Gosh, was 2024 a big year. I left my tenured academic position, started my own training business, managed to collect the best possible weekly students, spent a lot of time in the field with Conservation Dogs Collective, trialed with Lily a bunch, became a CNWI, started my Masters in Applied Animal Behavior and Welfare, saw family and friends much more frequently, and spent so much time outside. None of this would've been possible without Zack, who is the best.
When I was going through my videos to assemble this montage, what stood out most is how often I'm laughing in them and how full of smiles everyone is.
One of my favorite essays to teach was Susan Wolf's "Happiness and Meaning: Two Aspects of the Good Life." She argues that there is no one inherent meaning to life, and happiness is also more than just pleasure. Meaning arises when we're actively engaged in projects of worth. She writes, "Activity is meaningful only if one can engage with it, be attracted to it, be in love with it or with the object around which it revolves. Such activity will always be somewhat fulfilling, and therefore will always make one somewhat happy. And as the fulfillment and happiness will be appropriate or deserved, that is all to one's good."
Meaning is expansive and, I think, contagious. What joy comes from the activity of being with dogs and helping others to be with their dogs in different kinds of ways. There is meaning and joy, too, in wrestling against the status quo and seeking liberation for all. How could I not feel happy?
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#milwaukeedogs #dogsofmilwaukee #seespotplay #milwaukeedogtrainer #k9nosework #alldogsaregooddogs #forcefreetraining #positivedogtraining #dosomethingprettywhileyoucan
Sniffmas Day 3! Triangles!
🐓 3 French Hens turned into surprise 3 Samoyeds walking nearby partway through the search. Lily checked them out briefly a couple of times, but very quickly shifted her focus back to searching. I was so incredibly proud of her!
🐶 When we first started nosework, working novel exteriors was incredibly challenging, mostly because of my own mindset. I felt very embarrassed to be setting hides in public and risk drawing attention to myself. I was constantly worried about Lily reacting to other dogs. I also hadn't helped her find enough value in the game, so checking out the environment was much more reinforcing than sniffing for target odor.
🏞️ Now, I love working exteriors with Lily. She's become such a confident searcher and has built a lot of focus and motivation. I love seeing how wind, temperature, light, and substrate affect odor availability.
🐕 I also love the trust we've built with one another through lots of positive experiences sniffing. If she had shown more concern about the strange white floofers walking our way, I would have interrupted the search and supported her. In this case, I acknowledged what she was seeing and she dismissed on her own to keep doing what she wanted.
#milwaukeedogs #milwaukeedogtrainer #dogsofmilwaukee #seespotplay #k9nosework #nosework #sniffmastime #12daysofsniffmas
I know, I know! Not everyone has a bottomless pit of a Labrador. You might think it’s silly to spend a whole week playing with food, especially if your dog is not super into it. I get it!
Here’s why I wanted to start with food play. Dogs and humans have co-evolved, with food sharing being a major factor. Eating is essential to survival, so a healthy* dog is going to want to eat at some point. Starting with food shifts the focus to that social bond.
Food games allow some experimentation to see what our dogs really do enjoy. They also help build skills that will translate to toy play and social play (tune in next week!).
Eating, like any behavior, can be reinforced or suppressed. Dogs who have had negative experiences around food may be wary in other contexts. Dogs who have had more positive experiences with food may be more willing to eat in other contexts.
Maybe your dog is nervous that cheese coming out means struggling through a nail trim. Tossing treats adds a functional reinforcer of allowing the dog to move away and choose to return. Playing chase lets the dog feel a bit more in control since we’re not the ones chasing them. The food becomes less associated with feeling trapped.
Adding in other dog-specific behaviors, like stalking, hunting, sniffing, and chasing can make the consuming part of food a lot more interesting. So can using novel and/or high-value foods! This can carry over to wanting to eat more generally.
Maybe your little dog only gets so many calories. You can portion out some of the daily meals to use during play time. You can also see how your dog feels about berries, cucumber, carrot, watermelon, etc. to supplement.
We want food games to be free of coercion. Our dogs should opt in joyfully! If they aren’t, then it’s time to get curious about what might be preventing them. *Definitely consult your vet!
Also check out Kathy Sdao for more tips on food motivation!
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#dogdaysofsummerplaychallenge #milwaukee
Welcome to the first play challenge! Woot woot!!
This is my favorite easy game to play. Here's what you need:
1. You
2. Your dog
3. Treats
That's all!
🐶 How to play:
1. Gather some treats that will have a visual contrast on the surface.
2. Toss a treat to the side. Start small to help your dog succeed.
3. When your dog reorients to you, toss a treat in the other direction.
4. As they get the hang of it, vary the throws. Keep it tailored to your dog's speed and abilities. Build in a bit of anticipation to build engagement.
5. This is a really easy thing to put on cue. *Before* you toss your treat, say "Get it!," and then toss
6. Be very careful not to introduce guarding behaviors if playing with multiple dogs. Try using low-value treats to start and throwing treats away from each other to avoid competition.
💯 Why this game is so great:
1. It taps into some of our dogs' most natural behaviors.
2. It builds a lot of value for *you* as provider of lots of good things to your dog, thus value for returning to you.
3. Like Leslie McDevitt's Ping-Pong game, this can help regulate big feelings. If dogs get a lot of practice playing this game in relaxed situations, it can be used to add calm in situations when the dog might start getting worked up otherwise.
5. For dogs that aren't food motivated, this can be an opening! Adding some movement can make food more desirable.
6. This is also a good way to observe your dog. Check mood, gait, excitement, etc.
Try it out & tag us! Check in later this week for the next Week One game!
✨Week One Giveaway
1. This week's prize is a $25 gift card to @skilospets
2. To enter, tag @see.spot.play in a story or post of you trying a game out.
3. Earn one extra entry each by 1) signing up for the newsletter, 2) tagging two friends in the comments, or 3) sharing this post
4. Entries close Sunday, August 11th at 11:59pm CDT.
5. The prize will be awarded by random draw, and announced by Tuesday, August 13th.
6. Entries are
