Poki Loki ๐ฅณ
Itโs Poki-Lokiโs birthday and a couple of weeks ago marked ONE whole year of him being part of our family.
I canโt really get my head around the fact he hasnโt always been with us. Everyone that knows him loves his weird quirks, treat pleading eyes, ball drive and general gremlin-ness ๐คฉ
Poki has taught me so much about dogs and working through a dog with an apprehensive state around food and therefore would guard it from people. Heโs given us plenty of moments of frustration and tears but so much knowledge and perseverance on how to work through it together.
Heโs goofy, sweet (occasionally demon ๐) and so much fun to be around. He never does anything at a slow pace ๐คฃ
Hereโs to many more adventures together!
Big thanks to Jess at @dundeedogtraining for setting Loki up on the right path, trusting us with him and continuing to support us, even to this day. And to both Jess and @hungarianvizslawelfarecharity for giving dogs like Loki another chance โฅ๏ธ
Friday Adventure Walk ๐พ
Friday Walk ๐พ
We had an amazing walk on Friday - the sun was shining so we headed to St Andrews.
The pack walked along the beach and then did the best lead walking around the town. We stopped off at @jannettas_gelateria where these boys got an ice cream! We headed back along the beach and home again.
It was great to walk through the town with 15 dogs - think we got some amazed looks from passersby! ๐พ๐๏ธโฅ๏ธ
Social Walk Sundays ๐คฉ
Social Walk Sundays ๐คฉ
We started off the morning with a Neutral Walk through @honesthounds and @longtallsally_roucandane ๐พ
Followed by our own Social Walk through Cammo Estate. This is a tricky walk location as it can be busy at the weekends.
We focused on:
๐พ appropriate interactions
๐พ proprioception & confidence building
๐พ some chilled out down stays
๐พ reading body language
๐พ dealing with incoming dogs & reactions
Looking forward to next week ๐ฅฐ
The Educational Walks ๐๐พ
The Educational Walks combine positive social interactions with structured training opportunities throughout. The dogs can have time to run, explore, sniff and interact as well work on specific aspects such as: lead work, tricks, confidence building, etc.
Social learning is hugely impactful for humans and dogs. The dogs learn from our lead but also through the behaviour of steady adults around them. Many of the dogs attending our walks are or have been reactive towards other dogs and/or humans but are learning from the positive role models around them.
Relationship, respect, body language and positive social interactions are at the heart of our work but most of all fun and happiness of dogs and their owners.
If youโd like to get involved in our Educational Walks, please contact me at [email protected]
Busy Sunday ๐พ๐
A busy but rewarding Sunday ๐พ
Itโs amazing to see how the @honesthounds group has blossomed - it started out with only a few of us and now these dogs are the steady role models for new dogs joining. I hadnโt been in a while and I couldnโt believe the size of the group today. Almost 50 members in our HH Fife Group Chat ๐ฎ What an amazing community! I certainly wouldnโt be where I am without it and I know many people who would say the same. Itโs a platform I wish was available at the start of my dog ownership journey and I canโt see why anyone, with an interest in dogs, wouldnโt want to be part of it โฅ๏ธ
We then went for an off-lead Social Walk. Itโs great to watch the dogs interact respectfully and to be able to help owners read the body language of their dog and others. We also spoke about obedience (how your dog follows commands) vs behaviour (what your dog does out with commands) ๐พ
We were also lucky enough to be joined by Honest Hounds/Dundee Dog Trainingโs very own Jessie, Jess and Willow ๐ฅฐ
Cani-cross ๐๐ผโโ๏ธ๐พ
Cani-cross ๐๐ผโโ๏ธ๐พ
Wee Loki is absolutely loving Cani-cross right now. Heโs honestly a natural at it. He always keeps tension on the lead and if I could physically go any faster I have no doubt heโd match my pace.
Having friends to run with means accountability for me, and just a great laugh. But itโs made even better by the enthusiasm Loki has for running.
Educational Walk ๐ถ๐งก A very successful Ed. Walk today in Camperdown Park. A variety of dogs being respectful of each other. We focused on eye contact, displacement and confidence building.
Educational Walk ๐ถ๐งก
A very successful Ed. Walk today in Camperdown Park. A variety of dogs being respectful of each other. We focused on eye contact, displacement and confidence building.
Tilly Glen - The Law - Ben Cleuch - Ben Ever ๐๏ธ Social Walk up The Ochils. 10km with 10 dogs. ๐
Tilly Glen - The Law - Ben Cleuch - Ben Ever ๐๏ธ
Social Walk up The Ochils. 10km with 10 dogs. ๐
Dogs passed lots of people and dogs. I was majorly struggling, guess Iโm not back to full health yet. Need to teach the dogs to pull me up ๐คฃ
We discussed endorphins, finding the balance of good cop & bad cop, bringing down energy, advocating for your dog and reading situations before they happen.
Great walk ๐
Another day of Tiny Tim learning how to be a pet dog ๐งก๐ This is exactly why puppies need lots of structured sleep throughout the day - so much to learn ๐งก
Another day of Tiny Tim learning how to be a pet dog ๐งก๐
This is exactly why puppies need lots of structured sleep throughout the day - so much to learn ๐งก
Playing around for some dinner!
Tonight we had some fun and earned some food.
