Multi-dog households are a challenge, we are lucky that each of the dogs in our home has best friend (or item) to pair off with for play! 👯♀️👯🐕🪵
How do your dogs pair off or interact with each other?
#multidoghousehold #agathachristie #gildaradner #williejack #cheesethedog #adoptorshopresponsibly #dogsatplay #dogsofinstagram #dogsofinsta #dogsofig #dogs #log
Enrichment doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. My adolescent pup, Cheese🧀, just couldn’t settle while I worked on the computer this morning, shredding a used shoe box did the trick and bought me about 20mins after which he curled up next to his sister Agatha 💜🐾
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#enrichment #dogenrichment #cheesethedog #minibull #minibullterrier #minibullterriersofinstagram #bullterriersofinstagram #adoptorshopresponsibly @bantammbt @cheese_and_the_cheezettes #snackleader #snackleadernotpackleader #positivereinforcement
We got to Greta’s vet appointment early and got the opportunity to practice Leslie McDevitt’s Control Unleashed exercise Look at That (LAT) in relation to the busy road outside (“Where’s Traffic?”) Greta’s biggest trigger/most challenging stimuli is traffic, especially when it comes on suddenly. Notice at the end she showed me very subtly with her right ear where traffic was, I missed it until she did it a second time, the fact the she could communicate and remain sub-threshold indicates that she is functional and we are operating at a safe distance for her, we can either end there or move a little closer and try again🐾💜
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#gretagarbo #gsdmix #huskymix #bordercolliemix #troublefox #adopted @marysdogsrescue2011 #controlunleashed #lookatthat #lat #positivereinforcement #snackleader #snackleadernotpackleader #trainwithoutpain #forcefree #domorewithyourdog #reactivedog #reactivedogsunite #reactivedogsaregooddogstoo
Bajie at the end of our second session, some request approach training (RAT) towards me; he orients to Mom and she moves forward, a modified version of Leslie McDevitt's Control Unleashed pattern, Superbowls.
Beginning of our second session with Bajie featuring his "emotional support" treat-stealing adoptive sister Kitka 😉
Bajie is a challenging boy, but mom is dedicated and we’ve made some significant progress. This dog is an example of “it takes a village” Anne (his person) initially took him in as a foster, but as it became clear he wasn’t a viable candidate for adoption to the majority of homes due to his distrust of new people and propensity to escalate to using his teeth when overly stressed Anne became his, needle in the haystack, adopter. It’s a rocky road, but progress is steady. His village now includes myself, his day care team at The Natural Paw LLC (he loves and understands 🐕), Canine Academy of Berwick, and Eliot Veterinary Hospital. He has moved to Eastern Massachusetts and we will continue to support him remotely and in person as feasible.
This video is from our most recent session in his previous home, he is able to “function”, think, and even relax a bit without panicking or escalating with my presence. We have a long way to go, but we are building his path with a sturdy foundation and the hope that this is no longer a life or death behavior scenario. See videos in the following posts of the beginning and end of our second session to observe the progress that’s being made and Anne’s impeccable timing!!
Reactive dogs in action playing parallel games at Fit-N-Trim Dog Sport Training...
Gilda Rear Paws Scratch Board
Gilda is now also working here rear feet on the scratch board. Some notes:
🐾 Scratch board made with plastic cutting board and skateboard grip tape.
💜 I first taught Gilda to place her front legs up with out jumping onto the platform.
🐾 Initially I marked and rewarded for any back foot movement towards or on the board.
💜 Once Gilda was scratching with her back feet, I prompted/lured to position for each foot.
Please reach out if you want guidance teaching your pups to be cooperative members in their own care and handling!
Gilda Front Scratch Board
Please don’t put peanut butter on your head to do nail trims! There are better options, you have seen progress with Agatha building to clipping, but with Gilda we use a homemade scratch board to work her nails.
If you want help with strategies and guidance please reach out🐾💜
Agatha Cooperative Care 2
We’ve made some progress with my ability to hold Agatha’s legs, some notes:
💜 You can see I get overly-ambitious a few times and she pulls away, I try my (human) best to make it easier after each of these times.
🐾 Duration and location are closer to where I want to be overall.
💜 A few of the mouthy moments Agatha thought I had food in the hand I was grabbing and holding with, probably as a result of me alternating right and left.
🐾 See comments for a video where I introduce the nail clippers without a grab or hold to her leg/paw.
💜The clippers and the body handling are two separate components of the final behavior that will only be combined when she feels safe and comfortable with both.
Enjoy!
Agatha Jump!
Ignore the quarantine hair/fashion and watch Agatha!
💜When deciding what tricks to teach or try teaching your dogs it is a good idea to select things they do naturally.
🐾 Agatha has always greeted us with a jump straight in the air practically clicking her heels, when we come home or raise our arms.
💜 We decided to hone this trick with the cue of arms straight out.
🐾 I prefer the height and curve of the second jump and will begin only rewarding for jumps that look like that to create a more precise behavior.
💜Taking video is a good way to watch for unintentional body cuing on your part and to identify what you want out of the trick!
Happy Training!
Cooperative reward based training and behavior modification for the family dog.
