Gallery 10
The below video show some snippets of what we did with Blue; recalls, engagement, stays being some of them.
The Strand is a high to very high area of distractions.
You'll see the handler working the dog without the use of food for the majority of the session.
If you use treats all the time, chances are it becomes a crutch for the handler after a while, and the handler does not have complete trust in the dog.
The aim is to not get, nor make the dog do things using food etc, but for the dog to WANT to do these things regardless.
Blue
Meet Blue, lovely young lad needing a bit more clarity in communication and calm, confident leadership.
He's supposed to be a Bull Arab/Ridgeback X, but the jury is out on that one. Maybe a bit of Greyhound in him perhaps?
Blue displayed some reactivity towards some dogs, but it was more a case of wanting to say hello mixed not quite understanding how to behave around these dogs.
He also lacked a bit of confidence which needed addressing.
And of course, the owner had to implement some lifestyle changes as he had developed some "I want, I want, I want" type of behaviours which included a lot of barking.
But, this boy is blessed with such a dedicated owner that we soon started to see some real progress.
Videos to the left show some of the things we did during our fourth session overall, which was his very first session at Riverway, which is a medium to high area of distractions.
This includes heeling/loose leash walking exercises and sending to "place", where "place" can be anything, anywhere at any time.
He was sent to "place" on two different benches, why?
Because they are not identical, each one presents the dog with a slightly different picture, which means some dogs may, despite being fine with the first, be a bit hesitant with the second.
This is where calm guidance comes into the picture instead of trying to lure or bribe the dog with food etc, which may, or in many cases, will not work.
But, it's not all about heeling, recalls, sits and downs and what have you, we're also currently doing some behaviour modification work at the local vet.
He had a bit of a rough time last time due to circumstance I'm not going to go into, so now we're in the process of changing his opinion of the vet so to speak.
This will take time, but we're well and truly on our way.
Big shout out to the awesome staff at Patrick Street Vets here in Townsville, absolutely brilliant people.
Above vide; this is our first session in months as Cleo has been undergoing heartworm treatment, but is now clear.
Cleo
This lovely, 2 year old Rottweiler has a rather bad background, having been rehomed a couple of time before finally ending up with the current owners - who have never owned a dog before!
I don't recommend Rottweilers to people who have never owned a dog before, but this girl turned out to be perfect; great temperament and sweet natured.
We are limited in what we can do with her as she is currently going through heartworm treatment (she was diagnosed with heartworm when the current owners got her), so we need to ensure her heart rate is not elevated.
This is actually a blessing in disguise as we can really concentrate on the "boring", but oh so important stuff; namely first of all, building a solid obedience foundation.
Video to the left shows just a bit heeling/loose leash walking exercise we did recently, this is the stuff we concentrate on; the very basic, not only to teach the dog what to do, but even more importantly, teaching the handler correct leash handling, use of body language, reading the dog and much, much more.
The heartworm treatment will take another 3 months or so, once that's over, we can start on more "drive" work, and also getting her into a regular exercise regime such as swimming as she needs to lose some weight. Swimming is the absolute best type of exercise for these large, heavy dogs as it also tightens the muscles around the spine and hips.
Did another session at Riverway with this lovely, female Rottweiler, and she nailed it. You do not get this kind of engagement and behaviour through obedience training on it's own - it is so much more to it than that.
Look at Cleo, she is staying close to the handler, not because she has to, not because she needs reassurance, not because she is being made to - it's all because she WANTS to.
This is what you get when you implement the lifestyle changes needed for the dog to understand where she fits in, providing clear, calm guidance and communication.
How you live with your dog will have a great impact on your dog's behaviour - whether you want that to be a good or a bad impact - well that's up to you - I know what I prefer. đŸ˜‰
Dot and Hank
The two 19 months old Kelpie X siblings.
These guys are, despite having great temperaments, somewhat out of control and need to learn leash manners, impulse control, respect for personal space, respect for the owners in general, and we'll be taking a good look at how they deal with seeing and encountering other dogs when out and about.
Hank is a pretty confident young dog, whereas Dot on the other hand, is very soft and there is some anxiety issues in play as well.
What does that mean? It means we cannot apply exactly the same approach to both dogs, but modify our approach to suit each dog in order to bring out the best in both of them.
Pictures and videos show that these guys did their homework. :)
Both dogs can now be walked together by one handler, that in itself is a massive win. :)