Bright Hound Behaviour & Training

Happy Saturday, I wanted to take a moment to welcome Hudson to the Recess pack! He takes a little while to warm up to new people and is quite cautious of handling or any touching. I've spent the last 2 weeks doing happy visits and building up trust, so that this could be possible. Now we can move on to the next phase of training! (to add: I do not typically use luring so much for this type of thing, however with Hudson seems to be helpful, so we went with what worked)

I have two different types of day trainers: long term & short term. Long term Recess pack benefit from additional tricks mixed in with other training goals. I find they help add a more physical activity and variety to visits. Here you see tricks in progress : "sit pretty", crawl, and "bow" Other trick-like behaviours (thus far), cross legs, open mouth, back up, distance targeting, etc...

Excellent information from Doggonesafe on dog behaviour and safer options for kids.

Emme joined The Recess Program short term to support her family, and help boost her confidence and learn to relax in the presence of unknown people and dogs. Here she is shining like a little star in one of Monday's training exercises. (note the people who walk from the background towards the right of the frame)

Emme started The Recess Program this week. She's joined day training short term to help her learn that the world is safe, and support her family with some extra training foundation, tips, and direction. If you own a puppy under 4.5 months of age who is skittish, shy, or worried about people, or dogs, etc, now is the time to seek training help. Isn't she cute? Welcome Emme!

Motivational challenge! Enrichment is: healthy and safe activities that provide positive mental stimulation. Good for 'what ails 'em'! Helpful to keep a dog or puppy occupied and out of trouble, for worried dogs to manage their stresses, to help settle in exciting or unfamiliar places, there must be more uses I'm not thinking of! My dog & I have taken up the challenge. Join with us!

Did you know that virtual training or video chat training isn't new? Many trainers themselves maintain, broaden, or update their skillsets by attending online classes, conferences, or seminars. Here's a quick clip about the benefits from our friends at Tailspin Petworx Dog Training and Behaviour

Noot and his people joined me over video chat today for a session of How Do I? to work on the 'down'. He made some great progress with a lure!

Our friend Sarah from Barks and Recreation Pet Services & Pet Supplies wrote this helpful piece on Separation Anxiety in dogs earlier this year. https://bnrbc.ca/dont-leave-me-preventing-onset-of-separa/

Welcome, Paisley, to the Recess Day Training Program! Paisley is mature-aged girl who active and looking to keep busy. Her people have requested a few tasks, including having her learn to wipe her own paws, but mostly they're looking for some mental stimulation and are letting me direct her training program. Paisley does best in low excitement environments without other dogs, so in-home day training is the perfect enrichment option for her. Stay tuned for her progress :)

I'm trying out a new thing! . Need help with basic skills? Starting a trick? Can't figure out how to teach your puppy to lie down or stay, etc? Work on 1 thing with me over zoom... 30 minutes/$15!! One on one time and coaching over zoom to solve basic training questions, ideas on how to start a new trick, other projects or anywhere you might have hit a snag.... . **this session is not for any behaviour problems and covers any tips or steps on *one* training project within the 30 minutes alloted. See more

Post #2 this week about FOOD Here is an example of a puzzle toy, in it, you see canned dog food. For added difficulty and to extend the time your dog works, you could add a couple of tablespoons of water + freeze. I gave it to my dog frozen and with kibble sprinkled loose on top. Enrichment toys such as this and many others can simulate foraging and hunting behaviour which is calming and soothing. This is helpful for busy dogs, to provide value when teaching alone time, and for mental stimulation.

Not dog or training related at all! Hat tip to Barks and Recreation Pet Services & Pet Supplies for this share. Have a great Saturday :)

This week I've decided to do 5 posts about how we can use food to improve life with our dogs. This started when I used something I happened to have on hand - left over pop corn! This turned out to be a medium-high value reward for my dog, and gave us success in training, both for mat work while we ate the pop corn, and for some training sessions after. Does anyone else have any examples of using food they had on hand?

A little chuckle

Soon we can start to incorporate the tooth brush! #cooperativecare #BHBTRecess

Day Trainer Archer & his people requested that we work towards learning cooperation for teeth brushing. These are initial steps in the process. #bhbtrecess #cooperativecare

Post #5! (better late than never...) The "where"(location) of the food matters! For behaviours such as teaching a dog to stay on a mat(pictured below!), assorted distance obedience etc, a reward that comes to the dog can make a big impact. Food is oft the best tool to use as a reward in these cases. The more accessible the food is to the handler of a dog who is new to training (puppies, or rescue dogs who may be adjusting to life indoors), the faster we can expect to see results. Treat pouches can be purchased from many pet stores and make it easy to both take & access rewards quickly (no fumbling a plastic bag out of a pocket). Many trainers, myself included, recommend multiple containers around the house (such as by each entrance door, etc) so that any behaviour that we like is easily "captured", because a treat jar us close at hand.

I'm a CPDT-KA, a knowledge assessed, Certified Professional Dog Trainer. I can help with (most) behavior, but I'm not a behaviorist! I'm still very proud of my skills, knowledge, and certification. What's your definition of behaviorist?