Does your dog have high prey drive?
My rescue girl does!
Teaching her to check in regularly on walks has several benefits:
She stays closer to me so recall is likely to be more successful
She is further away from prey, who are likely to keep their distance from a human
Using #positivereinforcement, in this case treats, makes me more interesting and searching for prey less appealing.
How to do it:
Every time your dog looks back at you on a walk, mark with a 'yes' and reward with a treat.
If your dog doesn't ever seem to look back. Try standing still and staying quiet 🤐
#louthdogtrainer
#clinicalanimalbehaviourist
Shaping behaviour is such a fun training technique and can be used to teach our dogs all sorts of things 😃
A couple of clips from today's self control Workshop. Shaping behaviour is a great way to build the bond between you and your dog. It also uses your dog's brain and helps them learn to cope with feelings of frustration. All while teaching them to do clever things like target an object or ring a bell 😃
These are just a couple of the games we worked on today. All activities are designed to help dogs reduce impulsive behaviour.
If you are interested in joining the next workshop, get in touch 😊
Did you know I also offer training walks? These provide some additional support for dogs who need help with loose lead walking and/or reactivity.
This handsome and very good boy, is Diesel on a training walk with me. We have been working on walking nicely on the lead as well as being calm when seeing other dogs and less anxious in new situations.
These walks are for clients that have a training plan in place.
If you would like more info please send me a message.
The sweetest little and large pair at last night's puppy party 😍 James Street Veterinary Centre
Ruby is a very independent girl, who clearly had a lot of freedom in her first home in the Welsh countryside.
Rewarding check-ins helps keep her close by and more engaged with me while still giving her the freedom she needs 😊
Sound on!
It can be very tempting to repeat your recall cue over and over until your dog responds.
Instead, take a breath and wait.
Repeating the word devalues it and can lead to your dog thinking the recall cue isn't 'Here!' but 'Here!Here!Heeerrreee!'
#recalltraining #reliablerecall #welshcollie #positivereinforcementtraining
Digging is a natural behaviour for puppies so when Bruno's mum and dad told me he was starting to dig bits of the garden they'd rather he wouldn't, I suggested a plastic sandpit to keep digging to appropriate areas.
Bruno's dad did much better than that, he built this one himself! It looks fab and Bruno loves it 😃
Hiding toys and treats in there encourages Bruno to use his digging skills 😊
So proud of Ruby today!
Our cafe visits have had mixed results over the last few months. The unsuccessful ones involved lots of shouty barking as Ruby felt uncomfortable and wanted to leave.
The successful ones look like this 🤗
The difference between those unsuccessful attempts and days like today? Remembering to bring Ruby's magic mat (her blue towel)!
We practice with the magic mat at home in the office while I'm working, so she knows what she's meant to do when she sees it. This makes her feel more comfortable in unfamiliar environments 😊
Magic mat is one of the first things I teach to puppy clients, but as you can see older dogs (Ruby was 2.5yrs when we started) can learn it too 😃
A quiet town walk this morning to help with Ruby's socialisation as well as practicing our #looseleadwalkingtraining.
#socialisation isn't all about meeting dogs and people, it's about exposing our puppies/dogs to new environments in a gentle, gradual way.
Ruby spent her first 2 years on a farm in Wales, then several months in kennels before I adopted her. This meant her socialisation during the important puppy and adolescent months was limited in terms of different environments. As a result, she finds built up, busy areas a little overwhelming.
We're keeping these walks short and picking quiet times so she can feel comfortable.
REPOST: With video (hopefully)
Training your dog should be fun for both you and your dog. By striving for perfection we often lose the enjoyment for our dogs and make it stressful for ourselves.
When Ruby joined the family a few months ago, I was warned by the rescue staff that she 'can't walk on a lead' and 'pulls like a train!'
As I planned on Ruby being my Canicross dog (pulling is a good thing!) this wasn't a major concern and I knew I could work on her lead walking over time.
Getting your dog to walk nicely on a lead doesn't happen overnight and there is no magic device whether, harness, lead, halti or collar, that can 'fix' a dog that pulls so please don't fall for the marketing!
Ruby and I have worked little by little on getting her comfortable with a slower pace and yesterday we made this little video to show her progress.
The main thing I noticed is how happy she is :-)
Her lead walking is far from perfect!
The 'bad' points 🙃
❎She tries to catch the treats before they land on the floor which can be a little chaotic.
❎She likes to walk slightly ahead rather than by my side.
❎She spends most of her time looking around rather than at me.
All of these things make it an enjoyable walk for Ruby. If your dog had to slow down to your exact pace and spend the whole time staring at you waiting for the next treat, that would not be enjoyable for them and they would soon get bored and start to pull.
The good points 🙂
✅She regularly checks back with me
✅She is not pulling me forward or putting any tension on my arm/shoulder
✅I have a very loose hold of the lead as I do not need to battle with her
✅We are both enjoying our walk
If you watch the video to the end you will see that we stop for a few moments as something catches Ruby's eye. I wait for her, because this is her walk as well as mine. If I wanted to stop to watch the birds or look at flowers, she would wait for me.
A lead walk should be cooperative. Work on building a bond with you
Sometimes when your dog looks like they are doing nothing (usually when they are ignoring you when you are trying to recall or get them to change direction on the lead) they are really busy. Just look at Ruby's nose wiggle 🤗
If your dog isn't responding, give them a minute, their nose might just be busy 😊
Mat training in practice
Practicing what I preach with a bit of mat training for Ruby 😊
Ruby is a typical collie (high energy, impulsive and impatient!) So when I'm trying to get on with work she finds it hard to sit still and wait for me to be ready to play. Mat training gives her a task that encourages settled behaviour and ocassionally she gets so settled she falls asleep (until I move 😄)
Puppy Bonnie is easily distracted so recall from greater distances is a challenge, but we've built up to it and look at her enthusiasm 😃
If you are interested in joining the next Recall Workshop get in touch 🐾
Walking Munashe had become difficult for his owner because of his pulling on the lead. He's a beautiful, big boy with a lot of strength so teaching him to walk nicely was so important. In the space of a few weeks his mum has made huge improvements and you can see Munashe is so much more in tune with his mum on walks which means they are both getting a lot more exercise 😃 🐾
Off lead socialisation shouldn't be an uncontrolled free for all, that's not good socialisation!
Our sessions are kept small and monitored throughout. That means dogs can be matched for energy and play style and any inappropriate behaviour can be interrupted.
In today's session dogs were given breaks and separated into different play groups as some were too boisterous for others.
If your dog can engage with you even when there are other dogs around that's better than a dog that runs off to 'play' and ignores you.
Special mention to Diesel (brown dog in blue harness) a wonderful boy who originally came to Calmer class with me because he couldn't control his excitement around other dogs. After a lot of work and patience from his wonderful owners he can now pass or greet dogs, as appropriate, on lead and has excellent doggy communication skills in his off lead interactions.
On lead interactions are just as important as off lead play and contribute to our dogs learning appropriate manners around other dogs.
