Got a chance to do some ghost walking with Sam and his mom, Katie, on Thursday. Ghost walking is one of my favorite leash walking exercises because it helps both dog and handler learn what it feels like to have a walk where there's absolutely no tension on the leash. Katie was so confident (especially at the part where Sam got distracted by someone coming out of the gate) and Sam was so focused.
Ok, so I love posting videos of appropriate #dog play. Especially when it's rough-looking appropriate dog play. I think it's helpful to see play that LOOKS rough and explain why it's still very appropriate. That said ...
You'll probably notice that both Bodhi and our foster, Damien (he's the #husky) are both moving very quickly. They're mouthing each other occasionally. They're vocalizing a lot, including some growls and barks. And it just kind of looks rough and if you're not totally sure what you're looking at, you might think it's a little scary-looking.
I totally get it. But let me talk about why this is actually incredibly appropriate play. First - it's equal. If you watch closely, you'll see that they're going back and forth a lot. Bodhi will chase Damien and then Damien will chase Bodhi. Damien will lay down and then Bodhi will lay down. Bodhi will bounce on Damien and Damien will bounce on Bodhi. It's equal. It's fair. Nobody's being pushy. They're taking turns and going back and forth.
Another important detail to note is that they're not constantly moving. They're taking very quick breaks between bounces and between chases. Those little breaks are super important because they allow the #dogs to kind of reset and check in with each other. Basically, each break, they're asking each other "You still cool? We still going?" And at the end, when they separate, neither dog is trying to keep playing. They let each other disengage.
Finally, I'll address the mouthiness they're both showing. Note that neither is biting down. They're just opening their mouths and putting them on each other. And they're not doing it constantly.
When it comes to play, every dog has their own style. In this case, the dogs are playing fast, bouncy and a little mouthy. That's their style. And it's really cool that they're doing this even though Damien's only been here a week. Some dogs prefer slower play, some dogs prefer faster and rougher. Some dogs like to play loud, some dogs do
Hope you all get something tasty to celebrate National #Dog Day!
#NationalDogDay #DogsRule #Kong #FrozenKong #PeanutButter
This is Luna (and her mom, Gaby). Luna is a bit leash reactive and she's also just VERY easily distracted while outside. She LOVES exploring. She's also VERY strong and prone to pulling when on her leash. That's a tough combination and it can make walking her hard.
Y'all know I'm a HUGE advocate for letting dogs sniff and explore as much as they want. That said, we do occasionally need our pups to walk nicely on leash, which they need to be taught to do. But Luna's reactivity and near-constant desire to explore make that hard.
So what you're seeing here is an exercise I do with easily distracted #dogs. What I did was tell Gaby to start walking with Luna and then just occasionally change direction with no warning. No yanking or tugging on the leash. Just changing direction and getting Luna to follow. And of course, Gaby rewarded Luna for checking in and following her because, as I tell my dogs all the time, reinforcement drives behavior.
The idea is that by making the walk unpredictable - rather than your standard walk in a line/turn/walk in another line/turn/rinse/repeat walk pattern - it helps Luna learn to focus on Gaby. That's important because if she's focused on Gaby, she's not as focused on the world around her and there's less pulling.
And as you'll see, Luna absolutely CRUSHED this exercise. She's just laser focused on Gaby and we were in Humboldt Park. It's one of the biggest parks in #Chicago and there were a LOT of distractions out and about.
If you've got a dog that pulls or is distracted on walks, try breaking up the routine a bit. I bet you'll find it helps!
#DogTraining #DogBehavior #LeashWalking #ReactiveDog #HumboldtPark
Breakfast enrichment with Sarabi!
Mealtime is one of my favorite times to incorporate #enrichment into dogs' lives. Sarabi here is enjoying her breakfast out of one of my favorite toys - the #Kong Wobbler. We feed her half of her breakfast out of the Wobbler and the other half out of a slow-feeder dish.
Even though only half of her meal comes out of the Wobbler, she spends 15-20 minutes trying to get it all. Even with the slow-feeder dish, she wouldn't spend that amount of time trying to get it all. So it really slows her down and guess what? She loves it! She loves slapping it around and getting all the little bits out of it. She loves that it makes noise. She loves that she can spin it and pounce on it. It's fantastic!
Enrichment is one of those things that is so good for your #dogs and is so easy to incorporate into your daily routines. It's an easy way to work their brains and relax them. We should all be doing more of it with our #pups.
