Flashback to my beautiful Banu (Turkish Kangal Dog) in 2018. I put up her raccoon because she was starting to gut it. Sad girl. But I gave it back later and let her destroy it.
This is why I buy old toys at yard sales and Goodwill...
Double-dog TUG!
Just takes a few minutes, and everybody's happy. [turn on the sound if you wanna)
How's your Recall/Come cue? [turn Sound ON]
Walking with my dogs on the greenway after a rain. No people or dogs in sight, so a good time to practice recalls with "critter distractions". Good boys! When they didn't immediately respond, I ducked down in a squat (hence the sudden change in camera angle)--that always "concerns" them and they come running. Works indoors and out, and it's fun!
I recommend *always* carrying good food rewards when you walk your dogs, on-leash or off, so you can reinforce recalls and voluntary eye-contact "check-ins". It pays off, for them and for you!
[turn on the sound for the pity party]
I don’t know about your dogs, but mine have a very precise gut clock. And they do not like the DST “fall back” one bit.
(turn on the sound)
I do a lot of work in my garden, and sometimes I forget to close the gate to my back yard. Doh! Since I have a dog door to the house... my boys get out and run around the neighborhood looking for squirrels and bunnies.
It’s a quiet cul de sac and they don’t range far, but this is when I am SO glad I trained them that WHOOOP! means, “Come running, I have special treats!”
I hid all of Sagan’s balls so I could get some chores done. But he’s very persistent.
Training “sniffy walk” at Lowes with the brilliant little Teddy and his awesome parents. (Unmute if needed.)
I placed some treats along the lumber aisle so we could practice the human “mechanics”--hands, posture, gestures, cues. Teddy’s learning to engage, give eye contact, and wait for the cue “OK! Go SNIFF!” instead of pulling the leash to get to pee-mail and other lovely smells along his street. :^)
Having a good recall is handy! Could also be life-saving. I can help you teach your dog to come when called, happily. Even when there are interesting smells and critters around.
Got a dog that seems indifferent to their food, or that gobbles it way too fast? Here’s how to make a simple, quality snuffle mat. Your dog will have a blast sniffing and hunting for his food!
I see a lot of them on the internet that are needlessly complicated, with crinkle-plastic and squeakers and such. Then buyers complain that their dog chewed it up and destroyed it.
Well, DUH. Snuffle mats are a kind of enrichment puzzle but they are not chew toys--they’re for mealtimes only. Then for heaven’s sake, put it UP until the next meal!
How on earth?
(Unmute if necessary) We were working on “Place” (station/mat training) in class, and puppy was responding well, and then suddenly hesitant to get on the mat--a “learning plateau” very common in shaping new behaviors. It’s like they have a hypothesis about what to do, but are a bit conflicted about testing the hypothesis in case they might be wrong (nothing bad happens, just no Click/Treat).
This Frenchie-Boston pup thought for 2 seconds, then had a “eureka!” moment and jumped UP to get on the mat--and her human was quick enough to mark it precisely. From then on, this was how this adorable pup responded to “Place!”.
