Helping you with dog training and behavior challenges by using science based, positive reinforcement based training and coaching for both your DOG, and YOU.
(8)
Learn to teach the skills your dog needs so that you can have happy lives together!
Come and meet some puppies and say hi to me! 🐾
Come, sit, and stay awhile this Saturday, Rockstars. Play with adoptable puppies from PawsUp4Rescue, Joliet. We’ll have animal advice from behavior consultant Sonia Fetherling at Best Of Behavior, LLC. Dog Training and Behavior Consulting, eco-friendly pet supplies from Gaia's Market & Refillery, resources from Homewood Veterinary Care and goodies from Glenwood Village Pet Hospital and Healthy Hounds Canine & Feline Nutrition, Inc.
🍩 🐕 America runs on Donut Dogs!
Here at Best of Behavior we also work with the quite rare, Donut Dog breed. 🍩
Yet to be recognized by the AKC, this fun little breed can often be found at a local shelter, just waiting to be adopted.
Donut Dogs can bring a smile to your morning, and a pep to your step!
They will keep you energized all day long!
You ‘kin do it!
We will be having a ‘Puppy Pop-up’ event at The Rock Shop in Homewood on March 9th.
Lots of fun details to come!
(But of you want to come and get your puppy breath fix- mark your calendar!! And if you have any puppy, dog and cat related questions- come and ask away! 🙂😸) (Also….if you’re in the market to adopt, the puppies are up for adoption!) 🤭
Rockhound Pepper (she is speaking with her eyes, trust us) says tune in March 9 from 3-5 for a Best Of Behavior, LLC. Dog Training and Behavior Consulting pop-up tackling all things pup-related
My lovely friend and colleague wrote this great article! Share with any new puppy parents that are struggling!
https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/puppies/how-to-get-a-puppy-to-sleep-through-the-night/?fbclid=IwAR3zAZ5NkcK-sy4oOw4UMpAusLfA6XnK8G7_cdL7wSqffEosMsrY86C-O1k_aem_AYgoH8NosCHGXgkWZ0Z9wgssci_AOnqZN4Qul1oHWRKE76GCjjsvOvxG-sM9Xq8hxZM
Puppies sleep schedules are irregular. Exercise, dimming lights, and companionship are great ways to get a puppy to sleep through the night.
It is amazing how many times I hear that a dog was ‘probably a bait dog’ from their owners or even people in rescue.
Oftentimes it is because a dog has a few scars.
But, there are a LOT of misconceptions and untruths out there about fighting dogs and owners.
In this discussion, 2 people that truly know a LOT about this topic, and have rescued more fighting dogs than most people have had got dinners, will share the truths about all this.
This is going to be a GREAT chat to listen to!
FREE LIVE CHAT! Join Trish McMillan and veteran dog fighting investigator Chris Schindler on Sunday, November 12th at 8pm EST as they bust common dogfighting myths, from purple paint to bait dogs!
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84246466783?pwd=GYcM1vrtWDcbQSOXUn0cMiV6R6RgmV.1
Outtakes are the best part of recording your training sessions 😂😂 (yes, yes…and it helps develop your training skills…!)
Gah! Trying to find poops in the leaves is the hardest!! 😂😂 💩 🍁🤷🏻♀️
It’s that time of the year again where our dogs provide us with enrichment.
This is wonderful!
The flitting game. 😁
It's about time the Flitting Game got a bit of a tidy up - bits of it are floating around the internet that are edited or uncredited, so here we go... (Blog link in the comments).
"The Flitting Game is something I came up with (following much discussion with another trainer, Jo Law) back in the late 1990s/early 2000s - wow, I feel old! I actually don't know when but I was certainly posting about it on various forums almost 20 years ago! *fetches the zimmer frame*
Since then it seems to have trundled round the internet all by itself, without me really noticing. Unfortunately as is often the case, bits of it have fallen off and got lost along the way - much to my surprise I discovered a Mumsnet post, stating boldly that the Flitting Game is NOT for dogs with separation anxiety!
How strange... as thats exactly who it is for - but, it would seem some of the details and caveats, some of the nuance and subtlety has been... mislaid. I also notice lots of trainers sharing it (great! Please do, but credit me eh ;) ) but again, in a somewhat reductive version which in some cases may lead to it being used incorrectly.
So here we go: Shinied Up, All the Deets... Flitting Game!
Who is this for:
Adult dogs who follow owners around like a furry shadow.
Older puppies who we are assessing to see if they're ready for further training on being left alone.
Who is this not for:
Extremely stressed new rescue dogs.
Tiny brand new puppies around the 8 to 14 weeks stage
Dogs who still need to learn that home is a safe, secure place (ie are over threshold in their own home).
