https://www.facebook.com/102423668995127/

Five Freedoms Training

Home
Canada
North Bay, ON
Five Freedoms Training

Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Five Freedoms Training, Dog trainer, North Bay, ON.
(1)

Force free dog training content with Holly Boyes, Certified Trick Dog Instructor, Canine Conditioning Fitness Coach, Stunt Dog Judge, Animal Actors Certified Evaluator (DogNostics Dog Trainer Certificate in progress)

01/20/2023

PSA: if you follow accounts and pages that makes these claims, you’re taking in out of date and inaccurate information. Full stop. (It’s ok, I believed it too!) Here are the facts:

Over 20 years ago the alpha theory in wolves was disproven by the very man that coined the term “alpha wolf”. The alpha male and female in a wolf pack were found to be nothing more than a mother and father with their offspring. No alpha wolves means no alpha dogs and certainly no dogs vying for top rank over their human guardians.

[Source: Mech, L. David. 1999. Alpha status, dominance, and division of labor
in wolf packs. Canadian Journal of Zoology 77:1196-1203.
Jamestown, ND: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Home Page. http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/2000/alstat/alstat.htm
(Version 16MAY2000).]

10/30/2022

Still not convinced to try minimal error learning? What if I told you this took only 35 minutes spread out over 7 sessions to teach? I taught this using the push, drop, stick method and I have made a highlight on my Instagram page for guidance!

In addition to minimal error learning, stimulus control reps help to make sure our dogs perform behaviours on cue and only on cue. I don’t want Ripley grabbing the leash handle unless I cue her to. I like to use stimulus control reps any time I see my dog preempting my cue.

[Accessibility: Fawn ABD mix Ripley is trained to pick up her pink and blue biothane leash and put it in my hand on cue. She is shown training in a small room and then outside on the grass wearing a purple harness. Opening captions say Tricks for Treats, trick tutorial, get your leash! Closing caption says Save This Video!]

10/08/2022

Give your dog as many good days as you can, and don’t forget that not all good days look the same.

Have you ever spent the day doing something fun and adventurous? Or cocooned yourself in a blanket on the couch for a day of binge watching? Or had a hyper productive day of organizing or tackling a project? All 3 of these scenarios sound like good days to me, depending on my mood and state of mind!

Dogs are no different! Not every day has to be an epic adventure, or a milestone training day. Variety is the spice of life, and mixing in chill days is good for us *and* our dogs!

[ID: A brindle half frenchie in a green harness on a green biothane long line walks down a gravel road with trees on either side, showing a variety of fall colours including red, yellow, green and orange. The sky is blue with scattered wisps of clouds.]

07/31/2022

When I began my crossover from balanced to force free training one of my biggest hangups was the thought of needing to have completely stuffed pockets just to walk down the road with my dog. This was before I understood many aspects of positive reinforcement, such as Premack, variable-ratio reinforcement, how to properly slow the rate of reinforcement, etc.

Several years later, I’m here to tell you that it’s not as much of a hassle as I thought it would be. This picture shows how many treats I bring for a half hour walk with my dog, and usually I don’t even use them all.

I came to the realization that no matter what method I used to teach a behaviour, I would always have to use something external to maintain that behaviour. That’s how learning works.

ID: My hand holding a small pile of soft training treats against a wood finish table

06/25/2022

Are there any alternatives I missed? Tell me in the comments so others can see!

[Accessibility: blue graphics that say DID YOU KNOW The biggest jump in temperature in a parked car occurs in the first half hour? IT'S TRUEI Results published in the July 2005 issue of the journal Pediatrics showed that a
car's interior can heat up by an average of 40 degrees within an hour,
regardless of ambient temperature! Eighty percent of the temperature rise occurred within the first half-hour. IT'S NOT WORTH THE RISK Don't leave your dog in a parked car. Shop at pet friendly stores, recruit
another person to stay in the car with your pet, choose curb side pickup, get takeout or eat on a patio with your
dog, or leave them at home instead! A LIST OF PET FRIENDLY STORES
CAN BE FOUND HERE
https://kabo.co/blog/top-dog-friendly
stores-in-canada
(You can also
call ahead if you
aren’t sure!) SOURCES
https://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/july13/med-cars-071305.html
LOVE THIS POST?
HIT ME WITH SOME R+!]

