Nose work is a hugely popular, but it’s difficult to quickly explain what it’s all about so we made two movies to let Edna and Pi show you.
One of the most frequent inquiries I get is to explain what our nose work classes are all about.
Telling folks that it’s about building the drive to search for scent, creating targets that are smaller and smaller, or telling them that it’s about teaching the dog enough self-confidence to be able to work on their own with no direction from their owner typically doesn’t give them the answer that they’re looking for.
Falling back on the idea that a picture – or movie! – is worth a thousand words on my part, let’s have Edna and Pi show you what it’s all about.
A little bit of background: both Edna and Pi are in the Three Dogs Training Nose Work III class, and in these videos are looking for an anise-scented target that’s been concealed in a small plastic egg with a couple small holes drilled in it.
Our puppy pre-school is a fantastic class, but it’s so much easier to show a video of what it’s all about rather than describe it in words.
Whenever I get a call from an owner with a new puppy in their house the conversation nearly always turns to me describing what the Three Dogs Training Puppy Pre-School is like.
I’ll step them through the incredible importance of early, positive socialization to puppies, how structured play and regular breaks in that play helps to form and cement a bond a trust between you and the new puppy, and walk them through the skills I teach in the class, but invariably that talk gets interrupted by the barking, crazy puppy on the other end of the line.
As I’ve said before, a picture – or movie! – is worth a thousand words on my part, so without further ado here’s the Three Dogs Training Puppy Pre-School as demonstrated by Bowie, Tucker, and our very own Pinball:
While Halloween is great fun for us, it is often very stressful for a lot of dogs. Here are some helpful tips and products.
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays of the year becasue it involves everything a holiday should – fun, silly, and chocolate.
Halloween also happens to be the day we adopted Boo –click here for that story.
The air is crisp and kids are running around super energized and dressed strangely. There are knocks on your door constantly and there’s food being handed out from bowls that are probably at dog height.
Where to put the candy?
The bowl of candy (we know is mostly chocolate) should be up and away from the dog. Your dog should not be able to reach it by jumping or putting his paws up, or knocking it over.
Halloween activities are all great fun for us, but can you think of a combination of things that could put a dog more on-edge? (Unless, of course, you added firecrackers into the mix?)
One of the reason we like holidays so much is that they are a departure from the norm of everyday life. We do different things. We adopt different schedules. For a large number of dogs an unexpected change in routine is like fingernails on a blackboard and can set off a spiral of stress-related, unhealthy behaviors. Watch your dog for signs of stress so you can give them a break from the merry making.
Your dog doesn’t need to be right by the door. Have your dog in another room as far from the door as possible. Give your dog a stuffed kong, filled Pupsicle, or other puzzle toys so he/she is happily occupied. A stuffed bone, or goat or lamb horn would be good too.
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I have written a number of blog posts on anxiety aids and are a few of my favorite OTC anti-anxiety supports.
If none of the anxiety aids or toys help and it seems like your dog is having a canine panic attack, you will want to consult your veterinarian and or a veterinarian behaviorist who can prescribe medication to help your dog (or cat, too) through these stressful holidays.
