No lie, the was Frankie’s focus and head tilts during the entire lesson! This little lady is stunning inside and out! Can you guess her breed?
AROPT BENNY!!
Confidence building and leash work was on the agenda for Benny this week! Check out his agility jumping skills! He learned it so quickly. Benny loves working in partnership with you, he’s so eager to please!l and a blast to be around! Whoever adopts him is going to be so LUCKY! He gets along great with other dogs 🥰
ADOPT BENNY! @snarr_northeast_rescue
Resilience in dogs… the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy or stress. Does your dog recover in a few seconds to a minute after a triggered event? Or do they completely flip out until the trigger is out of view?
Building resilience in dogs will help them learn to cope with those “big feelings” that come about.
🔆 Autonomy and choice in the form of alternative behaviors.. a repertoire of tricks and obedience behaviors they love to do and know well to bring them back to center.
🔆 Create predictability.. pattern games, leash walking skills, consistent movement, motivating reinforcers and proofed, properly communicated commands.
🔆 Less pressure, more movement.. don’t correct, bribe or force them into a sit, rather move your body and get your dog to follow you then dip into your dogs tool box.
There’s tons of different ways of building resilience in dogs and it is a game changer for many of them!
In this video you see Alphie’s resilience at work! We’ve worked hard on continuing Alphie’s training so he can better handle high arousal and/or scary situations. Trucks and motorcycles are a cause for concern for him. They came by and he completely shifted. He became fixated and nervous. Then, we brought him back to center. He’s an absolute rockstar!
ADOPT ALPHIE!!
Cool story! This is newly adopted Diesel from S.N.A.R.R Animal Rescue Northeast & Jeannine Tarallo-Souza who also lives with a dog named Gracie who I pulled then adopted out to this family through Love Dogs in 2014. It was so great to see Gracie after all these years! ♥️ Full circle moment!
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If you haven’t figured out by now, a flirt pole is one of my FAV motivators to use with dogs who have a hard time focusing their drive on positive outlets. Incorporating this into a dogs routine not only gives them a job and satisfies their chase instincts, it also helps the dog learn to regulate their arousal with the right exercises.
I’ll put the link in my story if you want to give one a try!
Otto and I have done easily over 1000 reps of recall practice over the last few months. I could even be low balling that number. We have practiced this A LOT in various settings with different motivators, patterns and exercises in order to get this result but naturally him and I both make mistakes sometimes. We do the best we can and adjust when needed.
He’s an adolescent male jack Russell terrier, so throughout his life of being a pet dog he will have to go against his instincts to run & chase. Your dog may be like this too. Your dog may have certain instincts, and desires that they struggle to ignore.
Sometimes you may have big wins like I had here with Otto. Other times you may wonder if your dog has retained any training you’ve done with them! I’m here to tell you that it’s okay. Dogs (and humans!) are not meant to be robots.
Dog training takes tons of repetitions, feedback and rewards to help your dog make better choices. It’s never going to be perfect and we love the dogs for that!
The first 30-60 days (with some dogs it may be longer) with your new dog should be calm, predictable and of course active and engaging. During this time your dog will be learning.. “is this safe for me? Does this work for me?” While it’s important to keep your dog exercised, you can do so without overwhelming them. Routine and structure help your new dog feel secure. Dogs are incredibly resilient, happy, curious beings so sometimes we may be overwhelming them without meaning to!
Keep their space bubble safe and read their body language. Take your dog on long walks, hikes and such… however, do not allow kids, people and other dogs to meet and overwhelm your dog when doing so. Your new dog is going through a massive transition.. their whole life is going to be turned upside-down. It is up to you to make sure you are keeping your dog within their comfort zone and not overwhelming them.
Hold back from having a lot of visitors over to meet the new love of your life and from taking them to busy areas where people or dogs can push through their boundaries like PetCo or dog park... your dog will be getting to know you, their new routine and taking in all that their new life has to offer.
This is also a time where your dog will be most vulnerable. Use this time to allow your dog to settle in and trust you. Listen to your dog’s body language to ensure all of the situations you are putting him/her in are positive and are you are setting up for success.
Check out leadtheleash.com for some helpful info pages!
All dogs in this video are up for adoption S.N.A.R.R Animal Rescue Northeast !! In order, Ladybug, Ella, Midnight, Goose, Sarge, Archie, Tucker, Patty, Sharon.
Turns out I’m on the Best of Westchester 2024 Final Ballot for Dog Trainer ! I had no idea until I went to go vote for something else and checked this category just for kicks.. and there I am! This is incredible and unexpected! I would love a vote to push Lead the Leash to the finish line!
https://bestof.westchestermagazine.com/pets/dog-trainer
May the New Year bring a chapter full of exciting challenges, beautiful moments and heartwarming memories. Wishing you all a very Happy and Healthy 2024! 🍾🩶
