Rewards don’t have to be food-based! ⭐️
Here I’m rewarding Luna with sniffs, so she can explore the smells around the path … but without pulling on the lead and dragging me into bushes!
Rewarding your dog when they look at you is SUCH a powerful thing to do as your dog will quickly learn that checking in with you = treats.
Do you do this with your dog?
Give it a try in your next walk 🐾
#leadwalking #dogwalkingtips #dogtrainingadvice #leadtraining #teenagedog
🤣🤣 unconditional love 🫶🐾 in all seriousness though….
If you can’t go to the toilet in peace 👇
Some tips if your dog struggles with fomo when you’re home…
🚽 Give them a long lasting and high value chew or snuffle mat when you nip to the loo or to make a brew
👑 kongs are amazing too or Licki mats
💤 Sniffing licking chewing activities are calming 🪄
🍽️ we meal prep the above with some of our dogs actual food & stock our fridge weekly to make life easier
🛌 reward them when you notice them in their bed
🛌 play the “love your bed” games to build up their independence
👃 set up treasure hunts away from you so they’re rewarded for leaving your side
Any of the above can help - choose the best option for you 🥰
#mememonday #ilovedogs #fomo #dogswithfomo
Top tip 💡
This one might feel a little silly …
But id you want to stop your dog barking when you answer the door or chat to someone on walks, start saying “hiyaaaa” or “helllooo” when nobody is actually there 😅
If you’ve got a reactive dog & not sure if this is right for you, drop me a DM 🥰
#dogtrainingtips #dogbarking #dogtrainingvideo
wait for Frank to have a go 😭😍 if walks are stressing you out …come and learn hoops instead 🫶
hoopers is just the best I love it 😻 suitable for all breeds - pugs, dalmatians, spaniels, doodles, poodles, all gun breeds, sight hounds, terriers, scent hounds. You name it they’re all welcome 🐾
We have a deal on 121s too 🥰 if you want to practice round my dog before joining the group we can sort that too when your dogs ready 🪄
If the dog can’t come, it better be worth it 😅
Anyone else?
#dogparentlife #dogmumproblems #dogsarebetterthanpeople #dogparentproblems #dogmemes
It’s the eyes in the anticipation 😆
You’ll get an extra few seconds for each piece of food this way 👏
Then you can stretch that duration ⏰ 🚀
Roll it between your fingers or count the 3 pieces of food before giving them 👌
Good one for helping encourage your dog to increase duration for their sit or heelwork 🪄
Or any behaviour you’re working on building a longer duration 🕰️
please video and tag your dogs funny anticipation videos too 🤣
The best part about colder weather?
Your dogs rocking their cute coats 🥹
Not got yours yet or in need of a new one? Here are some of our favourite brands to keep your pup warm and dry ⬇️
⭐️ @equafleece (the holy grail - I love that they also cover your dogs’ bellies!)
⭐️ @pawsome.suits - our clients love them!
⭐️ @speedraydesignwear (for iggys, whippets & greyhounds)
⭐️ Search ‘Poseca’ for small dogs on Amazon, great for sausage dogs!
-
#dogsincoats #cutedogsofinstagram #dogparentslife #smalldogbreeds #dogwalkinguk #prestondogs
Other options 👇
Make the floor the most rewarding place to be
How? There are a million options it’s choosing what works for you and your dog… some ideas below:
1️⃣ scatter feed before your dog jumps, leave a cup of food by the entrance for when you get home
2️⃣ give them a high value long lasting chew when you get home or guests come
3️⃣ anything licking chewing and sniffing is calming so licki mats, kongs, stuffed hooves can be amazing
💩 Unfortunately Reggie won’t poop if I feed him when I see him so I manage this as shown on the video 😂
🛌 💤 His “go to bed” cue is very good too if he does struggle
❌ Teaching a behaviour that makes jumping up impossible is fab too! But the easiest option is often a long lasting chew or licki mat or kong
🖤 Be black and white!!!! 🤍
You can’t let your dog sometimes jump up and not others …
you can teach them arms open = jump up or hug time 🤗
🥊 You don’t have to be harsh when training - but to be clear is kind
If you are not black and white your dog is going to be confused and that is unfair for your dog as I see lots of people telling them off then 🗣️
That last point can quickly spiral to damage all your efforts with dog training 🤯
- confusion about what we want is stressful to dogs
- shouting can contribute to brain overload which is linked to a variety of behaviour struggles 🫣
Sick of always telling your dog NO or DOWN please reach out 🫶
There’s funner, easier ways 🐶
As always I could talk all day on this topic - it’s very specific for each dog and human partnership so please reach out if you are struggling 🥰
Life isn’t linear …
Neither is training our dogs, there will be better days and days where you feel like you’ve taken 10 steps backwards. But be patient - with yourself and with your dog - and know that just by trying you’re already doing a great job 🙏
I often tell my clients to track their own commitment to the training games and progress will come 🫶
Little and often 👌 🪄
#dogmumlife #sensitivedog #anxiousdog #dogtrainingadvice #positivedogtraining #recalltraining #dogtrainingpaysoff #dogtrainingvideo
“would you go to work for free” is a very common phrase in the dog world 😆
Food is like money to them - kibble maybe £1, cheese £5 and real meat £10.
Throw it for them to chase and it becomes worth x10 🤣
My collie kibble is worth -£10
I appreciate every dog is an individual- what’s your fave reward to use?
