From the Ground Up

Changes in our appearance can be quite scary for our dogs. If you are wearing a mask, help create a positive association with the mask for your dog. Put on the mask, treat, wear the mask for a few seconds, treat, take the mask off, treat. We want to generalize the dog’s response, which we achieve by practicing the above exercise in all contexts that a mask is used: all applicable family members, in all areas of the house and outside on walks and in the yard. Stay safe, friends. #IAABC #forcefreetraining #calgary #yyc #calgarydogs #yycdogs #dogtraining

Now is the time to emulate your cat.

Great info from @vcacanada.carecentre regarding your pets and COVID-19. Stay safe, everyone #vca #pethealthcare #yycdogs #yyccats #yyc #calgarydogs #calgarycats

Are you self-isolating and wanting new ways to keep your dog (and yourself?!) from getting cabin fever? Try teaching hand targeting. This skill has many applications including use as a recall tool, getting your dog into a vehicle or onto a veterinarian’s scale, and many others. I am going to use it to move Levi behind me when we are out and about and a trigger comes along that is too challenging to deal with face to face, so to speak (where are my reactive dog people at?!). P...resent your hand very close to your dog’s nose, the second they touch your hand with their nose, mark with a yes/nice/good and treat. Repeat. The distance between your hand and the dog’s nose can increase with lots of practice and reinforcement but at first keep it very simple, setting your dog up to succeed. You can see me moving my hand slightly towards his nose on a few repetitions. This is actually a training error. Keep your hand still and the dog moves towards your stationary hand. Side note : videoing yourself is a great way to get another perspective on how accurate your mechanics are. #dogtrainer #dogtraining #handtargeting #forcefreetraining #keepcalmtrainon #yycdogs #calgarydogs See more

Would you look at this handsome face?! #dogtrainer #canmoredogs #caninebehaviour #forcefreetraining