Potty Talk! 🚽🧻😁
Whenever any of my buddies toilet, especially going for a #2, which often takes longer, I have always waited for them to finish!
I don't necessarily stand there watching them, this would be a little off-putting & rude!, but I do wait until they're done before moving on! And because I stop, all my buddies automatically stop & wait too. They're great! 🥰
Why, you might ask?
1) Some of my group like to 'potty' and go off into the bushes, behind trees or some distance away for privacy!
2) By waiting for your dog not only allows a dog to poop in comfort & without rushing this bodily function, which can add anxiety to the situation, (especially if you have a dog with any separation issues or an insecure dog). It makes your dog feel happier, relaxed and safe knowing that you are there watching over them.
2) It avoids any dog going off in the wrong direction, getting lost or left behind.
3) I've had a dog toilet in the bushes, run out doing their 'happy potty dance!' & their harness has got caught on a branch and they needed my help to free them.
4) Being in the forest & backcountry trails, there's also the risk of running into wildlife! A dog left alone is an easy target, so I stand on 'potty watch!' watching out for the unexpected to ensure your dog can happily relax their bowels!
3) For dogs that don't potty in private, I also like to check their poop (sometimes clients want to know if their dog pooped & the consistency, or if they were constipated, etc.). Especially if a dog has recently changed their food, been on medication, had their glands expressed, or got into something they shouldn't over the weekend!
I've seen poop with glitter in it (obviously someone has been doing arts & crafts!). I've diagnosed illnesses from dog poop; seen blood, discoloration, worms, plastic bags, dog toys, a sock!...you'd be surprised what dog poop can tell you! 💩💬
I'm going to miss them so much! 😭💔🐾
Rainy days = Muddy buddies! 😃💦
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#rainyday #dogsofinsta #dogslife #forest #nature #dogwalking
Tired Teddies 😴
We hadn't even left the trail yet!
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#dog #dogwalking #adventure #dogwalker #gooddoggos #dogsofinstagram #sleepydogs #sleep #doghikes #ilovedogs
STICK OBSESSION & BARKING! 🌲🙄🙉
We can inadvertently create obsessions in our dogs without realising it, and when we finally realise it, by then it's usually become a major problem!
Theo's obsession with sticks and him guarding them has greatly improved. He was so fixated on sticks that he was oblivious to his surroundings, it stopped him from scenting, stopped interactions, he wasn't focused on his human (just the stick!) and he wasn't relaxed on walks, or more importantly enjoying them. 🥰
We don't want to totally 'take away' our dogs valued possessions, in order to avoid resource guarding/over excitement/over stimulation/obsession, but it should be managed, which will gradually change a dogs behavior so they become less obsessed or guard possessions.
For Theo we added an 'off/on switch' so to speak. So his guardians started & ended 'stick play' by adding a word letting Theo know when stick play begins and when it ends. This way Theo learns to disengage from sticks, stays calmer and is less obsessed and will drop a stick and walk away from it. We also kept stick play sessions short to keep Theo's excitement low and to avoid heightening his obsession. Theo now shares sticks with his group buddies and no longer guards them!
Winston gets over excited by stick play, which triggers barking, lots & lots of barking!
To help Winston manage this, stick play is kept short and stick throws begin only when; he's calmer/stops barking or whining (even if its seconds!)/no jumping and/or a calm sit. The stick is then thrown as his reward for remaining calm.
In this video you will see that Winston's excited barking also triggered Theo's barking, which Theo doesn't normally do!
With practice and management Winston will become more calm around sticks too. 🙌🌲
One of the most important commands/cues/lessons in my opinion to teach our dogs is 'recall'. Calling your dog to come to you when called (on the first call!) 📣
There are several things I have taught my hiking buddies over the years, which are very useful. This includes the cue 'wait!' or not even asking them to wait! They automatically wait when I stop or stand still... then look at me waiting for direction; verbal or visual. 💬🙌
I use 'wait' for many reasons; when tying up my shoes (so dogs don't run too far ahead & out of sight) ~ when picking up poop ~ waiting for the last dog to catch up (so we all stay together) ~ when coming to a corner or the trail braches off in more than one direction (I like to look ahead to check it's safe) ~ if a dog runs towards fast or high water to get them to stop in their tracks (although I will leash swimmers beforehand! It's good to teach dogs danger awareness!) ~ in case I hear wildlife & need to leash up. These are just some, but there's many other reasons!
