Enrichment is so much more than how you feed your dog...
Enrichment can seem like a really big concept but ultimately all it means is giving your dog lots of chances to be a dog.
Dogs have A LOT of natural behaviours and it's important for their wellbeing that they have safe opportunities to practice these behaviours.
Dogs need to:
⭐️Shred
⭐️Dig
⭐️Sniff
⭐️Run
⭐️Play
⭐️Chew
⭐️Sleep
⭐️Scavenge
⭐️Rest
⭐️Explore
Food puzzles are an awesome way to encourage some of these behaviours. But they're not essential and they're not going to meet every single need.
Your dog needs a variety of enrichment at home and on walks if they are going to live their best life.
Teenage dogs just want to have fun...
That's why their recall is usually terrible. They're too distracted by all the fun the rest of the world has to offer to listen to you.
There are dogs to play with, squirrels to chase and picnics to steal. And let's be honest, you're kinda boring.
Yes, you might have some treats, but they're the same ones every time and all you do is put a treat in your dog's mouth when they finally come back. That's not competing with dogs, squirrels and picnics.
Luckily you don't have to be boring. And you don't have to buy different treats either (although if you took a variety of treats on walks that wouldn't hurt...).
You just need to use your treats to play games. And Catch Me if You Can is the perfect game for teenage dogs.
They get to chase you to get their treat which will always be fun. And if they're guaranteed fun with you they'll be less tempted by all those dogs, squirrels and picnics.
Fireworks Night is a scary time for a lot of dogs.
If your dog does find fireworks scary, or this is your first Fireworks Night with your dog, I'm sure you want to do everything you can to make the evening less stressful for your dog.
But looking for advice on how to help you dog in scary situations is made a lot more confusing by the huge amount of horrendous advice out there.
It's so common to hear people say that comforting scared dogs increases fear. And while I'm sure most of the people saying this mean well, following their advice is harmful to you and your dog.
Their logic is that attention and fuss is a reward, and if you reward your dog for behaviours they'll repeat them. Which is true.
BUT... Fear isn't a behaviour, it's an emotion. Yes, there are behaviours associated with fear like barking, pacing, whining, shaking, destroying stuff but comforting your dog won't reward those behaviours.
When you comfort your scared dog you're changing their emotions by reducing their fear and helping them feel safe. Just you being there for your dog makes a scary situation less scary. It's called Social Buffering and it's why people are more willing to go on massive roller coasters with a friend than they are on their own.
And if your dog feels less fearful, their fearful behaviours will naturally reduce.
So give your dog all the support they need this Fireworks Night (and any other time they find something scary). They'll cope much better and they'll learn that they can trust you to comfort them when they need you.
Rapid recalls happen when your dog is desperate to get back to you to have fun.
But if you always reward the same way or play the same games when you call your dog back they'll get bored very quickly because they know what to expect.
Having a range of different games you can surprise your dog with will motivate them to come quickly every time you call them. Because they always know they're going to have fun - but they never know how.
If your dog likes chasing treats, they'll love chasing them through your legs. And because they can see you're standing with your legs wide apart from a distance, they'll start running faster getting ready to speed through the tunnel for their treat.
Are you struggling with your dog's recall? Follow me for more easy, fun games to play with your dog.
Teenage dogs might be twats, but your teen dog isn't choosing to ignore you.
It's really easy to get frustrated with teenage dogs because we feel like they ought to know better. When you've put in loads of work training your puppy and they're suddenly ignoring you it feels like they're choosing not to listen.
And this is when people get tempted to punish their dogs. If you think your dog knows what you want and is just being stubborn then punishment seems logical.
But unfortunately teenage dogs really don't know better. They often forget things they've learn when they were a puppy. And it's just not fair to punish them for it. That's not going to suddenly make them remember.
What will help them remember is going back to basics and reteaching the behaviour they've forgotten. You just need to show them what you want the exact same way you did the first time you taught it to them.
And don't worry, you've not lost all the progress you made and gone right back to the start. Your dog still knows everything you've taught them. They've just lost it in their brain and once you help them find it they'll remember.
Training consistently don't mean training constantly.
You just need to make it clear to your dog when you're training and when you're not. As long as you do this your dog won't get confused and frustrated and won't be unlearning everything you've taught them.
With loose-lead walking the easiest way to do this is use different equipment. You can clip your dog's lead on the back clip of their harness when they're allowed to pull. And then you can clip their lead on either their collar or the front clip of their harness when they're training.
Your dog will quickly learn the difference and where you clip their lead will become the cue to let your dog know how to behave. This makes loose-lead walking so much easier because you don't have to train when you or your dog aren't in the mood. And you won't have to stress that you're undoing all your hard work.
Don't let one of dog training's biggest myths stop you having fun with your dog.
Tug is mine and Hattie's favourite game and I think it's so sad that so many people and dogs are missing out because they're scared that tug will make their dog aggressive.
