“Impulse control” is a bit of a buzz phrase in dog training - the idea that your dog should have ‘self control’ and know not to interact with certain things in their environment.
This sounds a bit vague to me. After all, dogs have no concept of right or wrong… they only know what actions produce consequences - ie: pulling towards the nuggets box sometimes gets them discarded leftovers!
Instead of putting the responsibility on my dog to know what I DON’T want, I’m going to spend the time showing her what to do instead: “That box is just a distraction - I want you to walk with me!”
And the results speak for themselves - long & loopy lead, matching my walking speed, and only looks over at the box before coming along when cued. Proud of my girl ☺️
(Eagle eyes will catch @jinks_bordercollie doing some lovely heel work past it as well!)
“Hold an object” is not something Kira naturally does - in fact, her genetic make-up tells her that she should shred and kill said item instead (we have lost one of these Kong Stix before to those teeth!). So this is tricky for her! She had to:
1️⃣ Gently take an offered object
2️⃣ Keep hold of said object without biting it in half
3️⃣ Maintain that soft hold until cued to release
You can tell I was pretty happy 😅 I forgot to take it out of her mouth before partying 🎉
#dmwyd #hold #unicorntrick #bullterrier #bullterrierlove #trickdog #forcefreetraining #positivereinforcement
Kira had to be fasted for a routine dental yesterday…. That means no snacks on our walk.
😱 THE HORROR! 😱
However, our skills are practiced often & consistently, so we now have a strong reinforcement history for walking politely next to the human. Loose lead walking is a difficult skill for both ends of the lead…. But every second of practice is worth it when we can go for a walk without my arm being dislocated (even if snacks aren’t allowed!).
Handsome Iroh learned that walking with mum can be fun! Our dogs often learn to pull on lead as a way of accessing things they want (smells, dogs or people!), so we took it right back to basics to help him build some strong foundations before adding distractions. Awesome work Team Iroh!
One of the more common issues I hear about from clients is vacuum chasing dogs! Luckily, with some solid foundation skills, this is an easy enough problem to work through. Kira has greeted our new Roomba very appropriately and is now completely uninterested…. Plus my floors are clean 🙌🏻
I love setting things up that don’t *look* like a training exercise. I pre-loaded these rocks with small treats before directing Kira to investigate. She just thinks this is a fun game, but during this exercise, she is:
🐾 Using her nose to locate the hidden treatos.
🐾 Engaging her muscles to navigate uneven surfaces.
🐾 Using her body awareness to stay balanced & stable as she moves around.
What games have you played with your dog today?
Spending this long weekend doing geeky things with Institute of Modern Dog Trainers Australia’s Expand, Enhance & Enrich: Advanced Training Course. It’s so lovely to get to spend time training my own dog and working on my skills too! #nerdalert
Rosey’s humans have been very diligent with their loose lead walking practice inside the house and around the yard... and it’s paying off! Definitely beats her pulling them down the footpath 🐾
Let’s talk REINFORCERS! By definition, a reinforcer is something that increases the likelihood of a behaviour reoccurring - ie: if your dog gets a treat after sitting, they are more likely to sit in the future. But why limit your options to just food?! 🤔 Jarrah is your typical lab - he LIVES for water... so I’m going to use it! I cue him for some easy behaviours, use his marker word of “good” and then he gets to play 💦 What non-food reinforcer do you use with your dog?
Dissection is a natural part of our dog’s predatory pattern... which means it just *feels* good to them! Rather than having your dog find something to dissect, offer them a “legal” option. This is a Holee Roller stuffed with treats wrapped in paper. Jinks pulls out the paper, rips it, and then has access to yummo snackos! Makes for a very happy boy ❤️
Labradors are known for carrying and eating things 🤷🏻♀️ It’s just who they are! But that makes learning a solid “swap” cue all the more important. Yes, we can play chase when Jarrah is holding a toy, but if I cue “swap”, he knows to drop it for food! What a clever cookie 🍪
Is there anything more satisfying than watching dogs do the job they were bred for? Jamie hasn’t done much field trial work yet, but you can see genetics coming out to play when he spots a bird! 👀
IMDT Qualified Trainer offering 1-2-1 consultations & dog walking.
