Wiley Reading Dog Training

30/09/2024

In this video, I've just realized that Mutsu, a 7 yr old French Bulldog, is more comfortable with me reaching under his collar to hook his leash. Mutsu and I don't know each other very well yet,and Frenchies can be stubborn and reserved. I'm especially careful to go slow and introduce him to everything I'm doing, and reward him for engaging.

In order to keep Mutsu's anxiety at a minimum, before I walk him I make sure he's comfortable giving me eye contact, sitting, and letting me grab his collar to attach the leash. Patience is key!

26/09/2024

Mutsu, a seven year old fawn French Bulldog, is learning a consent-based behavior. We are just getting to know each other, so instead of grabbing him (like many of us, me included, are guilty of doing with small dogs) I reward him for allowing me to reach towards his neck.

In this video, at first I make the mistake of reaching over his head. His body language tells me very clearly he doesn't like this. When I switch to reaching under his chin, we make progress much faster.

23/09/2024

Arlo, a silver brindle pitbull mix, wanders around with a paper bag from an enrichment toy on his head. Pit bulls are terrier mixes known for their goofy clown-like behavior. Arlo makes me laugh all the time with his antics.

Enrichment toys don't have to be complicated or expensive--Arlo enjoys fishing treats out of crumpled up paper bags.

20/09/2024

Hi Vermont-based friends! Please read and share *everywhere* thank you so much!

My training client and very good buddy Arlo is looking for his forever home IN VERMONT. After a rough start in life (including likely having never lived indoors) Arlo has made massive progress in his foster home but now needs a permanent family to bond with. I will be offering unlimited free training to whatever family or individual adopts him.

Quick Arlo facts:
-75lb silver brindle bully breed mix
-friendly, healthy, happy, and very eager to learn and please
-house trained, making good progress on loose leash walking, neutered & vetted
-Arlo is BLIND, so he requires specialized training and a calm household
-he has lived with cats and may be successful in a household with cat-savvy cats
-NO other dogs or children under 18. We do not believe Arlo is dog-aggressive, but he currently lives with another dog who he is very stressed by. He is successfully able to ignore other dogs on walks.

Videos in comments!

16/09/2024

Kaya, perfect baby, executing a flawless "Speak" command. Fun training tip: teaching a dog to bark on command is very cute.

Kaya is a cattle dog mix & benefitted greatly from learning new behaviors to keep her brain busy. Learning new tricks satisfied her desire to work with her person, and distracted her from her undesireable "job" of barking at the neighbor dogs!

12/09/2024

09/09/2024

Lily the Shar Pei loves her decpmpression walks in the snow! Loose leash walks in distraction-free environments are a great way for reactive dogs like Lily to have fun and practice being calm & regulated.

01/09/2024

Artemis is whip-smart and has a lot of energy! Here we are practicing "stop" mid-way through recall.

Learning new tricks is a great way to give your dog mental stimulation. Mental stimulation, physical simulation, and rest/soothing activities is the holy trifecta of keeping your dog happy (and unwanted behaviors to a minimum.)

01/09/2024

When I'm establishing trust with a new dog, one of the best things I can do is play lots of fun games with them, especially ones that encourage them to use their noses. The act of sniffing fulfills a dog, and the increased respiration boosts their mood and has a mild reductive effect on anxiety. Throwing kibble in (NOT chemically sprayed) grass is a great way to get dogs to turn on their sniffers.

16/07/2024

Training pattern games with Arlo the blind pit bull. Repetitive games add predictability to unpredictable situations. In Arlo's case, as a blind dog he is nervous about new noises. I use a pattern game to allow him to relax and take in the sounds of cars without lunging towards them out of fear.

05/06/2024

I don’t have a dog so I train my blind cat. He’s eating a whole freeze dried anchovy in this video. Whole (cooked) anchovy is a great motivator for him to learn a "place" command. He loves crunching them!