Getting your dog to respond to you with no distractions tends to be pretty easy. But it is important to start there so you can build up a high reinforcement history (a.k.a. you dog has received a lot of treats for looking at you when you say their name). This will help when you start to add in small distractions here and there.
During Dashers visit yesterday we practiced this behavior in a new location! After working on gaining his attention around the new distractions (kids playing at the playground about 100 yds away) we worked on his response to his name and turning away from thise distractions. As you can see he is right in front of me and I don't give him a lot of time to look at the distractions. This helped him be more successful with responding! Way to go Dasher! #enrichyourdogslife #dasher
Make sure you like my page to see more cute pictures and videos! If you like what you see and are looking for training help or just have questions about what I offer, feel free to reach out! I have openings for in-home training currently available! #dogtrainingprofessional #fearfree #positivereinforcementtrainer
Teaching a "Watch" cue can be very beneficial at times! If your dog gets highly distracted in certain areas you can teach them a watch cue to help gain their focus and attention around those distractions.
Of course, we don't want to start off by training around those distractions! Tyler is working in a room indoors with a very controlled environment. This will help him to succeed and get a good understanding of what behavior is expected of him when he hears the cue "Watch". To start this behavior off, make sure you have good attention from your dog. Tank your hand up and simply point to your eyes. When they look up at you, click and follow with a treat!
The better they get, you can fade the hand signal away or add in new small distractions to start working up to the difficult distractions! Way to go Tyler! ❤️
#enrichyourdogslife #TrainingTip #WatchMe #Tyler #HappyTailsAcad
Experiencing new things is an everyday occurrence for our puppies. I was able to hop on a great training opportunity for Dasher earlier this week! While outside enjoying what little sun we had on Tuesday there was a moment where an emergency vehicle passed close by to Dashers home. To help him associate this loud potentially scary noise with good things I grabbed some of his kibble and tossed it into the yard for him to find. As you can see in the video he isn't concerned with the noise but spent his time sniffing the ground (which is a good stress reliever for dogs) and searching for his kibble (a high reinforcer for him - something that creates a high level of serotonin or the "feel good" hormone).
All in all while Dasher heard the new sound he was able to pair it with pleasant activities! Making it easier for him to feel calm around the noise if he were to hear it again!
#enrichyourdogslife #Dasher #puppypuppy #trainingtips
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas filled with memories, laughs, and love! ❤️
During enrichment walks we like to practice some common behaviors. A couple of weeks ago Lady focused on recall, sit, down, stay, targeting, and "with me" which is her cue to walk next to me. She is still relatively new at some of these behaviors but overall I'd say she is doing well! Way to go Lady!
If you notice she is randomly cued to "be free" allowing her to wander and explore. Typically I do allow more exploration between the quick training sessions but as I was videoing this session I bunched a few together.
Benefits of randomly asking for your dogs attention while walking is to ensure they are constantly aware you are there and paying attention because they know at any time there's a possibility for treats! It can also help keep them safe if an unwanted situation arises. Plus it helps them generalize their behaviors in different areas and distractions. As she gets better these sessions will get a bit harder!
#enrichyourdogslives #Lady #enrichwithtraining
When the weather is warm one fun way for pups to cool down is to enjoy some water play! (Of course this isn't for every dog!) Daisy loves running around and splashing in the stream on our hikes. I love taking her out and just letting her run wild on the long line for some fun! It's a great way for her to cool off, exert some energy, and get me wet and dirty all from the shoreline. 🤣 One way to incorporate some training into this crazy mess is to work on recalls and sits from an excited state of mind. With plenty of practice this can help them listen better in the future when they get excited about something (like people visiting or seeing other dogs) and you need them to settle and focus or even just to take a break from their excitement. #enrichyourdogslives #Daisy #waterplay
What a gorgeous day! Bijou had some extra energy today and who can blame her?? To help burn some of that energy up in a fun and appropriate way I placed her on a long line (15ft line in the video). This allowed her to run at top speeds which she LOVED!! We also took the opportunity to throw in some cues to help keep her focused and practice some impulse control. This game is called Red Light, Green Light for obvious reasons. After she offered the appropriate behavior she was then released to go run around again. The cues included sit, here (come), touch, and down for today. #enrichyourdogslife #Bijou #redlightgreenlight #dontgettangled #mustbegoodatjumproping
I think he's excited... what do you think? #Lucky #enrichyourdogslife #enrichmentisimportant #theyloveenrichment
Tyler and his Aquapaw
What's the best way to get canned food out of an Aquapaw? Digging of course! (At least it is according to Tyler!) #enrichyourdogslife #Tyler #puzzletoyfun
Bijou learning "Here"
Bijou has been working on a "here" cue. While for some dogs this cue means to come to me, for Bijou it means to come to my right side and walk next to me. We have been using it to pass by people (which she gets really excited to do!) She has come a long way since our first visit. While we aren't passing by people in this video it's nice to practice with no pressure and an immediate release back to exploring. #enrichyourdogslife #Bijou #trainingfun
Winston's Leaf Search
Don't have a snuffle mat? No worries! Leaves make a great spot to get your dog to work their nose and find some treats or kibble! Luckily there are plenty of those around this time of year! Winston loves using his nose! #Winston #enrichyourdogslife #snufflematfun
Tyler Spin/Around
Tyler learned "Spin" awhile ago. He is to turn in a counter-clockwise circle when he hears the cue. These past few weeks we have worked on "Around" which is simply turning in a clockwise circle! He still relies on his visual cues as you can see towards the end when I tried to fade them a bit but he's doing well with both! #Tyler #teachyourolddognewtricks #enrichyourdogslife
Lucky in Slow-mo
Lucky and I were messing around with some slow motion videos today. 😆😆 Have you done this with your pet? If not, I challenge you to do it, then post your video here!! I'd LOVE to see them! #slowmotionchallenge #Lucky #enrichyourdogslife
Tyler works with Cavaletti Poles
Cavaletti poles are a great way to practice foot and body awareness. Watch Tyler practice his foot placement while going back and forth! The goal for him is to walk across, place his feet between the poles and lift them high enough to clear them. Of course this can be made harder by placing the poles closer together or raising them a bit higher off the ground. Tyler picks up on this pretty quickly and I think it's safe to say he's enjoying himself!! #Tyler #enrichyourdogslife #lookatthehappytail
Tyler Learns Toy Names
Tyler is working hard on learning some names of different toys. He is doing great! #Tyler #enrichyourdogslife
