A sustained chin rest is really useful for cooperative care (nail trims, ear cleans etc) and hugs 🤗
What useful thing does your dog know or are you currently working on ❓
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Top tip: Learn something new yourself because then you’ll understand how slowly you may need to go and how much you’ll need to repeat, encourage and be consistent 🔁
Learning should be fun but goodness it can be exhausting and frustrating. My Mandarin is improving and I absolutely love it when I say something somebody understands 💡
When your dog doesn’t understand what’s being asked, they will most likely guess and guess by doing something they have previously had success doing 🤪
I’m asking Mylo if he’d like a drink of water. Instead he’s lying here beautifully proving my point that learning must progress at the learners speed. 🤩
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Putu the Pianist 🤩
We’re taking requests 🤪#dogmusic
If you’re interested in how we did this, first we built on skills he already has:
✅ Offering paw to hand on cue
✅ Using paw to release treats from toys
✅ Pressing paw to ring bell
Next we set him up to succeed. If the keyboard was too high he would only use his nose, not his paws so we started with the keyboard switched off, lying on the ground and raised it a little once he was consistently using paws on keys 🧐
The chair at the side keeps him facing the keys otherwise his body swings out to the side and he hits the keyboard frame instead of the keys 💡
I began marking and rewarding individual swipes then delayed marking until he swiped two or three times 👏🏼
He wanted to play at the same time as me so I asked him to wait then released him after I played. We dropped the verbal cues once he spotted the pattern of taking turns 🧠
He gets so excited with training that he is only rewarded with a single piece of kibble. If the food is higher value, he struggles to focus 🤪
The keyboard has an electrical fault and is headed for the skip so please don’t stress about his claws on the keys 🎹
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To know if a dog is ready to be let off lead in public, and is safely under voice control, I have several little tests like this. It’s great if your dog can come when called but it’s even better if they can come without being called 🙌
One of the first things I teach in puppy class is a voluntary check-in. It’s also the first thing I practise with the dogs I work with on my own. 👀
Hachi knows what “yes” means, so saying it, the split second she looks at me, let’s her know that eye contact is the desired behaviour 🤩
I’m using neck scratches as a reinforcer because I know it’s what she wants in this moment. If your dog doesn’t always want to be touched, stopping and waiting for them to check (or not) let’s you know if they want you to stop or continue 💡
Get in touch if you need help engaging with your dog. It is the key to EVERYTHING 🔑
Putu is the most patient and enthusiastic learner and he continues to teach me so much 😍 It looks like I’m training him but I’m learning just as much as him 💡
If a training approach isn’t working, film what you and your dog are doing and watch it back. Get in touch if you need help to figure out where the problem is and how to fix it 😊
If play has ended and your dog isn’t taking the hint, help them out. Recall them, pop them on a lead and reward them for moving away 😊
I give my dog a treat every single time he (meets and) moves away from another dog 👏🏼 He doesn’t pester and his recall is top notch 💯
#thedogbusinessnz #recalltips #recalltraining #dogplay #dogbodylanguage #dogcommunication #dogtrainersdog #positivereinforcement #dogplaytime #takethehint #doglover #dogsofnewzealand #nzdogsofinstagram #friendlydogs #dogpark #dogoftheday #dogfriendlynz #aucklanddogs #dogmanners
Helping your dog be happy with having their paws touched makes nail trims easier but it also helps to spot sore bits and makes them more willing to let you remove thorns and apply cream 😊
Being able to shake paws on cue is cute but it’s much more useful when they let you inspect them ⛑️
Get in touch if your dog is reluctant to let you touch their paws 😊
Lazu came half hour early to puppy class this week so she could explore without the other puppies. She’s still reluctant to meet them up close but by listening to her and supporting with our actions, we’re helping her to grow in confidence ❤️
It takes patience and trust from Lazu’s humans because nobody wants a dog to be fearful. We’d love her to feel more confident now but if we rush her we will not help 🙁
Everyone can help nervous dogs. Don’t try to persuade them that you’re friendly. Show them you’re not a threat by getting out of their space and let them assess the situation. Even if they approach, you still don’t have to touch them. You can say a friendly “hello” and move away 💡
Our next puppy classes start in Silverdale on the 10th of August. Get in touch to book 😊
I’m teaching him to close his treat/toy cupboard door because as soon as it opens his head is right in there 🤩
He looks really smart but my brain also worked really hard to teach him this 🤯
