Gallery 5
"Bandit" - Australian Shepherd pup.
I'll be working with this gorgeous pup and his seriously dedicated owner for the next 10 weeks.
The video shows a little bit of prey drive testing I did during the initial assessment.
This is the very first time he has seen a flirt pole - think he figured it out pretty quick. :)
Videos, middle and bottom left:
A small glimpse into the last two afternoon sessions in public with Bandit, the now 7 months old Aussie Shepherd.
Really pleased with the progress, the enthusiastic, happy recalls are a sight to behold.
Video, 3rd down left, training in a new area with even more distractions.
Video bottom left, introduced the tunnel, did some jumps and lots of loose leash walking exercises.
December 3rd 2019
"Doc"
This young boy is a ton of fun. :)
He's an Irish Wolfhound X, with bucket loads of prey drive, so it is incredibly important that we start building a solid recall from get go.
He needs to understand that "Come" is not negotiable, and we have started the process of generalising not only that behaviour, but also building solid engagement with the handler.
There is no obedience involved with the above, we work him on a long line, but we do reward him when he makes good choices, thereby reinforcing the behaviour we want, whilst he believes he is the one controlling the outcome - and in a way he is. :)
Building engagement also helps with increasing his pack drive, which means he chooses to hang around the handler.
Another important part of this is to honour his genetics and give him an outlet for his prey drive in a safe, controlled environment.
Video, middle left, shows the power of classical conditioning.
Classical conditioning works on the subconscious level, the animal has, literally, no choice, he has to return to the handler.
If you believe this only applies to dogs and dog training, I have news for you; it affects us all on a daily basis. :)
Bridie - the Beaglier
Been working with this lovely little girl for the past 7 weeks.
Top video shows some engagement exercises we did in a new location with lots of distractions at the end of December 2019.
The bottom video shows a bit of what we did Sunday, January 5th 2020 at The Strand, new environment, lots more distractions.
We did a couple of engagement exercises using a 5mtr long line, in the first part you'll see the handler using food, and she has a treat bag full of yummy treats.
The handler thought the dog was only staying with her because of the food, well, so we changed it - and in the second part there is absolutely no food involved what-so-ever.
Did the dog take off or stay with the handler? ;)
It's all about the training, by intoducing "drive shifting", we are building the dogs pack drive, which is a lower state of arousal, and the dog just wants to hang around with the handler. :)
"Izzy"
Izzy is a 12 months old lovely female German Shepherd, however, she was rather on the "exuberant" side, and, with lack of firm boundaries in place, combined with lack of clear, consistent direction by the owner, well, she was quite a handful.
Taking her for a walk was a nightmare, there was absolutely no engagement with the handler, the handler was nothing more than a boat anchor.
Video shows the end result; after 7 weeks of training, building engagement and proofing behaviour in public places everywhere.
A lot of work went into building a strong pack drive, and it looks like we've succeeded on that front to put it mildly judging from what happened during the recalls at the end of the recording. :)