Find it!

Find it games are sooo easy to teach, fun, and most importantly they engage a dog to do something they LOVE and are MUCH better at then we are. 



You can play this game indoors on a rainy or snowy day or outside!  Teach them to "Find" you car keys, play hide and find their favourite "people", popcorn, or even treasure hunt for their kibble outside....you're only limited to your imagination!



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I've got your back

Keegan my Aussie is so cheeky but from day one, I knew as a puppy that he'd grow to be 4times George's size so I have always been around to reward being respectful and it's paying off. Kee still has some growning up to do but atleast he's on the right track. I think it's sweet to see him give it his best shot...but even sweeter to respect another dog's request for space.

Sniff n Playdates

Sniff n Playdate with Quila :) 

One happy, happy, fun, fun, patient, playpal at a time helps George overcome his fears of being rushed, rolled and attacked by other dogs.

 Thank you Taquila Rose and Alice (dogsmart.ca) !

You do not know how relieved I am after a year or so now of off leash dog attacks and rushes, we've worked very hard on turning George's fears (lunge, machine gun bark to keep dogs away) around and George continues to bounce back.  We've got our groove on :)

A few Frisbee Tricks!

We had so much fun today!

A great distraction from my work! Playing with my pooches and learning something new :)





We had the jump and spin down pat but this other trick was inspired by Kikopup's video
 The Most Amazing Dog Frisbee Tricks


Can't wait to see what we come up with next!

What do Laundry and shaping games have in common?

I LOVE shaping games!!!!


Daizy and Keegan retrieve and put laundry in the basket and last night I taught George to pick it up and flip it out of the basket :)

Part 2 of 3: You can play interactive shaping games if you have a multi-dog household! It's also great way to promote sharing!!!!


Part 3 of 3: Helpful around the house, if you're tired or have a bad back..."obedience work" of retrieving things for you ends up with everyone having fun and working as a team...after all that's what training's all about!

digg'n it

I love this video! Sharing is not one of George's strengths, so anytime I can make something fun as a group, when all noses or bodies are snuggled together...I take advantage of it. Behaviour is reinforced by it's consequences.

Digging is also one of their rewards for a zippy recall! I put all the doggie things they love to do on cue so when out and about, it provides an alternative to food reinforcers.



Back to George ...having to snuggle in to investigate, without getting snarky, and having fun doing so, will make it more likely to happen again in the future. Finding play pals that are great about sharing is important too.

Re: Indoor soccer and being nimble

I got all rev'd up about a Treibball "how to" video as I want to teach Daizy n Kee herding cues but I don't have a flock for them to work ;)   The basics are teaching the dog to nose target the base of a ball to roll it, then directional cues come next.

Before I commit to buying yoga balls, I'll have to wait for spring as we have no room in the house to be loading it up with yoga balls for them to herd. I decided to use the soccer ball, and use the agility posts as goal. Daizy already knows how to play soccer, now it's George's turn!



It's important to be able to incorporate different training techniques to achieve your "training" needs. Not locking yourself into only one technique (shaping, prompting ie..targeting and luring)means the communication flows and you achieve your goals faster.  Both of us, George and I looking to each other for direction and then celebrating the babysteps along the way. I love it!