It's all in the reel, baby.
#dogwalks #calmdog #dogtrainingtips #dogbehaviour
When you know this one thing about your dog...
Getting them to listen will be a piece of cake.
As a dog mom whose dog would NOT recall for food we had to find another way to make coming back to me rewarding.
More than the other dogs, people, cats, or mud.
We discovered Nom Noms.
"Nom Noms" is where I bend at the waist and he weaves in and around my legs while I give him kissy noises, "nomnomnoms," and telling him how amazing he is.
He flippin' loves it.
This this his reward preference, and he chooses to receive it multiple times throughout our walks even when I haven't recalled him.
It's THAT rewarding for him.
What does your dog find rewarding? Tell me in the comments!
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#offleashfreedom #dogtraining
#dogrecall
#reliablerecall #dogtrainingvictoria #dogtraineryyj #recalltraining #recallworkshop #dogsofvictoria
The most important thing you can include in your dog's training...
FUN!
Literally, you could have the best damn training plan, the best treats, the best training mechanics, the best understanding of canine behaviour...
But if you don't make it fun?
A friend of mine said to me ages ago, "dogs are so cool, they're just always down for a good time."
Heck yeah.
So how does your dog like to party?
What's fun to them?
Is it toys?
Food?
Affection?
Play?
Digging?
Shredding?
Chewing?
Tug?
Running?
Pouncing?
Parkouring?
Swimming?
Sniffing?
Just watch them, they'll tell ya.
Then take information and make it part of your training.
P.S. This is literally what I do as a dog trainer with my 1 on1 training programs.
I help you and your dog use their passion reward and make their training fun so you get more of the behaviours you want and they get to have the fun they want.
Send me a DM and let's chat about how we can do this for you and your dog.
#dogtraininggames #concepttraining #positivereinforcement #dogbehaviour
You may be surprised to know this but
Just because you train your dog using food doesn't mean you'll have to rely on it for them to listen to you.
The Pre Mack principle is "eat your broccoli, and you'll get dessert".
It conditions your dog to find the no-so-fun behaviour, like coming away from play to recall, to be rewarding because it leads to the fun outcome of being sent back out to play again.
It's like a "runner's high." Going for a run is enjoyable because of the release of feel-good neurotransmitters the runner gets as a result of running.
This is how you start using the environment as your dogs reward, so you don't have to have a pocket full of hotdogs all the time.
Now, of course, there are a few key factors in training this correctly, which I dive into in my Rapid Recall Online program.
But this is the most important one here - train your dog with games to give them a rewarding experience as they do the behaviour you want them to do.
You get them to listen to you.
And they love doing it.
Win-Win.
Want to learn more about how you can use games to train your dog to CHOOSE to listen to your recall? Comment RECALL and I'll send you the link 🖇
#dogtraining #dogtraininggames #positivereinforcement #premackprinciple
Sometimes we don't know better than our dog.
So what do I do?
I confirm to him he can go there to feel safe when he and I don't try and coax him out.
Because it makes him feel better.
✅️ it's useful
✅️ it's not harmful
Not all quirky behaviour needs to be changed or "fixed".
That's it.
The end.
(*there is and always will be nuance to these things).
#dogtraining #dogtraineryyj #dogbehaviour
There's no greater buzz kill than
enjoying an off leash walk with your dog, only to have them spend twice as long playing Keep-Away when you pull out the leash.
You see, they see the leash as the end of fun.
Which means coming close to you is the end of fun.
To get your dog back on leash with ease, you need to train 3 key skills.
I break then down in my free Rapid Recall eBook.
Comment RECALL and I'll send you the link.
#dogtraining #offleashdog #dogtrainingtips #recalltraining #dogtraineryyj
One second you're headed out the door for a pleasant walk...
The next, you're being dragged down the street, desperately saying, "Heel! Heel! HEEL!"
Whether it's a leaf blowing across the sidewalk, the dog a 100 yards away, the bus doors opening, the cyclist at the intersection, or the KFC rubbish on the ground, anything new, exciting, or scary has all your dogs attention.
And you're just the chaperone being dragged at the end of the leash.
Thinking you're doing what's best for your dog while the process feels like torture for you.
If this sounds like you, you're probably trying to fix it with one of these three things:
• Correcting their behaviour with leash pops or "heel" commands
• Taking your dog for more walks around town and to the dog park to socialize and desensitize them
• Trying different training equipment like different collars, harnesses, etc.
