The School Of Woof

19/03/2023

I’ve often wondered about the correlation between anxiety and reactivity in dogs and the same emotional states of their pawrents. I’m so glad studies are being done on it. Fascinating insights!

Do anxious dogs become anxious because of their parents? Maybe. But it’s more complicated than that.

22/11/2022

Alfie visited an enrichment haven last week and enjoyed every minute of it! He’s so bold and brave and just loves exploring and climbing on things. The venue isn’t actually designed to be used as an enrichment area for dogs but we had a blast using it as such! 😬 And it certainly gave me inspo for future goals! 🤩💡

01/10/2022

Part 2 - Force-free drying and checking paws demonstration

⭐️ Use a hand touch to get him into position. Mark with your marker word and reinforce with a treat.

⭐️ Use a cue for a paw lift and mark at the point of the behaviour.

⭐️ Reinforcement can be delayed if you use your marker word at the point of behaviour because the marker word means to your dog “reinforcement is coming”, so it is a bridge between the behaviour and getting reinforced for it.

⭐️ Wait a moment after the cue rather than repeating the cue.

⭐️ Your dog is working on listening out for cues and filtering through any extra words you may be using, like i tend to! Effective training is clean so as to give your dog clear cues. However it’s ok to chat to your dog if they have the behaviour well rehearsed. Avoid using extra words when they are learning a behaviour and cue.

⭐️ Use cues with a consistent tone to assist your dog catching them if you do talk a lot.

⭐️ When working on back paw lift be patient as dogs aren’t naturally able to isolate their rear and it takes practice. This is called Proprioception. Alfie isn’t as confident with this leg so just a shift in balance is good enough for me to be able to lift it without force.

⭐️ It doesn’t have to be perfectly trained. The objective is that your dog is happy to offer behaviours that are required in order to keep them happy and healthy!

💡 These behaviours are all trained and practiced. They won’t look like this while they are initially being trained. Always start slow and be patient with pup as they learn.

💡If you would like to learn how to teach your dog any of the behaviours I’ve demonstrated in this video for force-free cooperative care drop me a line as I am taking virtual and in person dog training clients but still working on getting my website live 😁

18/09/2022

Benefits of playing treat games with your dog when you’re out and about together:

💡 Builds value in your dog staying close to you which is a foundation for many desirable dog behaviours

💡 Shapes your pup’s brain towards a reliable recall

💡 Keeps your dog’s focus on YOU when off lead and not on other dogs or distractions in the environment, which means less running off to engage with things you’d rather they didn’t such as other dogs, people and even rolling in stuff!

💡 Encourages sniffing which has a calming effect on the dog’s brain

💡 It’s FUN! Why stick to just throwing a ball or relying on your dog to find things to do while out with you?

Remember:

⭐️ Start by playing these games at home with minimal distractions so that your pup knows them when you play them out and about.

⭐️ Use some of your dog’s daily food allowance for activities like this so that you’re not over feeding them. We love good quality dry food that can be broken into smaller bits.

⭐️ Mix it up! Throw treats through your legs or get your dog to go around your body. The trick is to get them RETURNING to you after getting the treat.

17/09/2022

Force-free medicated paw bath demonstration - Part 1

⭐️ Positive associations with objects and situations avoid anticipation stress, so your dog will be a willing participant.

⭐️ “Paws on” is the cue I have trained Alfie to associate with stepping onto or into any object. We introduced the water slowly so that it doesn’t phase him.

⭐️ Initially we train a desired behaviour by marking the exact moment of the behaviour using a clicker and reinforce with a treat.

⭐️ When Alfie is soaking his paws for the required duration, I like to practice other behaviours such as Leave It / Take It and Nose Target. A strong reinforcement history while he is standing in the tray creates that positive association and an enjoyable experience which he will be more likely to repeat. Note the introduction of doing other behaviours is an advanced step that needs to be worked towards, as is the duration he is in the tray. This is a very frequently practiced behaviour Alfie and I have worked on for a long time as he has always had paw sensitivity issues.

⭐️ Reinforce for duration and for being a very good boy! Initially duration is built up in very small increments. Timing it is crucial.

⭐️ Release cue is “Okay” for Alfie to step out of the paw bath.

⭐️ We repeat the process to rinse the medicated paw bath off using the “Paws on” cue, reinforce for a small duration and then the release cue.

💡 Watch out for Part 2 - Force-free drying and checking paws

💡 For more training inspo, follow The School Of Woof

💡 Email me for more information on my Fundamentals of Clicker Training course

Website coming very soon!

13/05/2022

Massive congratulations to Michelle and Winston!!!! 🥳 They just graduated from our Dog Training Fundamentals course delivered virtually with the last session in person. Winston went from being a mouthy, bouncy and distracted teenager to being a calm and focused boy, while their relationship improved and their bond grew. Michelle learned the fundamentals of clicker training and shaping behaviour, and Winston learned targeting, down, settle and many more behaviours. Well done team! Looking forward to you seeing what you guys achieve next!

To find out about how you can get in on the next intake of The School of Woof’s virtual 1 to 1 dog training courses, message us on Instagram or email [email protected].