Many folks have trouble calling their dog away from distractions, because they can be hard to practice - and hard to control. (Some day, I’ll train a squirrel to use as a decoy, and I’ll be rich… but until then!)
To work towards that skill, we need to know two things:
1. When CAN your dog come when called?
2. When CANT they come when called?
Then we just need to brain storm the things in the grey area between #1 to #2 - and start working there.
For Preston, he could easily come when called off leash if there was nothing going on, but calling away from moving prey? TOO HARD! So we found that grey area to work in: ⭐️ sniffing where prey had been, ⭐️ a toy sitting on the ground, ⭐️ a thrown toy, ⭐️ noises made by rocks thrown in the underbrush that sounded like prey moving around, ⭐️ leaves blowing across the field, ⭐️ birds flying across the field, ⭐️ play with other dogs, ⭐️ other dogs running.
Guess what? He’s doing a pretty darn good job about calling away from running deer these days! 😍
In Lord of the Flies, we’re starting easy:
1. Can you call away from the trainer standing and ignoring you?
2. What if she gives you a treat and then ignores you?
3. What about if she holds out a closed fist full of treats but doesn’t give you one?
4. How about a closed fist after she gives you a treat from that very same hand?!
Needless to say, these boys rocked it.
Need help finding that grey area? That’s what we’re here for. You might have to get creative, but I promise it’s there!
Team Bingo has been learning the Power of Pattern Games!
Bingo is enthusiastic about life - but he has some Big Feelings about dogs in the environment. This is extra difficult because he is a sport dog, competing in Nosework and learning agility.
Most of my barky-lungey clients are familiar with Look At That, as created by Leslie McDevitt, but Bingo especially benefits from one of her newer twists - LATTE! The addition of enrichment stations after each LAT gives dogs a little extra help in regulating their arousal and helping process their feelings.
Enrichment stations don’t need to be fancy! In this video, we’re using a scrunched up towel, two cardboard boxes, and a little step stool.
Is it working? Well… just listen to that peace & quiet.
Fabulous work, Team Bingo!
🚗 Training in new places starts at the car! 🚙
Any time we load up our dogs to go on an adventure, I want to know (as best we can!) that they are going to be successful and have a good time.
That means we’re going to do a quick and easy check in before we even walk away from the car to see where their brains are.
💜 Can you eat? If your dog can’t take food, it tells us they are probably feel a little overstimulated, over faced, anxious, worried, or so on. This lets us know they likely need more time to settle in, or need a calmer environment. Plus, we can’t reinforce good behavior if our dog isn’t taking reinforcement!
💙 Check it out! It’s a new place - so let them take it in. Sniff the smells, hear the sounds, see what’s going on… from the safety of the car, whenever possible.
💚 Boomerang Exit! For everyone’s safety, I want my dog to immediately turn back to me after exiting the car. No dashing in to traffic, pulling the lead out of my hands, getting surprised by people or dogs… just give me a second to get the human end of the leash situated!
💛 Go potty! Needless to say, we aren’t invited back if our dogs make a mess inside, so be sure they have time to go before you walk in!
⚠️ Can’t do one of those things? Don’t go inside! ⚠️
If you do, it will probably not be a great learning experience for you or your pup. Hang out together outside, play some “look at that!”, try a quieter place, try another day… but don’t keep pushing after your dog has already told you they can’t.
Happy Adventures! 🌅
With three full days of rain in the forecast, let’s take a look at how a trainer survives the day with a new puppy (without him harassing the adult dogs in the house who have little to no patience for pent up puppy energy on a yucky day)!
🍽️ Make those meals work for you! Puppies need lots of calories for their growing bodies, which means we have at least three times a day to put those calories to work. Training, puzzle toys, sniffy games, foraging boxes, treat chases, and more can help burn mental and physical energy.
