Have you ever called your dog stubborn?
The word “stubborn” has many different connotations.
“having or showing determination not to change one’s attitude or position on something, especially in spite of good arguments or reasons to do so”
So essentially not doing something even when there is good evidence to show that it’s a good idea.
Why is this not applicable to dogs? Well firstly…because they don’t have this level of wider thought. To be stubborn they would have to be spiteful, they would have to be scheming and plan ahead, they would have to understand the consequences of not doing the thing we want them to do.
My argument is the same as many other aspects of dog behaviour: dogs do the thing that has consequences. Positive or negative. With positive consequences they are more likely to want to do it, and may choose things like chasing rabbits over coming to you…but that doesn’t make them stubborn, it makes the feeling of chasing rabbits more reinforcing than you and your treats.
So where does this leave punishment - well…if something is scary or painful enough…you probably will succumb to it. But this doesn’t apply across the board. I’ve seen dogs pull into slip leads and prongs, and be consequently labelled stubborn. In reality they are dogs that find the thing they are accessing more reinforcing than the punishment of the prong or other lead.
When you next find yourself frustrated by your dog and thinking “they are soooo stubborn” consider why they are doing it and what makes them do the thing they are doing. Is it reinforcing or punishing to do what you want them to do?
#dogtraineruk #dogbehaviourist #dogbehavior #dogtraining #dogbehaviourmodification #hels4dogs #doglover #dog #clinicalanimalbehaviourist
Behaviour modification
Behaviour Modification The crux of animal training and behaviour management. Here are some tips as to why it may take a long time to enact true and noticeable behavioural changes to your dog. Often we rush and get frustrated when results don’t stick, we sometimes forget that we ourselves are only human and that we cannot control every aspect of our environment, or that owners are not trainers and something that may take a professional a couple of months may take an owner significantly longer. Behavioural modification is a science but it is just as much an art. Comment below if you have any thoughts or agree
🐾 Puppy sit and wait 🐾🩵Don’t make them wait with you stopped at distance🩵Always be dynamic and reinforce for successfully staying there🩵just go away and in the same movement already be indicating your return. #dogbehaviourist #dogbehavior #dogtraineruk #dogbehaviourmodification #puppytraining #puppylove #dogoftheday #pointer #pointerpuppy #puppylife #puppiesofinstagram #germanshorthairedpointer #germanshorthairedpointerpuppy Did you do this with your pup?
Resource guarding is something all dogs do…Is it always a problem…no.
Resource guarding is something all dogs do…Is it always a problem…no.
This video demonstrates how two very familiar and friendly dogs navigate one of the dogs telling them that they don’t want the other dog to interfere with their item.
Body language cues:
🥶 freezing. The dog with the item stops moving all together as a signal to the other dog to move away.
🐕 a very quick tail wag. Fluttering her tail around is a gesture of appeasement, saying “please please move away, we’re friends and I don’t want us to escalate”
👀 eye movement. Again as an appeasement strategy. When eye contact is broken the other dog moves ever so slightly away from the object and all that is good is restored in the world.
🪐 Space. The other dog adds a small amount of space as asked and the dogs feel a lot more comfortable.
There was no need for me to intervene here because these girls are great communicators. However, what if those things hadn’t worked?
⭐️ call the dogs away from the item.
⭐️ get up and move yourself away from the item and call the dog that doesn’t move.
⭐️ get the dogs to start engaging in another activity - you can use food - and go and retrieve the item at another time.
Disclaimer - these are just some suggestions, if you’re struggling with resource guarding towards you or other dogs please get in touch with a professional!
#dogbehavior #dogbehaviourist #dogtraineruk #dogbehaviourmodification #dogtraining #hels4dogs #doglover #resourceguarding #resourceguardingprevention #resourceguardingtips #dogbodylanguage #dogcommunication
Loose lead walking…why is it so hard?
Because it is a really complex behaviour to train and relies on so many different things being all perfectly perfect in order for it to be successful. It is heavily reliant on emotional state and sensitivity to environment and therefore is a tricky behaviour to just train and be done with.
Often behaviourists end up dealing with this “simple” thing because of how loaded it becomes for both dog and handler.
Some advice:
⭐️ Emotions: must be stable and in a good place for learning or performing trained behaviours.
⭐️ Reinforcer (reward): must be desirable enough and frequent enough for the dog to keep focus.
⭐️ Practice: must be done in all environments. And continued into adulthood.
⭐️ Environments: must be increased in difficulty gradually based on what the dogs decide are distractions.
⭐️ Expectations: must be adjusted depending on all of the above factors.
⭐️ Off days happen and training can fail!!
What do you find helps with your dog’s loose lead walking?
#looseleashwalking #looseleadwalking #dogbehaviourmodification #dogbehavior #dogbehaviourist #dogtraineruk #dogtraining #hels4dogs #doglover #dog #leadwalking #clinicalanimalbehaviourist
Baby Buhund Apollo is a superstar 🩵
@apollo.bu and his owner came to see me to talk through some ways we can help Apollo approach his environment and just help him find his feet in the world. It’s so lovely when owners come with a good idea of what they need to work on and have already put work in and some foundations in place. A key foundation for me is cooperative care work with a focus on specifically trained and conditioned behaviours that make handling a mutually acceptable thing.
