Loose leash walking has a lot of complexity to it. In reality, there are many behaviours that need to be taught but even more importantly every change in the environment can affect it! Here are a few tips and tricks that you can try while training your dog.
We can have a training plan in mind but it's the dog who will tell us if the plan is good or not. Don’t be afraid to move back a few steps in your training plan and ask for less at any point. Work with whatever you have in front of you. Looking back at the video you've made, you might realise whose mistake that really was.
Walking your dog can be a frustrating experience. It comes from misunderstanding each other. The dog doesn’t get to read all of the news (or check his Facebook) through sniffing and you feel like he doesn’t listen to you or is disobedient. Changing the way you see the walks and lowering your expectations can be an easier and faster way to enjoy your walks again.
Many of the problem behaviours are a product of unintentional reinforcement that comes at the wrong time. It's better to reinforce quickly to keep the behaviour short and put more intention into all of the interactions with your dog. Remember, it's not just during a training session that your dog learns!
Read MoreCreating habits is known to many people. When you hear about it, it sounds so obvious! You might even be able to teach others about it as you have great advice that works. The question is, are you using this advice?
Read MoreHow many of us failed in the past trying to create a new habit?
This time, I tried something different and I was building on a habit that I already have. Now, after 6 months, I can fairly say that I managed to build a new, solid habit of learning Spanish 20 min a day every day. In the blog, I share what helped me achieve that and few other surprising learning points!
Are you willing to take on the challenge of looking for the behaviours you like? Whether it's in your dogs' behaviour or in your own behaviour! Change can start from this simple (yet not easy!) exercise of noticing the behaviours you like instead of the ones you want to change.
Read MoreI've been there too! I saw a dog who is coming to me, being all cute and affectionate and I believed he is happy to see me. As long as it can be the case, there are times when dogs affection can mean "I'm not a threat to you, I won't harm you, I love you, please don't hurt me!". Watch out for the little signs and help your dog get more confidence around people with positive training.
Read MoreThe second part of the blog with 5 more tips on what to do to avoid mistakes and set your new puppy up for success.
Read MoreBehaviour is behaviour and you can find the consequences that drive it for every species you encounter.
Read MoreFrom this blog, you can learn steps to train your dog a 'wait' or ‘stay’ cue but also how you can transfer/use what you learn to enhance your learning and to get better at creating new habits for yourself.
Read MoreHow often do we stop and think about the way we interact with others (including animals)? We raise our voices when we talk with people who we think don’t listen to us. We pull the leash on our dogs’ collars to make them come the other way. We laugh at people, we grin, we give nasty comments without ever thinking what effect it has on them. Even if something works, it doesn’t mean it can’t be improved.
Read MoreWhy is my dog doing this? A question most dog guardians/caregivers/owners ask. What’s the most common answer dog trainers give? It depends.
Read MoreWe don’t always behave in the same way. Nor we, nor our dogs.
Read MoreChanging behaviour changes your emotions around it. You can become more resilient with practice.
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Many times we don’t even bother trying to learn a new skill. We convince ourselves that it’s not for us. When what we could do is to find the first successive approximation and start learning through a fun and successful process.