Just a few bits from todays recall training session with Clover, and my lovely assistant, Minnie 🐶
Clover has been doing really well with her recall on the long line, so today we had a session without it and she smashed it 💥
She came back every time when called, didn’t stray too far and checked in regularly 🤩
This doesn’t mean she’s completely graduated from the long line, there will be times and situations she may need to be on it again, but this is great progress 🥰
#dogtraining #dogbehaviour #dogtrainer #dogbehaviourist #dogtrainingcambridgeshire #victoriawaltondogtraining #positivereinforcement #forcefree #recalltraining
✨ Bert ✨
It’s a big world for 4 month old Dachshund, Bert 🌍
Bert’s guardians got in contact as he was becoming increasingly reactive…this isn’t unusual for Dachsies, but if we can prevent it from escalating and help Bert to feel happier in himself, then why wouldn’t we? 🤔
Since our first session last week, his guardians have been great and taught him a really reliable marker…the word ‘yes!’ 🥳
We then used this in our most recent session out of the house so we could mark his behaviour of looking at triggers, before reacting to them. By doing so, Bert looked at his guardians rather than reacting 🤩
This is just the start of Bert’s training and alongside confidence building exercises and plenty of calming activities, we should help him to become a happy and confident boy 🥰
#dogtraining #dogbehaviour #dogtrainer #dogbehaviourist #dogtrainingcambridgeshire #victoriawaltondogtraining #positivereinforcement #forcefree
✨ RECALL ✨
If you want some spot on recall with your dog, then here are some of my top tips:
👍🏼 Use a long line, especially in new areas or places with high distraction!
👍🏼 Use a high value reward that you only use for recall!
👍🏼 Plenty of excitement! Encourage your dog as they’re coming towards you!
👍🏼 Work on your bond outside of recall. If your dog wants to engage with you in other areas, then it will help with them engaging with you offlead!
👎🏼 Don’t call your dog if they’re in the middle of sniffing. Choose your moment (when their head pops up) to increase the likelihood of them responding!
👎🏼 Don’t only call your dog when you want to put them back on the lead. It will make them not want to come back!
👎🏼 Don’t keep repeating your dog’s name. Give them a decent amount of time to respond and try once more. If they’re not responding, go and collect them.
The list goes on, so if you’d like to hear more or want help with your dogs recall then please get in touch 🐶🥰
#dogtraining #dogbehaviour #dogtrainer #dogbehaviourist #dogtrainingcambridgeshire #victoriawaltondogtraining #positivereinforcement #forcefree
✨ LEAD WALKING ✨
Ever wondered how to teach your dog to walk on a loose lead? 🧐
In this video I am on a training walk with one of my clients puppies, Clover. As Clover is a puppy she is still learning how to walk with a loose lead and here’s what we have been doing with her:
🐶 Adequate lead length. The longer the lead the less likely she is to pull, due to having the ability to access the environment.
🐶 Ensuring she is doing plenty of sniffing. By meeting her needs we are prioritising her welfare, which only leads to a happier dog.
🐶 Stopping when there’s tension on the lead. By stopping when she begins to pull, this leads to her believing that her behaviour of pulling is not working in making her move forward.
🐶 Only moving when the lead is loose. You can see in the video that once I stop, I stay quiet to give her the choice of orienting back to me…and sure enough she does. I then move forward as the lead is loose again. This will lead to a dog that regulates their speed naturally.
🐶 Rewarding when walking by my side. When Clover chooses to walk by my side, I reward her. By doing so she is more likely to repeat the behaviour.
Walking a dog that pulls can be unpleasant for both the dog and the owner, so it’s important to teach dogs this valuable skill 😊
Get in touch if you need some help with lead walking!
#dogtraining #dogbehaviour #dogtrainer #dogbehaviourist #dogtrainingcambridgeshire #victoriawaltondogtraining #positivereinforcement #forcefree
✨ WALKING AND SOCIALISATION ✨
Little Clover is now able to go out on walks and today we focused on taking things slow, keeping the lead loose and allowing her time to process her surroundings 👏🏼
She even said hello to a horse for the first time! 🐴
At the young age of 12 weeks, walks are less about exercise and more about getting used to the big, wide world… And Clover is definitely doing that! 🥰
#dogtraining #dogbehaviour #dogtrainer #dogbehaviourist #dogtrainingcambridgeshire #victoriawaltondogtraining #positivereinforcement #forcefree
A little video of the puppy play/socialisation at the end of puppy class this evening 🥰
The pups have grown in confidence tremendously over the past few weeks…dare I say I think a few are in love? 😍
✨ RECALL TIP NO. 7 ✨
It’s Sunday so that means the final day of ‘Recall Week’! My final tip of the week is... The actual recall! 🤩
Let’s go through the actual recall and put together all the tips from this week 🙌🏼
1. Ensure you have your dogs long lead attached securely to their harness ✅
2. Wait for the right moment, when your dog pops their head up and looks around ✅
3. In a cheery and clear voice call your dogs name and begin to run in the other direction ✅
4. Keep encouraging your dog as they come to you ✅
5. When your dog reaches you, reward with either a jackpot of their special treats, a game with their favourite toy or lots of praise ✅
6. Every now and then play the ‘Yo-Yo Game’ to keep them focused ✅
7. Head off again with a cheery ‘come on then!’ ✅
And remember...Don’t:
❌ Call your dog more than 3 times!
