Progress in dog training is important. You don't want to be stuck teaching the same part of a behaviour over and over. Foundations are important and must be practised well and revisited from time to time, but when and how should you start to aim for progress?
In our Pawsitive Progression classes, we look at the 3 Ds - distance, duration and distractions. We add one thing at a time so we don't overload the dogs with too much to learn all at once and we work through a variety of challenges.
One of my favourite examples is the later lead walking exercises. In this video, half of the class do controlled lead walking whilst heading towards the other half of the class who are seated. The seated owners maintain their dog's attention whilst the moving dogs walk past, which means everyone is practising with a different type of distraction. They then swap so everyone gets a turn. But this is not possible without first having practise all of the skills necessary to enable every dog to be successful.
Introducing distractions and variety into training early is key to making sure your dog can handle any situation! We have spaces on our Progression class available from 10th August with flexible booking. Visit our website or drop us a message for more information or to book a spot.
Today's mantrailers, Chester, Patrona, Dogric and Mungo, had an amazing time up on the moors testing their skills in new terrain and they all nailed their trails 🥰
Do you ever practise in unusual places? Dogs aren't great at generalising behaviours that they have learned. This means that what they have learned at home, they might not realise they can do elsewhere.... Unless you show them.
Try some of the things that your dog is good at in a new place or with a new distraction close by. It can be something as simple as a sit or down, or their favourite trick. See what happens.
If they struggle, help them out with a gentle reminder and you'll be improving their behaviour for life by helping them learn that what they can do here, they can do everywhere.
Have you tried our Pack Walk & Train yet? The next one is this Thursday at 6pm.
Enjoy a fun social walk whilst teaching your dog useful skills for when you are out and about.
Book online via the website or drop us a message. Just £15 per dog for 1hr.
Walking on a lead without pulling is hard for most dogs. There's a lot to do out there and humans walk too slow. One of the most important skills your dog can learn is that you still exist when they are on lead!
Teaching your dog to focus on you when distractions are around is easier to train if you start with these skills when stationary and then move onto moving around distractions.
These clips from our Pack Walk & Train show this training in action. Watch how the dogs focus on their owners as other dogs, people and children walk past. The dogs are all rewarded for any focus on their owners and as a result, they offer this behaviour more often.
There doesn't seem to be much going on in this video clip, but it's a fabulous example of how easy it makes things when your dog has learned good manners.
In this short clip Violet demonstrates:
🐶 Food manners
🐶 Loose lead walking
🐶 Quick response to handler
🐶 Self control
Walking through Cookes Pet Supplies Dog Shop in Doncaster, food-lover Violet admires all of the tasty snacks but doesn't touch, doesn't have to be told to "leave it" and responds immediately to her name when called.
Interested in teaching some of these skills to your dog? Our Puppy Foundations and Progression classes will show you how to get these behaviours without having to constantly nag your dog. Visit the website or drop us a message to book.
Don't like the idea of a class environment? One to one training is also available for behavioural issues and general training.
Do you ever recall your dog just for fun? Then just share a couple of treats or a quick play and send them off to run again? If not, you should.
Dogs are excellent at spotting patterns and making connections. If the only time you call your dog back is when you have the lead clip ready to fasten to their collar or when they're about to do something they love (but you don't) they will start to question whether recall is really a good deal for them.
Common fallout includes:
🐾 Slower recall!
🐾 Hesitation!
🐾 Refusing to come all the way back!
🐾 Playing keep away!
🐾 Selective hearing!
Make recall fun, surprise them with treats they weren't expecting or snacks they don't usually get and offer playtime with you on walks. Don't leave them to find their own fun or decide you have ulterior motives.
⚠️ Top Tip!
A lot of recalls fail because the dog is not expecting something good if they arrive. Dogs that are used to only being recalled when they are about to do something the owner doesn't like them doing (but is fun for the dog), or when it's time to put the lead on and go home might set off back towards you when hearing the recall word, but never actually arrive.
To make your dog more excited about coming back try these tips:
🐶 Vary the rewards - don't always use the same treat. Turn your dog into a gambler by making them come back to find out what you have in your pocket today. Is it chicken? Is it a sprat? Is it a toy?
🐶 Recall for fun - don't save recall for only when it is needed to take your dog home or stop them doing something. Surprise them sometimes then let them return to play. This takes the pressure off.
🐶 Make it worth their while - if you're always offering boring kibble the dog's choice is obvious because fun is better than kibble.
🐶 Food Party! - Don't just offer a single piece of food to reward a recall. This leads to 'snatch and run' recalls where the dog doesn't hang around. Have a random number of treats and sometimes hand them over, sometimes drop on the floor. Keep them guessing how many treats they'll get!
For more tips and tricks as well as practical advice and guidance, try our Reliable Recall Workshop on Sunday 14th July. A two hour masterclass in improving or teaching a recall for just £39. Book online via the website or message with any questions
⚠️TOP TIP!
A simple tip for making walks easier is to teach your dog to remember that you are there through the use of 'check-ins'.
