ACE Free Work!
I am often asked what ACE Free Work is, so I thought a short post describing what is, why we use it and how it might benefit dogs would be useful. It’s difficult to describe what it is in a short paragraph. There is so much involved in Free Work and it can be adapted to suit all dogs. I always enjoy discussing Free Work with a range of professionals such as rescues, veterinary staff, trainers, and physiotherapists which really shows how beneficial and adaptable Free Work is. The way we use Free Work will be dependent on the individual dog and the support they need.
Free Work is an enriching experience that’s low impact and meaningful to the dog. It helps us to understand, support and educate our companions. Free Work engage all the senses by allowing them to freely explore a range of textures, scents, surfaces, tastes and sounds. Included in the set up will be different surfaces to walk on such as mats, platforms and blankets, snuffle mats, tubs to rummage through, licki mats, scented items, water bowls and so on. These will be provided at different heights and angles to suit the dog.
Free Work can have many benefits and uses including:
- An enriching experience
- Low impact activity
- A chance to make observations.
- Support an in individual with a specific struggle.
- A way to reset, decompress and rebalance.
- Framework to teach skills such as loose lead walking, recall and settling.
- To support and monitor a dog’s posture and movement.
- A way for the dog and guardian to connect.
- Allows puppies a chance to learn about the environment and their bodies without influence or pressure.
- Supporting the guardian and helping them to learn more about their companion.
The list is endless! We think about supporting the dog emotionally, mentally, and physically and providing them with choices. During the session, the guardian has time to make observations, spotting any struggles and patterns as well as a way for them to connect with their co
Although we can't make it to face to face workshops and conferences I am lucky to be able to do my CPD online. This means that I am still able to continue expanding my knowledge and learn new skills while connecting with other like minded people. Over the past year I have taken part in several ACE online courses, something you have probably seen me post about before. This is a way of training which allows our dogs choice and give us an opportunity to gather some data and help them learn some new skills. Through ACE Free Work we can observe their movement, identify patterns and see what things they enjoy to do. We do this by proving stations for our dogs to interact with. There are many benefits such as building confidence, helping with proprioception and a way to identify any struggles. I love Free Work as a way to encourage a dog to engage with their owner and learn skills such as walking on a loose lead and recall.
I use this a lot with my own dog, Blaze, as a way to incorporate some of his exercises as part of his treatment plan. This can involve gentle turns, paws up, stepping on different surfaces and stepping over low poles.
If you would like to know more about ACE Free Work feel free to get in touch or head over to ACE Connections on Facebook
Licki Mat
For those of you who have trained with me or spoken to me about dogs you will probably know I love licki mats and other products in the licki range. They can be an easy way to give dogs some of their meals or a snack while keeping them occupied. Many dogs love to lick, finding this enjoyable, calming and rewarding.
Blaze isn't able to comfortably bend down to the floor for his licki mat so he has his raised on a stool. This is a great way to give him a calming activity while working on stands and building up his core.
BlazeFree Work
I know I’m often a little quiet on here but I wanted to talk to share something that I have been up to this year. I know it’s been an odd year but I have still been keeping up with the usual CPD and learning new skills where I can. ACE Free Work is something I have been using for a few years now and very passionate about. This was developed by Sarah Fisher and is a simple way to help dogs. A lot of you who have trained with me have probably heard me speak about it or we may have used it in our sessions. The idea is we work with our dogs, allowing them to work at their own pace and have choice. An area is set up with various ‘stations‘ which can be everyday household items, no special equipment is needed. I often use stools, mats, blankets, licki mat and snuffle mats to name a few. Initially food is place on those stations and the dog is free to move around the area interacting with the stations. This is where you can gather data to find out how your dog is moving, if they have preferences and what items they enjoy interacting with. You’ll notice how their movement slows, encouraging good movement and a chance for them to rebalance and reset. Free Work is then a brilliant way to engage with your dog, encouraging them to move with you and interact with them. This helps to improve that relationships, build trust and encourage your dog to engage with you. At all times the dogs are free to disengage as needed, they have the choice. Free Work can then be used to work on anything that’s needed. This could be building confidence, working on promoting good movement, over coming fears, working on building a strong bond or helping with walking on a loose lead issues to name a few.
I use Free Work all the time with my Labrador, Blaze. For him I use the exercise to work on promoting good movement and incorporating physiotherapy exercises to help with his treatment. In the video you can see that we are working on promoting good movement, turns and changes in direction
Scentwork
A few of you have asked about scentwork so I thought I would post a short video of Blaze doing one of his searches. With scentwork there is no need for expensive equipment so it means it's easy to do. Around the house I will often use plastic pipes but I'll also put the scent in a small tin and hide this around the house or on a walk. In the video here Blaze is searching for gun oil. You can see Blaze sniff the first two pipes, start to go past the third pipe before quickly realising it is the correct one and turning back to indicate. You can see how it is a nice low impact activity for dogs but it does still use up a lot of energy sniffing and using thier brain! Blaze will always have a nap after scentwork even if it's only a 5 minute session. Dogs have an amazing nose so it's important to put it to good use!
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I hope all your dogs have been coping with the heat! Please remember you don't need to walk or train your dogs during the hot weather! It doesn't hurt them to have a day off! I have been surprised about the number of people who have been out with their dogs over the last few days in the heat. It isn't safe for them. I haven't walked or trained my dog in the hot weather. Instead we spend time in the house and the garden. We can provide our dogs with plenty of things to do in the house and garden to keep them occupied. Licki mats are great for my guy as it's a calming activity that doesn't involve too much moving around!
Enrichment
We may be a little bit limited to what we can do with our dogs during the lockdown but there are loads of ways to keep them entertained! I’ve been making the most of the good weather and spending time with Blaze in the garden. Today’s challenge, getting kibble out of a bucket filled with balls! If you don’t have this stuff, you can get an old cardboard box and fill it with toys, scrunched up paper, cardboard tubes, anything you can find that’s safe! Then put a handful of their meal or treats in the box and see how they get on. You can make it as easy or as hard as you like.
Lets see what your pups have been up to!
Dog Training and Education
