Social Referencing
Have you ever seen a child fall, and they immediately look to you for a reaction? If you laugh they laugh back, but if you panic they immediately start crying? This is called Social Referencing. Social referencing is the process wherein children use the affective displays of an adult to regulate their behaviours. In one of the most common paradigms used to study social referencing, an ambiguous and novel object is introduced to infants aged 9-18 months. When the object is introduced to the infants, an adult shows facial emotion (either positive or negative) to the child. Mothers would show disgust in relation to the object and the infant tends to avoid the object and express negative emotions, but when the mother would show happy displays, the child would readily approach the object.
Dogs are also capable of social referencing. In the presence of unfamiliar stimuli or a novel situation, they seek out social information provided by humans (specifically the human they trust). Many times I have seen an owner freak out about a situation which can further exacerbate a dogs negative feelings towards something. Example: an owner is walking their small dog and a strange dog approaches, the owner then panics and displays startled behaviour, picks up their dog, and freaks out at the other dogs owner. In future scenarios, the dog will likely mirror the same emotional responses that the owner did - leading to fearful or reactive behaviour when dogs approach.
Social referencing can be utilized to provide your dog with support and confidence. Calm, clear, confident, and happy attitudes can help create a healthier approach to social referencing, and emotional regulation/ well-being of your dog. Next time your dog encounters a situation that may of been negative, think about how your behaviour and reaction can reshape their feelings đ
IGP obedience is a specific aspect of the IGP sport that focuses on evaluating a dog's obedience and responsiveness to commands. In obedience trials, dogs are judged based on their ability to perform various exercises, including heeling, sitting, lying down, staying in a place, and coming when called, among others. To excel in IGP obedience, dogs must have a solid foundation in obedience training, as well as a strong bond and communication with their handler. Training and preparation for IGP obedience typically involve consistent practice, positive reinforcement, and the development of trust and teamwork between the dog and handler.
Follow-up sessions are important to us!
Follow-up sessions are important to us! We want to ensure that you and your dog have a continued understanding of each other and that you have the same level of obedience that you had the day of program completion.
We are here for you every step of the way.
https://stan.store/theempoweredcanine
Online courses designed to help you achieve the obedience of your dreams.
Engagement, personal play, step-by-step focused heeling for competitions, we got you covered đŞ.
Check out our current online library đ
50 units of apparel were shipped July 31st! Be on the lookout for your orders and make sure to tag us #TeamAsia â¤ď¸đŞ
If you havenât put in an order yet, we have another batch being sent out August 14! You can order your clothing here
đ www.bonfire.com/team-asia
All proceeds go to Asia and Cassandraâs trip to Slovenia to represent TEAM CANADA at the FCI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP!
Donât settle for mediocre - excellent obedience is in your reach!
Contact us today for a free phone consultation to find out how we can help you!
đŠ DM US!
Or
[email protected]
Negative Reinforcement - A commonly misunderstood Quadrant of Operant Conditioning.
Interested to learn more?
đŠ DM to book a FREE phone consultation
đŞŠwww.theempoweredcanine.com/services for all our programs!
The beginnings of competition obedience heeling
â
Ensure your dog is active and happy towards you
â
Use a form of reward that is THEIR CURRENCY
â
Create desire and positive emotions for the heeling position
â
reward proper gaiting and position
A great start for 9 month old Bugz đ
Voraus!
The send out exercise. The last exercise of the IGP obedience routine. The dog must show attentive heeling to the handler, and be in correct position. Once the command is given, the dog must run out immediately with speed and power and show an immediate down when the handler commands the dog.
Dominic and Bolle demonstrate a Voraus at the 2023 WUSV Universal Sieger World Championship.
Sam and her dog Geo came to visit us for a couple days of training this week while they are in town for Samâs upcoming IGP competition with her other dog, Taz. Sam is creating a lovely focus in basic position. Working on basic position and intensity to the handler is often forgotten when so much emphasis is placed on the heeling itself.
Our spirits need the nourishment of unconditional love that dogs bestow upon us đ
3 DOG TRAINING tips that will CHANGE YOUR LIFE when it comes to preventing resource guarding
Prevention is better than a cure, am I right? Letâs get to it! Here I will show you 3 DOG TRAINING tips that will CHANGE YOUR LIFE when it comes to preventing resource guarding!
The weekend? Whatâs the weekend? Thereâs no time off when youâre training your dogs! đ
đ
Interested in obedience sports? Need advice and guidance on teaching an active focused heel? DM us! đś
www.theempoweredcanine.com
đĽ: Sable Fox Photography
TRAINING TIPS for ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT
Whatâs is ACTIVE engagement?
When a dog gives us their attention, we can classify it into two types: Reactive, and Active.
