Wheeeeeee! The blur of moving spaniel complete with manic grin is
something to behold.
The sheer joy of living.
Dashing from place to place just in case he might be missing out on
something.
Glorious!
But sometimes rushing around can be a little bit wearing to live with.
The speedy zooming can mean missing out on quiet moments, or staying safe on a
rickety bridge!
The top question at dog sports and activity workshops is always “How do
I slow my dog down/how can I keep up with my dog”.
No matter whether it’s a sport like Parkour (jumping, balancing and
negotiating obstacles), Rally or an activity like Scentwork.
Super speedy dogs can be exhausting to work and handle, often because
they’re not being careful or precise. You are out of breath and forcing your
brain to work on over drive just to keep up.
And my answer to that question?
Help your dog learn to keep doing “the thing” persistently – whether that’s
staying a position or sniffing for a find.
We have about a billion tactics, training games and tips that would help
you.
Today’s top tip comes from the amazing Parkour and Tricks workshop our
very own Sian ran at the weekend.
Even though Parkour is described as urban agility, it’s not really
about completing a course in the fastest time. In fact to submit your videos
for a title, you need to show your dog in each position for at least 5 seconds.
Catching the moment your dog does “the thing” and rewarding is
important.
But even more important is the next reward!
The one that helps your dog concentrate on what they are doing, and
keep doing it. And the one after that…
You might need to start working on this away from exciting obstacles,
take an easy position like a down or just eye contact and work on your dog “keeping
doing the thing”.
In Parkour you could work on 2-on (2 front paws on an obstacle) using
something that’s too small for anything else, and use repeated fast rewards to
help your dog stay in position at first.
So how about this week you work on slower activities with awareness, and
make those training moments last!
Have a mindful week
Morag and the collie girls
PS Email us to go on the waiting list for our Monday Parkour classes
with Sian (info@wellconnectedcanine.co.uk)
PPS there are super speedy exercises in Parkour too like Tic-Tacs, it's not all slow and steady!
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