Follow The Leader SD

Today I welcomed back Ernie, my training foster project from 2020. He’s doing great by the way! He’s going to stay with me for the next few days. During his 6 month intensive behavioral rehab with me last year, we spent a lot of our time playing and having fun together to not only build a strong, trusting relationship but also establish clearer communication, and very important rules and boundaries. He experienced a remarkable transformation with me. I truly believe a lot ...of his behavioral progress was due to our relationship built through play. While he’s staying with me, you bet we are going to get back to PLAYING! Here is a great video example addressing some common issues I see that some you guys are having with your dog’s during the challenge. Firstly, you can see I’m initiating play outside. I understand this is a VERY common challenge for dog owners as the environment can be a very distracting place. Ernie hasn’t experienced this environment in months so it’s technically still pretty novel to him. To ensure success outside, Ernie’s play foundation has been established mostly inside the home and low distraction environments. I made sure Ernie had an opportunity to go potty and smell a little before initiating play. It’s important for your dog’s basic needs to be met as well as for your dog to feel comfortable enough to engage with you in an environment. Make sure you give your dog some time to decompress, relieve itself and learn more about its surroundings before you expect your dog to engage in play or focus on you. Notice how I also keep him on a longline. In addition to safety, this tool prevents him from running off too far, helps me manage his behavior and allows me to keep him focused in the game. If you have any issues with your dog during play it’s important to have them on some kind of leash for proper management even if you’re just playing inside your home or yard. (More tips on setting your dog up for success during play continued in comments)

Here’s another play session from this past week! You see me try some different things like spend more time on the floor and giving Maverick the upper hand, letting him really put some effort into winning that toy!!! You might also notice I attached the toy to a thin leash! Did you know that attaching your dog’s favorite toy to a rope, leash or string and letting it dance around for your dog to stalk, pounce and chase and tug is a great way to build interest the toy and motivation in playing! Give it a try if you haven’t already and let me know if your dog enjoys it!!! P.s. I definitely did not plan to star in a fashion show or Hollywood production please don’t judge my outfit of choice

Tonight’s impromptu tug session with Maverick! I had already been playing with him for a while before I found a good moment to set up my phone, but this was awesome to be able to capture! What aspects of play do you recognize!?

I truly believe it is imperative that we teach our children how to be compassionate, respectful and considerate towards dogs. It is equally as important that we train our dogs to be mindful and well mannered around children. But perhaps the most critical thing we should preach, is the importance of advocating for our dogs: Not every dog and child need to interact, and that is completely okay. (More on this subject later.) But what if you have a truly social dog, and he/she en...joys and seeks social interaction from other people? Here’s how you can handle that situation. You can use this same approach with adults and children. Make sure you remember to: 1. Communicate with the other person/child. For example, Hi, yes you can say hello to my dog, please stay where you are. I’ll make sure my dog greets you politely. I’ll bring my dog over to you when he’s ready, thank you! He’s learning how to have manners and not jump on people, if he jumps you can take a few steps backs and I’ll bring him away. And we can try again! 2. Before you bring your dog to interact with someone, gain your dog’s full attention and cooperation. If your dog is unable to listen to you and be calm in this moment don’t proceed until your dog is calm. 3. It’s very important to evaluate how your dog feels in this situation. If your dog seems hesitant, tense, is backing away, barking, or stressed don’t force interaction. Your dog’s consent is very important. You can take a few steps away from the child and communicate My dog doesn’t feel comfortable right now, maybe next time! And then end the interaction. 4. If your dog gives you signs it’s comfortable with interacting, you may proceed. Give your dog a clear signal/cue that it can go greet them. Here after getting Winry’s attention I give her the cue, Go say hi and then guide her to the child. 5. Keep the interactions short, positive and controlled. If your dog begins to jump up on them, or overcrowd their space, time to bring your dog away and give it a break. You can try again once your dog calms down! There’s so much more I wanted to write but character limits! I hope this helps!

Today I saw something on Instagram that inspired me to try something new with Maverick. I have no idea how we are going to get to our end goal, but I wanted to see what Maverick’s learning process looks like. This process was entirely experimental and the first time both him and I have ever done something like this together. Definitely a huge confidence and relationship building moment! There are a lot of little nuances in this video that are easy to miss if you don’t know what you’re looking at. I’ll explain more as we get further along. Stay tuned for videos on his next sessions!