Stress!
No coddling, no throwing food. Let them watch!
Too many times people remove their dog if they get stressed. They don’t allow any recovery time or the ability to process any information because they talk or move them away.
Practice just existing. Instead of running go an investigate. Lead by example not be lead by a poor example of you dog.
The more you expose your dog. The better they get at recovering, resulting in a dog that can deal with everything the world can throw at them.
Now, not every dog will recover quickly.
Genetics plays a role as well. Some dogs are naturally confident and are phased by very little. Some dogs can’t even walk outside without being stressed.
Start at a level that works for you and then slowly increase the difficulty
You’re not the alpha. You’re just an idiot
It’s pretty simple.
Just ignore them. That means no touching no touching and avoiding looking at them when you can.
From the owners perspective your job is exactly the same. We want to lead by example to show our dogs guests aren’t scary. You should not be saying ‘it’s ok’ or giving any sort of physical or verbal attention to encourage the barking further.
Giving emotional support will not work and throwing treats on the ground will not work either.
Do not allow them to hide behind you and continue to practice the behaviour. If the behaviour is that serious that it will not stop no matter how much you ignore them or they will continue to just run around and be skatty at any movement I would encourage a correction for that unnecessary reaction and then give them another task to do.
You are telling them that reaction is not warranted, regardless if it comes from fear, and show them what you want them to do instead.
Should dogs be taught to be neutral first over letting dogs play, Or should we let dogs just play?
Do you talk to your dog too much?
“Yeh but I like it” - “I have always done it with my dogs” - “They know what I’m saying though”
All the above are usually just excuses to keep doing it. If your dog isn’t listening, when you speak to them all the time, how do they know the difference between when you actually need them to do something versus when you’re just yapping away.
Cut most of the talking out, bring it down by 90%. Ignore your dog most of the time. Then when you actually need them to do something, talk to them and see what response you get.
Be disciplined in how you follow through. If you ask them to sit and they don’t, make sure to be disciplined and not bribe them all the time. Don’t say the command 10 times over and don’t give rewards for not completing behaviours.
Talk less, do more. Lead by example with your actions, not your mouth.
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So excited every single day
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Confidence building
A really slow process for dogs that involves stress and tolerating stressful situations. So yes, your dog will be uncomfortable, but get good at being comfortable with the uncomfortable
Success: we want to make sure they are successful at the activities they are going to be doing. No dog is going to build confidence with a high failure rate.
Jumping: A lack of confidence can stem from not understanding where their body is. We call this poor proprioception. Jumping on objects can enable them to feel more comfortable in their body and where it is while accomplishing something they once viewed as scary.
Obedience: Do not let them just dismiss themselves from obedience commands you give them. They require direction rather than to free roam. If you ask them to sit and they immediately get up, put them back into the sit until you give them permission to release themselves.
Stress: Expose them to stress. Stress beats stress. The more they are exposed to it the better they will be. This does not mean that if your dog doesn’t like people, taking them to London on a school holiday is good for them. Slow increments are best.
Play: Build motivation in play. Invest in a game they love to do and perfect it with yourself. You can then take that activity with you to areas they might not be confident with to help them through something with something they love doing.
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Crate training.
This topic always gets someone going. People are very emotional about the topic. Some will say it’s the best thing they ever did and their dog takes themselves to it, some will call people who use crates animal abusers.
There doesn’t seem to be a middle ground.
I personally think it’s essential. I am not risking my dogs health in chewing the skirting boards or eating the curtains for my own ego of not using one. I will set myself and the dog up for the most success possible so the dogs can get the right amount of rest and recharge for the next time they are out.
I am preventing things from occurring rather than waiting for them to happen and then react when it does.
I do not want to them to learn to eat things to get my attention or run around with objects as a game, it’s not happening.
Travelling will always happen in a crate, they are crash tested and safe for dogs to travel in and make sure the dog is secure.
If you care about the dog enough you would do anything to keep them safe, not have them in the passenger seat with their head out the window.
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And there’s always someone watching so you have to do the dance to show you’re trying to find it even though you know you don’t 😂
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Now I know for a fact someone is going to call me a Karen.
“Just let the two dogs play”, “Obviously he just wants to play just let them play”
It’s hard to argue with such room temperature IQ reasoning so you can just call me a Karen if it makes you feel better and to never take accountability.
What if the dog isn’t friendly? What’s the dogs name? Has the dog been attacked in the past? Is the dog in training for reactivity or rehabilitation?
You know nothing about that dog yet you’d quite happily ruin someone else’s training or time out with their dog because you need to offload your dog onto others.
Dogs don’t need to run up to every other dog. I shouldn’t need to dress the dogs I work with in harnesses saying ‘in training’ to be left in peace. Or even in bright yellow leads saying ‘nervous’ that doesn’t work.
