Pets

If my dog is not suited for agility training, what are some other dog sports or activities that they might enjoy?

Discover the Thrilling World of Scent Work and Other Dog Sports!

So if your dog's not suited for agility training, what are the other sports that you can do or activities? So many things, so many things. My favourite one is scent work. I love scent work. And my dogs love scent work and I love teaching scent work and scent work is super fun. And it's low impact so any dog can do it. Any age of dog can start it with no risks. And it's something that you and your dog can do that's very personal. So you and your dog have to learn how to communicate, you have to set your dog up for success. And it's a very nice, quiet sport to get involved in. And you can achieve so much through scent work as well. And the sky is the limit with scent work. So instead of grades, you can do all sorts of different kinds of scent work. You can do scent work for fun, you can do scent work for particular items, you could do scent work for helping people with scent discrimination. So there's medical dogs, the medical detection dogs, they work with malaria, they work with COVID, that kind of thing. You can work with scent dogs who do gun oil or clover oil searches. So we're getting more deeper into the different kind of scents that you can work with. You can do competitions and you can do competitions in person or online. So you just submit your video if it's online. There are so many things that you can do with scent work. And scent work is so much fun. I can't even describe how much fun it is. But it is very personal for you and your dog. And you build a different kind of communication system. Other sports you can look at are canny cross and bike jorying, dry land sledding, if you're in the UK because we don't typically have snow, karting, rally. There's so many different things that you can do with your dog. Hoopers and it's finding the sport for you and your dog that you're both going to enjoy, that's not going to affect them negatively and that you're both going to walk away happy.

There are many activities and sports you can do with your dog that don't involve agility training, such as scent work, canny cross, bike joring, dry land sledding, karting, rally, and hoopers. It’s important to find an activity or sport that is suited for both you and your dog and that will not have a negative effect on the dog.

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If your dog isn't suited for agility training, there are plenty of other sports and activities they can enjoy. One option is scent work, which is my personal favorite. Scent work is low impact and suitable for dogs of any age. It's a fun and personal sport that requires communication between you and your dog, setting them up for success. Scent work offers endless possibilities, including searching for specific items or assisting with scent discrimination for medical purposes like detecting malaria or COVID. You can even participate in competitions, either in person or online by submitting videos. Scent work is incredibly enjoyable and helps build a unique communication system with your dog.

Other sports and activities to consider are canny cross, bike joring, dry land sledding (ideal for areas without snow), karting, rally, hoopers, and more. The key is to find a sport that both you and your dog will enjoy without any negative impact on them. Explore different options until you find the perfect match that leaves both of you happy and fulfilled.

What methods do you use to train a service dog?

Unveiling the Intricate Training Process of Service Dogs

Hi I'm Tasha I'm a dog trainer and behaviourist based in Lincolnshire in the UK and I've been asked what methods do you use to train a service dog. So it's a very complicated process from start. So first of all some people select a puppy and they choose to have that puppy to raise and then they say that they're gonna train this puppy to be their service dog. For other people like myself we let our dogs be dogs first we let them grow up and essentially have their childhood stroke puppyhood and we just do basic training with them during their puppy times we let them be puppies we let them explore the world we let them get used to different environments naturally and we don't kind of force them into any interactions or go into places or new environments. This way we can see what kind of temperament that they have and the suitability that it may have as a service dog prospect. So we may begin looking at training our dogs at about two years old onwards and then by three they should be able to take their service dog tests whether this be for public access or mitigating tasks. So mitigating tasks is very important this is where the service dog plays a big role in our lives this can be retrieving medication for us it can be like giving us therapy so deep pressure therapy is where the dog will lie on us if we're having a fit or a medical episode dogs can alert us if we're about to have a medical episode they can help us address and undress do the washing they can help us with all aspects of their lives because of how clever they are and public access is entirely different again so public access has been able to make sure that our dogs are workable in the public environment and they're not going to get into any trouble whilst they're working in public. I hope this answers your question.

My methods of training a service dog involve first allowing them to be puppies and exploring the world, then starting more structured training after two years old. This includes teaching them mitigating tasks such as retrieving medication or providing deep pressure therapy, as well as public access training which teaches them how to behave in public.