06/11/2022

Structure. Do dogs need it? Depends on what you mean by structure!

[Accessibility: Graphics say “Can we talk about structure?
DO DOGS NEED STRUCTURE?
If structure means consistency and predictability, then yes! We should provide this! However… this isn’t enough! Any training plan must be consistent to be effective, but if predictability or structure is our only consideration we may be missing something really important…The structure dogs will benefit from is a routine that fulfills their natural needs as a species, and the consistent expectation of good things from us. Can our dogs expect good things from us? Do we have fair expectations, set them up for success and follow through with rewards when they do well? Or can they simply count on being corrected for unwanted behaviour? No dog benefits from the expectation of something unpleasant as a consequence of certain behaviour, or the suppression of their natural needs no matter what the circumstance. Love this post? Hit me with some R+!” Share, save, like, comment.]

05/27/2022

What is more important to you?

We want our dogs to listen to us, and it’s often important that they do. But what are you willing to spend on obedience?

Are you willing to spend your dog’s trust? Their mental and physical well-being? Because that is what correction based learning can cost.

Some think that force free training is more difficult and takes longer, but what usually takes the longest is shifting our own mindsets and habits.

Dogs are sentient beings. If we expect them to listen to us, the least we can do is consider their emotional well being and why they may be having difficulty “obeying” in the first place.

Is what we’re asking for necessary and fair? What motivation are we providing? Is our dog scared or confused? Have we provided enough outlets for our dog to just be a dog before expecting them to focus on learning a new task with us? Do we have a clear plan on how we’re going to teach the behaviour we’re after? A plan for how we’re going to prevent behaviour we don’t want while we train behaviours we do want?

When I crossed over from balanced training, I found the obedience I was seeking came as a result of meeting my dog’s needs, honouring their body language, providing motivation in the form of positive reinforcement, and having reasonable expectations for behaviour. It took some time to learn new skills, but it was well worth it. My dogs are happy, and they listen quite well too.

Happy Friday!

[Image says: There is a path that leads to obedience, to the detriment of your dog. There is another path that honours the dog’s spirit, with obedience as a byproduct. This path is perhaps more difficult, but it preserves the welfare of your dog. Five Freedoms Training]

05/15/2022

I’ll be posting vacay content for sure! 😁 I’ll answer DM’s when we’re back home.✌️

[Accessibility: Brindle 1/2 frenchie Hadji and fawn ABD mix Ripley are crashed out in the back seat in their harnesses and seatbelts. Tired from all the nothing they did this morning. The caption says “We’re going on a vacay! See you on the 19th!]

05/13/2022

Did I miss any? What makes adding accessibility easier for you?

My fav resource for all things accessibility is !

[Graphics read: 3 tips To make adding accessibility easier! I know accessibility can seem daunting! Here are 3 tips I use to make this essential addition to my posts a lot less work!

1 do it first! As soon as you have created your content, before you write your caption or hashtags, bang out your accessibility! If you find it difficult, crossing it off the list first can help!

2 Use talk to text! Dictate the description of your content using your device’s talk to text feature. Huge time saver, and fixing the little mistakes afterwards is a lot less time consuming than typing the whole thing!

3 Make a highlight! Include a photo & detailed description of every subject that will be shown in your content. Then, you can use a brief description (eg. fawn bulldog mix, Ripley) in your caption, & direct viewers to your accessibility highlight for a more detailed description.

Accessibility! I’m by no means an expert and definitely not perfect when it comes to accessibility, but I hope this post helped you! See caption for more accessibility resources! Love this post? Hit me with some R+! Share, save, like, comment.]

