Don’t be this person! Here’s why ⬇️ 1. The other dog may not be friendly and could react aggressively 2. They may be a working dog or in training 3. On leash interactions are not natural for dogs and can be very stressful 4. Allowing your dog to approach another dog may cause set back in their training. One moment can erase years of trainingBe aware of the situation! #servicedog#servicedogintraining #dogtraining
Raising and training our newest service puppy
Here is our newest raise and train Potato 🥔! He is learning to settle in his new house and yard!
Sometimes we can forget that puppies when they first come home don't know that much. An important part of raising and training service dogs is letting them be happy, and confident in their surroundings.
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Take a breath, and enjoy your dog!
"May all of us experience the happiness of finding that perfect partner." - Leslie McDevitt
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What is Potato down for?
What do you think little Potato is down for, to kill someone or the apple orchard?
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Our new website is now live!
We are still putting on the final touches so our Coastal store is still temporarily down. We are actively working on it and everything will be accessible by Friday!
Check us out at https://coastalservicedogs.com/
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When training specific tasks, we like to break behaviors down even further.
Great examples of tasks that may need to be broken down are mobility tasks, scent training tasks, and advanced response tasks.
Here, Anya is learning her “Lead” task. We’re differentiating directions with different targets! A visible marker may be needed for some dogs and is a great example of “breaking down a behavior.” Though the targets will be faded out, they are needed to better her understanding.
Some dogs may need basic tasks to be broken down to further their understanding. There is no shame in giving your dog a full instruction sheet if they need it and can actually help with problem solving in the future!
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Introducing the Staircase Game!
In our Foundational Series, we want to showcase our favorite games for you to try out. Let us know down below if you’ve tried this one out and what your favorites are!
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Confidence Building is one of the most important things we work on when training a Service Dog.
Service Dogs should stay level headed, cool, and confident in most situations—of course there are exceptions to this rule, but we should be striving to help our dogs feel confident in every situation we put them in.
Confidence Building isn’t only playing on structures, riding on carts, or traversing through flooring with wobbly footing. It can also look like healthy socialization, counter conditioning, and setting your dog up for success!
At the end of the day, all we want is a happy and confident dog.
What are your favorite Confidence Building activities?
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Intro to our foundational series!
What are some of your favorite games to practice with your dogs?
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5 Key areas to remember to practice!
Make sure to take time out of your day and spend just a few minutes training. Remember 5 minutes a day can go a long way.
Recall - Practicing recall is incredibly important—and not just for service dogs! You can work on this with a longline in your house or in your backyard. If your dog has a more advanced recall skill set, you can always customize it to fit your dog’s needs! Remember to always reward your dog and make coming back to you a priority! Never correct your dog when they come back to you if they run away!
Leash Manners - Leash Manners is a great skill for all dogs to have! Practice putting on the leash, walking with the leash connected in the house, and continue moving on to more advanced leash manners like loose leash walking and heeling. All of these new skills should be done in the house, but if your dog already knows these skills, always reward for check in’s at an appropriate time.
Boundary Training - Boundary Training can be such a lifesaver! Does your dog run out the door when you open it? Grab a leash and practice only letting the dog out when you give them the release word. This skill should always be brushed up on and never assume your dog will just stay because you worked on it once.
Greetings - Dogs should be calm, confident, and happy during greetings! Some dogs don’t like to be greeted and that is perfectly okay! Never force your dog to greet someone or something it might be feeling nervous about. If your dog likes to say hi to people, try waiting for a calm sit before the person is allowed to say hi!
Settling - Settling can be so tricky for puppies and adolescent dogs, but with practice it can become second nature! Sit in a spot with your dog and wait for calm behavior. You don’t have to do too much with this one, just stop and take a few moments with your dog!
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3 reasons your dog may be acting out.
... Their basic needs are not being met. Your dog may act out if they are not mentally stimulated. Allow times when they can enagage their brains. Short training sessions go a long way and it can be freshening up on new cues, or you can work on teaching new tricks and behaviours. Scent games are also a fantastic way to allow your dog enagage their brain! A lack of physcial exercises can also be related to why your dog may be acting out. Give them time to do more than go potty! Allow them to walk, sniff, and forage—this also helps with their exposure to enviornments!
... Not being able to express natual behaviours. Make sure you are allowing positive outlets for natural behaviours and desires. Such as chewing, digging, shredding, sniffing, foraging, and running! This can be achieved by participating in dog sports, giving them cardboard shreds, or even training fun tricks!
... Expectations they simply don’t know. Often times we set these expectations on our dog without even realizing it. The only information they know is what you have given to them thus far. It is important to practice cues you have already shaped, worked on, or proofed with the appropriate amount of expectation. Examples can be walking on a leash, not running out your front door, or stealing things off the counter. It is important to practice behaviours and train for situation like these instead of getting frustrated at your dog. Your dog only knows what you’ve taught them!
Have you ever set any expectations without realizing it? What are activities you engage in with your dog? Let us know in the comments!
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