In Partnership Dog Training

A few of the sweet faces from my Vancouver visit.
Nieve
Benji
Mooney
Oscar
❤️

Join me for this brand new class offering to turn your dog into a terrific trail dog! You want to hike, bike or ski with your dog or maybe simply let them run around more. This class is for you and will teach you the skills to set your dog up for success.

Yup its early and yup its fall. But you wouldn't live in Nelson if you weren't game for some sporty bundled mornings right?

Sign up and more info here: https://www.inpartnershipdogtraining.com/classes

“Go slow to go fast.” I say this to clients all the time.

It can be so hard to do! But when you do you see results in training more quickly, that are more solidly installed and a dog that is more comfortable and trusting. I say this with especially fear and aggression cases in mind but it is true across the board and on a wide timescale - a day or a year!

I met Queso in person for the first time today. He is scared of MANY things, including people walking in his door. He barked and barked and startled with my every movement to start. But by giving him his space, never stepping or reaching towards him and tossing him some great snacks (stranger ➡️good stuff for me but I don’t have to approach) he was jumping voluntarily onto my lap by the end of the hour. Now that’s not to say it would go this quickly for all dogs, it certainly doesn’t always. But by going slowly and letting him check me out on his terms I earned his trust.

One of Queso‘s big challenges is handling- vet care, toothbrushing, etc. This is another example of where we need to work at his pace. It can be tempting to jump too quickly to holding a dog‘s paw, for example, or touching their teeth way before they’re actually comfortable simply having their paw or mouth touched. By spending time to build trust on these foundations, (and it may take weeks!) we can show our dogs that we respect their levels of comfort resulting in more willingness from them to cooperate with us for their care down the road.

And while many humans, think they “should “let us handle them – according to who??? This doesn’t actually make any sense at all from their perspective when they feel uncomfortable or we have to do something that hurts them. We know we’re helping them, they don’t necessarily. Many of us get aggressive when we feel unsafe too.

Don’t get me wrong, I know it can feel gruelingly slow, but if you rush too quickly, you risk compromising all the progress you’ve made to that point and potentially putting yourself back even further than you started. So when you feel yourself yourself wanting to rush ahead, just hear my voice in your ear! 🪽

I am always touched by what you write and honored to be a part of you and your dogs' journeys. Thank you for providing this positive reinforcement for me. Because remember - positive reinforcement works for humans too! And behavior that is reinforced is more likely to happen again. :)

See? I can even get behavior nerdy about google reviews. 😛

Would you write me a review too? See the link in my bio.

Sometimes you just need to rest in the shade for a moment on a hot day!
When it’s hot (or not!) and your dog is working hard, mentally or physically, taking breaks is important. Keeping your training sessions short and sweet can also mean they are more fun and engaging for your dog than long drawn out sessions.

*tzu

...gosh its even better than money sometimes! If you have a service or product I need and I have a service you need then let's connect. I'd love to ditch the dollars maybe its "old fashioned" but it can be wicked modern too!

I know that cost can be prohibitive for some people when it comes to training and modifying the behavior of your dogs and I hate for that to stand in the way of peace of mind for you and yours. That said I still need to make a living!

Some things I would consider:
- Fresh veggies, local meat, great food products
- Physio, body work, etc
- Classes: pottery, woodworking, carpentry, yoga, exercise...
- Garden mentorship
- Carpentey work
- Furniture
- Marketing + business assistance
-What else?

Another new video up today. How to teach "touch."

Teaching “ Touch” Or Hand Targeting Use these 6 steps to teach your dog the foundation for a solid and reliable "touch" cue. This cue is great for recall, moving your dog out of the way on a tr...

Some of the sweet, silly and focused faces of this round of classes! Abby, Rusko, Daisy, Cedar, Dolly and Tobey! Just missing Reno.
Already celebrating progress from week one to week 2.

If I had a dollar for every time someone told me this I could buy a lot of chicken livers to reward recalls.

I often say that practicing recall in the house or yard and then expecting it to work at the dog park is like hoping to pass a calculus exam after passing basic math. Low likelihood of success!

A sound recall for challenging situations, the times when you really need it the most- your dog running off unexpectedly, a wildlife encounter, a developing altercation with another dog, a suddenly appearing hazard - takes practice and doesn't come overnight. In these moments your dog needs to have practiced it at a similar level of challenge and have a strong reinforcement history for the behavior. We want your dog to be STOKED to come to you at all times. Not just when it is easy and convenient for them. This takes work, strategy and time. Here are some tips for how to go about that.

I am starting to add more content and videos of training plans to YouTube to support clients - check out the first installment of "Leave It"!
What would you like to see next?

Training Your Dog to "Leave It" - Part 1 Here are the first steps for teaching "Leave It" or how to disengage from something. This might be food on the floor, something gross you find on a walk or e...

So happy to see you again too Mochi! This sweet guy is actually in a different home than the one he was in last time I saw him. That happens sometimes. Rehomig can often be what is truely best for all parties and is nothing to be guilty or ashamed about. Mochi you can put your head on my knee no matter where you are! And I can’t wait to keep helping you on your journey.

