Today was Archie’s (Jack Russell) first group walk and when the walk began he started tentative & disengaged….. Which is completely normal, it was new environment, new dog and I’m also relatively new to him!
But these are the steps I took to get a happy, engaged dog by the end of the walk:
✅ Let him decompress and sniff to begin with
✅ Got him moving and used movement to help him relax
✅ Once he had relaxed I began marking and feeding any engagement he offered
✅ Let him watch while I engage with the other dog on the walk. I find this helps dogs ease in to new walks and they get curious what all the fun is about!
✅ Play- I threw food out that he could chase & search for
All dogs are individual so you may need a slightly different approach depending on the dog, but these are good starting points ☺️ By the end of the walk, Archie was much more comfortable with me and engaged- looking forward to seeing more of him on group walks!
Tips on how to create an engaged dog!
Today was Archie’s (Jack Russell) first group walk and when the walk began he started tentative & disengaged….. Which is completely normal, it was new environment, new dog and I’m also relatively new to him!
But these are the steps I took to get a happy, engaged dog by the end of the walk:
✅ Let him decompress and sniff to begin with
✅ Got him moving and used movement to help him relax
✅ Once he had relaxed I began marking and feeding any engagement he offered
✅ Let him watch while I engage with the other dog on the walk. I find this helps dogs ease in to new walks and they get curious what all the fun is about!
✅ Play- I threw food out that he could chase & search for
All dogs are individual so you may need a slightly different approach depending on the dog, but these are good starting points ☺️ By the end of the walk, Archie was much more comfortable with me and engaged- looking forward to seeing more of him on group walks!
Walking high energy dogs
When walking high energy/ drive dogs they often have excess energy to begin with and I want them to have a productive way for them to express that! So we will start with an activity such as toy-food searches/ obedience/ play. This prevents their energy from manifesting as undesirable behaviors and helps ensure a smooth walk overall🙌
If you find that the beginning of your walks is chaotic, consider incorporating activities to direct your dog’s energy positively. Engaging in these activities together can also strengthen your bond with your dog 💖
In this video Buzz & Frank are searching independently for balls 😄
Meet Phinnie 🐶 a 9-year-old rescue from Cyprus. He came to the UK when he was around 4, so a lot is unknown about his background and upbringing. But we can assume he was not bred to be your typical ‘pet’ making some behaviours challenging. As a hound mix he is heavily into hunting and the environment, instead of working against this we’re using this to our advantage to motivate him! Using hunting games and searches we’re building a more engaging and co-operative relationship between Phinnie & his owner. He is now choosing to engage more and responding really well to his recall cue. Another issue was his lead walking, he is extremely strong and his owner was struggling to even walk him. Because of this we decided to condition Phinnie to a figure of 8 slip lead so his owner can confidently handle him and enjoy their walks together. 😊I’m really pleased walks are becoming enjoyable for both of them.
A training session earlier where we worked on some statics & learning to switch between toys more fluently. 🥳
New puppy owners often make the mistake of allowing their puppy to greet and play with every dog they meet, however this creates more value in other dogs and the owners become less relevant. This makes it much harder to establish a reliable recall and can even lead to over reactive behaviours down the line.
Instead, we want to play with our puppies during walks to build a strong relationship and fulfil breed-specific needs. While dog socialisation is crucial, it’s best done with known, well-balanced dogs!
Twixy training🍫
Lots of short fun sessions of luring and teaching some fun tricks 😄 I’m teaching everything both directions, so he has a different cue to go around an object left and right. This it to make sure his conditioning stays equal both sides, plus he’s smart so it’s a great way to test him later on to make sure he fully understands what I’m asking.
We haven’t really found our feet and rhythm with his heeling yet so I’m keeping it to a minimal while I test different placement of my luring until it’s more balanced and feels more ‘right’.
Prevention is better than cure! Puppies will naturally check in and like to stay close to you, by rewarding and shaping this behaviour from a young age it will become an ingrained habit creating a dog who will choose to engage and check in with you. ☺️
Notice in this video there are dogs and people walking close by to us and I don’t need to redirect or recall Twix he naturally comes back to me!
If you need help with your puppy feel free to DM me ✨
Poppy showing off her impulse control 🥳 A real example of when a dog has clarity over their markers & cues. The behaviours become clean & precise.
I love taking Poppy out for her walk & trains and challenging her each week. She is a real credit to @poppy_thecollieflower 😍
Arlo & I working on our focused heelwork while on holiday last week ☀️I always make sure our training is fun and enjoyable! #competitiveobedience #heelwork #dogtraining
Markers ✅
Teaching verbal markers allows you to have a communication system with your dog, giving them understanding and clarity in your training and play.
Shelby has benefited massively from a marker system, it’s helped our play become far more fluid and co-operative🥳
Is there anything better than seeing a dog doing what’s it’s bred to do😍
On Frank’s solo today we introduced play and as you can see he is having a blast and was a natural at retrieving the ball! ( I wonder why😅)
On all of my walks I aim to understand the dog I’m with and give them the necessary outlet to express themselves. By honouring a dogs genetics you will help eliminate and even prevent behavioural problems, creating a happy fulfilled dog.
www.fulfilledcanines.com
#dogwalking #biologicalfulfilment #labradorretriever
