The emergency sit/down is incredibly useful as a backup or instead of your recall. I practice this regularly with phoenix, especially when he is mid chase during a game of fetch.
Pick your dogs strongest position, sit or down, and start by working on the speed at which your dog gets into the position before challenging the distance and finally the distraction.
If you want your dog to learn this skill, get in touch.
Reactivity training session with Cedric the Romanian rescue. I am very proud of this boy and his guardians. Cedric suffered from extreme reactivity to dogs... the scent of another dog was enough to send him into a lunging barking frenzy! We've worked on lead walking, and after a couple of sessions with Phoenix, Cedric has improved brilliantly. His guardians have taken his training head on, and their commitment is getting some serious results 💪 This clip is a breakdown of our last session with Phoenix. For Cedric, it was important to keep changing the picture as novelty situations caused the biggest reactions.
Always finding ways to work on confidence exercises. Jumping on a wobbly surface and working on static positions is not as easy as it looks! Adding these small exercises to break up your normal walk are great for bonding and mental stimulation. 🐕
Always finding ways to work on confidence exercises. Jumping on a wobbly surface and working on static positions is not as easy as it looks! Adding these small exercises to break up your normal walk are great for bonding and mental stimulation. 🐕 #dogtraining #malinoislife
Another great Train 'n' Walk workshop this morning with the assistance of Amy from Watsons Dog Services . The only workshop like it! The ultimate way to work on socialising your dog appropriately while working on building your dog's engagement and control.
This workshop is ideal for any dog struggling with excitement, focus and reactivity. You can join the workshop after an initial assessment or having completed a training class with us.
Training is about creating clarity in your communication with your dog. Good obedience is simply your dog understanding what you're asking and working towards creating reliability in the motivation to perform a specific behaviour.
A good example is lead walking. Many dogs that I work with genuinely don't understand what is being asked of them, nor do they have the motivation to perform the task reliably. Some dogs need more guidance than others simply because they are more stimulated by the environment rather than walking calmly. My dog Phoenix is one of those, and he does best when told exactly what to do rather than leaving it up to him. In the video above, he shows he understands the difference between walking calmly on a loose lead and being allowed to explore and sniff. Some dogs are fine with doing both without issue, however many dogs I come across struggle on this 'grey scale' of being allowed to sniff as they choose but also expected to pay full attention and walk calmly. If your dog is very stimulated by its environment, then your dog may benefit from being given clear instructions on when to sniff and explore and when to walk calmly next to you.
My lovely clients sent me this beautiful, harmonious clip of their 3 Goldendoodles in complete peace. They have worked so hard from having chaos to calm, first with big boys Walter and Barney and then their third addition puppy Arthur. Much respect 👊 It is not easy having a mutlidog household where all dogs (including a puppy!) are under control and able to settle so well.
If you're struggling with calmness in home and adjusting to having more than one dog, get in touch.
Down-stay mid chase.
Always keeping Phoenix on his toes by practicing his impulse control on walks. By adding spontaneous obedience to your walks and play you can easily fit in 'training' without properly 'training'. Rather, you're working on control in situations that are far more realistic than a dedicated training session where your dog knows he either has to pay attention or can choose to switch off.
I live in the real world and I'm sure you do too! Which means trying to stick to 'training sessions' that have to be added to your daily schedule is hard to realistically fit in consistently. I much prefer short sweet drills that can be included with what you are already doing - this is also a much more beneficial way to train as you are working on obedience that is actually useful in an environment where you are likely to need it.
Here is Phoenix doing a down stay and with a swing right by him...not easy but actually useful!
Even on holiday we'll find places to challenge Phoenix's agility!
You either have recall or not - speed matters! Practicing recall when your dog is engaged in another activity, such as playing with another dog, will truly develop a reliable recall.
When working on your dog's recall it's important to vary the distractions, rewards and only call when you can follow through and reward! The speed of a recall is the difference between a dog who's safe and has avoided trouble and one who could potentially be or cause injury. A recall is a reflex response...once your dog 'thinks' about a recall you are more likely to struggle under big distractions.
Practicing heel-work with Phoenix.
Teach rear-end awareness for flashy faster movement.
Getting back into training Phoenix now that baby is over a month. I'll be on maternity leave for a while longer, but it's been great to fit in some training on pushchair walks 😀
Thinking of adding this trick to our dog training classes 🤔 Would people be interested in learning this send away?
Practicing mini obedience session during high energy activities.
If you struggle getting your dog's attention or to calm down after high energy activities (such as playing with another dog), practice mini obedience sessions throughout activities. This teaches your dog not only that obedience is not the end of fun, but rather another fun interlude between energetic activities, but it also helps your dog develop impulse control and much faster response to commands.
This is especially helpful with developing obedience in a multi dog household.
Does your dog enjoy holding things in their mouth?
Phoenix loves his tug, and as a reward after an obedience session I let him carry his 'prize' all the way back home. He takes this very seriously and stays calm and focused.
Some dogs, especially gun dog breeds, love to hold things in their mouth and this can be a great way of encouraging their natural behaviour in a structured way.
The more your dog volunteers to check in, the more reliable your dog will be off the lead. This behaviour is incompatible with becoming over interested in external distractions.
I reward this behaviour generously as a puppy because puppies naturally offer this behaviour. It quickly disappears though if not acknowledged! Reward this well into adolescence as that is when distractions, for most dogs, really become a problem to recall and off lead reliability.
Teaching your dog how to heel off lead is, in my books, a very useful and often used skill. This gives you immediate control without dealing with a lead, but also your dog understands that heel is incompatible with any other behaviour (such as chasing a jogger, running up to a dog etc).
Start off at home by luring your dog with food until the heel becomes muscle memory as shown here by Phoenix.
Get in touch if you feel your dog could benefit from learning heel work. We also cover this in our dog training classes.
Reu is a 5yr old Husky cross who needed some help with selective reactivity to people. Often working on maintaining calmness on lead is the most important starting point to reduce reactivity. A loose lead is a calm state of mind.
Test your dog's 'invisible lead' to you - without saying anything stop moving and wait. By frequently rewarding your dog looking and checking in with you, you will create value in your dog's mind to keep an eye on you. This is more important than just practicing recall!
The gorgeous Amari has been working with myself and Phoenix on calmly walking towards & past an oncoming dog; recall and impulse control around an exciting off-lead dog. Like many young dogs, Amari struggled with holding back her excitement which at times has come out in typical Shepherd fashion, a little dramatic! She has progressed hugely thanks to her fab committed guardians :D
In the video Phoenix is playing the part of the excitable off-lead dog and Amari is working on holding a down stay and impulse control. Amari is being rewarded whenever she disengages from Phoenix which encourgaes her to stay calm. Notice how well-timed her owner re-instructs the stay after she breaks it! Communication is everything :)
PS I don't usually advocate sticks for fetch, but we had to improvise to increase the excitement levels!