So stop worrying and go play tug with your dog.
Socialising your puppy is easier than you think.
Good socialisation is about giving puppies new experiences that they either feel positive or neutral about.
Exposing your puppy to lots of different things in one long session makes is highly likely that your puppy will find something scary. And just one scary thing can undo all the positive experiences your puppy has that session.
So it's much better to keep socialisations sessions short and go to quieter places so your puppy has good experiences and learns the world is a safe place that's fun to explore.
It's also really important your puppy has a chance to sleep as soon as possible after they've had any new experiences. Sleep is how your puppy turns all the new things they've learnt into memories. Which is obviously important - they're no point putting effort into socialising your puppy if they won't remember all those positive experiences.
Does your dog spend the whole walk sniffing everything and ignoring you?
If they do, don't worry. Getting them to focus on you is easy.
Dogs need to sniff. Their sense of smell is how they explore they world so many dogs want to spend their whole walks sniffing.
And that can be pretty frustrating when you try to call them and they're on the other side of the park tracking a scent.
Your dog's desire to sniff might currently be your greatest weakness, but it can be your greatest strength. All you need to do is provide the sniffs.
Dogs love to use their noses to hunt for food so if you hide some tasty treats for your dog to sniff out they'll think you're an amazing source of fun. And they'll hang around with you more on walks waiting for you to lay them a treasure trail of treats.
Are you looking for more fun walks to improve your walks with your dog? Follow me for more easy tips.
There is no training equipment which will teach your dog not to pull.
And that's great, you don't need to teach your dog not to pull. You need to teach them to walk next to you. And that's a very different skill which you don't need any equipment for.
If your aim is for your dog to walk with a loose-lead then why would you wait until your dog hits the end of the lead so you can teach them not to? That doesn't make any sense.
The aim of any loose-leading walking training session is that the dog never has any pressure on the lead. So there's no need to use a slip lead, prong collar, e-collar or choke chain to punish your dog for pulling.
And one of the easiest ways to teach your dog to walk next to you without hitting the end of the lead is to just not use a lead.
Of course, I'm not saying you shouldn't be walking your dog on-lead. Leads are very important for everyone's safety. Even the most well trained dog can get distracted and run off.
But their purpose is as a safety tool not a training tool. So as long as you've got somewhere you can safely let your dog off-lead you can train your dog to walk next to you without a lead and then add it in later.
If you're panicking about the e-collar ban, I get it.
It's scary thinking about what you and your dog's walks will look like without a tool you've come to rely on. And it's even scarier when e-collar trainers are making outlandish claims that dogs like yours will be doomed to a life on-lead when the ban comes in.
But that's just not true. Many dogs like yours are trained completely force-free and have amazing lives and have so many opportunities to run off-lead.
Those e-collar trainers only think that's not possible because they aren't skilled or knowledgeable enough to train force-free. They're not fighting the ban because they care about your dog's welfare or freedom. They're panicking because once e-collars are banned their careers are over.
My dog Hattie has a really high prey drive - after all she is a wirehaired vizsla with working parents. She's also got amazing recall trained entirely with treats, tricks and toys.
Yes, she's not off-lead everywhere. But no dog should be. We always put her on-lead near roads and livestock because even though her recall is amazing, it's just not worth the risk. But that doesn't affect her quality of life or ours.
If you want your dog to have plenty of off-lead freedom and you're ready to improve their welfare and your relationship with them then follow me. I'll help you and your dog on your journey to force-free training so you can live a better life together.
The key to having a relaxing café trip with your dog is to be prepared.
You'll need to bring with you:
⭐️A blanket
You dog's much more likely to chill out and snooze if they've got a comfy blanket to lie on instead of a cold, hard floor.
⭐️Treats and a long lasting chew
To reward your dog for being settling down and being calm so they learn how you want them to behave in a café.
⭐️A water bowl and some water
Your dog will need to drink too and not all dog friendly cafés have bowls (and some don't won't drink from a shared bowl).
Bonus tip: Take your dog to the café after a good walk - tired, exercised dog are more likely to relax. It's going to be really hard for your dog to chill out around the distractions of a café if they're full of energy.
The biggest mistake people make when training recall is...
Not treating it like a game.
All training should be fun for you and your dog, but fun is essential for training recall. Ultimately, recall is pretty simple: you just have to be entertaining enough that your dog will choose you over all the exciting distractions the world offers.
Yes, training recall to a good level takes work. You've got to build value in your dog's recall cue so they run back to you expecting a party whenever they hear it.
That's where games like chase the treat come in. All you need to do is roll treats to your left and right for your dog to chase. Once your dog has eaten a treat, say their recall cue and throw another treat the other way for your dog to chase.
Chase the treat is great game for teaching your dog their recall cue, refreshing your recall if your dog's stopped listening and playing as a reward for recall out on walks.
Want to have more fun training your dog? Follow me for more tips.
