And another tip is to stop worrying about the sit/finish of the recall. Just make it fun 🤩
Training your young dog around older dogs who are under control is a billion times easier that trying to ‘socialise’ them around a load of feral young ones.
#dogtrainingadvice #dogtrainingisfun #cockerspanielsrule #cockerspanielofinstagram #labradorlife #labradorretriver #petgundogs #gundogtraining
Every single year it surprises me….
#doglife #doggroominglife #hairydog #circadianrhythm #dogownerlife #dogownertips #seasonschange #dogfacts
One thing most people misjudge is the need to train recall when the issue is connection.
#recalltraining #dogtrainingadvice #dogtraining101 #dogtrainingtip #spanielsofinsta #cockerspaniels #adventuredogsofinstagram
Watering the garden can become a big circus if your dog enjoys water. Here’s need some help calming the drama.
#timefordogs #adolescentdog #gardeningwithdogs #puppytrainingtips #dogtrainingadvice #dogtraining101 #cockerspanielofinstagram
A lack of play is being put forward as one of the biggest reasons our children are anxious and depressed and I put money on this research having relevance to our dogs as well.
#timefordogs #doggyplaytime #spanielsofinsta #reactivedogsofinstagram #lightly #dogtrainingisfun
Bertie is my Mum’s Cairn Terrier, he’s 12 now and seems to be the star of the show wherever her goes. We laugh about this frequently because he was a complete nightmare until about 7 years ago.
One of his many ‘problems’ was resource guarding. It was so bad no one could walk past him when he had anything without fear and trepidation.
Anyway, one day we suddenly realised he’d just stopped doing it. After much conversation and unpicking we realised this was all down to his morning toast.
To him this was a relatively boring invaluable item he got day in day out. My mum had been moving his toast away from the other dogs so they didn’t steal it. Suddenly he associated hands with positivity - they give me back my toast.
So two things of note:
Firstly guarding can never be fixed by trying to train with items of value because the dog will already be in fight or flight when their given the item.
Secondly, if we always give long lasting chews they rarely get to feel the satisfaction of finishing the chew without something happening to concern them. Short lasting chews mean they have the ability to enjoy and finish something around you.
Disclaimer: Guarding is something that often needs professional attention. When working with guarding dogs I put in place many other strategies depending on the dog. I’m not usually one to fear monger but guarding can quickly become dangerous.
#timefordogs #cairnterriers #cockerspaniellovers #resourceguarding #dogtrainingadvice #dogtraining101 #dentalchew #tricktraining #stretches #caninephysio
When given the option this is how our dogs may choose to spend their time.
Their bodies were made to move, to do things we may consider risky, to feel nature on their skin and to drink from puddles.
When helping city dogs or those who can’t be off lead we need to work out how to begin to recreate these things for dogs showing problem behaviours.
These activities impact the chemicals in the body which help our dogs feel happier and content.
Particularly in those bread from working lines - even if they were a pet in the breeders home.
#timefordogs #workingdogsofinstagram #petgundog #senses #vestibularsystem #canineenrichment #citydogs #dogtrainingadvice #spanielsofinsta #woodlandwalk #animalsareamazing #movementmedicine
I can’t say this enough.
Stop being so still and boring. Let your dog help you become more confident by engaging with them instead of just expecting them to want to engage with you.
#timefordogs #selfconfidence #emotionalsupportdog #familydogs #youarenotatree #movemore #havefun #beweird #spanielsofinsta
It feels like it will never get better but let me tell you they mellow.
If you’re prioritising their joy, managing problem behaviour and training things will settle.
Relationships take time to build, self control is a developmental stage, juveniles of all species just don’t have a lot of it.
If you need help, confidence, knowledge on how to interact and engage them you can book a call in my bio.
#timefordogs #developmentmatters #dogtraining101 #spanielsofinsta #sprockers #springers #goldies #youngdogs #petgundog
I don’t think timing is spoken about enough when teaching owners how to train their dogs.
It’s one of the biggest reasons your dog would rather work for the trainer than you. It is the difference between your recall working or not, or any cue for that matter.
