Kinetic Canine

Despite being bilaterally blind, I’ve worked really hard with Cove to make sure he can lead a normal life. Since losing his sight, he’s learned several new cues that I use to keep him safe. Here he is enjoying his normal dog life hiking at one of my favourite spots

Getting your dog to come when you call them is a crucial life skill One that’s important for their safety And one that’s pretty handy to have in every day lif...e. But sometimes, when we call our dogs Despite our best efforts at building motivation They are slow to respond. They saunter our way And they might even get distracted en route Finding things in the environment that are more interesting than we are, as they head our way. But there are a few simple things you can do to get your dog coming when called, with some serious speed, motivation and energy. Here’s what I do. 1. I move back and away from my dog when I call them. I don’t turn my back and run. Instead I face them and just take a few quick steps backward. Body language is a big deal in dog speak and moving backward helps draw them in. 2. I reward EVERY time they come by tossing a highly visible treat, or their favorite toy behind me for them to access. I do this before they get to me, and before they’ve started to slow down. If I reward like this consistently, the anticipation for this toss will add speed to my recall. 3. I don’t make my dog sit - instead, I reward immediately. If my dog is too busy thinking about sitting, they’ll slow down their approach. Instead, I toss a treat or toy behind me immediately, and then follow up with a little toy play, or a few more treats delivered by hand to really make coming when called valuable for my dog. (You can add the sit in later, after your dog is coming when called with speed, if you want). By making a few minor tweaks in your training, you’ll build some big time fun and motivation into your cue, and your dog will be more enthusiastic, every time you call.

New classes starting soon!

I let my dogs dictate the sports (or not) they want to play. Aries has picked disc and rally obedience it seems. This is her first time using this technique to fine tune her position. Good girlie

Nothing better than this face