Training Tips and Tricks
Our suspicious Snuffles makes it very clear: the answer is NO! almost always until he gives you a good assessment. Thankfully he will bark and run backwards if someone doesn’t listen to my warning rather than bite. Most dogs are much more subtle, so be mindful when you allow anyone to greet your dog. Check in with your dog to see if they’re in fact interested!
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The Problem With "May I Pet Your Dog" | How to Pet a Dog
www.whole-dog-journal.com
Just because you're okay with someone petting your dog, doesn't mean your dog is giving consent. Here's how and when to respectfully pet a dog.Ain’t that the truth with everything?
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We’ve all been new at something - last night I did a paint nite event where I *attempted*!to paint my dog. First we started with an outline, then we filled in the background, then we added color to the pet, then we added the fine details.
Am I Picasso after one attempt at painting, no way!
Now think back to something you tried to learn. Were you confused? Frustrated? Ready to give up?
How do you think your puppy or dog feels when learning something new? Probably similar to how you did!
All the more reason to use positive reinforcement, understanding, patience and kindness!
#ysdlearnOne of the biggest mistakes I see in training is to miss out the little steps, take big leaps.
It’s great to have faith in our dogs but if we stick to small steps, it’s so much clearer to our dogs what we want.
The result is getting to the end goal faster and getting a much more solid behaviour.
For more tips and advice, help to slow down, join us on the support membership! (Link in bio)
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#dogtraining #trickwoofscomic #dogsofinstagram #dogowners #dogtrainingtips #puppytraining #smallsteps #theimportanceofsmallsteps
Always address the “whys” - what’s happening on the inside of your dog to manifest the external behavior.
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I make suggestions but never mandates. Be wary of anyone who says “you must do it this way” or doesn’t have a valid explanation for why.
#ysdlearnMany of us have been in the situation at some point where we don't feel comfortable with the way we are being told to handle our dog, or the situation our dog is being put in.
It can be very hard to stand up for yourself and your dog, especially when you are paying a professional. You can feel like you're overreacting or that it's necessary for the greater good. But the truth is that if it feels wrong, it probably is.
Here is your reminder, and your permission to:
👉Ask questions
👉Leave the lesson
👉Find another trainer
Sometimes, it is hard to do this in the moment, and many of us have experienced that uncomfortable freeze when you can’t find your voice – and if this happens, don’t beat yourself up. Give yourself time to unpack the situation and if you feel able, talk to the trainer after the fact.
“No” is vague and not very informative, it may interrupt a behavior for a moment but since it’s not instructive the dog generally goes back to doing what they were doing. Teach what you like instead, teach a “yes” moment.
#ysdlearnWHAT DOES “NO!’ REALLY MEAN?
Picture this – a mom walks past her son’s room and sees that he’s drawing all over the walls with his crayons. “No! No! No! “, she screams at him. He immediately stops, looking confused and scared. Satisfied that her son has stopped this behaviour, she continues with what she was doing. A while later she walks past his room again. He is now drawing all over the furniture. Mom is now furious and just doesn’t understand why he didn’t listen. He didn’t “listen”, because he wasn’t given an alternative, acceptable behaviour. Maybe if he had been given lots of big pieces of paper or cardboard to draw on, this wouldn’t have happened and he would have understood what was acceptable and what wasn’t.
A similar comparison can be made to how we use this word with our dogs. Show dogs an alternative behaviour rather than just saying “No!”. This enables them to understand what behaviour is acceptable, helps to alleviate any potential fear, stress or confusion and sets them up for success.
It took me quite awhile to grasp this when I was training with you, but I finally got it. It makes such good sense.
I’m about ready to start using “no” as my cue for sit lol
Saying "No", comes so easily. But redirecting is very important.