It was a recall kind of day for Pet Gun Dog and puppies.
Recall takes time, effort and proofing the behaviour in a variety of locations. It simply does not happen or remain like magic.
And this should start from the moment you get your dog, whatever age...it could just save their life.
Puppy Luna building her recall skills
Working on a skill in different environments and contexts is vital to proof learning. So being able to do it at home is important, but the long term effort is when competing with the environment.
Puppy Luna's family sent me this video of starting to teach her in the outside world. It really made me smile as did their comment about doing it with distractions will be the next big step, which class will help with. Wise words.
Pre puppy class private sessions can help your pup get off to a flying start.
These are discounted for anyone coming to class. My next puppy class starts on the 21st August 😊
Puppy training for Raffi, a cute and clever Bernie doodle.
It's easy to focus on what your dog is doing which displeases you. A much more productive way to think about it is what would like them to do and train that!
Raffi learned that when his humans sit at the dining table, he settles. This will take ongoing work from his humans, but it's waaay better than pushing him down every two minutes or reminding him to stay constantly...that's just a drag and confuses a pup and frustrates you.
Well done Raffi's human and Raffi.
#puppytraining #dogtraininglanarkshire #positivetraining
Car chasing 😥
Dog reactive 😥
Snapped at a visitor 😥
A few months ago I posted about this beardie collie cross. She could have been written off as a typical car chasing collie. Some people or trainers would even have put a gadget on her to stop her.
She was trying to communicate how she was feeling and her amazing human LISTENED 👌
The power of a positive only multi modal approach is truly astounding! She can now be around moderate traffic flow and other dogs and make good choices. Here's our journey 👉
Her owner listened to me and took vital next steps 👌
Vet listened and actioned appropriate steps👌
I applied my skill set by identifying the "why" of the behaviour and applied strategies to suit owner and dog 👌
I'm honestly on top of the world with this case 😁
Behaviour is only a dog's way of talking. Don't punish your best friend with gadgets designed to instantly stop them, get to the door of the problem and learn how to train.
The video is rubbish as we were too in the moment training, then I thought about it at the end!🙄
It's better to train for the event than in the event.
Miss Betty generally has a good retrieve, drop, wait, leave it and recall. All can help when they have something you feel they shouldn't have.
She chose to drop this one into my hands 🤮
Chasing our dog or yanking from their mouth when they have something you don't want them to is a human knee jerk reaction, but it generally isn't helpful in the long term and can cause problems.
And for Norman Cat fans, he just had to get in the video didn't he?
Recall and steadiness at Pet Gun Dog is coming along nicely.
Proofing a behaviour is when you take a component of training like recall and you add challenges such as increased distractions or different locations.
A special well done to Benji. I first met him about a year ago as he can be worried by other dogs. His mum has given him steady safe exposure and learning experiences in controlled environments led by other positive only trainers. Fabulous progression having the confidence to join closer to the group. Laura Scott a big well done to you.
Recall at Pet Gun Dog coming along nicely.
After a busy day, it was lovely to come home to help little Reiff with his socialisation by increasing confidence and not giving a hoot around the ponies or bouncy Betty.
Great chaperoning from his buddy Marin and even the bouncy one Betty...I think she'd like a puppy of her own 🤣😉
#happymemories #keepingitpositive
Lots of elements of Pet Gun Dog coming together. Great work on your blind Laura and Gem.
What is the WOW factor?
Dog training in recent years can look flashy. Edited clips, banging tunes, slick skills not to mention suppressed dogs scared to put a paw wrong. Is it really WOW?
My video will be dull to many, but it is my real life 🌟WOW🌟 read why 👇
Many of you have had the pleasure of meeting little Ebony. She's a tiny patterdale with a big fun loving personality. I've been by her mum's side over the last year.
My aim was to get Ebony to a place where she still loved people and dogs BUT was able to disengage. This was vital as pulling her mum would unbalance her and cause a fall. This would be DISASTROUS!
I worked weekly to help Ebony to disengage from exciting things and how to say polite hellos. Overtime, she nailed this. (This was in her harness NOT head collar to reduce potential for negative emotional responses).
Training hasn't been easy as her mum faces various physical challenges which meant many potential pathways were closed to her.
With winter not too far off (has it even left us?) we decided to condition a head collar for Ebony to keep her and her mum safe. Her mum was worried about this as she knew they can cause problems but I assured her, Ebony was in the right place in terms of her learning and emotions, and I'd monitor her closely.
After a month of weekly conditioning, with a little encouragement, her mum began to take the leash. This transition will go on another few weeks, or as long as it takes.
A head collar is not a go to for me, it can easily cause problems BUT in certain situations it can have a place.
This, together with further safety and management being developed, should see them both enjoy safe and happy walks for a long time.
We could have shocked Ebony for bouncing and pulling towards dogs, but she probably wouldn't have retained her inner joy in life. Can you imagine doing that to kids in the classroom?
Keeping the confidence and joy in your dog is simply the only way.