05/06/2022

What does the zombie apocalypse have to do with how we train our animals?

Hopefully nothing 😅

[Accessibility: Graphics say What if I told you…using behaviour seen in a captive situation as a model for what is appropriate to subject our dogs and horses to…is like deciding what’s appropriate human treatment based on the show ‘the walking dead’. Using the conflict observed in a captive setting to justify harsh training methods is flawed logic. In a group of individuals that hasn’t been assembled naturally, a lot of conflict and aggression will be observed in a situation where there are limited resources and confinement. As the more intelligent species, we have the mental resources to learn non adversarial ways of influencing behaviour, even if conflict can be seen in a truly wild/feral setting. Love this post? Hit me with some R+! Share, save, comment, like.]

04/30/2022

Fetch can be a super fun game to enjoy with your dog as long as you are mindful of its potential negative effects and take steps to avoid them.

Physically, any repetitive exercise can result in injury, plus wear and tear. Fetch can increase your dog’s fitness which is something to be mindful of if you plan on using it to fulfill your dog’s exercise needs (fetch shouldn’t be the only form of exercise).

Fetch can also become a compulsion your dog is unable to stop, and for some dogs it isn’t an appropriate activity. Pay attention to the effect fetch is having on your dog’s emotional state and take steps to regulate them if they are unable to regulate themselves.

Ripley loves fetch, but she can definitely get into a state of obsession over it. We play fetch occasionally and stop after a few throws, moving onto a decompression activity like sniffing, chewing or licking. Throwing a toy can also serve as reward for Ripley, and it’s always great to have multiple ways to reward your dog!

Thanks for answering my survey! I loved hearing all your opinions!

theloveofdogtraining

[Accessibility: Graphics show an outline of a person throwing a ball for a dog. The text says Survey Saturday, should we play fetch with our dogs? My opinion. Love this post? Hit me with some R+! Share, save, like, comment.]

04/20/2022

OBSESSED with our new custom biothane long lines from

ID: Various images of 2 biothane long lines coiled up neatly. One is green with an orange handle and traffic handle. It has black hardware. The other one is pink with blue handle and traffic handle, black hardware.

04/16/2022

Drop a 💯 in the comments if you agree!

[Accessibility: Text reads “Friendly reminder
Dogs don’t follow our moral code
We decide on “right” and “wrong”. Don’t get offended by your dog’s choices. Meet their needs. Reinforce what you like. Prevent what you don’t or train alternatives that meet the same need. Don’t expect them to make choices based on your moral code.” Next slide says “Love this post? Hit me with some R+! Share, save, comment, like.”

04/13/2022

OBSESSED

04/13/2022

No reward markers aren’t necessary for communicating with our dogs. “Yes” gives them all the information they need (and minimal error learning makes sure the yeses come easily and frequently).

You might have heard that we should ignore unwanted behaviours like this paw raise, for example. In truth, I didn’t ignore it! I noticed immediately and paid very close attention to it in the following reps. I just altered my own behaviour to better communicate with Hadji instead of telling him he was off track with a no reward marker.

[Accessibility: A picture of Hadji with a wooden spoon in his mouth and one paw raised is shown. My hand is open and ready to take it from Hadji. The following video shows me passing Hadji the spoon to hold. The first clip I make a mistake by marking with his paw up in the air and the following few clips I wait to mark until his paws are still and on the ground. There is less and less paw movement with each rep and the last clip shows no movement of the paws at all.]

04/11/2022

MEME MONDAY! This is another one from our camping trip. Template included! Please include accessibility so I can share your version!😁(If you DM me I will copy you an accessibility template!)

[Accessibility: A comic. First panel shows a gloved hand hovering over 2 red buttons. 1 button is labelled “Keep dog on leash as required by park policies” and the other says “it’s ok he’s friendly”. The second panel shows a man wiping sweat from his head, clearly agonizing over the decision. The label says “Those people”.]

