Imaginative Dog Recall can work!

See it as it is, then see it better than it is.

-Tony Robbins

This quote reminds me that what you are focusing on through your thoughts, feelings,words and actions has a profound effect on what you experience in your life. 

How does this apply to Dog Training?

Imagination is our creative energy and what we imagine in our private world can become real in our physical world. I know this may sound really wacky and far fetched but seeing something as you would like it to be can work and I would like to share how I used this 'tool' to assist a dog in recall.

The very first time we took Bracken on a off lead walk with our kids, he disappeared for 45 minutes. 45 minutes of hell and worry. You can imagine the thoughts that were chasing through my head, each one getting more intense as I imagined going back to Bracken's owner with the news that I had lost their beloved dog in the woods.I was even beginning to feel physically sick; such is the power of our thoughts and emotions on our body.

After about 10 minutes of following the path of worry and fear which was getting me absolutely nowhere, I decided to change tack. Was there something else I could try? YES!!!

I came to a stop in the centre of the path, closed my eyes, and imagined Bracken. I saw him coming out of the woods and running down the path towards me. I imagined giving him a treat and cuddling him, telling him what a clever, wonderful boy he was. I tried the best I could to generate the feeling of delight and relief I would feel as he came back to me. I certainly felt alot better than the fear and worry that I had previously being feeling!

Mike and I decided that we wouldn't stray far from where we last saw Bracken as he would more than likely pick up our scent trail.

Time ticked past and I just kept seeing a happy Bracken running down the track to me. Every fearful thought was given the heave out of my mind and replaced with a hopeful thought.

Around 45 minutes, he came out of the wood exactly as I had seen him in my mind's eye. I didn't tell him off, I praised him so much with hugs and treats! 

On our second walk with Bracken he decided he would try again and left us for around 20 minutes. Once again calling his name and whistling was getting no result, so I went back to what had worked. IMAGINATION!  He returned a happy boy and received lots of praise and cuddles. Throughout the remainder of the walk, he was off lead and behaved really well.

We have had Bracken on walks for the last year and NEVER ONCE has he left us to go exploring for more than a minute.

Your imagination can create miracles, so try it with your dog. I shall share some games I played with Cara just by imaging what I would like her to do!! All good fun.

Testimonial from Bracken's owner

Our beloved Bracken is a joy - is very keen to please and honestly never meant to be tempted when walking in the woods.
The temptations of the woods, the smells, noises and even the deer who would stroll in front of us on our walks were a temptation too great.
Bracken had to follow and despite calling, tempting, encouraging his return Bracken would sometimes disappear for significant periods of time. 
When we took him to Jo at Kingsdale Boarding, I was confident that Bracken would eventually come back to her when he was walking with her and that his behaviour was acceptable and his desire was always to please.

Since Bracken's visits with Jo and the gang at Kingsdale Boarding - the work Jo has done with Bracken has transformed his behaviour on walks.
When on walks whist investigating "out of a sense of duty you understand" the temptations in his path - his recall and prompt return to walking with us is wonderful.

I am so grateful to Jo for her work with Bracken but also I know when he visits at Kingsdale Boarding he probably has an even better time when we are away than we do - I can think of nothing I would want more for Bracken than the care and love he receives at Kingsdale.

 

Lovely Bracken Baby

 

Rapturous Recall Works with Lead Training!

Every Dog is Unique!

In my experience there are many different ways to teach dogs 'Recall'. Why? Because each dog is unique and responds differently to training. Yes, some dogs are just clever, some lazy, some anxious, some fearful and so the list goes on!

The very first time that Pepper came and stayed at Kingsdale we went on a walk with his owner. Although Pepper wasn't superb at Recall, he did come back..eventually by following our dogs back to our side!

Our first attempt without his owner present was worrying to say the least. We had chosen the terrain well; wide open spaces that we could see him and be seen. No traffic and minimal interaction with people and dogs.

This little boy was like a bullet out of a gun;  he had so much fun chasing our dogs that he wouldn't return at all when asked. There were moments when he actually looked like he was smiling as he deliberately ran way from us. Nothing seemed to work and after 30 minutes, I was beginning to admit defeat! I left the scene, leaving Mike and our dogs with Pepper and returned home to phone the owner and ask for 'Help'!! No-one was at home, so I sat in our front room and regained my composure. I kept talking to myself for inspiration. "There must be a way to get through to this little boy" After all, he wasn't being naughty, he was being playful.