You come home from yet another long walk with your teenage dog and instead of sleeping they're doing zoomies around the house.
It's so frustrating, you played fetch with your dog for half an hour, surely they must be tired. But nope, they're full of energy and desperate for more entertainment.
You're feeling exhausted and you've got no time or energy to do more to tire your dog out. But you don't need to do more, both you and your dog would benefit from doing a lot less...
Lots of running and games like fetch and tug use a lot energy, but they also make your dog really hyper. And if they come home in that state they're not going to be able to calm down.
But there's one easy thing that will tire your dog out without leaving them hyper: sniffing. Stopping to smell everything on walks is exhausting for your dog's brain while also being very relaxing.
By slowing down on walks and encouraging your dog to sniff more, they'll come home tired and ready to snooze.
If you and your dog love fetch, don't worry, you don't have to give it up. Just keep the game short so you're only playing for 5-10 minutes. Then when you're done playing, scatter loads of treats for your dog to sniff to help them calm down.
Catching treats is probably Hattie's favourite trick.
And it's one of mine too... I love that it's an awesome game that helps us have more fun and strengthen our relationship. It's a chance to be silly and enjoy spending time together - which is really what we all want when we decide to bring home a dog.
It's also one of my favourite ways to make recall more fun. Just giving your dog a treat is really boring and struggles to compete with all those exciting distractions out on walks. But throwing the exact same treat for your dog to catch is an exciting game which your dog will love running back to you to play.
Unfortunately, you can't just throw treats and expect your dog to catch them. Start by dropping treats right above your dog's mouth and increase the distance when your dog can catch them.
And if your dog doesn't catch the treat, don't worry, let them sniff it out and eat it from the floor. It's just a game - it doesn't matter if your dog catches the treat as long as you're both having fun.
Dogs love to shred...
But that doesn't mean it's safe or appropriate for them to destroy your stuff.
You might have tried taking things like cushions away that your dog could shred so they can't destroy anything. But they've probably just found other stuff to rip apart - like your carpet or sofa.
That's because dogs don't just love to shred - they need to do it. It's an important activity that helps them be happy and fulfilled.
Giving your dog something they're allowed to shred meets that need - and stops your dog from wanting to destroy your cushions. As long as your dog doesn't swallow any of the fabric, stuffing or squeakers it's completely safe to let them tear apart their toys.
But it can be expensive buying toys for your dog to destroy. Charity shops are a good source of cheap fluffy kids toys to give to your dog. But always make sure there's no plastic beads for the eyes or nose, beads inside the toy or anything else that your dog could swallow.
Touch is a super fun game, but it's also a super useful cue.
⭐️You can use touch for recall.⭐️
It's great if you're dog has learnt that recall means 'come and stand 5m away' and you struggle to clip on their lead at the end of a walk. Your dog has to be right next to you to touch their nose to your hand so you get a recall that's actually useful. You can also make recall more fun by getting your dog to jump up to touch your hand.
⭐️You can use touch for loose-lead walking⭐️
If your dog doesn't understand how to walk next to you, you can teach them using touch. Hold your hand to your side and ask your dog to 'touch' and reward them them for standing by your side. Then start asking your dog to touch your hand while you walk. Once your dog understands what you want you can stop holding your hand out.
⭐️You can use touch to ask your dog to move⭐️
Dogs can sometimes get in the way. Your dog might take up the whole sofa and you need to ask them to get off. Or they might lie in doorways and you need to ask them to move so you can get through. Instead of picking up dog up or putting on their lead and dragging them around, you can just ask them to touch.
If you found this useful follow me for more easy dog training tips.
Your puppy needs to chew.
That's why they're chewing all your stuff. Chewing helps your puppy soothe their sore teething gums. Chewing helps your puppy relax and sleep. Chewing helps your puppy learn about the world.
If you don't want your puppy destroying your stuff or chewing something that could hurt them then you need to give your puppy things they're allowed to chew.
You need to be more distracting than the distractions...
The world is full of temptations for our dogs. And sometimes getting tempted gets them into trouble.
Shovelling treats into your dog's face when a bike cycles past them or a dog barks at them doesn't look like much. But it's keeping your dog and everyone else safe. And it's teaching your dog that they should focus on you around distractions because you'll got the good snacks.
Training teenage dogs is tricky...
You worked hard with your puppy and they're doing amazingly with their basic training. So now they're a teenager you want to progress that training. But your dog's behaviour isn't improving, in fact it's getting worse...
If you want to ace your adolescent dog's training you need to expect less from them, not more. If you make training hard your dog's going to give up and won't want to train with you anymore.
Stick to training the basics and reward your dog for every tiny win. This will help keep your dog motivated and enjoying training. You can't make any progress if your dog doesn't think training is fun...
Do you want more easy tips for training your teenage dog? Check out my blog where you with find four other easy ways to make your training more effective and enjoyable here: www.indigodogtraining.co.uk/blog/5-tips-for-training-your-teen-dog
