Videos by Craze Dog Training. Certified Dog Trainer š¶ Training without Force or Fear š Specialising in Foreign Rescues, Reactivity, and other problem behaviours š¾ Both online and in person training ā¬ļø Book a free consult https://linktr.ee/crazedogtraining
3, 3, 3 rule
Were you told the 3, 3, 3 rule when you adopted your dog?
Iāve handled over a hundred successful adoptions for foreign rescues, and not once did I tell this rule to an adopter. Just like with my behaviour clients, Iāll never use timeframes as a goal
You just cannot put a time on something that is as delicate as a dog settling into a new home. If you moved to another country, or if you moved into a home with a totally new family, could you safety bet that you would be totally settled in a really specific amount of time?
I get the sentiment behind it, but it does more harm than good
So, scrap the 3, 3, 3 rule. Take each day as it comes, create a safe place for your dog to call home, meet their needs, and enjoy the process š
#rescuedog #rommierescue #rescuedogsofinstagram #romanianrescuedog #dogrescue
Tomas before and after
The one and only Tomas! š
What a journey itās been. From the house split in two, to face licks, walks, and warm greetings every morning
A collection of small wins gradually increasing over time. Combined with absolute 10000000% commitment from Nicky and Roger; checked in with me daily with videos and updates, followed everything to the point, and developed their own skillset to progress Tomas themselves. They totally deserved this huge outcome. Even when things seemed standstill at times, they trusted the process and now they can start really enjoying life as a family, and Rog can start heading into the āpositive creditā area in his relationship with Tomas
Some of you reading this may be in a similar situation with your foreign rescue. Weāll probably never know what triggered Tomasā severe reactions to Rog. But Tomas is a perfect example that a relationship doesnāt need to stay that way, it can regrow with time, consistency, and most importantly KINDNESS. By also covering all bases, such as the medical side which the amazing @graceful_strides_gait_analysis got sorted for us (I cannot recommend Grace enough!)
But it doesnāt end there! We are now expanding Tomasā world bringing in more trusted people to his inner circle. As well as working towards car journeys and making some new dog friends
For anyone struggling with their own dog who may be showing this behaviour to members of the home or visitors, just know the help is out there. You can always book in a free, no commitment discovery call tobounce things off me and to see how I could help š
#rommierescue #forcefreedogtraining #reactivity #positivereinforcement
What are the quadrants anyway?
What are the quadrants anyway?
Are you confused by seeing R+, P+, P-, R- on social media? Iām here to save the day
I got a lot of positive feedback on my weekly email (link in bio) where I explained what the quadrants mean, so I decided to bless you all with it in video format
Also, this took me forever to edit the footage into a six minute clip, so do me a favour and share it about
Enjoy!
#dogtraining #dogbehaviour #positivereinforcement #dogtrainingadvice #psychology #bfskinner
How to stop your dog pulling
What is āmeeting their needsā?
You will see this thrown about on social media a lot, and you may be confused as to what that means for your dog
Every dog is an individual. And with that individuality, comes a unique set of needs for your dog (aside from the necessity needs that keep every animal alive, very dog has them and they need to be met)
Your dog will have things that they like to do and get out of their system to feel āfulfilledā. When your dog is fulfilled, you will in general have a dog that is less likely to perform what we deem as āproblemā behaviours (although, some problem behaviours are actually just normal behaviours, they just donāt suit us. Itās confusing I know)
You want an example? Okay, in these clips you have Amber. Amber lives in a rescue kennel, therefore physical and mental exercise (a need) that involves a lot of movement and a lot of sniffing, is something she inevitably will have less of (as well as other things that are associated with kennel life, but letās not complicate this any further).