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To train a service dog, there are different approaches depending on individual circumstances. Some people select a puppy and raise it specifically to be their service dog. Others, like myself, allow our dogs to have a normal puppyhood and basic training, observing their temperament and suitability as service dog prospects. Training typically begins around two years old and by three, the dog should be ready for service dog tests, including public access and mitigating tasks.

Mitigating tasks are crucial as they involve the service dog's role in our lives. They can retrieve medication, provide deep pressure therapy during medical episodes, alert us to potential episodes, assist with dressing and undressing, help with daily tasks such as washing, and more.

Public access training is different and focuses on ensuring that the dogs can behave appropriately in public environments without causing any disruptions or issues while they work.

I hope this provides an understanding of the training process for service dogs.

How do you support positive reinforcement while also providing boundaries and structure?

Balancing Positive Reinforcement with Boundaries: Expert Dog Trainer Explains

Hi, I'm Tasha. I'm a dog trainer and behaviorist in the UK, well based in Lincolnshire in the UK. And I've been asked how do you support positive reinforcement whilst also providing boundaries and structure? So a big argument in our industry is that positive reinforcement does not mean permissive. So of course we need boundaries because we need to be able to keep the dogs safe to begin with and we need to make sure that you know they're not going to get into any trouble. This could range from grabbing medications off the worktop to getting into an altercation on a walk. So what we do, well I do holistically, we work with the emotional bond and connection with the dog and through positive reinforcement training we can then set boundaries and structures. So we reward the behaviors that we want from the dogs and then we will redirect, not punish, a behavior that we don't want. So if a dog is worktop surfing for example and there's a risk that somebody in the family leaves medication on the worktop, what we're going to do is that each time the dog looks towards the worktop then we're going to call them and then reinforce them to come in to us. We can also provide enrichment if the person can't monitor the worktop, you know if they're working or they've had to go out for example or they're just busy we can utilize the doggy enrichment land. So doggy enrichment land is an x-pen and it's a large safe space where you'd have your dog with lots of enrichment and then you make sure that the dog is occupied and then when you can train you can then train the protocols for the worktop for an example. If you'd like to see more about enrichment you can go to my youtube channel which is Miyagi's Dog Training Lincolnshire and then just type enrichment into the search bar alongside Miyagi's Dog Training. I hope this helps. Bye!

Positive reinforcement does not mean permissive. When working with dogs one should focus on the emotional bond and connection using positive reinforcement training to set boundaries and structure. To support these boundaries, one should redirect behaviors that are not wanted and provide enrichment when needed.

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Hi, I'm Tasha, a dog trainer and behaviorist based in Lincolnshire, UK. The question is how to support positive reinforcement while also providing boundaries and structure. In our industry, there's a debate that positive reinforcement doesn't mean being permissive. Boundaries are important for keeping dogs safe and preventing trouble like grabbing medications or getting into altercations on walks. My approach is holistic, focusing on the emotional bond and connection with the dog. Through positive reinforcement training, we can establish boundaries and structure. We reward desired behaviors and redirect unwanted behaviors instead of punishing them. For example, if a dog is trying to surf the worktop where medications may be present, we would call them whenever they look towards it and reinforce them for coming to us. Enrichment can also be used if someone can't monitor the worktop at all times. Doggy enrichment land, which is an x-pen with various enrichment activities, provides a safe space to keep the dog occupied. During training sessions, specific protocols can be taught regarding the worktop behavior. If you'd like more information on enrichment, you can visit my YouTube channel, Miyagi's Dog Training Lincolnshire, and search for enrichment. I hope this explanation helps! Bye!

Can you explain more about what you mean by "holistic doctrine" and how it differs from traditional dog training methods?

