But she knows ‘sit’
She ‘knows’ sit.
But she didn’t sit.
She should have sat.
Perhaps…
She needs a firmer hand.
She needs a louder voice.
Perhaps…
She needs to be understood.
On the first ask, I had Ember’s ball in my hand. On the second ask, I put it in my pocket (I thought it being out of sight might have helped but it was still too hard). On the third ask, I’d put a bit of distance between us (if in doubt with any training, distance is your best friend). And then, she was able to succeed 🙌🏻.
I don’t ‘command’ Ember. I ask if she can do something, because she is a dog with thoughts and emotions, not a robot. You could argue that I need to do more training, and that’s probably true to a point, however, in order to do that, I need to know this:
I’m asking her to go against everything that her body is telling her to do. Her natural instincts had kicked in and her genetics were screaming ‘you need to be standing to be ready to chase and fetch the ball’
Thinking ‘she’s finding this tricky’ instead of ‘she knows sit’ helped me to make it easier for her to achieve.
When you interpret your dog ‘not doing what you’ve asked’ and think ‘they know this’ so ‘they should be doing’, you’re blinded to a whole host of other things that could be going on.
Being co-ordinated has never been my forte...imagine my delight when looking back on a quick video I recorded this afternoon to see that both my dog and I were matchy matchy with our surroundings 😬
How to access a free mini 1-1 to find out what on earth this thing called scentwork actually is 😊
Would you believe me if I said this level of tiredness was because of an activity lasting less than 10 mins?
Your dog does not need hours and hours of physical exercise to tire them out. What your dog does need is to be satisfied and content enough to relax.
What you see in the video is the effects of scentwork. This was only the second evening of our training course where Ember was learning how to employ her super snozz to find gun oil. We did 6 searches that day that lasted:
0:44
1:23
1:43
4:26
0:45
0:17
...totalling 9 mins & 17 secs (for the people who are like me and want the details 😬)
If you want this for your dog (and you're in Doncaster) my 'Introduction to Scentwork' course starts very soon. The details will be released tomorrow evening so keep a beady eye out...there are only 4 places available!
At the moment, Ember can only walk for 20 minutes at a time - this is one way that I maximise those minutes. Sniffing is THE BEST activity for mental stimulation and I make sure there’s plenty during our permitted exercise.
I also use it when her head is in ‘I’m not listening’ mode, when she's being a giddy kipper (I can't run the risk of her getting too excited atm) or when she’s just been spooked by something; sniffing releases those feel good chemicals and helps her head get back in the game. And on the occasions when I’m struggling and frustrated on a walk, it gives me some time out and something to do other than continuing to walk when the walk’s not working.
If your dog has a tendency to lunge and bark, I’d highly recommend teaching ‘find it’ and using it as soon as you can after they’ve reacted - your dog needs help to bring those arousal levels back down if you’ve got any chance of continuing your walk in a semi reasonable state. Using their nose, specifically to be successful in finding something (in this case food) helps build confidence too - something that fear based reactivity will benefit massively from.
In the video, I ask Ember to wait (if I didn't she'd be jumping and running after the treats as I throw them and I can't allow that), while I throw treats out and I tell her to ‘find it’. And then I do something that can be really hard - I keep quiet. There’s no need for me to point out where the treats are (that kinda defeats the purpose of what I'm trying to achieve) and anyway, her nose is far better than my eyesight (even with my glasses on!)
Even when she goes way off course, I don’t tell her anything for four reasons:
One: as mentioned above - me telling her ‘over here, over here’ means she’s not sniffing as much and not getting the benefits that that brings.
Two: She doesn’t stop sniffing - if she did, I might be inclined to show her the general area they’re in, but not point to them directly
You love your dog, right? But they don’t always make living together the proverbial walk in the park.
It’s not always easy to see things from a different perspective, especially when there’s a wall of frustration and you just want to be able to the things you dreamt of. But relationships are a two way street; considering the other party is not always easy but very much necessary.
In the latest ‘Pondering about dogs’ podcast, we chat about the massive impact seeing things from your dog’s POV can have. Yeah, the one that’s a right royal pain in the a**e sometimes.