Long story short - yay enrichment!
#CanineEnrichment #FosterDog #GreatDane #GreatDanePuppy #GreatDaneMix #RescueDog #RescueDogsOfInsta
Helping your dog have a happy holiday
It's #holiday gathering season. But holiday gatherings can be overwhelming for your #dog. So here are a few tips to help your #pup feel safe and comfortable while you entertain people.
#HappyHolidays #DogTraining #DogBehavior #Dogs #Christmas #Hanukkah
#Dog training is a process. You don't show a dog something and then all of a sudden they just get it. And above all, progress is generally neither quick nor linear.
That can make it hard for you - the person or people who live with your dog - to see improvement or progress. That's why you need to notice small victories. If you notice those, the whole process will seem less frustrating.
#DogTraining #DogBehavior #BigWagsChicago #chicagodogtrainer
Stay safe out there, y'all! It's another terrible air quality day thanks to the Canadian wildfires.
#Dogs #DogWalking #AirQuality #Chicago
Routines are so important for #dogs. They love predictability. If you've talked to me recently, you know that my routine - and thus the routine of Chester and Bodhi - has been thrown out of whack lately because I'm prepping to move.
So I figured it was a perfect opportunity to talk about why routines are so important and how you can help ease your #dog through big life transitions by helping to keep their routines as normal as possible!
Guest appearances by Chester and Bodhi, and my apologies for the chaotic apartment!
When I go into a #training session, I have a plan. But #dogs don't always care about our plans.
It can be really frustrating when a dog doesn't seem to be interested in going along with our plans. And it can be even more frustrating when you're trying to get some training done and you have a goal in mind and the dog just isn't having it.
But that's why shifting gears is so important. Sure, you could get tunnel vision and really push your dog to work on what you had planned. But what's likely to happen if you do that is you and your #dog will end up frustrated. And that's no good for anyone.
So what do you do instead? Shift gears! Figure out what your #pup *IS* interested in doing and do that. You can still train. You can still work their brain. You can still accomplish things. And as a bonus, you'll avoid being frustrated and you can always get back to your plan the next day when your pup is feeling it again.
Having a plan is great, especially when you're training. But it's just as important to be able to shift when your dog is having trouble and find other ways to be successful in those moments.
#DogTraining #DogTrainingTips #BigWagsChicago
The pup is Layla and the human is one of her moms, Terry. Had my first session with Layla and her moms Monday and I'm really excited to do more work with them. Layla's such a goof, but also super smart. We're going to have so much fun.
Welcome to the Big Wags family, Layla!
Ok, so I've talked about tug before. I get asked a ton if it's ok for dogs to tug, either with their people or with each other. And the short answer is simply "maybe."
But that doesn't help anyone, does it?
The longer version is that it depends on the dog. If you watch this video, Chester and Bodhi are going back and forth. They're not actually trying to get the toy from each other. They're just enjoying the act of tugging. At the end, when Chester gets a little barky, they both drop the toy and disengage. So what that shows is that they're playing very appropriately and disengaging when they need a break.
That said, if your dog tends to resource guard or if they're not great at sharing, tug isn't a great game because it can exacerbate not-so-great habits. In those cases, a better idea is to make exchanges. What that means is that instead of tugging back and forth with your dog, when your dog brings a toy and you want them to give it up, make a trade. Offer them another toy or a treat in exchange for the toy they have. That way, they learn that giving up something they like doesn't mean that fun ends and that it can actually be pretty rewarding for them.
It's #holiday gathering season, y'all! So I thought I'd pop in with a couple quick tips for helping your #dogs feel safe and comfortable when you have people over. Enjoy!
#DogTraining #HappyHolidays
Do you plan on enjoying some #cannabis products as part of your holiday celebrations? Great! I'm a fan of such celebrations, though I generally use weed to treat some chronic pain (heh heh ... "chronic" pain ... see what I did there?).
But much as I think everyone should enjoy it - whether you call it weed, marijuana, cannabis, dope (yeah, I love the 1960s slang), whatever - make sure you keep it away from your dogs. THC can be VERY dangerous for them.
What I'm saying is this: HIDE YOUR #WEED!
#Marijuana #Dope #Pot #DogSafety #Holiday #Thanksgiving
I love how excited #dogs get when I come in to walk them. This is how Sonny said hi today.
#DogWalking #DoxiesOfInstagram #Doxie #Daschund #Chicago