Caveat: As with any behaviour modification, start out slowly, observe your dog. If it appears a game, method, tactic, plan... is sensitizing rather than de-sensitizing - STOP! This may be something your dog is not ready for now, but will be ready for later, or it maybe that this is not suitable for your dog or home layout. Also, re-read this, because of course if you're doing it wrong... it's not going to work!
What is the purpose of Flitting?
Many dogs follow us around, because they are worried we will leave, and/or because they don't know what we're doing when we are out of the room/gone/unavailable. Some will also do it because they have an expectation of reward (for example, if you go to the kitchen to make a cup of tea, is there a biscuit in the offing too?).
To help dogs cope without us, it's a good idea to encourage them to choose to stay by themselves at times - that choice, whilst carefully engineered by us to be the one we want them to make, has to be informed by something or its not really a choice.
So for example, if we give a dog with a big juicy bone and then leave the room - is the dog choosing to stay because they know following is boring, or are they distracted/overshadowed by the presence of the bone? We don't really have a way of knowing!
So first we want our dog to learn that following won't be rewarded by us (caveat, it may be inherently rewarding for some dogs, the 'lifes natural optimists' and the types that simply adore being were we are, I'll come back to them later!), and may in fact be tedious, verging on irritating.
Then we will occasionally introduce a significantly better option, to build a history of reinforcement in making the choice to not follow.
Stage 1: Following You Is Boring...
Pick 2 rooms, adjacent or nearby, not upstairs/downstairs and if at all possible, not the kitchen but, many people will have no choice but to use the kitchen (it's typically associated with food so if you can avoid using it in stage one, please do).
When your dog is settled, set yourself a timer (silent!) on your phone and for 3 to 5 minutes, 'flit' between the two rooms. Move to the second room, linger for a few seconds, move back, sit briefly, repeat.
Aim to spend a little longer in the 'start' room, where your dog is resting, than in the other room, and find something to fiddle with or break a simple task down into multiple stages - a cup of tea is a good choice. This is because simply moving to another room and then standing there like a lemon looks weird even to the daftest of dogs, and we don't want to sensitize or wind up your dog!
'Ignore' your dog - pretend you are ignoring your dog - if your dog needs a p*e or has some sort of drama, casually stop the flitting as if this were your choice all along, and deal with your dogs needs, this is not a military operation!
Sneakily, watch what your dog does - initially they are likely to follow, that is fine, as your dog can't learn it is boring to follow you if he can't follow you to find this out!
Move off after a few seconds (this is not about building a duration of absence yet!), or as your dog settles into a sit or down, whichever happens soonest.
Over the course of a few sessions, you should find your dog exhibits some, or all, of the following behaviours:
Huffing or slow to get up
Lingering in doorways
Side-eye as they get up 'what, really?'
Slow to follow once up
If you have these signs, your dog is starting to figure out that following you in this context is boring.
If you still have a dog who bounces up and dashes to the room you're going to or is glued to your side, OR you find your dog is exhibiting signs of stress, for example more inclined to be barky, sleep quality drops, behaviour on the lead suffers, more chewy... then stop, theres likely something else that needs addressing and you can come back to flitting at another time, OR, your dog is not one for whom flitting will work as they're inherently reinforced by simply coming with you.
Assuming you now have a dog who rolls her eyes when it becomes clear you're flitting, not genuinely going somewhere, and either lingers in doorways or doesn't follow at all - you can move to Stage Two!
Stage 2: Not Following Might Pay Off...
Continue doing the standard Stage One sessions - but now, occasionally begin just after giving your dog a really big bone or a large filled food dispensing toy - something sufficiently nice and also awkward to carry around. If your dog DOES try to lug the bone around to follow you, again, stop and either pause the whole concept for a bit, or go back to Stage One. Dragging the bone with indicates some level of anxiety - either in you not being there (less likely) or that the bone may be LOST/TAKEN (more likely). So these issues need addressing first.
Hopefully you now have a dog who knows you're Flitting, and chooses to stay put to eat the bone OR if there is no bone, chooses to stay put because you leaving the room is not an exciting event.
Proofing/Expanding/Adding Criteria:
So far you have likely been working between living spaces/kitchen - so now add in either:
Longer times out of the room:
OR
New rooms to go to.
Any new addition or change to the routine should be the easiest one possible, and you should change one element at a time.
So you may go and sit on the bottom of the stairs, or you may go living room to kitchen, rather than living room to dining room, and make the time short and easy. You may decide to stick with living room to dining room, but increase the time. You would not change rooms AND increase duration though!
Have a good think about which locations in your home will be easiest for your dog, external doors (particularly the door your dog goes out through for a walk!) and upstairs tend to be harder than say, living room to back garden.
What next?
Once you have a dog who understands following is not reinforcing, you can add this in to other concepts/protocols you may be working on to address separation related problems.
You can morph a flitting routine into desensitizing to touching doors, fiddling with keys, putting on shoes/coat etc.
