Training your dog with positive reinforcement is the best way to build a stellar relationship and get more engagement and responsiveness from your dog when you need it. Get out there and train - anything goes, just have fun! #dogtraining #trainyourdog

Hen do shenanigans and dog enrichment ✌️ Paracetamol and alkaseltzer for me... Natural behaviour outlets for him! It's a win win 🐣 @lizziekeene the joy lives on ❤️ #enrichmentfordogs #hendo #loveyouchicken

🚨Markers need to have a good response otherwise they're not creating the learning you're looking for!🚨 (Apologies for the demeanour I was quite jetlagged filming this...I actually love all things Markers!) This was an end of session chill out with Rudy and I thought id capture what a marker response should look like, especially in the home where there's not much happening - but ideally like this wherever you go. 👀👀 See how he immediately gets up, despite being tired from a full training walk, and is excited to come and get the reward? That's the stuff right there 👏 Make sure you train your dog in lots of different places so the marker has that feel good, motivational factor 24/7 👍 #dogtraining #markers #petdog

Let's talk release cues! ❓️What is a release cue? This is a cue that tells your dog that they can stop doing what they're doing and start doing something else. ❔️When is the release cue used? It's generally used to signal the end of a cued behaviour. For example, if you've asked your dog to wait or hold an object or particular position (like middle in this video). ❓️Why do we teach a release cue? Because it makes self-control exercises really fun for your dog and motivates them to be controlled and to listen. It also gives you control over your dog's behaviour, giving you confidence. ❔️How do release cues work to motivate your dog and teach self control? Because they are paired with access to a reinforcer or reinforcing activity. They learn that if they wait until released, they will get the good stuff! ❓️Why is proofing a release cue important? Proofing a cue means making sure your dog responds correctly in all manner of situations. This develops your dog's listening skills and ensures they really do wait to be released no matter what. When you ask your dog to be controlled it's usually extremely important that they listen, so making sure your release cue is strong is an important part of your training! Stay tuned if you want to learn how to teach one to your dog! #releasethedogs #cue #dogtraining #didsburydogs

Are you a fan of the silliness!? I think 80% of my own dog Ernie's early training was him sitting watching me do weird sh*t. In my opinion it's the ultimate form of desensitisation and teaching them that unexpected strange behaviour is all cool, plus it's a great outlet for my weird side ✌️ Now Flo is getting her 'wtf is this nonsense' experience too. Next is crawling and forward rolls 🫡 Dog training and behaviour change can be hard work. Get in touch if you're looking for someone who'll make sure you enjoy the process 💃 #besilly #dogtrainer #doyourthing #makeitfun #didsburydogtrainer #stayweird

Raising and training your dog is a process. It starts easy so your dog grows in confidence and understanding. Think 'luring' and lots and lots of rewards for small amounts of effort. Then we make it a bit harder. Now they have to work it out using their problem solving skills. We reward bigger effort and their work ethic starts to increase. Once they're a dab-hand, then we might really expect more from them, although each to their own! HOWEVER. When you find yourself in a difficult situation - your dog gets stressed out by the appearance of a trigger that scares them, or you come up against a competing reinforcer (that dog that's really fun to play with), then your dog's priorities will change. If your dog is concerned for their safety or fixating on something, then asking them to do hard work for you in that moment is not going to be met with a willing brain. You need to make it easy again! I.e don't expect them to work as hard as they normally can. This 'with me' action is super easy. There's a good handful of food, so a good amount of scent to lock on to. It's low and close to her, so it's easy to follow. I use 'find it' as the marker and throw it out ahead, so she's expecting to rush forwards (away from the trigger). She loves her 'find it' cue which motivates her to move with me. Easy, effective and, most importantly, positive. An easy exit strategy is a must have for any reactive dog toolkit, because preventing or interrupting reactions is a crucial part of your behaviour change journey. There's a time for work and learning, and there's a time for management - don't be afraid to avoid things you're not ready for, its ok to give yourself an easy exit! As with any exit strategy, you need to rehearse it before you need it. Confidence is everything, and it only comes through practice. Need help with training your dog? Get in touch! #reactivedog #dogtraining #exitstrategy #getmeoutofhere #makeminepositive #positivereinforcement #lovedogs

Ready to hear everything you can pick into 3 minutes? Whilst we trained here there were dogs and people and birds moving around us, Rudy loves all those things and I want him ti be able to filter them out a bit more. So here's what we did: 'Sit until released' with distraction (Asking your dog to sit wait whilst you do something a bit weird) The release cue signals fun and movement and food! This contrasts with the waiting quietly. They're waiting for the distraction to end so the fun can start (making distractions=boring, not big deal), a big help if your dog gets excited by novelty 🕺 Recall (Releasing your dog from the wait to come to you for the fun to start) The recall hand signal comes after the release cue and is the signal that good things will happen once you get to me! Lots of movement and multiple rewards all in a row jazz the experience up a bit, making that wait really worth doing 👌 Sequencing recall with sending onto a reward (Saying to your dog 'I know you want to do that but can you come here first?') Ask for a sit wait, set up a reward spot behind you that they'll want to investigate. Release and call them to you and reward before sending them on to the spot. Double the reward for recall! 🙌 Hand touch (Another recall behaviour and cue, with a specific target) This one is all about reward placement - you send it behind your hand once they've touched it to keep their momentum moving forwards. This means they drive towards your hand with a bit more gusto 💨 chasing the treat is a fun reward too! Task switching (Moving from an impulsive state to a controlled one) We sandwiched some fun movement games with the controlled sit wait exercises. This strengthens the ability to remain in control in a higher state of excitement. A huge HUGE skill for adolescents to socialise well to the world around them 🌍 Want to learn how to put a fun session like this together for your dog? Get in touch! #dogtraining #trainingsession #fullvideo #leadbyexample #lovedogs