Scary me!
Feel free to help your dog realize he isnt too scary after all 😉
Here is our young boy Lego being a bit freaked out by his reflection. He thinks it's wise to put up his hair and give a menacing growl but what do you know - the dog in the other side has the audacity to do the same!! With a bit of support he changes his approach and is rewarded with a relaxter dog on the other side as well. To finally fall asleep "together" (see comment) 🤭💕
How to find truffles
As you're all aware Know Your Dog has been on a bit of a back burner lately. Something with a full time job and other excuses.
Funny enough it turns out my partner will be working with dogs next year! A truffle farm near us was looking for dogs and a handler to find their valuable truffles from underground.
The last couple of weeks we have been training up Juno and Ney to make themselves useful on their old days and find us some truffles. We were pretty sure Juno would be able to do it as he has a history of nosework. Ney was our wildcard but he's actually the best kid in class!
Below footage is a (simplified) video of how we taught Ney to find truffles. There is still a big step to take though which is mainly for the handler (aka my partner) - not actually knowing where the truffles are. To be continued.
On a side note: how cute is the black puppy in the last shot? That's our newest addition called "Lego". He is going to help out the big boys as the truffle farm counts 2200 trees which is a bit too big of a job for the oldies.
If you're interested to follow Lego his journey to become a truffle dog you can follow "trufflehoundsNZ" on Instagram.
Autumn at Motueka river
Happy autumn from paradise!
Social walk time!!
This time I haven't added any comments so this compilation is just to enjoy and challenge yourself: can you see all the polite communications taking place between these two? Curving, head turning, walking away, sniffing, standing still... So much going on.
With thanks to my (total lack of) sense of direction these two got to enjoy each others presence for nearly two hours 😆.
Trixie can be a bit of a resource guarder and can 'snap' dogs away when they're too direct / in her space. Juno is a little direct at times so we gave ourselves a challenge. But look at them!! 🙏
Spoiler alert!! This video contains slightly concerned dogs...
Remember fun fact #9 about vision? That dogs don't see colours the same as us? And #10 about unclear vision outside of 7 meter?
Some of my followers were critical of these facts, so today I did my own little experiment to test my boys vision.
Ney can spot rabbits from afar and Juno has proven his sight yesterday when he recognised his dad 50 meters away. (they are very attuned to picking up movement and recognising your specific bodyshape and gait etc).
But here I was... Laying in the not-even-that-high grass yet they could not see me. (not even my arm with phone sticking out 😆)
Added bonus is seeing how different both dogs respond to such a situation. I'm sure Juno would have eventually found me by smell. Ney goes into a panic mode where he starts running back to where we came from. I quickly got up after this video to save him and promised not to ever do this again 😉😇
If your dog is insecure about an object it's pivotal to give him or her space. Curve around and leave it up to your dog whether or not they want to meet.
When there is trust, and the dog knows that he/she has a choice in the matter, their curiosity usually wins. And if it doesn't, no harm done. There is always going to be a next time for the dog to choose to be courageous.
In addition to yesterday's post this is an interesting watch.
You can clearly see that the basenji is very wary about my presence. At this point I had just gotten out my camera and I think the device pointing towards her didn't help.
Yet you can also see that she is very keen to get information: she is sniffing the air in my direction. In the meanwhile her ears are also trying to capture information from different angles. She hardly does anything yet she is very busy gathering information.
Do you see how she is moving forward yet is ready to make a run for it?
Interesting short video on the interaction of a pup and an adult dog (our very own Ney)
I wasn't present myself hence I don't know what led up to this moment and what happened after. But my guess is that they've played a little and that Ney has now actually decided it's time to take a nap.
The little rascal tries to entice him to keep playing but he engages less and less. As the pup continues on (typical pup behaviour - they keep trying 😉) he starts showing some calming signals: looking away and licking his nose. As this still doesn't have the desired effect he switches to a phenomenon called "displacement behaviour". Displacement behaviour is normal behaviour that seems displaced and is displayed out of context. In Ney his case he starts to groom himself. Well done Ney, it worked!
If you have a young pup and adult together don't be afraid to help the adult if the pup really doesn't pick up on the communication. Sometimes a pup just needs a bit of distance to make the right decision, you could achieve this with leashing the little one and taking some space or have a fenced section away from the adult (like a pen).
In this case Ney could get his point across without human intervention 🙌
Today I visited this sweet and sensitive lab named Goose (based on the top gun movie which I guess I have to watch now 😇)
He has difficulty meeting unknown dogs and has been pulling his owners through his walks. His owners were very forthcoming in how they have tried to manage him in the past - choke chains, harness and more recently the halti - but he kept pulling.
I actually shot this short video to be able to analyse his movement (his right hind leg seems stiff), but wanted to share it with all my followers.
You wouldn't think looking at this that the dog is a fanatic "puller" now would you? And I can honestly tell you this was achieved within 15 minutes. How? Not by constantly providing treats every few meters (which often results in a dog that keeps looking at you for treats), but instead:
1. Finding a "low stimilus" environment as in there is little activity - at least nothing that triggers the specific dog (in this case dogs)
2. Use a harness (thankfully they still had theirs) and a long lead (5 meter in this case).
3. Walk SLOW
4. Walk where there are interesting smells, on grass or by bushes (though in this case we weren't even anymore as we were heading home).
5. Stop walking whenever the dog starts to increase speed (as it is usually an indication that he is getting worked up again).
6. Make sure your dog is walking (not trotting or pacing) too.
That's it. The magic of a walk that is dog centred!
On to more relaxed walks for this boy and once he feels safe and chill outside we can re-introduce other dogs again 🙌
Dogs are very indirect, meaning they usually curve towards unknown animals or objects (unless they are experiencing strong emotions which prevent them from thinking clearly).