Podbean for your ears only: https://ponderingaboutdogs.podbean.com/e/episode-4-dont-overlook-this-key-factor-with-your-dog/
Youtube for your eyes & ears:
https://youtu.be/2jmDvVOSYUY?si=0-u9UASzafl_KNtq
We also discuss just what a ‘giddy kipper’ is. I know, do you??
Stop. Before you spend more money on yet another lead or harness to stop your dog from pulling, instead, spend some time considering this.
Your dog’s state of mind is everything when it comes to training and getting the behaviours you want. Wanting your dog to walk nicely on lead is one of the hardest nuts to crack and it’s because all the training out there focuses on the training steps while not enough emphasis is placed upon your dog being in the right state to learn (yes, it’s a thing).
Case in point this morning that I wished I’d videoed to show you. Ember had been at the vets for stitches out following major surgery and as soon as we got back home, I took her out (we needed rearrange something and it would be better if she wasn’t there) for one of her 5 min walks. She pulled. Like a steam train. 3 mins into the walk, she started barking (she does this to make herself feel better when stressed). Once home, she had a snuffle for some treat in a mat then I sat with her and rubbed her chest and head until she was able to relax enough to fall into a deep sleep. Fast forward a couple of hours, we walked the same route again. Totally. Different. Dog.
Think about how excited/calm your dog is before going out.
Think about where you are when training, the things your dog struggles with and whether you’ll encounter them.
Think about what your dog does, simply as information for you; they’re showing you what they need, try to listen.
They’re not being ‘naughty’ or not doing what they ‘know’ on purpose. They need help and support, not equipment that’ll stop them pulling on lead.
Off lead dogs
I’ve ummed and ahhed about posting this video. My intention is never to make anyone feel bad or embarrassed, rather more to highlight any learning that I think could make the world a better place for our dogs.
Ember and I were out for a walk in one of our local parks when the dog in the video saw us and decided to come over. He and Ember said ‘Hi’ to each other then Ember repeatedly tried to move away from him. He kept following. His owner was shouting him, but he was just too focused on Ember to be able to listen.
Ember is a sensitive, happy-go-lucky kind of dog. But she’d had enough. She’d tried to tell him nicely that play time was over, she wasn’t interested and would much rather walk away and be left alone, thank you very much. Hence the reaction from her that you see in the video. But even that was not enough to deter him from pestering her. He kept on.
You can she her eating grass immediately after she’d had a pop at him. She does this when she’s feeling out of sorts, as a way to make herself feel better, because she’d been put in a position she wasn’t comfortable with.
This isn’t just about me and my dog though. The owner whose dog it was, was massively inconvenienced by having to walk (a fair distance) in the opposite direction to collect his dog. That’s not fun, kind of frustrating really. But it’s not the dog’s fault. He hasn’t been shown what to do or what’s expected of him.
So, the learning that you could take from this if you chose to, is:
1. If you know your dog makes a bee line for other dogs, stopping them from being able to bolt at a moments notice is key. I’d recommend a harness and longline, so your dog still has some of the freedom you want for them.
2. Look at the environment you’re in. It’s nice just to be able to pop to the local park to exercise your dog, but if that park is full of the things your dog loves and wants to get to, walk in the park it isn’t.
3. If there are no other options t
I’ve dealt with a lot of companies as part of handling my sister’s estate. Some good, some not so good. Unfortunately, more fell into the latter category and made quite insensitive mistakes, Barclays UK, you take the prize for being at the top of that list.
Now, I’m quite an emotional person anyway, but I’m pretty sure it’s because of those experiences that I cried when I left our vets after a recent visit.
We’ve recently moved to Harrison family vets in Armthorpe, Doncaster. Following a couple of visits over concern regarding Ember’s hips, and subsequent referral to a specialist, I popped back in to get a consent form filled in.
Whilst I was waiting to speak to the receptionist, our vet had come out to collect his next patient. He saw me, recognised me and asked his clients to wait a few moments while he asked me how things were.
A small act, you might say, that only took him a couple of minutes. But in that short time, I was so touched, that I walked out and into my car and cried.
This stuff matters. If you run a business and you happen to stumble upon this post, please consider the person at the end of your product or service. You can make so much difference, good or bad, in the most simplest of ways. And if you’re thinking of moving vets and you’re in Doncaster, give Harrison Family Vets, Doncaster some consideration.
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