💨 PLAY! Not included in these videos is LOTS of toy play, inside fetch, tug, and chewing. For our household, the Big Dogs are stationed up on the couch while Huxley plays, just to prevent any accidental personal space encroachment.
🔮 Prepare for Puppy Witching Hour! After dinner, Huxley gets a little extra bananas. In the safety of his play pen, he can go as wild as he wants without offending the Big Dogs, biting me too hard, chewing on things he shouldn’t… and gives me some time to eat my own dinner in peace. As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!
(And hey! None of these require fancy toys, puzzles, or new purchases. All of this was using items I already owned, and recycling that I’ve been hoarding all week. Enrichment doesn’t need to be expensive to be enriching!)
And yes - everyone, you can now officially say hello to Huxley. 💚
WILD WEDNESDAYS with RUMBLE! 😂
Rumble had her very first Adventures in Wonderland session today - and she gifted us with this *chefs kiss* exquisite display of the adolescent brain in action.
We’ll be back with her next week, so get ready to see more and more of her big beautiful face over the next month! We promise to report back with more shenanigans, and more learning.
“She can do it in class, but it all falls apart when we try at home!”
Lord of the Flies has that covered.
Dogs are not great at generalizing things that don’t have a big, important impact on their happiness and safety (they’re very good at generalizing things that are dangerous or have big, giant, super enormous pay offs), which, unfortunately for us, means they don’t generalize “basic manners” very well!
🐾 “I know how to relax on my mat, at home, in the living room, with only Mom in the room. This is OUTSIDE! I don’t know what ‘place!’ means outside!”
That means that we need to give them the CliffNotes version of training in new environments or with big new distractions. The more new places they learn the rules are all the same and reinforcement is still available, the easier the next new place will become.
🐾 “Oh, another new place? ‘Place’ probably means the same thing here as the last 20 places Mom asked me to do this.”
💡 Don’t get frustrated when your pup doesn’t perform the same out & about as they do at home - just give the CliffNotes summary of their previous training, and they’ll get back up to speed in no time.
⚠️ Barking Dogs! ⚠️
… but not Malus!
I *love* working with reactive dogs, and Malus is a great example of why.
Katrina, Malus’s mom, is not new to training for a variety of dog sports, but Malus had some Extremely Loud Feelings about other dogs that she was struggling to get a handle on. Other dogs in general, barking, surprise dogs, Labrador shaped dogs, brachycephalic breeds like pugs, and more would lead to Terrier Screaming™️.
With a little guidance and encouragement to trust the process (yes, even the pattern games, yes, even though they seem too simple to help) - plus an insane amount of commitment on her part, Malus is a new man!
There are always ups and downs in training, and oooof did they encounter some regressions along the way. Malus, like many dogs, has behavior is extremely tied to how he is feeling physically. On more than one occasion, his behavior regression itself was reason for Katrina to look closer for a physical injury or illness. And, as we always say - the dog never lies.
I am so, so proud of these two, and can’t wait to see Malus continue to thrive in Nosework and Rally! (Even if he is Maxwell’s Arch Nemesis.)
This wraps up Jekyll & Hyde for 2022, but we will be back in the spring!
Want to get started before March? We can still work one-on-one! Just shoot us a message for more info.
For my reactive dog owners, especially those of you with Shepherd-y types. 😂
credit: @thereactivedogwalker on tiktok
Mayzie Learns “Middle!”
I’ve been working with Mayzie since she was 4 months old - more than 2 years now! She is a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, a high energy, intelligent, goofy hunting breed.
She (and her family! 😅) benefits from once a week day training sessions to maintain her manners AND burn some of that mental energy. Today she got to go for a long line walk to stretch her legs, and learned “middle!”
Day training can be a great option for busy people with equally busy dogs (like Mayzie!), for families who need a jumpstart with their dog’s learning, for new puppies who need a midday potty break and safe socialization, and more.