In this reel I took too long to reward, frustration was showing through and she threw me an alternative behaviour because the first one wasn’t working.
It got rewarded. Now I have accidentally trained a pivot with an indication. Wonderful.
The mistake was not the end of the world, it’s on a low stakes behaviour (pivot) but when your timing is out on a recall/stop or ‘leave it’ suddenly the mistakes have a bigger impact.
It’s also worth noting that these little errors magnify under pressure - for example, when you have visitors, when there are more dogs or smells.
Train tricks and fun things so YOU can practise. Tricks will always benefit ‘real’ training as well.
#timefordogs #tricktraining #dogtraining101 #dogtrainingadvice #sprockersofinstagram #cockersofinsta #springerspaniels #goldiesofinstagram
Dogs communicate through body language.
To truly communicate and understand things from their perspective you need to watch and learn.
When you hear people talk about listening to dogs they’re referring to their body language.
Actively listen to them, not what you wish they wanted. Young dogs are frequently misunderstood as bouncy and excited when the can also be showing signs of overwhelm through boisterous behaviour.
#timefordogs #youngdog #dogbodylanguage #activelistening #dogtraining101 #dogtrainingadvice
We have bred these dogs to keep hold of things through brambles and water.
Their brains want to keep hold of the item.
Occasionally holding onto things can create stress as they decide what to do with it.
If we take control of the situation, hold the item and ask for a ‘give’, you can almost seem some of them visibly relax.
You do need to train this, it absolutely will not occur by magic.
Also, another little challenge for you - do they hold anything presented to them or do you have the behaviour under control and on cue?
#timefordogs #petgundog #spanielsofinsta #labradorsofinsta #cockerpoosofinstagram #cockerpoopuppy
It’s definitely not by asking for a sit stay.
#timefordogs #dogtrainingadvice #dogtraining101 #petgundog #spanielsofig
Achieve this by luring, throwing a treat over or stepping over yourself so they follow.
Try it a few times if needed.
#timefordogs #youngdog #dogtrainingadvice #dogtraining101 #spanielsofinsta #labradorsofinsta #goldenretrieversarethebest #petgundog
Why is it so hard to train young dogs to stand still while we chat or pause on a walk?
Generally this is because we tend to completely ignore them and they really don’t know what to do with themselves. They find it frustrating that you’ve suddenly stopped.
Humans then try to wait for a moment of silence before continuing their walk - this is hard to do with any clarity and dogs are persistent, which is why it often doesn’t work.
Using the ‘Up and Down’ pattern game (Control Unleashed Series) rhythm allows the dogs to regulate themselves while still being allowed to check out the environment.
The up and down game also begins to address the emotion underneath the behaviour instead of plastering over it.
#timefordogs #controlunleashed #dogtrainingadvice #dogtrainingvideo #dogtraining101 #littermates #workingcockersofinstagram #petgundog
Puppies should be let off lead as young as possible while they stick close and rely on you to guide them.
Many people look at their dogs on lead behaviour and think their dog will have the same engagement levels off lead.
#timefordogs #dogtrainingadvice #dogtraining101 #petgundog #gundogpuppy #cockerspaniellife
Did you know how important access to fresh water is for dogs?
#timefordogs #water #thirstywork #petgundog #dogtrainingadvice #dogsofhampshire #dogtraining101 #dogsofsussex
But they do it anyway….
Yes and you want them to continue doing it anyway even when there are more exciting things on offer and they’ve learnt about wildlife, people and dogs.
#timefordogs #puppytraining101 #dogtrainingadvice #puppytrainingadvice #petgundog
If you want the how to on easy tick removal here you go!
#timefordogs #tickremoval #cooperativecare #husbandry #petgundog #dogtrainingadvice #dogtrainingvideo #dogtraining101 #cockerspanielsofig #happydoggy
Been putting off that chin rest? Let’s get ready for tick season.
I’ll share a how to tomorrow.
#timefordogs #tickseason #dogtraining101 #dogtrainingadvice #englishspringerspaniels #cockerspanielcuties #petgundog #cooperativecare