Sometimes I reward them with treats, sometimes praise "Thank you", "Yes!", "Good job!" or affection, but not always. I like to mix it up and there are some training exercises that I expect my dogs to do after hiking with me for several years! Just being together exercising, playing, having social time with their buddies and doing lots of 'dog stuff' is often reward enough. 🥰🐕🤗
When you spend a lot of time with dogs and there's trust and you have a strong bond, dogs become very in tune with you. Your energy, your emotions, your body's rhythmic changes, you become synchronized. It's a beautiful thing. You even start to 'feel' what dogs feel & vice-versa. 🥰🐾👣
It's also important to remember that dogs are not robots, but they are animals with primal instincts, so don't expect perfection. They have off days too! 😉
I'm so proud of all my buddies, they are truly amazing and I've loved watching them grow ❤️🤗
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#dogslife #dogsofinstagram
Winnie & I went to seaworld this afternoon! 😃🦭🦭🦭
Winnie was a little unsure at first about the seals chorus, so we sat & observed and played some scent games as a distraction & something fun for Winnie to do to take her focus off the sound, which was pretty loud! 🙉🦭
Did someone say "Treats?!" 😋
They'll do anything for a bit of meat! 🥩🤤
(**No resource guarders here!**).
#pawrnivores #dogtreats #dog #forest #nature #walks #adventuretime #ilovedogs #dogsofinsta #yummyfood #humangradedogtreats
We can inadvertently create behaviours in our dogs without realizing it, whether that be; whining, barking, growling, excitement, fear, anxiety, obsessive compulsive behaviours, jumping up, climbing on furniture (perhaps items we don't want dogs to climb on), counter-surfing, etc., etc.
However, this behaviour can then become habit forming and can be hard to break without consistent training, perseverance and often a lot of patience, but it can be done if you're more patient than your dog! 😁🐕
Winston whines to get what he wants & is learning to wait patiently for things! Sometimes our dogs become very good at training their human! 😁🙌👤🐾
Dog destroyer of snowballs!!
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#snow #snowball #winter #dog #snowday #snowplay #dogworkout #bernesemix #ilovedogs #dogwalks #dogtraining #petsofinstagram #dogsofinsta #dogwalking #leashoflifedogwalking
A beautiful display of play between Maggie & Fern. 💞
🐾 Both dogs taking turns being the chaser & chasee.
🐾 No over stimulation or stress escalation.
🐾 Both girls are self regulating & taking pauses & breaks when needed.
🐾 Not overly vocal, just low play growls from Fern.
🐾 Playing in close proximity to each other & play wrestling without longer pauses or chasing to break up play for longer can be quite tiring, so I like to keep these kinds of play shorter to avoid any escalation in excitement, over stimulation or arousal, potential for rough play, overt barking or stress creeping in!
🐾 Play should always be fair and equally matched in size, playstyle, energy level & of similar age. (Although age isn't overly important. Many dogs, including my own, who is 12 enjoys playing with puppies and he'll handicap himself during play to let the puppy win!).
🐾 Both dogs should be willing participants and look like they are enjoying play, which should include regular pauses or breaks to avoid any build up of stress, over excitement, over stimulation, rough play, aggression or predation.
(Poor Chips, the girls were oblivious to him trying to roll in the snow! 😆❤️).
Look at that focus! 👀
Winnie is fantastic at holding & maintaining eye contact. It's not something all dogs can do!
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#eyeswideopen #focus #lookoftheday #pittielove #treats #snowday #snow #dogsofinsta #dogtraining #dogwalking #eashoflifedogwalking
After a downtown walk around distractions, walking by other dogs, greeting people, doing some training exercises & playing some scent games, I took Lucy to a dog park to practice sit/stays...she's getting very good. We also practiced around distractions when another dog joined the dog park, which Lucy also aced!
Awesome job today Lucy! 👏💖👏
Recall practice with the happy girls trio! 📣🐕💨
Snow rolling is the best!
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#snowday #dog #dogwalker #ilovedogs #pittylove #snowywalks #leashoflifedogwalking
Bunny hops in the snow! ❄️💕🐾
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#bunnyhop #snowday #dog #dogwalker #dogwalks #ilovedogs
