Muzzles, handwashing and coronavirus

The large off lead dog rushes over to you through the woods, approaching your small on-lead dog.

So far, so normal (potentially frustrating but pretty normal), right?

Then you realise that the big black dog is in fact also wearing a close fitting black Baskerville muzzle. And you’re not sure where the owner is.

Okay…….


Then the owner appeared and shouted “It’s okay, they’re friendly really. They just don’t like joggers”.

Well, credit to the owner for choosing to muzzle their dog and reducing the risk of a jogger being nipped or bitten.

But just using a muzzle, without any other strategies, isn’t really a sensible way to reduce risk and keep everyone safe.

I try to avoid horror stories, but I’ve been on the receiving end of what’s called a “muzzle punch” from a dog (who was muzzled) and trust me, it left bruises!

When we know there is a problem, it’s up to us (with professional support if needed) to create a comprehensive strategy.

Dog “doesn’t like” joggers? 

 

Let’s assume that means our dog may unpredictably rush at, bark or consider nipping joggers.

Strategies 

• Avoidance: plan to walk away from organised running events like Park Run, avoid busy regular running routes 
• Management: teach our dog to really enjoy wearing a muzzle, be able to take treats from us through the muzzle, AND keep our dog on a long line in public 
• Treatment: check what’s driving our dog’s behaviour (Fear? Anxiety? Frustration?) and develop a training plan to change both the problem and the underlying emotion 

MANY of the dogs pictured wearing muzzles in this blog are current or past WCC clients. These dogs have ALL learned to love wearing their muzzles for a whole variety of reasons. Their amazing humans know that muzzles are just part of the plan! 

By now you might be wondering what on earth this has to do with Covid19!

As a company, and as responsible individuals, we’ve had lots of discussion over the last few weeks.

While we can’t influence government policy, we can choose our own response strategy based on the available evidence and recommendations.

Hand-washing is a lot like using a muzzle on a dog – it only really helps if we’re doing the other important stuff too….

Like social distancing, reducing personal contact, regular hand-washing AND cleaning of relevant surfaces.

Respecting anyone who is self-isolating even just as a precaution, and being mindful that while you might not be badly affected, your elderly relative could become seriously ill.

What you need to know

Entirely coincidentally our only indoor classes finish this Wednesday

after which we’re on a scheduled break until the summer. This week we’re asking everyone to be sensible, avoiding any shared equipment and continuing to observe our usual high standard of hygiene.

Almost all of our other sessions are held outdoors, with the opportunity for plenty of space between people and dogs! We may adapt the structure but sessions are scheduled to continue.

If you’re a behaviour client, then home visits will continue for the moment BUT we’re asking clients to keep us informed if they experience any symptoms, or have returned from travel in affected countries according to the UK Government guidance.

For clients who are self-isolating due to suspected or confirmed infection, or in line with the government guidance on foreign travel, please do not attend for your session and contact us as soon as possible to reschedule without charge.  Please note that session charges continue to apply if we are not notified in advance of the need to cancel.

We reserve the right to ask any client or helper to leave a session if they appear to be unwell and there is a concern about infection. 

We’re looking forwards to continuing to work with you, and implementing a whole package of strategies as needed.

Morag and the beasties

What’s on in WCC Land? 

Parkour Workshops Sunday 22nd March

Gun Dog Games on Saturday 21st March

Remote Support

As always, we're available via video link and phone for ongoing training support, new behaviour consultations and more - just email the office on info@wellconnectedcanine.co.uk




The Multi-Dog Harmony workshop is currently on hold, and I’ll let you know once we have a new date.

Today is a good day, and a slightly sad day

Happy News

Gina has been one of our dedicated dogs bodies and helpers, but you might not realise she is also in the third year of a BSc in Canine Behaviour & Training. Since beginning to help out in classes, and getting involved through her work experience placement, we've seen Gina blossom into a great trainer.


I'm delighted to announce that Gina has now officially joined our team as a Trainer (based in Bridlington) and is delivering our Puppy Curriculum and Three Week Intensive Programmes.

It's not compulsory to have a "challenging dog" if you want to become a trainer or behaviourist, but it can give you a real insight. You can read about some of Gina's experiences with Max (Schnauzer) on the blog here: https://wellconnectedcanine.blogspot.com/2019/06/always-think-about-both-ends-of-leash.html

And here's Max starting to make friends with Laird - it's a bromance all about beards!

(thanks to Andrea for the photo - yet another one of our amazing dogsbodies)

Slightly sadder news

Our regular Wednesday evening classes (venue: Yorkshire Museum of Farming) are on hiatus for the three months from 19 March to 10 June 2020.

The WCC team is small and enthusiastic as you know, but with more teaching commitments for myself and Clare, plus Laura will be data collecting for her PhD, we're running out of hours in the day!

