends' and family's houses
🐾 Practice setting your dog up behind a baby gate or in another room in case they need a break
🐕 Bring some toys and treats if you suspect they might be nervous or uncertain of all the commotion
✨️ Prepare to sacrifice some time with your friends and family to help your dog feel comfortable
ShadyTreeCanines is available to help set you and your dog up for success this holiday season! Let us know if you would like some advice, and we can set up a short virtual call or an in-person training session. Happy Holidays! 🎄 🎁
Impulse Control 🐶
Impulse control is difficult for dogs, and a ton of unwanted behaviors stem from it. If we can teach a foundation of good skills, we can practice them in other areas of training! "It's Yer Choice" is a simple game for owners and dogs of all ages!
The Set Up:
1) Put a treat in your hand. Start at a distance where your dog might go and check out the treat jn your hand, but should not get super frustrated and chew/bark incessantly. You may need to move your hand higher or farther away to adjust. 🚧
2) When your dog moves towards the treat, your hand closes into a fist 👊. When they move away away, open it 🫴
3) When your hand is OPEN, the treat is visible, AND your dog looks up into your eyes, mark "Yes!" and say "Take it!" The is the magic moment ✨️
Remember, you are not asking for anything! Don't ask for a sit or a leave it or say "No, no, no don't eat that treat!" This is all up to the dog!
To make this game more difficult, practice with a treat on the ground. Then, add in another treat ✌️ Allow 1 treat to be eaten and have to dog offer eye contact again before they get the 2nd one. Add more treats, vary the heights and distances, and watch your dog's brain go to work! 🧠
The Benefit:
✨️Owners gain confidence in their dogs' skills. On more than one occasion, I have heard, "Oh, wow! I guess he is pretty smart!" after an owner practices this game 😂
✨️Owners gain confidence in their OWN skills. Timing is a huge part of training, and this is an easy way to work on timing without trying to think about a bunch of other tasks like handling a treat pouch or leash.
✨️This game lays the foundation for our "Leave-it" cue and really helps our dogs learn some awesome fundamentals, such as eye contact and impulse control, and it adds a bit of relaxation to their training.
Try it out at home and see how it goes! If you are struggling with training, please reach out to ShadyTree and schedule a consult with one of
Client Appreciation Post 🎉
Everyone in this video loves working with their dogs, and I love working with each and every one of them! Our clients vary in their goals, experience, and ability, but my favorite thing about dog training is watching when people ✨️ get it ✨️ Those "ah-ha" moments really crack the code and helps with their training progress soooo much!
Get started on your training journey today! STC welcomes all dogs and people to learn more about their dogs' behavior and begin helping their pups live the best life they can! From aggression and reactivity to puppy training to even teaching old dogs new tricks - STC can help!
Week 4 of Cooperative Care 🐾
Yes, I missed last week! Whoops! That's okay because Valen and I still made some great progress!
Now she allows me to touch, scrape, and rub her teeth! 👏 This will all help desensitize her to the scrubbing sensation of the toothbrush!
I really appreciate how filming these weekly updates helps me realize my own mistakes as well! It's like an instant replay in a sports game 🏒
📝 Here are a few key things I note while training coop care:
- I develop clear and predictable communication! I say "Teeth!" and show my hand before I move to touch her mouth so she understands what's coming next.
- I try to give frequent breaks! Adding motion and games that Valen already knows helps release a bit of anxiety associated with desensitization.
- I notice my mistakes! As we move farther with coop care, I want to improve my skills too. It's helpful to record and watch our sessions back so I can correct them in the future!
My cat Maggie got in on some training this week, too 😉 🐈
Week 2 of Cooperative Care ✨️
I love this routine! It gives me some one on one time with Valen (plus our 🐈 Maggie) and helps me notice how quickly her body language changes.
A couple of things I want to point out: try to keep sessions short and fun! Too much pressure can lead to building a negative association with the whole setup. I filmed this while boiling my pasta for dinner 😆
I also was able to incorporate some play at the end! Valen's body language really loosened up when I did that, and it is something I'll be trying more in the future! Always learning 🐶
When working on desensitization like this, progress will look different for everyone. Valen is quite sensitive to touch, so I want to take my time and ensure that she doesn't feel extra pressure or stress from me. She's definitely improved as 2 or 3 times this week she hasn't moved away, lip licked, or side-eyed me, and I've been able to successfully her teeth! 🎉
Furtastic Friday's 🐾 - Cooperative Care Edition
I'll be focusing on posting Valen's Cooperative Care journey over the next couple of weeks, so let's break down what's going on here!
What is Cooperative Care? 🤔
Coop Care is a collaboration between dog and owner. Instead of needing to hold your dog down to trim their nails, we work on changing their emotional response to care while also encouraging them to communicate when they've had enough ❌️
Everything is on their terms - not ours! (patience is key here 😉)
Allowing our dogs to opt out of care allows them to control the pace, builds trust between owners and their pups, and keeps care fun and easy!
The Beginning 🐶
Valen has already been conditioned that the mat and me sitting on the ground is "the beginning" of any Coop Care process we go through. Essentially, I reinforce her when she's on the mat, and she chooses which position she's in for training!
I'm currently focusing on teeth brushing and nail trimming with her, but you can add Cooperative Care to any part of grooming or husbandry!
Coop Care is a neat area of training that I'm still learning about, so stay tuned for more videos like this!
Let's talk Engagement! How focused is your dog on a walk or hike?? 🤔
Having a dog who wants to engage with us helps in so many different ways! We become this awesome resource that can help them stay focused in even the most distracting environments. I LOVE engagement games, but simply playing with and practicing simple activities that your dog already understands is an awesome way to prepare them for anything you ask!
Stay tuned for more tips on how to maintain your dog's focus 🐾
#dogs #puppies #pets #training #dogtraining #chilliwack #mission #reinforcement #treats
