Tag N Rye Dog Services

🐾 Beware of Building a Border Collie Athlete! 🐾

Border Collies are extraordinary athletes.

They are fast, agile, coordinated and capable of working for hours. They can run, jump, chase, retrieve and learn physical skills with an enthusiasm that can make us want to keep giving them more.

But there is a trap here.

If we respond to every bit of energy by adding more physical exercise, we can accidentally create a dog that becomes exceptionally good at being active without ever learning how to be calm.

A fitter dog isn't necessarily a calmer dog.

In fact, if the answer to every problem is “take them for a longer run”, we may simply be building a dog with greater physical endurance.

And then tomorrow, they can run even further. 😂

This is particularly important with Border Collies because their needs aren't purely physical.

Their brains need something to do too.

They need opportunities to explore, investigate, problem-solve, learn, make choices and engage with their environment. They also need to learn how to cope when nothing particularly exciting is happening.

Because life isn't an endless series of walks, training sessions, games and adventures.

Sometimes nothing happens.

And that needs to be okay too.

A Border Collie who has learned to settle can lie beside you while you work, relax after a walk, watch the world go by from the garden, enjoy a chew, sleep when tired and cope with periods of inactivity without constantly demanding the next activity.

That ability doesn't necessarily appear automatically.

For some dogs, learning to settle is a skill.

And it is worth teaching.

This doesn't mean restricting exercise or trying to suppress a Border Collie's natural enthusiasm. Physical activity is important for their health and wellbeing.

It means creating balance.

Give them appropriate physical exercise.

Give them opportunities to use their remarkable brains.

Let them sniff and explore.

Provide problem-solving activities and enrichment.

Teach useful skills.

Give them choices where appropriate.

And just as importantly, give them plenty of opportunities to rest.

Don't feel guilty because your dog isn't doing something every minute of the day.

Sleep and quiet time aren't wasted time.

Recovery is part of a healthy lifestyle.

And remember that puppies and adolescent dogs especially need substantial amounts of sleep and carefully managed activity while their bodies and nervous systems are developing. More isn't automatically better simply because a young Border Collie appears willing to keep going.

The goal isn't to produce the dog that can run the furthest, play the longest or stay switched on all day.

The goal is to raise a dog who can be active when activity is appropriate and relaxed when it isn't.

A dog who can think.

A dog who can recover.

A dog who can settle.

A dog who can enjoy life without needing constant stimulation.

🐾 Build the whole dog.

A fit body is wonderful.

A calm, adaptable mind is just as important.

Let's raise Border Collies who know how to go, when to stop and, perhaps most importantly, how to simply be.

Donna Williams,
Emerald Park Border Collies.
www.emeraldparkbc.com

“My mission is to make life better for at least one dog today!”

I00% agree

DISTRACTED DOG WALKERS

The distracted dog walker is commonly seen chatting on the cell phone, wearing headphones or socializing, while oblivious to what their dog is doing, how their dog is feeling or what is going on in the environment.

This may not sound like a problem, but it is something that many of us have a problem with, even more so if we have a reactive, sensitive dog.

I always compare walking a dog to driving a car. It’s not so much about our driving skills, but having to constantly be aware of the driving skills of others – trying to predict what they will do, which rules of the road they will ignore and how distracted they are. This is especially true in the country I live in, where driving can be a really stressful experience.

I understand that we often need to multi task – there simply doesn’t seem to be enough time in our day to accomplish everything we need to, but walking our dogs should not be one of these times.

“But my dog is really friendly, well socialized, gets on well with everyone, is well trained, knows this environment well etc. and I hear that. But another dog might not be – maybe they need space, are reactive, sensitive, selectively social, have health issues, might be terrified of another dog racing straight towards them chasing a ball thrown from a ball launcher etc.

If distracted dog walkers have no regard for other dogs or other people, they should at least have regard for their own dogs.