What WILL still be running:

• Behaviour support sessions
• Social Skills classes
• Half day activity workshops like Gundog Games, Parkour and Scentwork
• Taster sessions
• Regular Hoopers classes at the PawPark

And for Summer 2020 we have a programme of drop-in activities planned instead of having to commit to a weekly class.

Happy Wednesday!

Morag and the beasties

Social Skills (for dogs that sometimes struggle)

Safe spaces for your dog to practice their conversational skills with other dogs or people. These sessions are ideal if your dog is ready to get closer, learn how to make friends or build tolerance levels.  Maximum of two spaces per session.

• When: weekdays and Saturdays - there will be evening sessions from the spring 
• Where: PawPark, Sand Hutton
• Check the schedule and book here

If you go down in the woods today.....

 If you go down in the woods today

You're sure of a big surprise!

 Teddy Bear's Picnic, lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy / John W. Bratton

*and yes, that is Laird temporarily back on a long line in very exciting places. All part of my plan to give him more freedom later in the year*

In case you need to drive out the earworm, listen to the whole song here! 


I hope you've been able to find something better than muddy floodwater in the woods this week?

All fingers crossed here for better weather in March, not least because we have all sorts of workshops and events planned.

Social Skills (for dogs that sometimes struggle)

Safe spaces for your dog to practice their conversational skills with other dogs or people. These sessions are ideal if your dog is ready to get closer, learn how to make friends or build tolerance levels.  Maximum of two spaces per session

• When: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays - there will be evening sessions from the spring 
• Where: PawPark, Sand Hutton
• Check the schedule and book here

Hoopers Taster Session (with Clare)

If you missed out on booking in to try Hoopers, we have one more workshop running before regular classes start. You MUST have attended a taster session or a 121 intro with Clare to be eligible for the classes!

• When: 21 March 2020
• Where: PawPark, Sand Hutton
• Book your space here

That's not a sheep! Herding Dog Games (with Morag)

Does your dog crouch, stare, fixate or chase stuff?
Ever feel like you've just been herded round a walk?
Are other dogs puzzled by your herding dog's behaviour?

During this half day workshop we'll be learning about the special quirks of the herding dog brain and incorporating games designed for  them into your training to help build focus, steadiness, recall and the start of control at distance...plus more!  Open to all breeds of dog, not just collies! 

• When: 22 March 2020
• Where: PawPark, Sand Hutton
• Book your space here

Parkour Variety Pack Challenge

Just for a wee bit of fun, this week I’m inviting you to post your pictures of multi-dog Parkour poses.

You can see Laird demonstrating a 2-up, Freya sitting on the same object, and Bronte sitting on a different manhole cover to the side.

I was trying to get Freya to stand rather than sit for a real variety pic, but it took all my time to keep Bronte from wimbling off!

While Parkour is great for building self-control, proprioception and more, it’s also perfect for those of us struggling to get more than one dog in the same photo.

Don’t worry if you only have one canine in your family, why not take the challenge with a friend or meet up with another Well Connected Canine and their person (feel free to use our FB group to make contact).

The best picture will become the group cover pic for February, so get snapping and submit your entries to the FB group.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/WellConnectedCanine/

A joyful update on the GWP who loves to hold onto things

Laird’s love of holding, chewing and sometimes eating things has been a wee bit of a challenge not least because of the sheer size of his jaws. Clare has been very patient with Laird (and me) in the Gundog Games workshops, and we’ve both had to think in new and interesting ways.

Key challenges

• Laird can and will eat things rather than give them up, and will often eat things just for fun so even ignoring him isn’t always a safe option 
• Laird loves food and toys about equally, and he loves them both A LOT, which makes for lots of conflicted feelings if we try to use one to swop for the other 
• Laird has previous experience of being made to give things up, and is definitely too big for that to work now, and he knows it 
• Laird has previous experience of being bribed or distracted to give something up, so is extra suspicious of being offered something when he has an item in his mouth 
• Laird’s mouth is so big (really!) that if we play games where we reward him for dropping the toy, or throw food near the toy, he often just ends up loosing the cheese or sausage in his jowls. 
• And then when he drops his head to pick up the toy, the food falls out onto it – cue panicked eating and holding of toy at the same time…

It’s fair to say we’ve worked through most of the normal solutions, without really feeling like we were making consistent progress.  Until Clare had a moment of genius. She will tell you it’s nothing of the sort, but I’m convinced! 

Dog training is all about figuring out what our dog really wants, deciding if we can safely give them access to it, and using it as a reward.

There’s no point offering me Xmas cake as a reward for anything, because I don’t like fruitcake and despise marzipan…..

Laird *loves* to play tug games.

But for all the reasons listed earlier, using food rewards as part of tug games hasn’t worked that well for us.

What we have worked on is Laird realising I will let go if he tugs too hard (ouch!), and that he needs to push the toy into my hands to restart the game (no grabbing by me).

