Working on proofing my girls' understanding of location specific reward markers (from Susan Garrett). "Cook" means the treat is going to come to you. "Search" means you have permission to take the food off the floor. I'll be adding a third cue, too. She did great though it's still early in the process.
When you train your dogs you can make a boring video which is a great thing if they used to fence fight with the neighbor dog.
I taught them to disengage from the other dog with a simple game but with probably a thousand repetitions or more.
This video was shot as I 'scooped' the yard today. They knew the other dog was there and when he barked after I talked they came towards me...completely ignoring the neighbor dog.
No force was use, no intimidation, no shock collar...just actual teaching.
When you teach the behavior you WANT in place of the one you DON'T want you don't have to rely on heavy handed approaches.
It can be done and it's always in the dogs' best interest.
Train on!
This is my pathetic princess asking for me to hold up her blanket so she can get wrapped up in it. Happens every morning after breakfast...
When you have a reactive dog 'being boring' is a dream. Eva has struggled when anyone comes in the front door, even my husband.
She isn't aggressive but is totally overwhelmed and even conflicted to the point that she could be.
We have been working her Station Training behavior, the same one I gave out to clients and classes.
Yesterday she barked once or twice knowing dad was home but then put herself on her station (chair). I was in another room when she did this but came out and filmed her as he came through the door.
The first 34 seconds are sped up (he takes forever to come in) but you can see her hold herself on the station and wait for her release and even then she didn't rush or just on him.
Eva isn't perfect by any means but consistency in training on our parts can yield great results.
How sweet to get a quick kiss after our training session.
The one word I wish owners would not use is "stubborn" to describe their dogs. They really don't wake up in the morning wondering how they can frustrate you.
When your dog doesn't do what you want there can be a host of reasons why.
First, the dog doesn't know what you want...or you didn't teach the behavior to a proficient level.
Next, they could be overwhelmed by the environment. Asking for a behavior from your dog in an environment you haven't trained in is asking for failure.
What about the dog just being tired or distracted?
And lastly, your dog can have any number of fears, emotions, insecurities. Asking them to perform without considering these will also lead to missing the mark.
This is a very simplistic explanation of why your dog may be "stubborn" and my aim is to suggest other possibilities so you can retain your relationship with your dog and work through whatever issue you're having.
In this video Mae checks out and goes away from work. She is learning the names of either returning to heel to my right or my left. Working is mentally tiring as she showed me.
To help her out I just played a simple game and then went back to work where she was perfect. She wasn't stubborn or willful just tired.
The good, the bad and the ugly. Today's installment is all about the ugly...😐
Fear Periods in puppies...
I thought I'd share one of our 'Togetherness walks' I'm using to help all the dogs to get use to each other's presence. In essence Puppy = Treats. There's commentary so turn on the sound!
How it's going integrating the puppy... sometimes you have the best laid plans...
We will be taking our time to help all three dogs live together with harmony...meaning I want them to tolerate each other. I'd love for them to adore each other but it isn't always in the cards.
What about you? Have you done anything special to integrate a new dog?
Update on Kip and the girls.
What I focus on first when a puppy comes home.
I thought I'd share a few things with the new puppy in case it may be helpful to someone else.
BTW, Eva smiles so don't worry about seeing her teeth! :)
When your dog has a struggle give them a job to do.
Eva goes over the top when my husband comes home and sometimes makes bad decisions. Here I've given her the job of staying on the couch, her station, until released.
This has allowed her to remain under threshold where she can make better behavior decisions...and is a great way to avoid conflict... always a good idea. 😃
I'm working with Eva on listening even when she's focused on the reward. She did well but broke too soon. When I picked up the reward she falls flat in her 'cooperative care' position with her little nubber wiggling. She cracks me up!
Working on some cooperative care exercises with Eva.
Love it when her 'wiggle nubber' gets going.
Obedience is fun???
Yep, it all depends on the reward.
For Mae she's all about the Holee Roller ball. We can tug, I can throw it and it's small enough to hide when needed.
Mae begs for our evening 'fun' every day....and it's a very sad day when it's raining.
I use this time to quiz the girl on her position changes (sit, down, stand), play some It's Your Choice and to condition her with running exercises.
I took out a lot of the running and some of the tugging for times sake. She does get stuck when I have the Holee Roller close to her but she gets past it.
She will be 8 years old this month and she has Dilated Cardiomyopathy but she looks great, moves great and totally loves this time with me.
So, obedience CAN be fun and helps them stay sharp and fit!
Get out there and play with your best friend!
Turn their most irritating behaviors into their strength!
For me it was my girls fence running whenever they heard or saw the neighbor's dog.
I have been working with their ability to disengage from the neighbors and they have come a LONG ways.
Today they could easily ignore the neighbor's barking dog and respond to both their disengagement cue and their recall.
A few minutes of play time at the end of puppy class.
