Look at these recall Rockstars!! One of the most important cues you can teach is a reliable recall. It can be easy to train but also very easy to misuse! There are several ways a recall can become unreliable, and they are very common! If you are looking to improve you dogs recall stay tuned for dates on the next Online Class.
Little clips today of our training session with MVPs Sunny and Maverick! Both these dogs have great obedience, so we are taking their training to the next level by challenging them with some off leash heeling and throwing some tricks in the mix! Training doesn’t have to be boring, it should be FUN for you and your dog! The tricks shown in the video are “weaving” and “around.” Obedience wise, heeling with eye contact and Maverick is practicing his down in motion!
When it’s nice out we eat dinner outside! Quinn and Rowan enjoying some enrichment by “snuffling” for their dinner.
I sprinkle some pb2 or Parm cheese into some dry kibble and throw it throughout the backyard (make sure the area is clean of any poop) the cheese or pb powder gives them a little helping hand in finding the kibble in the grass and keeps them sniffing for quite a long time!
Quinn would snuggle for hours! This also helps Rowan work on his independence, he has struggled with separation anxiety from me so we use this as a positive experience away from me. After the kibble is thrown about the yard I go inside and allow them to snuffle without me. **If you are going to try this in a multi dog home I recommend they do it separately, Quinn and Rowan and very comfortable eating together and sharing snacks they do not guard food from each other which is why I am able to provide this to them unsupervised**
So ditch the bowl and add some fun to your dogs meal this can really tore them out!
Beautiful hike through Narnia 🦁🧙🚪
Everyone meet Quinn 🐶💕
Quinn is my dog and she is scared of strangers. When she feels her space is being invaded she will do some really big barks, we are very lucky that she retreats after/during her barking instead of lunging and trying to bite, but the sentiment is the same “I’m scared get out of my space!” Due to her reactivity we must be careful where we go so she does not feel the pressure of scary strangers as we work on changing her feelings about them. Here is a video of where she is in her journey to a confident lady!
Video Explained:
Quinn has been working really hard on her settle mat, on her settle mat she has learned to lay down and settle her body. We worked for a long time at home and at locations she is comfortable in before bringing it into the public where the people are less predictable. We conditioned the mat for many training sessions to mean that she is safe and relaxed here.
We are now at a point where we can take our mat in new locations and continue our work. So in this video Quinn is at a busy park, her mat is in the field a good distance away from the strangers.
If this was too close she would let me know by not performing the behavior, Quinn has the right to tell me what she is and isn’t ready for. Forcing a dog beyond where they are comfortable will only result in stress and practice of the undesired behavior, no learning can happen when a dog is over their threshold.
You will see in the beginning of the video Quinn starts out very settled on her mat but after a bad treat toss she gets up to retrieve it and starts sniffing. Sniffing is naturally soothing to a dog so I allow her to take a moment to breath in the good smells as I encourage her to self sooth when she needs. As she goes to settle she gets a bit stuck in the sit, what you can’t see is she noticed a new person walking behind us they are still a safe distance away but before she is able to settle back down she watches as they move about the
Life advise from Scout: when you do great things make sure you reward yourself well! Throw a party in your honor because change is tough you need to celebrate often 💕 (no the video is not sped up in anyway, yes he is that fast)