Proactive Engagement: Setting Everyone Up for Success
In this clip, you’ll see how being aware and proactive can create a smooth and stress-free experience for everyone involved.
Juno noticed the other dog resting near the shops before I did and let me know by looking at me. This gave me the opportunity to:
1️⃣ Switch sides with Juno, positioning myself between her and the other dog to create a sense of safety if needed (for both Juno and the other dog).
2️⃣ Create space by guiding her out slightly, ensuring we didn’t encroach on the other dog’s personal bubble.
3️⃣ Keep an eye on the other dog to ensure he remained comfortable as we passed. If he was uncomfortable or Juno was, I would create more space.
This approach isn’t just about Juno’s comfort—it's also about respecting the other dog, who likely wouldn’t appreciate an uninvited visit. We should never assume that it's okay to let our dogs approach other dogs.
By being aware and proactive, we can set everyone up for success, fostering positive interactions and create a comfortable coexistence in shared spaces.
Walks often default to being “follow-the-human” routines, especially when we focus on teaching loose-leash skills during puppyhood. But what if walks could be more of a conversation than a directive?
With Juno, I’ve worked on showing her that she has a voice in our walks. At intersections, I often pause and ask, “Which way?” She’ll point herself in her chosen direction, and off we go. Over time, something amazing has happened—Juno has started stopping at intersections unprompted, signaling where she’d like to go next. Sometimes also signaling just as clearly which way she DOESN'T want to go, which is just as important.
This kind of communication doesn’t happen overnight. It takes practice to teach dogs that they can ask and that we’ll listen. But the result is so rewarding: our walks are now richer and more engaging, and Juno’s sense of agency has grown. Giving dogs choices like this is a small but meaningful way to show them their preferences matter.
I’ve included a video here that captures this in action, so you can see how Juno takes the lead and shares her choices. This is in a relatively new place and she doesn't know the area well, but when we walk around our neighbourhood, this is even more distinctive.
Why not give it a try on your next walk? Stop and ask your dog to lead the way and see where their choices take you—literally and figuratively. It may take some practice for them to figure out that they can actually choose their own adventure.
cooperative care: wipes
This isn't her most favourite thing, but it is tolerable and comfortable enough that she will volunteer to be an active participant.
Have a look! Key points are:
1. Introduce wipes slowly. They have a smell.
2. Introduce touching genital area slowly. Working in an area where she can't see what I am doing and touching a normally "non-touching" area can be alarming and uncomfortable. *Make sure fingers are warmed up! Nobody wants cold fingers touching their body!
3. Using the smell and sight of the wipes gives her information about what I am asking her to participate in.
4. Using a standing position is far less intrusive or forceful than having her lying down. She can easily move away at will and communicate when she needs a break or wants to stop. Freedom to move is important and allows her to feel safely in control over what happens to her body.
5. I feed her the whole time whether she participates or walks away.
Wiping this area 2-3 times a week is important for her health for the rest of her life, so I need to make this as easy and stress-free as I possibly can. And this is it.
A big part of enriching Juno's life is incorporating problem-solving and conceptual learning. She loves "games" like object discrimination, size/amount discrimination, or match-to-sample tasks. The items are kept in these drawers and the best part is that she asks to play these games and indicates what she'd like to do by asking me to open the associated drawer. This is the match-to-sample drawer.
Edit: I realize that her indication of the sandal was so fast it almost looks like she runs right over top. I assure you, it's just the angle!
What your dog find pleasurable and motivating, and what will potentially work as a positive reinforcer, is always defined by your learner. Juno finds nothing about this tennis ball pleasurable or fun or motivating (other than a very brief and fleeting moment of half-hearted chasing). It is highly unlikely it would ever be an effective reinforcer--at least not in this environment!
Introducing medicated wipes: Cooperative care style.
All good things come to those who wait, or whatever that saying is.
This video shows you just how small the steps we are taking to introduce something new to our cooperative care routine. This is session one.
I take small steps for two reasons:
1. Each step is easy and fun. I am setting her up to succeed.
2. Each step allows me to gauge how she feels about that step before I move on.
Here you can see she isn't worried or hesitant. I'm still not going to push it and I keep the session short and sweet.
