Teaching a dog to hold something is an excellent way to condition bite inhibition and self control.
Here we see Hamish working on not only holding a bottle of water, but also carrying it and placing it in Pats hand. This is an excellent assistance dog task.
The skills required for this are advanced, and at 7mths old, he is absolutely smashing it. Next step is to 'take to' when the other person is out of sight.
It's been a while since we uodated on Hamish, mostly because I'm awful at social media.
But here he is, not even 6mths old, beginning work with the family he will be assisting.
We still have a long way to go, but so far he can dual lead walk, anchor, press elevator buttons, go on an escalator, travel well on public transport, he settles great in cafes and restaurants, walks round shops and busy town centres, head rest, touch and target.
In this video you'll see him walking and checking in with the handler. Eagle eyed viewers will notice this is the opposite way round compared to other assistance dogs with the handler being on the left. This is solely because the gentleman he will be assisting is left handed and finds it easier to walk on that side.
Hamish of course took to this adjustment with ease.
Couldn't be prouder of how well he is doing. I'm absolutely loving working with him and helping him develop into a simply incredible dog 💙
Hamish - 19wks.
The progress this weeman is making is surprising even me. He is such an incredible pup to be working with, and watching him absorb the work that we are teaching him is amazing to witness.
Here we see the follow on from the initial target training I posted last week. This is more difficult in a number of ways... notice there is no specific point to target, Hamish needs to think for himself as to what we want him to touch. Also notice there is no target stick for him to have as a guide, we simply send him in the direction we want him to go. Finally, pay attention to the distance from the pole, he not only has to decide what to go to, he needs to move away from the treats and his owner, make what he deems to be the right decision, then return for the reward.
This goes a long way for teaching tasks such as closing doors, turning on/off lights etc, pushing for lifts as well as other things.
Again, I couldn't be more proud of how well the weeman is doing. 💙
One of the fundamentals we utilise when training for assistance dogs tasks, is the ability to target specific objects.
This comes in useful in situations where we need Hamish to assist with things like pushing lift buttons, closing doors, turning on lights or switches etc.
Next step putting the targeting into practice.
15 weeks and showing incredible patience, focus and self control.
These hide and seek based games are all about encouraging Hamish to control himself by doing what we ask, over doing what he wants. For example, here he wants to follow Pat for a biscuit lol. But only by waiting in place, can he get what he wants.
Honestly couldn't be more impressed with the weeman 💙.
Hamish - Day 5
Today the little man completely excelled himself!!
He had his first day practicing on lead walking. Notice we are using a lead and harness, not a slip lead. This is because we don't want to jerk the lead and correct him, but rather positively encourage him to walk in the right position. This can be done with any dog... painful corrections are unnecessary.
Also notice him laying down in an extremely loud and busy Costa. Even staying in his settle position when the lady was clearing the table above/behind him. This is difficult for most dogs, let alone a 9wk old puppy.
We also had him walking along between the trolley and me, turning up and down aisles and stopping to randomly pick things up or put them in the trolley. We also had the added distraction of my 2yr old there too. Hamish did brilliantly not only ignoring his constant calls of Hamish, but also when he tried to offer him some of his lemon muffin 🤦♂️🤣.
Overall, excluding the poor video skills, it was an extremely productive morning.
Super proud of the little man, and impressed by his level of focus and self control already.
Have a great weekend folks... I promise I'll get better with the videos 🤣🤣.
Hamish - Day Four (Part Two)
Following on from the first video, this is nearer the end of the training session. By this point we had managed to get Hamish to stay in a settled position for almost 30 minutes (yes, at 9 weeks old he stayed calm and still for that long lol).
You'll see me walking away and then returning whilst reinforcing the "settle" cue. This is a practical training task which means Hamish's future family can do things like visit pubs, cafes, coffee shops etc and get him to settle at the table while they go to the bar or toilet etc.
The impulse control required here not to both follow me initially, or get up while I approach is something that transfers over to wider aspects of his life too. Situations like crossing roads, threshold training, chasing and/or following dogs or birds etc... all of these things can heighten a dog and cause them to jump or take off. This is an excellent way to help increase the life skills necessary to keep your dog safe in those situations.
Also note that the lead is on the ground and he is free to move if he wishes. The avoidance of any control tools such as slip leads etc means we are conditioning Hamish to make the right choices in diferent situations. So rather than waiting for him to fail and then correcting him, we are taking an entirely positive approach and rewarding him for making better life choices instead.
