Group walking class did so well the other day!💕
Forest and Luke had a meet up at Pawradise Acres!
Recently Forest and Luke have been struggling to coexist nicely at Luke’s place, so we went to Pawradise Acres. By having a neutral space the boys were able to be less defensive and after a long paused greeting through the fence they were both able to relax and coexist happily, even sharing a sniff spot! Good boys!🥳🩵
Thank you to Pawradise for allowing us to use her space, it was so beneficial for Forest and Luke’s friendship💕
Is your dog constantly pulling you on walks?
We are offering a loose leash walking class starting May 4th from 10:00am-11:00am at 315 Bathurst 5th concession. Class is for 4 weeks (once a week for 4 weeks). You will be taught how to train your dog to walk with a loose leash.
We will be going over how to get your dogs focus, walk by other dogs and people, leave it (whether it’s food or a squirrel) and how to greet people/dogs appropriately.
Spots are limited and are filling up quick! Contact Endless Pawtential today to save your spot. You can call/text 613-267-8575 or email [email protected]
Muzzle training with Forest🖤
Forest has been showing some reactivity towards people lately, as a precaution I’ve decided to start muzzle training him for those stressful situations. This is to keep him and everyone around him safe.
He is getting more comfortable having the muzzle on and is taking treats off the ground now (yay!🎉) before he wasn’t comfortable and would only take treats from my hand. Even when the muzzle was taken off he chose to keep exploring it!
Some gentle reminders:
- A muzzled dog doesn’t mean it’s a bad dog or a bad owner
- A muzzle is not used to punish a dog (it’s to keep everyone safe)
- Not all dogs wearing a muzzle are aggressive, some dogs wear them because they eat things off the ground, or they get nervous in certain situations.
- Everyone is doing their best. Be kind❤️
We have been working with Geo to decrease his reactivity to other dogs and he is making great progress!! Good work team Geo🎉💕
Simplicity is what I have learned this year. Forest is dog reactive (at a smaller distance). There is a dog in the top left corner you can see for the first few seconds of the video, which Forest looks at and decides to ignore (yay!).
You don’t always have to be really close to triggers to make positive associations. Some days we are closer to the other dogs and some days it look like this.
Being a dog trainer with a reactive dog can be challenging. I used to get frustrated and embarrassed with Forest if he reacted or wasn’t listening because I felt this pressure for him to be perfect or people wouldn’t think I was a good trainer. That pressure I put on Forest was not fair to him and was definitely not going to help him create better behaviours. He was nervous and lacked confidence, he needed gentle guidance and positive reassurance not frustration and impatience.
I am learning to relax and step away from intense training 24/7 with him (we still train, just not 24/7). - you don’t want to be in school 24/7 why would your dog? I have been allowing Forest to enjoy the little things like chewing his squeaky ball for as long as he wants instead of getting him to drop it and throwing it immediately, allowing LOTS of sniffy time on walks and not making him stop sniffing and heel right away, and allowing him to run, dig and be free. Giving our dogs time to decompress is so important for their mental health. Simply allow your dog to be a dog❤️
I am so grateful for all he teaches me and all the things I continue to learn. He has made me a better trainer within the 2 years he has been with me. I can’t wait to see what else we learn this year.❤️
Merry Christmas, wishing you all a safe and happy holidays❤️🎄☃️
