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Took this guy out for some solid exposure training today. He may be almost 5 (wtf!?), but training is a forever thing. It doesn’t stop once they grow out of that puppy stage. We went to to grab some food. Then we headed into town for a walk in a busy environment and to practice some downstays. Then headed to the river for a quick walk. This guy was awesome 🥰❤️

Did some leash work with this pretty girl today 😍😍. Pippa is a lab cross and she’s so cool!

Long read, but a good one!

”One of the First questions I ask clients who come to me for advice on behavior or training for obedience is, “Why did you Choose this breed?”
So many times the answer is, “Because they are really cool dogs!”
This, of course, is not a valid reason for choosing one breed over another.
When you see a dog doing what he was bred to do, harkening back to his ancestors whispering into their ears, telling them exactly how they should perform the task....well, it can make you weep.
EVERY dog needs a job, a purpose to validate them. A job that makes them stand proud and causes his tail to wag and his heart to smile.
Dogs were bred to work alongside humans, and they consider that a high calling.....along with educating us.....
And if one does not have sheep for a Collie or rabbits for a Beagle, or rats for a Terrier, there are still other functions for them to perform within their households. Our job is to find that activity, introduce it to the dog, and enjoy the companionship.

There's a woman that jogs with her GSD every day by the Indiana K9 Learning Center. She puts a prong collar on her huge working dog and off they go. We had a nice visit over the fence the other day. I complimented her on her dog's manners. I stood about six feet from her when we initially met and he was relaxed and unconcerned. (And no, I didn't ask if I could pet him). That's when I find out what a mean owner she is.

Her large GSD carries a doggy style backpack with water in it and she's been told that's mean.

She stopped at a yard sale, bought some books, put them in the backpack and she was told that's mean.

She's been chastised for running her dog with her because running a dog is mean.

I'm not sure why someone would feel that a 100 pound working breed isn't capable of carrying 10 pounds of books but someone did. I'd say that person has never looked up what a GSD was bred for. It's bred for work!

I know a Canadian that has huge herds of sheep free ranging on hundreds of acres. He has two border collies that he sends out as a team to round them up and bring them in to be counted. They'd go out before the sun was up and by mid afternoon they'd have them gathered in a large pen for him. He'd do a head count, open the gate and off they'd go. Imagine the intelligence and duration those dogs have to do that seven days a week! Now take those dogs and put them in an apartment. Yowza!

How about the frustrated woman who brought her German Short Haired Pointer in for classes...AKC's website said the breed is "easy to train" so she got one. She's a white collar wife with a young son who lives in a suburban neighborhood. That breed may be easy to train for a hunter or someone that is experienced with independent, strong willed breeds but she was really struggling with him. His energy level, strong personality and tenacity is a requirement for the job he was bred to do but a typical owner will really struggle with this breed.

Can we all agree on something right here, right now? Every dog that is in a home, in a shelter, in the show ring, or anywhere else comes from someone that was breeding dogs for a purpose. It may be way back in the dog's pedigree but it's there. Hunting, fighting, chasing, pulling, retrieving, protecting, patrolling, killing...your dog laying at your feet right now has ancestors that did at least one of those tasks very, very well. Those instincts don't disappear when they walk through your front door and become your family pet.

There's a reason terriers are tough! Because you have to be a tenacious little s**t to go down a hole after a rodent bigger than you knowing you're likely to get bitten.

There's a reason you can't get your beagle's nose off the ground during agility classes. Watch a youtube video of beagles in the field!

There's a reason your whippet wants to chase every squirrel in the yard. Watch a youtube video of sighthounds lure coursing!

There's a reason that cattle dogs go in low and nip anything moving. Watch a youtube video of them working cattle!

Here's the kicker...a cattle dog that goes in low and nips is probably the result of someone's responsible breeding. Same with the beagle, the whippet and the border collie. Those are desirable behaviors in each breed.

Understanding the propensity of certain behaviors in breeds and mixes will help owners understand where the behavior is coming from. It doesn't mean the dog gets a free pass for the behavior, but someone looking for an agility dog may not want to go with a bloodhound "because I just love their ears" or a herding breed "because I want a dog to lay around all weekend with."

All of us in the dog industry, including shelters and rescues, have a responsibility to the dogs we're in charge of and the people that want to add them to their family. We're responsible to educate the uneducated.”

- Michelle Steigmeyer, Indiana K9 Learning Center

Book reference: Encyclopedia of Dog Breeds by Caroline Coile, PHD.

👌🏻🙌🏻

If you’ve got “that” dog; the one who recalls every time, walks without a care, and who is an all around polite lady or gentleman...rejoice.

If you don’t need the structure, the rules, the tools, and the leadership I constantly write and talk about...rejoice.

But remember, a singular experience — yours — doesn’t equate to a universal one.

There are many out there who don’t have “that” dog. Many who are struggling, terribly. Whether it’s with the anxiety/stress/fear of getting through another walk/vet visit/guest arrival/dog fight — or it’s the hope of even keeping their dog in the home, or alive — there are many not so lucky.

So if you find yourself looking down your nose at those with all the gear, and all the rules, and all the other “unnecessary” stuff, be sure to pause. When you have it good, judgement comes easy.

But it’s those with limited empathy and imagination...and inflated ego and accomplishment, who do so.

I’ve had “both” dogs. I’ve had a dog killer, and I’ve had a dream dog. I needed different rules, different structure, different management, and yes, different tools for each.

Having been on both sides, I don’t confuse luck with skill and accomplishment, or failure and shame.

Both of these dogs came to me like that.

Remember that next time you judge another for using the tools, rules, and leadership you find so unnecessary.

Perhaps next time you won’t be so lucky.