Unveiling the Shift to Holistic Dog Training: A Paradigm Change from Traditional Methods

Okay, so anyone who speaks to me or listens to my videos or reads my blogs or has any interaction with me will know that typically I don't say dog owner, I say dog guardian and they will also know that I don't say dog training, it's education. So I educate people to help their dogs, that's my job. So when we're holistic we adopt a different kind of methodology and we speak differently. This is because when we speak differently we're changing the attitude about how we see the dog and when we do that we can then begin to live and breathe being holistic. So we're very much more mindful not just in the way that we are with our methods but with how we speak as well because language is very important. So I didn't feel that force free was a good category for me to be in anymore, I felt I was further along than this. I had many arguments with colleagues, I didn't feel certain methodologies or tools were completely force free and I started to feel like I no longer belonged in the force free community. So I've spoken to another colleague, then they kind of said that you're far too into the future and I fell into the holistic world instead and this is where I seem to be thriving. Everything suits me ethically and morally and I'm able to help dogs, I'm able to share my thoughts and opinions and when I share things that I don't totally agree with in the force free community people are more accepting of it because now I have a different label of being holistic instead of being traditional. So traditional is a word that can mean traditional dog training in the sense of force free or aversive based training. So words are very difficult in the dog training world because it can be very different what it means to a professional and what it means to a guardian but it is up to us to clarify this not for the guardian to work out.

I found that force free was no longer a good label for me and moved into the holistic world which fits with my ethical and moral standards. I am able to help dogs and share my thoughts and opinions more freely in this space as people are more accepting of different viewpoints. Language is important, so it is up to professionals to clarify any terms they use rather than expecting guardians to work out what they mean.

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When I talk about a holistic doctrine in dog training, I mean adopting a different mindset and approach compared to traditional methods. Instead of referring to dog owners, I prefer to use the term dog guardians because it emphasizes a responsibility and care for the well-being of the dog. Similarly, I prefer to use the term education rather than training because my goal is to educate and assist people in helping their dogs.

Being holistic goes beyond just the methods used; it extends to how we speak and think about dogs. By changing our attitude and language, we can create a more mindful and holistic approach. Personally, I felt that force-free was not reflective of my beliefs anymore. I had disagreements with colleagues regarding certain methodologies and tools that didn't align with my understanding of force-free practices. As a result, I found myself gravitating towards the holistic world, where I feel more in tune with my ethical and moral standpoint.

Being holistic allows me to share my thoughts and opinions more openly, even when they may not align completely with force-free ideology. People in the holistic community tend to be more accepting of different perspectives. The term traditional can refer to both force-free or aversive-based training methods, so it can be confusing. In the world of dog training, words can have different meanings for professionals and guardians alike. It's our responsibility as trainers to provide clarity and understanding for dog guardians.

What do you consider the most important components of holistic dog training?

Discover the Key Components of Holistic Dog Training

Hello, I'm Tasha. I'm a dog training behaviorist in Lincolnshire in the UK. And I've been asked, what do you consider the most important components of holistic dog training? So within holistic dog training, the most important components are that we see every puppy and dog as an individual. And we work on emotional connection seeking, strong bonds and recognizing that every part of the puppy or the dog's life is individual. So this means that socialization will be individual to them, their nutrition needs, their health and well-being, their psychology, their physiology. And we also expand further into that. So we don't tend to work alone, we tend to work as a team. So this can be with other dog trainers and behaviorists, it can be with hydrotherapists, it can be with homeopaths, canine chiropractors. So we pull together as a multidisciplinary team to meet all the needs of the puppy or the dog as an individual. And then we feed back to each other what our particular area of expertise has found. And then when we can produce a document that says, OK, so we specifically found this, then we can then begin to make a behavior modification plan with holistic training. So with holistic training, we might then speak to the guardian about how they can modify their home, which we call the environment. And then we modify their training plans and how they train their puppy or dog, how they interact with their puppy or dog. Their nutritional needs. So we pull everything together from every component and we put it all together, which then meets the needs of this individual puppy, rather than just addressing the need of a behavior that a guardian doesn't like, such as barking, for example. I hope that helps. Thank you.

Holistic dog training is individualized and focuses on the emotional connection between the puppy and guardian. This type of training involves a multidisciplinary team working together to meet the needs of the individual puppy or dog, such as socialization, nutrition, health and well-being, psychology, physiology and environment. The ultimate goal is to provide a behavior modification plan that meets the needs of the individual puppy or dog.

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The most important components of holistic dog training involve seeing each puppy or dog as an individual and working on emotional connection, strong bonds, and recognizing that every aspect of their life is unique. This includes tailoring socialization, nutrition, health, well-being, psychology, and physiology to suit the specific needs of the dog. Holistic training also emphasizes collaboration and teamwork with other professionals such as dog trainers, behaviorists, hydrotherapists, homeopaths, and canine chiropractors. By pooling expertise and sharing findings, a comprehensive behavior modification plan can be developed. This plan considers modifications to the environment (home), training methods, interactions with the dog, and nutritional needs to address the individual needs of the puppy or dog. The focus is on meeting all the requirements of the individual dog rather than just addressing unwanted behaviors.