This is just one game or tool, from a range of things you may need to do to help your dog with aspects of separation from you. It is not the whole story, nor is it a magic wand, it is simply a way to incorporate desensitization to you moving around your home, into real life.
What about puppies?
Puppies, being brand new to the world, need to be allowed to follow you around wherever possible, to learn about what you do around the house. Shutting puppies away builds frustration, and they have no capacity to cope with being alone so that can also cause distress. Until a dog has some understanding of daily household life and the novelty value of simply living with you has worn off a bit, Flitting can simply wind up or sensitize them.
The same applies to new rescue dogs - they need to be with you, bond with you, find security with you and in your home, so Flitting may not be right for them for a while.
It's also not suitable for a dog who is not yet toilet trained, or who is in a phase of chewing/destroying stuff for fun, as the game requires freedom to move around.
What if it doesn't work?
If this doesn't suit your dog, or your home, your dog may not yet be ready for this, or you may need to start desenitizing them at a much lower level - for example, you might need to run through simply standing up and sitting down again, doing several repetitions over a short session, and several sessions a week, until you can stand up and move without them leaping up.
Take into account anything else you are dealing with/your dog is dealing with before attempting any behaviour modification. If you're also working on lead reactivity, chewing, barking, fear of specific things or your dog is recovering from illness or injury, or they have pain ongoing - it is not kind, fair or effective to work on everything all at once!
It may be useful to occasionally test a new dog or a puppy with a short Flitting session, not to train or modify behaviour, but simply to see where they are 'at' currently. Bear in mind that puppy progress comes and goes, so what a puppy is ready for today, may not be suitable next week - meet their needs where they are now!
©Emma Judson - 2023 (Flitting since at least 2008!)
Please feel free to share this content in its entirety only, with credit to Emma Judson. Do not trim, edit or amend!"
Fantastic, well written out plan!!
It's about time the Flitting Game got a bit of a tidy up - bits of it are floating around the internet that are edited or uncredited, so here we go... (Blog link in the comments).
"The Flitting Game is something I came up with (following much discussion with another trainer, Jo Law) back in the late 1990s/early 2000s - wow, I feel old! I actually don't know when but I was certainly posting about it on various forums almost 20 years ago! *fetches the zimmer frame*
Since then it seems to have trundled round the internet all by itself, without me really noticing. Unfortunately as is often the case, bits of it have fallen off and got lost along the way - much to my surprise I discovered a Mumsnet post, stating boldly that the Flitting Game is NOT for dogs with separation anxiety!
How strange... as thats exactly who it is for - but, it would seem some of the details and caveats, some of the nuance and subtlety has been... mislaid. I also notice lots of trainers sharing it (great! Please do, but credit me eh ;) ) but again, in a somewhat reductive version which in some cases may lead to it being used incorrectly.
So here we go: Shinied Up, All the Deets... Flitting Game!
Who is this for:
Adult dogs who follow owners around like a furry shadow.
Older puppies who we are assessing to see if they're ready for further training on being left alone.
Who is this not for:
Extremely stressed new rescue dogs.
Tiny brand new puppies around the 8 to 14 weeks stage
Dogs who still need to learn that home is a safe, secure place (ie are over threshold in their own home).
Caveat: As with any behaviour modification, start out slowly, observe your dog. If it appears a game, method, tactic, plan... is sensitizing rather than de-sensitizing - STOP! This may be something your dog is not ready for now, but will be ready for later, or it maybe that this is not suitable for your dog or home layout. Also, re-read this, because of course if you're doing it wrong... it's not going to work!
What is the purpose of Flitting?
Many dogs follow us around, because they are worried we will leave, and/or because they don't know what we're doing when we are out of the room/gone/unavailable. Some will also do it because they have an expectation of reward (for example, if you go to the kitchen to make a cup of tea, is there a biscuit in the offing too?).
To help dogs cope without us, it's a good idea to encourage them to choose to stay by themselves at times - that choice, whilst carefully engineered by us to be the one we want them to make, has to be informed by something or its not really a choice.
So for example, if we give a dog with a big juicy bone and then leave the room - is the dog choosing to stay because they know following is boring, or are they distracted/overshadowed by the presence of the bone? We don't really have a way of knowing!
So first we want our dog to learn that following won't be rewarded by us (caveat, it may be inherently rewarding for some dogs, the 'lifes natural optimists' and the types that simply adore being were we are, I'll come back to them later!), and may in fact be tedious, verging on irritating.
Then we will occasionally introduce a significantly better option, to build a history of reinforcement in making the choice to not follow.
Stage 1: Following You Is Boring...
Pick 2 rooms, adjacent or nearby, not upstairs/downstairs and if at all possible, not the kitchen but, many people will have no choice but to use the kitchen (it's typically associated with food so if you can avoid using it in stage one, please do).
