Leash Walking with Frenemies

Leash reactivity is a learned behavior.

Dogs that bark and lunge while on a leash are reinforced to do so because the behavior of barking and lunging makes the bad thing (person, other dog ect) go away.

Or

Dogs that bark and lunge while on a leash do so because they learn to be frustrated greeters. The barking and lunging happens when they see the other dog or person and they anticipate the tightening of the leash.

Well, if its a learned behavior to bark and lunge on a leash, your dog can learn to be calm and relaxed in the presence of another dog.

Jack for sure is one example.

Jack was for sure a menace when we first brought him home. Always barking, totally frustrated and had a hard time relaxing in the presence of another dog.

He learned to be more relaxed.

Now he’s teaching other dogs to do the same 🙂

This is another Growl to Grow client. They brought home a new dog and Charlie had some trouble with seeing other dogs, kids whatever.

My clients took to Force Free training right away.

They integrated the desensitization and counterconditioning plan into their routine.

They achieved more calm departures, door greetings and now adding into the mix leash walks.

Charlie is still learning, but the consistency of her pet parents really shows.

They’ve come a long way and they are so proud of all the learning she’s done.

AND I’m proud to say, another powerful breed not needing a choke, prong or shock collar to teach the behaviors you do want!

All that was needed was Charlie’s pet parents being benevolent leaders and established a secure and trusting relationship with her.

Do you want the same?

Find a time that works for you to set up a free Discovery Call with me: https://fourpawsandyoudogtraining.as.me/

Do You Want to Become a Dog Trainer?

🙋🏻‍♀️ if you were interested in exploring dog training and behavior?

🙋🏽‍♀️ if you’re not sure where to start?

🙋‍♀️ if you find the whole exploration of schools to credentialling bodies to be confusing.

You’re for sure not alone!

There are so many options and finding the best ones may be more challenging than what you expected.

Let’s peel back the layers and get to the heart of what you’re looking for in both an education and a credential you stand behind.

Your values carry forward when choosing the one that matches your core beliefs in caring for and teaching another living being.

As you know, the dog training world is unregulated. Even though there is an obvious downside, I’m going to look at the upside to this.

The main focus of more mainstream dog training follows a different model or a limited scope in a standard of care. This other model focuses strictly on learning theory and behavior.

Limiting the understanding to behavior science alone, leaves the animal vulnerable for the human’s misapplication, timing or even misunderstanding of how to effectively teach what the pet parent wants. While you may never consider the use of punishment in training, this model still leaves the door open for those who do.

Of course focusing on learning theory and behavior is important in understanding behavior modification, it isn’t the only factors to take into consideration.

You’re wanting to gain a deeper understanding of Do No Harm principles and how ensuring the welfare for all the pets in your care also extends to every pet parent and pet professional too.

Do No Harm is limitless.

Force Free dog training schools teach the trainer how to meet all of the dog’s needs humanely and with only reward based methods while remaining grounded in the science of why it works. This focused attention on science in dog training allows for the student to have a holistic approach in their learning and development and how to be effectively in their approach.

Force Free credentialing bodies acknowledge the hard work and the commitment trainers have towards doing no harm in training, education and coaching. They set a standard of how to maintain a pet professional’s affiliation. One avenue is through continuing education credits. CEUs are the lifeblood of a life long professional trainer. The CEUs offer opportunities for the pet professional to remain grounded in current trends and research and above all else, best practices.

From the Pet Professional Guild, “Do no harm. Do good. Act fairly. Be faithful to promises made.” With this guiding principle, there is no room for pain, force or intimidation.

Here are some links to Force Free schools and credentialing bodies:

International School of Canine Psychology (ISCP): https://theiscp.com/about-the-iscp/

INTODogs: https://www.intodogs.org/

Pet Professional Guild is an educational resource as well as a credentialing body for Force Free trainers: https://www.petprofessionalguild.com/

Tranquil Dogs and Kids

Whoops, your dog runs off with your daughter’s favorite toy!

Oh no! Your dog just ran after and starting nipping at your son’s legs when he was swinging on the swing set!

Your dog LOVES chasing after the soccer ball your daughter is kicking around and now he’s growling at her when she puts her foot near it!

Communication can become lost or muddled when dogs are interacting with your kids at home.

This is troubling for you.

You want your kids to know how to interact with your furry family member.

You also want your dog to know what’s his and how to be with the family without all the nipping, chasing, showing teeth, growling or even barking at your kids.

You’re not sure how to encourage your kids what to do, because you feel like you’re unsure yourself.

You know you want to teach your dog what you do want and expect, but its so challenging when you and your dog don’t speak the same language.

You don’t need to figure out all the answers on your own. There is so much out there it for sure gets confusing.

The kids who participated in the G2G: Kids Virtual Game Series in January gained confidence in how to communicate with their dog in a dog friendly manner; they strengthened their cooperation with their siblings; they took a more active role in caring for their dog; they gain a deep understanding of their dog’s feelings, behaviors and even how to motivate their dog to seek THEM out for affection, help, guidance and interaction.

Your kids can gain the same level of confidence and be empowered to form a life long relationship with their dog!

Sign Up Here: https://fourpawsandyoudogtraining.as.me/G2GKidsProgram

Class begins on 8 March 2021!!