Solidifying Cruellaâs step ups and offs, + about a minute at the end where her true vanity shines through and she discovers the camera đ¸ đđť
Sheâs starting to understand the training concept now, the âif you do this Iâll give you thatâ system. Itâs going to get fun soon!
(For the inevitable questions - Cruella is in care because she was unwell and needed to be, not because I love snatching wild animals from the wild and forcing them into captivity đ¤Śđťââď¸. She still has torticollis as you can see by her wonky head/neck. Sheâs happy and healthy now apart from that but it does limit her mobility. Apparently it may or may not improve with time đ¤ˇđťââď¸ - guess weâll find out!)
Cruella is fueled in part by Nature's Ki - Pet Wellbeing and iNZect direct â¤ď¸ thanks guys!
Training distractions look a little different these days đ¤đ¤đŚââŹ
⨠Excitement isn't the enemy! â¨
Letâs talk about arousal in dogsâno, not THAT kind đ¤Śââď¸, Iâm talking about the way your dogâs energy and excitement levels can skyrocket when they see a ball, another dog, or that cat theyâre CONVINCED they could catch.
Hereâs the thing: arousal itself isnât a bad thing. In fact, itâs normal! Dogs are meant to get excitedâlife is exciting! We couldnât expect a human to go through life without ever experiencing a heightened emotional state, and we canât for dogs either. The good part is, the arousal itself isnât the problem; the problem is whether theyâre still able to listen, think, and respond in those heightened states.
Hereâs the mistake I see frequently: people think they need to focus their efforts on calming their dog down all the time. But what if instead of just focusing on calmness, we also trained them to function in aroused states?
Life is full of surprises. A cat darts across the street, a kid on a skateboard zooms by, or a friendly stranger wants to say hi. If we only train when our dogs are calm, theyâre going to struggle to respond to all that training when they inevitably get hyped up.
Instead, what if the goal was a dog who can express the full spectrum of energy levelsâplayful, excited, focusedâbut still be functional in all of them. That means they could get revved up without losing their mind (or pulling your arm out of its socket!).
So, the next time your dogâs bouncing with excitement, donât just think, âHow do I calm them down?â Instead, think, âHow can I help them stay connected and responsive even when theyâre this excited?â
đ Thatâs where the real magic happens đ
đŁ Whatâs your dogâs biggest âtriggerâ for excitement? How do you currently handle those situations?
đž The Myth of the âWell-Trainedâ Dog đž
đž The Myth of the âWell-Trainedâ Dog đž
Ever seen a dog happily trotting alongside their owner, ignoring distractions like a pro, and thought, âWow, theyâre so well trained! Must be nice!â đ
Hereâs the secret: that dog isnât a magical âone-and-doneâ success story. Behind those flashy skills and polite manners are three key ingredients:
1ď¸âŁ Ongoing Training
Dog training isnât like baking a cake where youâre done after one try. Itâs more like maintaining a garden đąâplant the seeds (basic training), water them (practice), and pull weeds (work on problem areas). Those âperfectâ dogs? Theyâve had lots of training and keep it up regularly throughout their lives.
2ď¸âŁ Enrichment
A dog with their physical and mental needs met is far more likely to behave well. Itâs not just about walks or fetchâevery breed has natural instincts and drives. Long sniffy walks, scent work, tug games, or solving puzzles can help fulfill these needs. Dogs that get to do what theyâre bred for are better able to handle the âboringâ stuff we expect from them. An unfulfilled dog? Rarely well-behaved.
3ď¸âŁ Management
Smart owners set their dogs up for success by understanding their limits. If your dog struggles in busy places, itâs okay to avoid them or build confidence gradually. Even impressive dogs arenât perfect everywhereâthey thrive where theyâre set up to succeed.
Dogs are living, feeling beings who need regular support to keep good habits polished. Training, enrichment, and management all work together to create the harmony we admire in âwell-trainedâ dogs.
⨠Remember, it's dog TRAINING, not dog TRAINED â¨
Whatâs a behaviour you and your dog are always working on? đđ
Adiraâs cooperative care
Proactive dog training is all about thinking about what our dogs are likely to experience across their life, and preparing them for those situations ahead of time. By training in advanceâlike teaching them to understand and tolerate handling during vet visitsâwe set them up for success when those moments come. A well-prepared dog is a happy dog â¤ď¸đž
Cruella session #1
For those that missed my story yesterday, meet the newest member of the gang, baby Cruella! A roughly 3week old orphaned Magpie.
Cruella is too young to do much active training yet but we can still get started with forming passive associations. Where sheâs learning without having to actually DO anything specific.
At the moment sheâs triggered to open her mouth for food when something goes over her head (like all baby birds), my first goal is for the clicker sound to become another predictor. Click also = snacks.
New foster alert!
New foster alert!
We picked up this little guy yesterday from @spcanz. Heâs roughly 5weeks old, and pretty small, scrawny and malnourished, with a giant lollipop head and skinny wee body. Heâs really sad and shut down compared to his siblings so we picked him as the one we could help the most đ
He needs a name? Unique and interesting ideas welcome! Chuck them in the comments below!
Fetch?
Poodleâs idea of âinside fetchâ đ
Show me the lame and weird games your dogs have invented and somehow taught you to play that they think are the best games ever!
For anyone wondering, this is why I donât post nearly as many videos as Thinkdog with Lewis Nicholls - he ruins them all! đ
If in doubt, PLAY
If in doubt, PLAY đĽ°
MSc-qualified Behaviourist offering worldwide remote owner coaching, plus boarding & board-&-train at our purpose-built NZ facility.
