Dogs 4 Life

Having some fun recall time with this stunning German Shepherd puppy. Good boy Frankie! Don’t forget….. Puppy Socialisation classes starting soon!

Practise makes perfect! Double dog distance control. A repeat down stand is also great for toning and strengthening the dog’s core. The aim is to be able to down the dog no matter how far away they are from you. Lars is advanced in this area and as you can see he is helping to teach Ziva who is still young and learning. www.dogs4life.co.nz Behaviour Modification - Puppy Programme & Socialisation - Obedience 'Because a Dog is 4 Life'.

Nailing the double down at a distance. This is a walk in the park for Lars, however Ziva is just learning. I am very happy with her progress. Training 2 dogs at once certainly has it's challenges but we are enjoying it. Having your dog comply to your instructions when they are not in your proximity is a game changer! That is why I encourage training distance control for any of my clients who wish to teach it to their dogs.

Murphy!

Meet Murphy the beautiful Blue Merle Border Collie who I am working with. Murphy lives out on a farm so he needs a good recall, good distance control and he needs to be calm around the stock. We are working on all of those things. Murphy is also a superstar trampoline dog and loves nothing more than getting on the tramp with the kids. He has the most amazing marble blue eyes which are so full of expression. What a beautiful dog. Good boy, Murphy! Great job Brenda and family.

Training the touchpads with my boy, a couple of years ago!

Lars Memory Retrieve!

CORE WORK FOR YOUR DOG. This is a video of Lars going through some core exercises on a wobble board. These type of exercises challenge the dog in so many ways. They can injury proof your dog by working on muscles that aren’t often used. I do these exercises with Lars on flat ground, with him facing up hill or down hill or using the wobble board. When I started these exercises with him I noticed that he moved more as one when he was turning, stopping or starting. He developed more power and became more bodily aware. As an ex Police Dog Handler I know alot of Police Departments are introducing core work for their dogs as they are often stationary for long periods and then have to deploy suddenly at 110% which can lead to injury. There is a whole industry around these type of exercises for dogs. Check it out online if you are interested, there’s some cool gear available and I thoroughly recommend introducing core work to your dogs exercise regime.

Fun in the sun with my boy Lars using a touch pad and working on distance control. I push distance control for my clients. If your dog complies to your commands when not in your proximity, trust me - it’s a game changer!

For those of you who have been enquiring about The Settler collars here is a very short clip showing how they work. These collars can be purchased directly from my website: www.dogs4life.co.nz

Short video of Lars completing a fun training exercise using a touch pad. There are 6 commands in this sequence including: Touch Come Bring Heel Both Feet Yes - (termination cue).

All my puppy people...when I talk about having your pup go through you to get to any thing of value this is what I mean. Our 'look' command promotes oxytocin (bonding hormone), gets the pup going through you promoting your role as the leader, keeps your pup invested in you and ultimately makes them safer.

Behaviour Modification often involves getting back into the trenches and working through the issue systematically with the dog. This beautiful Lab recently got a fright at the vets. It was no one’s fault. Since that incident occurred he has been reactive to touch and very guarded about letting anyone into his personal space. We have laid a solid foundation with the clicker prior to getting to this stage. In the video we are clicking and rewarding the dog for maintaining a calm accepting state as the ‘hand’ makes contact with him. We are counter conditioning his reactivity towards touch. The mat in the video also plays a role in the dogs rehabilitation. I am very pleased with this beautiful boys progress.

Back in training mode!

Puppy People this is why I push scent work and teach puppies how to use their noses. It’s a wet miserable day and I am trying to do some work. Meanwhile this bored Doberman keeps bugging me as all of my attention should clearly be on him. Bring in the indoor scent games! This is just one example. Lars smashed it and located his toy without to much bother today. Scent work is natural for your dog, it is fun and also promotes dopamine production meaning they really enjoy it. Have a great day. Nick and Lars

Here is the super cute Hugo showing all the other puppies how to walk with swagger on a loose lead! Good boy Hugo! Great job Courtney.

Time for a dip in between training sessions!

Lockdown Activity 06. Training the STOP command.

Lockdown Activity 05. Kong Challenge. A kong filled with food is the reward if Lars finds it. * Idea's on providing enrichment and fun for our dogs during lockdown.