Dutch joined me for assessment today. Returned to rescue and reported as highly reactive to dogs and a cat chaser.
So far no evidence of this, but there may be a trigger which I will talk about in another post.
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Today I established he has 2 main unmet needs. The first, like many Dobermann’s, is to run. The boy NEEDS to be able to run. It’s so good for dogs in so many ways, a life on lead or a long line is no life for a dog bred to run with horses.
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The second is play. He loved playing, took him a minute to get into it but once he did, he loved it!
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The most important thing for me is the environment we played in. It was busy. People, dogs, cars and birds. But we still played. This is a very important detail. As we move through his training I will explain more.
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He had a little grumble at one of mine in the van, we immediately let him know that was not the sort of behaviour we expect and no trouble for the rest of the day.
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Let’s see what tomorrow brings!
So what’s going on here?
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Watch again, when is Bruce most excited?
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You got it, not when he gets his reward, but before he gets it!
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Understanding the hormone that creates this and how to manipulate it is key to so much of dog training.
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Want to know how we can use this to help your dog through reactivity, fear and much more?
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Get in touch through DM or use the contact form on my website, link in Bio.
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#dogtraininglincoln #dogtraining #dogtrainingtips #dogbehaviour #dog #doberman #dopamine #anticipation
Bea playing with Bruce is so different to Daisy. These two require regular interruption and moments of calm to regulate. Bruce is 8, he does try to disengage but Bea often doesn’t read his cut off signals.
Bruce will get to the point where he just lets her bounce off him and she might leave him alone, so this needs interrupting.
So why are they so different?
Daisy has strict rules and boundaries, she enforces them, so Bea respects her and her space.
Bruce lets Bea get away with just about anything.
Now apply this thinking to your relationship with your dog.
Bea relaxing after a training session. She is wearing her brand new Mighty Material collar courtesy of @alphak9_leaderofthepack it’s an extremely well made and robust collar. Love it! Thank you!
Beacycling wasn’t on the agenda for this morning. But she did it anyway!
These were supposed to be for @jmdogtrainer and Stark!
Don’t worry Stark I have some more for you…
Great weekend @yorkshire_canine_academy, @ycaworkingdogs hosted @tarheelk9 and @biteworkblooded. The weather did its best to ruin the weekend by turning the field into a mud bath. Despite this we all had fun, learnt loads and met some new people in the rapidly growing PSA family.
I have been fortunate enough to spend lots of time with Jerry and Taylor, while they are training dogs it’s worth listening to every word and watching every movement.
If you get the chance to train with them, watch, listen and question everything. They are a goldmine of information.
Thank you both for a great weekend!
Daisy showing off a change of positions with a hold. Then a picture of her after she stole her favourite hold/retrieve item! This is probably the item she steals the most, whenever she gets the opportunity!
She will even take it out of my hand if she thinks she can get away with it!
She does this because of the value the object has to her. It’s a means of earning good, it’s also linked to running, jumping and carrying which are 3 behaviours she finds reinforcing.
Finding the things your dog finds reinforcing and having fun with them is part of building a strong relationship! So go do stuff together and have fun!
Long down and a recall. Just because. @jmdogtrainer what do you reckon? About 2 miles? The key to this is understanding all the components that go into it.
It not just a case of teaching your dog a down and a recall and mashing the two together.
Article searches with the boy, the wind is going from right to left, you can see as he approaches he is finding the edges of the scent cone created by the wind, until he finds the object and indicates!
He loves this sort of activity! Most dogs enjoy using their noses, teaching them to be effective with them is a great way to engage their brains doing something they love!
Flexi leads, the retractable, loved by some, hated by others.
Like any training tool if you find yourself hating or calling for a ban, ask yourself why?
A bad experience? Injury to dog or person? This is usually the result of using a flexi as a substitute for training, a quick fix to allow your dog some freedom without putting in the training.
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Like any tool, they can be used badly, but so can leads, clickers, harnesses, etc, etc.
I love my flexi leads, but they are not a substitute for training.
They can help with training for sure. They have pros and cons, just like any other tool!
So let me know, love or hate?
