Certified | Modern Science | Humane | Fear Free | Force Free | Dog Training & Behavior Consulting
01/24/2025
I posted this on my personal account because it’s Tuna’s 5 year Gotcha Day! I wanted to post it on Dogma’s account because this is a quick little story about how reading your dog’s behavior is feedback/communication and because practicing skills that seem silly and fun can actually serve a great function down the road.
This skill/trick of being carried on my shoulders, I taught to Tuna 5 years ago. We’ve never really used it much or practiced. On occasion I’d used it for fun or for her to see over the table at farmers market events (to see the squirrel in the tree). Honestly, I never really thought it would be important. Yesterday on our little adventure, it was freezing outside and Tuna was showing signs of her feet getting cold. She started to paw lift here and there, but she was having so much fun that she was ignoring how cold her feet really were! Thankfully I’m very observant of her behavior so I turned around to head back. On the way back to the truck, about half way there, I noticed her behavior start to become more shut down, slower pace, hunched body, lowered tail, less check ins, less attentive so I picked up her drag line (thanks ). Once I picked up her drag line, she starting to pull on the leash. I tried a few times to redirect her and she wouldn’t which started to irritate me. I quickly checked myself and got curious instead, why was she pulling? Why was she not listening? Why does her body language look the way it does? DING DING DING!!!…she was cold and wanted to get back to the car ASAP!
I asked Tuna for an “UP” cue and she got so excited, bounced right over and jumped up on me! She wanted to be picked up! So I started to carry her back to the car. Since the car was a ways away, I had to readjust to the over the shoulders carry. She was very out of practice, but because her feet were freezing, she allowed me to physically place her there with the help of a food lure. We made it back to the car and Tuna was a happy but freezing girl. I wrapped her in my puffy coat and blasted the heat! Moral of the story…read your dog’s body language for what it is and practice skills that could be useful!