Your dog can have all the off lead freedom in the world. You just need to be able to call them back. It’s really that simple. If you can’t call them back. That’s not the dogs fault, it’s yours.
Get a grip. Call your dog back.
Kind Regards, Karen
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How to stop a greeting that’s gone too far
It really is that simple.
The Labrador is clearly not engaged in the greeting anymore yet the ridgeback is continuing on. If we allow greetings to go on too long we can risk dogs giving others corrections, feeling their signals are not being read by the other dog and potentially even leading to a full on fight.
You interrupt it while the situation is still calm by getting in between the two dogs and moving the ‘pushy’ one away with your body and continuing to block until the pushy dog has given up.
We control the space to advocate for the space of the dog that is not interested. If you continue to allow your dogs space to be invaded when it isn’t warranted, you risk damaging your relationship due to you continuously putting your dog into situations they aren’t comfortable with.
Advocate for whoever’s dog it may be! It may not even be your dog. In this situation Red is the big boy im caring for yet I am moving him away as he’s the one causing problems. I would also do the same if the roles were reversed but moving the Labrador away.
Advocate for your dogs space. Stop things escalating while it’s calm.
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You can find an answer to anything you wanna believe online.
It’s hard to know what to follow and what not to. Essentially, commit to a particular style and follow it through. Don’t dance around different ideas and hope one will work instantly.
Training is a long game. Consistency is the aim. You won’t progress in any aspect of training if you don’t stay true to it. But how to find what I want from my dog in a trainer?
Find someone who posts their work. Shows it works and shows the real training that you want your dog to have.
If a page has only written text, no videos and just spouts hate in a direct way. Move on. They’re not in it for the dog and you might not make it anywhere.
Don’t beat your head against a brick wall being told useless info that doesn’t make sense to you. Ask questions about everything you’re doing.
If they can’t answer why it works and what the outcome will be then how are you expected to follow through with it.
Be consistent, and stick at it, regardless which way you choose.
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Should your dog lead the walk?
For me that’s dependent on what we’re doing and where we’re at. If I’m walking next to a main road, all the dogs are nose before toes and walking to heel. I cannot effectively manage and control their safety in a dangerous environment.
However, when we come to an area that is more open, I then give permission to take freedom in an area that is open and safe for them to explore.
It’s not that I want to be the alpha and and have ultimate control, I need to control in order to keep them safe. There are environments dogs can freely explore and environments that are unsafe for them to explore.
Different environments, different requirements
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We do loads on a typical training week!
We do everything from training in public to going on relaxing walks to decompress away from the hustle.
Working around dogs to tackle reactivity, going to coffee shops to practice settling in public and practicing recall to make sure they come back every time!
We tackle everything we can during a week to give the dogs we work with the best chance when their owners carry on the training.
If you’d like to get involved and start your dogs journey, send a contact form on the website, link in bio.
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Gotta try to negotiate
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It may be a public path, and you may think your dog wouldn’t. But what if they did?
Respect the countryside, respect the people who managed and make their living in it and put your dog on a lead.
If your dog doesn’t have 99.9% recall under the highest of distractions then they shouldn’t be off the lead.
Your dog can pick a scent up on the wind from miles away, so even though you may not have seen them yet, that’s no excuse for crap recall.
Put your dog on a lead, respect the places where you walk, you’re not entitled to anything.
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Dogs are not getting enough sleep.
Now this is down to a couple of things.
One is the vilification of crates to seem like prisons and not your dogs bedroom or safe recluse from the busy house. Dogs are den animals, they like dark and enclosed spaces. Make that safe place their crate.
It’s also down to people anthropomorphising their dogs to be like humans and to follow us around, to spend every waking moment together. To come with us to make a coffee or to wait outside the toilet.
Your dog will need to separate from you in order to sleep the correct amount.
15-18 hours for an adult dog, 18+ hours for a puppy. On average. There are exceptions to every rule in well aware.
Enforce nap times. They’re like kids in a way, they don’t want to go bed, but you know it’s for the good of them and for their development.
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Making good decisions on their own is the main goal for me in my training.
Management comes as part of the deal. They’re animals, they’ll always take advantage of a situation if it presents itself. Ideally I want them to make good decisions on their own so they can enjoy their life to the fullest without my constant intervention.
I want the dogs I work with to be independent and responsible of their own behaviour because they know what are good and bad decisions and they can execute those decisions properly.
The over use of management in my experience creates more impulsiveness and anxiety than the other. The dog being able to make informed decisions is paramount for their development in my opinion.
I will reward for good decisions which I will try and cultivate as much as I can, but when I mistakes arise I will inform and discipline where I see appropriate.
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