A quick little sit-stay for Schatzi. I can’t think of a higher distraction than 4 other dogs playing with eachother. Look at your girl Susan Mackay Frank Mackay ❤️❤️❤️🐾 some good
Looking back on some December videos , I cannot wait to see the dogs reaction to being back to their playground!
⭐️ Millie and Jewel ⭐️
Ignore my excited voices 😆 but look at how adorable this play is!
Sophie Sharpe
Amelia Elizabeth just a quick little “sit-stay” during play time. What a very good boy!! #badgauge
Looking forward to seeing my BAD buds this week! ❤️🐾
⭐️ Resource Guarding ⭐️
Resource guarding can be an alarming behaviour that you may not be expecting to see from your best buddy. One moment they are a sweet little nugget and then “out of no where” they can turn and start growling/snapping … what is going on?!
The good news is, it’s a totally natural dog behaviour! Dogs guard high value items to keep them in their possession, especially when their learning history shows that other dogs can take from them… or human hands take from them.
Who can blame them? Humans resource guard too, we lock our houses, lock our cars, and bat a human hand away from taking things off of our plate. The thing is dogs communicate by growling and using their teeth, so it looks a little scary at times.
Fred’s resource guarding has been quite severe in the past landing one of my dogs in the emergency vet with 10 stitches and multiple puncture wounds around her body. Scary… but we’ve been working through it with the power of positive reinforcement dog training!
First we manage him and his environment:
⭐️ we have a baby gate that keeps him out of the kitchen
⭐️ we feed him separately and behind a closed door
⭐️ he has the same routine every single day surrounding food, creating predictability and this seems to lesson his fear
⭐️ he only gets food around other dogs in a training setup that has been pre meditated for the safety of everyone
⭐️ we train skills like “settle”, “look at that”, “engagement with the handler” without any other dogs around first
⭐️ we assessed at what distance he can be comfortable around the other dogs, and slowly (VERY slowly) we decreased that distance
It’s not perfect, and we always manage him, but he’s making strides in becoming more comfortable with his precious resources around his family and friend. We are so proud!!
If you are struggling with resource guarding my advice is to reach out to a certified professional for help, this behavio
Lovely woods walks with my lovelies ❤️🐾
Another week in our neighbourhood ❤️🐾
Don’t worry, go on a dog adventure! ;)
⭐️ Find it Fetch ⭐️
Fred is aChesapeake Bay Retriever mix, he was born with a natural need to retrieve!
Retrievers at a young age, (as a stereotype) tend to be very mouthy, and just adore playing “keep away” with objects. They love it! Fetch seems to be the perfect activity to keep your puppy satisfied right?
Here’s the catch, (unpopular opinion) I don’t love fetch. 😬 and I have a retriever!! In reality, I know Fred loves to retrieve the ball and could run for hours if I’d let him. I can see the appeal because:
🌟 It’s easy exercise
🌟 It’s a bonding activity
But it’s also:
🌟 Hard on the dogs joints and body
🌟 Easily turned into a compulsive behaviour
The movements can increase joint problems, and cause future problems like arthritis and dysplasia. The movements that are of concern are:
🌟 Sprinting
🌟 Leaping in the air
🌟Changing direction
🌟 Braking
I’ve given this a lot of thought. Fred gets a schedule for his Fetch time.
🌟 Fetch once a week for 10 minutes
🌟 All his balls are packed away, they come out only when we play.
🌟 Free access to the ball without interference from a human/dog
🌟 Training cues like “drop it”, “take it”, “leave it”, “go get it”!
🌟 Find-it Fetch as our main activity throughout the week
Here’s one version of the game:
A great example of Premack’s Principle, reward the less likely behaviour “drop it” / “leave it” with a release to run back and get the object which is the ultimate motivation! I don’t take the stick from him after this either we continue waking, and he gets to celebrate with his stick!
A great training game for your retrieving loving pals out there. Keep it low impact, keep it enriching, and meet those breed specific needs ! 🎉 🐶
Walkies for my BAD dogs ❤️🐾
Always practicing recall 🌟
KPA-CTP, VSA-CDT Multi Certified Dog Trainer