Sometimes the tricks we learn can be useful but they can just be to show off. He loves (rewind) spinning backwards around me although I can’t see any point to it other than he loves it 🤪
What are you currently teaching your dog? Do you need motivation? Make an effort for some Friday Fun or Monday Mindwork; whatever you can commit to together 🐾
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These are more subtle signs that your dog is concerned/excited by something up ahead. If you have a dog that overreacts (barks, lunges, pulls, pancakes etc), look out for their subtle signs and act on those ✅
Acting on those signs may involve stopping and letting them process what’s going on, or it may involve distracting or redirecting 👋
Watch how your dog moves when they’re relaxed then it will be easier to spot their subtle changes when something appears. Sometimes I’ve had to watch back a recording on slo-mo to spot the change 💡
If you wait to act when your dog overreacts you’re usually too late to help them ⏳💣
Get in touch if you need help to help your dog 😊
Choosing the right puppy class makes a huge difference to you and your puppy. With our classes you’ll not only have a positive experience and learn loads, you’ll also leave knowing how to navigate life beyond puppy classes 😬
Our next classes start@on Saturday 6th but if you missed out we have opened bookings for August 10th 😊
I think it’s a stupid term because “management” conjures up images of folk wearing suits and board room tables, “being the boss” etc etc 🕴️🧳
Management in dog training refers to the strategies used to prevent undesirable behaviours from occurring while promoting and reinforcing desired behaviours ✅
In this case, we’re stopping the dog from seeing things on the other side of the gate and this makes him less likely to bark. It’s not a cure, just a preventative measure while we work out the problem 🧐
You probably use loads of management strategies. Using a lead is a management strategy 😊
Get in touch if you need help with an undesirable behaviour.
I hadn’t seen this boy for a week so we needed to play “whatcha got?” Not all dogs like the same games. How do you play with yours?
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The lady in the video remembers every detail of her experience which is remarkable at her age but quite tragic too 😢
We forgot Putu’s scarf but he was definitely working hard, providing an easily accessible head to stroke ♥️
#thedogbusinessnz #pettherapy #pettherapydog #caninefriends #caninefriendspettherapy #bekind #bekindtoanimals #bekindtoothers #newzealanddogs #bullying #dogoftheday #mydogisawesome #dogtrainersdog #auckland #brownsbay
He’s taught me everything I know 😍
#thedogbusinessnz #dogtrainer #mydogisawesome
#dogslife #dogslife🐶 #dogsarefamily #dogtrainingisfun #dogsofinstagram #dogfriendlynz #dogsofnz🇳🇿 #dogs #rescuedog #dogsspeak #canineenrichment #canineenrichmentgames #happydog #happydogs #happylife #sharpeix #ridgebackx #conversationswithyourdog #talktoyourdog #nzdogsofinstagram #positivereinforcement #relationshipgoals
Believe it or not, there are things I prefer to do without my dog! Going to the bin is one.
What do you like to do without your dog?
#thedogbusinessnz
#dogtrainerslife #dogtrainerslifestyle #dogtrainers #dogtrainersofinstagram #doglife #dogsofnz🇳🇿 #dogfriendlynz #dogtrainerlife #sharpeix #reacuedog #dogtrainingnz #dogtraining #dogtrainingtips #happydog #welltraineddog #gooddog #bestdog #dogsofig #usefultricks #dogoftheday #apdtnz #northshoredog #dogsofauckland #doglover #positivereinforcement #positivevibes #positivethinking #positivetraining #positivetrainingworks
The important rule is not to ask your dog to do things that are too hard. Break tasks down into smaller chunks with lots of “yes”es. 🙌
If you find yourself saying “no”, and don’t know how to change the acript, get in touch 😊
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I often hear “he knows this at home”. If your dog struggles to do something they normally know, consider what has changed. Are you positioned differently, has the location changed, is someone else delivering the cue? ⁉️
Testing your dog in different locations, angles and with different people is a great way to test their comprehension. If they need more help to learn, repeat a few easier reps in the new location. Remember, success builds confidence ✅
If you’re in New Zealand, The Warehouse and GrabOne have cheap agility sets for dogs 😁
#thedogbusinessnz #dogtrainingnz #dogtrainersdog #rescuedog #reacuedogsofinstagram #mixedbreedsofinstagram #mixedbreed #domorewithyourdog #dogsofnewzealand #positivereinforcementtraining #forcefreedogtraining #nobreedneedsaheavyhand #lifelonglearner #education #howdogslearn
There’s no emotion in the sound of a whistle so if paired correctly, it only ever has a really good association 💰🎂🍔🎾🏝️
The sound also pierces through more easily and travels further than our voice 📣
I don’t use it very often so it remains a high value novel sound ✅
#thedogbusinessnz #recalltraining #offleashdogs #caninecitizen #responsibledogowner #practicemakespermanent #mixedbreed #mixedbreedsofinstagram #dogoftheday #snappyrecall #positivereinforcementdogtraining
#dogsofnewzealand
