Camp Peggy Posts for Pets

12/30/2023

12/16/2023

12/14/2023

12/07/2023

A reminder:

The behaviors you REINFORCE will always continue. Be careful about what you’re reinforcing or allowing to be reinforced! There is a motivator behind EVERYTHING your dog does.

Dog jumps on you and you respond by talking / touching? Behavior is being reinforced.
Dog counter surfs and continues to find goodies to steal? Behavior is being reinforced.
Dog chews on inappropriate items but is continuously allowed to have access to them? Behavior is being reinforced.
Dog barks / reacts at strangers and people react by moving away? Behavior is being reinforced.
Dog doesn’t like nail trims and throws a fit every time you pick up a foot, so your response is to immediately let them go and give up on it? Behavior is being reinforced.
Dog fakes you out and runs when you try to catch them and you engage in chasing (“playing the game”)? Behavior is being reinforced.

Sit down and make a list of all the behaviors you’d like to extinguish. Now make a list of what’s reinforcing them. Now, remove the reinforcement entirely. Better yet, add a CONSEQUENCE on top of it.

Dog jumps on you? Stop interacting. Correct them.
Dog counter surfs? Don’t leave food accessible on surfaces, implement use of a s**t mat to correct them.
Dog chews on inappropriate items? Remove reinforcement by removing accessibility to these items. Provide appropriate things to chew instead.
Dog is reactive to strangers? Practice reinforcing only calm behavior (under threshold) around people who won’t move away. Set them up to succeed so only good things are being rewarded. (This one can get complex! Work with a professional as needed!)
Dog doesn’t like nail trims? Only release them / give them freedom when they display calm behavior.
Dog fakes you out and runs when you try to catch them? Stop chasing (reinforcing). Teach that recall / bringing collar to hand is the only thing that will be rewarded.

12/06/2023

Bingo!

11/05/2023

11/03/2023

11/02/2023

Boundaries are what show them the middle!

A boundary does not have to come with negative emotion or judgement

When we say “no,” it does not have to come with trouble, withheld love or care, or emotional distress. It can mean not here, or not like this, because you’re happiest when you’re straight and stable.

We can say no because we care- because we love and care for the other party, because we want their well-being. Boundaries are how we show where the middle is- the place of peace and calm.
Even if they take it poorly, are upset or angry, we can be calm and regulated ourselves - all corrections of ours come from a place of our own balance.

Every boundary has to be accompanied with a clear pathway forward - what is it we’re looking for and how can we show the way?

Horses are pretty straight forward. They like clarity, and don’t take these kinds of things personally.

People quite often struggle to remove emotion and personal judgement from a boundary, but, I believe it can be achieved in the same way - it’s just messier.

10/21/2023

There is nothing harder to overcome in a dog than a poisoned recall cue.

You know the one- you call the dog to come to you, the dog refuses or dances around, and you get frustrated and angry and start bellowing at the dog to come to you.

The dog learns over time that your recall command means you are mad and to keep away from you.

Owners don't intend to poison the cue, but 100% of every dog that comes to us for remediation has learned that the recall command is something to be suspicious of.

So here's a handful of rules for teaching your dog a reliable recall:

1) Never give your dog a command that you cannot enforce. Your dog cannot refuse if it's wearing a leash and collar, and you happen to be holding the leash.

2) ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS positively reinforce honest effort. If your dog comes to you, praise the dog SINCERELY and offer something of value in return for that effort.

3) Don't run your dog down if it refuses or is reluctant to come to you. You did that, not the dog. You breached a sacred trust, and you have to earn it back. It starts by not chasing the dog because you planned poorly and are now frustrated and angry.

4) 100% of recalls should be positively reinforced.

5) The recall should be the behavior you practice the most, with the greatest ROI for the dog. If every time you call your dog, you are locking him up, leaving him or any other activity the dog finds de-motivating, you are diminishing the value of the recall.

6) NEVER NEVER NEVER punish your dog for coming to you. I don't care what the dog did before that, but if you're not adhering to the short list of things above, that's a YOU problem, not a dog problem.

Think about it. When you were a kid and you heard your mom shout your first, middle, and last name, you knew you were in for it.

You didn't want to come to that, why do you think your dog would?