#pawsdogtrainingandbehaviour
#dogtraining #dogtrainer #dundee #dogbehaviour #dundeedogs
#dogtrainingtips
#dogsofinstagram
#pawsdog #forcefree #forcefreetraing
Hamish - Day Four (Part One)
Today we were working in Starbucks. In this video you'll see Hamish laying on his mat as I encourage him to "settle".
The aim here is for him to be comfortable and calm in social settings, particularly with people moving around him.
You'll see Pat approaching the table with coffees etc, and Hamish not only manages to stay in place, but also manages to retain his focus on me.
Considering he is 9 weeks old, and this is only day four of his training, he is doing great.
The skills required for this kind of behaviour can be taught from any age. Patience, focus, self control... 3 things that any good training protocol should be based around. Also note that the lead is dropped and on the floor, so Hamish has full freedom of choice to get up and move. No slip leads to force him or pull him into position, just good old kibble (which is actually part of his lunch as we don't need high value treats just yet).
All in this was an excellent start to the session. Please see the next post for part two.
#pawsdogtrainingandbehaviour
#dogtraining #dogtrainer #dundee #dogbehaviour #dundeedogs
#dogtrainingtips
#dogsofinstagram
#pawsdog #forcefree #forcefreetraing
I thought I'd share a quick snippet of a training session yesterday.
Here we have a 7 month old intact male Rottweiler pup. At times he is getting a bit overexcited and overstimulated while out and about, resulting in him mouthing and jumping all over his owners.
We had him offlead the whole session, with several other dogs not only passing by, but actively coming over to play and interact with him. I wanted him to get worked up, so that he could exercise the self control training to calm himself back down. This video was taken less than a minute after one of those interactions. Pay attention to how he engages calmly and positively, even after just being so heavily excited.
We use the handling techniques here as a way of recentering his focus, and by ensuring that no leads or other tools are used means he is in control of his own decisions (meaning if he wants to run off and continue playing, he can). This is the fundamental key to all of my training.
We don't want to continually need to micro-manage our dogs behaviours through control mechanisms or various "tools". Instead, we want him to know what is expected of him in each type of situation so that he can exercise the self control we have been teaching him. Ultimately leading to a calm, happy, confident and well rounded dog wherever you go.
I don't often take videos when out with Ace and the weeman. But here is an excellent example of what Self Control training is all about.
We are approaching a road, and there is also a man and young Spaniel on lead waiting to get through the gate.
Ace knows I don't like her running towards roads or strangers, so she begins to show restraint by stopping every few yards and checking in for confirmation that we are continuing that way. Pay attention to the fact that initially I didn't ask her to, she dropped into this behaviour because she knows what is expected in that situation.
If you train your dog to behave like this around people, dogs, livestock, cars, roads, cyclists etc then you don't need to "control" your dog, because they have been taught to control themselves.
This was taught using purely Positive Reinforcement in a way that promotes Self Control, Focus and Patience. No aversives. No "tools". No "corrections".
#pawsdogtrainingandbehaviour
#dogtraining #dogtrainer #dundee #dogbehaviour #dundeedogs
#dogtrainingtips
#dogsofinstagram
#pawsdog #forcefree #forcefreetraing
VID20230428WA0006
Following on from the announcement about shock collars being ILLEGAL in England from 1st February 2023. I thought I'd share a post with some amazing work by one of my clients, that also covers another major gripe of mines 🙈.
As you see, Alice has three dogs and had previously been advised to use slip leads to stop the dogs from pulling. Thankfully, she didn't listen and sought my advice instead.
Here, you see three dogs, one pic with them on lead (see comments as we can't post both in the same post🙄), and an awesome video with no lead handling where they are all walking to heel perfectly in their favourite park.
I say day in and day out that Slip Leads are unnecessary and are painful to the dog when used correctly. Yes, I said pain when used properly as that is how they're designed to work🤦♂️.
The same trainers that state slip leads are necessary, also say harnesses cause pulling 🤦♂️. So many face palms in this post 🤣.
Alice has worked wonders with her three dogs, and the results clearly speak for themselves. I have worked with all three dogs at various stages, but Alice is the one who stuck with it and trusted the process. There is still work to do, but I am absolutely blown away by this!