04/09/2022

Dogs who I feel don’t qualify for safest use would be large, strong dogs (relative to the guardian), dogs with poor recall, dogs without leash skills and dogs who are likely to hit the end of their leash.

Someone who has trouble handling a long line may be able to keep themselves, bystanders and their dog safer on a retractable leash. As one commenter pointed out, some disabled people cannot use a long line and need a retractable leash for single handed use! The guardian should be responsible, be able to recall their dog to their side and apply the leash lock when passing other people and animals.

When and where? A crowded park? A busy city street? A wrestling date with your dog’s bestie? A reactivity training session? Literally any time there is high risk of tangling or hitting the end of the leash? No, no, no, no and no. A quiet road, solo trail walk, or with a few well known dogs and people? Much better!

Retractable leashes do carry a few specific risks:

The snap can rocket back towards you should your harness or the snap break. Many leashes come with an added safety loop (or you can purchase one). If the snap fails, the leash will still be attached to your dog. I would recommend attaching this loop to a different part of the harness just in case the first attachment point breaks.

There is risk of the handle clanging towards your dog if you drop it by mistake which could frighten and/or injure them. Running your end of the leash through a belt can help reduce the risk of dropping the handle.

(An added note: I am really not a fan of any retractable leash that has a thin string vs. tape.)

Common sense must be used when using retractable leashes. Dogs and people can be tangled and injured (just like with long lines) but they are a great option to give more freedom for some dogs and guardians in some circumstances!

[Accessibility: Graphic says My Survey Saturday Opinion! Retractable leashes. There is a dog, a guardian, a time and a place where these leashes can be appropriate! Read caption for the breakdown! Hit me with some R+. Save, share, comment, like.]

04/09/2022

I’d love to hear your take on this! Tell me in the comments. I’ll chime in with my opinion tonight!

[Accessibility: A graphic that says “Survey Saturday! Retractable leashes. Do they have their place? Should they be thrown in the garbage? Tell me your opinion! Hit me with some R+, share, save, comment, like.”]

04/08/2022

Knowledge of dog body language will change the way you see everything. You will see through training results to the dog’s emotional state. This will help you make more humane decisions. It’s something you can’t unlearn, but the dogs in your life will be so grateful that you did!

If you’ve already taken the red pill, tell me in the comments!

[Accessibility: The picture shows a blue pill labelled “enjoy quick fix training videos” and a red pill labeled “knowledge of canine body language”. The text says “The choice is yours but there’s no going back!” Five freedoms training Instagram handle at the bottom.]

04/04/2022

IT’S MEME MONDAY! Template included. Tag me so I can see your art 🖼

I made this one when we were camping last summer. We were rushed by *multiple* off leash dogs while still going through reactivity training. 🙃

Excited to see what your creative and hilarious minds will do with this one!

04/02/2022

Please watch my Survey Saturday reel if you haven’t already 😁

My opinion on the question: Are we negatively punishing when we don’t give a treat for an incorrect response? Or put a different way, is withholding a treat the same as removing a treat?

(If you’re viewing this on Facebook and are interested in watching the video, message me and I’ll send it to you!)

[Accessibility: A series of 5 slides that say: Survey Saturday
Negative punishment reduces a behaviour or response by taking away a favorable stimulus following that response. So if you don’t give a treat for an incorrect response, and see a decrease in that response, have you punished? You have indeed decreased behaviour, but punishment isn’t the only means by which behaviour is decreased. There is also extinction, sometimes called the fifth quadrant! Reinforcement drives behaviour. No reinforcement, no drive for the behaviour…When we stop providing reinforcement for a behaviour, we are using extinction. Any time we shape with successive approximations, we are using extinction! When we bump up our criteria, we stop reinforcing the previous criterion and it is put on extinction. Using extinction (as mentioned in the humane hierarchy) is FRUSTRATING and DISTRESSING for the learner. The key to using extinction humanely is to use micro extinction. We do this with very small approximations, i.e. minimal error learning! See my highlight on minimal error learning for more info! Agree or disagree? Let me know in the comments! Hit me with some R+, share, save, comment, like.]

