This is what a solid recall looks like. Pluto has an immediate response and a speedy movement toward me, no matter what the distraction is.
Rumble is a light resource guarder (he doesnāt bite and rarely guards anything). He typically lets me take anything, including his raw food. I saw some guarding behavior with this chew and wanted to immediately address it before it turned into something bigger.
#dianethedogtrainer #dogtraining #husky #siberianhusky #siberian #ResourceGuarding
Rumble is NOT a calm dog. He's ripped bars apart on his crate (yes, he has a new crate now) and gets excited when he's anticipating something fun. Because he's a high energy, high arousal dog, one of the most important things for him to do is NOT to have constant activity and exercise. Rather it's most important for him to learn to relax and to be okay with being bored. Every outing, we spend half of the training session learning to relax. This creates a balanced dog that is a pleasure to take out. Yes, it is incredibly boring but imagine your dog relaxing while you talk to someone or enjoy a meal at a dog friendly patio.
Rumble is new to learning the auto focus. We practice in pretty quiet areas but he is doing well. Stella has been working on auto focusing since she came to me in October at 3 months old. She's rock solid in any new situation.
Kona is a reactive dog Iām working with. She is not only reactive to dogs but has an intense prey drive that adds another layer to work through. Not all reactivity is the same. Knowing the differences between their causes (fear, aggression, prey drive, barrier frustration, etc.) guides the training that the dog requires. A dog that is fearful needs their confidence built. A dog that reacts because it is restrained needs to work on impulse control and handler focus. This is one of the reasons hiring a trainer that is experienced with reactivity is important.
Kona has attacked both other dogs and prey animals. When I start working with a dog like this, I lay a large foundation of impulse control, obedience, and handler engagement as well as teaching the owner safe handling skills and how to use proper equipment. Once the dog and itās owners have those skills down in easy situations, we slowly increase the difficulty. Kona and her owners have been working hard with her for just over 5 months. This was our first session with a cat.
Evie is a dog that is afraid of anything new. She hasnāt been bathed in a year or more. Her owner has been encouraging her to get in the shower on her own. During our last lesson, I turned the water on to further desensitize her to the idea of getting a bath. Sheās doing great!
I often use my own dogs to help with training. With reactive dogs, I start with Bash. Heās so mellow and ignores the other dog that itās a perfect start. Tibbers helps me next. I purposefully encourage her to be active and bark, which is exactly what I discourage in my clients. š
Leyla continues to practice being calm around other dogs, even when they aren't calm. When we started, Leyla was reacting but not overly stressed. Within a few minutes, she was settled and learning.
Nail trims can be a huge challenge for dogs. I've worked with dogs that growl the second they see nail clippers. And other dogs like Evie, that panic if you try to restrain them in any way, including holding a paw. With some patience and dedication, the dogs overcome their fear and relax for this basic grooming need. How do your dogs do for nail trims? If you need help, reach out!
This week Stella has been learning to ring a bell to go out. There's a lot of cool devices out there now! This particular bell rings the receiver but it also sends an alert to your phone. I really like this idea because it ensures that you won't miss when your puppy is asking to go out just because you are out of ear shot. It's also great for anyone who is hearing impaired and not able to hear a typical bell.
Part of potty training is teaching the puppy to go immediately when you go outside. This prevents standing outside in the rain for 20 minutes before work. When we go out, I keep Stella on a short lead. She has 5-6 ft to find her spot to pee. I take her to the same place every time. If she potties immediately, I praise her and let her off the leash to run around and enjoy some freedom. If she doesnāt pee within 5 minutes, we go back inside and she goes into her crate for half an hour and then we try again. If you stick to this, your puppy will be mostly potty trained in a week. Stella immediately pees now every time we go outside. Sheās on a mission because she knows all the fun happens AFTER peeing.
Leyla is learning new life skills. Her owners tell me that they are able to walk her in peace most days. She does well with walking past dogs and now we are focusing on being able to relax around dogs. This is a harder skill than directing the nervous energy into movement.
Leyla is making great progress being able to walk past and ignore other dogs.
Fun and effective training for your dog, young or old, timid or aggressive. Private lessons done in your home (or wherever your dog has a problem).
