Jill O'Sullivan - Busy Bee Dog Training & Behaviour

Important

When people hear I'm a dog trainer, they often remark "oh your dogs must be so well trained."

In lots of ways this is true. I've had 3 of my dogs a long time, and in all the ways that are important to us and our life, they are very well trained. They even know quite a lot of fancy things.

However, Max has only been here a few months. Most of which has been pretty great. However, some pretty big training issues and a behaviour issue has just started to rear it's head.

This is not unexpected from a dog who's spent long parts of his life in a shelter, has had lots of big changes to contend with and is just starting to bond with his humans.

It's normal for rescue dogs to have up and downs when settling in. It's not cause for panic.

Instead, I'll be upping Max's management to prevent behaviours that are unsafe and I don't want practised.

I'll be speaking to a couple of colleagues to make sure I'm not too emotionally invested to do the right things.

I'll be treating Max with compassion (as best as I can) and I'll be forgiving myself a moving on when I'm imperfect.

Training will be about boosting his feels of trust and safety, not eroding them.

Lastly, I'll also be considering whether health, pain and diet are contributing to Max's change in behaviour. It's highly likely they are, so a vet visit is on the cards.

We recently attended a lovely dog friendly outdoor music event. We took along 2 of our dogs.

They loved mooching around the stalls then lying on the grass enjoying the sunshine.

While there were other dogs behaving the same as Otto and Louie, there were also dogs dragging their owners around, barking and lunging, snapping at other dogs, unable to settle or stay still.

The reality is, Otto and Louie's ability to relax in that environment came down to 3 things.

🔹️ Their personalities. Both dogs are not particularly stressed by other dogs, people and more importantly the behaviour of other dogs and people.

We did not take the 3 dogs who find busy, unpredictable places (and unpredictable dogs and people) difficult.

🔹️ Careful exposure, confidence building and allowing and encouraging self regulation.

Louie can be anxious around sounds. When a band started up he was momentarily worried (we were immediately prepared to leave) but he's been learning how to regulate himself and took a moment then returned to confident and happily walked past the band.

🔹️ We will immediately take our dogs out of situations that are overwhelming.

There was a role call for all the dogs to gather for a group photo. As I approached the line up, both dogs suddenly became very interested in sniffing the ground. Neither responded to their recall cue. This isn't a coincidence. The line up was filled with over excited dogs (including the dog we all saw snap at another).

I just let the dogs sniff and mosey back to our picnic blanket. My dogs told me their feelings about group photos and I listened.

This is why our two dogs had a relaxed afternoon.

5 ways I taught my high energy dogs to walk without pulling

✅️ 1. In the early stages, encourage and reward calm sniffing

Most dogs who pull are over stimulated. Encouraging calming behaviours reduces that over stimulation and makes it easier to get calm walk, which usually result in a loose lead becoming easier.

✅️ 2. Use a long lead

Allowing your dog the options to move at a more natural to them speed naturally makes walking near you easier.

✅️ 3. Walk back and forwards over the same area

It can get very overwhelming for some dogs to be constantly meeting new smells AND being asked to concentrate on your training. Try repeating the same area over and over until your dog can be calm.

✅️ 4.Be specific about what behaviours I reinforce, rather than focus on a loose lead

Loose lead is not a behaviour but moving at walking pace is. Choose behaviours to reinforce like;

🔹️Relaxed head position
🔹️ Straight neck
🔹️Walking pace

These are behaviours that can be influenced by reinforcement

✅️ 5. Recognise when my dog is anxious, frustrated, stressed and work on reducing that.

If your dog is anxious, or stressed, helping them feel confident or calmer should be your first priority over training. Sorting that out will sometimes even mean your dog won't need lead training at all.

I love watching my dogs interact and play. The first black dog is Max, who's lived here for 2 months. Velma mostly acts like he's invisible. This appeared to be her first deliberate interaction with him. Velma is most likely to use this flirty style of play. Here it looks very relaxed and confident. Often she can use a style like this when stressed and fawning around unfamiliar dogs.

The 2nd black dog is Otto, who's lived her for 6 years. Velma and him are regular play buddies. The play varies in intensity but has a similar pattern of Velma jumping and biting at his neck. She occasionally does this with her brother she's known her whole life. This is definitely her feeling her most confident and safe.

Does your dog have different play styles?