I love working one on one with you and your dogs. I love helping you see them more clearly. I love providing reassurance and a path forward when things feel really hard. I love my clients! Thank goodness you are just as cool as your dogs.

If you are looking for support with your dog's behavioral needs please reach out! I would love to work with you. It is was better to fix problems and easier to address challenges if we do so early on when you first notice it. Sometimes it blows my mind how long people wait to call me and then it is way more work than it would have been before. Come join the team and lets have fun training your dog together.

He is a Keeper! No really that’s his name. Welcome to the team handsome fellow 😍. I can’t wait to work with you more. Keeper is a bit reactive to dogs, especially on leash so we will be working to help him change his feelings about other dogs and give him something to do besides barking at them!

Most dogs are not simply aggressive. If they have a tendency to exhibit aggressive behaviors it is for a reason. As their stewards in this world it is our job to understand this reason and address it so that they do not feel like they need to exhibit this kind of behavior. Whether this behavior happens a lot or rarely, "aggressive" does not define what any dog is.

Coming soon to the silver screen YouTube channel near you Mr. Rio Caçador-Florence! This handsome devil is helping me film some videos to give YOU tools to assist in your training and show you what training plans look like and are not only written out for you but available in video form too. Needless to say he was quite a star. 💫

What training plans would it be helpful for you to see on video?
Let me know in the comments below. ⬇️

Too many poor training decisions and frequently "corrections" are made based on conflating dog and wolf habits and behavior. But dogs (Canis lupis familiaris) are not wolves (Canis lupis). Yes as species they are very closely related but think about the many differences, especially social and cultural (which so much behavior is based around) between all the many kinds of homo sapiens living on this earth even just today from the tribes of Mongolia or the Amazon to a family in rural China versus rural Alberta. Then when you think about any of these modern humans as compared to humans 15,000 or more years ago and the behavioral differences are VAST.

So while there are similarities between dog behavior and wolf behavior and sure they do look similar...or some of them do! It can be dangerous to tie them too closely together or try to explain dog behavior from a (most likely loose) understanding of wolf behavior.

I'll give you 2 major differences between dogs and wolves:

1) Wolves are pack animals. While mature dogs who are feral generally are solitary roamers who generally only come together around resources such as food or a female in heat. Nope. While dogs can sure be loyal, they are not pack animals.

2) Wolves are hunters. Dogs are scavengers. Not that some dogs do not hunt and wolves would not scavenge but we are talking about primary modes of acquiring food. This is one major way that dogs have taken advantage of evolving alongside humans. They know we produce a lot of trash! And are quite opportunistic about it.

I find these things fascinating in trying to understand the hows and whys behind why our dogs do what they do. What questions do you have?

Join me for classes on Tuesday nights at Lucky Leash. Choose Puppy Socialization for those under 16 weeks and Basic Manners for dogs over 16 weeks. Help your dog become a confident, friendly and well mannered citizen of our world and have fun while you're at it. More information and registration at https://www.inpartnershipdogtraining.com/classes

Muzzles are GREAT! The biggest reason I love them is because they can open up worlds for dogs who would otherwise need to be more restricted. When properly used they are safe and effective and can help guardians breathe easier too. Dogs wear them for ALL kinds of reasons, so I encourage you not to jump to any conclusions next time you see a dog wearing a muzzle. Instead, give them and their guardians a little mental applause. 👏👏👏👏👏. The dog may need extra space or may be happy to be approached. Always ask.

Do you have questions about muzzles? Leave them below in the comments. I would love to address them.

This article by one of my loveliest clients paints a vivid picture of a night at the emergency vet and reminds us of how dedicated these amazing professionals are to our animals. Vets are under appreciated and deserve all the kindness and gratitude in the world. Thank you Tiffany and all vets out there for the time you have committed not only to your extensive education, but to our best pals.
Give it a read.
❤️

Behind the Scenes: A Night in Emerg by Dr. Tiffany Jagodich:

"There is nothing that will keep you awake at night like an animal whose life needs saving. As a criticalist at Boundary Bay Veterinary Specialty Hospital’s Emergency & Critical Care department, I know this intimately.

Over the course of a few days, Eden - the most beautiful middle-aged Leonberger dog you have ever seen - developed a cough and suddenly could barely get out of bed. Eden is seen first by her family practitioner who deems her to be in respiratory distress and advises she is taken to a specialty ER centre like ours.

Together with Jane, Eden's owner, my technicians and I embark on the emotional rollercoaster that is life support, fraught with moments of positivity and disappointment, in hopes we can get Eden through this crisis."

Read the full story: https://bbvsh.com/blog/a-night-in-emerg/

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2024 edition of West Coast Veterinarian Magazine, published by the CVMA-Society of BC Veterinarians Chapter.

Meet Carl. He’s 135 lbs or so but thinks dogs are pretty scary. What do you think- should I help him work through this fear?

Those eyes! How could I ever say no?!