So, expecting her to walk on a loose lead first thing in the morning is out of the question. In fact I would call myself a total idiot for expecting that to happen. Why? Because she hasnāt had her physical (and mental) needs met
But, after a longline walk somewhere that is rich with scent and has plenty of room to runaround in, upon returning to the place she originally pulled like a train in, she walks like a dream on the shorter lead. Her needs were met, therefore she receptive to training and overall is more relaxed
Some of you may have gun dogs or herding breeds for example. And you may wonder why you canāt get their attention; have a look into what those breeds were bred to do, ask yourself, are you finding a way to replicate those jobs to meet their needs? If not, get that ticked off, rather than trying to get engagement from training alone
#dogtrainingtips #looseleadwalking #dogbehaviour #dogtrainer
Enno
I love the outside the box thinking when it comes to Rommies
We think something happened to Enno in transit to the UK paired with his skittish nature and natural skepticism of the unknown. This is certainly not uncommon to come across in our foreign rescues
Standard methods are not feasible for this guy. The pressure is too much and heāll withdraw and shutdown. So we needed to get creative in working training into the things he enjoys
As he canāt go for walks just yet, we bring the outside to him! Free work with outdoor objects and a chew on a good fresh stick are his favourite things to do. We cheekily throw a bit of collar introduction into that so that Enno doesnāt even know heās training, which is what suits him individually. Sticks for rewards at his most excited, and leaving the collar around his free work setups
Weāve just started this, but we can already see heās much more into this style. If we just present him the collar he runs off and avoids, but in this context he is quite inquisitive!
Itās a long journey ahead for Enno, but the more we work at his pace, the small wins will all add up šŖš¼
Foreign rescues are different, we canāt deny it. If youāre struggling, shoot me a DM, even just to get things out into the open to start a conversation
#rommierescue #dogtraining #dogbehaviour #rescuedog
Treat and retreat Top class game. Canāt get much simpler than throwing food away from you I pretty much do this with every dog I meet regardless of their circumstance; I like the dog to tell me they are ready to be fed from my hand rather than me accidentally coerce them into it You can see the power of it in this video. Tomas is voluntarily edging closer to Lauren because sheās not trying to get him closer. Itās his choice, and his confidence is rewarded further by Lauren providing him with the option to retreat back into his safe zone To anyone dog parents or professionals that arenāt using treat and retreat when introducing dogs to new people, get on this right away, I guarantee you will see a positive impact on your dog and the relationships they grow with people Especially great for our foreign rescues! #crazedogtraining #rommierescue #dogtrainingtips
Quality after quantity
If you have the means and resources to do so, drive your dog
This may be a luxury for some people, so if you are someone without a car and want to find ways of providing this for your dog, my DMs are always open to bounce ideas around š¤
I find street walking just so dull. I can never trust the people I encounter and find myself unable to relax as I wonder what is around the corner. I also want to avoid having to micromanage my dogās movements on pavements on roads. Itās for their safety of course, but I want to allow them to be a dog as much as possible, and having to restrict them is again, boring for me and boring for them
Iād rather sacrifice 5-10 minutes each way and give my dog quality beneficial time out and about. The upsides really outweigh the downsides of less time outside
I even do this with non-reactive dogs, because again if I can and I know itās going to benefit us both, why not?
Some dogs need to learn how to navigate a street because of where they live, and that is a whole different conversation. But if I donāt need to street walk, I wonāt š
#crazedogtraining #dogtrainingtips #dogtrainer
Why you should let your dog watch
Let your dog figure it out for themselves
Giving the control over to something else is not something us humans do well at. But when our dogs have choice and control over a situation, they thrive
Do not underestimate the power of simply letting your dog watch and learn about the things in their environment
When you take a step back and place trust and confidence in your dog, 1) itās very easy for you, you can take a breath and relax, and 2) your dog benefits from teaching themselves
Find yourself a nice distanced spot where your dog feels safe, slow down or even stop for a few minutes, let your dog take the lead. Enjoy
#crazedogtraining #dogtrainingadvice #dogbehaviour #rommierescue
If itās not a problem for you, itās not a problem for me Personally I love it when a dog jumps up at me š but I know thatās not for everyone I mean itās probably not ideal if your Great Dane wants to jump up at your dear old nan, knocking her 10 feet back outside as soon as she opens the door And if you donāt want your dog to jump up, for reasons such as the above or simply because thatās not how youād like your dog to behave, I wonāt reinforce it. Itās all down to your preference But donāt feel that just because Iām a professional you have to start panicking about your dog jumping up at me I also get it frequently where people are worried about telling me their dog sleeps in their bed, or sits on the sofa. I love that sh*t, if thereās no behaviour issues around it and itās safe for everyone involved (dog included) then have at it, let your dog walk on the table for all I care #crazedogtraining #forcefree #dogtrainer
Elephants and dogs
Elephants and dogs, train one with tools and itās abuse, the other itās just training š
#forcefree
Get your dog checked for pain
Will carry on talking about this forever. Get your dog thoroughly checked! š„ and donāt forget their gut health too. How a dog feels has a massive impact on how they behave, you canāt train away pain!