Your trainer will come to your house midday, work one-on-one with your pup, and let you reap the benefits! Twice a month, we’ll all meet together to teach you to start implementing what your dog has learned.
You can read more about this program, called Adventures in Wonderland, on our website! https://dogearedtraining.com/adventures-in-wonderland/
Train With Joy - ft George!
I saw a post the other day on Facebook asking what folks recommend to help owners bond with their dogs. One of the comments was “formal obedience training.”
And yes - don’t get me wrong, it has its place! (No pun intended.)
But LAUGHING with your dog? That’s where it’s at, man.
A couple weeks ago during our lesson, George started offering this paws crossed behavior, and you bet we rewarded it. When his mom was doing some homework with him later, paws crossed was his preferred behavior! And, of course, Mom couldn’t help but laugh.
I’m proud to be a trainer that encourages laughter with your dog - even if it means we get a little less perfection. Relationships aren’t just about compliance and perfection and obedience. Step one in repairing a strained relationship, for me, is always going to be about finding joy together.
Be more like Team George. Train With Joy.
Coaching Catchphrase Count!
I was watching some videos I took for my students during Jekyll & Hyde this week, and ended up having an absolute giggle fit listening to myself coach.
In 6 total minutes of video, I said some variation of “ease up on your leash!” SIX TIMES.
ONCE 👏🏻 A 👏🏻 MINUTE. 👏🏻
But it got me thinking - in reactive dog cases, more than anywhere else, I hear students taking the blame for their dogs behavior.
👎🏻 “I know it’s probably my fault…”
😩 “I know I’m doing something wrong…”
🫤 “You’ll have to train me more than him…”
Answers: maybe, maybe, and that’s my JOB!
My job is ALWAYS going to be more about teaching the human half what to do and when - even if that means reminding you to drop your hand and give your dog slack in the leash once a minute. It takes time and repetition to learn new muscle memory! I don’t expect that to happen overnight - nor should you.
Just keep that struggle in mind next time you get frustrated with your dog’s behavior, too, alright?
Jekyll & Hyde - the Car Crash Game!
Another week of Jekyll & Hyde, another way to use Pattern Games to teach our barky-lungey dogs how to handle their triggers!
🚗 The Car Crash Game! 🚙
☑️ Walking parallel? No problemo.
☑️ Super Bowls? Love it! (See our earlier reel on this one!)
☑️ Whiplash Head Turn? Nailed it.
Now we can play chicken with our barky-lungey guys!
Head on approaches often have lots of STARING, and god knows, if there’s anything (other than barking!) that will set off a reactive dog, it’s (gasp) ANOTHER DOG STARING BACK.
Car Crash allows us to introduce this picture (a dog walking straight at you!) within the framework of a known, safe game - Super Bowls - and end with a known, heavily reinforced behavior - that whiplash head turn.
And look! Three reactive dogs who have never worked around each other, all handling it like old pros.
Awesome job, Hank, Malus, and Ripley! 🎉
(Edit: Facebook absolutely ate the quality of this video, so check it out on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/reel/CfAfOhilFSu/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=)
I love coaching this team - Luna’s dad gets just as excited and proud as I do!
We worked on teaching a stationing behavior - go to your blanket, lay down, and hang out there! - which we are calling “bed!” in this video. For busy, nosey, “helpful” puppies like Luna, having an approved alternative will give her the chance to have more freedom around the house and less time behind baby gates!
💡 Be sure to watch the second repetition here - you can tell she’s really starting to understand the behavior! Not just “lay down in front of dad,” but “find the blanket, regardless of where dad is, and lay down there.”
🍪 The other thing to note? CHECK OUT THAT RATE OF REINFORCEMENT! For every one time she lays down on her blanket, she’s getting 5-10 pieces of kibble. Laying down on your blanket = MAGICAL COOKIES RAIN FROM THE SKY! Duration is hard for busy puppies, so we want to make sure she is well paid for her effort.