When your dog is settled, set yourself a timer (silent!) on your phone and for 3 to 5 minutes, 'flit' between the two rooms. Move to the second room, linger for a few seconds, move back, sit briefly, repeat.
Aim to spend a little longer in the 'start' room, where your dog is resting, than in the other room, and find something to fiddle with or break a simple task down into multiple stages - a cup of tea is a good choice. This is because simply moving to another room and then standing there like a lemon looks weird even to the daftest of dogs, and we don't want to sensitize or wind up your dog!
'Ignore' your dog - pretend you are ignoring your dog - if your dog needs a p*e or has some sort of drama, casually stop the flitting as if this were your choice all along, and deal with your dogs needs, this is not a military operation!
Sneakily, watch what your dog does - initially they are likely to follow, that is fine, as your dog can't learn it is boring to follow you if he can't follow you to find this out!
Move off after a few seconds (this is not about building a duration of absence yet!), or as your dog settles into a sit or down, whichever happens soonest.
Over the course of a few sessions, you should find your dog exhibits some, or all, of the following behaviours:
Huffing or slow to get up
Lingering in doorways
Side-eye as they get up 'what, really?'
Slow to follow once up
If you have these signs, your dog is starting to figure out that following you in this context is boring.
If you still have a dog who bounces up and dashes to the room you're going to or is glued to your side, OR you find your dog is exhibiting signs of stress, for example more inclined to be barky, sleep quality drops, behaviour on the lead suffers, more chewy... then stop, theres likely something else that needs addressing and you can come back to flitting at another time, OR, your dog is not one for whom flitting will work as they're inherently reinforced by simply coming with you.
Assuming you now have a dog who rolls her eyes when it becomes clear you're flitting, not genuinely going somewhere, and either lingers in doorways or doesn't follow at all - you can move to Stage Two!
Stage 2: Not Following Might Pay Off...
Continue doing the standard Stage One sessions - but now, occasionally begin just after giving your dog a really big bone or a large filled food dispensing toy - something sufficiently nice and also awkward to carry around. If your dog DOES try to lug the bone around to follow you, again, stop and either pause the whole concept for a bit, or go back to Stage One. Dragging the bone with indicates some level of anxiety - either in you not being there (less likely) or that the bone may be LOST/TAKEN (more likely). So these issues need addressing first.
Hopefully you now have a dog who knows you're Flitting, and chooses to stay put to eat the bone OR if there is no bone, chooses to stay put because you leaving the room is not an exciting event.
Proofing/Expanding/Adding Criteria:
So far you have likely been working between living spaces/kitchen - so now add in either:
Longer times out of the room:
OR
New rooms to go to.
Any new addition or change to the routine should be the easiest one possible, and you should change one element at a time.
So you may go and sit on the bottom of the stairs, or you may go living room to kitchen, rather than living room to dining room, and make the time short and easy. You may decide to stick with living room to dining room, but increase the time. You would not change rooms AND increase duration though!
Have a good think about which locations in your home will be easiest for your dog, external doors (particularly the door your dog goes out through for a walk!) and upstairs tend to be harder than say, living room to back garden.
What next?
Once you have a dog who understands following is not reinforcing, you can add this in to other concepts/protocols you may be working on to address separation related problems.
You can morph a flitting routine into desensitizing to touching doors, fiddling with keys, putting on shoes/coat etc.
This is just one game or tool, from a range of things you may need to do to help your dog with aspects of separation from you. It is not the whole story, nor is it a magic wand, it is simply a way to incorporate desensitization to you moving around your home, into real life.
What about puppies?
Puppies, being brand new to the world, need to be allowed to follow you around wherever possible, to learn about what you do around the house. Shutting puppies away builds frustration, and they have no capacity to cope with being alone so that can also cause distress. Until a dog has some understanding of daily household life and the novelty value of simply living with you has worn off a bit, Flitting can simply wind up or sensitize them.
The same applies to new rescue dogs - they need to be with you, bond with you, find security with you and in your home, so Flitting may not be right for them for a while.
It's also not suitable for a dog who is not yet toilet trained, or who is in a phase of chewing/destroying stuff for fun, as the game requires freedom to move around.
What if it doesn't work?
If this doesn't suit your dog, or your home, your dog may not yet be ready for this, or you may need to start desenitizing them at a much lower level - for example, you might need to run through simply standing up and sitting down again, doing several repetitions over a short session, and several sessions a week, until you can stand up and move without them leaping up.
Take into account anything else you are dealing with/your dog is dealing with before attempting any behaviour modification. If you're also working on lead reactivity, chewing, barking, fear of specific things or your dog is recovering from illness or injury, or they have pain ongoing - it is not kind, fair or effective to work on everything all at once!
It may be useful to occasionally test a new dog or a puppy with a short Flitting session, not to train or modify behaviour, but simply to see where they are 'at' currently. Bear in mind that puppy progress comes and goes, so what a puppy is ready for today, may not be suitable next week - meet their needs where they are now!
