I’ll do it, but I’m not happy about it…

How does your dog respond when you ask them to do something?

Are they enthusiastic and quick to react?

Or will they grudgingly obey?

What if you ask them to sit? move out of your way? come back?

• Your dog could sit quickly, with enthusiasm and commitment. 
• Or they could sit slowly, reluctantly, avoiding your gaze and sigh while they do it!

I’m not just talking about whether or not you’ve taught a specific cue or behaviour reliably. Or whether your dog is reluctant to sit on the wet grass.

I mean, how do you think your dog feels when you ask them to do something? 

Has your dog learned from past experience that it’s worth listening to you, that it’s almost always a good idea to try and figure out what you want, and they usually benefit from it?

Or has your dog accidentally learned that “come here” means the lead is going on and your fun stops? If you ask your dog to move out of the kitchen, it’s generally because there’s something worth stealing on the kitchen surface, and they probably won’t get a reward for moving?

Dog training (and training in general) has long been plagued with the idea that “they should do it because I said so”. Which often has undertones of what might happen if they (dog or person) didn’t do as they were told.

I believe that we are motivated to “do as we are told” either because we know it’s likely to benefit us OR because we are too worried to argue/disobey.

I believe that respect is earned, and that relationships are built in stages.

And I want to earn the trust of my canine companions, rather than see them grudging show obedience.

How?

• By giving my dogs choices, and respecting their decisions wherever possible 
• By noticing when my dogs do choose to respond to my requests or make great choices on their own, and making a point of rewarding them 
• By making sure that it pays off for my dog when they behave in ways that matter to me 

How does your dog feel when you ask* them to do something?

*For that matter, do you actually ask your dog to do things? Because that means your dog could say no, and you would accept that choice. Or are you really telling them they have no choice but to comply? Our dogs are smart, they can tell the difference from the tone of our voice, our facial expression and our gestures. 

The inspiration for this blog came in part from a festival I attended on Saturday 30th November. This was declared as the Day of Consent by a rather amazing person (Jenny Wilson) who won arts council funding to create a whole day of workshops and performances. There was so much to learn and think about, and I expect there will be a whole series of blogs coming out very soon as I translate the ideas into our human : canine relationships. (Find out more here: http://consentculture.co.uk/)


I hope you're enjoying the crisp frosty evening walks as much as we are!

Morag and the beasties



What’s going on in WCC Land? 

Sat 14th December 

09:30 Gundog Games with Clare (2 spaces)
13:30 Herding Dog Games with Morag (1 space)

Sun 15th December 
 
Xmas Canine Crafting afternoon – reserve your space here: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=13187434&appointmentType=12255169


Early bird bookings for 2020 OPEN NOW


Weekly classes are moving to Wednesday evenings from 15th January 2020

• APDT Good Companion classes at 18:30 Book Here

• Relaxation & Bodywork classes at 19:30 Book Here

Workshops & Activities

Gundog Games workshops with Clare will run monthly AND you can buy three workshops at a discounted rate, so long as you use them within 6 months

• Games for Gundogs Book Here
• Games for Gundogs Multibuy Gift Certificate: Book Here

Social Skills for Dogs That Struggle are running in smaller groups, more often! See all your options for January, there's at least four sessions per month now: Book Here

Parkour really is the activity for all occasions and we have an introductory session in January plus a brand new Parkour Challenge in the Wild workshop in February

• Parkour Fundamentals: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=13187434&appointmentType=12264254
• Parkour Skills: Outdoor Adventure: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=13187434&appointmentType=12264316

Multi-dog harmony was a popular request last year so we’re offering a webinar in January to introduce the core skills, AND a practical workshop in February to put it into practice. BOOKINGS OPENING SOON!

There are fewer places on most workshops so you can get more focused, individualised help!

How can I massage my dog when they keep walking away? (new blog/video format)

Welcome to the new format blog/mini video combo!

We are trialling a little experiment where you have the chance to ask me anything about living with and training dogs in our private FaceBook group, and I’m going to try and answer at least one of those per week.

At the same time, I’m also experimenting with some software that actually writes down on the computer what I’m saying. I hope that means is that I can get the blogs out a little bit quicker to you.

I know some people find video really helpful but it’s also handy to have that written record of the answer to refer back to.

So here’s our little experiment to see how it goes!

The first question comes from Sonia with Benson (a lovely big Labrador)

Benson doesn’t generally enjoy being petted, he will sit on our laps all day for snuggles when it is his own choice and he’ll also weave in and out of my legs for ever as a way of greeting, but if we were to move to pet him generally he moves away or he goes and picks up a toy.  How do we work around this in bodywork (considering doing the upcoming course as a observer).

Sonia wants to understand her dog a little bit better but she’s also asking because she’d like to take the Bodywork and Relaxation class as a spectator (Benson isn’t ready to attend class in person yet).

We want to think about this from two angles.  Firstly we have the dog who just generally prefers not to be actively petted by us unless it’s their choice and secondly - how we can handle that when we’re taking a class that means we want to get our hands on them!

Your dog is giving you a big hint – this isn’t a coincidence…. 

• If when you pet your dog, they pretty much consistently move away, or offer you a different body part, or go to get a toy, or suddenly they have an interest in going and sniffing somewhere…. 
• I would say that your dog is giving you a pretty big hint that they would either like you to pet them differently or not pet them at all. 

Why is it happening? 

• It might be because something is different today. Were you being a little bit heavier handed than they like? It might be that just today they don’t feel like it, because you know we all have days like that!
• Or is it consistently happening every day, or when you touch them in a particular place like their hind quarters? Could it be that they are feeling a little sore or tender?
• Often when we pet dogs it’s quite absent mindedly. We just kind of pat them on the head or we might stroke them without really thinking about what it’s like for the dog.

What should you do? 

• Try using the Consent Test to explore what your dog likes, and how they tell you to keep going versus stop now please. If you’re in our private Facebook group or on our email list I will give you a link to our handout.

Basically pet your dog for a few seconds and then stop and see what they do. Observation is really important!

• I would also start working out when my dog is more likely to want to be petted, and using that time to explore things

Sonia says that Benson will sit on their laps daily for snuggles. When he’s being close to you and relaxed that’s probably a good time to think about maybe just a little bit of neck massage or shoulder massage like we teach in class.

Aim to do that kind of bodywork for literally a couple seconds and then take your hands away. What we are looking for is to find out what kind of pressure or touch does my dog actually actively seek out and what will they stick around for.

Struggling to make progress on your own? 

• Try videoing the sessions to watch them back later – it’s tricky seeing the signs sometimes. 
• Slow down! 
• Consider taking one of our Bodywork & Relaxation classes either attending with your dog, or as a spectator (practice at home, submit homework videos and get feedback, learn in class on other student’s dogs). 

Bodywork and Relaxation blocks start on 10th April and then 15th May

Book your Bodywork and Relaxation Class

 

Can it work for any dog? 

Over the 10 years that I’ve been doing massage and bodywork with dogs and humans together, I have not yet had a dog that we couldn’t find some kind of touch that they enjoyed and was useful for them!

Feedback please!

Please do let me know what you think of the new format – it will get better I promise as I juggle live video recording and dictation software!

Morag



PS The last set of Level 2 three week intensives start next week (Wednesday 13th March) with me, so if you were undecided about progressing your training in loose lead walking or self control  don’t delay. These are the last dates for the next three months!



PPS And don’t forget you can see everything that your dog could be getting up to on the website: http://www.wellconnectedcanine.co.uk/