Tips and Advice
…short articles and peppered with my own opinions. I would welcome the chance to discuss anything on here in more depth.
Loose Lead Walking
What does loose lead walking look like to you? For me, I simply don’t want tension in the lead.
- I am not looking for walking close to my side or in heel position.
- I do not want to be pulled along.
How do you communicate this to your dog? Actually, training what you DO want is so much easier than training what you DON’T want.
Barking
Barking must be one of the most common complaints from owners (and sometimes, neighbours of owners!). The thing is, dogs do bark – it’s a very effective way of communicating. So, how do you stop excessive or inappropriate barking? We need to let them know what we want them to do instead.
Training For Older Dogs
Just like us, dogs go through life stages – puppies, adolescents, adults, seniors (geriatric). Training doesn’t stop when our dogs grow out of puppyhood. But what can we do to help our dogs in old age to maintain a good quality of life?
Loose Lead Walking
- First of all – what is loose lead walking (LLW)? Seems a strange question to ask (surely the clue is in the name…?). Actually, for me, LLW is just not having tension in the lead.
- I am not looking for walking close to my side or heel.
- I do not want to be pulled along.
- I am happy for my dog to stop and sniff BUT I do not want to be stopping at every sniffing opportunity.
That is MY criteria for lead walking – yours may be different and that’s ok! But training what I DO want is so much easier than training what I DON’T want.
So how do we let our dogs know what our criteria is, after all, they are not born with any idea of what being tethered to us means? Well, I COULD yank on the lead every time they pulled and I have to concede, this probably would work but it comes at a cost. You see dogs, like all animals are programmed to avoid pain and being yanked at the neck can cause pain and damage to this sensitive area. I admit that I have ‘corrected’ my dogs this way in the past. I don’t feel bad about it – I didn’t know any different and my dogs still enjoyed being with me (thankfully, dogs are very forgiving) but I will not do it now that I know there is a better, kinder way. So what alternative strategies are there for a games-based, concept trainer? What skills (concepts) does a dog need for LLW?
- Proximity – having value in being close to their owner, seeing this as a good deal. Dogs do know a good deal and when they are rewarded for being in this close-proximity zone, this is where they CHOOSE to hang out more and more AND it also means they don’t want to sprint off into the distance as soon as the lead is removed (double-winner!). Build value for them being close to you – play tug, get them to chase you, notice what lights them up and be part of the game.
- Disengagement – can your dog ignore distractions and carry on doing what they were doing? If your dog just has to go investigate a dog in the distance, pull towards a cyclist or (insert any other inappropriate behaviour here), then they need this skill. Your dog isn’t being stubborn or ignoring you – they just haven’t learned to disengage yet.
- Giving into lead pressure – how would it make you feel if your dog knew that when they felt that tension in the lead they should give in to it rather than pull against it? I can tell you that it feels amazing and you can teach this to your dog. Start at home where distractions are low key and take it out and about when they have learned what to do and what is expected of them – makes your walks a pleasure.
If this is your struggle and you would like to know more, click onto the Contact tab for ways to get in touch.
If you have made it this far, Thank You!
Barking
Barking is normal dog behaviour but excessive, inappropriate barking can become a nuisance. Some breeds come with an expectation of being more vocal than others and some individuals are pre-disposed to bark more. Every owner will have an expectation of what is acceptable, even desirable but when do you decide your dog’s barking is a problem and what do you do to curb it?
Knowing why your dog is barking will help to address the issue. Are they fearful about something, or excited? Are they action prompting? Do they go crazy whenever the doorbell rings?
My first tip for reducing barking is to teach your dog to be calm and settled. A calm dog is not a barky dog. That’s not to say they won’t ever bark but they are less likely to go from true calm to full on barking and then, can they go from high-arousal** back to being settled?
**the arousal level in animal behaviour just means how activated (wired) are their brains at that point (not sexual!).
How can you train this? Well, it’s important to know that dogs will become more of what they do every day so giving them things to do that are incompatible with high energy such as long lasting chews, lick mats or stuffed Kongs can help. I also teach them to love being on a station. We cue this and train them to only break off when released. This is also powerful because their station becomes their safe, happy place because we have built immense value in being on there and they actually choose to be there. (This is also useful when you have visitors, unload the dishwasher, with counter-surfing or any time you don’t want your dog involved!).
My next tip is to teach your dog to see the value in or knowing they have to option to disengage and move away from the scary, noisy, ambiguous thing that normally sends them into the stratosphere. This is so powerful because the dog learns this skill for themselves and isn’t relying on being given the command (cue) to ‘leave it’ or ‘come here’ or ‘NOOOO!’
I think action prompting is worth a mention here. This could be your dog barking to get a treat/attention or other behaviours such as nuzzling your hand/pocket, wherever you have your treats or bringing you a ball to throw. Have you been told in the past to ignore what you don’t want? This does NOT work! You end up with a dog who is frustrated AND you are allowing them to practice unwanted behaviours. We do not want this. So, how about offering a consolation prize? If any of this is relevant to you and you would like to know more why not book a FREE discovery call with me? It’s your chance to see how we can help and no obligation to buy in.
Thanks for reading!
Training for older dogs
Just like us, dogs go through life stages – puppies, adolescents, adults, seniors (geriatric). Training doesn’t stop when our dogs grow out of puppyhood. Even if we consider our adult dogs as ‘done’ – no more training required, we can still teach them new skills and tricks.
Depending on the breed dogs can be considered as seniors at 7-8 years of age and we may start to notice some changes as they age. As they age, their body goes through changes, their brain goes through changes, and understanding those changes and knowing how best to support those changes is essential for their quality of life.
Just like humans we can expect:
- Deterioration in sight
- Deterioration in hearing
- More frustration
- Toileting, we may need to remind them where to go
- Cognitive decline
- Mentally and physically more inflexible
- New issues may emerge eg separation related behaviours
At this point in our lives together we already have a pretty amazing relationship with them and they have a special place in our hearts so what else can we do to support them as they grow old?
We can:
- Keep playing games, we will need to make adaptations but it’s a great way to give them exercise and keep them moving
- Enrichment with their dinner – eg scatter their food on the ground or around items from the recycling bin, make it easier or more challenging as appropriate, or stuff it in Kongs
- Pair novelty with food – remember with failing sight more things may become novel to them. This will also give them an optimism boost.
- Consider giving them a supplement to help with their joints, gut and brain health
- Ditch the routine – good for mental flexibility
In many ways living with a geriatric dog is like having a puppy again. We may have to make things a little bit easier for them – we owe them this and we are happy to do this. We want to celebrate and enjoy being with our old friends, we don’t know how long we have them for.