But the problem with this is you're trying to train your dog IN the moment.
Which means you've already lost before you have a chance to teach them anything.
Because dogs can not learn when they are reacting.
The outside world and life is a "test" to our dog.
Training them in the moment is like sending a child into an algebra test before they've learned basic multiplication.
It sets them up to fail.
Which means you fail too.
Because you two a team, yo!
And you really deserve to have great walks.
This is exactly what my Distraction, ACTION! group training class is all about.
If you're ready to enjoy that pleasant walk with your dog without being dragged down the sidewalk, comment WALK and I'll send you the link.
#dogtrainingvictoria
#dogtrainungtips #dogtrainingclasses
#barking #lunging #pulling #leashmanners #reactivedog
Mr Vince is the kind of dog who
LOVES mud.
And I mean he likes to lay down and shovel it with his head.
Covering himself from tip of his nose to trip of his tail.
Which actually is okay with me, but not when it's in an environmental nature sanctuary for salmon spawning like this video.
I purposely did not add any music so you can hear I never cued him.
He chose these great choices on his own.
The three skills your dog must have in order to ignore the:
• mud
• people
• other dogs
• random hot dog on the ground
• bicycles
• cats, wildlife, blowing leaf
• other dogs ball
Disengagement
Calmness
Proximity
These 3 skills explained in my free Rapid Recall eBook.
Comment SKILLS and I'll send you the link 🖇
#dogtraining #dogskills #dogtraineryyj #offleashdogtraining #recalltraining
Do our dogs behave to "please" us?
Maybe.
Fact is we won't ever fully know exactly what they're thinking any more than we can read another humans mind
But we can make an educated guess based on learning theory and research.
Dogs go where the value is and the discomfort isn't.
They do what has provided a strong reinforcement history.
Their main drivers in life are to
1) avoid pain
2) seek pleasure
And when you provide a strong reinforcement history of enjoyable experiences with you, you get a dog who makes choices that please you.
More bees with honey, as they say.
Comment HONEY and I'll send you the link to my free recall training eBook for insights on how to get a recall that pleases you.
#dogtraining #positivereinforcement #dogtraininggames #gamesbasedtraining #dogrecalltraining
If you have a dog who
• barks at everything
• jumps up on guests
• pulls on leash
• ignores your recall
• gets zoomies over your furniture
• chews your shoes
This is for you.
Common dog behaviours such as the above, that are commonly labeled "bad" or "misbehaviour" or "nuisance" are simply just dog behaviours.
Now of course for us humans, it can be frustrating and feel like we're constantly firefighting, shouting "no!", "off!", "down!" or maybe even have a few curses flying out our mouths...
Which if you think about it, is often what our dogs are doing.
Feeling frustrated, over excited, amped up, and they have a few "curse words" flying out their mouth.
You see the parallel here?
Behaviours are rooted in emotions and survival.
The need to avoid pain and seek pleasure.
When we give our dogs some compassion, management, and training to shift those emotions and exercise their arousal Dimmer Switch, we can live more harmoniously together.
Making life easier on them and you.
Share this post with a fellow dog parent 🐾
#dogtraining #dogbehaviour #dogtraineryyj
I've said it before, I'll say it again:
If your dog behaves the way you'd like with food, you're in a great position.
BUT, I also understand that getting stuck in this position can be frustrating and create more training challenges.
If that sounds like you, there is one mistake that is likely causing it.
You've made food part of your cue.
In other words, your mechanics have become muddied.
It's a simple solution. You simply retrain the cue with clear separation between your cue, marker, and reward.
And extra bonus hint: your voice, enthusiasm, and fun that you create with the reward and its delivery IS the reward.
The food is just a "garnish."
Like that adorable little gooseberry that arrives on your dessert at a fancy restaurant.
If this rang a bell for you, share it with a fellow dog parent!
#dogtraining #dogtrainingtips #positivereinforcement #gamesbaseddogtraining
#concepttraining #yyjdogtrainer
The #1 skill your dog needs to go back on leash:
Proximity.
It's their value for being near you.
To our dogs, coming in close to us after being off lead represents the end of fun.
We need to show them
1) It's a good deal to come close to us
2) The good times keep rollin'
Proximity is one of the 3 skills required for a reliable recall.
Learn about the other 2 in my FREE recall training ebook.
Comment RECALL and I'll send you the link!
#recalltraining #dogtraininggames #concepttraining #dogtrainingvictoria #dogtraineryyj
It's the typical carrot-dangling effect.