Walking your dog should be a time of bonding, of connecting, of seeing the world through their eyes, of reinforcing and rewarding wanted behaviours, of keeping them safe and protected, of being truly present in the moments.

🐾 10 TIPS FOR SURVIVING YOUR 'NAUGHTY' ADOLESCENT DOG! 🐾

If you have an adolescent dog, you may sometimes wonder where your lovely puppy disappeared to.

Suddenly they are distracted by everything, selective about whether they heard you, overflowing with enthusiasm, and seemingly capable of forgetting things they knew perfectly well last week!

Welcome to adolescence.

This isn't your dog deliberately being difficult. Adolescence is a period of significant behavioural and neurological development. Independence increases, emotional responses can become more intense, social motivation changes and self-control is still developing.

That doesn't mean you simply have to put up with unwanted behaviour.

It means you need to change how you support your dog while their brain is still developing.

Here are 10 things that can make adolescence considerably easier.

1️⃣ REMEMBER THAT THEY ARE AN ADOLESCENT

Your dog isn't a finished adult in a smaller body.

Expecting mature impulse control, emotional regulation and decision-making from an adolescent simply because they have learned the behaviour before can set both of you up for frustration.

Keep teaching. Keep practising. Keep your expectations realistic.

Most importantly, don't allow unwanted behaviours to become well-rehearsed habits while you wait for maturity to arrive.

2️⃣ GIVE THEM TIME TO THINK

If you give a cue once and immediately repeat it several times, your dog doesn't necessarily learn to respond faster. They may simply learn that the first few repetitions don't matter.

Ask once, then give your dog a moment to process.

If they can't respond, ask yourself why.

Are they distracted? Overexcited? Tired? Unsure what you are asking? Has the environment become too difficult?

Training isn't about proving that your dog will obey you anywhere. It is about progressively teaching them to succeed in increasingly challenging situations.

3️⃣ DON'T TRAIN THROUGH FRUSTRATION

This applies to you as much as your dog.

If either of you is becoming frustrated, stop.

Take a break. Lower the difficulty. Go for a sniff. Do something easy that your dog knows well.

Learning is much harder when arousal and frustration are getting in the way.

4️⃣ TEACH THEM THAT IGNORING OTHER DOGS IS A SKILL

Your adolescent dog does not need to greet every dog they see.

In fact, learning that another dog can exist nearby without requiring interaction is one of the most useful social skills you can teach.

Calm observation, disengagement and moving on are valuable behaviours.

Your dog doesn't need to love every dog.

They need to be able to cope with them.

5️⃣ TRAIN WHERE YOUR DOG CAN SUCCEED

Your home is an excellent training environment because there are fewer competing distractions.

Reward the behaviour you want to see.

Your dog lying quietly while you make dinner? That's worth noticing.

Choosing to come away from something interesting? Reward it.

Settling beside you? Reinforce it.

Don't wait until your adolescent does something wrong before you pay attention.

The behaviours you consistently reinforce are the behaviours you are helping to build.

6️⃣ USE MANAGEMENT, NOT JUST TRAINING

Management isn't failure.

Pens, crates, gates, long lines and appropriate confinement can prevent your adolescent from rehearsing behaviours while they are still learning.

Every time a behaviour is successfully practised, it can become more established.

Don't give your adolescent unlimited freedom simply because you wish they were ready for it.

Freedom should expand as their skills and self-control develop.

7️⃣ MAKE THE TASK EASIER WHEN THEY STRUGGLE

If your dog can't perform a behaviour, don't automatically assume they are being stubborn.

The task may simply be too difficult.

Increase distance from the distraction.

Reduce the duration.

Lower the level of stimulation.

Break the behaviour into smaller steps.

Then build the difficulty again gradually.

Good training isn't about asking for more and more.

It's about finding the level at which your dog can learn successfully and then progressing from there.

8️⃣ PLAY WITH YOUR DOG

Play is not just entertainment.

