Happy Dogs Walks and Training

Do you know the three D’s of Dog Training? They can be applied in most behaviour modification plans too, and every dog owner should know them!

1) Distance 2) Distraction 3) Duration

All three need to be built individually, and incrementally! Trying to skip too many steps at once is very often where owners fall down. E.g. with recall, going straight from a quiet home to a busy dog park and wondering why Fido won’t come when you call! Before trying at the dog park, Fido must be able to show 100% recall success in gradually increasing distractions (build distance in a similar way):

-In the backyard with a stranger working a squeaky toy, throwing a ball or being a general lunatic

-in an empty, quiet but familiar public space

-in a familiar public space with a few far away distractions

-in a new environment

-in a new environment with on leash dogs and people nearby!

I hope this helps!🐾

Good girl Poppy 🥰 Rescue dogs can be hard, especially when anxiety driven behaviours get involved. While most fur parents understand it typically takes three months or more for dogs to become fully settled and acclimatised in a new home and family, even for top-tier adopters it’s a tricky and nuanced thing to judge when and how to transition from a decompression and adjustment focus, to that of training and behaviour modification - especially around fear related behaviours. The line between jumping the gun and complacency can be fine, and erring too far on either side can lead to hindered progress and unnecessary issues.

It was an absolute pleasure working with Poppy and her dedicated owner. They
made incredible headway, and I look forward to seeing their progress continue!