Day 1 with our new temporary foster, Mia (fka Espresso).
Day 1, she arrived off transport from California!
Once getting her off transport, I gave her time to stretch her legs & go to the bathroom before heading home.
Once home, I took her inside & gave her water & food and put her in her crate for some time to rest/decompress.
After she had some time to rest, we went outside and just hung out to let her observe the world. Did a little. bit of walking around to stretch.
She got more time to rest/decompress and then we went back out on the longline. I like putting dogs on the longline while they’re decompressing as it allows them “perceived freedom” & the opportunity to sniff/explore/run around.
That pretty much concluded our first day. It’s really important to give the dogs time to rest/decompress when they first arrive from a shelter/transport.
People ask me why I let my dogs dig.
Here’s the thing…she loves it. It’s like a natural, primal instinct she has.
She doesn’t do it in our back yard. She only does it in nature (open areas, on lots of property, etc).
I allow her to have this slice of fun that she enjoys because, if I tell her No, she won’t. If I tell her to stop, she will.
If I have the ability to do those things, I don’t mind my dog enjoying something like this in the right place.
If I didn’t have this relationship with her or the ability to stop her when necessary, that may be a different story.
Her being well trained allows her more freedom.
Thursday Thoughts
Dog ownership & meeting our dogs needs.
This is not to shame dog owners, but simply to bring light & put more thought into what goes into owning dogs. Dogs have needs that go beyond just being a therapist & couch buddy.
We all love being able to cuddle with or being affectionate with our dogs, but it’s important to remember that THEY have needs as well.
So many people are only meeting their own personal needs when it comes to dogs and are forgetting that dogs also have needs. It’s not a one way street, it’s a 2 way street.
Let starts putting our dogs needs (physical, mental & biological) before what WE want from the dog. I promise, if you can meet your dogs needs, your dog will be happier, more fulfilled AND you’ll end up having a better relationship.
Don’t forget your dog is a dog.
If you just want something to watch TV with you, maybe get a stuffed animal, cat or a pet rock.
#atlascanine #atlascaninepnw #dog #dogowner #rescue #rescuedog #dogmom #dogdad #dogtraining
I love to challenge my dogs.
Here I hid her ball down in this box that was filled with things and partially covered so she had to hunt for it and then get to the ball surrounded by objects.
Just like it’s important to challenge ourselves in order to grow, challenging our dogs helps them grow. It also helps build problem solving skills, resiliency, confidence and independence.
#atlascanine #atlascaninepnw #challengeyourdog #balldog #ballhunt #confidentdog #dog #dogs #doglover #dogowner #shepherd #pnw #pdx #oregon #dogtraining
Recall Tips
Most people struggle with recall with their dog. Here are some tips to help you with better recall.
Remember, it’s going to take hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of these reps showing the dog what we are asking of them. Don’t take the longline off too soon!
#atlascanine #atlascaninepnw #dog #dogs #dogtraining #dogrecall #recalltips #puppy #puppies #puppytraining #doglove #doglover #dogparent #dogowner #dogdad #dogmom #pitbull #shepherd #rescuedog #adoptabledog #cutedog #fyp #welltraineddogs #happydogs #pnw #pdx #oregon
Badger…wondering if he can come snuggle on the couch.
#dog #dogs #rescuedog #adoptabledog #cutedog #funnydog #littledog #sillydog #doglove
Tethered decompression Timelapse
35 min compressed down to 30+ seconds with Reggie and her first time doing tethered decompression her first night here.
Tethered Decompression is something majority of dogs struggle with because they don’t know how to be still, mind or body.
*She was not tethered to her prong, only her flat collar*
Badgers Foster Journey-Day 4
Badger is continuing to do great! He is getting more relaxed each day.
Today we:
•Did some longline work to continue working on pack drive and building a relationship. It also allows him some perceived freedom to explore and dog.
•Worked on recall as this is an important life saving skill.
•Went on a couple walks-I’m making sure I switch it up and not take him the same way every time. I want to expose him to as many new and different things as possible.
•Watched the World go by. This is a great way to build positive associations with things and reward your dog for calmly observing the world. It gets them exposure to real world things and also helps teach them to settle on their own in public. I always reward for good choices.
•Rest/Decompression Time. This is still super important and I’m making sure he is kenneled so he can rest between all his sessions. Rest is so important for dogs & most dogs don’t get enough of it.
Be sure to continue to follow along!
This little gem of a dude will be available for adoption thru @the_wallflowers_shine_project
Free Shaping Place Part 2
In this session of Free Shaping Place with Hooper, I’m increasing the duration of him being on the cot, before rewarding/giving him the Yes marker.
I love being able to watch the dogs think/process what gets them paid in the free shaping process. It’s a great way to get your dog thinking & problem solving.
#atlascanine #atlascaninepnw
Confidence.
Is something that nearly every dog coming into training, lacks.
I’ve noticed even with the younger dogs, they are also lacking confidence.
What one might see as “just getting a dog on a bench”, is actually deeper than that. Most of these dogs are struggling to get on the bench-they’re afraid to. Helping show them that they CAN and overcome that fear, helps them be more confident.
More confident dogs are more resilient dogs.
You can make it fun-you can use various objects-benches, logs, tables, boulders, retaining walls, slick surface, etc. Help guide your dog and in the process it will help build trust in you as well as boost your dogs confidence.
Help your dog do hard things.
#atlascanine #atlascaninepnw
Consistency. Consistency. Consistency.
If anyone ever wonders why Board & Trains cost what they do, it’s because we do the stuff most people don’t want to do or have the time/patience to do.
