Beautiful Cedar, a hound/pit mix, can be nervous outside. There are some challenging dogs & people in her neighborhood and sometimes she needs some extra support on walks to remember to sniff and process instead of reacting when she’s anxious.
Cedar’s people report that the snow makes a great snuffle mat. Brave girl!
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Mutsu’s freework session: set up, then “ignoring foster brother” training session for Mutsu the French bulldog and (offscreen) Arlo the blind pit bull.
This game can be used to help your dog get used to being around lots of thing they’re afraid of—other pets, loud noises, etc…
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Dogs dogs dogs!
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Arlo the blind, six-year-old silver brindle pit mix, playing tug.
Arlo is still learning how to play with people, so our sessions are short, very positive, and I never take a toy away from him until I’ve offered him a higher reward item to enjoy so I can pick the toy up & put it away at the end.
#blinddogtraining #rplustraining #forcefreetraining #rplusdogs #caninecognition #caninenrichment #dogenrichment #pittiesofinstagram #pitbulls #forcefreedogtraining #relationshipbasedtraining #rescuedogsofinstagram
Bigsy is an eight year old hound/shepherd mix. I have never walked her before, and she is not comfortable enough with me to take treats from me outside.
Here I’m demonstrating a technique to reduce pulling so we can walk more safely around her neighborhood, without using food or toys as motivators.
When she begins to pull, I stop moving forward, wait until she slightly reduces tension in the leash, then make encouraging noises/call her name to encourage her to come towards me.
Once she begins to come with me and loosens the leash, I reward her by continuing forward (note: not directly back towards the squirrel) with her.
This technique is not meant to reduce pulling long-term because it doesn’t address the root cause. However, it can be an effective tool in the short term when getting to know a new dog/working with dogs who don’t have good leash skills.
#rplustraining #forcefreetraining #rplusdogs #forcefreedogtraining #relationshipbasedtraining #canineenrichment #rescuedogsofinstagram #rplusdogtraining #houndmixesofinstagram #looseleashwalking
Arlo the six year old silver brindle pit bull, world watching, with (my) narration.
With a a blind dog, I need to be conscientious about supporting the way he gathers information about his environment. Because Arlo wasn’t born blind, he has had to adapt to getting most of his information through smell and hearing. As his trainer, I encourage him to rely on these senses when taking in the world.
World “watching” and encouraging him to process the noises instead of immediately reacting to them allows him to get her more information. More information makes a more confident dog. Furthermore, practicing “thinking” before acting (like lunging towards a sound) results in a greater capacity to “think” before reacting in other circumstances—like when walking past another leashed dog or responding to a surprise pet!
#blinddogtraining #rplustraining #forcefreetraining #rplusdogs #forcefreedogtraining #caninecognition #relationshipbasedtraining #canineenrichment #rescuedogsofinstagram #rplusdogtraining #pitbullsofinstagram #blinddogsofinstagram #pitmixesofinstagram #reactivedog
Arlo, meet saxophone!
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What does it look like to “proof” a command? For “table,” first I lured Arlo into the position I wanted and gave him a treat. After practicing that 5-10 times, I began varying the heights and textures of the surfaces I used.
Then, I moved to waiting 1-2 seconds before I called him out of the position. Then, I increased the time he was expected to remain in the position.
When working on a new behavior, it’s good to remember to slowly, and one at a time, change duration, distance, and environment to make sure your dog can learn to generalize!
#blinddogtraining #rplustraining #forcefreetraining #forcefreetrainer #rplusdogs #forcefreedogtraining #relationshipbasedtraining #canineenrichment #rescuedogsofinstagram #rplusdogtraining #pitbullsofinstagram #blinddogsofinstagram #pittiesofinstagram #trickdog
Arlo’s progress has been incredible, but it hasn’t been easy. Training your dog with force-free, relationship-based methods can take longer, and signs of progress can be more subtle.
Having a community of like-minded people to support you when you doubt yourself is the best thing you can do for yourself and your dog as you work to heal their relationship with the world.
#forcefree #blinddogtraining #rplustraining #forcefreetraining #rplusdogs #forcefreedogtraining #relationshipbasedtraining #canineenrichment #rescuedogsofinstagram #rplusdogtraining #pitbullsofinstagram #blinddogsofinstagram #blinddogsrock #fearfreetraining
Mutsu the seven year old cream-colored French Bulldog enjoying a treat scatter in some tall grass.
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Arlo, the six year old blind pit-mix, is an anxious boy. My sessions with him usually involve at least a few different decompression techniques. Licking for at least 30 seconds is an excellent stress-buster.
#blinddogtraining #rplustraining #forcefreetraining #rplusdogs #forcefreedogtraining #decompression #relationshipbasedtraining #canineenrichment #rescuedogsofinstagram #rplusdogtraining #blinddogsofinstagram #pitbullsofinstagram #caninecognition #pittiesofinstagram #pitmixesofinstagram
Teaching dogs tricks is easy. Changing their feelings about the world is HARD. Confidence building activities are the best thing you can do for an anxious or fearful dog.
#blinddogtraining #rplustraining #forcefreetraining #rplusdogs #forcefreetraining #forcefreedogtraining #relationshipbasedtraining #canineenrichment #rescuedogsofinstagram #rplusdogtraining #pitbullsofinstagram #blinddogsofinstagram #confidencebuilding #reactivedog #reactivedogs #pitmixesofinstagram #counterconditioning