A few clips from the final session of 2023 at @ycaworkingdogs PSA club. @elsa_theshep working some equipment neutrality, Bea showing @elsa_theshep and @chris_implexus how difficult her ball is to hold while doing some environmentals and Beaux of @alphak9_leaderofthepack learning to deal with some of her bigger feelings around the bite side of the sport!
Glad I found this group, they are everything you want in a dog sport club. I look forward to finding out what we can achieve in 2024!
Reward placement, it’s important! Daisy can be released to reward in 4 different ways, behind, to the left, in front or from me.
Last session I noticed Daisy was lagging behind in the focussed heel, but only during the fast pace. So to fix this we did a session where we rewarded to the front for a while, problem solved.
The important point is dogs will always short cut!
We often see pet dogs cutting across like they are trying to block the handler, it’s usually because they are walked on one side and rewarded from another!
Got a dog that is always out front? Try teaching them to take a reward from behind you!
Training with Bruce is always fun, he has so much enthusiasm he makes me smile and I love when he answers me back mid exercise!
Dexter! The big guy is getting there with his loose lead walking, we now have to start giving him some tools to manage his own arousal, meeting people can get a bit too exciting! If you are interested in adopting Dexter he is now in Lincolnshire rescue kennels.
He is a 10 month old Dobermann x who is very affectionate but can currently be difficult to handle when he gets excited.
This is the first time all 3 dogs have played together, usually Bruce doesn’t get involved. This walk had a number of really interesting moments, this was one of them. This is not long after Bea was told it was not appropriate to use Daisy as a climbing frame. The correction Daisy gave lasted a few seconds, it was harsh and left Bea in no doubt her behaviour was not acceptable. There was a pause of a few seconds to let it sink in then Daisy initiated play to let Bea know the relationship is not damaged. Daisy ended the play very quickly. You can see Bea is not affected long term by the punishment event that Daisy delivered.
In this clip I didn’t catch the part where Daisy diffused some tension by initiating this bout of play. The tension was created by an approach Bea made which Daisy didn’t appreciate. Seeing Daisy diffuse her own feelings with play is huge. The interactions on this walk are a good indication that Daisy is much more comfortable with Bea as a pack member. In this clip you can see Bea is able to read Daisy much better now. As excitement levels rise Bruce is called out to allow things to cool off a little and shortly after Daisy ends the session. Some great communication in here!
Dexter is a 10 month old 45kg Dobermann X. When he arrived his favourite hobby was flattening people and he did this to every single member of kennel staff!
He struggles to contain his excitement so giving him a job is a great way to channel his enthusiasm.
His first job is walking calmly on the lead as this is one of the things most adopters struggle with. Here you can see we are starting to build that with a foundation of engagement built on clear communication with the lead and a ton of reinforcement to make the position valuable and worth being in!
After a week off running around Daisy is bursting at the seams! She just wants her ball.
This sequence of a focussed heel into a down then back into a focussed heel is a simple one she has done thousands of times.
But when you haven’t played for a week it’s REALLY DIFFICULT!
So we just take a minute to work through it! Communication is key to this, being able to let her know she is about to make a mistake or she is doing the wrong thing.
In the first instance I use a negative marker that just means do not continue with that behaviour. So she releases the ball and returns to her position. As dogs tend to do she then experiments with success, this time she tries to pull the ball into the down with her. So I mark with a different negative marker which means that is the incorrect behaviour you need to try a different one. The correct one being a down without the ball!
So then I give her a few steps of focussed heel, something she can easily be successful at. I could have rewarded this if she was really struggling but she was locked into the heel so we went with it and success! Being able to communicate with your dog takes time consistency and practice from both dog and handler.
Daisy has generalised her negative markers so she knows exactly how to respond to them in any given situation. Just as she knows exactly what her positive markers mean, in this case she hears “free” and knows she can take the toy from her left side.
Morning Bea!! Bea is not the only Mal I have known to start the day this way!
Ralph is an absolute monster and insisted on morning cuddles every day!
Practicing obedience in many situations is so important. Dogs do not generalise easily, that’s why your dog is perfect at puppy class and seems to forget everything the moment you leave the class.
Practise, practise, practise, repeat…. Remember if you are with your dog, you are training so make good use of your time and make sure you train desirable behaviours!
