We are absolutely thrilled to celebrate Lucy and her amazing guardian on overcoming her reactiveness to other dogs! 🎉🐾
Lucy had a challenging history of responding to the sight or sound of other dogs on leash. An altercation with her litter mate, owned by another family member made visiting challenging. Through hard work, patience, and dedication, they have achieved remarkable progress.
We are incredibly proud to report that during the recent Fort McMurray evacuations, Lucy co-existed peacefully with her litter mate. She was able to walk alongside a dog park, watch other dogs play and frolic, while maintaining her incredible leash skills without any responses. She walked beautifully with us, showing just how far she has come.
Huge congratulations to Lucy and her guardian for their unwavering commitment and perseverance. Your progress is an inspiration!
Keep up the fantastic work! 🐕❤️👏
#DogTrainingSuccess #ProudMoment #NaturallyFluentAnimalTraining #HappyPaws
We always train for the unexpected, because that’s when it’s needed the most.
Meet Lucy, a delightful bulldog with a passion for training and her beloved ball. When a sudden medical crisis left her paralyzed, Lucy remained determined: she would resume playing fetch.
Leveraging her existing skills, we worked with targets! Lucy's keen mind swiftly responded to a skill she knows well, motivating her to navigate towards it.
Post-training sessions, have always engaged in a spirited game of fetch. Though the dynamics have shifted, the joyous reward remains unchanged.
Lucy and her family continue to find new ways to get those legs moving, and get her back to running for her ball!
Congratulations to Nova and her family! What once felt like an impossible mission, is now a joyful time.
"Roughly a year ago, we were looking to rehome this girl. She was 80+ lbs of fear, and we couldn't walk her or have people over. We hired a trainer, but her methods were very generic and time-consuming. So I posted about finding her a new home. A friend recommended Nina (Naturally Fluent)! She took us through simple steps that could be completed little bits at a time. One year later, Here we are enjoying a peaceful walk! ❤️❤️ I can't thank Nina enough for giving us our girl back!!"
Imagine having a steep decline ahead of you, and sharp cliff to the side.
Could you trust your dog’s leash skills?
Clear communication is a matter of safety in many situations. While we might not be on the edge of a mountain with our dog; being pulled onto a city street or into a fence can be just as dangerous.
When they aren’t paying attention to us, they’re taking themselves for a walk. For many, it results in responding to situations without any regard for the other end of the leash….and things can get messy.
Leo and I spent a weekend working on his leash skills and “young man” brain in February.
When his guardian invited me on a hike, it was his turn to give me a lesson and reminder….high above Jasper.
As the three of use climbed a steep incline, I was thrilled with their achievements. The way down gave me a new appreciation for leash communication.
Using all their skills, and working as a team they maneuvered their way down the mountain safely and stress free! At times the terrain was easier and Leo judged his speed by tension as he explored. Other times focus and following directions were essential.
Congratulations Leo you are a true Gentleman!
**********************************************
If you and your dog would like to improve your leash skills; click this link for Waggin’ Walkers Workshops.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf5fHvtIhhU4yDf_6krA5Cgk7YBc1xiopmo1C1d4adYxeACTQ/viewform
Already a graduate of a class; group walks to refine your skills are coming soon! (In St Albert, Stony Plain and Jasper!)
What do dogs, pigs, goldfish, horses and chickens have in common?
They all learn the same way!
Targets allow us to teach our animal friends all kinds of things. More effective than luring, this small change to your training can make all the difference.
While the methods taught in Waggology work for all creatures, this class is just for dogs. Interested in learning more about the wonderful world of targets, two spots remain for classes starting next week!
https://forms.gle/k7wc7k7PFsvAWKPV6
Already a Waggology Secret Agent, your next mission is ready for you!
https://forms.gle/JchEHA6yeUKSo6Xp8
The first round of Waggology Secret Agents have earned their promotion to Intelligence Officers!
Some spy’s secured this footage to show what adventures await in 2.0! It’s not all just fun and games…just most of it.