Food is easy reinforcement because most dogs are highly motivated by it. You can toggle its value: kibble -> low value, chicken -> high value and give it out quickly and repetitively and get right back to training. Not to mention that certain foods have value in its scarcity in your dog's live alone.

However there are all kinds of things in our dogs worlds that we can use as reinforcement. These things can be helpful to know to mix up your reinforcement or if you are out and about and forget your snacks! I have certainly picked up a stick for a game of tug or initiated a game of chase when I have found myself in need of quick reinforcement and ran out of snacks.

What are some non-food reinforcers that you use or have questions about using? Let me know below!

What is single event learning? One occurrence that left a powerful enough impression to influence how you feel about similar occurrences from then on. The associations with that event can be positive or negative. For example does your dog remember the store that gave him a cookie once 2 years ago but every time you pass he stops hoping for one again? Single event learning.

However in Cisco's case (and many of the dogs I see) he unfortunately has one negative experience with a dog that likely impacted his sentiments about dogs from then on. He was attacked by a dog when he was younger and is now worried about most dogs that get close to him, especially on leash when he cannot get away. This manifests as lunging and barking ("stay away from me!").

This single event learning is why we want to be so careful and intentional about the experiences our, especially young, dogs have. We can use them to our advantage when we want to make a good impression. For example - dog sees a skateboard for the first time and then gets a handful of chicken -> skateboards are pretty cool! But we also need to remember that one bad experience can also have a lasting impact. This is also why it is important to "pad" our dogs with good experiences so that they have more material to reference in the positive life experiences column than in the scary life experiences column.

I look forward to working with Cisco here to help him improve his associations with dogs.

What is an event that left a lasting impression on your dog? Let me know in the comments below.

Reasons I love tug:
1) Great for teaching cues like "drop it", "take it" and "fetch"
2) Awesome high intensity energy burner.
3) Great fun to have together. Remember tug is teamwork (let's kill this thing together) not a competition. It's bonding with your dog!
4)You can play it with all kinds of things: Toys, ropes, sticks....and I'll tell you a secret: we even play with our leash sometimes. Its a rope toy that I almost always have with me!
5) It's a great reward alternative to food for a dog who loves to tug.
6) It gives dogs a legal outlet for biting and tugging on things - a species normal behavior.

Ok Ill stop there but you get the point. Do you play tug with your dog? What are your dogs favorite tug toys?

Vancouver Dates! Sept 12, 13, 16, - https://mailchi.mp/32065c26f89e/vancouver-dates-sept-12-13-16

While I love working with YOU, you are busy and don't always have time for me or for training your dog as much as you would like. So let me do the work!

Ill come to you and train your dog while you are off doing...whatever you want! "Day training" is an option for any dog who is comfortable being handled by me and can be worked into any training package so you can mix and match if you want to be there sometimes or not.

Day training is great for:
Puppy Socialization Field Trips
Basic Cues and Commands
Reactivity to dogs or people
Leash Walking
Resource Guarding..and more!

Sounds pretty nice huh? Book your day training package today here: https://www.inpartnershipdogtraining.com/schedulingandpay...

If I could take just one piece of dog gear with me somewhere it would be a long line. That’s because it’s versatile and allows for both control and freedom. It’s a leash that can be short or long or a tether. It gives you the ability to have your dog on leash but not under tension which can help with dogs comfort in meeting other dogs or people. It allows for sniffing and romping and exploration even before they are able to be off leash, if you don’t totally trust them or in areas where off leash isn’t an option.

What do you find is a piece of dog gear you couldn’t do without?

I love helping clients who have been stuck with previous training to make progress! Sometimes it is a complete overhaul of prior plans but when possible I try to build on what the dog already knows. In Ralphie's case it just took a little tweak in the order of operations. While the tweak is small it makes mountains of difference when it comes to efficacy and efficiency.

Hello! 👋🏼 I am Jane, the person behind In Partnership Dog Training, and this is my dog Vigo. We are based in Nelson British Columbia with my husband Jonny where I work as your guide to navigating life with your dog. I recognize that “dog training” is just as much about coaching humans and bring my experience facilitating wilderness expeditions and teaching students leadership and technical skills in challenging environments to working with YOU to support your dogs training and behavioral needs. I have a Certificate in Training and Counseling (CTC) from the Academy for Trainers, the top program in fear and aggression in the world, and train using positive methods -no fear, pain or intimidation, with both dogs and people. When not at work Vigo, Jonny and I enjoy skiing, biking, paddling whitewater and adventure picnics. 😁 In addition to serving clients in the greater Nelson area I see clients online from around the world and travel to Vancouver every few months to see clients there. Looking for some support with your dog? Please reach out! I work with dogs of all ages, breeds and stages of training through training hurdles from puppy socialization to fear and aggression. I look forward to working with you. 🙏🏼
-Jane

Travel asks a lot of our canine friends and its reasonable to expect that their regular "performance" may be different from what it is at home. Check out my latest post to read 5 tips to help set you up for travel success.

See link to post in our bio.