LOOSE LEAD WALKING TRAINING TIPS!
My plan was not to start this type of training until 6-7 months, but plans change and instead I have decided to start the foundations now. But thats all it is ....giving him an understanding of what it means when I change to a flat lead and collar , rather than a harness. I 100% do not expect him to walk nicely by my side when out walking . We still excersise on flexi lead / long line but I now also carry a flat lead and attach to collar throughout the walk and do excercises like in Video.
TOP TIPS:
- Teach a 'close' = by your side pays first in your home off lead
- Then practice the above point but with lead attached
- Watch your handling ; hand closest to dog is free to deliver reinforcment
- Lots of moving backward and direction changes while practicing to increase engagement. Tension on lead = we are not moving in that direction, lead is smiling (no tension) = yummy treat plus movement in that direction.
- Use different equipment when practicing (i.e i have lead attached to harness when i don't care if tension on lead, lead attached to collar when LLW protocol in place)
- Take it on the road = practice for short periods in quiter areas throughout your walk
- Don't be scabby with your treats! Plus higher value treats needed when practicing on the road , its a harder environment so the pay needs to reflect that.
- Dont give up, and don't be hard on yourself or your dog....its not an easy behaviour to train and has lots of variables involved , it takes lots of practice, consistency and time
- *** Do not try this at the start of your walk, thats a set up for failure not success***
#looseleadwalking #raisingpuppyjeffrey
19 weeks versus 8 wks old same environment , same movements 🥰
8 wks (small video) = lure in hand , no verbals cues
19wks = no lure, verbal cues added, alot more distracted !
Training can sometimes become harder as they start reaching adolescence ....but you got to keep on going and ride that wave. It will be worth it!
#keepontraining #raisingpuppyjeffrey
THE DESTRUCTION BOX!
When the storm is coming and you try to walk anyway to burn off some energy but Jeffrey gets about 3 mins up the road before the breaks go on and the protests begin.(to be honest i dont blame him)....its back to the house to use that nose and teeth and shred!
*Also its toy show night so you wanna make sure you can watch it in peace!!!!
Don't underestimate this game ... its a great activity for your dog of all ages, and also great to maximise your green bin capacity!
There will be lots of boxes around everyones house this time of yr!
#raisingpuppyjeffrey #destructionbox
Clever Little Puppy!!!
Impulse control is really hard for youngsters of all species, so we have to put in the work!
"Wait" = just hold on a minute you will get the thing you want but be patient!
"Ok" = release cue , now you can have it!
#raisingpuppyjeffrey #impulsecontrol
EAR CLEANING TIP:
Im one of those people that gets great satisfaction in cleaning dirty ears. (Clipping nails on the other hand makes my skin crawl 🤢)
I had a sneaky feeling Jeffrey had ear mites but turns out he did not. But as I mentioned before floppy ear dogs are more prone to infections so he needs to be comfortable with the process so I can do it when they are sore / inflamed / needs drops administered etc in the future.
I put some food under my foot so he targets that while I get stuck in. When it runs out I reload , a lickimate works well for this also.
NOTE - his ears are free from pain, just dirty. If your dogs ears have an infection and are painful and if your dog is not previously comfortable with this process on healthy ears then this excercise is not for you. Pain results in unpredictable behaviour and may result in a bite. This excercise is also only to be done by adults
#raisingpuppyjeffrey #earcleaning
Becoming comfortable being handled all over the body starts with simply gaining experience with the sensations.
We take advantage of the sleepy period and pay attention to particular areas :
- Ears (floppy ears prone to infections etc)
- Gums (check / brush teeth etc)
- Eyes (infections, cleaning etc)
- Paws , inbetween digits, and Pads (nail clipping , things getting stuck in between pads etc, to be nice to your groomer etc)
- Tail area
Basically everywhere!!!! We will do this excercise more formally also when hes awake (future video).
Rememeber your prepping the pup for things you want him to be comfortable with in future. I don't want his first experience of being invasively handled in an area to be when he is feeling unwell, has a ear infection, something stuck in his pad etc. That will lead to alot of counter conditioning work later on (and potentially a bite) so we will do the work now when no negative experience have been associated with those body parts.
#raisingpuppyjeffrey #handling
(and yes that is a jealous cat (Frank) meowing in the background 😏)
MOVEMENT ; Body Awareness.
When pups are awake they are constantly moving, im taking advantage of this awake period by manipulating his movments in ways I will use later in training, building muscle memory, and working on his body awareness. (And transfering that energy he has so im not getting bitten with those sharp puppy teeth 🦷🙈)
All dogs have a preference to move in a certain direction (think of it like being either right handed or left handed) . This also applies to us, I am right handed so I have a preference to give cues with my right hand. Here we are both using our preferece and opposite sides.
- -> Also getting him use to the process of luring ✅️
- -> Hand feeding his Lunch ✅️
- -> And sure as far as he knows , we are just playing around and having fun which is the most important thing ✅️
#raisingpuppyjeffrey #movement #bodyawareness
Here Jeffrey is learning hands = positive things, while also learning his name.
What he has to do ?
Nothing at all!!! Im not asking him to look at me or come to me, its as simple as the word "Jeffrey" followed by food so that everytime he hears "Jeffrey" it has value to him.
(You can use this method to change a dogs name quickly also)
#handfeeding #namerecognition #raisingpuppyjeffrey
Cooper is new to active learning so we are working on creating those pathways and he is doing great. We changed his diet, feeding regime , and daily routines to help him be able to deal with the more tricky skills like being left alone.
He is leaning if he stays stationary, we will come back to him even if we go out of sight, its no big deal, you just relax and let us do all the work!
Dogs are social animals, of course they would prefare to be by our side ALL of the time. However this is not realistic and we need to teach our dogs this skill as early as possible, but its never to late. Our brain is always changing and learning never stops, new neurons form, new pathways to replace and become stronger than old ones. This change happens through actively practicing those new behaviours
#babysteps #learningtolearn #dogtraining #replacingoldhabits
Cole Ace-ing his second session....such a quick learner and brillaint handling skills from his human which is half the battle !
Well Done Team!
#looseleadwalking #labxcollie
A 3 minute session (in fast motion).
Elements of any behaviour can fall apart and get sloppy for a number of reasons such as:
- Not practiced regularly
- Reinforcing the wrong thing unintentionally
Oscar has had no interest in training for a while as he wasnt feeling well. Especially practicing such a unnatural body position. Therefore head postion has got sloppy:
- not upright enough
- rearing slightly in front rather than by my side
- not as much pressure on my body from his body as we had before
Loving that he wants to train (play) again with me !!! 💙
#letstrain
Little humans and little K9s hard at work 😍
Training & Behaviour