🩵Apollo is doing so well 🩵
#buhund #buhundsofinstagram #buhundpuppy #puppytraining #puppy #puppylove #babybuhund #puppiesofinstagram #dogbehaviourist #dogtraining
5 things I wish all dog owners knew: 1. Behaviour is fluid - never just one constant thing & changes over a dog’s lifetime. Maybe pain or mood exacerbates something about how they feel. It’s not always binary I like this I don’t like that. Behaviour is a fluid thing that changes with time, experience and maturity. 2. Dogs need guidance with choices from day one, it will build autonomy. A fine balance between too much freedom and helicopter pawrenting. We need to be there to reinforce the stuff we want but also let them make good choices and experience freedoms. 3. Restricting dogs too much can increase impulsive behaviours. Not letting your dog off a lead until they are 2 is never going to improve your dog’s recall. Too little freedom and your dog can make mad choices and impulsively get themselves into trouble. 4. Using medication is a win. You’re far more likely to succeed with it if your dog needs it!Medication for behaviour carries a large stigma. It’s a tool like a lead or pain relief. If your dog needs it then crack on. You’re just making it harder for yourself if you don’t use it. And I’m here to support you through that journey. 5. If we think your dog needs medication or is in pain - trust us. We’ve seen a lot of dogs 🐶 Please trust me. I’ve seen many dogs with very subtle indicators of pain and I’ve seen dogs with huge pain responses with mild injuries. Much like with people health is not a 1 size fits all assessment and has to be taken seriously. What do you wish you had known when you got your dog? Comment below ⬇️ #dogtraining #dogtraineruk #dogbehaviourmodification #dogbehaviour #dogbehaviorist #dogbehaviourist #doglover #dogowner #dogsarelife #onegirlandherdog #hels4dogs
Just some summer and heat related considerations for you and your pooches as we head into a heat wave 🤗☀️ take care in the sun🌊 give access to water😎 give access to shade🚶♀️ don’t be afraid to skip walks and don’t push running. #dogtrainingtips #dogtraineruk #heatrelatedillness #heatstroke #dogheatstroke #dogheatstrokeawareness #dogbehavior
📣 Multidog households 📣
📣Multidog households 📣
Is the thought of walking or taking more than one of your dogs out at a time very stressful? I can help with that.
I’ve had my fair share of stress with Bonnie and toph, where they both like to lead each other astray or decide they know best and chasing full pelt at a squirrel is a better choice than listening to little old me.
However, there are knacks and things that can really help with walking multiple dogs.
🐶 do the dogs have a base level of recall or does this need work before you try any multidog walks?
🐶 Are there groupings of dogs that are better suited to one another, are they going to give each other complementary energy/vibes or egg each other on and leave you wondering where your dogs are?
🐶 can they take it in turns off the lead? Can you create good habits one dog at a time. Just being in each others presence out of the house is a successful repetition of something you want to repeat.
🐶 are there ways you can increase engagement and can you do this safely. I.e balls, toys, encouraging them to stay closer. Can you do this with one of the dogs on a long line?
🐶 is it safe for you to use a long line with the dogs? How many and reasonably assess your handling skills. If not leave those dogs home.
Just some ideas or questions you should be asking before you attempt a multiple dog walk on your own.
This video features Bonnie, toph and iroh as pairs that thrive when walked together.
#multidoghousehold #beauceron #pointer #recall #recalltraining #dogtrainingtips #dogtraineruk #dogbehaviourmodification #dogbehavior
⛔️Another boring video alert⛔️
⛔️Another boring video alert⛔️
Another environment, woodland. Notoriously difficult for predatory and “prey-sensitive” dogs like these 2 😂
The main aim of these videos is to try and demonstrate the reality of my time with Bonnie (code name 🐝) and Toph (code name 🫖). So much of social media is edited, only shows snippets of anything not just in regards to dogs or dog training and behaviour. You could say I chose this clip or this minute of footage and yeah sure there were parts of our walk which were rather higher in arousal or excitement but this is real, unedited and just us. But, this is a real 1 minute long video showing duration of a general desirable emotional state!
I also think to really demonstrate a general concept or attitude, or to show a dog has true generalisation of how they understand a behaviour or experience an emotional state then more than 30 seconds of footage is required. Any dog could suppress or do a behaviour for less than 4 seconds for a snippet in a reel.
I challenge you to post 30 seconds or more of footage on a behaviour that you think your dog knows really well!! Tag us!!!
This is here to show you that I get real long lasting results. Not just with my dogs but yours too 💪
#dogtraining #dogtraineruk #dogbehaviourmodification #dogbehavior #dogbehaviour #leadwalking #recalltraining #dogwalk #doglover #dogsarefamily #onegirlandherdogs
A weimeraner, 2 collies and a spaniel walk into a bar….Could be some kind of joke somewhere 😉
A weimeraner, 2 collies and a spaniel walk into a bar….Could be some kind of joke somewhere 😉
Watch the video, all the dogs are doing very different things in the same environment.
🦆 The Weimaraner is far away quartering on her own after scent. Hunting, alone which is what they are bred to do.
🎾 The Spaniel has a much similar agenda but does it much closer. They work with handlers at a much closer range to hunt point retrieve breeds.
🐑 the collies are doing circle-y things close to their handlers waiting for some indication of what to do. Working with their handler in close proximity. Of course collies do distance work but they listen close for those commands and have their circle instinct for rounding up sheep.
All dogs under control, all dogs doing their thing and having their predatory needs met!
@charlotte_hanne thank you for the spaniel and collies in this video 😉
#dogbehavior #predatorybehavior #dogtraineruk #predationsubstitutetraining #preydrive #huntingdogs #bordercollie #spaniel #weimaraner