©Emma Judson - 2023 (Flitting since at least 2008!)
Please feel free to share this content in its entirety only, with credit to Emma Judson. Do not trim, edit or amend!"
🐾 Paris (a 4 Mos old Doodle) is staying with me for a ‘Live and Learn’ (aka Board and Train) while her humans are away in Europe.
🐾 We went for a lovely walk in the forest preserve, Paris safely with a long line attached, and my dog Kismet off leash.
🐾 Paris and I have been practicing recall at home and small recalls on neighborhood walks, but this was the furthest away and in the most distracting environment.
🐾 I can supporting her learning even more with Kismets great recall response.
She references him a great deal and this will likely help reinforce her recall in more difficult environments.
🐾 Note how I give her food, praise and affection for a period of time before releasing her back to go and have a good time. This helps reduce the likelihood of grab ‘n go recalls (grab the food and run off again).
🐾 “Come” means please come to me and stay with me until something else happens (I put on the leash, I release you to go and run off again etc…)
🐾 Also, I had not done many recalls prior to this, then I did two back to back (and while she was mid ‘romp’ fun with Kismet). This is because I don’t only want to do them with long periods in between. I want to vary the time in between recalls, so they practice coming whenever I ask them. Keep it varied.
🐾 Because she was ‘mid fun romp’ with Kismet, it was a perfect time to practice recalling away from fun stuff!
✅ 1- ‘Polite behavior in the elevator’ practice.
(Btw-How cute is Miso?! ) 😍
✅ 2- A pup cup as a special reinforcer while we practice ‘calm observation’ and calm environmental processing techniques in Starbucks ☕️
Today I gave a fun presentation to a Sunday School in Flossmoor on Dog Safety (from The Family Dog- Justine Chater Schuurmans)
Here is one of the fun videos from that presentation.
And I am excited and proud to say that we have 7 new ‘Dog Stars’ who have signed the pledge, and now have a better understanding of dog body language and what to do and not to do around our 4 legged friends.
DOG STARS (Bite prevention video for kids!) - YouTube
Want your kids to be safe around the dogs they know? Here's our fun, catchy little number that you won't be able to stop singing around your kids! Trainers, ...
Have younger kids and struggling to find an activity that they can actually do... AND that your dog will love... then you're gonna loooooove the SNUFFLE MAT!
A snuffle mat can be a fun and engaging activity for your pup, and what better way to involve your child than in the magical prep?
Dog Gone: Pop your dog in their Zen Den so they're out of the way for a few minutes while you and the kids set up.
Pick a perfect place: Have your child place the snuffle mat in an open space on the floor.
Super Stuffer: Give your child your dog's kibble/mini treats to hide in all the sneaky secret corners of the snuffle mat.
Best seat in the house: Once your kid is beaming with pride at their masterpiece, have them sit on a chair (away from your dog - so there's no little hands in the mix!) and then 'release the hound' - and watch the magic happen! ❤️
Snuffle mats are perfect for guzzlers, too. It helps slow down the snarfers AND engage their brains in the process!
Let them 'pick-pocket' away!
Here is a link to a snuffle mat that my dogs use every day- and they have been washed and dried a gazillion times in the washing machine and drier!
https://a.co/d/68FzgPO
My children have a friend over visiting and the dogs are excited (we don’t often have visitors!)
Kismet keeps running to tell me we have a friend over 😂
A great way to help them disperse that energy and excitement but give them something to do after the initial joy filled greeting, is provide an enrichment toy.
But which one?
Well, that’s when we make a lot of considerations.
What is our dog doing and what would help in this situation?
Well, asking them to lay down calmly initially probably isn’t going to be super productive as Kismet especially is a ‘mover’- he loves to run around and move. They can process the loud ‘kid conversations’ while they play with their wobblers. Movement is often a great way to process things that spark emotions!
After they had their Kong wobblers they both got things to lay down to chew and lick at (stuffed Kongs and a chewie thing).
They were able to lay down and focus their attention on them quietly, as I successfully return to my school work.
I am incredibly honored to have been voted as one of Sniffspots Top Dog Trainers 2023!
Please, if you would like to support Best of Behavior and vote for me as The Best R+ Dog Trainer in IL, please vote here:
https://www.sniffspot.com/blog/dog-trainers/contest?utm_source=trainer_contest
(As you can see in the photo- I’m listed under Sonia Fetherling (Illinois)
It’s one vote per trainer- and every vote counts!
Voting closes this Thursday (March 9th)
Thank you do much for the honor 🥰🐾
One of my very handsome clients 😻
ME-OW!! ❤️🐾
🍷 This is NOT how we teach animals to ‘not resource guard’ their food/possessions. 🥣
Contact me if you’d love preventative help, or help if you currently have a dog that has challenges with you around their resources!
