Quite the glow up if I do say so Rex.
2 years ago vs Today
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We did lots of recall practice on yesterday's walk, afterwards the boys thought I was the bee's knee's and offered up a lovely heel without me asking.
'Heel' can take up many forms. Rex's is a very loose version (follow me and don't sniff and piss on everything). Poppy's is very traditional looking as that's what works best for her. For me, in a heel the dog should be staying close to you, paying attention to your speed and stopping and not wandering off.
(I will add I didn't ask for it from the labs I think they just enjoyed the training so much) 😂
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I want to quickly talk about environmental proofing. We can teach a dog a behaviour to the point it becomes very solid where they learnt to do it but it doesn't mean they can do everywhere.
Poppy has a beautiful heel position in 'non-pet shops' (still dog friendly but just don't sell doggy things) but I've never really got around to practicing it in other places.
Today we practiced her heel position down Elgin High Street and it was difficult for her. I fully expected it to be difficult due to it being a more distracting environment for Poppy and a less practiced environment. Understanding this and letting unwanted behaviour happen are 2 different things though.
Even though I had asked for a heel position (using her collar as the attachment point) there were points she forged ahead, tried to pull towards distractions. So I while not allowing her to get to the distractions and self-reward I waited and stopped a lot more for her to get back in position. Everytime she gave me attention she got rewarded (for Poppy I want a focused heel), compared to a place like shops where its intermittent.
This can apply to so many skills our dogs need from a heel position like today, to recall, loose lead walking, engagement and so on. Understanding and expecting it to be more difficult just means as the human you have to be even more on it about providing them with the training in that environment. It doesn't mean the dog can do whatever it wants and practice unwanted behaviours.
*The video is of Poppy learning a new skill of reversing in the heel position but the most relatable thing I have on video*
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Not done much scentwork recently as things have been too busy but listen to her nose work. Very happy with how quickly she's picked it back up though.
The last hide was hard as the bedding will still have a load of guinea pig smell to it.
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The dog gets to choose what's rewarding.
I feel this concept doesn't get utilised enough when people train their dogs. Rex just loves playing in water, it's one of his favourite things to do (apart from sheepies). If he had it his way he would go running to the river from a field away but that's not incredibly responsible.
Instead we practice his heel (not in the video) then I drop him into a downstay and walk off towards the river to check it's safe and release him.
For this he gets a double reward, running super fast and getting to play in the river. It also sets a clear boundary that he's not allowed to dive into any river without my say so (sometimes it's too fast or deep and he's not a great swimmer).
If your dog finds something rewarding or motivating use it. It doesn't always have to be food or throwing a ball.
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The dog training world is quite ugly on social media at the moment. So here's a wholesome video of me and Poppy playing.
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We've had a few deliveries to that means breakfast was served in boxes and packing paper. Not only does it slow breakfast down from a mouthful but it means he uses his smart brains.
As with every enrichment I serve that includes a main meal I make sure some of it is easy pickings then they have to work harder and harder for the end of it.
I don't believe that eating should be a truly difficult task for dogs but I do believe in making their brains work.
3 boxes. 15 minutes. 1 collie whose ready for a nap.
(Obviously sped up as I don't know how many of you would enjoy watching it for 15 minutes.)
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While this video may seem insignificant to some people to me this is huge! Not only is she not impulsively racing up to other dogs. She's calmly watching them. She's choosing to disengage from them without my influence. She's choosing to come and check in with me instead of running up to them.
This video is hard work paying off. Those of you who have seen Poppy's problems from the start might remember me talking about a dog who just wanted to race up to every dog she saw and never used her brain.
Not on this video is the 10 minutes she played with me with a toy while other dogs are around. (Previously unheard of due to her fixation on other dogs.) Also the dogs on the High Street she walked past on lead completely calm and relaxed.
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Making sure those brains are working today.
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One of the most common problems when it comes to dog training is time. While I'm never going to come here and say we all have the same 24hrs in a day because we just don't. I will say that an odd 5/10 minutes can go a long way.
Both the exercises I'm doing with Poppy and Rex I don't have a practical use for in day to day life. I don't use a contact/obedience heel position for Rex he was a 'with me' (follow me) cue. Poppy's is just a fun pick the hand the treat is in game.
From the dogs point of view both of these cement my dogs knowledge that I provide fun and food. Increasing my value to my dogs, which may help with recall and their engagement.
From a human point of view it really helps to find those 5/10 minutes on a walk you can work on the issues your having, if that be lead pulling, recall or some kind of reactivity. If you get used to making use of some spare time, training while your out with your dogs becomes more natural.
Also enjoy Poppy's favourite tricks she decided to chuck in just because she's a smart arse.
*Rex's session in the comments because we'll Facebook.
Working through deleting some of the 713 videos on my phone. 🤦♀️
I loved seeing Rex progress from a little pup into a nice little sheepdog.
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A little insight into training with Poppy. Sometimes she throws a curveball at me.
The first version is my goal, I've lured, trained and proofed.
The second version is pretty much the same but starting on the other leg. Happy with it.
No idea where the third one came from. Now I like it but no idea what to call it, how to actually cue it seeing as she came up with it herself.
Pretty much sums her up a big fat show off.
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Nights are getting darker so time to wear our party lights to go and check on the sheep.
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Over the past week or so Rex has really come into his own on the sheep.
He's now slowing down and reading the sheep way more than before. He's becoming more able to predict when they're not going where there supposed and get in the way of that.
If this is how he's maturing out I'm thrilled!
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My personal least favourite but it's the one that makes the rounds is the noise + treat methods.
The most important parts is that the dog should be able to easily take the food without hestation and the noise should predict the food.
✅ Noise ➡️ Treat ✅
❌ Treat ➡️ Noise ❌
The bang should always make the dog predict the food using this method.
Again make sure you start the volume low enough the dog will happily take the food.
I personally prefer to teach my dogs to not notice the noise but if this helps you get your dog through the night then great.
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This is another variation of making it a
background noise. Any activity you dog loves doing with you, for Poppy it's trick training.
The main point for training I will keep going on about is the volume should be low enough the dog can easily engage. If they're struggling lower the volume.
I prefer it being a background noise to the next video I'll post as it kind of teaches the dog to ignore the noise rather than focus on it but learn to cope.
This could be anything, find it games, activity toys, kongs. Slowly increase the volume as your dog learns to ignore the noise.
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Play!
Playing releases happy hormones (dopamine), this can be whatever style of play your dog loves.
The volume should be low enough your dog will happily fully engage in play. You can either just have it as background noise when your playing or you can do it so the firework noises is the cue that play will start.
This will give you something you can use on the night to keep your dog focused on you and helps them to release the good hormones.
I prefer play to food for this sort of work but it depends on what your dog enjoys. If you practice this for a few minutes each day, actively engaging with play while firework noises go off in the background it can make a huge difference. Slowly increase the volume but it should always be low enough the dog can easily engage in the play.