I am introducing new wipes. They are medicated, so they have a strong odor. I am also going to have to apply them to a new part of her body that I don't normally apply stuff: her genital area. This will be ongoing preventative care for her life.
So, in this pretty uneventful video, the goal is to build a positive association with seeing the wipes, and slowly introduce the smell as well as the steps I will take to use them (like opening the lid).
I end by removing access to the chin rest station and removing the wipes. We follow every cooperative care session by going out for a walk or playing because she actually LOVES cooperative care so much that I need to make the end of a session fun, too!
On Monday I will be administering an oralmucosal medication prior to a blood work appointment. This goes between her gums and cheek. This is new for her, so we are practicing in advance so that she can be a confident, cooperative participant.
She already knows the cue for "mouth" that we use for cooperative oral examinations and teeth cleaning. But the new part is introducing the syringe containing the medication (it's capped here).
Steps in a nutshell:
🐶 I started with just showing her the syringe when she offered her opt-in behaviour.
🐶 From there I had it in visual range when I lifted a lip.
🐶 Then touching her gums with my finger.
🐶 Then we moved to lifting her lip and just picking the syringe up and putting in back down.
And so on... until we ended here with me touching the syringe to her gums.
The steps were structured to be beyond easy. She was super stoked about it, so we were able to breeze through to this stage.
Unwaivering confidence, just the way we like it.
We will do 4-5 more practices until Monday, and include a prolonged contact and something similar to a gel sensation in her cheek pocket.
Sometimes life can feel overwhelming. But being with this amazing creature changes that for me. We can just be together; no expectations, no awkward moments, no pressure. The dog-human relationship is so unique and beautiful.
📸 Share your pictures of how you have enjoyed your time with your dog this week! ⬇️
Here is a raw clip from our nail trim this morning. I love this for a few reasons. This is what consent looks like, this is what good communication looks like, and this is what an ongoing conversation looks like.
1. I never ask for the chin rest, she offers it. The nail clippers in my hand offers enough information for her to know what we are about to do and she she can choose to participate or not.
2. You will see one moment where she withdraws her consent. I reinforcer that behaviour the same as I do when she opts in. You will see that does not affect her desire to opt in in the future.
3. She takes a break and offers me a different behaviour (down) for reinforcement. There should always be ample opportunities for reinforcement during cooperative care, never just one.
4. The audio is a bit quiet but if you listen carefully, you will hear that I always indicate the same way when I am about to start. There are no surprises.
5. We go slow and take our time. And that door is open and she can leave at any time.
Book reading, teaser #4.
CRC Press Routledge Books
My ideal walk doesn't always align with Juno's needs and wants. I'd love to always loop along the beach or river, walking straight lines along a path allowing Juno to run freely off lead (she gets an abundance of off lead time every walk we take).
But given ACTUAL freedom to choose her route, it often looks very different.
When I walk out the door, 90% or more of the time I let her choose: car or neighbourhood. Then I let her pick her route. Sometimes it's the beach or the river or the park or golf links (we have spectacular choices steps from our door). But rarely is it a straight line to get there. Sometimes, she just wanders and zigs and zags up and down the same streets over and over, checking out all of her local territory hot spots, eventually just taking me back home once she's had her fill.
That is normal and more than okay. If we watch free roaming dogs, they do go on some journeys, but rarely do they involve a strait line or a start and a finish. They may go up and down the same street multiple times in a day. Their goal is very different than ours: sniff, investigate, watch, hear, scavenge, experience the moment. This is SUPER enriching for them.
And, sure, it sometimes means I have to say good morning to the same person 3 or 4 times as we walk back and forth or in circles. But she is fully satisfied with the outing she designed for herself.
Flaws and all this time around 🤭.
Reading from Chapter 3 (and my voice is completely back to normal)!
CRC Press Routledge Books
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PhD, IAABC-ADT, CDBC, CPDT-KA, CANZ-ABC I am passionate about teaching humans about the human-dog bond, and what we can do as to strengthen our bond.