Reward your dog regularly for glancing in your direction and you might find they start doing it more, meaning they are learning to 'check in' with you often.
Here's an example... Count how many times Dove checks in during this short video, even when going off to investigate an abandoned bag, and notice that she is given absolutely no instructions at all.
MANTRAILING! Search and rescue work for fun. Absolutely, any dog can take part! They just need to be comfortable with waiting in their humans car between their goes and to rest.
Fun, laid back, supportive atmosphere. Reactive dogs are welcome!
We do sessions across Barnsley. £25 per dog, and we have our own level system from level 1 to 5, giving you and your dog something to aim for.
I personally trail 3 of my dogs, and they absolutely love it!
Your dog can use their natural abilities to find their 'missing person' with a huge reward at the end!
Message us for more information about when and where our sessions are.
Be warned...it is addictive and very much a social experience for the people's.
Unlock your dogs' natural ability and performance. 🥰
Dates:
JUNE
16th 11am
29th 9am
JULY
6th 9am
8th 11am
13th 9am
21st 11am
28th 11am
1 or 2 spaces on each
Link for booking is in the comments :)
Today, some of our mantrailing teams accepted the challenge of finding their mispers who had laid a 1 mile long trail.
Every dog and handler team nailed it! Especially in hot conditions, they've never done such long trails before and not one dog gave up, they were all determined to continue following the trail laid for them, successfully, to find their missing person. They trailed and followed and worked their trails for 30 minutes at a time.
With many distractions along the way, including bikes, dogs, roads, geese and ducks!
Well done guys! Dogric, Jaeger, Maggie, Dove, Violet and Alba 🥰
MANTRAILING! Search and rescue work for fun. Absolutely, any dog can take part! They just need to be comfortable with waiting in their humans car between their goes and to rest.
Fun, laid back, supportive atmosphere. Reactive dogs welcome!
We do sessions across Barnsley. £25 per dog, and we have our own levels system from level 1 to 5, giving you and your dog something to aim for.
I personally trail 3 of my dogs, and they absolutely love it!
Your dog can use their natural abilities to find their 'missing person' with a huge reward at the end!
Message us for more information about when and where our sessions are.
Be warned...it is addictive and very much a social experience for the people's.
Unlock your dogs natural ability and performance. 🥰
Next dog is WALTER!
He's a 6 year old Malinois.
Where to start with this boy 🙈 he's bought more chaos into the household than all the other dogs combined 😂 but I absolutely adore him, he's everything I ever wanted and is an amazing sports dog!
Unfortunately, I had to retire Walter from agility this year, but he still does and loves, rally, mantrailing, tracking, scent work. Helping as a stooge and distraction dog and basically just likes working almost 24/7. He can and does switch off fab at home though.
Walter is very much a typical Malinois. The video below sums him up 😂😍
Trick Stars Class starting March 9th in Brampton Bierlow. Don't miss your spot - book online.
Lucy's Walter was recently cast in a TV role. Here he is doing his thing 🥰 on tonights episode of Vera 🥰
Violet has been working hard on her tricks and is ready for her Expert Master trick award. Here is one of her favourite tricks - the ring toss.
Trick training is a fantastic way to have fun and bond with your dog, but more than that it builds confidence and focus in your dog too! If you fancy learning the basics of trick training with your dog then you'll love our trick class. We have a 3 week Trick Stars class coming up on 9th March. For more information, visit the Classes & Courses page of our website.
NO MORE PULLING!
If you are tired of battling a dog that is constantly on the end of the lead, tugging at your arms and wearing you out every walk, this is the workshop for you!
All too often there is a huge disconnect between dog and owner during walks. One doesn't know what the other is doing and this leads to frustration at both ends of the lead. With a few easy games and some tried and tested tips, we can help you close the gap and bring your dog and you together in harmony whilst on your walks.
If this sounds like something you'd like, we are running our No More Pulling workshop on 21st January at 10am in Cundy Cross and there are a couple of spaces left. This 2 hour workshop costs just £39!
Visit our website or drop us a message if you'd like more information or want to claim your space.
12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
Day 3 is a fab festive dog treat recipe for you to try. Add 1/2 tsp of cinnamon or ginger and use your favourite christmas cutter to make the cookies extra christmassy!
You will need:
2 eggs
70g mashed sweet potato
2 tbsp peanut butter (xylitol-free)
200g wholemeal or oat flour
Preheat the oven to 180°C
Blend together the eggs, peanut butter and sweet potato until smooth then mix in the flour well until you have a firm dough.
Using a sprinkle of flour to stop it sticking, roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick.
Cut out your cookies and lay them on baking parchment on a baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes until hard to the touch. Cool and store in an airtight container.
Fireworks desensitisation, it's never too late to start!
Ding-Ding! Our Trick Stars did a great job with their paw tricks this week! Jaeger wins most dramatic bell ringing, Hector is most enthusiastic ringer of the week and little Ted definitely wins most creative! 🥰. So proud of these guys!