The "I'll be happy when..."
As we train one behaviour, we notice other behaviours we'd like to train too.
The discomfort they cause becomes more and more obvious because the original one isn't taking the spotlight anymore.
This is human nature.
We accomplish one goal and then we head for another.
And another.
And another.
It's not that circumstances are getting worse, but we forget how far we've come.
Dog training is never "done", it's an evolution.
Did you learn something?
Share this post with a friend!
#dogtraining #dogtrainingjourney #dogbehaviour #dogtraineryyj
Consistency in dog training is one of the best things you can do to see results.
Have you read Atomic Habits by James Clear?
In a nutshell, if you can make a 1% improvement every day for a year, you'll have a 37 fold improvement after 365 days.
1.01^(365)
Now if you do a 3% improvement daily for a year, it's a 48,482x improvement.
1.03^(365)
And it goes both ways.
In other words, if you're not making effort in your desired direction, your results will shift in the unwanted direction.
Here's the BONUS:
• the efforts you do make don't need to be complicated
You just need 3-10 mins per day of consistent effort applied to the individual.
Share this with a friend if you learned something!
#dogtraining #recalltraining #dogtraineryyj #consistency #dailyeffort #atomichabits
The magic is in the details.
Before letting him off leash.
Before training a recall cue.
Before even going outside.
I'd reward his voluntary choice to look at me, and I'd make it a stinking good deal.
And I'd do it as often as humanly possible.
With food?
Sure.
AND the way I deliver that food.
My voice, my enthusiasm, how dynamic and interesting I am with it.
Because if you don't win their voluntary attention when the conditions are easy.
You'll be fighting an uphill battle the entire training journey.
Easy wins for them mean an easy wins for you.
Want the goods of how to grow it from there? We have one spot left in our Rapid Recall workshop in person.
Can't make it in person?
Online version is available for pre-order now at special pricing until June 14th.
Comment RECALL and I'll send you the link 🐾
#recalltraining #dogtrainingtips #onlinedogtraining
Most dog owners don't realize this is an option...
You can have the recall you want, when you stop training the recall you don't want.
If you have a recall where you:
• repeat your call 3+ times before your dog responds
• you dog ignores your recall entirely
• your recall works at home, but not outside
• works outside but not when there is another dog, human, wildlife, random food, mud puddle, dead animal etc.
• works half heartedly, i.e. lacks speed, and they only come kind of and then wander off elsewhere
• works but not when you're about to put them back on lead
You see, every time you repeat any of the above, you're training exactly what you're getting, so it will continue to be what you'll always get.
Vinnys recall improved dramatically when I:
• spent more time walking him on leash
• used a longline to draw him in rather than calling him
• didn't call him when I knew the distraction was stronger than me
• didn't take him to places where he had a history of not listening
• trained his recall in places I knew with certainty that he would listen on the first call
Want to train the recall that you want?
The immediate one-call recall?
Comment RECALL and get started with my FREE Rapid Recall eBook.
#dogtrainingtips #recalltraining #dogtrainingyyj #dogrecall
Can you relate?
Comment RECALL and I'll send you the link to my free Recall training eBook!
#dogtraining #relatable #dogrecalltraining #trainyourdog #dogtraineryyj
The most valuable thing you can do for your dog right now.
Connect.
If you want to go from:
• firefighting behaviour and get them to listen
• struggling to get them back from distractions to coming when you call
• painful leash pulling to walking with you like your teammate.
Connection is the first step to getting there.
Of course these results come with training, but without a foundation of solid connection, it will be an uphill battle.
You know those people in your life who you feel safe with?
Your best friend or partner, maybe one of your parents, a sibling, or cousin.
That person you have such a strong bond with that you can pick up right where you left off no matter how long its been.
You can sit together in silence and still feel connected, not feeling the need to fill the air with words.
You know how they're feeling and what they need with a simple look.
You'd do anything for them and they'd do anything for you.
Because they want to.
You can have that with your dog too.
Sit in the silence together.
No phone, no TV, no conversation with a third party.
Just tuning into eachother.
Do this daily for 10-15 minutes for a few weeks and you'll notice a difference in your dog's focus with you.
Comment below if you'll try this with your dog!
*please note, physical contact is not required and should depend on if your dog is open to touch.
#dogtraining #secureattachment #doghumanconnection #dogbehaviour
#dogtraineryyj
