Deer proofing your recall + loose lead walking skills!

Laird is recovering well from his “jousting “ injury - the only reasonable explanation for the huge hole in his shoulder!

But while we can do a bit more exercise, it all needs to be calm and controlled.

Calm is not a word often used for 2yr old German Wire Haired Pointers . . . . .

So walking nicely even around distractions has shot up the priority list – being dragged by your dog is never fun, especially when its 36 kg of muscle doing the pulling.

Off lead Zoomies are also on the forbidden list which means more long lines. Extra tricky with frustrated-enthusiastic powerful dog. I’ve been experimenting with lines that pass through the front harness ring but connect to the top ring for safety.

As a wee treat after waiting patiently during a workshop, l wanted to take them somewhere interesting for a walk, but with minimal chance of deer - they are far too exciting for Laird.

Ermmm

Lets just say that 4 pm on a Sunday afternoon is prime time for deer on the water meadows by Fulford….

We saw a total of 5 deer at varying distances!

I was so glad Laird was on a line and we were able to walk away in some semblance of control.

There’s no magic secret or technique , just careful foundations built up over time.

How would YOUR dog have coped?

If the idea fills you with dread, consider signing up for a 3 week intensive course with me! We have two starting Monday 5th August, and more in September

• Stay By My Side II (walking nicely on lead around distractions) 5th Aug
• Baby Come Back I (coming back when called) 5th Aug

Find your intensive course here

• Stay By My Side I (learning how to walk by your side consistently) 9th Sept
• Mind Your Manners II (resisting temptation everywhere) 9th Sept

What’s on in WCC Land?

Open Day Sat 7th Sept

We’re celebrating TEN years of building better relationships with dogs . Come to our Open Day on Sat 7th Sept, Yorkshire Museum of Farming. Stalls to browse and FREE activities to try with your dog!

Classes in August

There’s NO workshops in August but we do have short courses on core skills  like recall or not pulling on lead, plus Get Tracking (starts Aug 5th) and Introduction to Bodywork (9th Sept)

CaniCross Survival Skills on Sunday September 15th

Morning - learn how to warm up and cool down effectively
Afternoon - start loving those hills with and without your dog to help

*Book both workshops and SAVE £10*

Location: Yorkshire Cycle Hub, Fryup Gill Farm, Great Fryup, YO21 2AP

Gundog + Herding Dog Workshops 

They start back from September  21st and we've dates booked in till 2020 so grab those spaces fast!
See the calendar here.

“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 

Does your dog ONLY come back when you have their kryptonite handy? Laura has a plan!

“Find it!”

My own voice sounds pretty loud in the quiet of the icy field, and I’m pretty certain that the teachers in the school playground next door think I’m a bit strange, but I don’t care, because I have two dogs who are off lead and 100% focused on me and there isn’t a tennis ball in sight.

Why is this important?

Well, my boys have something of a variable relationship with recall – they are both mighty, mighty hunters and the training that works so well in the classroom and in the garden can wobble when it’s faced with the amazingly alluring smells of cat, or bunny, or squirrel, or deer, or…well, you get my point.

Tennis balls are our safety net, because Brian loves tennis balls.

But between moving house and Christmas and everything else the new year has brought, we’ve started relying on tennis balls too much. The problem with that is that when the squeaky is available, Brian doesn’t really care about me (so there’s always the risk he’ll just bog off with the ball, and take his brother with him!).

So, we’re back to using a whole range of other strategies to make sure that Brian and Seamus want to remember we’re walking together, rather than taking the first opportunity to disappear into the distance.

Check-ins and parkour and chasey games and tuggy toys and cheese trees are back to being staples of our walks and we’re already seeing the difference.

More importantly, our walks are already back to being more fun for me, and when I’m having fun, it’s much easier for the boys to have fun as well.

And isn’t that the entire point?

Wishing you happy, excited and engaged walks!

Laura and the troublesome twosome. 

P.S. Need help to get your training back on track after the chaos of Christmas? We have spaces coming up on our three week intensive courses for recall, nice lead walking and manners to give you a real push in building those skills!

Get your 3 week super boost booked

P.P.S. If you haven’t yet introduced your dog to the joys of cheese trees, why not come along to one of our Introduction to Scentwork sessions – I promise your dog will thank you!

Scentwork workshops and more

And don't forget, if your dog already graduated from Sniffing School Level 1, you're eligible for any of these advanced modules!

 

Are you breedist? And why it's hurting your dog training

“Why bother teaching a husky to come when called – it’s not like you can ever let them off lead”

Actually, you should teach a rock solid recall (because life happens and even if you never plan to let your dog run free, one day that lead will slip out your hand, or the snap will break)

And you can let most dogs off lead with a little bit of common sense (yes, even deaf- blind dogs, huskies, malamutes and more)

*braces for the influx of emails and snarky comments*

Last time I talked to you about breedist views, it was about aggressive behaviour in cocker spaniels. 

Putting the snarling down to “being a cocker” or “having cocker rage” would have meant not treating the dog for a painful condition.

Today I want to suggest that deciding that because your dog is an *insert breed here* that there’s no point trying to train *whatever* just means you’re severely limiting what you AND your dog might be able to achieve.

Why not start from a place of open optimism AND work hard at your training – who knows what might happen!

From Mark with Nanouk the husky puppy

 Thought I’d share a little victory. So we always knew recall would be a challenge with Nanouk as she’s a husky and does make her own decisions. 

But I’m glad to say the coaching and work we did whilst at WCC paid off as she’s now (within boundaries) great off lead. 

We do have to think about where we do it (prey drive is v high) but as Kady told us, it is possible.

She’s now 8 months old - the 12 weeks she did at WCC with Puppy Foundations and Puppy Life Skills from an early age has really helped her be a lovely pup. So I thought you’d like to see how she’s got on!

 

What’s happening in WCC Land?

In a world filled with so many exciting dog activities it can be difficult to know which to try first, or even which one your dog will enjoy most!
Come to our Canine Activities Foundations Workshop (Sunday 9th Sept) and let your dog try out three of our most exciting activities; Parkour, Agility and Scentwork!

Book your workshop here

Sports & Social Club, Sunday 19^th August (2-4pm)
Free to all current WCC clients, staff and volunteers. We provide the space, equipment and tea - you bring the dogs and the cake!  Just tell us you're coming with this link to get directions and a reminder.
 
Tell us you’re coming!

Have a joyful weekend

Morag, the collie girls and the big yin

Ultra Canicross Runner, Firewalker, Clinical Animal Behaviourist

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)