If there was an award at UPDIF 2023 - Helen, Georgia for most smiling on the field I think we could’ve won it 😁 Every time we take the field we get a little bit better so I can’t wait to see where the next year takes us in freestyle disc!
#nationalpuppyday feels like the perfect time to introduce my new friend Marty and some of the things we have been working on in the first week of his puppy in-home training program!
A healthy relationship between any species requires clear communication, good listening, and trust. Keebler and Oliver have been such a wonderful match for each other. They have 15-30 seconds of intense play and then sniff and explore. In one clip you can see Keebler ask for more high energy play, Oliver declines, and Keebler shakes off and respects his “no”. They also both know that if at any point they feel like they aren’t being “heard” they can come to me as a safe zone. Does your dog know how to listen to other dogs?
Oliver has truly changed everything about the way I train. From a dog that couldn’t leave his front door the day we met to greeting a strange man with happy body wiggles-every time I think we’ve reached the peak and there’s no way it can get any better, it does. I am forever grateful to this dog and his owners for trusting me and giving the space for me to just do whatever I needed to do without insisting on a timeline or a strict set of behaviors. The sky is the limit @theoliverralph and I can’t wait to see how much more fun and joy we can squeeze out of life! ❤️ #doodle #gooddogs #dogtraining #dogs #dogsofinstagram #happydog #anxiousdog #reactivedog #emotionalregulation #progress #dogmom #doodlemom #clickertraining #shapingbehavior
Thursday nights are agility nights!
Witnessing the growth and connection between this dog and his guardian was an absolute pleasure. Her goal was to be able to take him for decompression walks without him biting her. When we were able accomplish that goal we used our last session to try and even more challenging environment. The thing is when you put the time in to building trust and good communication the rest gets a lot easier ❤️ #dog #dogtraining #reactivedogs #southshoredog #southshorema
We are just out here, striving for excellence!
Poutine and I had a great weekend playing disc with our friends, and we even came home with a few awards!
I don’t like dry cereal either 🤷♀️
Did you know we can evaluate trick dog titles virtually?
Trick training is a great way to improve your skills as a trainer and build a working relationship with your dog! Here is a video of 8 month old Poutine’s Novice Trick Dog title (before I cleaned up our training space 🤣)
Training shouldn’t just be to eliminate unwanted behaviors, it’s the foundation of a very special relationship with your dog. Come train with us on Wednesday night and see for yourself!
How do you end up with a dog that is happy to go on any adventure with you? The right puppy class of course! Check out our puppy classes that are starting up next week!
Who would win in a recall race, these chickens or your dog?
It’s another #mistakemonday! A really common cause of errors in dog training is when we raise our criteria too fast. Here I am working on the fluency of Poutine’s sit stay. My end goal is that she remains in a sit until her release cue “okay” regardless of what else is happening. The mistake here is I should have released her from the sit before I upped my criteria to smacking the toy on the ground. Smacking the toy on the ground was actually an environmental cue I used as puppy to build her toy switching skills. Thankfully I have a very forgiving and brilliant learner! Is there a time you have raised your criteria too fast? Share in the comments or tag me in a story!
“But he does it at home” is one of those phrases that dog trainers like to commiserate about together as an example of how owners don’t always put in the work to get the behaviors they want. I had a private flyball lesson with one of the top flyball players/trainers and as you can see in the first clip I completely fell apart while he was watching me for the first time. On the second day I told him outright that I was nervous and I didn’t think yesterday was a good reflection of what we can do. We did much better and made some great progress on our skills. Sometimes clients may be struggling because they didn’t do their homework, but it’s also possible that your presence is making them nervous. The lesson for today’s #mistakemonday is that empathy for the human half of the equation is a beautiful and powerful thing.
Today’s #mistakemonday is a little nerdier for you. In the first clip I am trying to shape front feet off, back feet on an object for agility. I started with the wrong object, it was too light and narrow and I accidentally clicked too many times for only one foot on the object. Eventually I try to get myself out of that hole and Poutine is confused and gives up. In the second clip we tried it again, but with a set up that made it MUCH easier for her to be successful. And guess what it transferred super well into her agility class “test”!
Despite how uncomfortable it makes me to share, here is a video clip of an honest mistake. This is our first time working in this location, and I didn’t think the person with the dog was turning down our street. Of course my goal is always to keep A dog under threshold. But I learned valuable information in that moment so when the next person crossed the street, I made a better choice. I am also super thrilled to see how fast he was able to recover! If you’re are feeling brave, share a mistake you made today using #mistakemonday and tag me in it for some love and support!
Super Bowls!
It’s very fitting that Finn got to play the “Super Bowls” pattern game today at during day training! The goal is to take this predictable pattern that he has agency over “on the road” with strange people!
Did you know #dachshund actually means “badger dog” in German? They were originally bred to hunt dangerous game in underground tunnels, and their loud bark allowed hunters to locate the dogs underground. There is a fine balance between honoring what our dogs were bred to do, and also honoring the individual dog. Roux LOVED this game, but Roux’s sister Winnie was actually nervous about the tunnel. If your dog enjoys these kinds of game look into #earthdog, #barnhunt or #happyratters in your area!
