Kane is doing very well with his obedience indoors! After today, we will be starting his outdoor training.
Kane is super fearful of people. When in the house, he likes me and knows who I am. But he will still back away from me if I accidentally move too quickly or walk directly towards him. When we're training, he doesn't mind any of that and solely focuses on his commands. His confidence and trust is building through our training sessions, but isn't quite solid yet.
When outside, he doesn't know me. He will keep his distance and growl. He has to drag a long leash so that I can use it to get him next to me. Once he's close enough, he'll recognize me, and all is good. Now that he knows a recall and comes straight to me when indoors, we will start training outside to help with that behavior. Since he learned his obedience quickly, we will have plenty of extra time for more confidence building!
Teeter is on her last week of training. She's learned everything we aimed to teach her. Now, it's just practicing and maintaining.
Before training, she would run away when off-leash. Which would make it difficult for her owners to take her hunting and camping. Now, as long as she is kept on a structured schedule, she sticks close by and doesn't ever run off. She stays where I can see her, and if I start to walk away, she follows. She's definitely transformed into a better companion, and I'm sure her owners will enjoy her a whole lot more. ðĨ°
A throwback to our biggest "Place Party" ever!
Teeters trip to Taylor's Market Day didn't go as planned. She was really scared. Even of people walking by in close proximity. Which confirmed my suspicion of her going through a fear period. So we ended up having her in a Down command and rewarding her anytime there was movement or a loud noise, which was pretty much constantly. Once she started to focus on me and the treats a tiny bit better, we took that as a good stopping point in order to not risk a negative experience. She was back to her normal self once we were a ways away from all the commotion, but she was definitely ready to get the heck out of there because she launched herself into her crate in the car. Back at home, we had an awesome off-leash session in the field nextdoor and a great game of fetch before she was ready for a nap. Ending the outing on a good note. ð
Teeter is working towards being off-leash when out in public. She is just about ready. She will still get distracted every now and then, but doesn't run off and follows commands to get her back to to me. Even with other dogs playing in the yards, she was focused on us!
Rocky had one last field trip before he goes home tomorrow. During his stay, we noticed that he can get very excited around other dogs and he works himself up into an anxious state. Throughout his stay, we've been working on him learning to control his excitement, which, in turn, lessened his anxiety. Because he frequented doggie daycare, he had a habit of his emotions getting out of hand when being around other dogs and not knowing how to control them. This turned into anxious behaviors like panting, barking, and jumping. We put his training to the test today and went to the dog park to watch the other dogs. Rocky stayed in control, listened to commands, didn't bark at all (even when barked at), and wasn't anxious. He did so so well! We are so proud of him.
Rocky and Teeter have been getting a long great since starting training together. We just had to take advantage of yesterday's weather and do an outdoor field trip before the rain started.They both did so well!
Rocky did amazing, and his anxiety has already improved a lot from his first trip. Teeter seemed to have helped him feel more comfortable around the distractions.
Teeter was a rockstar as always, unless she heard a trashcan rolling or another similar sound. She has been jumpy lately with the sound of big trucks as well. Due to her age, she may be going through a fear period, so we will be taking extra care that she has good experiences when out and about.
Fear periods happen usually before a dog turns a 1yr old. It's just a random fearful stage where dogs can become fearful of anything, even things they were previously fine with. It is a temporary period, and dogs typically return to normal in no time.
Rocky has been working on his Heeling and is now ready for field trips!
Rocky would get easily over-stimulated/anxious, this caused him to want to walk fast and look around at everything. This only served to overwhelm him more. He worked really hard and has learned to calm himself ð§ . Training really helps him focus and not get so worked up about our surroundings. Keep a close eye on him in this video. He is focusing on me, thinking about his command. He is happy, not anxious, and seems calm overall. Until I say "Free". Once he's released and allowed to do whatever he wants, he starts up with the panting again. I'm so proud of his progress. He's worked so hard! Our first field trip is going to be so fun!
Teeter has started her 4th week of training and is so so close to being off-leash already. She can drag a line without issue, and I'm almost confident enough to remove it in the front yard. However, I want her to work under more distractions before we do so, just in case. So we will be starting our field trips this week!
Today, the family a couple of houses down was playing in their front yard (behind the red car), which made a good distraction for us. Teeter focused on me and was happy to work as always. She has found a loophole to jumping, though, and when excited, will hop around, but not jump ON me. We have a rule that this is fine unless she starts pushing the boundaries. She's just a happy pup. ðĪ·ðŧââïļ We have been working hard on recalls lately, so she's learned to stick close by. Now, we have to practice her staying in command away from me as she feels the need to stay near me. That'll be a great thing to focus on during our field trips!
Rocky had some insecurities that needed work. Agility is a great way to build confidence! And since he loves the A-frame, we've added a tire jump. He loves this so much!
A key component in training is playtime!
Making sure dogs have an outlet for their energy is important. It is especially important for a working breed to have a way to do what they were bred for. Teeter is a Cattle Dog and chasing and nipping is ingrained in her breed. Having a way for her to this appropriately will keep her feeling fulfilled! A flirt-pole is the perfect toy for her and she loves it!
