Loose leash walking is an essential life skill and a bit of an art - being able to move together through a sometimes very exciting world with a completely different species takes understanding, communication and connection.
The principles are simple:
1. Pulling is bad - don’t reinforce this
2. No pulling is good - reinforce this a lot
... But unfortunately, the practicalities are not 😅. Once we start to walk (in ways inherently different to our canine buddies), and introduce distractions, actually doing these can get tricky!
We can prepare our dogs for loose leash walking by building up foundation skills like (engagement, moving together, releasing leash tension) - getting these solid before taking them out in the real world can make real walks easier.
Often because I’m lazy (or maybe just super efficient?), I skip the pretraining with my foster pups and we learn on the go. This video shows some of the tips and tricks I used to help Spot the foster, who had zero leash experience, learn to walk nicely in just over a week:
🐾 Helping him keep the leash loose as much as possible by handling the longline with two hands and gradually letting the line out when I could
🛑 Never pulling back on the line, only slowing him down (to a stop, if necessary) with gentle leash pressure if he started moving too fast and before he hit the end of the line
🍗 Reinforcing voluntary and incidental check-ins very well
🗣 Using clear and consistent cues to let him know what was happening and what I’d like him to do
🧠 Giving him time, space and support to process the environment and work through distractions
Does he still pull? Sometimes! But that's ok - he's still a baby - walking together is a never-ending conversation and process that develops with input from both ends of the leash.
Are you and your dog struggling with walks? I can help! Get in touch ❤️
I had a great time at the @chchbullbreedrescuenz Fun Day on Saturday chatting with cool dog people and meeting some beautiful well-mannered dogs. Thank you @christchurchbestforpets for organising and hosting!
Had a relaxing afternoon fun walk in the sun with two reactive dog clients that impressed us all with their "normal dog" behaviour 😁 - the fun walks are regular relaxed Red Zone adventures for my past and present clients to get together and hang out
On Sunday had more reactive dog fun at my Slightly Socials - three unfamiliar dogs with unique challenges around other dogs; all struggle with dogs in proximity in different ways, and all are learning how to manage and make prosocial choices - I managed to get some video of this! Can you see the shifts in body language, communication between dogs (and people) and how and when the dogs are self-regulating (with and without support from their humans)? So proud of these teams - it's wonderful to see their progress ❤️
Well, it's coming to the end of my trip away and it has been so interesting observing the dogs and culture around dogs here in Malaysia and Vietnam.
I've seen obviously pet dogs that are usuall small and fluffy, often dressed in sweaters (even if it's 35⁰!) and leashes, as well as kept dogs that are well fed but have the ability to roam and behave independently, and street dogs that do not seem to be attached to any humans.
For the most part, I've noticed dogs are neutral about most things. They will nap in shops and busy street corners, ignoring the crowds, share space with local cats without chasing, navigate streets and traffic with skill and without guidance (although I'm sure there are very strong selection pressures acting here), and interact with other dogs (strange and familiar) without drama. The dogs I saw barking at other dogs were usually restrained in some way (by leash, or fence), however people were not concerned at all by this (normal) behaviour.
The people here are much less dog-focused - dogs are generally ignored and left alone, lives too busy to devote much attention to them. It seems to be generally accepted that dogs may wander but will eventually come back. Resting dogs I thought were strays, would get up follow their person when they moved away (without any cues or communication).
Without a doubt, this world is very different to that of dogs in NZ and other Western cultures, and I can't help but wonder what life would be like for us, dogs and guardians, if we were able to offer our dogs similar agency and freedom to behave as they choose, without judgement and with less restriction? How could we do this, within the social boundaries we and our dogs have to operate in?
Some interesting food for thought!
I'm looking forward to getting back next week and diving into all things dog again - there is a lot of stuff happening! Watch this space for updates 🐕👀
When you gotta go, you gotta go... (He did come once he was done 😁)
Guest starring Luna who is still as fabulous as ever 🥰
When we call a dog "reactive" or "aggressive", we are almost always talking about a dog that only shows specific behaviours in specific situations. Though they might be more sensitive to particular stimuli and might have more overt, "expressive" reactions, outside of those contexts, they'd be just like any other dog. These labels only refer to temporary states, rather than global traits (and can sometimes be unhelpful descriptors).
