Here is the enrichment! Sorry my heads cut off but Roo is the focus, and her mental games!
In this video, not only is the owner teaching a cue (sit/stay/free), in the dogs brain, she is learning to wait (tolerance of frustration), as well as getting rewarded for it by having a fun toy to play while eating dinner! So many ways to help your dog that you can fit in your everyday life!
Another puzzle tackled! Remember, you don't need to use just one....use 10! And make your own...contact me for more ideas!
It really doesn't matter if you think your dog has good or bad behavior, games, puzzles and enrichment is for EVERY dog! Old, young, hyper, calm....the benefits are: gets the dogs BRAIN tired (not just her body), helps them cope with stresses better, helps them use their nose and brain to problem solve which helps in everyday situations of calmness, gives them confidence, and helps the bond between you and your pup. So why not????
I love when clients who are very dedicated to the well being and happiness of their dog, sends me updates between training sessions. This pup was fairly reactive on leash and now look at him! Just a few days ago they were afraid to even walk him in the front yard. Keep up the great work!
Happiness is: Running through the snow! How do you exercise your dog when the weather is cold or rainy? And as an aside, I do not recommend retractable leashes on a regular basis: they encourage pulling and can not only break but snap out of your hand, or snap back and hit you.
Using the 'touch' training is a great tool to use for many reasons: help hand shy dogs, get dog to redirect/refocus from a stressor, a great communication starter, use as a alternate behavior for an undesirable behavior ...on and on. And I started 'touch' with my horse Smoke today! I used the 'capturing a behavior' technique because she was offering this behavior and I added the cue word and reward. Can't wait to expand on this training with her! Interested in trying this with your dog? Give me a call!
When you have a dog that is food motivated, it is so easy to find fun things for them to do! If you think your dog isn't food motivated, you can try training when they are really hungry (like not eating for 1/2 day) and use very high value treats like liver/chicken/lung/heart...things they don't get all of the time, only when training. Roo loves working for her food! Why? It's not a boring bowl, its a fun toy! If you need help getting your dog tired or relaxed, try games and puzzles and let me know how it goes!
This time it's a short scavenger hunt for a few treats. Roo has been doing this for a while, so you may need to make your hiding places easy-peasy at first because remember YOU know the game of search or find it, but your pup does not! Soon she'll be getting mental AND physical exercise! And this can transfer to other places too: out on the porch, in the yard, at a friends house...give her something to do!
Many times I suggest to my clients who have fearful, aggressive, anxious, reactive (or any other behavior issue they would like to help their dog overcome) to ditch the bowl. What does this mean? Literally finding other ways for your dog to eat her meals instead of a bowl. If you have a dog that has no issues it is still a great way to get them to use their nose and brain to find their food. In at tires them out to boot! Here is Roo eating her breakfast out of her toybox. It took me about 3 seconds to do this so even in the busiest households you could find ways for your dog to do a food search. Call me for more ideas and about the science behind how this can change your dog's brain for the better!
Impulse training second time
