I can’t even call this an average day because I’m not even sure what an average day is anymore.
#dogtrainer #animals #farmlife #dog #dogs #dogsitter #soloentrepreneur
The flexi lead is great for many things but it’s not a tool for dogs with behavior issues or that you can’t control otherwise.
Retractable leashes are a great transitional tool for off leash training or for a well behaved dog you want to give a little more freedom to without letting them off leash, or for potty breaks somewhere without a fence for a dog you can’t trust off leash.
It’s not your standard walking leash. It’s not the leash you use at the vet or any other public place. It’s not even really a leash. It’s a safety line.
#dogtraining #flexileash #retractableleash #dogtrainer #dogs
Routine is good, structure is better.
Many people hear the word structure and assume it means routine as it relates to your daily schedule.
Dogs like predictability which is why having a general schedule and routine is nice but it’s not super sustainable because life happens and schedules change.
Structure is the consistent rules and expectations around everyday activities. It’s just the way we do things. It provides the same predictability that dogs love so much while creating a stronger more adaptable dog.
If the rules around how you go out doors/gates, around feeding time, around how they meet people and how they’re allowed to behave around them are the same no matter where you are, who is there and what time it is never change it makes life very easy for your dog. Before you know it you won’t have to micromanage and go through the “training” motions anymore because those rules and expectations will just become how they do life.
#dogtraining #dogpsychology #dogtrainer
Formal skills are taught during sessions 📚
Life skills are learned through life.
We don’t go to school and do flash cards just for the sake of knowing what 8x4 equals. We do that so that one day we can calculate how much it’ll cost to buy 4 things that cost $8.
We don’t walk in circles and do leash drills just to learn that drill. We do that drill so that we can take enjoyable walks and do life with our dogs in a safe, enjoyable way.
We don’t practice sitting at the door to be released just so the dog sits there. We do that so when we open the door for a package they don’t go running into the street.
Social media is tough. It’s impossible to show every little minute detail that goes into creating a well rounded, balanced dog. It’s how you are with the dog at any given time. It’s how you play together, lounge together and live together. The 1-2 minute clips you see on the internet are just a tiny part of it. Maybe the least significant because the most significant part is how you handle things as life happens, not when you’ve taken the time to set up a tripod and turn on the microphone.
#dogtraining #socialmedia #dogtrainer
Dogs in the bed: if they have any issue surrounding the bed or guarding in general then, no, they shouldn’t be up there. But if they don’t, snuggle away.
#dogs #dogtraining #pitbull #pitbulltraining #rescuedog #saturday
Fixing reactivity starts miles away from the actual reaction.
Sky is not a fearful or aggressive dog. She’s insecure on leash because her preferred method of dealing with a trigger she doesn’t understand is flight. But when she’s on the leash she doesn’t have that option and defaults to fight (barking, lunging ect). My goal is slowly to change the way her brain chemically responds to perceived stressors while she’s leashed which will eliminate the need for her to physically relieve that tension.
Instead of flooding her with all the things that set her off on leash I’m going to take it way back and present fun, easy challenges for her to do on leash to build up her confidence(mental endurance).
I recently started running again. I could just go out and run until I physically can’t anymore and try to increase that distance. But that’s not super sustainable or realistic. I’m not good at pacing myself so I downloaded an app that made a plan for me and gives me doable interval workouts so that I can increase both my mental and physical endurance in a way that doesn’t cause so much stress that I give up on it all together. It’s challenging but I know I can’t complete it so I’m more likely to keep at it so that eventually I can handle the stress of a full distance run.
Going slow is often the fastest way to reach your goal.
#dogtraining #dogpsychology #husky #huskypuppy #dogtrainer
That means I’m a working owner. If I can still stand it means we’re walking. If I can’t, it means I throw a ball sitting down.
Working dogs don’t take days off. That’s why they were created. 1 cattle dog can do the work of at least 5 cowboys every day of his life for the cost of 2 meals a day and dry place to sleep.
No wonder they make horrible pets. If you take one of these beautiful, impressive, insane things into your home know that you just got the best employee but worst family member you’ve ever met.
I have a horrible cold. I didn’t want to get off the couch. But if I didn’t want him to eat my couch I had to level with him and do something. Even if it was just walking in circles sneezing.
#workingdogs #workingdog #working #australiancattledog #blueheeler #dogtraining #dogtrainer #nodaysoff
The choice is yours 😵💫
I like shepherds. I have a shepherd mix. They’re fun to work with but dang… talk about insecurity, anxiety and neediness.
German shepherds are really cool, beautiful dogs. It’s no wonder they’re among the most popular dog in society. But they’re also the number 1 breed I see for behavior problems stemming from under stimulation of their mental and physical needs.
