So much for getting some morning training in. 🙄
When you feel that wind and see things moving on the breeze, try to remind yourself that your dog probably isn't going to be showing their most desirable behavior. Just imagine that if you could see an image of their brain that it would be lighting up like fireworks. Boom!🎇 BOOM! 🎆 Pops of color and chaos everywhere! That's all the stimulus they're taking in. They won't have much room or focus left for us or what we want (or don't want) them to do.
Can you train to overcome this? Yes, kind of. Just remember that you're only going to get perfect responses in perfect conditions, but it can get better. The first step is actually to let them take it all in without bothering them too much.
But what if they're scared and overwhelmed? Offer comfort. Go to quieter spots with less flappy things. Maybe skip the walk and stay indoors. It's pretty common for sensitive dogs and adolescents to struggle with windy days. Short, manageable exposures are better than long ones where stress can build.
Want more tips for life with dogs? Let us know!
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I haven't seen anyone teaching this skill before (although I'm sure it's not unique), so I thought I'd share it!
I found myself saying "get out of the street" frequently to my puppy when I first started teaching him how to walk around the neighborhood when he would wander off the sidewalk. Obviously it wasn't super effective because he didn't know what it meant and I usually had to pull him out of the street anyway. So, I decided to devise a training plan to make my random noises (word) mean something!
1) I started just by feeding him a lot on the sidewalk.
2) Then, I started throwing treats farther down the sidewalk and moving around a little so he understood it wasn't a particular spot, it was the curb or difference in surface he should pay attention to.
3) Next, I got him to come out into the street and then said "out of the street" while guiding him back to the sidewalk. As soon as all four paws were on, treats rained down again.
We just practiced these a lot and started adding them into our walks. Before long, he might veer into the street and I could say his cue and he'd hop back up. I also reinforce him occasionally for staying on the sidewalk so he gets into the street far less often.
Is there something you say to your dog all the time that you wish they would listen to? Let me know!
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Those doggy nose powers are strong! And why are there so many chicken bones around?!?! 🦴🦴 Penny is a bit of a sneaker. She likes to casually find and consume any kind of tasty food bits she finds. This was a good opportunity to practice moving away from food.
Wanna get better at preventing your dog from scavenging on walks? Practicing ahead of time is best, but in the moment:
1) QUICKLY shorten the leash to prevent them from getting the item (you can see Penny hit the end of her leash before I said anything). Sometimes I'll step on the leash if it's the fastest thing to do.
2) You can wait for them to turn away and reward them or call them over to you. Penny is working on 'touch' and it's not super strong yet, but it worked!
3) Toss your treat AWAY from the item so you can get some distance between them and the yucky stuff. Move with them as they go after the treat and keep the leash short.
4) Hustle out of the area and maybe give them a couple of treats on the way from moving away from something they really want. That's hard work!
Remember, continually grabbing stuff out of a dogs mouth or yelling at them for picking something can and often does cause resource guarding. Even if they don't start growling, it can prompt them to swallow things as quickly as possible. And, I mean, if you keep stealing their treasures, doesn't that make sense?
We'll never completely eliminate scavenging behavior because it's baked into the DNA of dogs. We can't stop dogs from being dogs, but if you need some help making your walks less frustrating or scary because of scavenging, let us know!
Don't put those Easter baskets away just yet! 🐰🥚
Here's a fun activity you can do with your dog today or any day of the year. Load plastic Easter eggs up with treats or your dogs kibble and place them in a basket, bucket, or box with filler. Let your dog fish them out and break them open to get out the good stuff!
Tips:
❌ NO plastic Easter grass!! Seriously. It can cause a nasty foreign body if a longer piece is ingested.
❌ Avoid fancy eggs with glitter or other stuff glued on.
✔️ DO use paper grass, shredded newspaper, crumpled brown paper bags, or wadded up cloth as filler.
✔️ Do use appropriately sized eggs - they should be big enough that your dog can't roll them to the back of their mouth. Too big is never an issue. Getting eggs with a joint, so the pieces stay together when open, further reduces the choking risk.
👀 Watch dogs carefully to make sure they're not trying to consume the non-food parts, and remove anything that's causing a problem.
🖐️ Give a helping hand to dogs who seem to be getting stuck or confused. This is supposed to be fun, not frustrating!
Tell your dog we said Hoppy Easter!!!
P.S If you're wondering who this pup is, her name is Dehlilah. She was our trainer, Nikki's, amazing partner for 12 long years. She died in Spring '22 at 13 years from cancer. She had many awesome Easter egg hunts. ❤️
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🔊 Sound on to hear the description! 🔊
🐕🦺🐾This is a great exercise to do before going on a walk, when you're in a distracting place like a park, or when you feel like your dog is getting worked up and forgetting about you. This will get your dog primed to engage with you and think about where you are while you're out.
👉Try this:
1) Set a treat on the ground in front of you and let your dog eat it.
2) Once your dog eats the treat, you can wait for them to look up at you or make a little attention noise to prompt them.
3) When they look at or toward your face, use your marker word (I say Yes!) and deliver the next treat on the ground. This creates a looping behavior that's more likely to repeat.
4) As this gets faster and smoother, start tossing the treat out to the side a little bit. Maybe a foot.
5) As soon as your dog turns back to you, mark and toss the treat out to the other side.
6) To end the game, feed the last treat out of your hand and say "let's go!"
🙃When to modify:
- If you have a dog that avoids eye contact, this may make them uncomfortable. That's okay, you can reward for looking in your direction. They're still paying attention to you.
- If your dog is having a hard time coming back to you, make it easier by keeping the treat closer or going to a less distracting area.
🐶 Give this a try and let me know what you think!
❤️ Like this reel to let us know you want more positive reinforcement training tips!
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🍞 Isn't proofing something that you do to dough? What does proofing have to do with dog training??? 🐶🥐
A lot! In dog training, "proofing" is the process of making sure your dog thoroughly understands a behavior and how to do it under any condition. 🍃☀️☔
Your dog can sit in the living room when you have a treat in your hand, but will they...
🪑 Still sit when you ask them while you stand on a chair?
🌳 How about in the park?
⬇️ Do they know how to go into a sit from a down position?
🙈 How about if your back is turned?
👩🏫 When teaching a new behavior, you should teach it in the best environment and situation possible so your dog can really focus and understand. (Also so YOU the human can really focus) But after that, you need to make sure you can use that skill in every environment and situation it will be needed in.
☝️In fact, you should probably OVER train a little. If you make sure your dog can do it in situations that aren't strictly necessary or common, you'll know they'll be able to do it when you do need it.
😄 Proofing can be really fun! We can get creative and be silly dreaming up new scenarios to train in. And if training is fun, we'll do it more!
🐕🐾The video is with our trainer, Nikki, proofing stays with different dogs in a variety of different scenarios. If you'd like to know how to do this with your dog, message us!
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Our walkers have been out enjoying the snow with our clients' pups! Enjoy these adorable pics of Gilly, Bert, Luigi, & Clover! ❄️⛄
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Brookland Dog Walking 2023 wrapped🦴
Before the clock strikes midnight, we'd like to thank all of our amazing clients for an amazing 2023. This year was filled with lots of walks, runs, training sessions, scratches, petting, house sitting, and, of course, treats. We're looking forward to being with you all in 2024 🐾🐾🐶🐩🐕🦺🐕🦮
We love our very good boy, Bruce 🧡🧡
Note from our wonderful trainer Nikki: "Our walkers only use 6 foot leashes on neighborhood walks for safety reasons. BUT, training and enrichment clients can experience more freedom on a long line with the trainer when deemed safe and appropriate."
