“The training worked!” When a plan comes together...

“How did you get your dogs to do that?” someone shouted over at me in the park yesterday.

I looked over, wondering what he meant.

Freya as usual, was insisting on training and doing tricks at me while Brontë wimbled happily by my side. Laird was thundering back towards us.

The chap wanted to know how I managed to get my dogs to come back when I called them. He had a little Lhasa apso who was very definitely staying on lead.

“With cheese and balls” was my mostly serious answer!

We had an interesting conversation about making sure we give our dogs a good reason to come back to us and how we might start training it.

And then, I came home to open my email and found a message from Jane and John (not their real names) who have been working hard to stop their big retriever crossbreed from charging off to greet other dogs and ignoring any suggestion from the owners that she might want to come back.

Your training works!

It was busy with dogs today so it was a good test for her. She did very well and we were really chuffed. We then met some friends who have 3 dogs. They kept remarking about how calm she was compared with when they’d last seen her 2 or 3 months ago. She was almost laid back with the other dogs!

Recall, or coming back when asked to, is one of those essential life skills.

It can turn walking your dog from a tiresome task into a pleasant enjoyable experience.

And when we talk about recall, I need your dog coming back promptly when you call or whistle them. Not just coming back at the end of a play session or after chasing the rabbit!

It’s a deceptively simple process, but you have to be consistent in your training and only take tiny little steps forward when your dog is really ready.

The not-so-secret Secret Recipe for Recall

• start playing games that encourage and reward your dog when they pay attention to you (parkour, scentwork, tracking, hand targets, and anything else) 
• stop letting your dog run off and ignore you (long lines are your friend) 
• start teaching a brand-new recall cue (a word or whistle pattern) and link it with the best ever reward for your dog (find their crack cocaine) 
• practice the new recall in very low distraction places to begin with (inside the house, in your garden, in a secure field and so on) 
• gradually build up the level of distraction and always be willing to drop back a stage if your dog is struggling

If you're reading this email or blog, and have an nagging sensation that your dog's recall is not as good as it could be, why not commit to recall being your summer training project?

• It’s never too late to sharpen up or introduce a reliable recall. 
• It really can save your dogs life. 
• And it will improve their quality of life and yours! 

I would love you to come and post in our small friendly private Facebook group if you’re taking on the summer recall challenge. https://www.facebook.com/groups/WellConnectedCanine/

What steps are you taking so that your dog isn’t practising the wrong thing?

And do you know what your dogs crack cocaine really is?

Of course, if you’d like a little bit of extra help and expert coaching, there is always our three-week intensive training programs.

Find a 3 week intensive

We offer level I and level II Baby Come Back courses to sharpen your skills, and you can ask us for a private course too!


Happy recalling

Morag, the big Yin (it’s nearly his one-year gotcha Day) and the collie girls 

P. S. Our recall is a bit of a work in progress. Freya is pretty reliable except if she gets too far away and finds a real bunny, but Project Squirrel has been a great success. Laird is pretty amazing unless he is actively on the hunt for something, and deer are our personal nemesis right now. But I promise we are working on it, and I’m using exactly the same techniques that we teach you in our courses!

P.P.S. yes, it has been a while since I emailed and blogged to you all, sorry about that! I've been a bit poorly lately and am still recovering so don't be surprised if it takes me a little longer to reply to emails or messages


What else is going on in WCC Land?

Sat 25th May Gundog Games

Sun 26th May Herding Dog Games 

The unanticipated side-benefits of training (or, why you should just listen when Morag tells you to do something…)

So last week Laura sent me a draft blog article.

It's always nice when I get a wee break from writing, and it's even nicer when the title is basically - do what Morag told you to in the first place!

And though I might claim otherwise, it's not really because I have all the answers. But it turns out some of the core skills that are important to me actually help with a whole range of other potential challenges.

For background, remember that the first dog all of my very own that I adopted (Finn) was a beautiful but troubled border collie. We had to work through baring and lunging at dogs, biting people and children, and much more.

So it was essential that we had good lines of communication, Finn needed to be able to focus on me and respond quickly, plus my sciatica meant that walking nicely was non-optional.

Does loose lead walking and obedience training solve everything? Heck no!

But when your dog understands

• it's important to check in
• that dragging you down the street isn't a good choice
• calm behaviour pays dividends of cheese....

then suddenly life in general can become much easier to deal with.

Read all about how some simple training games helped Brian and Seamus cope with seeing other dogs AND two cats on their walk two days after the session - it's the closest we can get to a magic fix!

I have to start this blog with a small confession – I have never really got round to training my dogs to walk nicely on the lead.

This isn’t to say that it hasn’t been on the training list but, fundamentally, I have small(ish) dogs who I do like to pull for some activities and the fact that they pull at other times hasn’t really bothered me.

So it keeps getting pushed back behind other priorities.

Recently though, Brian and Seamus have been getting quite barky on walks when they see other dogs – Seamus just wants to be friends with everyone and Brian has had some unfortunate encounters this year that have left him a bit suspicious of bigger dogs that he hasn’t personally vetted.

