Starving dog doesn’t guard food.
So many times I hear people excuse@resource guarding if the dog is starving. I have not found this to be the case. I have rescued many hungry dogs and they don’t guard their food. They may want to keep eating or keep the chew item, but they don’t get tense and indicate they will bite. This dog shows how this is possible. Note - after I test the dog I don’t keep pestering the dog and I always give the item or food back. #hart2heartcanine
Dramatic stair protest from dog
The drama! This sweet dog has some kind of neurological or structural issue with her legs. But she can walk! Watch her reaction when I ask her to go down the stairs!
PS. I walked her back up in the yard and then asked her to go down the stairs again and she did just fine.
Ex-feral dog Tipton still has his street-crossing skills years later. See how Tipton looks left and right before crossing the street. I assume he learned this skill from other dogs, but maybe he figured it out himself. What a smart boy!
Snow play is all fun and games until…
I forgot that snow + Tipton = jerk. This year is different because Char isn’t here. I am still navigating how just these two dogs will interact, without Char. They have always liked each other. In fact Shiloh was quite smitten by Tipton when he first arrived. Today, Tipton and Shiloh start by playing, with Shiloh initiating (pre video). But Tipton quickly gets too amped and has to be told to chill out by me. No humping allowed. I need to stick up for Shiloh because Tiptons behavior is out of line. Char would have intervened as well so I am following her lead.
The death stare - This is all it takes for Annie to communicate to Olive. I am going through some files and found this forgotten gem of a video. Annie, my first dog, is seen here with a subtle warning to Olive, the chihuahua mix, not to bother Annie while she is eating. If you can't see it or don't know what to look for, you can't stop it. Annie was the queen of the death stare, and all dogs respected her. Dogs are allowed to communicate civilly, so I allowed Annie to communicate this warning, but I was always at the ready to back her up. In my house, dogs ate in the kitchen with generous space between them. When done eating, no dog was allowed to go and bother dogs still eating. They could wander around but give respectful space to slow-eating dogs like Annie. This is the subtle communication people miss from dogs ALL THE TIME. If I wanted to disagree with Annie or Olive, this would be the moment to do so. I can intervene easily at this time. If Olive hadn't listened and I waited, I would have missed the opportunity to set the boundaries myself, if I felt the need. If boundaries are set when the dogs are at a low level, it is easy to do and can be done verbally or simply by shooing Olive away. Annie died years ago, but her legend lives on.
Best way to back up a leash and collar
This brilliant way to back up the leash and collar was told to me by my friend Kris Potter. We should all be doing it this way! My most common equipment issue is the leash clip being accidentally pulled open. This solves that problem. To see more videos like this please subscribe to my YouTube channel - What Dogs Have Taught Me https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg3BT8VFroSudksulHNK8tA
#hart2heartcanine #fearfuldogtraining #feraldogrescue
Today, Tipton used his mouse searching skills to check my old 4runner for mice. I discovered a nest and clues of mice in the car. But I couldn't see any mice so I brought out my mouse detector to tell me if the nest was abandoned. Seems there are no active living mice in the car or Tipton would have been more persistent. Good searching Tipton! He certainly wishes there was a mouse to catch. The video shows part of his investigation
New dog’s space being controlled by Char
Char subtly but clearly controlling Indie’s space and access to the house. Indie has lived mostly separate from my pack but with my training dog Lexi for the past 6 weeks. Lexi and Indie were great friends. Indie has met my dogs but not lived with them. Now I am integrating Indie into my household. Watch Char the master tell Indie she is welcome as long as Indie recognizes her newcomer status. Also notice that Indie is following Char even though she has placed these restrictions upon her. What does this tell us about how we should bring dogs into our home? What does this tell us about how dogs feel safe and secure?
Indie the incredible melting dog
Indie the incredible melting dog. She loves her belly rubs!
Dogs sharing and waiting their turn
Lexi and Indie are good sharing dogs. They easily avoid conflict over items. Here Lexi has a toy. You can see Indie is staying at a distance but making it known she would like to check out the toy. Dogs remind me of kids this way. There are other toys but the best one is the toy the other dog has or the toy another dog wants. Lexi gives Indie a loom saying “not yet I still want this toy”. And Indie waits. Ultimately neither dog really wants it. They just want to check out what the other dog has.
Two dogs hanging out
These two are “just hanging out”. But are they “just”? They are actually being aware of their environment, not on guard, but just aware. Tipton is surveying the area from a higher viewpoint. Indie is facing a different direction and using her nose. If we mirror this behavior with our dogs, even just briefly, we will become much more relevant to them because they then can think we know what’s going on and we are looking out for the group. The dogs don’t have other things messing up@their awareness. They are totally in the moment. This is especially important with dogs that don’t trust humans like fearful and feral dogs. T seems simple but I find many humans have trouble just “hanging out” without being distracted by what’s in our heads. #hart2heartcanine #fearfulferaldogs
