this post was submitted on 04 Mar 2024
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We've done a bunch of trick training, which is always fun. He's my constant companion even out in public so lots of navigational cues for human spaces like heel and "going right/left" for when we're in stores. Our boy is anxious even by Aussie standards so we've worked to capture calm and self settle extensively as well. I used to be a trainer at a pet store; I have no advanced degrees for it but was taught by a masters/doctorate/alphabet soup behaviorist and built a reputation for being good at helping anxious dogs and their people. Still, Sudo (our boy) has farm responsibilities that are a teetering tower of triggers when he's unable to intervene for whatever reason.
I've seen and adored your posts about the agility and settle training but what other neat things do you teach your dogs?
these are such important skills, especially for those anxious herding dogs! my aussie is actually on puppy prozac, and has been for a long time, because he's a nervous wreck otherwise. i also have no degree for training, though i've been doing it as a hobby and was a training assistant for a highly-regarded local facility around 10 years ago.
we do lots and lots of trick training for enrichment purposes. at this point, loki (aussie) could probably have a few trick titles, but i've never wanted to spend the money on them, haha. he's also pretty close to his rally novice title, but i'm lazy and again... that's money i could be spending on his main sport: agility. i worked on his behavior in public a lot when i first got him, which makes him a great brewery dog. he will settle and hang out with us for hours on end, accept pets from strangers, and is generally great for that kind of thing.
jean is... something, haha. she's very eager to work, but also gets excited and frustrated easily. i also spent the last couple of years working on some dog reactivity issues which seem to have mostly subsided as she's gotten older (thank goodness). she also knows how to ride in the carrier on my e-bike, and she really enjoys that! she does some agility, but even at three years old, she's not trial ready. she gets so sniffy when we're anywhere new, but i think she might be to the point where i can take her to a couple of mock trials this summer.
i'm not quite sure what echo's going to excel in, although i'm obviously hoping for an agility dog. i could see her dabbling in other sports, and maybe even doing some disc dog or dock diving. apparently she had access to an in-ground pool at her former home, although i'm not sure if / how much she used it.