Reactive definition: âshowing a response to a stimulus.â
Ex. The dog is distracted by the environment and the handler engages the dog by calling them, showing them they have food or toys, popping on the leash, etc. the handler is providing the stimulus and the dog reacts off of that.
Active definition: âActions that are proactive and not a reaction to a situation or stimulus.â
In our obedience, we should always be striving for active engagement. Our dogs should be PURSUING our attention and interactions with them.
Here is a short video giving you some tips on how you can create ACTIVE engagement from your dog đś
Azula is 17 months old and getting her foundation for competition heeling. Weâre hoping to have our debut this May for her âBHâ title!
UPCOMING CLASS - Everyday Obedience beginning JANUARY 14!
2023 January classes are on their way and weâre excited to bring them to you!
Starting January 14, we are offering the following class for a 6 week course:
âŞď¸ Everyday Obedience
Register here: https://form.jotform.com/220347594960058
Everyday Obedience:
Using balanced training approaches, our philosophy is that we should have reliable obedience without sacrificing our relationship with our dog. We have incorporated engagement into our program to ensure you and your dog find that perfect harmony.
What we cover:
- loose leash walking
- responding to leash pressure
- walking under distractions
- sit/down/stay
- âplaceâ command
- focus/eye contact
- âleave it!â
What you will learn as the handler:
- reward, duration, and release markers
- the four quadrants of operant conditioning
- classical conditioning
Saturdays @ 3:00-4:00pm. $250.00 + gst
1 hr in length
January 14, 21, 28, Feb 11, 18, 25
Limited number of spots available.
LOCATED IN SE CALGARY AT CDT FACILITY
3541 78 Ave SE
INTRO TO ENGAGEMENT & PERSONAL PLAY
*UPCOMING JANUARY CLASS - INTRO TO ENGAGEMENT & PERSONAL PLAY FOR COMPETITION OBEDIENCE
Did you know that there is an ART to playing with your dog to maximize their engagement? Did you know that dogs who play while training learn the task 40% faster than dogs who donât play? When a dog is emotionally aroused through proper play, hormones are released that enhance memory consolidation. The Empowered Canine is excited to host our NEW upcoming class: introducing you to the concepts behind effective personal play!
REGISTRATION LINK: https://form.jotform.com/220347594960058
Sick and tired of feeling like youâre a cheerleader for your dog to keep them engaged? Do you feel like they only want to work if you present food or toy in front of their face? Do you lose engagement from your dog the minute you step into the ring or into the competition field? In this course, you will learn how to reverse the activity roles - your dog will learn to activate YOU. We will show you the prey cycle and how to maximize your dogs desire to interact with toys. We will go over how to make food rewards an event that your dog is eager to work for!
Best suited for handler/dog teams interested in competition obedience, and protection sports. Open also to those who donât compete but want to improve the relationship they have with their dog through engagement and personal play.
No experience necessary. Open to all breeds/ages. No aggressive dogs please (contact for suitable classes).
Saturdays @ 2:30-3:30pm. $280.00 + gst
1 hr in length. Located at an indoor heated facility, 3541 78 Ave SE
Jan 14, 21, 28, Feb 11, 18, 25
Itâs a common misconception that sending your dog for a Board & Train or having a trainer come to your house to train your dog themselves, doesnât translate to the owner. In my experience, these programs are often the most successful.
The key ingredients to success for these programs are
1. A trainer who can effectively communicate and provide the right information to the owner on how to continue the training after the training program is complete. You need a trainer who is good with PEOPLE.
2. An owner who is consistent, coachable and dedicated to sticking to directions they were provided.
When these two ingredients mix, beautiful harmony is achieved that results in a happy owner and happy dog with training that STICKS!
Below is a video of my most recent 2 week Train/No Board graduate during our first follow up session. Kona is a 15 month old doodle who was extremely excitable and pulled heavily on walks. I taught Kona appropriate leash skills during our time together.
During this session in the video, the owners are handling Kona themselves and are provided with all the necessary information to continue their dogs journey.
âââââââ-
Interested in training for your dog? Considering this type of program?
đŠ DM to find out how we can help you!
FREE Phone Consultations
[email protected]
www.theempoweredcanine.com
Small dogs can walk nicely on a leash too!
George came to us overly-excitable in the presence of people and other animals. George would try to bolt out the front door, and pulled heavily on walks. His owner sought out training to address this and enrolled George into our âtrain/no boardâ program where we were able to teach George appropriate leash obedience skills, recall, and greeting manners. We are happy to announce that George has graduated the 2 week program and during our follow-up session, his owner expressed her gratitude for being able to enjoy walks with him!
âââââ
Looking for training? DM us so we can help you too!
đŠ [email protected]
www.theempoweredcanine.com
Rhonda and Ada are finishing up their dumbbell retrieves for their IGP1 this fall!