❌ Tell your dog off if they jump up on return, they may confuse this for being told off for coming back!
❌ Practice recall without the long line unless your dogs recall is spot on!
❌ Use an angry voice to call your dog. They won’t want to come back to an angry person!
❌ Go to really busy areas. Start with no distractions around and gradually build up to busier areas one step at a time!
This wraps up a fabulous ‘Recall Week’! Remember that training is meant to be fun and if you need any help please get in touch 🥰
Let’s make happier dogs, together 🐶💕
✨RECALL TIP NO. 2 ✨
It’s day 2 of ‘Recall Week’ and my tip today is...Interact with your dog throughout your walk! 🤩
You’ll often see someone let their dog off the lead, go on their phone for 15 minutes and only call the dog back when they’re ready to be put on the lead...no wonder they don’t listen 🤯
You have to remain more exciting than everything else around you if you want your dog to have great recall 👍🏼
Here are tips for interaction:
1. Call your dog to you when there are no distractions around to get plenty of practice in for those pesky squirrels 🐿
2. Play a game with your dog when they do come back! This is fun and will encourage them to come back again next time 🤪
3. Teach them cues such as ‘this way!’ and ‘come on then!’ So they know they need to pay attention and focus on you 👍🏼
4. Hide...wait for your dog to look around for you and then jump out and call them whilst running in the opposite direction! Dogs love this game 🤩
5. Do some fun training such as ‘middle’, ‘paw’ and ‘find it’ to put some energy and focus into your walks 🤗
By interacting with your dog throughout their walk, you’ll improve focus and will have better recall as a result of that 🙌🏼
Be sure to check in tomorrow for tip number 3 on recall 👍🏼
Let’s make happier dogs, together 🐶💕
❤️ HAPPY VALENTINES DAY ❤️
I hope you all have a lovely day and spend it with someone who loves you as much as Minnie loves her boyfriend Steve 😂🐶💕
✨ DITCH THE BOWL! ✨
Have you got a dog that’s a fussy eater? Over-excitable? Reactive? Nervous? Or you simply just want to enrich your dogs life? 🧐
Then DITCH THE BOWL! 🤩
It’s been proven that dogs actually prefer working for their food rather than having it handed to them in a bowl 👍🏼
Not only do they enjoy meal times more but getting your dog to use their nose has many more benefits such as promoting calmness and increasing confidence, which helps with an array of training/behaviour problems 🙌🏼
Instead, why not give them their meals in puzzle feeders, Kongs, rolled up towels, toilet rolls, cardboard boxes? Scatter feeding or even using their daily food allowance for training sessions throughout the day are great alternatives! 👏🏼
In this video you can see Minnie having her evening kibble in a puzzle feeder and a Kong. This is the first time using the feeder but you can clearly see she’s used the Kong before! 😍
If you need help with enrichment ideas or want to know how they can help with your dogs problems then please get in touch ☺️
Let’s make happier dogs, together ☺️💕
✨ PUPPY’S FIRST NIGHT (AND THEREAFTER) ✨
Outdated methods will tell you to ‘start as you mean to go on’, to leave your puppy downstairs in a crate and let them cry it out 👀 leaving your puppy to cry will only teach them that their crate and bed time means distress and will create low confidence and serious separation anxiety issues ❌
Follow the tips below to create a confident pup that will be fabulous during the night! 🤩
1. Give your pup his last meal about 1-2 hours before bed. Feeding too early will cause pup to get hungry during the night and wake you up! 🤪
2. Choose to either have pups crate in your bedroom or be prepared to sleep on the sofa downstairs next to pups crate (anywhere from a few days to a few weeks). Teaching a confident dog to sleep elsewhere is easy, rectifying separation anxiety is not! 🧐
3. Follow this night time routine after pups last feed... toilet, play, toilet, cuddle, toilet. Repeat this until pup is barely able to keep his eyes open and when he’s dozing off carry him and place him in his crate 😴
4. Stay with pup and stroke him until he is happily off in the land of nod! 💤
5. Pups developing bladder means he will wake you up at some point during the night. Pick him up, take him outside, as soon as he’s toiletted bring him back in and place him in his crate, settling him before you get back in your bed 🛌
Your puppy will get into a great bed time routine and develop confidence so that as an adult he is able to sleep anywhere and know you will be there when he needs you 🥰
Lets make happier dogs, together 🐶💕