New classes will begin January 2022!
With so much information floating around
Where do you start?!
A little sneak peek into the classroom!
Obedience, communication; it’s the same thing. Let us show you how!
Attention all Dogs!
A mole has infiltrated our Waggology classes. The cats are planning to use our technology against us in their continued attempts of driving dogs to boredom!
Our headquarters received this video and note from the cats today.
“We’re done kitten around.
Your Waggology Grads think they’re so claw-ver trying to stop our operations.
The code has been cracked, and once again the paw-er in our claws.
You will not cat-ch us again!”
If you’re up for the challenge of becoming a Waggology Secret Agent, or learn more click this link:
https://forms.gle/swAftE58j3VzoF6F8
Defeated the cats attempts to raid the world of enrichment and ready for your next mission? Check out the brand new class here:
https://forms.gle/akhjNkBLBdvWPHBk8
Hallie can destroy any “indestructible toy.”
So, her mom got creative, and found the perfect option at Home Depot…some assembly required!
Not only did they find a way to keep her brain busy; but they took a moment to work on impulse control! Sometimes learning to calm down after getting excited is hard; this is a fun and easy way for Hallie to learn: a calm brain gets the reward!
How often should you exercise your dogs’ brain? As often as you challenge your own!
The best part: a mentally exhausted dog is less likely to find their own version of fun…
Dogs and their guardians join Waggology to achieve a multitude of goals.
Phoenix brought her guardians to class to learn more about the bond boosting benefits of training. Life hasn’t always been kind, leaving behind mental and physical scars. With a new life ahead of her, she needed new tools for understanding the world around her.
The humans biggest goal: Helping Phoenix find her confidence. Knowing a gentle, fun loving girl was somewhere under all the fear and nervousness.
Every week we were delighted to see more of Phoenix’s true personality start to shine through. The harder we asked her to work, the more confident she became in herself and her humans.
After blowing through the obstacle course by following the direction of her person; they decided to get creative!
Small spaces are incredibly scary for Phoenix and have been some of the hardest to overcome. After flying thru the tunnel, without a second thought….it was questioned if she could go over the slide.
Using the skills learnt in class, I watched with great pride as they worked together to overcome the “impossible”!
Targets and Shaping will ensure this team finds success in all their upcoming missions.
Congratulations Phoenix!
“Can I train my chickens to move from pen to pen safely, and stress free?”
When a new chicken guardian began planning ways to keep her new friends happy and safe; she inquired about clicker training!
The best part of teaching with science, is the ability to work with any living creature. While some things change (what’s in my pouch for example), the foundational skills remain the same as the dogs I work with daily. Using my trusty wooden spoon, we taught the chickens to “target” in their first session!
Learning to travel further distances to the spoon built the groundwork in shaping both recall and keeping close to their guardian. In just a few short weeks these chickens are looking like pros!
Interested in how this can build recall, communication, leash skills and so much more with your dog? Join us in Waggology!
New classes will be released soon and held at Dog Haven Grooming & Daycare in St Albert and Bark in Style Dog Spa in Stony Plain.
**To meet with covid restrictions new classes will begin Mid to Late June or as restrictions lift.**
Shaping is a skill that allows us to teach our dogs virtually anything we can dream up. By breaking a behaviour into little steps and rewarding what we like; we can slowly change our criteria and build a new behaviour!
In Waggology humans and dogs begin to master the art of shaping. During our fourth class cups are handed out with instructions to “get creative”; I often get looks of confusion.
Then something beautiful happens; dogs begin to explore and experiment.
So what is the purpose, and why do we play the game?
-Shaping is a fast and efficient way to teach new behaviours
-This method produces behaviours that are remembered both accurately and permanently
-The world is your oyster; many behaviours clicker trained dogs can perform are not easily trained with traditional methods
-Our dogs become active participants in their learning adventure!
In this video Zeus shows the beginning of the process, while Stella shows the enthusiasm that builds. Sophie shows how this skill (along with targeting; but that’s another post!) can transfer to new behaviours!