#dogbehaviour #vetcheck #forcefree
Three things about foreign rescues
Three things you should know about foreign rescues šā¬ļø
1. They are incredibly smart! This may not manifest in how we usually assess dog intelligence, but ex street dogs are observing and learning EVERYTHING. Itās their survival instinct! They have to learn fast as on the street this could mean life or death. You can be SO creative with foreign rescues dogs, they are teach you as much if not more than what you can teach them!
2. They are very in-tune with people. Many foreign rescues have been on the streets, and to survive on the streets this means cooperating and coexisting with humans. Street dogs are very natural dogs and as dogs have co-evolved with us for thousands of years, they read us very well. Think about it, being able to read us humans, our body language, emotions, tone of voice, scents, is often key to survival for street dogs. Knowing who to approach and who to avoid, they learn this fast, which is why it is crucial to build trustworthy relationships at the dogās pace when we have them in our homes. Foreign rescues are often great judges of character!
3. They are super resilient. Foreign rescues endure some of the most stressful events any dog could go through. From traumatic starts in life, to kill shelters, to being transported to different countries, and being plonked in homes with people they do not know. The fact they go through all that and still desire to build relationships with people is almost unbelievable, and so admirable. Like all dogs, foreign rescues deserve the utmost respect from us and should be appreciated for the brilliant dogs that they are. Just because they are so resilient, does not mean they should be taken advantage of. To use harsh methods on foreign rescues just because their genetics doesnāt fit into a āpicture perfectā life with a dog, is a total injustice!
Is there anything youād like to add about what youāve learned since living with your foreign rescue? Comment below! š
#crazedogtraining #
Reactivity training is boring
Reactivity training should be boring
Would you believe this dog is reactive to strangers? Or would bite? If the answer is no, Iāve succeeded
Donāt get fooled by bullsh*t. One minute clips of dogs losing their sh*t to suddenly walking to heel are not what they are cracked up to be. Itās actually physiologically impossible for the dog to be not stressed and to be āfixedā, as adrenaline and cortisol takes much longer than that session to dissipate
When a dog loses their sh*t, it is known as going over threshold. When this happens all learning goes out the window, and from here dogs will now be what is known as trigger stacked, meaning they will react quicker to triggers they may not be reactive to normally. It becomes a sh*t show, basically
Pushing a dog into this state before training is setting everyone up for failure. The aim is always to stay at a level where the dog is slightly out of their comfort zone, but is able to cope, and as a result, learn
So yeah, real reactivity training is boring. It doesnāt make great TV, or great TikTokās, but it makes the dog feel f**king great. And makes us feel great. Thatās the goal isnāt it? Also it doesnāt take forever if you know what youāre doing (I wish it was as easy as throwing treats at dogs š)
Remember, reactivity usually comes from a place of fear and those big explosive behaviours are made defensively to gain distance from the thing the dog is afraid of. Forcing them into obedience and slapping slips and prongs around their necks is doing f**k all to change that dogās fear, and those robot-like behaviours you see mean nothing if the dog doesnāt feel any different. Quick fixes are appealing to humans, they arenāt helping our dogs
Work with a professional and learn how to support your dog. I mean a real professional though, not some prick with a prong š„±
_____________________________
Want to work through your dogās reactivity with me? Link in bio ā¬ļø
Murphy first group walk
This happened a couple weeks ago! š Murphy is actually now up for adoption too:
Man, what a beautiful, beautiful moment.