My Miss Betty was bred to hunt and retrieve. In the video she gets to enjoy the anticipation of her ball in a straight line retrieve. We don't use her special ball continually as her arousal shoots up and she becomes a frustrated dufus. She loves hunting, holding and retrieving components and this will see her calmer throughout the day.
Compare this to repetitive ball chucking which is a modern and very real problem.
It has both behavioural and physical welfare issues. Over arousal sends heart rate and adrenaline rocketing in a manner which leads to increased cortisol and over time, you may see your dog more edgy, touchy and sensitive. This can also result in frustrated behaviours such as leash ragging, lunging at cars or dogs...all of which I see dogs for on a regular basis.
Physically, the impact on the body of sudden skid halts from a sharp acceleration to high speed can cause injury to the carpal joints and shoulders. Twisting in the air for the ball can also result in spinal and neck injuries. You may not even know these injuries have occurred! Why not?
Adrenaline. It can override pain, so you will see them addictively repeat the chasing, running like a Hussain Bolt whilst an injury lurks beneath the surface.
You can use a ball in different ways to suit your dog's breed needs or general enjoyment which won't cause the issues outlined.
Why not come to my Pet Gun Dog Class and learn how to build different retrieves? It's suitable for all dogs who like to carry things in their mouths.
https://caninearthritis.org/article/on-throwing-balls/
When I first met Spike, one of the problems was resource guarding. He would run off with anything he considered a valuable treasure and zealously guard it.
The reasons for this included pain (hip dysplasia). When a dog is sore, protecting things which make you feel good can often be seen.
Spike attended a block of my Pet Gun Dog class. His mum worked hard to develop his training and build a retrieve.
This is Spike a year later, happily retrieving to hand. No more running off and guarding objects.
Take home message👇
💥Training wouldn't have over ridden the pain.
💥Pain relief wouldn't have changed the learning in his brain.
💥 A multi modal approach is the gold standard....always💥
Parkour Level 2 underway. Well done Jo Jo! #parkour#forcefreedogtraining#lanarkshire#pawsitiveconnections
Last few spaces in June class starting 23rd.
*Qualified tuition
*Max of 5 little angels for a quality experience.
*6 in person classes for maximum socialisation for only £91
* Range of age appropriate experiences
* Appropriate play- not a free for all
* Basic training such as loose lead, recall, calm & focus
*Both indoors and outdoors for more enriched socialisation and exposure to the world
**Shares appreciated*"
Book at
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Monty was barking, lunging and showing general concerns over dogs.
This is session 5 and we are seeing positive changes in his emotional response. He is now making fab choices.
No quick fix gadgets here, just training with kindness and our brains.
What a beautiful evening for some directional training with Miss Betty and Norman 🐱
Pet gun dog classes and 1-2-1s available.
Cats welcome.
Big strides for a wee boy.
Bertie had stopped wanting to leave home with the exception of my 10 acres where we live. There, he felt safe.
At the root of his worries was a bad experience with a nasty man shouting and pain. His world had changed.
Today, his pain and anxiety are managed AND Bertie is empowered through choice.
In the 1st clip you can see how tentative Bertie is in a more built up area. It was his first time in a long time trying this. He is given thinking time, a little encouragement to proceed and a choice to turn back if he wishes. Having walked for about 3 mins, he chose to turn back.
A few minutes later, in a less built up area, he was off exploring - even with commercial lawnmowers working up ahead. Choice helped him continue positively with his day.
Wins:-
*Bertie doesn't lunge and bark at anything when out and about, he's never felt he had too.
* He trusts me to read him and respond to his wishes when he has had enough.
*He knows is free to go at anytime.
*He trusts me to make choices which keep him safe.
*As the vet and receptionist said yesterday, he just keeps getting better.
Now the million dollar question. Will I fix him?
As he's not a machine, who knows, and how do we define "fixing"?
My end goal...fixing? Nope, just helping him to feel safe.
When feeling safe, we can take bigger strides.
My current puppy class enjoying a change of context to work on recall, finished off with a puppy wander where we focus on a relaxed potter down the lane.
We all know they can do things in the garden, but can they focus and function appropriately in a different context?
Confidence is everything and I'm glad to say, that isn't a problem for these 5 delightful little pups.
For my next 5 week course, please get in touch or book at www.pawsitiveconnections.co.uk
5 weeks. Limited to 5 pups. Qualified tuition. £91
Every worried dog's nightmare and tough for the handler too...an off-lead dog with no recall crashing you and your dogs personal space.
I've had clients whose back and neck have been jerked and pulled, older owners worried about being knocked over and kids with fear of dogs being really frightened.
The husky worked with me a year ago and her owners are seeing the benefits of long term behaviour change strategies. Today, I received this video and message from her pawparents.
"Hi Joann, thought you would like to see a video taken this morning when another dog she was unfamiliar with came up and asked (demanded) her to play with him. We did not think a year ago that she would ever get to this stage. She still has her anxious moments but she seems a lot more secure. We would not have got here without your help. Thank you."
Behaviour change takes time. Undoing real worries doesn't happen in a jiffy.