Now, I'm not asking for the banning of slip leads next, but maybe less urge to use them as a go to in the absence of proper skills and patience. 🙏.
Great work though, and all done through positive reinforcement only 👏.
received1
This is a brief follow up to my post a couple of weeks back about the rescued Poodle from the Welsh Puppy Farm
The progress in this video is nothing short of astounding!
You can see she is still lacking a bit of confidence, but she is willingly now interacting with people and dogs. When feeling overwhelmed she doesn't run away or freeze like before, she simply just moves a few feet away into her own space.
Pay attention to the dogs coming and going around her in different directions. Previously she would continually be on edge, staying hyper-vigilant and feeling completely out of control with anything fast moving. This used to make her continually jump with a fright, or roll over onto her back/side and just freeze up.
Also notice how well the other puppies give her space when she asks for it. Development of manners and etiquette in younger puppies is key to allowing nervous dogs feel in control of their position within any environment. If a dog like that ever encounters your puppy/dog make sure to monitor how your dog is making the other dog feel too. This can prevent bites/attacks and helps reduce fear triggers in the nervous dog.
Seeing this wee dog come on in such a short period just fills my heart with joy! She is a sign of what true resilience is. 💙.
Hats off to her mum too, she has been amazing during this whole journey. I can't wait to see how she continues to develop.
VID20230201WA0024
So Wee Bobby's first day has come to an end.
He didn't have it easy, such a sweet wee thing isn't made for The Kennel. He made a couple of rookie mistakes, none more so than dropping the soap. An error I'm sure he'll learn from swiftly.
Team Paws Dog is on the case for justice. We hope you'll all support us in raising awareness of this horrendous miscarriage of justice.
Remember to like, tag and share any of this for your chance to win the reward for the capture of Big Dick the Great Dane. The more you share, the more entries you have. ✌️
#freeweebobby #catchbigdick
#pawsdogtrainingandbehaviour
#dogtraining #dogtrainer #dundee #dogbehaviour #dundeedogs
#dogtrainingtips
#dogsofinstagram
#pawsdog #forcefree #forcefreetraing
VID20230127WA0002
Here we have a variation of how to teach Heel work. This was our first attempt at this behaviour with this 6 month old Cocker.
Her owner suffers from back pain, so bending to hand her the treat can be an issue at times, hence the treats being dropped on the ground. Other methods of teaching this can include us handing the treat as opposed to dropping it.
Notice how initially, I adjust my body position to suit the behaviour we are teaching. This is because the pup doesn't know where she should position herself yet.
Making sure we set her up to succeed is key, as we want to keep her engaged as long as we can at this point. Also notice there is no lead, so she is in full control of what she does. We are in a public park with people and dogs passing by, yet she chooses to focus on me because it is fun and she wants to work.
This is a simple, effective and fun way to teach Heel, and it also includes elements of Focus Training, Self Control and Patience. All key lifeskills dogs should learn.
The option to include a 20m training line is also available, however in this instance, it wasn't necessary as I trust her recall at this point.
This video is a perfect example of why we play games like hide and seek with puppies.
Learning patience, focus and self control is something that every dog regardless of age should work on.
Here we see two people, one a stranger. Five dogs, all of which are new and unknown to Enzo. At 17wks old he is able to listen to his mum, acknowledge the distractions going on around him, yet he stays calm in place until his mum tells him to move.
At 17wks he has also spent a few weeks at my playgroups, running around freely learning to play and have fun with dogs. That means he knows just how exciting this situation can be, but again, he makes the right choices that he has learnt through games and self control training.
Couldn't be prouder of this little man! He is a perfect example of just how easy it is to train a puppy, if you apply the homework and allow him the opportunity to make decisions from the off. No shock collars are ever even considered. No slip leads used at any time. Not even a training line in sight. 🙌
Hey guys, just my two cents on when a good time to get another dog is after a loss.
You can't expect results from the training you didn't do. It's as simple as that.
So if you keep saying, I wish my dog was better at X, Y or Z, then it's on you to do something about it. ✌
Just another quick video about positive reinforcement. It is NOT bribery, not even close 🤦♂️
Just a quick reminder on being mindful when using small local businesses.
Pretty sure I'm not the only one who gets frustrated with this. 🙄
Just another wee video on something that is becoming more and more relevant just now unfortunately.
It's something that is causing me some real stress, which is why i posted from the gym. Apologies in advance for the gym vest 🤦♂️