I taught Vinnie โDeadโ a few days ago and now we will work on getting his head on the ground. Will this become a helpful command for walks and behaviour? No. Is it a bit of fun and keeps his brain working? Yes.
Why use a bowl when you can do things like this instead?
Social Walks ๐
Social Walks ๐
Weโve been practising close proximity passing & positive interactions.
Thereโs been lots of progress being made and as a group weโve been trying to take @dawn_thinkitchangeit advice about writing down the positives. We did this at the end of the residential retreat with @dundeedogtraining and it was effective for having concrete evidence of progress as well as getting our dopamine in a positive way.
Some of our positives from yesterday & todayโs social walks:
โ๏ธ Passed two stranger dogs without reaction
โ๏ธ More engagement from their dog even with many distractions
โ๏ธCalmer behaviour around other dogs
โ๏ธ Walked with loose lead
Social Neutrality Walks ๐ถ
Social Neutrality Walks ๐ถ
Another great weekend of walking with a group of open, honest and non-judgemental people and their dogs.
Our social walks provide an opportunity to walk, talk, learn and share experiences with your dog and other likeminded owners.
The walks are available for ALL dogs and owners to work on:
๐นengagement
๐น relationship with dog & owner
๐นunderstanding body language/behaviour
๐นobedience
๐นneutrality around other dogs & people
๐นrecall
๐นexposure in a safe environment
๐นpractise & repetitions
We walk every Monday morning, Wednesday evening & Saturday or Sunday in a variety of locations. Send me a message if youโd be interested in joining the amazing group.
We are upleveling our โwaitโ command.
We are upleveling our โwaitโ command.
Loki loves nothing more than his ball in life so Iโve been teaching him to wait mid โfetchโ. He sometimes chances his luck but heโs making great progress.
Love how he checks in with me before being released again ๐
Vizslas ๐
Just a day in our life ๐ถ๐งก
I just wanted to show the reality of having a breed like a vizsla and how much time and effort they need in order to have their needs met.
I often get comments on how my vizslas arenโt wild and boisterous, this comes down to:
๐นenough physical exercise
๐นoff-lead freedom to explore with reliable recall
๐นmental stimulation: structured play, training, chewing
๐นtraining incorporated into every day
๐นcalm and controlled interactions with other dogs
๐นlots of opportunities for uninterrupted sleep in order to decompress and rest
๐นa healthy diet - we often donโt realise how a dogโs diet can affect their behaviour
We also did a wee walk around the block at night but it was pitch black ๐คท๐ผโโ๏ธ๐คฃ
Social Walk ๐ถ
Last nightโs social walk was different to usual. The earlier dark nights mean we have moved our evening walk to the retail parks.
This was an opportunity to:
๐นwork on engagement around more distractions
๐นheel work
๐นpassing strangers
๐นinteracting with strangers through food and touch
๐นpassing dogs
๐นbeing around noisy environments - kids, barking, trolleys, lorries.
We might have got funny looks from the trolley worker in Asda as I weaved a trolley passed the dogs, but retail parks are a great place to train even when itโs dark or miserable ๐ง๏ธ
Find a few shops that your dog can go into and do some training! Pets at Home, Dobbies, Starbucks, K9 Active & some cafes are some Dunfermline options.
Walter ๐คฃ
Walter heard he was having a sleepover with MUDDY Tales so decided to dive right in ๐
Bruno Boy ๐คฉ
I am so happy for Bruno & his owners tonight - cloud 9! Bruno joined my social walks as he was very focused on playing with dogs, had little engagement with his owner & couldnโt be off lead around dogs, as he would have no recall.
Look at him ๐ This wasnโt just a one off - he came back every time his owner shouted him, even when there was a new dog nearby. His owner has put in so much work and I want to thank her for being open to my advice, committed to coming to the walks and consistent with her expectations. Hard work really does pay off โฅ๏ธ
Educational walk yesterday with the @dundeedogtraining community followed by an informative Over-reactivity Workshop, where I had opportunities to view body language and behaviour, discuss with owners and gain more handling experience.
PUPPIES ๐พ๐คฉ
As Iโve said before I work with puppies differently. I know and understand the importance of social learning and allowing them to learn and experience new things.
We donโt need to wrap our puppies in cotton wool, they are far more capable than we give them credit for.
This is Sonny, heโs 14 weeks old. You can see him recalling, jumping over logs that he was unsure about to start with, following, being calm, approaching and entering water when he was skeptical of doing so, all because the other dogs were showing him itโs okay. As a result of continued experiences like this, we create a well rounded, confident adult dog who can calmly be around other dogs โฅ๏ธ
My week with Dundee Dog Training & Think it Change it has come to an end - what an experience!
Iโve had the opportunity to see peopleโs outlook and confidence grow throughout the week. The start of the week they were unsure of how to move forward with their dog to then offering advice to other people about dog ownership and reactivity.
The week has allowed me to have a deeper understanding of the coaching relationship between the client and how to communicate with them effectively. As well as, relationship with dog, fun/play, engagement, pattern interrupts, body language and social learning.
Weโve not only had lots of opportunities to learn with our dog but also create friendships where we can argue over card game rules, laugh at each otherโs expense and talk openly about our journey.
Huge thanks to everyone for being so open to learning and to Jess, Willow, Dawn and their community for continuing to provide opportunities for us to learn and grow.
Until next time ๐ฅฐ
*Disclaimer - I do not own the rights to this music*
