Opossum t.v. I am rewarding Kira for watching the opossum in our back yard, but not barking or carrying on about it. We all need to get along peacefully . 💖 Give an example of a time you rewarded your dog for something that they were doing really well.
Kira (3 y.o. adopted White German Shepherd Dog) rocked her annual exam this week, including a Lyme / Lepto vaccine! Cooperative Care exercises at home can be so helpful. Dr. Hintz gave her treats before and after the exam and we had treats between several of the pieces. If your dog needs help in this area, I am happy to work with you. 🐾💕
Teaching "drop it" is such an important skill for all dogs. Here we are working with 11 week old Koda on rules / goals for tug as well as "drop it." The rules / goals are:
1. Sit politely and wait for the toy to come to you. No grabbing, launching at the toy or jumping on dad.
2. " Take it" means you have my permission to have the toy.
3. Tug very gently for 3-5 seconds.
4. Present a treat and ask for " drop it." Early on the treat is presented first as way to build a quick response. As Koda begins to be understand that " drop it" means to release and spit things out, the treat will come after the drop it as a reward.
5. Repeat. When done, give an "all done" cue and the toy is put away.
Kira and I practicing an exterior scentwork search with 3 hides. Two of the hides were elevated. Multiple hides can be tricky for dogs to sort out, as the odor can converge. You can see that Kira is having fun! Lynsie Bernier is such a great coach and cheerleader for us! ☺️❤️
Green light, yellow light or red light play? What do you see / hear that puts it in the category you chose? Do you have any concerns ? Would you interrupt at any point? Other thoughts or considerations?
Kira and I at a recent Sniff and Go working on our Scentwork skills. We had 2 minutes to find 2 hides and call an "alert." Our time was around 49 seconds. Kira really enjoys doing this and you can see how engaged she is in finding the odor.
A pretty mellow video but that is my goal! No drama when there are two plumbers working on the sink in the kitchen behind Kira. I am rewarding her for being quiet and calm as they work, leave enter and talk. She rocked it! Wynston is crated in another room and I was working with him too.
I found a new food / treat dispensing toy for Indigo at Aquarium Pets in Oshkosh. It is a Hagen CatIt. He likes it and had his dry food in it this morning. These toys help him to slow down when he eats.
We talk all the time about " train it when you don't need it so you have it when you do need it." I do lots of "practice" sessions with dropped items - I drop things from the counter, from the refrigerator, out of bags, from my pocket and we work on "leave it." Our dogs learn what to do and I practice a quick response. Here is how that pays off! A container of treats fell off off my things and the lid was not on tight, making a big mess. Here is Kira's response - she was laying on the ground but didn't move. I gave her 1 "leave it" cue and that was it - the rest was praise for a good response. This would NOT have happened without practice using 1 or 2 items. She rocked it! I was glad that I had my phone right there to record her success.
If there is a behavior you do NOT want, visualize what you DO want and train towards that goal. When we first adopted Kira, she would spin, bark and paw at the crate door in order to be let out. Once out, she would jump on us or Wynston or both of us. Over time I have taught her to wait quietly and patiently. Once she is released, I use treats and ask her to sit a few times. Do you have an example of training an alternate behavior with your dog or cat?
Introducing Mr. Pickles - one of the coolest Bulldogs I have ever worked with! Mr. Pickles was a big shoe thief and found the chase game with them highly rewarding! We began working with him on "leave it" and rewarding him for NOT taking his mom, Julie's shoes. While training, Julie is putting her shoes away unless she is actively working with Mr. Pickles. Our long term goal is to be able to have shoes laying out. I love how proud he looks! Mr. Pickles is a really smart dog and loves to train, especially when food and praise are involved. Julie is doing a great job with him!
In training we talk a lot about the importance of early timing as well as "catching our dogs doing it right and rewarding them." In this video I am doing both - praising Kira for letting Indigo pass without chasing him or bothering him ( no small task for a 1 year old dog!), and also giving a small, quiet "ah ah" when he starts to think about it. We finish with praise for a job well done as Indi walks off. These principles can be applied to every aspect of training. Can you think of examples where you have used either or both of these tools?
This toy is called a '"Best Ball' and Kira loves playing with it and rolling it around! It is plastic so it should be pretty indestructible. I found it on the Jeffers Pet website.
In training we talk a lot about how to set our animal companions up for success. In this short clip what am I doing or not doing that helps Indigo to be calm around the butterfly? How can you incorporate that concept into your own life and training with your dog, cat or other companion? P.S. The monarch was raised from an egg and will be released into the wild today.
Wynston's AKC Trick Dog Novice (TKN) Video
Wynston and I completed our AKC Nove Trick Dog title earlier this year.For the TKN title you complete 10 tricks selected from a list. Each trick has to be done twice. You are allowed to use treats at the Novice level. Wynston is a fun training partner and he has great enthusiasm.
Wynston and collar touching / removal.
Wynston can be shy or nervous about having his collar touched or removed by other people besides Dave and I. We have taught him 2 cues and paired them with high value treats. "Gotcha" means that someone is going to touch his collar and "collar" means that we are going to put it on or take it off. I have been working on this for a few weeks. Now we are having one of our pet sitters try it. Wynston is doing great with Gloria!
One tool that we can use on veterinary visits or when handling at home is a "cheesy spoon." I like to use a plastic spoon with a large area for adding cheese spread. You can also use peanut butter, cream cheese, Kong stuffing paste - anything that will stick to the spoon. I introduce the spoon at home before trying it at the clinic. Here is my dog Wynston licking his cheesy spoon while he gets a shot at our veterinary clinic. When I use this, it helps him to hold still, it gives him another focus, plus good things happen when he goes to the clinic! He did a great job! NOTE: You would NOT want to do this if your dog has food aggression issues. Contact a qualified behavior consultant if your dog is aggressive around food.