(Hint! Don’t do this….!) 😬😂
Happy 1st Birthday Quincy!! 🎂🌈💕
(You cutie!)
Its time to nominate your favorite trainer in IL!
Participate in the best dog trainers contest from Sniffspot and win new customer and industry recognition and an inclusion on the exclusive lists!
So very important m!
Handy to have in case of emergencies.
One fun fact that you may not know about Best of Behavior is….
I also work with cats! 🐈 🐈⬛ 🐱
Here is some video of me working (in their home day training) with Nunchucks and Spike to go to place (mat), and also building some duration.
I am teaching this behavior as there are 3 Savannah cats in this family, amd these two can make it challenging to work wo the third cat (but I like them around as I am hoping it helps build confidence and trust with that third cat seeing them with me - social facilitation).
Enjoy! 🐾❤️
💔 Oh, this breaks my heart 😭
🐕 We never know when a child may encounter a strange dog! Or how that dog will behave.
❗️But, we can prepare kids about what to do, and what not to do, to hopefully avoid being bitten. (Even though most dog bites are by dogs that a child knows or lives with!)
🆘 In mid April, during National Bite prevention week, I am hoping to visit my local schools and present to children (preschool through high school) about safe behaviors around dogs and teach them about dog body language! (I am proud to be a Family Dog ‘Dog Stars’ presenter!)
⁉️ If you would like to have me present at your local schools, please contact me and we can try to arrange for that! (Chicagoland area only, lol!)
✅ (It’s 💯 free- because I care about kids and dogs!) 🥰
At least one parent says the same dog had gotten onto the playground earlier in the week, too.
Homewood, IL
60430
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| Thursday | 9am - 5pm |
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| Saturday | 10am - 2pm |
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Does your dog pull you away when you are trying to pick up their poop? He’s a couple of quick tips to help you!
Filming outtakes of training sessions are the best 🤣🐾🤦🏻♀️
🐾 Paris (a 4 Mos old Doodle) is staying with me for a ‘Live and Learn’ (aka Board and Train) while her humans are away in Europe. 🐾 We went for a lovely walk in the forest preserve, Paris safely with a long line attached, and my dog Kismet off leash. 🐾 Paris and I have been practicing recall at home and small recalls on neighborhood walks, but this was the furthest away and in the most distracting environment. 🐾 I can supporting her learning even more with Kismets great recall response. She references him a great deal and this will likely help reinforce her recall in more difficult environments. 🐾 Note how I give her food, praise and affection for a period of time before releasing her back to go and have a good time. This helps reduce the likelihood of grab ‘n go recalls (grab the food and run off again). 🐾 “Come” means please come to me and stay with me until something else happens (I put on the leash, I release you to go and run off again etc…) 🐾 Also, I had not done many recalls prior to this, then I did two back to back (and while she was mid ‘romp’ fun with Kismet). This is because I don’t only want to do them with long periods in between. I want to vary the time in between recalls, so they practice coming whenever I ask them. Keep it varied. 🐾 Because she was ‘mid fun romp’ with Kismet, it was a perfect time to practice recalling away from fun stuff!
Little 4 month old Paris is here for a ‘live and learn’ (often known as a board and train) while her humans are away in Europe. Here we are taking a lovely walk in the Forest preserve and she is safe on a long line, my dog is off leash. We are practicing her recall. And she is doing great! 👏🏻🐾
My children have a friend over visiting and the dogs are excited (we don’t often have visitors!) Kismet keeps running to tell me we have a friend over 😂 A great way to help them disperse that energy and excitement but give them something to do after the initial joy filled greeting, is provide an enrichment toy. But which one? Well, that’s when we make a lot of considerations. What is our dog doing and what would help in this situation? Well, asking them to lay down calmly initially probably isn’t going to be super productive as Kismet especially is a ‘mover’- he loves to run around and move. They can process the loud ‘kid conversations’ while they play with their wobblers. Movement is often a great way to process things that spark emotions! After they had their Kong wobblers they both got things to lay down to chew and lick at (stuffed Kongs and a chewie thing). They were able to lay down and focus their attention on them quietly, as I successfully return to my school work. #Kong
One fun fact that you may not know about Best of Behavior is…. I also work with cats! 🐈 🐈⬛ 🐱 Here is some video of me working (in their home day training) with Nunchucks and Spike to go to place (mat), and also building some duration. I am teaching this behavior as there are 3 Savannah cats in this family, amd these two can make it challenging to work wo the third cat (but I like them around as I am hoping it helps build confidence and trust with that third cat seeing them with me - social facilitation). Enjoy! 🐾❤️
YOU MAKE ME WANT TO VOMIT 🤢 🙂 No- not you OR your precious dog! This poor pup is like many of your dogs out there and LOATHES to ride in the vehicle. Why? Because 🤮 So now we have a strong and visceral reaction to getting into and driving in a vehicle. He HATES it. 😢 Totally understandable, bless him. But we can work through it. Best way to to prevent it whilst they are young puppies. 🚙 Watch my video of Sarge below for some preventative tips for puppies and some tips for older dogs that suffer from motion sickness and car aversion.
