Buddy
🐶REACTIVITY🐶
This is Buddy. His owner called me in to help because he is very reactive towards other dogs. He spots them from 500m away and explodes into a ball of rage.
After just two sessions he can look at another dog from afar without exploding but it’s not all down to me. After all he isn’t my dog, and after I’ve taught the owner what to do, they have to carry on with the training when I’ve left.
But this owner has certainly done that. With a dog like Buddy, there’s no letting up, there’s no slacking on the job, training starts as soon as they step out of the front door.
Every. Single. Day.
And here is Buddy watching the other dogs from his personal threshold. All because the owner put in place what was taught and never veered off track.
This is only the beginning of course. There’s lots more work to be done to help Buddy. But for now we can sit back, feel a little smug and say Buddy (and your owner) we are very proud of you indeed.
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🐶 SCHOOL DOGS 🐶
Feeling very proud of the fabulous School Dogs I’m working with.
We are practicing a simple agility course that the children the dogs work with can set up themselves and demonstrate on sports day.
Here is one of the dogs going through their steps with his handler 🤩
The Story of Benji
This is Benji, I know him very well because he attends the training club on Saturdays. He is clever, comical, gives 100% and is friendly with all other dogs and humans 😍. He lives with a wonderful family which includes two horses 🐎 🐎 . Unfortunately, one day when he was out with his mum tending to the horses, he had a frightening experience with one of the horses. It wasn’t serious and Benji bounced back quickly, so the day continued as normal. But the following day, Benji was different, in Benji’s mind the horses were now his arch enemies 👿. As time progressed, little Benji changed from a happy go lucky dog around the horses to a barking, growling, lunging and sometimes snapping dog and his mum decided to call me in to help.
The video below is of how Benji is doing 5 days into training 🤩 and the video in the comments section is of Benji ahead of the consult ☹️. What a difference. This change was all achieved with positive reinforcement – counter conditioning and gradual desensitisation. We work at Benji’s threshold, never purposely pushing him beyond his capabilities or where he is not comfortable❤️.
The horses have been wonderful and gentle during his training journey, which has helped him enormously with his learning. He can even work with the racket going on in the background (a trigger for Benji before). That is Oreo kicking the stable door – Oreo is a dressage horse who quite frankly is a Prima-donna and thinks he is honestly the most important animal on earth, so is busy having a tantrum in the stable because the spotlight is not on him 😏🙄
Cases like this make me realise I was born to be a dog trainer because whenever someone tells you that you cannot change a behaviour without harsh methods, that is untrue, because Benji is proof that you can ❤️🐶❤️
Be The Change!
#bethechange
#positivereinforcementtraining
#borntobeatrainer
#proudofBenji
#proudofowner
#gentlehorses
#Oreoisaprimadonna
Well we’ve been practicing our recall in the forest with this daycare crew and my word how we’ve nailed it!! Little Miss Independent Hattie 🖤 needs reminding what she’s supposed to be doing because she enjoys sabotaging my efforts 😏. So here I give you:
The EPIC 50m Recall 😎
The game is on owners. Goals right here 💪🏼
We practiced our 50m recall today in the forest. Chester aka “The Legend” decided the whistle blow was not quite up to the usual standard first time around and also decided someone of his status and superiority was certainly not going to recall with that rabble.
So waited patiently to be whistled again, so he could recall with full attention and glory on himself 🤣🙄
We have been working on focus in our training club classes and this class is doing so well. Most of these dogs are off leash, focusing on their owners as they cross the training circle.
A proud moment 🤩
It’s jumping over logs day at Ringwood Dogs.
I love how the biggest one takes the easiest route and the littlest one takes the highest route 😍