**There are no treats in those cups!**
If you and your dog would like to learn this skill there are a couple spots left in classes beginning this week in St Albert and Stony Plain! We would love to welcome you and your dog to class, and are always happy to answer questions.
For more information please call Nina at (780) 235-8077
Email: [email protected]
Or to register click here:
https://forms.gle/A9QqjNybejcZCLfH6
One of my favourite things about the clicker-is it’s ability to work with every species!
When the opportunity to teach my new friends at Greater Edmonton Animal Rescue Society - GEARS, was cancelled; we broke things down into webinars.
This weeks homework: Teach Touch
Amanda decided to test my “it works for everyone” and started working with Wade.
This is the result of their first 20 minute session!
Webinars are coming soon!!
The wind sure was crazy yesterday, which made this video so special.
At 7 years young Coco developed a sudden phobia of the wind, that caused absolute panic.
Corners of the carpet would be pulled back and shredded, a couch was turned inside out and both guardian and dog were at the end of their ropes.
When a new behaviour pops up we always want to ensure it isn’t a result of a medical situation. After a nose to tail exam by a veterinarian I met this duo.
We worked on calming methods, counter conditioning to the sound of wind, and creating a safe place for windy days.
I will never forget the first time I saw Coco on a blustery day. Instead of the happy go lucky dog I had gotten to know, I found a dog in complete shut down mode.
The veterinarian prescribed medication to help, while we continued to work.
Some days were better than others, but Coco had a team determined to help her through a rough patch.
As I watched the trees bend under the strength of the wind, I couldn’t be happier for Coco and her Guardian.
I have a million “favourite” reasons to love science based training.
One of them is that every member of my family can help train the dogs. As a mom of 3 young kids it’s important to know they can “handle” any of our dogs (one almost outweighs me!) without trying to prove who’s stronger.
When my 5 year old decided Turtle should pull a sled-I asked him to break down the behaviour. What important things do we need to teach her in order to pull a sled.
I have to say his brainstorming approach was creative and unique-literally experiencing the situation as a dog. (Picture in comments 😉)
Today was lesson #1 in learning to “pull” an object. I love what I see in this video. Two boys, their dog and a bond continuing to grow. Turtle is focused on them and excited about the task at hand.
The next dog trainer? Nope he’s learning the science so he can work with crocodiles and be just like Steve Irwin!
By definition a shock is:
A Noun
a sudden upsetting or surprising event or experience.
A Verb
Cause (someone) to feel surprised and upset.
So while I know that many trainers refer to a shock collar as a harmless “Tool” … I disagree and it seems that the dictionary would agree with me. Regardless, my curiosity got the better of me. Before I waged war on what I believe to be an abusive training tactic, I thought it responsible to arm myself with first hand experience.
Now, I wasn’t willing to support those kinds of “tools” by purchasing one from a store so I borrowed one from a friends “Box of misery”, the place where she stores all of the training “tools” that will never see or touch an animal again.
I took the collar home and gently placed it’s box on the table. It felt very much like I was handling a loaded gun. I was actually nervous that any wrong move would lead to something disastrous. I carefully took the collar out of the box and stared at it for a few moments before gingerly placing the metal prongs to my neck. That feeling alone was enough to send shivers down my spine. I was fully prepared to press the shock button on the remote, but couldn’t bring myself to “pull the trigger”.
Then I recalled the multitudes of people that had told me that it was safe and less invasive for their dog, because their dog had tons of fur… so I slowly slid the collar around the back of my neck to my hairline (and trust me, I have a lot of hair too). Well, I gotta say, that hair did nothing to make this experience more comfortable for me and I had yet to even shock myself. To make my long story short, I was never able to work up the courage to actually shock myself. Just the experience of having the collar was enough to confirm my initial suspicions, this is not a tool… it’s a terror tactic.
So what the hell am I going to do with this thing now… Perhaps there is a fun way to work this into my training.
