Training the dog. Walking the dog.
They're the same thing.
Training isn't an extra. And it's not a luxury.
It's done on your walk.
As part of play time.
Making your walk energising. Engaging. Enjoyable.
For you.
And the dog.
#playwiththedog
Life gives you no certificate.
You never finish training the dog.
Why?
Communication.
Dog training is communicating with your dog.
Dogs are a social creature. So need to be communicated with. They want to be trained.
Do it through play?
Even better.
#playwiththedog
Those ears though!
Not only is Archie the Hautlieu School support dog, he's also an agility superhero.
Just because he has one job, doesn't mean he can't have hobbies.
Agility Sessions returning.
Saturdays in October.
Scentwork.
It doesn't have to be a formal sport. With ribbons. And judges.
It can just be something you do on your walk.
To make your dog's life more fun.
More enriching.
More interesting.
This is Poppy.
With her classmates.
On our Puppy Adventure Course.
At the beach. Around people. Other dogs.
In a real world environment.
Training must be functional.
Otherwise it's not training.
Recall. Retrieve.
They're the same thing.
Teach any dog a retrieve and that's your recall sorted.
Want to know how?
1:1 gundog sessions available in August.
A working breed needs to work.
Leo may not be a Police dog anymore but he still has a job.
Taking down hardened criminals.
Like Katie from Active Dog - Behaviour & Training.
Why have a gym membership?
When you have a labrador.
And Mantrailing exists.
Mental enrichment. Scentwork. Physical exercise.
All outdoors for Vitamin D and all that good stuff.
Like running a marathon whilst reading a book.
Mantrailing Workshops in September.
Mantrailing 1:1s available in August.
Does your dog need to know "chair" as a command?
Not really.
But if you have a toddler running around.
Like a little hooligan.
Then having a word that means "hop up out the way buddy" is useful.
My dog is lively. My dog is boisterous. My dog is anxious.
One word doesn't describe your dog. Or you.
Your dog has a personality. A multi-faceted personality.
This is Leo ⬇️ a scary Police dog that found and bit criminals.
And a goof ball.
This is Ludo.
Challenge: Nervousness
Solution: Scentwork
Ludo is a nervous dog. He's a little scared of the hoover in the utility room.
He used to stay away. Now he happily passes it to forage.
Hiding food in snuffle boxes.
Encouraging sniffing.
Making food fun.
This is Archie.
He's another dog on our Side By Side Program.
Archie used to pull like a steam train. He might not be giving perfect focus. That will come.
But he's not pulling either.
This was Archie's handler after the first session;
"So I think I took the wrong dog home this morning as I’ve just taken Archie on a long walk n tye short lead and wow he pulled a little at first and so I kept stopping with him and then rewarding him and he picked it up very quickly and it was the most pleasant walk that I’ve been on since getting Archie as a puppy 4 years ago!!"
This is Bobbie.
Challenge: Lead Pulling
Solution: Video
Bobbie and her handler signed up to the Side By Side Course; teaching the dog to walk next to you.
In between each session, the handlers record their training and send it to us.
So they get feedback.
And know they're on the right track.
Dogs.
A plural noun.
For when you want both your dogs to come.
This is Nala.
Challenge: Barking at dogs
Solution: Interrupt
Nala barks at dogs. And rushes to get to them. Doesn't matter if it's friendly. Other dogs won't like it.
So her handlers let her sit and chill. They read her body language.
Watch is good. Alert is good. But before the bark. Or the sprint to say hello.
They interrupt.
This is Nala.
Challenge: Barking at dogs
Solution: Interrupt
Nala barks at dogs. And rushes to get to them. Doesn't matter if it's friendly. Other dogs won't like it.
So her handlers let her sit and chill. They read her body language.
Watch is good. Alert is good. But before the bark. Or the sprint to say hello.
They interrupt.
This is Tom. This is Kobe.
This is what we mean by a walk.
This is what we mean by bond with your dog.
This is what we mean by mental focus.
This is what we mean by physical energy.
This is what we mean by play with the dog.
This is what we mean by teach through play.
Exquisite 👌🏻
Dopamine.
The neuromodulatory molecule your dog is obsessed with.
Knowing you're going to get dopamine gives you dopamine. The anticipation factor.
Which is why we reward early with recall. Build up the reward.
Think of it this way;
You here the wine bottle pop, your dopamine builds.
Just like Indy here ⬇️ sound on.
Games.
Just informal play with rules.
Like Hide & Seek. A fun silly game. Great for using a dog's nose.
Add an indication bark in. One rule.
How we teach Police dogs to locate hiding criminals.
This is Bluey.
We've posted him before. He reacts to cars.
But his handler keeps doing the training.
Over and over.
Consistency gets results.