Keep it up, Team Luna! 😍
Scenes from Jekyll & Hyde!
It’s always an exciting day in Jekyll & Hyde when we can have three students working together!
When we start with our reactive dogs in class, we work first with a non-reactive helper dog. If you live with a barky/lungey dog, you know the hardest dogs to walk by are other dogs who will bark first or bark back!
As our students progress, we’re able to start working them around the dogs who are more likely to trigger them in the “real world” - dogs who bark, lunge, stare, posture, and dogs who are amped up or bouncy!
Check out Elliot, Billie, and Cami - dogs who joined class for different reasons, but are all learning how to deal with their Big Feelings in more manageable ways and learn to stay calm in the face of their triggers.
Awesome work, guys! 😍
Daisy Mae’s Snuffle Pool!
In Lord of the Flies, part of each week’s homework for our teams is to find a new and fun enrichment opportunity for their pups to explore. (Y’all know how I love enrichment!)
Daisy Mae got a new one tonight! Empty recycling in a baby pool with snacks sprinkled inside.
💜 Puts that nose to work!
💙 Encourages her to use her body to puzzle solve.
💚 Allows her to work at her own pace - control and agency is important for all beings, but especially adolescents!
💛 Weird noises? No problemo!
🧡 Moral support from her momma? Got it!
❤️ Continuing to learn that the world is a constant source of cool, safe, exciting things.
LOVE IT!
Enrichment doesn’t need to be fancy - throw some recycling in a leftover Chewy box and let ‘em at it. Try something new this weekend and send us those videos!
Hank keeps his cool!
Is Jekyll & Hyde just for aggressive dogs? What about dogs who like other dogs?
👋🏻 Well, meet Hank. Thanks to COVID, he didn’t meet many new dogs as an adult other than those he met as a baby puppy. Unsurprisingly, he now had some BIG FEELINGS when he encounters dogs out and about!
The skills we teach every dog in Jekyll & Hyde - regardless of the motivations for their barky-lungey behaviors - can help them cope with the world around them more seamlessly. For Hank, that means he is learning HOW to greet other dogs without losing his mind and being unable to come back down to earth. 🌍
Keep it up, Team Hank! 😍
Outward Hound Wobble Bowl Review
✨ PUZZLE TOY REVIEW ✨
As an enrichment and puzzle toy snob and collector, when this sucker came up on my Amazon suggestions, you know we had to give it a go!
This is the Outward Hound Wobble Bowl! It puts a new spin (tilt? twirl? wobble?) on those maze bowls your dog may already be familiar with, but adds in the fun of toys like the Kong Wobblr or Tricky Treat Ball.
Definitely going to be best for our pups who have some puzzling experience or who don’t get frustrated too easily, but Maxwell loved it! It will definitely be getting added to our rotation. (Also probably not good for those super destructive puzzlers out there… not naming any names, ahem, Juno…)
Maxwell gives this ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 out of 5 stars!
Egg Hunt Enrichment!
🐣 Easter Egg Hunt Enrichment! 🐣
Go grab those clearance plastic eggs from the store and out those noses to work! Pick a smelly treat, place inside the egg, and then hide them around for your pup to find.
Sniffing is mentally EXHAUSTING for dogs, and being natural scavengers, giving “legal” opportunities to search and find and consume adds a little money to your dog’s Happy Bucket.
✨ Quick Tips! ✨
⚠️ Know thy dog! Don’t play this game if your dog swallows objects or resource guards items from you.
👃 The stinkier the better for dogs learning to play this game.
🏠 Start inside - the competing smells outdoors will make it more difficult for beginners!
↕️ Add elevation to increase difficulty! Many dogs don’t think to search UP!
💜 As always, don’t be afraid to help your dog out. We don’t want your pup to get frustrated and decide this is no fun!
Bethany’s dogs - Maxwell & Juno - are pros at this game, and absolutely love it! Give it a try and let us know how your dog does!