Can you spot the reactive dogs at the beginning of this video? It might be hard to tell! In the second part it gets easier - you'll see a dog start to go over her coping threshold, and how we work through those big feelings.
When helping sensitive dogs (and their humans), we spend a lot of time transferring (new) skills from situations where the dogs are able to stay calm, responsive and socially appropriate, to those where they would typically struggle. There are no magic tricks or quick fixes, and no purposely setting the dogs up to fail (overreact) to correct unwanted behaviours either, just thoughtful, careful and consistent management and training.
I believe this process should be an ever-evolving conversation where we can ask and assess how our dog is coping, and then, if necessary, support them in making preferred, more productive choices. Eventually, and with practice, they'll eventually be able to do this on their own, (ideally) in any situation they find themselves in.
I am so proud of Team Lulu and Latte for their efforts and their achievements so far! In this session, both dogs were able to get within greeting distance of an unfamiliar dog without incident - two huge wins for two "reactive" dogs ❤🥳.
#positivereinforcement #dogtraining #reactivedog
Had some lovely sessions at the Adaptive Paddock on the weekend ❤️.
One of the superstars was Jax, a bouncy friendly boy who finds other dogs VERY exciting. Big dogs and big feelings can be an overwhelming combo and his mum sometimes struggles to contain all that enthusiasm (especially when he's strong enough to pull her over when he sees other dogs!).
Jax joined a Super(vised) Social for some help making friends.
We tried out a leash belay (thanks @grishastewart), worked on some tricks to help with walking together and staying calm (walking slower 🐌was a gamechanger!), and Jax was able to hang out with two new dogs in a completely novel environment AND even met Forte with a few polite greetings. Shout out to Benji for being a low key walk companion and lovely moral support too ❤️.
The relationship, communication and skills already established with Jax and his mum made this so fun and easy! Way to go team! 🥳🤩 Can't wait to help Jax make more doggy pals!
#socialisation #positivereinforcement #dogtraining #dogsofchristchurch
Look at little Lulu's lovely leave it!
Lulu gets a kick out of looking for cats to chase on walks (her people, however, don't like it so much). We wanted to teach her a different behaviour she could do instead, that'd hopefully make walks a bit more enjoyable for everyone (i.e. her humans and cats)
Lulu LOVES tennis balls (more than almost anything in the world, except maybe cats) - so they were a great cat-proxy (as a fast moving attractive thing). With some consistency and practice, this should transfer to help with her cat hunting.
How did we get here?
1️⃣ We didn't start with a tennis ball! It's important to establish this skill first with something much easier to give up (e.g. a plate of carrots), then gradually up the ante.
2️⃣ We made it her choice instead of using force or (the threat of) punishment to stop her going for the thing we wanted her to leave. To do this, we also needed to....
3️⃣ Reinforce turning away with something as good as, or ideally better than, the thing we want her to leave - if it's not worth her while, she won't be as likely to leave it next time.
Leave it is such a useful skill that comes in handy in so many situations! What was the last thing you asked your dog to leave alone?
#positivereinforcement
#dogtraining #dogsofchristchurch
I love helping dogs THRIVE! Ted is a little brown Cavoodle that was adopted about 4 months ago. He hadnt been exposed to much as a puppy and also had some unfortunate experiences that meant he suffered from a lot of stress and anxiety. His main challenges were separation distress, sensitivity to new people and other dogs (on-leash) and general nervousness.
Ted has very fortunately found a wonderful home with a committed family that really wanted to improve his quality of life.
We've worked on lots of different skills to help with these issues, and seen some lovely changes in Ted's resilience and confidence, and his ability to cope with stress. He is able to manage separation from his favourite person (mum) better and better, meeting and being around people with less drama, and generally barking less.
His family have mentioned how he's recently started wagging his tail on walks, which he never used to do! How cool is that!
Here's a Ted and his sister Kobi enjoying a relaxed hangout with Forte after a lowkey introduction to help with Ted's on-leash reactivity. Smiles and tailwags all around. 🤩🥰♥️ Way to go Team Ted!
More matwork!
Here's a snippet of Luna's first session learning to lie down on a mat with a verbal cue. Remember, dogs learn words through association - the word must be followed by, and consistently predict the behaviour (and a reinforcer after the behaviour).
Link to full video in comments.
