The missing puzzle piece for me with my own dogs and with client dogs, that forcefree or balanced training both seemed to be missing, was partnership.
@jess_probst_ taught me how to find that with dogs, and now @honesthounds has the most amazing course ready to launch soon 😍
Setting dogs up for success - reducing competition between dogs.
We can make resources (in this example toys) more or less valuable by how available the toys are to the dogs. On this walk, I wanted to have the dogs' mouths busy with something, but not to cause any competition for "THE REALLY HIGH VALUE THING."
So, in this case, on this walk, the market was saturated with purple ring toys. 3 dogs, and 4 toys, plenty, plenty, plenty to go around.
This is the opposite of charging a toy up! Whether you want to increase or decrease the value of a resource depends on the situation 🤔 🐾
#dogtraining #playdrive #spaniel #gsdofscotland #honesthounds
We all need to practise things to get better at them - humans and dogs.
We also get better at what we practise - so if my husband had picked up Minsc in this front heavy way each time, Minsc would have fallen on his head every time.
That isn't how we progress. We progress by changing what doesn't work, and by practising what we want to do instead.
Now, please enjoy this fantastic blooper that has been cracking me up (and he is absolutely fine).
#sillydog #honesthounds #gsdofscotland #gsdsofinstagram
A reminder that body language always has to be interpreted by looking at the whole dog, not just part of the dog.
In this clip, Storm folds her ears back, and lots of you will have heard that pulled back ears are a sign of stress or fear.
She also briefly licks her lips.
The answer is... ear pinning and lip licking cam absolutely be the body language of a stressed dog IF the rest of the picture also fits.
In this clip, Storm's ears are folded backwards, but she also has:
- soft eyes
- no tension in her mouth/jaw muscles
- no furrowed brow
- soft wiggly body
- tail hanging neutrally behind her.
Overall, this whole picture is of a very relaxed dog.
If you saw this and concludes from her ear positioning that she was stressed, come and check out more of the body language section on @Honesthounds. You can see the Education Tier for £1 for a month with code HHJESSICA to access the Body Language section.
Anticipation vs apprehension.
This former stranger danger dog (who was much worse indoors) is now optimistic that entrances lead to mats, and settling, and snacks.
If I manage to get footage of walking her past a fish and chip shop that is the best!
Yes, If you had a a bombproof dog, your aim might be for them to be neutral to these sorts of things, but I'm still loving Storm's newfound joy for life. Old Storm wouldn't have been brought into this environment, because she's have been stressed, lunging and attenpting to bite any person she saw.
New Storm... is relaxed and wants snacks!
#pub #dogsinpubs #dogsinstarbucks #reactivedog #reactivedogsuk #gsdsofscotland
Another post on multi dog households is up in the education tier of Honest Hounds now - You can find it in the Education Toer by searching "multi dog households- fair and equal are different things".
We can get caught up on treating our dogs identically, but that isn't always best for them.
If you aren't in the Education Tier yet, you can join for a month for £1 with code HHJESSICA.
#dogtraining #honesthounds #dogbehaviour #daxie #doxie #dachshund #gsdofscotland
Setting your dog up for Success
A shepherd acting perfectly in a cafe - a flukish dream, right?
I don't have to give him any cues, I just walk in, he heels, when I pause to queue he autosits or downs, and when we move up, he moves up with me, and resettles again.
There are two crucial factors in him being able to think, process, and be calm in this situation.
Factors that went into this in the longterm - We have practised this a lot - cafes are a place where he knows the expectation is calm behaviour, hanging out close to me, and settling. I'll pay him in snacks and fusses for doing that, because they don't work for free.
Factors that went into this in the short term - he'd had a good 2.5 hours of walking and training before we did this. We joined in the Educational walk in Dundee with @thedogteacherfife and @prodigydogtraining for a group walk, and after that I gave hima little more 1:1 training and working time (because a mooch with other dogs is not enough to meet his working needs).
Once I've done what he NEEDS, it is then fair for me to ask him to be calm, quiet, polite during an activity that is my WANT rather than his.
#breedspecificneeds #cafedog #dogsinstarbucks #puppichino #honesthounds #dogtraining
Can your dog share?
Can you see what I do when the shepherd pushed in, to help them both share more politely?
If you have a multi dog household, and you can't tell what's going on here you need to see the "Reducing Conflict between Dogs" post on Honest Hounds - it is the little things that help your dogs live together harmoniously 🥰
#multidoghouse #dogtraining #honesthounds #resourceguarding #dogsharing #guarddog #spaniel #cockerspaniel
Took just 1 of the 3 dogs to the beach this evening - why?
The other two (Storm and my current intact male residential training dog who arrived today) have had a lot more stuff during today, and if I want Minsc to be fulfilled and in a good headrspace to make good choices, I need to hold up my side of the bargain first.
So, we had some quality Minsc time - play! the theme of the month at @honesthounds , then went back for work with the 3 dogs together.
#play #gsdsofinstagram #kinlochrannoch #dogtraining #pitlochry #dogbehehaviour #honesthounds
A stranger asked about the muzzles on the "nice" dogs on our walk today.
She was amazed that most if the dogs she saw were currently or formerly reactive, and it turns out she has a reactive dog herself, who wears a muzzle.
Sometimes, folks, taking your muzzled dogs to places as part of their and your journey helps give other owners that little glimmer of hope that maybe one day their dog can do the same 🥰
#mymuzzleddogcan #honesthounds #socialwalk #honesthoundscommunity #pitlochryrec #dogfriendlyperthshire #dogtraining #muzzleddogsaregooddogs
Right before this clip, these two dogs had been engaged in lovely even play.
They took a break, and then there was a (polite, unspoken, non aggressive) conversation between them over turns at the waterbowl.
After this they each flopped down, then a couple of minutes later played again.
But, in this moment at the waterbowl this was a conversation over control of resources. The vizsla was at the water first and was drinking. The shepherd pushes in, and through his body language is saying "I want this more than you, move". The vizsla speaks "dog" very well, and diffuses the situation by reluctantly moving.
They both wanted the resource, and they used body language to dicuss who got to keep the resource.
#dogbehaviour #shepherd #germanshepherd #resourceguarding #hungarianvizsla #dogcommunication #posturing #speakdog #dogbodylanguage #honesthounds