Watching Murphy experience life today was just indescribable. I feel so proud and overcome with emotion.
Iāve been working with Murphy in kennels for a long time now, and Iād put in all the hours, blood, sweat, and tears all over again just to re-live this walk today.
Murphy used to be so reactive that if you walked him past where he saw a dog previously, he would redirect and bite your arms, chest, and even lunge at your face. He built up quite the bite history, and his quality of life was going downhill fast!
Itās taken time to get everything right; diagnosing his pain and getting effective pain relief, the right behaviour medication so that he could cope in kennels, the enrichment, the training, the early as f**k walks in the dark with head torches with walkie talkies to scout out triggers, the behaviour modification, the kennel setup. A lot of time. We wouldnāt give up on him though.
I hope everyone with a reactive dog can experience what I experienced today. Itās out there for you, it may not be tomorrow, or next month, or in the next year, but your version of Murphyās result is coming.
Over the f**king moon, my heart is very full
#forcefreereactivity #forcefree #positivereinforcement
Adopt Bobbi! š©·
Please consider adopting Bobbi š©· SHARE!
Bobbi arrived in kennels December 2021 when she was 18 months old, sheās now almost 4 years old
She has had ZERO visits, not even a home check š
Sheās come so far from the dog who was reactive to almost everything
She still has her challenges, I know her inside and out and exactly how to help you with these challenges. Anyone who adopts her will have access to me for the entirety of your life with her
I regularly take her home and sheās an absolute pleasure to share a home with. Iād adopt her in a heartbeat if I had the environment she needs
Please please please if you think you could give this awesome girl a home, drop me a DM or head to @love_underdogs website to fill out an enquiry form
ā¢ adult only
ā¢ no other dogs at home (can make dog friends outside)
ā¢ reactivity/street dog experience preferred
ā¢ garden
ā¢ no city centres or flats
ā¢ a keen interest in force free training
#crazedogtraining #adoptme #bobbieunderdog #loveunderdogs #rommierescue #romanianrescuedog #rescuedog
Engagement
Need more engagement? Try this ā¬ļø
*any behaviour you want outside, make sure you have reliably taught it at home in less distracting areas. Donāt ask for recall out in the woods if you donāt have it down in the garden!
Use your dogs natural interests and flow to your advantage, work with it rather than against it, get the results ā
If you notice your dog is focused on something, itās a training opportunity:
1) position yourself in the direction of the thing of interest, face your dog
2) drop HIGH value treats on the floor (donāt be stingy, high pay for a high value job)
3) still facing your dog, move in the direction of the thing of interest
4) when your dog looks up or moves towards you, mark it and drop treats on the floor
5) repeat for a few reps, then on your final rep, mark it and release your dog to go to the thing of interest, this will be the ultimate reinforcement
Troubleshooting: if your dog cannot focus at all this means the environment is too challenging for them right now, maybe they still need to meet their needs before they can train. In this case let them do their thing exploring the area, then head back the way you came to the environment is less interesting, and give this a go.
Save and share with someone who needs this for their dog!
#crazedogtraining #forcefree #certifieddogtrainer #engagement #looseleadwalking #recall #rommie #rommierescue #highdrive
Egbert progress š A couple days a week I still work with my @love_underdogs dogs- Egbert was a fun journey introducing him to @allcarrotnostickdogtraining as we donāt have any history on Egbert. All we knew was that once he settled into LU he started to show reactivity to men, so Jon stepped in to help as a male total stranger so we could come up with a plan to address the reactivity, with the end goal of Egbert forming a relationship with Jon Aaaaaaand success! š„³ learned a lot about Egbertās needs and how best to go about introducing him to his forever family in the future š Now Jon can enjoy this big goofball #crazedogtraining #loveunderdogs #canecorso #reactivitytraining #forcefree #forcefreereactivity #rescuedog