Ps if you are struggling with your dog, we have space Saturday 10am at our dog training club in Preston 🤩
we play training games to help with dog behaviour struggles 🪄
- pulling on lead ➡️ lovely lead walking
- struggling to settle ➡️ professional pub dog
- crazy dogs ➡️ the love of your life and best friend
Dog training can be fun for you and your dog! 🙌
It’s just a case of finding what you both enjoy 🥰
What’s are you struggling with your dog at the moment? We set very specific plans for each person that comes too - no person and dog partnership are the same and we get that 🙏
Games we played and why… 👇
1️⃣ Wait for your name 🗣️
we always practice using their name as a cue for a reward - as you never know when you might need it
Keep their recall fresh 🚀
2️⃣ Aeroplane game ✈️
really good for self control (or getting cute instagram pics of your dogs 😂)
3️⃣ Chase the treat 💨
helps you be fun and compete with things your dog likes to chase! 🐰 🦆 🐶 it’s also great for dogs that aren’t big foodys as it makes the food more fun
4️⃣ Catch 🍪
same as above 🫶 plus makes for funny photos 😂
5️⃣ Spins 🌀
same as above - plus helps with lead walking and eventually for lots of dogs this behaviour can reward behaviour. Very handy for when you’re running low on treats!
Follow for more tips 🥰
Ps did you see Henry’s concentration tongue 😂 he makes me laugh in this one 😂
#dogwalkersofig #dogwalkers #pugcross #springercross #yorkiecross #funwithyourdog #playwithyourdog
Timing is everything!
Marker words can help pinpoint the second they make a good choice, or when triggers appear 👌
They’re like a bridge to allow you time to get the reward out of your pocket 🌉
Common mistakes:
- repeating the word without rewarding every time
- using it when their dogs sniffing to get their attention
- feeding them, then saying it
- only using it around distractions
- only using it when they’re doing something we don’t want them to
- practicing at home and then really busy environments
That last one is like doing one driving lesson then going on the motorway - make sure you have lots of distance in the early days from triggers 🫶
We see lots of people using their marker word as a recall cue - don’t make this mistake, instead 👇
Use your recall cue. Then mark the fastest point of their return 🪄
If you mark your dog when they’re sniffing, you’re telling them that’s what is getting the reward
And to be honest you’re more likely “devaluing” the word. I say this because I’m guessing you used the marker word because they ignored the cue?
If your dogs marker cue isn’t getting a reaction like you see on the video, you can change this! Just say yes, feed.
Repeat x10 and do this weekly when no triggers are around just to keep this word working as it should 🪄
Practice when nothing is happening to keep your marker word strong 🫶
Don’t focus on your dogs progress - focus on your own commitment to playing the games each week
As a minimum 3 x a week for 4 - 10 treats
If you want to do more, do more but little & often is best
It’s surprising how little you need to do each week to see progress with certain behaviours (sit stay, settle training, focus games, middle, positions, tricks, catch on the move… these are some of our faves)
Progress not perfection 🫶
Just a few reps - I love habit stacking:
☕️ Kettle training - when you’re boiling the kettle for a brew
📺 Ad breaks - when you’re watching the tv
😞 Feeling flat - do some fun reps
🧼 break up cleaning when you do it
🦮 do it on your walks
🍻 at the pub
The options are endless but find what works for you 🫶
Puppy push-ups 💪
Keep my boy strong 🚀
There’s so many levels when it comes to dog training
Sit ➡️ stand
Down ➡️ stand
Bow ➡️ stand
Then all the variations between 🪄 ⬆️⬇️➡️⬅️
down to bow will be a hard one! I’ve started to reward just slight butt lifts at the min and I will shape it over time 🕰️
multiple reps for 1 reward - start easy with lots of rewards. Then build 🪜
Can they also do it on a wobble cushion - my physio is fab and knows I like exercises without equipment so my legs can be the wobble cushion 😆👌
@northwesternvetphysio
Progression would be taking the training different locations too 🏡 🪴 🏔️ 🏝️ 🏬 🚙 🐑
Training always starts at home! And training always starts where your dogs at on their journey - then we stretch their abilities gradually over time 🥰
Ps you’ve not seen the multiple reps we did on the 4 videos before this one! Lots of people only show the highlight reel - training isn’t always perfect and progression can take time in some areas. It depends what you dog finds easy and all their previous learning - as you train more and build your communication it gets easier 🫶
There’s also so much value in teaching nervous dogs or dogs that struggle with distractions skills like this - if you have behaviours they enjoy doing you can start to practice in gradually distracting environments - but don’t rush this. And don’t do it without a professional 🫶
Training sensitive dogs is a fine art lots of people want to rush the process. Slow and steady wins the race. If you want me cheering you on in the process comment or send me a DM 🥰🙌
Our pets have got so much more cuddly since we have been doing this 🤗
Learn a soothing Ttouch massage technique 💆♀️
🐆 clouded leopard ttouch
🦙 llama ttouch
♾️ There’s loads more to try too
💤 encourages sleep and calmness
🥰 releases endorphins
🫶 helps you bond
😌 I personally find it soooo relaxing
⏰ Just 10-30 seconds a time
🐾 does your dog nudge you for more?
💭 Or do they drift off
Ps yes I tried to get in the spirit of football but ended up making videos instead 😂
