Clean Run Magazine - April 2009 - 74

Play and run Chasing Tricks keep walking Naturally dogs require exercise and walking is a form of exercise. But walking with my dogs is much more than that. Walking is where I build a large part of the positive relationship with my dog. Not everyone has access to big areas where dogs are allowed, but you have to be clever and make an effort to find different solutions in your available areas. Access to forest areas or big parks is the ideal situation; you can strengthen and condition both your dog and yourself at such places. I try to walk off the path as much as possible so that both my dogs and I have to really lift our legs and work different sets of muscles. And you have infinite possibilities to create brain and nose work on your walks together. Why not train some tricks in the forest, park, or when walking in the city center—that will also help with your socialization and distraction work. Last but not least, walking together is very relaxing, calming, and fun and this will be useful in the rest of your training. When we’re talking about motivational stress, I like to start on a high energy level when I train, and it’s up to me to direct that energy where I want it. To me, stress is only negative in cases linked to illness, pain, or fear. other than that, to me, stress is energy. I’m never worried that a dog has too much energy. You only need to find the right tools and the right buttons to push so the dog can focus all his energy on what you want him to do. All dogs are born with a level of drive for work, and it can differ with both the breed and the individual. You need to work with what you have to develop and direct your dog toward where you want him to go. I’m convinced all dogs can be influenced to a degree. When it comes to agility training and stress, misunderstandings regarding handling have a negative effect on dogs. Dogs with a low threshold for stress become frustrated when they don’t know where to go and react by making their own decisions, barking, and so on. Dogs with a high threshold for stress don’t have the motivation required to try if they repeatedly make the wrong choice and might react by becoming passive and slow. But, I’ll get back to handling in a later article. If you want to lower your dog’s threshold for stress and get more energy into your training, you need to look to your everyday life first. Work on getting the motivational stress up at home or out on your walks. Work through the play exercises described in this article. Try to get your dog aroused and activated with certain words and movements so he gets a positive feeling when you play. The play training, with or without toys and with food, is important if you wish to increase your dog’s motivational stress. stress is energy I use the term stress in a positive sense with regard to relationship, motivation, and training my dogs. I believe that it’s good for the dog to reach a certain stress level so he’s motivated to do his best. I also try to train so that the dog learns to handle a higher stress level to energize his training and competing. The first I call motivational stress and the second is stress or energy management. you can train a dog that you have no actual relationship with, but if you want to go far, your relationship with your dog is one of the most important parts to consider when reaching for success. If you feel that your dog is so stressed and high drive that you’re losing control, you first need to change your attitude (if you’re sure your dog’s stress doesn’t come from illness, pain, or fear). Look at the fact that your dog is motivated and has a will to interact. He wants something very much, but he might not know exactly what that is or he might not want the same thing you do. If you’ve worked on your relationship in a good way, your dog should have a basic desire to work with you. Then it’s about you reading your dog and trying to understand how your dog sees the situation. If you don’t get the results you hoped for in your training, try to make everything simpler and clearer. Make sure to keep your cool and to not lose your temper. Getting angry or irritated will only make the dog more frustrated. Clean Run | April 09

Clean Run Magazine - April 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - April 2009