Boy it is HOT out there! 🥵 Mars and I are beating the heat and practicing this ‘tuck’ behavior instead of our usual outdoor things to keep him occupied. What indoor activities have you been doing with your dog to keep them busy?
#dogwalker #dogwalking #petsitter #havefunwithyourdog #dogtraining #practicalskillsfurniture #plymouthma #kingstonma #duxburyma #halifaxma #plymouthcounty
I’m not a hot weather fan either, but sometimes I don’t mind some heat during a walk. I just wish I could bring him with me too 😭👟
#dogwalker #dogwalking #petparentlife
Mini Mars Update! I have been in the throes of puppy raising, and while I was initially really hopeful I would keep up and be able to share his training journey I knew all alone it wasn’t as often as I’d hope #iykyk
Lately we’ve been working on many things, but here you can see he is being introduced to a muzzle. We start off slow and comfortably, teaching him to put his head into the muzzle in order to get a tasty snack. To make it easier for him, we are working with a muzzle that’s slightly bigger than his face to get the behavior started. Over time we will shape his behaviors to be able to wear a properly fitting muzzle and have the straps clipped.
You may be thinking, does this puppy really need a muzzle? And to that I say yes! There is never a bad time to prepare your pup to wearing a muzzle as you never know when you will need one. Even if he is not a bite risk to the public, he still may need to tolerate a muzzle in the event of a medical problem, emergency, or even being a vacuum who can’t stop eating foreign objects in public. For me, having my dog be able to wear a muzzle is just as important as wearing a collar, we just have to take a slightly more methodical approach to getting them comfortable with it.
Please note: we are starting our training with a cloth muzzle as that was cheap and available for this introduction. Cloth muzzles should only be used for short term wear as a dog cannot pant (which is vital for canine temperature regulation) while wearing one. We will eventually switch to a basket muzzle that can be worn long term.
#dogsofinstagram #dogtraining #dogtrainer #havefunwithyourdog #muzzletraining #muzzleawareness #puppylife #puppyraising #cardiganwelshcorgi #marsthecardi
Mars is here to remind you and your pup to wear blaze orange for safety! These vests help to keep you visible in high traffic areas, during hunting season, or in the dark!
#safetyfirst #dogsafety #dogsafetytips #havefunwithyourdog #getoutside #getoutdoors
I’m not done talking about markers yet! When I introduced this concepts, I specifically spoke of marker words (or sounds) because that’s what we tend to use most. But did you know a marker can be ANYTHING? Here I am working with deaf dog Cole teaching him a visual marker cue. Keep in mind that our dogs are always learning, meaning they may be determining their own visual markers! Have you ever noticed your dog gets excited when you stick your hand in your treat pouch even when you haven’t said anything? Hello visual marker!
#dogtraining #dogtrainer #dogtrainingtips #deafdog #rescuedog #cattledog #australiancattledog #fosterdog #availableforadoption #havefunwithyourdog
Over the past two weeks I’ve gotten started getting some real functional obedience skills started with my cardigan corgi puppy, Mars. On topic with Wednesdays posts about marker words, here we are practicing our multiple marker cues from a puppy start class taught by @eromitlabs through @fenzidogsportsacademy
Teaching Mars multiple markers is going to provide him so much clarity as we push forward through training. Each marker word has a different meaning, letting him know exactly how and where he can collect his reward. While you can get away with never doing this lots of dogs, one of the main reasons I have opted to do this is because Mars is a herding breed and if you aren’t familiar with herding breeds, they have a tendency to be handler oriented, aka they are watching everything you do and putting meaning behind it, even when you don’t have a meaning to something. By teaching multiple markers, I am adding structure and clarity to my end of the training so that I can’t get mad when he finds his own way to bend the rules.
Got a question about marker words or how to implement them in your training? Just shoot me a message and we can chat!
#dogtraining #dogtrainingtips #dogtrainer #puppylove #puppygram #cardiganwelshcorgi #cardigancorgi #marsthecardi
Here’s a quick recap of Mars’ first week home! We accomplished SO much, but it doesn’t even look like it.
Our first week objectives included:
- establishing a daily routine
- building familiarity with new home, people, and pets
- practicing alone time with crate training
- building new house training habits
- having fun together
- observing preferences for foods, toys, sleeping spots, etc.
- establishing confidence with new situations and items
Against common suggestion, I did not have a hoard of people over to say hi and “socialize” my dog. I did not bring him to a bunch of difference places and spaces to overwhelm and overstimulate him. While these things seem great in concept, they typically aren’t good for our new puppies in practice. They barely know us, how should they know if we are here to help them if we haven’t built that yet?
Now that he is showing trust and confidence in me, we can allow access to some of those things in a controlled manner. Stay tuned to watch Mars’ progress on training and what our training goals look like each week.
#dogtraining #dogtrainersofig #dogtrainingisfun #puppylife #puppyraising #dogtrainingtips #cardiganwelshcorgi #cardigancorgi #marsthecardi
An underrated use of the JW Hol-ee Roller! #canineenrichment #dogtoys #playwithyourdog #dogenrichmentactivities #savvysnouts #enrichmentfordogs
I love a good touch cue! #dogtrainingisfun #dogtraining #dogtrainer #dogtrainingclasses #dogtrainingtips #virtualdogtraining #savvysnouts