04/02/2022

Inspired by some stories I heard this week from my fellow FF peeps. I am here to fiercely defend you with my sarcasm. 👊🏻

[Accessibility: First slide reads: Got trolls? Have I got a treat for you! Swipe left for a nice badge you can award to people who are using personal opinion to debate well established scientific fact…

Second slide is a colourful badge that says: everything I know I learned from unqualified people on the internet

Third slide says: Love this? Hit me with some R+! Share, save, comment, like.]

03/31/2022

Did you hear the one about the guy that kept setting his dog up to fail? 😂

Template included for anyone feeling creative!

[Accessibility: Image is a comic. First panel a guy is riding a bike holding a stick. The caption says my dog doesn’t come when I call him. Second panel the guy is bending forward sticking the stick through his bike spokes. The caption says but I keep letting him off leash. Third panel the man has fallen off his bike and is clutching his knee. The caption says please help me, my dog keeps running away. Second image is a template of the comic.]

03/28/2022

Day 1 of .theloveofdogtraining 7 day relationship building challenge! Play your dog’s favourite game! Ripley loves tug and Hadji LOVES a training session!

[Accessibility: Ripley plays with a fleece tug with Holly, releases it on cue, and is rewarded with more tug. Hadji hand targets a few times, does a few sustained hand touches and is rewarded with treats. Full dog descriptions in my accessibility highlight.]

03/28/2022

ALL ABOARD THE MEME TRAIN 🚂

ID: Will Smith delivers the Slap of the Century™️ directly to Chris Rock’s fool face. Caption at the top says “Off leash dog owners got me like” Will’s caption is “me trying to walk my dog in peace” Chris’s is “it’s ok he’s frien-“

03/28/2022

Did you notice Ripley loading the launcher in my latest reel? Any of you horse people notice her slick flying lead changes? (Bonus footage from Nerf Pandemonium)

[Accessibility: Ripley picks up her orange chuck it ball and places it into the barrel of the nerf launcher. The next clip is a boomerang of her seeming to skip towards the camera with the ball in her mouth. Full description of Ripley in my accessibility highlight!]

03/25/2022

Are there exceptions? 😁 Of course there are (and I’d be lying if I said I followed all of these perfectly 100% of the time)!

Which of these do you follow? Would you add any tips to the list? Tell me in the comments!

[Accessibility: The slides read as follows: Long line safety. Long lines are a wonderful way to give your dog freedom to move, without the risk of them running off and getting hurt. Long lines aren’t without risk though, swipe left to learn how to be as safe as possible! Wear gloves. It may take a bit of getting used to but rubber coated gloves with grip will protect your hands from cuts and burns and help you keep hold of the line. Zigzag your line. Instead of looping your line around your hand, bundle it in a zigzag across the palm of your hand. Please see my corresponding reel for a great visual on why this is important! Two hands at all times. Keep two hands on the line at all times. One hand holds the zigzag bundle and the other holds the line with a few feet of slack in between. Take out the slack. Let line out/take line in as needed allowing no more than a small droop of slack. This will prevent tripping and help your dog stay aware that they are leashed. Use a back clip harness. Connect the line to the back clip on an appropriate harness only. Collars, constricting harnesses or front clips are not safe for long lines. Use a bungee leash. Attach your long line to a bungee leash if you’re walking a dog that’s more likely to hit the end of the line line. Set up for success consider the challenges of the environment before choosing a long line for your walk. Stay alert to your surroundings and what your dog is doing at all times! Hit me with some R+ if this helped you!]

03/24/2022

When the Scroll Of Truth™️ has outdated information

Included a template so you can make your own! Send them to me so I can laugh!

03/19/2022

Decompression walks (aka sniffy walks) are a great way to provide physical and mental stimulation, while simultaneously calming your dog.