To combat this, we’ve been working on switching their brains on at the start of walks with a combination of nice lead walking and focused attention.

Today, we went for a twenty minute toilet walk and used our strategy as usual, with the result that we were able to be calm with all 10 (!) dogs that we met on route.

Then, as we left the little nature reserve that we walked in, we saw a cat dart across the road.

Seamus and Brian’s usual response to cats is best described as horrendous.

They forget anything else exists and it involves a lot of barking, squeaking, scrabbling and straining on the lead because WANT TO HUNT THE CAT - it is deeply obnoxious.

So, I steeled myself… …and they both just stared.

Intent focus, yes, and a little bit of squeaking from Seamus, but with their brains pre-switched on, there was none of the usual cat-related chaos.

They were both able to check in with me (ish) and even walk almost-nicely past the spot where the cat had run into.

Then we turned the corner and I watched as Brian saw a second cat ran away from us down the street and just sat down, while Seamus stood next to him and visibly shook with the effort of holding himself back.

A few more check-ins and we were even able to carry on walking nicely all the way home.

Self control is a muscle, not just for our dogs, but for us as well. It would have been so easy for me to just not bother with the training regime this morning (“eh, it’s only a short walk for toileting and I’m tired, what harm can it do?”).

But then I doubt we’d have been anywhere near as calm with the many dogs we met on our way round, so by the time we met the cats Brian and Seamus would have been wound-up and already frustrated.

I guarantee we’d have had all the usual chaos, and I’d never have had the chance to see how calm and controlled my boys can be if I set them up right.

And really, if that’s not motivation to carry on with the training plan, I don’t know what is!  

Laura, Brian and Seamus

 

What’s on at Well Connected Canine in York?

New 5 week class blocks starting on Mon 8th and Wed 10th April covering sports foundation skills, good companion obedience, sniffing school, parkour AND bodywork plus relaxation.
You can see the full programme here:
grab a weekly class!

And if you’re not sure what’s right for your dog just email me to chat it through (morag@wellconnectedcanine.co.uk)

Or if you’d rather opt for a short, sharp focused set of lessons, why not try a three week intensive to concentrate on nice walking (Stay By My Side), coming back (Baby Come Back), and polite behaviour (Mind Your Manners).

These have been really popular so make sure to book on early or you might miss your chance!

3 week intensives here


Want to try out a new sport?

Why not check out our evening Taster Workshops in Parkour (urban agility for dogs of all ages and breeds)

Getting Started with Parkour


Or enjoy running with your dog as a team!  Canicross really is for any breed (over the age of 1yr)

Canicross Introduction (evening)

Are you ready to dip your toes into breed specific training?

Try our half day workshops (Gun Dog Games or That’s Not A Sheep – for herding breeds)

Gun Dogs and Herding Breeds - Oh My!

Size really does matter, the story of two black eyes and an overgrown puppy

This week’s blog is brought to you via the power of ice packs (to reduce the swelling so I can open both eyes) and pain killers (because ouch!).

 The new boy (Laird, a huge German Wirehaired Pointer) is gradually settling into the mad house, and prompting me to practice lots of essential training strategies. Sadly there have also been a few casualties, mostly toys but this week I’ve ended up with two black eyes!

Laird might be just 16 months old, but he weighs over 40kg with very little spatial awareness.

I wouldn’t say he’s much clumsier than any of my previous dogs, but Laird is significantly bigger and heavier. That means it is even more important that he doesn’t pull on his collar, can stop and wait when asked and will be able to give things up.

Small dogs can sometimes get away with “naughty” behaviours like rushing up, barking, stealing things or refusing to move off a chair. 

I don’t personally think size should make that much difference to house rules, but it does give a whole new perspective to how we interact with our dogs when you really can’t “make” them do anything.

This week despite the black eyes and bruises, we’ve also had several calm sofa snuggles. There’s been just one attempted humping episode, and several lovely moments with the collie girls.

Integration is an ongoing process, and because of Laird’s size I have to intervene immediately if anything inappropriate might happen. 

So if Laird is being a little rude in his play invitations, I clap my hands to call him over for a treat. When Laird grabs the sofa or thinks about humping (usually when he is over tired), I need to pop him calmly into his crate (and be quicker to notice the signs tomorrow).

There’s no room for dilly-dallying or second chances. While I absolutely do reward EVERYTHING that I like, it’s just as important to make sure the other stuff has consequences too.

I don’t just “ignore the bad behaviour”. It’s not practical to “ignore” Laird trying to play tug with the curtains. And I’m not going to leave the girls to fend for themselves in the middle of enormous GWP zoomies.

Consequences does NOT mean I shout at Laird or tell him off. Even if I wanted to (and I don’t because it won’t build our relationship), Freya would find it very stressful. She hates it when other dogs break the house rules….

Consequences DO mean that I make sure the stuff I don’t like doesn’t end up being fun for Laird.

The result is within three weeks Laird is much calmer in the house. Relationships are building nicely with the girls, and they know how to come to me if they need a break too. Laird isn’t stealing or grabbing things as much, and we’re snuggling together more.