Some tips:
🔷 Adding your cues is easier once your dog already knows how to do the final behaviour. We ideally want 100% association between your cue and the (desired) behaviour, so add your cue when you are certain you can/will get the behaviour to happen after.
🔶 Only give your cue once. If Luna doesn't go onto the mat straight away, I help (prompt) her onto the mat instead of repeating the cue multiple times.
🔷 Gradually introduce variability so the behaviour will generalise to different situations - remember the environment is also a cue! Dogs will pay attention to the cues most productive for them - if you want your dog to only respond to your verbal cues and nothing else, then your cue should be the clearest, most consistent and informative signal that predicts the best outcome.
Beach time! 🏖️🦀🌊
Being around other people and dogs is great, but how blissful is a quiet walk that involves zero social interactions?! 😅😁
No super exciting distractions around meant it was a great opportunity to give Luna a bit of freedom and practice some good (off-leash) habits.
Forte got to do some zooms, both dogs did a lot of sniffing, we all had a peaceful stroll and came home a little recharged. ♥️☺️
Sharing is caring 🤗 (except when Forte doesn't care 😅).
Effective, respectful communication and negotiation skills can play a huge part in peaceful coexistence! I am confident in Luna's ability to ask gently and respect Forte's no, and in Forte's ability to say no reasonably.
Forte has happily shared the couch with Luna before but I'm also aware that he's getting a little old and cranky, especially in chilly mornings, so I was monitoring this exchange in case I needed to intervene and call Luna away. That stiff look was all Forte needed to let Luna know his feelings about her proximity, and eventually Luna went to find a different sunny spot that involved less conflict ♥️.
When dogs go "WHOA" when we want them to go...
I often hear about dogs that will sometimes stop, lie down, become deadweight and refuse to move when/where their people want - super frustrating when you've got limited time and places to be, right? 😤
There is always a valid reason behind this behaviour - is movement painful, or uncomfortable, are they feeling nervous/anxious about the situation or desintation, or is it just more worthwhile and reinforcing to stay where they are? If we can figure out what's motivating the dog, it's easier to find a way forward that makes everyone happy.
Luna is reluctant to get in the car. She is a sensitive girl, and shuts down when there is physical (or emotional) pressure. Do I know why she doesn't like getting in the car? 🧐 Not at this stage, only that she is stressed and unwilling. However, I can still help her work through it in this moment (especially because we actually need to go).
In the past, Luna has been picked up when she'd turn into a stationary pancake. Efficient and effective from a human point of view, but removing Luna's choice and agency can be counterproductive when a dog is nervous or anxious.
Instead, I'm using Leslie Mcdevitt's 123 pattern game in this video to build up some momentum and movement, while also counterconditioning and reinforcing being around and approaching the car. I'm careful to give her space and options, so she only has to do what she is comfortable with.
Although getting Luna in the car voluntarily took slightly longer than just physically putting her in, it only took 2 extra minutes. This little bit of time and effort means that instead of breaking trust with unnecessary coercion and stress, I helped Luna experience nice things for approaching and getting in the car willingly, and increased her confidence and resilience. 🥳
Next time your dog asks to stop, instead of hurrying them along, try allowing them (and you) a bit of time and space to figure out what they nee
I love teaching dogs to chill on a mat! Here's Luna after 2 sessions, less than 5 minutes total of mat practice.
At this stage, I'm not asking her to lie down on it, just reinforcing the behaviour when she offers it on her own.
Adding a verbal cue, then proofing it with more duration distance and distractions will be next!
Want to see how we got here? Check out the full video on my YT - link in comments. 👀
The Adaptive Paddock is starting up! Come check out our new training space in Marshlands (it's bigger than it looks 👀).
Later this month I'll be starting private practical sessions, drop-in Life Skills and Reactive Rover classes, small group socials for friendly (and not-so-friendly) dogs.
I'll be posting more details this week, so stay tuned or get in touch for more info!
You don't need to start training your new dog straight away!
This video shows all the "active" training we did over the first weekend with Luna - conditioning a reward marker, her name, and reinforcing attention.
With any new arrivals, the first 3 days are purely about decompression and settling in. Feeling safe, secure and building trust is the foundation for a good relationship and successful training.
I try to start with very low expectations, assuming nothing. There is no pressure for new dogs to perform or obey - I manage the environment as necessary to ideally avoid or at least minimise potential issues so I can focus on more important things!