Physical exercise is important, but activities like tug, fetch or running can leave your dog overstimulated and aren’t a great choice to prepare your dog for training or a challenging situation.

Do you take your dog on sniffy walks?

[Accessibility: A fawn bulldog mix in a pink harness attached to an orange biothane long line is shown sniffing and exploring a park. The audio says “We live out in the country and before a town training session I used to think the best way to mentally prepare my dog was to physically tire them out. Now I utilize decompression walks beforehand with much greater success. I realized that exhausting the body does not prepare the mind to learn.” The caption says “Do you let your dog sniff? Tell me!”]

03/18/2022

I wanna celebrate with you! Tell me something encouraging you and your dog recently experienced!

Address

North Bay, ON

Website

facebook.com

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Five Freedoms Training posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Videos

Still not convinced to try minimal error learning? What if I told you this took only 35 minutes spread out over 7 sessions to teach? I taught this using the push, drop, stick method and I have made a highlight on my Instagram page for guidance! @fivefreedomstraining In addition to minimal error learning, stimulus control reps help to make sure our dogs perform behaviours on cue and only on cue. I don’t want Ripley grabbing the leash handle unless I cue her to. I like to use stimulus control reps any time I see my dog preempting my cue. [Accessibility: Fawn ABD mix Ripley is trained to pick up her pink and blue biothane leash and put it in my hand on cue. She is shown training in a small room and then outside on the grass wearing a purple harness. Opening captions say Tricks for Treats, trick tutorial, get your leash! Closing caption says Save This Video!]

Did you notice Ripley loading the launcher in my latest reel? Any of you horse people notice her slick flying lead changes? (Bonus footage from Nerf Pandemonium) [Accessibility: Ripley picks up her orange chuck it ball and places it into the barrel of the nerf launcher. The next clip is a boomerang of her seeming to skip towards the camera with the ball in her mouth. Full description of Ripley in my accessibility highlight!] #flyingchanges #dressagedog #fetch #dogfetch #playwithyourdog #forcefree

A harness won’t teach your dog to pull, but you might!

Saying harnesses teach dogs to pull is like saying saddles teach horses to be ridden. (Spoiler alert, they don’t!) Dogs learn to pull when we habitually allow them to pull towards something they want, and that can be done in any piece of equipment. As someone who recently started the sport of canicross with their dogs, I can assure you that harnesses don’t teach dogs to pull. That gives way too much credit to a piece of equipment. My dogs needed to learn the skill of pulling into their harnesses. It’s true that dogs can put more strength into their pull with certain harnesses, but the harness itself won’t teach or encourage pulling. Reinforcement drives behaviour. Always. [Accessibility: A brindle French bulldog mix in a green harness and a fawn American bulldog mix in a pink harness walk next to their owner down a snow covered road. They are attached to her waist with black and orange bungee leashes.]

The number of times we backed up a step

Adolescence is hard! One minute you have your well trained puppy next to you, receiving compliments for their exemplary behaviour everywhere you go. Then, overnight, somebody switches them out with a velociraptor/weasel hybrid. Fret not. Trust the system. It worked before and it will work again. You don’t need to train any harder to get through adolescence, and in fact, you shouldn’t. Just back up to a step where your dog can be successful and work from there. You may have to do this many times, but don’t get upset or take it personally. It is *normal* and there is nothing you can do to prevent it. You don’t need to crack down on them to get through it, no matter the breed or issue. I promise! Adolescence hit Ripley hard and many of her most solid behaviours all but disappeared in the blink of an eye. Talk about discouraging! But we got them back the same way we acquired them in the first place. One baby step at a time, starting with backwards. 😅 My final bit of advice for surviving adolescence with your sanity and relationship intact is to train the dog in front of you. Maybe yesterday their recall was spot on and you didn’t need the long line. Great! But today, you can hardly get their focus. Don’t try and train yesterday’s dog! Snap the long line on. Keep setting them up for success even if you think they should know better. There’s no shame in it. YOU CAN DO THIS! Share with someone who needs to hear this today ➡️ #accessibility a fawn bulldog mix plays with a fleece tug with her owner on the grass while a male and female voice converse. Male: Quite a few times. Female: 50 times? Male: more. Female: 100 times? Male: more. Female: 200 times? Male: more. Female: 500 times? Male: probably. The first caption reads “How many times did you go back to the long line during adolescence with Ripley?”

