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!

Welcome to the Sunday Sports and Social Club

Training your dog is fun, but it’s even better fun when you add in some cake & coffee with good company. 

It’s good to mix activities up and cross-train for fitness, plus it keeps everyone on their toes. 

So we’re launching the Well Connected Canine Sunday Sports and Social Club (2-4pm) from 28^th January!

Our FREE monthly social club held on Sunday afternoons near Market Weighton. 

You just need to have trained with well connected canine to be eligible to attend, and keen to train with your dog in a friendly atmosphere.

There’s no formal teaching at these sessions. But there is plenty of space and equipment to set up practice areas and other people to help you out.

Activity options

• Rally and Fenzi TEAM
• Agility (with Hoopers coming soon)
•  Scentwork
• Canicross (brilliant trails within easy walking distance)
• Parkour
• Anything else you’d like to work on!

Just let us know you’re coming, and bring along something to share (cake, fruit, biscuits etc). We’ll provide the space*, equipment and tea/coffee.

Are you coming on Sunday 28^th January?  https://doodle.com/poll/d2uyeq3ibar52zr4

And sign-up to the dedicated mailing list http://eepurl.com/PcFGv  for monthly reminders and activity update.

Happy Monday!

Morag and the collie girls

*all sessions are outside, so come prepared for the weather. Dogs will enjoy the sessions most if they’re able to settle in your vehicle while you have a coffee and warm up in the kitchen.

When life gives you lemons, don’t just make lemonade – stop buying more lemons!

I was in an accident last week. Another driver took a chance on a side junction, cut across the traffic and went straight into the side of my van. We were really lucky because neither of us was going that fast, but it was terrifying for me and the collie girls.

The aftermath with police, ambulances, recovery vehicles, having to find a friend who could come and rescue the girls – noisy, unfamiliar, lots of stressed people.

The van is away for repairs (I hope!) and we’ve finally sorted out a temporary replacement.

Bronte has taken it all in her stride. Being deaf and part blind means life can be pretty unpredictable and she generally shrugs and moves on.

Freya is really struggling, but then this is the fourth time she’s been in some kind of vehicle collision. Every time we’ve managed to work through it, but it gets harder each time.

Passing traffic noises are scary again, she’s on high alert in every situation and when Freya saw the replacement van outside my house she panicked and tried to flee. That was just seeing the van, we weren’t going near it or unlocking it.

Having a positive attitude to life and turning challenges into opportunities is one way of coping with the ups and downs the universe throws at us. So yes, when life gives you lemons – making lemonade can be an excellent choice.

But the truth is being optimistic isn’t enough.

Using positive affirmations might help your attitude, but what needs to change is your behaviour.

So when an avalanche of lemons lands on your head, the smart thing to do is cancel your monthly order of lemons…

I’ve organised my work schedule and personal plans so that barring emergency vet trips, Freya doesn’t have to go anywhere near a vehicle for at least the next month.

While I know I could ask her to go in a car, and she would try her best for me, it’s not worth pushing our luck and adding to the stress she is already under.

We’re going to be using supportive medication, plus all of the training techniques that have worked so well for us in the past to build Freya’s confidence around vehicles.

Freya has a pretty good set of resources to draw on (she adores crate training, knows that loud noises equal treats, enjoys scentwork, learns fast) but most importantly she knows that I won’t force her to do scary stuff.

If you need help with an avalanche of lemons, let us know!

Have a safe week

Morag and the collie girls

PS Looking forward to seeing some of you at our Xmas social on Thursday where the only lemons will be round the edge of my tequila glass

PPS Well Connected Canine is taking some well-earned time off over Christmas to spend time with

our dogs and our own families. We’ll be closing on Thursday 21 st December and re-opening on

Thursday 4th January. If you do need to speak with us before Christmas, make sure you get in touch

soon - it’s creeping up fast!

Project Squirrel - when the woods are full of distraction

Project Squirrel is the code name for my ongoing recall challenge with Freya.

I’ve had a few requests to talk more about the challenge of getting a reliable recall around wildlife, and for us the big one is squirrels!

For those of you who haven’t met her, Freya is my dinky blue merle Collie. The only one of my girls who can hear and see properly – and that just means even more opportunities to get distracted.

Freya came from a travellers site via York RSPCA (thanks to Nikki for finding her for me) having already been a teenage mum.

Right from the start Freya has been super keen on working with me, very food motivated and fairly interested in toys (better if they squeak). She was quick to check in and seemed to tune in to a whistle within a few days.

Frankly it was all a bit too good to be true.

Then we went on a new walk in the forest (Freya on longline for safety).

Imagine the scene.

Collie standing below a tree, right forepaw raised like a pointer, nose pointing straight up.

Quivering with excitement.

Squirrel perched safely high in the trees, chittering away.

Let’s just say that I actually had to pick her up and carry her away from the tree…she hadn’t just gone deaf, it was as though she was paralysed!

That was about 4 years ago now.

Here’s a picture of Freya in Rannoch Woods on our recent holiday – off lead, staying connected and not obsessing about potential squirrel.

I’ll tell you more about the process we’re (still) working through, and I promise to be honest about the failures just as much as the successes.

Today’s secret tip is actually nothing to do with recall per se.

It’s all about having more fun, and a better relationship with your dog.

Just doing recall training and attention exercises can get pretty monotonous (for you and your dog).

Instead having a collection of tricks and fun stuff that you’re working on anyway, so going new distracting places is just a fab opportunity to practice, turns that round.

For Freya, taking tricks classes with Sian has really helped build our “fun” repertoire, and Parkour (jumping and balancing on/under/over things) was the perfect compliment.

Woods don’t just = squirrels now.

Woods = cheesey scentwork, chase mum, balance on tree logs, jump on benches, recall!!!, cuddles in the sun and more…

Have a fun week with your dog, and I’ll tell you more about Project Squirrel next week

Morag and the collie girls

P.S. if you want to get some of the secret sauce that Sian teaches, keep Sunday 8^th October free and I’ll have more information on her workshop next week!