I want to learn:
- about things they enjoy
- what makes them more or less uncomfortable
- what behaviours they know or will readily offer
I always have food/treats handy so I can capture desirable behaviours as much as possible (on the go) but I don't expect to do much (if any) training at all.
Trying to force dogs to learn new things in a completely new environment with essentially strangers can be stressful and unproductive - instead giving them time, space and comfort however they need it, and dedicating energy into making the adjustment (for everyone!) as easy as possible, will pay off many times over. Tricks and sits can wait.
How do you train a leash-pulling, leash-reactive dog that won't eat treats?
Meet Atlas - he is one handsome lug of a Golden Retriever 😍 that was difficult to walk because he'd constantly pull and bark and lunge at other dogs. The last trainer Atlas and his family worked with used a slip lead and leash jerks to "correct" his unwanted behaviour, with limited success..
One challenge was that Atlas would refuse all food once he got out the front door. (Note: food refusal is often symptom of an over-stressed dog). A common criticism of force-free positive reinforcement trainers is that we only train with treats, and therefore can't work with dogs that won't eat (this can also be used to justify using punishment). This untrue! Although food is a very convenient and effective reinforcer, it is just one of many options we have to motivate and reward our dogs.
At first, Atlas refused food, ignored cues, and was pulling in all directions. Oh no! So we identified what Atlas WAS interested in: moving freely, sniffing, chewing stick, tug (he eventually started to eat treats too). 💡 We had prepared for this by introducing cues for these activities so we could signal opportunities for these preferred behaviours and use them as reinforcers.
To get to do what he wanted, Atlas had to engage and walk a few steps with his human. Atlas began to offer more voluntary check-ins and loose leash walking (see video!). We then could practice noticing and moving away from my fake decoy dog, and greeting it politely. Woohoo! 🥳
I'm so proud of team Atlas for their commitment and efforts, and thrilled at their progress 🏆- here's to happier, easier walks!🐾🐕👍
Nail trims can be a challenge for lots of dogs, including Gus here, who would growl, snarl and generally be very defensive as soon as the clippers came out.
Here we are working on desensitising.and counterconditioning a nail grinder and gentle paw handling using the 123 pattern game from Leslie McDevitt's Control Unleashed program.
What's going on in this video:
💅 The nail grinder provide a slightly different picture to the normal clippers -they look, sound, and feel different and so are less likely to elicit Gus' typical response
🔢 The predictable and consistent structure of the pattern game - 1, 2, (paw stuff), 3, then treat- makes things less uncertain and therefore less worrying. Gus knows when things will start and end.
🛑We are watching Gus' body language very carefully for signs of stress and aversion so we can respond to his whispers of discomfort (e.g. moving his paw away, licking his lips) appropriately by backing off, so he doesn't have to shout (we dont need teeth to get the message!) and also starts to learn we will respect his boundaries and won't blow past his coping threshold.
(Note: Gus' panting is most likely from the excitement and mini-zoomies he had earlier rather than what we are doing in the video - if we wanted to be super careful and proactive, we could stop and wait for/ help him relax again before doing this but sometimes it's not possible with time constraints!)
🟢 We are taking Gus' participation as consent, however could also teach or look for a more "active" green light behaviour (e.g. offering a paw, or some other behaviour) before we start the process. Over time, we will be able to start to do more handling and gradually work up to clipping one or multiple nails in a sitting.
Building this sort of communication and trust takes time, but is well worth the effort and really pays off in a better relationship, greater cooperation and less risk of teeth on human body parts!
As an aside, in this session we actually were a
Being able to get out of a hairy situation quickly and easily can be really helpful with a reactive dog. Emergency U-turns are great for this!
Here I'm practicing with Mochi where it's quiet but he's still dealing with (low-risk) distractions. What I'm looking for/working towards is an instant turn around and fast movement in the opposite (my) direction.
Building a really strong positive emotional association with your cue (I like Whoops!) can help make this behaviour automatic enough to cut through any stress/arousal in a real emergency so your dog doesn't have to weigh their options and make a choice (we won't have time for that!)
Does your dog have an emergency behaviour? What's it look like?
You know some solid skills are crystallising when Mochi will let his cat bestie have a turn with the flirt pole while he auto-waits for his release cue.