Can you sit with my back facing you?

Generalization is the process of teaching your dog that your cues mean the same thing in any circumstance. Have you ever taken your dog out somewhere, asked them for a familiar cue only for them to seemingly ignore it? It could be because you haven’t generalized your cue to include that specific context. Generalizing behaviours is like asking your dog questions. Can you sit with my back facing you? Can you sit when I’m 10 feet away? 20 feet? Can you sit while I do jumping jacks? Can you sit while my hands are on my head? When generalizing behaviours it is easiest for the dog if we progress in small steps. For example, If you tried this challenge and your dog didn’t sit on cue you could start by facing them while giving your cue and gradually turn your body with each repetition until your back is facing them. How did your dog do? Featuring: Charlie and Heather Ludford Athena and Kevin Gilchrist Levi and Justin Morash #accessibility three clips are shown as three different dogs, a tricolour Bernese Mountain dog mix, a black German Shepherd and an Australian cattle dog all sit on cue with their owner’s back to them. A song plays and the dogs sit on a low, slow bass beat. The captions read Beyoncé drop challenge but with dogs, your dog knows how to sit, but how well do they know it? How much of it depends on specific context? Find out! Turn your back to your dog and cue the sit! Tell me what happened in the comments! More info on generalizing behaviours below.

Kayne NTD

Congratulations Patty Vester and Kayne on earning your NTD (novice trick dog) title at only 11 weeks old! These 2 have worked so hard and I’m very proud of them! Here is super smart Kayne showing off some of his skills.

🏠Crate Training🛌 I’ve heard a lot of different takes on crate training. To me, a crate trained dog is one that has a positive emotional response to spending time in their kennel. How do we condition a positive emotional response to kennel time for our dogs? 1️⃣ By continually pairing entering the kennel with something your dog loves 2️⃣ Gradually increasing the time spent in the kennel and distance from you (work on one at a time) 3️⃣ Staying under your dog’s emotional threshold (remove them from the crate before they become upset) 4️⃣ Utilize food toys to help your dog relax and feel good in their kennel You’ll know you have achieved a positive emotional response to kennel time if your dog comes running when they hear the door open! In the near future I’ll be posting a step by step guide on how to get your puppy to love their kennel from day 1! #cratetraining #forcefreecratetraining #forcefreedogtraining #forcefreedogtrainer #forcefreetrainer #rplusdogs #positivereinforcement

Cooperative Care First Aid

🤝Cooperative Care♥️ The time to train for cooperative care is before you need it! Ripley split her nail up the middle a few weeks ago 😢 Thankfully she was well prepared for such a scenario which greatly reduced the stress she experienced during cleaning and bandaging! Cooperative care quick tips: ✅ Start slow and small ✅ Respect your dog’s threshold of fear ✅ Advance 1 small step at a time ✅ Make it a part of your daily routine ✅ Use plenty of tasty treats to condition a positive emotional response

Ripley’s Ring Toss!

Ripley’s first ring toss session! Shaping is the process in which you gradually teach your dog a new behaviour by rewarding them for small steps towards the goal behaviour. This precision trick was shaped starting with a simple game of fetch! Then we moved to fetch and drop the toy in a small container. Then we were able to move to ring toss! Ripley made some pretty impressive jumps in her progress towards this trick, but the key to success is to make your steps small enough to guarantee your dog is successful! #dogtraining #dogtricks #dogtrainingtips #dogtrainingadvice #dogtrainer #forcefreetraining #dogringtoss #bulldog