New Year: New Actions?

Yep, it's that time of year again when the world seems full of good ideas and shiny resolutions. Not to mention the fields are full of dogs suddenly being walked more than usual.

I'm (Morag) a big fan of setting goals, tracking actions and reviewing progress.

But I'm NOT a big fan of the whole new year/new you shenanigans.



The trick is to figure out your goal, and then break that down into the daily or weekly actions that will get you closer.

Rather than tracking your success each week, just make sure to record what you actually did. You can control what you take action on even if the results are variable!

For example

I can make a point of practicing attention games with Laird at least twice on every walk in dense woodland.

Does that guarantee that he will have been paying attention?

Heck no!

But it massively increases the chance that he will be paying more attention as the days and weeks go past...

We can give you the games, techniques and tools - you just need to put in the consistent effort.



We're officially back in the office from Monday 6th January, and bookings are already open for our January classes (start 15 Jan) if you want some support in taking those regular tiny actions!

Morag, Clare & Laura
Well Connected Canine


What’s going on in WCC Land? 


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 many pounds per square inch can GWP jaws exert? Part two of the progress reports

This is a blog about progress updates, but I figure it's important to be honest about the ups as well as the downs.

Update for Laird

The much loved giant GWP and his ongoing struggles with giving stuff up and love of eating plastic (and anything else that fits in his mouth) have often featured in my writing.

Last week I discovered first hand just how powerful his jaws are.

I have to be honest, it's not a question I’d ever considered before… but it turns out a large adult dog can exert quite a lot of pressure through their teeth.

Laird was behaving out of sorts one evening* - grumbling about a chew, and grumping at his sister Bronte too.  Later on there was a tricky situation involving Laird, my kitchen bin and a large amount of plastic wrapping from some smoked haddock.

It was dark, and while I knew Laird had managed to pull some of the packaging out, I underestimated how much was already in his mouth.

In too much of a hurry to turn on the light, I approached and asked Laird to target my hand with the plastic in his mouth. Usually if he can do this, he'll also be able to give it up.

That night I mis-read the situation.

As my fingers made contact with the plastic, Laird suddenly pulled away.

I tried to hold on, hoping to prevent him from swallowing it.

Laird re-gripped the plastic to make sure he had a firmer hold (letting go and re-grabbing)

My hand was caught in Laird's mouth, and as he started to squeeze his jaws the pain became incredibly intense.

The next 5 minutes felt like the longest in my life.

He didn't understand why I wasn't letting go of the plastic.

And I physically couldn't get my hand out of his mouth!

At one stage I had both hands trapped.

But eventually, my hands escaped, and yes I abandoned the plastic!

In the two days after the incident, Laird returned to finding and eating rubbish on walks with a vengeance. I couldn't ask him to give anything up in the house.

But four days later we were able to attend a Gun Dog Games workshop all about retrieves, and it went really well.  Both Laird and I have a long way to go, but the setback was much less than I feared.


*later on I discovered Laird had split a claw right down to the quick on his front left paw, so was probably in quite a lot of pain, poor lad

Training, changing or improving our dog's behaviour is a life long challenge.

But even when things go horribly wrong, you WILL land on a cushion from all your previous training, relationship building and more.

And that means it takes less time to recover from each set back, I promise!

Which is where the value of regular, incremental training comes in. Every positive experience you have with your dog is a deposit in your joint trust account.



And there's always something left to build back up from.

Next week I'll tell you about Brian coping with the scaffolders, and Quest facing an unexpected bang!

Happy weekend!

Morag, the Big Yin and the Collie Girls

 

Want to do more training with your dog?

New courses start on Monday 7th October at Yorkshire Museum of Farming

APDT Good Companion Award (weekly class)

Essential real life exercises you and your dog can enjoy learning together in a group setting.

You will both learn: response to name, manners (not jumping up), walking nicely on lead, coming back when called, stay, self-control around food and doorways (including the car) and play manners.

• 5 week courses
• Suitable for new starters AND progression students.
• PLUS you can choose to be assessed for the APDT Good Companion Award at Foundation or Progress levels.

Book APDT Good Companion Class

 

Sniffing School: Bomb Detectors (weekly class)

The dog moves steadily down the line of people, suddenly the tail is going extra fast and the bum slams onto the ground. Those brown eyes are staring hard at your left pocket… that’s a passive indication!

This is where the find stops being the reward - vital for a bomb detection dog, but an extra challenge for your dog to take on!

• Three week module
• Pre-req: Dogs can settle quietly in class; can search for at least one target scent; can offer one consistent behaviour (e.g. sit)

Book Sniffing School (Bomb Detection)