😝 How to have fun with ‘road kill’ that you have already paid for, and probably have in your home already! This is a super fun (for dogs) and easy (for you!) enrichment activity for your dogs. 💵 It’s also easy on the wallet! Keep watching until the end to discover the possible *WHY* your dog LOVES to rip up their toys! You, and your clients, will really enjoy adding this to their dogs’ enrichment repertoire!
One of the services that I provide is ‘Day Training’. Here is today’s (the 2nd day of day training) closing conversation with Eloise as we discuss her feelings and thoughts. ♥️🐾 Already the ‘teacher’ loves her student. Not sure which of those is which (whom is whom?) - you figure it out and comment below, if you like 😉 Be careful who you entrust with your beautiful dogs. I hear so many heartbreaking stories (and see so many emotionally and behaviorally damaged dogs) from people who trusted their dogs with ‘dog professionals’. Buyer beware! I’d be happy to discuss with you the questions to ask and answers to listen out for! (Maybe I can do a post on this in the near future?!) Your dog may get lots of kisses and cuddles as part of their day training programs- IF they like it and ask for it! That’s a free part of the service 😂🐾🥰
🐾 It doesn’t have to be an ‘either/ or’! What does IT (loose leash/lead) walking look like with R+ based trainer and no prong, choke or shock collar on the pup?!🤔 THIS- see video attached. The goal many of our clients have it to be able to walk nicely down the street, in their neighborhood, without their dog pulling and yanking them around. Understandable, as that can be dangerous and down right painful! Many times I see videos of trainers, or in real life, usually using aversive tools, with a dog marching along in heel position beside them. Many of the dogs look miserable and show stressed body language. 🛑 But for me, I personally can’t stand that. Why? It’s miserable for the dog. We are NOT meeting their needs at all. 🐽 A dog needs to sniff- sniffing and exploring their environment is essential to a dogs well-being. ESSENTIAL!!! I like to teach a ‘close’ cue to a dog a little later (once the dragging has ceased) for when I’d prefer they be right beside me. ‘Heel’ doesn’t actually look like what many of those trainers are actually doing, anyway- plus, it was intended for shorter durations (often whilst hunting or possibly military action), and certainly not for long walks together. But before that we need to teach our pups how to walk with us pleasantly- pleasurable for them AND us! Using a harness where the pup can move their shoulders fully, and having options to clip to the front or back, are great ways to start. In the video, Cora is able to wander, explore, and sniff without pulling me- we are on a co-operative walk together. Had I insisted on her heeling right beside my leg I could have missed that she needed to urinate when she did. That would have increased her stress, and that would not have helped us at all (urination issues, anxiousness and walking well on leash are some of the reasons she is doing day training with me)! See how happy and relaxed she is? How she checks in with me by glancing up
❤️ Silence. Do you hear that?! Quiet- the video is silent. The room is silent. That’s HUGE! Clarke has come SO far during the last 3-4 months. The first time I walked into his house I think he barked for a good 35-40 minutes - no matter the distance between us- it was simply too close for him. If he stopped, and I twitched a finger, he would start again. The second time was significantly shorter. Probably closer to 20 minutes. And it was a great practice session for them. Yesterday’s visit was my 3rd visit, and within a few minutes we had successfully managed and changed the environment enough, set him up for safety and success enough, his Mama has deepened their relationship with trust, practice and learning over the last few months - that within 10 mintutes, Clarke lay on the sofa and played with his new toy. His face soft. No longer staring at me, or barking. The reduction in his stress is palpable. 🐾 His Mama has worked so very hard, and in so many ways in their day to day lives, the evidence of their work is showing. Change takes time. Patience. Work. Deep breath’s. Calm in the storm. And gradually change is happening. We are all (Clarke, his Mom and I) learning through observation and experience, and we need to constantly reassess during this process, measure each success or failure and respond accordingly. Behavior modification keeps us on our toes. And we *must* consider the dogs experience! ♥️Well done to Team Clarke! 💕 I’m SO proud of you! I brought a gift yesterday for this sweet boy. Some colourful macaroons to play with! He loved his new toy (given once the barking had stopped and calm and relaxation was evident). And yeah, that’s a tail wag at the end that you see there 😻
During Day Training today, Bruno went on a visit to Downtown Homewood to practice Loose Leash Walking in a busier environment as well as ‘Meet and Greets’ - meeting people without jumping! He slayed both! And charmed everyone. The two elderly Gentlemen that he met outside of Lou Lou Belle were very impressed with him, and thought he was so handsome (he is!) and well mannered. 🥰🐾 ♥️ WTG Bruno!