What tips can you offer for owners of reactive dogs?

Expert advice for handling reactive dogs effectively.

Hi I'm Tasha I'm a dog trainer and behaviourist based in Lincolnshire in the UK. I've been asked what tips can you offer for owners of reactive dogs. So reactivity is a large spectrum so we can have dogs that are fearful, we can have dogs that are aggressive and we can have dogs who are frustrated because they're frustrated greeters. So it's really important first to identify the individual's needs and how they are reactive because reactivity is such a large spectrum of behaviours. So first of all once we've identified the trigger, so the triggers could be dogs, it could be other people, it could be children, then we can begin to work on it. So we begin with working with distance and we find a threshold for the individual dog. We don't want the dog to go over threshold so we begin at like 100 yards and if there's no reaction from the dog, they're sniffing and they're loose-lead body language and they're wiggling then we know that they're quite happy and if they're checking in. As we begin to get closer if we start to see any tenseness in the body language, we start to see straining on the leash, we start to see growling, you know that means that we're going a little bit too close to being over threshold so we retreat backwards and we get the dog to a place where they are happy, where they're able to sniff and they're not showing displacement behaviours or reacting because we want to be able to help our dog through communication that they can react with us rather than feel that they have to react to the situation themselves. Engage and disengage is a really great game that you can play. So you'd ask your dog to look at you, you can do this by saying look or by saying their name and then you'd click and then you give them treats that are high value because obviously you're in an outdoor environment and you keep doing this and then if you get to the point where you go further and you need to retreat, then retreat.

Reactivity is a large spectrum of behavior so it's important to identify the triggers that are causing it. Work on the reactivity by beginning with distance, and make sure your dog doesn't go over threshold. Use communication to help your dog through the situation, and play engage and disengage games to help reinforce positive reaction.

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As a dog trainer and behaviorist, I have been asked for tips on managing reactive dogs. Reactivity can manifest in various ways, such as fear, aggression, or frustration. It's important to first identify the specific triggers and understand the individual dog's needs. Once we have pinpointed the triggers, we can start working on them.

One effective approach is to establish a distance threshold for the dog. We want to avoid pushing them over their threshold where they become reactive. Starting at a safe distance of around 100 yards, observe the dog's body language. If they are relaxed, sniffing around, wiggling, and checking in with you, it indicates their comfort. Gradually reduce the distance but be cautious of any signs of tension, leash pulling, growling, or other reactive behaviors. If you notice these signs, retreat to a distance where the dog feels comfortable again.

A helpful game to play is called engage and disengage. Ask your dog to look at you by using a cue like look or their name and promptly click and reward with high-value treats when they do so successfully. This helps redirect their attention and reinforces positive behavior in outdoor environments.

Remember to always retreat if necessary when getting closer triggers an unfavorable reaction from your dog. The goal is to create open lines of communication so that your dog can rely on you instead of feeling compelled to react themselves.

I hope these tips provide some guidance for owners of reactive dogs.

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Dog trainer and behaviourist based in Lincolnshire, UK, working internationally with dog guardians and professionals alike.

Specialising in aggression, fear based behaviours, trauma and much more. Using holistic centred care to support the dog in all components of their health and well being as well as their guardians, creating a unique and secure attachment for the dog for optimal mental and physical health. I also specialise with working with blind and deaf dogs.

I am qualified to Level 6 with the ISCP Advanced canine behaviour with merit, which is equivalent to a post graduate degree. 

Also an approved dog trainer and behaviourist through INTODogs UK which makes me an automatic member of the UK dog training and behaviour charter. 

An approved dog trainer for the Dog Training College, KAD Kids around dogs, Canine Hoopers World instructor and assessor, Dog Parkour UK instructor and assessor, Collaborative Care Partner Dognostics, Canine Enrichment Technician Dognostics, Fun Scentw

Neither AnyQuestion nor its Experts provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment or otherwise provide professional healthcare services.

Tasha Attwood