As I returned to the scene, Mike and the dogs were about 100 yards from me. Cara, ran at full sprint to welcome me back, closely followed by Pepper who sat with Cara by my side. Yes, we had a result!

The following day, I linked 3 leads together, so there was about 20 foot of lead to work with. Pepper was popped on the lead in the house and then I allowed him to explore the garden, without any other dogs present. Each time I called him back "Pepper, Come", he totally ignored me. I just waited and when he turned to look at me, I praised him big time and when he came towards me, he received cuddles and yummy treats. This training was over a period of 2 days for 10 minute segments throughout the day.  I then introduced the dogs(who were off lead) and just kept to the same procedure. Once he realised that coming back to me was a fun thing to do, he kept coming back for cuddles and treats.

Then we let him off lead again on a walk and when called he would come back to me; sometimes he didn't respond if he was too distracted, but he would come back. My response was always the same; praise and yummy treats, regardless if he came immediately or if he was late.

The idea is to make coming back to you FUN and REWARDING.

 If the dog gets disciplined for coming back because he didn't do as you asked, he may associate coming back to you as an unpleasant experience, leading to lousy recall, an unhappy dog owner and an unhappy dog!

Pepper Pot!

A happy boy showing off his Recall ability!

My next post will be to offer more 'Recall' training tips.
If you have any questions, please post below and I will answer them.

Wishing you a fun time with your Happy Hound

Jo and the Kingsdale Pack.

Dog training is fun!

I have always adored dogs as their ability to enjoy life in each moment kindled my love and enjoyment of life.

Kingsdale Dog Home Boarding was created through my love of dogs; a safe and happy environment for both my dogs and boarding dogs to meet, play and share time with Mike and I.

16 months later, Kingsdale is expanding to include assisting dog owners and their dog(s) to have a rewarding relationship together. My understanding of dogs has vastly improved through being with a variety and large number of dogs and observing their behaviours in many different situations.  

I believe that dogs innately want to love and please their owners, but sometimes the message between dog and owner gets confused and disharmony ensues. No dog is being 'bad', the dog simply hasn't understood that a different behaviour is the best behaviour! Positive reward for a dog in my humble opinion is the only kind, gentle and positive way to show and teach a dog how to behave in their world of 'humans'!

Sometimes training or as I like to think of it, teaching a game, can be very quickly adopted by the dog. Or there is the opposite when the game needs to played for a much longer time. 

The game can be different for each dog even when the outcome is the same which can be even more rewarding for all involved.

I am blessed to share my life with 2 Collies, both working dogs; one a retired male Collie, Benny Bear and the second my gorgeous 'PrimaDonna', a female Collie, Cara Doll!

Cara has taught me how to play the game of dog training. Mike and I tried everything and anything in our attempt to socialise Cara with people. She was born on a working Collie farm and was then bought and worked in another working farm. She failed and as I like to think, she really didn't want to earn her living that way!

She hardly met any people, other than on the farm, so when she came to live at Kingsdale, absolutely everything and anyone caused her to panic and go into anxiety attacks.

2 years down the line and Cara has come a long way teaching Mike and I what works in training and what doesn't! She is beginning to trust 'strangers'  albeit slowly and on her terms and watching her progress inspired and enabled me to offer assistance to others.

The golden rule that has worked wonders for me and for the dogs that I have shown new behavioural games is 'Be in a good space BEFORE you work with your dog'. Dogs can read their owners moods like an open book, so if you are feeling annoyed, frustrated or any other negative emotion, then walk away and try not to engage with your dog too much. Wait until you feel calmer, then begin again. This simple rule is the cornerstone to all my training work with dogs.

Happy Owners= Happy Hounds= Happy Owners!

To finish this post, I am sharing a testimonial I received after I played the 'Recall' game with a lively Collie who only wanted to come back when he decided! 

"Jo and Mike offer a fantastic service that goes well beyond simple boarding. Pepper is a rescue dog needing doggie socialisation and improved recall. Jo invested a tremendous amount of time and patience and he came home a much improved pooch. 

His recall is definitely better and he is much calmer - no rounding up or barking at other dogs and people - instead just a sniff and wag of his tail!

Pepper had so much fun with the other dogs and all the cuddles on comfy couches that he had the post holiday blues when he came back home.

Jo and Mike do a wonderful job and it is so great for people to know that their dogs are having a whale of a time when they are away."

Have a funtime with your dogs and I will be giving some training tips concerning recall on my next post.

Jo and the Kingsdale Pack.