Here is a nice example as we encountered a couch in the middle of the river. Keep a close eye on Ney (black and white dog) who communicates beautifully indirect: curving around, while in the meanwhile communicating with calming signals.
Two years ago our adopted street dog might have freaked out (barking, hair up etc) being confronted with such an unknown object, but he's gradually learned the world isn't such a scary place after all.
Today I made some videos during our walk. Most of them are too boring to share (which is a good sign from a walk perspective), but one:
Juno, our RR, usually walks off lead, as he is a very gentle dog with a good recall. Ney on the other hand, our Mastiff, is usually on a long lead due to his strong hunting instinct.
As we enjoyed a nice rural walk this morning, with no animals in sight, both were off lead. Juno was following his nose to the creek and Ney at first thought to follow him but quickly decided to just move onwards. A moment later though, Juno has found something near the creek (a pukeko that quickly takes off), and you see Ney his hunting instinct kick in (adrenaline shoots up!!) His whole body language changes in a mili second: lines crease in his forehead, ears/tail perk up and his body posture is very upright / forward. With the prey being gone, there is nothing else to do for him then to point (lifting of his left paw) and do another thorough check of the environment.
You can also see that this whole scenario has its impact on Juno too. The moment Ney rushes over to the creek, he decides to curve away from the situation. Before he walks out of the video you can see a bit of eye white and a lip lick – communicating some unease.
Things like this happen, but it’s important to realize that it has an impact on the body and mind of your dog. At times, when Ney has had such a “hunting rush” he can stay in this mindset – he can keep scanning the environment for a next prey. Not only does he then have the opportunity to further practice his hunting behaviour, the walk also becomes a lot less relaxed for both dogs and owner.
For this reason I always check how he recovers – can he go back to being his relaxed self again? Or does he stay in his hunting mode? This morning he quickly recovered and slowed his pace again. If he would have struggled becoming relaxed again, I would have leashed him and would have probably taken more distance from the creek (the
Seniors. Having a good few sprints to then continue with the daily business of sniffing 😉
#rhodesianridgeback #mastinespagnol #dogbrothers #sprint #sniff #seniordogs #dogbrothers #knowyourdog
Often people think that the dog that encounters sheep and started to jump or lung or bark has a strong hunting instinct. This doesn't have to be the case, it might as well be enthousiasm, herding instinct, or even come out of frustration.
An actual good hunting dog is really quiet and patient. Knows how to be "invisible" so the prey can come out.
Ney gladly provided us with an example while trying to catch the mouse that's been around for a while now. Do you see how he freezes when he hears the mouse? Ears forward and total concentration (he still hasn't caught it though, this mouse is fast!)
Today I had the opportunity to make some videos of a customer's dog. We are working on building her confidence (very attached to her owners) and one of the ways to go about this is giving her more freedom to show "dog like" behaviour on her walks (sniffing and exploring) and giving her choices. In this compilation I've put four cropped videos (as insta has a 1 minute limit 😇). She is telling me so much with her body language, it's truly astonishing. So let's have a look in detail:
1st video: she doesn't know me well, and I am taking her on a walk. This is just outside her house and she seems a bit nervous about it. With little dogs you often see them having a high pace - they are used to "jog" to keep up with their humans. So she is "speeding" through the walk, trying not to pull too hard but not really enjoying herself.
2nd capture: by now she is showing me a lot more natural communication. In this bit she is even telling me she does not wish to continue in the direction I was planning to go (towards some interesting big tires). She slows her walk, turns around and just puts her bum down (love it!). When my bodylanguage "tells" her 'it's okay, we'll go the other way" she gladly sprints away in that opposite direction.
3rd capture:Treat search time!! She is definitely experienced in using her nose (owners give her regular off leash time where she can practice this behavior) . She has a long concentration, and if you put on the volume you can just hear her sniff intently!! Awesome. This is such an easy way to get a dog mentally challenged (which results in a "tired" dog)
4 our way home - clearly more relaxed and exploring 👍
Isn't it amazing how much dogs "talk" when given the room to communicate?
(oh and in case you noticed - yes we do need a longer lead for this lady!)
#doglanguage #dogsdospeak #learningtorelax #enrichment #buildingconfidence #dogwalk #knowyourdog #Geraldine #exploring #dogsofcanterbury
Sometimes walking with one's dogs is just all about practising patience.
Snuffing, sniffing, sniffing, and oh... More sniffing 😇
#slowdogs #rabbitsmell? #sniffing #dogssnif #dogwalk #practisingpatience #winchester #knowyourdog #rhodesianridgeback #mastinespagnol
When you've been through a move and everything is new you're allowed to be a bit crazy 😁
#waihiriver #crazydog #seal #riverlife #knowyourdog #winchester #moved
Ever heard of the "crazy five minutes"?
Personally I think it usually doesn't last 5 minutes but the crazy part I definitely agree on. It's where your dog goes out into a full sprint without a very clear reason. The hips go low to the ground and they just run!!!!
Of course you can enjoy the view and your dog can enjoy a little sprint. Be mindful though that this is also an outlet: dogs often do this when their bucket becomes full (trigger stacking). In this case the last drop was the fact that I "called" (whistled). He was "kind" enough to also involve his brother in the madness.
I stepped in as Juno isn't physically healthy enough to join in and as we were nearly at the car so could finish the walk nice and relaxed (with Ney on lead obviously 😇)
#huttriver #crazyminute #runningdogs #fullbucket #knowyourdog #enoughisenough #wrestling #crazydogs #rhodesianridgeback #mastinespagnol
In NZ liggen er eigenlijk altijd wel takken / bomen op het strand. Leuk voor honden en peuter (zn auto)
Ahh Neytje. Hij moet er helemaal van dromen 😇