Appropriate play provides opportunities for interaction, communication, movement and learning, while strengthening your relationship with your dog.

Tug, retrieving, chasing appropriate toys, scent games and interactive games can all be valuable.

But remember that play should have an off-switch too.

An adolescent dog also needs to learn how to stop, settle and recover after excitement.

9️⃣ CHECK YOUR EXPECTATIONS

Your adolescent dog isn't a reflection of your worth as an owner.

They don't need to perform perfectly in public to prove that you've trained them well.

And you don't need to win every interaction.

Your job is to help your dog develop the skills they will need as an adult, not to demonstrate that you can control them in every situation.

🔟 ASK FOR HELP EARLY

You don't have to wait until there is a major behavioural problem before seeking professional help.

Good training is an ongoing process, and adolescence can expose gaps in a dog's skills that weren't obvious during puppyhood.

If you're struggling, get help from an appropriately qualified professional who can look at what is actually happening and give you a plan suited to your individual dog.

Most importantly, remember this:

Adolescence is a stage of development.

It isn't an excuse for unwanted behaviour, but neither is it evidence that your puppy has suddenly become a "bad dog".

Your adolescent is still learning how to regulate emotions, make decisions, cope with distractions and navigate an increasingly complicated world.

Your job is to provide the structure, guidance, management and opportunities for learning that help them get there.

And yes ...

Sometimes a sense of humour helps too. 😄🐾

Donna Williams,
Emerald Park Border Collies.
www.emeraldparkbc.com

If you are a discerning person wanting to learn more about raising your puppy and turning them into the dog of your dreams, this is the place for you. 👇

YOU MUST ANSWER THE QUESTIONS TO BE ACCEPTED!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/993763459262722

🐾 PLEASE DON'T USE LASER LIGHTS AS A DOG TOY 🔴

A laser pointer might seem like an easy way to give your dog a bit of exercise.

The problem is that your dog can chase the light, but can never catch it.

For a dog with a strong chase response, that means the behaviour can be repeated again and again without the opportunity to actually capture, grab or interact with the thing being chased.

And for some dogs, the behaviour doesn't necessarily end when you put the laser away.

It can generalise.

A dog that has become highly focused on chasing the light may start watching for other moving or reflected light around the home. Sunlight reflecting from a watch or phone, glints from windows or shiny surfaces, moving shadows and reflections on walls or floors can potentially become interesting too.

The dog may begin scanning the environment for something to chase, staring at floors and walls, chasing reflections or repeatedly checking places where the stimulus has appeared before.

This is where laser play can become a genuine behavioural problem.

Once a dog has developed a strong, repeatedly practised pattern of searching and chasing, it can be surprisingly difficult to stop. You aren't simply trying to teach the dog not to chase a particular red dot anymore. You may be trying to change a highly rehearsed response to movement and light throughout its environment.

That can be stressful for the dog and extremely frustrating for the owner.

This doesn't mean every dog exposed to a laser will develop a problem. Dogs differ, and we shouldn't claim that laser play inevitably causes compulsive behaviour.

But there is also no need to take the risk.

There are so many better ways to provide physical and mental enrichment that give dogs something real to chase, catch, carry, chew, search for or solve.

🐾 Play with toys that can actually be caught.

🐾 Play tug.

🐾 Encourage sniffing and searching.

🐾 Use food-based enrichment.

🐾 Give your dog opportunities to explore.

🐾 Teach tricks and problem-solving behaviours.

🐾 Provide appropriate chewing activities.

Good enrichment isn't simply about making a dog run around.

It should give the dog an opportunity to engage in natural behaviours and then switch off and settle when the activity is finished.

So please don't use laser lights as a puppy or dog toy.

The potential behavioural downside simply isn't worth it when there are so many better ways to play.

🐾 Donna Williams,
Emerald Park Border Collies.
www.emeraldparkbc.com

"My mission is to make life better for at least one dog today!"