If you’ve been here a while, you’ll know that Kyro has a wee issue with barking at other dogs while out walking. Lockdown gave us the perfect opportunity to work on this with so many people out walking their dogs and having to keep their distance. He’s soooooo much better now and hardly barks at all 🙌🏻. We went for a walk today and a little off lead dog came chasing after us barking. Then it’s sibling followed suit. Kyro looked back to see what all the noise was about but very quickly whipped back around to look up at me 😍😍. This new reaction to seeing dogs has taken a lot of reinforcement and good timing.

I’m so proud of him and had to share this awesome little moment we had today 🥰. This photo was taken just before it happened ❤️

Genetics in breeds are very much a thing!

If your Labrador likes running around with random things in his mouth, he's a good dog. If your Jack Russell loves to chase small animals she's a good girl. If your cattledog likes nipping the heels of any fast moving creature that’s a fine example of its class. If your husky pulls like a draft horse while connected to a harness, SENSATIONAL!!
If your German shepherd guards your property with great vigilance, give that dog a bone 🦴 .... or do you have a Beagle that ignores you when it catches a whiff of something novel on the ground? Well that's just lovely!

Before dogs became family pets, they were selectively bred for a plethora of different jobs and purposes; Retrieve ducks, round up livestock, bail up lions, guard properties and pull sleds.

The behaviours mentioned above shouldn’t just be written off as ‘behavioural’ issues, they should be celebrated as genetic gifts.
Instead of trying to suppress your dogs natural desires or instincts, consider embracing these traits and harnessing them into positive outlets.

It’s the reason we acquired a Belgian Malinois for bite work, Springer Spaniels for scent work and an Aussie Shepherd for trick work.

Find an appropriate hobby that gives your dog a positive genetic outlet and makes them feel GOOD about themselves as well as addressing that ‘problem’ behaviour.
📸 -

Recall training with Kyro dog today!

I have been so slack with this lately and it has shown 😅. Today we chucked our WildDog longline on (the best longline I have ever used fyi, super lightweight and easy to clean), chucked a pouch full of possyum dogroll on and headed to the park. This wee guy did awesome and had so much fun.

Just a reminder to get out and train your dog, they love it 😍. And it makes life so much easier if done consistently!

Love this 🙌🏻

But please always ask before patting other people’s dogs!! You never know if a dog is afraid of strangers etc. don’t just wander up and pat dogs. Ever. My dog isn’t that keen on strangers so I know exactly what it’s like to not want people touching your dog.

Coronavirus: OK to pat other people's dogs again under Covid-19 level 2 We can pat other people's dogs again but wash your hands after, Bloomfield says.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8FOH4rnCoA

Super cool video from BalancedK9 on how to teach a reliable recall. Check these guys out :)

Free - How to - Recall training - Dandies first walk to the park All products hand made by my wife. https://wilddog.co.nz Get yourself a Long-line 👌🏿 https://wilddog.co.nz/collections/long-lines Flat buckle that'll last yo...

Keep your walks with your dog interesting.

Today, we headed into town for a bit of structure around more distractions. Kyro did super well considering the construction that was going on!

On our way home we stopped at the park, chucked the longline on him and threw the ball around while people and dogs walked past. He did really well with that too!

Sometimes we just walk around the block which is completely fine. We just don’t do the same loop every day otherwise it becomes boring.

I like to change it up to keep my dog interested and engaged. Today’s adventure means that tomorrow will probably just be a 10 minute walk around the block - if we do anything at all.

I like to mix it up. A 10 minute walk, a 5k walk, a bush walk, a short walk to the park to throw the ball around, a walk in town etc. Have a think about different walks you can take your dog on!

How cute is Kyro 😍

My dog tattoo 😍. These wee dog ears are my 4th tattoo and one of my favourites. I wanted something to represent my love of dogs and came across a design very similar to this. I just changed the ears to look more like collie ears as border collies are my breed. My nephew pointed at it yesterday and asked why I had a dog head on my ankle 😂. Thought I’d share it here 😊.

Littermate syndrome.

Buying or adopting littermates is something that myself and a whole lot of other trainers advice against doing.

Raising littermates together beyond that 8-9 week mark can cause lots of issues and is a lot harder than having one dog or dogs a year or so apart. To put it simply, when you bring littermates home they tend to bond very closely to each other which makes it hard for you to bond with each dog.

If you’ve already brought littermates home, then make sure you do things with them individually. Put them in separate crates, take them on separate walks, put them in separate puppy classes etc. Doing things with them individually can make such a big difference. The last thing you want is for them to become really dependent on each other and unable to function while the other dog isn’t around.

Bonus pic of Kyro and one of his littermates that was taken a few years ago when we got them together for a play. They were about 6 months old I think. Fun fact, his brother (Sid) is almost double Ky’s size 😂.

Quite a good little article! I believe that the word 'socialisation' when it comes to dogs and dog training can be quite confusing and therefore the word 'exposure' is a better fit. The below quote from the article is a good example of that. Exposing a fearful puppy to a stranger from a distance and nice and slowly will work better than just forcing them into a strangers arms.

“the socialization process itself is often misunderstood. Forcing a worried puppy into a stranger’s arms can backfire and teach him that strangers are to be feared, regardless of whether he is still within the sensitive period.”

Puppy or Rescue Dog Socialization During COVID-19 You can still help your new puppy or dog to navigate the world during COVID-19.

Autumn neighborhood walks. I looooove autumn 😍😍

Neighborhood walks with this guy. Appreciating sunny Nelson more than ever at the moment ❤️

Hey team! Sorry for the lack of content. Just adjusting to the new “normal” for a bit. I’m going to try and video a bit of Kyro and I doing some work tomorrow though. For now, here’s something that makes me laugh so I’m hoping it’ll make you laugh too 😂😂.

Not just puppies, good idea for all dogs 😊