So Clare’s brilliant idea was

• Play tuggy as normal, and then pause the game. 
• I stopped interacting and tugging. 
• As soon as Laird responded by easing off his pressure, I said his marker word and then played. 
• Repeat ad infinitum. 

We’re looking for moments where Laird chooses to loosen his grip on the toy, marking it, and rewarding with another round of tug – because that’s usually what Laird wants more than anything.

The proof is in the pudding as they say, and we had no idea if it would work.

Pretty quickly it was obvious that we were getting longer pauses, and then Laird started to release the toy (no cues are being given!).

I’ve played around with the ideas, but truthfully not as much as I planned to.

And then this afternoon Laird snuck into the kitchen and stole one of Bronte’s old training toys.

Sheepskin on a bungee with a tennis ball – that really is the holy grail.

My current meditation practice is all about turning difficult situations into opportunities to practice, so I took some deep breaths and in a cheery voice asked Laird if he wanted to play….

Ten minutes later the toy was still intact.

Laird had played beautifully, and chose to give the toy up several times.

When we finished and put it away, there was no jumping or snatching or grumpiness.

I am so proud of my big lad, and so grateful for Clare’s suggestions.

What have I learned today?

• Go back to basics, and listen to the dog in front of you 
• An outside perspective can and will help you make progress 
• Be grateful for the training opportunities as they arise, no matter how annoying the timing! 

Don’t forget to send in your Parkour Variety Pack pictures before the end of January,

All good wishes

Morag

What’s going on in WCC Land? 


Weekly classes next start date is 19 Feb 2020
 

• APDT Good Companion class at 18:30 FULLY BOOKED

• **extra** APDT Good Companion class at 19:30 Book here (max 4 places)

Workshops & Activities

Gundog Games workshops with Clare run monthly AND you can buy three workshops at a discounted rate, so long as you use them within 6 months

First session for 2020 is Sat 25th Jan at 13:30
 

• Games for Gundogs Book Here
• Games for Gundogs Multibuy Gift Certificate: Buy multi session certificate here

Social Skills for Dogs That Struggle are running in smaller groups, more often! See all your options to the end of Feb, 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: FULLY BOOKED
• Parkour Skills: Outdoor Adventure: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=13187434&appointmentType=12264316

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!

I’ll do it, but I’m not happy about it…

How does your dog respond when you ask them to do something?

Are they enthusiastic and quick to react?

Or will they grudgingly obey?

What if you ask them to sit? move out of your way? come back?

• Your dog could sit quickly, with enthusiasm and commitment. 
• Or they could sit slowly, reluctantly, avoiding your gaze and sigh while they do it!

I’m not just talking about whether or not you’ve taught a specific cue or behaviour reliably. Or whether your dog is reluctant to sit on the wet grass.

I mean, how do you think your dog feels when you ask them to do something? 

Has your dog learned from past experience that it’s worth listening to you, that it’s almost always a good idea to try and figure out what you want, and they usually benefit from it?

Or has your dog accidentally learned that “come here” means the lead is going on and your fun stops? If you ask your dog to move out of the kitchen, it’s generally because there’s something worth stealing on the kitchen surface, and they probably won’t get a reward for moving?

Dog training (and training in general) has long been plagued with the idea that “they should do it because I said so”. Which often has undertones of what might happen if they (dog or person) didn’t do as they were told.

I believe that we are motivated to “do as we are told” either because we know it’s likely to benefit us OR because we are too worried to argue/disobey.

I believe that respect is earned, and that relationships are built in stages.

And I want to earn the trust of my canine companions, rather than see them grudging show obedience.

How?

• By giving my dogs choices, and respecting their decisions wherever possible 
• By noticing when my dogs do choose to respond to my requests or make great choices on their own, and making a point of rewarding them 
• By making sure that it pays off for my dog when they behave in ways that matter to me 

How does your dog feel when you ask* them to do something?

*For that matter, do you actually ask your dog to do things? Because that means your dog could say no, and you would accept that choice. Or are you really telling them they have no choice but to comply? Our dogs are smart, they can tell the difference from the tone of our voice, our facial expression and our gestures. 

The inspiration for this blog came in part from a festival I attended on Saturday 30th November. This was declared as the Day of Consent by a rather amazing person (Jenny Wilson) who won arts council funding to create a whole day of workshops and performances. There was so much to learn and think about, and I expect there will be a whole series of blogs coming out very soon as I translate the ideas into our human : canine relationships. (Find out more here: http://consentculture.co.uk/)


I hope you're enjoying the crisp frosty evening walks as much as we are!

Morag and the beasties



What’s going on in WCC Land? 

Sat 14th December 

09:30 Gundog Games with Clare (2 spaces)
13:30 Herding Dog Games with Morag (1 space)

Sun 15th December 
 
Xmas Canine Crafting afternoon – reserve your space here: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=13187434&appointmentType=12255169


Early bird bookings for 2020 OPEN NOW


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!