Dogs should not suffer trauma when they are training! We use toys, food, play, love and other types of reinforcers and motivators here! Obviously the only dog suffering from any trauma here at Best of Behavior Day Training is the yellow stuffed one 😉🤣 Bruno is having a fun (and appropriate ) ‘down time’ moment! 🥰🐾 Even though we are not ‘actively’ training, he is learning to entertain himself whilst I am busy- that’s an important lesson! REMEMBER! If your dog is awake- they are learning!
🐾 Tilly is starting her last day out on the right paw! ❤️ Starbucks special treats first, then let’s get ready to work! ☕️ Pupcups are yum! (It’s whipped cream btw!)
It’s a wet and wild day here at BOB dog day training with Tilly! 🤣
Willow and Tessa were ‘sword fighting’ (playing with their mouths wide open) on the couch. I thought it would be fun to video it in slow motion. Then my own dog, from across the house, barked and the two girls stopped to listen. Such fun to observe the ear movement and mouth position (among other things!) within our dogs behavior. This observation helps us unfold a great deal of the possible internal changes within our dog. 🐾 Slo mo video your dog in varying situations and watch the ears, eyes, mouth, forehead, sides of the mouth (lines etc..) to start to learn more about the expressions your dog is giving, and you might be missing!
After a hard morning of work, Leia chills in the crate and enjoys a delicious lick of peanut butter and a bit of squeeze cheese in the Zogoflex (West Paw). #westpaw
There are some questions that are VERY important when you are deciding to hire a dog trainer for your canine family member. One of them is “What happens when, and if, my dog gets it wrong?”. In this video I am working with the beautiful, young Roxy. We are learning that duration until release is a great thing to do: she stays in the down= yummy treats flow from me to her If she gets up, which she does, as we are VERY early in this learning- she doesn’t get hurt, I don’t reprimand her, or anything else- the only thing that happens is the flow of yummies stops, and I may encourage her back to a down by luring or I will wait to see if she offers one. And then, I will asses if I have asked too much of her, if I missed an opportunity to reinforce( I was too slow), and many of the other questions that a trainer needs to ask of their training, so that I can adjust our work so she doesn’t make many errors within her learning, and we keep mistakes to the minimum, and learning at the maximum. And then I change what *I* do in the next session. Roxy- Boxer- 5/6 months ♥️ That faaaaace 😍
Covid has turned the world upside down. This includes our dog’s worlds. We are increasingly seeing the effects and toll this has taken on our young puppies, our dogs that have been reaching social matrurity and our adult dogs. And it has not necessarily been the ‘good things’ most people assumed it would have been. Our dogs should be thrilled, and probably having their needs met better now we are home all day, right? Wrong. Not for many, many dogs. Separation issues are already popping to the surface and we know there will be many more to appear over the next...who knows? Years? The first day Leia came to Day Training, she barely lay down. We could see she was happily ripping apart toys and very sweet with us, and we knew that she was acting stressed and ‘needy’, as her owners put it, and couldn’t just ‘relax’. She wanted to have attention 24/7, and persistently pawed at them if they stopped for a second. She was like a tightly wound up clockwork toy. They discussed with us many other things that she had been doing, and not doing, over the last year. She had become hyper attached to them and after the first day together, she became hyper attached to me. We are working through some basic protocols and already seeing a change in her at home, and here during our days together. We have also assessed her needs. This step is vitally important. And it isn’t just the what, it’s the when and how that are important, too. She is a lively and loving Aussie/Boxer mix and we are adding in some fun enrichment activities to her days, which she enjoys immensely and helps meet her needs in an appropriate and healthy manner. As I type this, she is napping contentedly in front of me, exuding relaxation and calm. You cannot force relaxation onto a dog. That’s like telling a frantic person, or someone having a panic attack, to ‘Calm down!”. It won’t work. It has to be carefully cultivated with patience. We have to put the dog first.
First up for the day...Ball kill! 🙂 Second, we train. Or maybe we will have a little T-touch and massage. 🤔 She will let me know what is best this morning. Having our dogs be willing participants in the work that we do is paramount to success. My relationship with Leia is vitally important. I nourish this by chilling and playing with her before I ask her to do things with and ‘for’ me. I don’t force my dogs to do things- yes, sometimes I do need them to do things, no questions - but the more that I put into our relationship, history of fun and reinforcement, the more a dog will be willing to do things when it’s probably against their own desires or natural responses. We all like to ease into our work day, and of killing a tennis ball is how Leia would like to do that, then a ball I shall provide 🙂
Helping you with Dog training and behavior challenges by using science based, positive reinforcement based training and coaching for both your DOG, and YOU. One to one in-home training and Zoom online virtual sessions available.
