Breakfast with Mae Mae
We stopped it before she was finished because the tape on the toilet paper roll that was added for extra difficulty, complicated it and it's not something we're going to do again.
It did fuel a brief moment of resource guarding.
This is something we know about her, but always try to be mindful of during this process.
It wasn't anything extreme, but it was enough where she did growl, then retreat to her kennel.
She was asked to "out" the item so it could then be taken away without further conflict.
She was then released back to finish out the remainder of her meal in the same sequence.
It's always important to be mindful, especially when we're working around valued resources.
Nicole saw fit at the time to stop recording, and that's ok. She wasn't quite sure what to expect in that moment.
In Mae's mind, she thought we wanted to take her food, when in reality it was a piece of tape...
I would've been completely ok with all of that being recorded, but because it wasn't, I wanted to take the time to explain it anyway.
Mae and I have the level of relationship where I know I can get the out.
In moments like this, panic can be the worst thing and calm energy is the best way to go so that communication flows.
While it may be viewed by some as a not so great moment, it was actually a great moment because it generated a further, much more important part of a discussion between Nicole and I moving forward.
What often comes "natural" to me is still something that she is learning, and that's ok.
More importantly, we're all learning together.
#maehem #breakfastwithmaemae
Good night everyone 😴🌌🌃 💤
#doghandlerlife #lifewithaweimaraner
They were full of it 😅😂
#maehem #lifewithaweimaraner
Breakfast with Mae Mae
The wounded exploding pigeon 😅😂
Still parts of the sequence I want to work a bit more but I'm generally having a lot of fun developing this idea and she seems to as well.
Even after all this, she continued to forage for about 15 minutes after we stopped recording.
While we were doing this today I was thinking items we use as toppers should be more involved.
Our kibble is balanced and has raw boost but things like chicken feet provide some level of bone, rabbit ears provide some level of fiber, and organ meat just makes sense.
The idea is to mimic the all around sequence.
When we pulled up this morning there was a squirrel just outside the Jeep that both dogs took an interest in.
In getting out I can't just let them pursue it even if we're on a dead end street, there's also a river of questionable ice thickness that quite honestly they won't even think about before running straight out onto the ice if they feel so inclined.
It's for that reason I want to offer them alternatives like this so we check those primal boxes.
If I take an activity away, I want to be able to replace it so we still fulfill the dogs needs in a simple enough way where anyone can ultimately do that in some form.
This isn't a behavioral cure all, this is just a level of enrichment for the dog that also helps build our overall relationship with our animals while we scrub off some energy in the process.
#breakfastwithmaemae #maehem
Random bit of conversation before walking back in to finally eat.
Ghost was in there for quite some time by himself.
Living with our dogs is how we live with our dogs...
#doghandlerlife #leadbyexample
Breakfast with Mae Mae featuring Ghost
Good morning and happy Tuesday.
I was a little too late to catch her mighty "woo woo" at the beginning. 😂
She still isn't feeling 100%, so we wanted to make it slightly easier for her today.
She did great and is now resting.
Ghost is also doing so much better anxiety wise spending more time in his crate with his 2 cups of food a day split into ½ cup four times a day in there with his Kong Wobbler.
#breakfastwithmaemae #doghandlerlife
Today, Mack had his first ever session on the treadmill, and he absolutely rocked it.
Aruba, Tank, Sol, and Mae did great on the mill today too, as usual.
Awesome job, everybody!
#haverhillmassachusetts #daycamp
Halo is doing great with his muzzle conditioning!
He's building duration keeping his snout in.
Way to go, Halo!
#daycamp #haverhillmassachusetts
Breakfast with Mae Mae
Trial and error on this sequence as a whole but definitely ok with it being different enough each time.
Regardless it's accomplishing what we want.
Moves in the right direction even if they don't go as hoped are still gains.
Plus it's just plain fun and it's the type of stuff I could watch all day.
#breakfastwithmaemae #maehem
Good morning and happy Monday!🌄🌅🌞
#lifewithaweimaraner #haverhillmassachusetts
The day came to extensively clean Ham's enclosure.
Things are loud.
Smelly smells that smell smelly are everywhere,
And there's an extra animal that's normally not as easily accessible around.
So this is all I want the dog's doing during this process.
#doghandlerlife #leadbyexample
Breakfast with Mae Mae
We made it a bit more difficult today, but also more interactive and she had more fun and got got a lot more out of it as a result.
#doghandlerlife #breakfastwithmaemae