And to make sure we’re having structured fun together, I’ve just signed up for the next block of Sniffing School (Level 1 for Laird, Level 2 for Freya)! So I’m looking forward to seeing you in class in July.

The next term of classes starts in July – the email with all the booking links is on the way to our subscribers and current students - let us know if it hasn't arrived.

Have a wonderful weekend, and don't forget to send us your pics if you are heading to York Pride with your dog too!

Morag, the collie girls and the big yin

PS for anyone who was worried, Laird is fine – he didn’t even notice!

PPS  If you're already canicrossing with your dog, don't miss our social run on Saturday 16th June

Grab your space here!

Why we want you to trust your instincts around your dog

Say hi to the invalid, everyone!



So, for those who don’t know, Brian has been in for knee surgery recently.  He developed a limp in September (after a wet and muddy walking holiday) which we initially thought was due to sore pads.  We tried lots of strategies to keep his pads comfortable and all seemed well.

Then the limp came back after another walking holiday in March and x-rays showed that he needed surgery.

Poor Brian!

There is a bright side to this story though. 

The specialist vet initially thought that Brian was going to need a full knee replacement (eek!) but when they came to operate, it turned out the damage to his knee was a lot less extensive than they had feared and they were able to perform a much less traumatic operation.

This is good news (both for Brian’s recovery and for my wallet!) but it got me thinking about the importance of trusting your instincts when it comes to your dog. 

When I worked in the NHS, I used to talk with my clients about combining their expertise with mine - I might be the expert on what was in the books (and I say ‘might’, because some of my clients were very knowledgeable), but they were definitely the experts in their own experience, and we needed to pull both together to find the best solutions.

The same is true for us and our dogs. 

Brian never limped at the vets (on both occasions, by the time we made it back from holiday, the limp had gone) but I knew what I’d seen and I ended up vigilantly watching in case it came back. 

As soon as it did, we took action straight away to try and get it sorted.

Because of that, Brian’s knee never got the chance to get extensively damaged and his recovery chances now are much better.

My take home message from this?

Trust your instincts.  You know your dog; you live with them day in, day out and you’re in the best position to spot when something changes. 

You’ll know when something isn’t as it usually is.

And if you act fast, it’s easier.  Whether it’s something physical that doesn’t have time to cause long standing damage, or something behavioural that doesn’t have time to become ingrained, prevention is definitely better than cure.  So, keep an eye out. 

If something changes in how your dog moves, or in how your dog acts, and you don’t understand why, check it out.  Ask your vet.  Talk to our behaviour team.  Find the right specialist.

Your dog may not thank you straight away (Brian says that puppy prison is tolerable, but the cone of shame is NOT!) but in the long run, if it is something that needs working on, you’ll definitely thank yourself!

Have a happy and healthy week!
Laura & Brian




PS If your dog isn't recovering from surgery why not book onto Sian's Introduction to Parkour.

Sunday 8th July, nr York

There's just four places left on this workshop now:
https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=13187434&appointmentType=category%3AWebinars%2C%2BSeminars%2B%26%2BWorkshops

The day a squirrel fell from the sky

Walking along a quiet footpath lined with small trees, open fields to either side. It was a beautiful sunny morning, and I was enjoying watching the collie girls explore.

Then Freya froze, nose quivering upwards, right paw raised.

No-one breathed.

I began to call her (we’ve had lots of successes recently…)

Then the blooming squirrel fell out of the tree no more than 4 inches away from Freya.

Ahem.

Freya did not turn on a sixpence and run back to me.  Unsurprisingly she stood still in shock for a second, and then chased the squirrel!

We were so not ready for that challenge, but I’m delighted to say Freya did come back within 30 seconds and was not too brain-fried for the rest of the walk.

I’m guessing the squirrel hadn’t realised she was right under the tree. Either that or he has a nasty neighbour who pushed him!

Sometimes it takes a wee leap into the unknown to find out how well your training is going – think of your training as a safety net and hope it doesn’t have too many holes in it.

Our Spring class programme starts tonight (Monday 5^th Feb) and I’m so looking forward to seeing how much progress you’ve all made with your dogs.

If you missed out on signing up for the full 6 week block, we do have drop-in spaces for the following classes available (just email Laura on info@wellconnectedcanine.co.uk to check availability and prices):

• 6.30pm Parkour Progressions
• 7.30pm Rally and TEAM Progressions
• 7.30pm Agility Achievers

Have a wonderful week, and don’t forget to check for falling squirrels,

Morag and the collie girls

PS Huge congratulations to everyone who was brave enough to tackle their first canicross race at Dalby on Sunday. It was fab to see so many of you there, and great to hear tips from the workshops were helping you run better with your dogs.

I’ll pop the pictures and group shots up in the two facebook groups

Yorkshire Canicross and Canisports

Well Connected Canines and their Humans  

Our February Canicross workshops are sold out but Save the Date for the next ones, we'll have the booking links live very soon.

Next intro workshop 22nd April 2018 (York)

Canicross Skills and Adventures - 19th May in the North York Moors

(Two groups for ability and fitness - working on trail technique, descending safely, getting the most out of your dog while running, and much more)