They vary a lot depending on where they come from. Due to popularity and greed they’re getting over bred and the genetics are weakening. Which is dangerous when you’re dealing with the furry equivalent of a loaded gun.
I know they’re pretty, I know they do cool things, I know the one your neighbor had when you were a kid was a fabulous family pet but these are SERIOUS dogs and if you don’t provide everything they need you could have a real problem on your hands.
#germanshepherd #gsd #dogtraining
Shut your mouth, let your body do the taking 😉
Happy Friday ❤️
#friday #fridayvibes #dogs #dogtraining #relationshipgoals
The goal is not to get rid of the tool the goal is to get rid of the problem.
It is incredibly irresponsible and reckless to let a dog off leash with no means to physically control them. There will rarely be an instance where the dry beef in your pocket is more exciting and naturally attention grabbing as a running squirrel or a dog or a car or whatever. When the reward for doing the instinctual thing is the best possible thing that could happen for them, your only option to keep them safe is to give them a dang good reason not to do it.
The point is that tools are not a sign of incompetence or laziness. It’s sign that you understand what you’re working with is an animal with a brain and instincts stronger than any training you can give them and at times you will need something to override those instincts to keep them and those around them safe.
Almost any dog 50bs+ is faster and can overpower the average human. They’re animals. They’re tough and built to survive without us. If we decide to bring them into our lives it is imperative that we can control and take responsibility for their actions.
I want my dogs and every dog I work with to have the best, fullest life possible. I want them to know what it feels like to run as fast as they can through the woods and do all the things dogs love to do. But we’re going to be smart and safe in how we do it.
#dogtraining #dogsafety #dogs #dogtrainer #reactivedogtraining #reactivedog #thursday
Treat your dog like a dog the same way you want to be treated as a human. If you moved to a place where the norm is to pee outside but no one ever told you that and then they slap you with a $5,000 fine for peeing inside that would feel like a massive injustice. But if you moved in and they said, “I understand that where you’re from they pee inside but that’s not what we do here. I will show exactly where to go”. And they follow through on that but you still decide to break the rule, then yeah, you earned the fine. Dogs are only born knowing how to be a dog. It’s your responsibility to teach them everything else.
There’s a time to avoid and a time to train a troublesome situation.
If these dogs weren’t behind a physical barrier (if they had an electric fence) and I hadn’t taught the behaviors at home that I use to manage her (leave it, come, no) we would have avoided this all together.
But I’m confident in her training and this is the next level so we worked through it and it was a super valuable lesson for her.
Not only did we contextualize the “vocab” she learned at home but she learned she can’t blow me off no matter how fun something looks and she learned that the presence of a dog doesn’t mean she has to interact with it. She learned today that’s she’s capable of just walking past them.
#dogtraining #ecollartraining #impulsecontrol #dogs #dogtrainer #adoptabledog
If they’re fighting over toys they have too much control of the toys. Put them away. Take them out at a designated time in their own spaces and let them do their thing for 20 minutes then put the toys away. They get toy time and no one fights.
Fighting over food and bones? Feed them in the crate. It strengthens positive feelings toward the crate and no one can fight.
Having multiple dogs means playing referee more often than not. Theyre dogs, they’re going to do what makes sense to a dog if you don’t control the situation. The more a dog practices any behavior the faster it becomes a habit. So if you structure their environment to where fighting isn’t ever a possibility they don’t get to practice that behavior anymore and it doesn’t become as strong.
USE YOUR CRATE. It’s not just for puppies.
#cratetraining #dogtraining #multidoghousehold #dog #dogtrainer #dogsafetytips
Take the unnecessary pressure off your nervous dog so they don’t have to explode.
There is absolutely no reason your dog needs to participate in your party if they don’t want to.
Any reason you can come up with is rooted in your own selfishness.
“But my mom loves to see him!” Great. Take your mom back to see the dog (if the dog enjoys your mom) then shut the door and go back to your party.
“But he HAS to learn to like this!” No he doesn’t. What part of your dog’s survival depends on them enjoying noisy, chaotic strangers invading their home and touching them for hours? You can try to teach your dog to accept people being around but this party is not the time or place and you can’t make your dog like anything they fundamentally don’t.
Why do parents hire babysitters or set their kids up in their rooms when they want to go to/have parties? Because those parties aren’t for kids. They’ll be happier eating pizza in their room with toys and cartoons than they would be at the party with a bunch of adults they don’t know.
#speakdog #dogtraining #dogtrainer #dogs #reactivedogs
People don’t ask you to ignore their dog because they want to ruin your fun. They say it because they’re working on something and don’t want you to get hurt.
I have a stranger danger, nervous dog. It took 3 years to get her where she is now and to learn the formula that makes her comfortable with new people.
It’s quite simple: ignore her entirely until she decides to come to you and if you follow that formula she’ll love you forever.
