Two Crows Dog Training

16/04/2022

Happy Saturday everyone:)

13/04/2022

https://www.facebook.com/100044254728007/posts/543401280478358/?d=n

The 8 stages on the Fun-O-Meter I share in this vlog explain what your dog’s state could be at any time, and the best state for your dog to be in to learn.

12/04/2022

11/04/2022

Recall, collar grab game, leash on, permission to go play. To start this practice the collar grab game where there are no distractions and gradually add distraction(s). Willow has an awesome recall but this takes loads of practice and games. I reward her for coming and for holding her collar, I place the leash on, reward for that, I unhook the leash and her reward is a ‘go play’. Invaluable to have these skills.

03/04/2022

More practice with endurance sitting this time adding some movement, me jogging, and then dropping a tug toy ( that they love) in front of each one as a distraction. As a reward they were allowed to have the toy once I said my release cue.

03/04/2022

Truth 😂

02/04/2022

Sitting endurance. Nell, Pete, Ivy and Reba practicing sitting endurance. Sitting endurance helps with core and spine stabilization and strengthens shoulders and hips. Two are on stable objects and two on unstable objects. We start on a stable object to learn how to be still while I walk at first from side to side and eventually around them. The object is to have them weight shift to look at you but not move or get up to look or follow you. Once they can master this then we work on an unstable object. In this video all four have worked on stable and unstable objects and this is part of their fitness regime.

01/04/2022

https://www.facebook.com/196997877512017/posts/1085292108682585/?d=n

A reactive dog can hardly be missed: lunging, barking, growling, pulling at the leash.
And when it comes to working with reactivity, our online students are often surprised that training a reactive dog should NOT look like you are training a reactive dog at all.
The intuitive idea many people have about working with reactivity is to elicit a reactive response (by exposing the dog to a trigger in a high intensity), and then doing some sort of “intervention” when the dog reacts.
The problem is that this is not ideal to make the dog feel calmer … because, what he in fact rehearses, IS to be reactive.
Everyone knows “behavior that is rewarded gets repeated”.
But the opposite is NOT true.
We cannot assume that just because a behavior is NOT rewarded, it WON’T get repeated.
Let’s rephrase that: “Behavior that is rewarded gets repeated. But behavior that is repeated (in absence of rewards) still gets ingrained”
Specifically for reactivity this means that every time you expose your dog to a trigger that is intense enough to elicit a reactive response, the reactivity will get MORE INGRAINED.
So if training your reactive dog consists of him crossing his threshold, this will NOT make his reactivity better at all (in fact, only worse).
Your dog already has experienced many times: This trigger really stresses me, I am freaking out.
He will not improve by experiencing this even more.
So, what makes the reactivity better?
Exposing your dog to a trigger in LOW ENOUGH INTENSITY that he does NOT freak out. We need to create a situation in which the dog can experience “I am aware of the trigger, but it’s far enough away. I am not pushed too far by it.”
We do NOT need our dog to rehearse freaking out. We need him to rehearse NOT freaking out.
And what does not freaking out look like? Like a dog that is not reactive.
Your dog will ingrain what is repeated. If your training situations are so intense that he repeats crossing his threshold, that will get ingrained.
If your training situations have low trigger intensities, your dog can rehearse NOT flipping out. And he can ingrain to NOT be reactive.
People often write to me that they are disappointed that reactive dog training videos look like non-reactive dogs are being trained.
But that’s not a fault: It’s a feature. It IS the essence of the training.
A good human comparison might be a swimming course for kids. Do you see drowning kids at a swim class? NO. Do you see kids that float (maybe with help of instructors or tools)? Yes.
Is this a feature of helping them achieve the goal, or a fault of the method?
Do you think it’s a lie that these kids cannot swim?
Would the class seem more legit if they were thrown in to sink every now and then to really teach them to not sink?
Train your reactive dog so that it doesn’t look like you’re training a reactive dog.

20/03/2022

It’s all about the connection you build with your dog. Connection takes effort and time but is so worth it. If you put the effort and time in, the relationship you build with your dog is priceless. “ Oh the places you’ll go”…

15/03/2022

Ivy practicing her figure 8’s for Rally. Two distractions, a food bowl with cookie in it and a toy.

12/03/2022

Follow your dreams…

12/03/2022

So proud of my friend Lauren and her fabulous girlie, Blink. What a run! Big winner at Crufts!!

09/03/2022

Sign in a hotel:)

08/03/2022

https://susangarrettdogagility.com/2015/11/leash-aggression-in-dogs-are-we-trying-to-put-out-a-fire-with-gasoline/?utm_source=facebook-page&utm_medium=share&utm_term=blog-leash-aggression-in-dogs&utm_content=&utm_campaign=awareness-dog-training

Tweet I spent six days last week working from a beach house in Los Angeles, California. Hermosa Beach to be exact. It was an unbelievable week for many reasons. A big part of it was the people who were there with me. I have belonged to a small mastermind […]

01/03/2022

The 6 sit challenge. 1. Ask for a sit, 2. Use a food lure and see if you get a sit when asked, 3. Put food in food bowl, ask for a sit. 4. Put yourself in a position you don’t normally ask for a sit in such as you lying down and ask for a sit, 5. Ask for a sit in movement and 6. Ask for a sit with food lure thrown out in front after letting the dog “ go get it” without a sit. Loads of fun and sometimes not as easy as you might think:)

27/02/2022

“Today’s plan; snuggling with the dogs. Sundays are all about setting achievable goals.” - Angie Abdou

26/02/2022

“To achieve great things, two things are needed, a plan and not quite enough time”. - Leonard Berstein

25/02/2022

Reba working on some herding foundations - the lie down.

24/02/2022

https://news.wsu.edu/press-release/2022/02/21/viagra-promising-as-treatment-for-dogs-with-often-fatal-eating-disorder/

Sildenafil, the generic version of the drug known as Vi**ra, could be the long-awaited remedy for dogs with an often-fatal disorder called megaesophagus.

23/02/2022

Bob came to work with me yesterday and is my sidekick as I am on call overnight. He had laser therapy while here and likely acupuncture and laser today. He has some tight neck muscles which are making one of his front legs appear lame when in actual fact his tight neck muscles are the cause. Much like when we strain our neck muscles and find it difficult to shoulder check when driving. So acupuncture, laser, his PMF bed and his Back On Track infrared coat as well as pain relief and massage and he should be good as new. Lots of treatment modalities available to help our pets:)

20/02/2022

Happy Saturday everyone! This is a picture of our first dog, George ( on the right) and his brother Indy when they were young squirts. George has been gone for 11 years now but honestly there isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t think of him. If you feel like sharing feel free to post a pic of your special gal or guy. What made them or makes them so special? George was kind to everyone and had an easy way about him. He would always have his head in my lap or be touching me in some way. He was a great first dog. He ‘introduced’ me into the dog world:). Dear, sweet Georgie Pordgie.

18/02/2022

“Progress lies not in enhancing what is, but in advancing toward what will be”
- Kahlil Gibran

17/02/2022

https://fb.watch/bdtpIQGn4K/

16/02/2022

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not in fighting the old, but building the new.”
True in dog training as it is in life:)

15/02/2022

Bob having some time on the PMF bed ( pulsed magnetic field therapy). There are lots of modalities that can help our pets recover and restore.

15/02/2022

What games have you been playing with your dogs?

14/02/2022

My Valentine , Pete, wants to wish everyone a Happy Valentine’s Day! Post a pic of your furry Valentine.

14/02/2022

Sorry for the hiatus. We are back:)

15/12/2021

This will be my last post until after the holidays. Happy Holidays from my crew to yours!