Cooper 🤍
That’s Cooper the Staffie cross playing with Harpo the Cocker. At first glance it’s just 2 dogs playing, but those who’ve been following us know that he used to be dog reactive a few years back in time. He was 8 when we started training and walking him. Now he’s 13 and he still amazes us with the wee steps he makes basically every time he’s out with us. The biggest step was to actually play with others and being able to manage physical contact without thinking he’s been attacked. It took him 5 years but this kind of progress takes time. And there he goes, finally he made it, he managed it AND HE LOVED IT.
Cooper is the living proof of the fact it’s never too late. We love you old man ☺️
That's Beau, the handsome Boxer boy.
He was kind of lead aggressive towards other dogs especially around his area / territory. As the owners have recorded plenty of footages of him acting aggressively I had the chance to see him in action in multiple situations when I first saw them. This footages showed a rather insecure dog acting out of fear than a truly aggressive one. Also due to this behaviour he's been kept on lead when there were other dogs around that lead him to build up frustration coming from not being able to play with them. (It's quite a common case by the way.) Being a Boxer it meant extra level of frustration. However he is a very affectionate boy who is keen on interaction both with dogs and humans. So his training didn't take much but a few sessions with the ToE group. After the initial confusion he quickly realised that he can actually read the others' body language so he can pick himself who does he want to play with and who should be left alone.
Beau is now a member of a group being taken out on a regular basis and he has lots of fun with his pals. We are very proud of him for coming out of his shell, for getting rid of his insecurity and giving space for a balanced mindset that allows him having fun with other dogs.
Venus & Stanley playing chase in the long grass 🌿☀️
That short footage is about Cooper. If you remember, he used to be reactive especially to high energy / excitement level dogs. He’s been doing great, we haven’t had any issues for a looong time. Nothing at all. Even with our new team members that are young and very “dynamic” 😁 he’s been great. He actually enjoys their company.
Last Friday we met a 9 months old Lab pup, who was right in his face, playful but still too much. Cooper was turning his head away first as a basic sign of not willing to take apart in this. As it wasn’t enough for the pup he turned his whole body away from her and then walked off. As it still wasn’t enough for the pup he did growl at her to stop being in his face.
First i’d like to highlight his gradual way of communication that he developed since we started his training. That actually made him succeed as the pup stopped pushing him any longer.
Second is this actual footage. After he sorted things out with the Lab pup the whitish scruffy dog turned up. She is a rescue from Spain, very timid with folks but quite playful with dogs. Actually she’s quite like a wee rocket which is not something Cooper would prefer. However Cooper went up to her, had a wee sniff and he WENT DOWN IN TO PLAY BOW! It didn’t turn into a game but as you can see he tried again.
That was his very first actual attempt to call another dog to play! He did try previously once but it wasn’t complete.
Remember, he’s nearly 13 years old! He’s been with us for over 4 years now, never stops making progress but surprising us all the time.
When dog training is about changing behaviour, it always takes time. These things don’t happen in a moment, the dog has to see the action - reaction combination, then copy it and getting familiar with it so sudden unexpected situations can be handled too. Hence we’ve never posted a before - after video as it doesn’t work this way.
Well done Coop! 😎🙌
We had fun this morning playing around with some agility equipment, Alba did pretty well for her first try ☺️
Feri casually taking things apart in the background..
Lola was waiting to pounce on Alba..so Homer decided to get involved 😆
Mac likes to relax on his walks…what a boy!
We didn’t expect to find grass cuttings in winter, a fun surprise 😁
Alexa wanted to do some forest agility too 🌲😂
Running into the new year!
So good to get back out with our pals yesterday ❤️
Homer managed to find the only bit of water that’s not frozen right now! ❄️
Maisie & Mac, some cute play ❤️
A beautiful sunny frosty morning walk ❄️
The lesson learned here..don’t mess with Mr Bozzles 🤣
Bianco and Rocco haven’t seen each other for a loooong time. They were quite happy to meet again 😁
Also Cooper did very well when Bianco and then Maisie bumped in to him 😎
Some beautiful play between Ollie & Brothie 🤍
Some beautiful play between Ollie & Brothie 🤍