⬆️ this is so hard for some people. Nora doesn’t have a bite history but I don’t want her to get one.
It is shocking to watch someone continue to pressure a dog into an interaction they CLEARLY do not want. Nora can cower with wide eyes, ears back and be actively leaning away from someone and they STILL can’t leave her alone.
So I take the dog away like a phone from a bratty child. If you can’t manage the situation you manage the dog.
My dog doesn’t mind people in the house she just doesn’t want them in her personal bubble until she says it’s okay. Just like anyone else…
My dogs are allowed to have preferences. I will accommodate for those preferences when other people can’t appreciate their boundaries and that is how I’ve built relationships based on trust and mutual respect. They know that no matter what I will NEVER put them in a situation that compromises their perceived safety.
#dogtraining #christmas #doglover
So often I hear things like “my dogs doesn’t listen because they’re stubborn” or “my dog listens when they want to” or “he’s just a dumb dog”.
And then I watch them handle the dog and it’s no wonder they aren’t getting what they ask for. The biggest mistakes I see are:
Mixed signals: you say one thing with your voice and something entirely different with their body and another thing with the leash. I’d tune out too. Confusing…
The dog doesn’t actually know what you’re asking:
You worked on something once and then get mad when you ask 3 months later and the dog doesn’t remember. But you’re mad they “aren’t listening” so they just shut down.
The consistency isn’t there: you ask a different way in a different tone every time and the dog has no idea what you mean.
Theres nothing in it for the dog: you have to reward the things you like. Well timed rewards are the crux of teaching a dog anything. I don’t work for free either.
Practice your signals in the mirror without your dog. Get the muscle memory down. Your dog learns in patterns so the better you know the pattern and can repeat it the faster they’ll learn.
Video yourself training. A lot. Watch what you do with every part of yourself when you ask the dog to do something.
Clarity and consistency are the key to making progress with a “stubborn” dog.
#dogtraining #dogs #dogtrainer #tbt #balanceddogtraining
Muzzle conditioning continued:
There are times in their life that your dog might have to be muzzled and it wont end in anything but a negative association if you don’t get ahead of it.
If you take your dog to the groomer/vet they won’t be muzzled unless they need to be. Which means the dog is already stressed out and scared enough to feel the need to defend themself. This is not the state of mind you want them in when the muzzle is introduced. If you know your dog has trouble in these places or other similar situations, muzzle train at home and bring them to that place pre-muzzled. Even if they’ve never shown signs before it’s just a good skill for them to have. Some vets will preemptively muzzle a dog before a procedure that might not be awesome to keep themselves safe. I get it. But I would much rather my dog learn about the muzzle first with treats than their first experience with it be associated with something scary.
Practice practice practice at home. Wear the muzzle during play time, on walks and during other fun things sometimes. Make it as normal as wearing a collar. We can’t make all scary things not scary for our dogs but we can make the safety measures as least scary as possible.
#muzzletraining #dogtraining #dogtrainer #dogs #pitbull #bullybreed #tuesday #tuesdaymotivation #balanceddogtraining #balanceddogtrainer
Resource guarding is scary, frustrating and can be dangerous.
Unfortunately, the common thought on how to prevent it is to basically desensitize the dog to antagonization 🙄
“Put your hands in their food”
“mess with them while they eat”
“Take stuff away from them all the time”
I get the thought behind it. For a really soft, submissive dog I guess that could work. But for the rest of them you’ll just create insecurity and make yourself into the bully they need to protect their stuff from.
But what if we just establish clear boundaries and don’t create insecurity around resources to begin with? What if we made it a game to take things away?
1. Be intentional: if your dog has constant, free access to their toys, bones and food, they own the resources and it becomes responsibility to protect them. If YOU give them access to it under specific circumstances, YOU control the resources.
2. Give them space: Don’t be weird. Don’t give your dog a reason to guard their resources. How would you feel if your roommate came over and put their hands in your dinner or took it away at random? You would start to get a little defensive when they came around too. Give them their thing and let them have it.
3. Practice: Make a game out of leaving a resource for a reward. Have 2 things the dog likes and practice leaving one of them for the other. Establishing a strong “leave it” command and recall will also make it possible for you to remove the dog from the thing instead of removing the thing the from the dog. Much safer.
#dogtraining #dogtrainingtips #dogtrainer #dogs #thursday
Why would your dog engage with you if you don’t engage with them?
Give them something interesting to engage with.
I don’t like to start a this treats because I can’t be sure if they’re paying attention to ME or the treats. So we start with just yielding to body and leash pressure and add rewards later for choosing to engage with me.
#dogtraining #dogtrainer #balanceddogtraining #dogs #workingdog #germanshepherd #gsd
#tbt when Nora wasn’t e-collar trained and ran away almost daily.
#tbt #throwbackthursday #thursday #funny #dog
