Beanwood
Administrator
A thread to follow Otter's journey with us, sharing our ups and downs.....warts an' all! 
Otter has now been with us for a few days. Time to start training! Only, Otter doesn't know we are actually training, as far as she is concerned we are playing really cool games!
The games we are playing are really the cornerstones of what we will need later, and will hopefully help Otter adapt to the strange world of hoomans. This is also about the puppy in front of me, which may be different from the puppy down the road. Actually, it is really fascinating to see how different she is from Bramble and Benson as very little puppies. For now, everything is about behaviours, no cues, just working in tiny bite-sized puppy chunks, learning as much from her as she is from me, and lots and lots of sleep, for both of us, as an overtired pup and an over-tired hooman are not a great combination!
What we are working on...
Crate training - essential in my mind. For Otter the crate is the place where magically the best toys appear, she gets feed (wowzers!) Actually right now I can see her sleeping and have a great view of puppy tummy!
Before crate time, I find it easier to gradually wind games down, have a chew on my lap, (not my lap exactly, but a toy IN my lap! ) then very quietly with a kong smeared with wet food encourage her into her den, I never cajole her, but wait patiently until she willingly enters. It's not easy, doesn't happen in a day, but worth it in the long run with visits to the vets, car crates, etc... When she is calm in her crate, if only for a minute or two, I quietly drop a few bits of kibble to reinforce the behaviour of being calm and relaxed. Already we are finding she is a bit of a live wire so the investment now in building the foundations of calm behaviour through pairing with positive reinforcement will be worth its weight in gold later! Oh, did I mention she is a total foodie!
Otter in her crate mid-morning today complete with gorgeous puppy tum!
Otter has two crates, one night-time and another in the kitchen, currently, Benson is sleeping in there!
The Focus on my Face Game
This is a really fun game! The objective is to move the focus from a treat in the hand ( or fixating on a treat bag for example ) and move to our face. No cues are added at this stage, but just rewarding puppy for looking at my face. Look at my face, click, give a treat.
In more detail - I hold a treat in my left hand - puppy looks naturally at my left hand....nothing happens ( boo!!! ) The instant she moves her gaze in my direction, click and treat from a stash in a pot....not the left hand holding the treat. Otter is VERY good at this, and has taken to giving me a hard look when she wants a treat! A note here, I treat in the same place...to help prevent coming forward or lunging for her reinforcement.
The Snuffle Mat Game
Bought a fabulous Snuffle Mat from Etsy. This has lots of interesting pockets in a soft felt for a puppy to explore. We used this to play together, in this clip I show Otter where the treats are and we work together to find them! A lovely way to bond with puppy! This works well with older dogs too.
Just put "snuffle mat" into the Etsy search bar and there is a really good choice, this is where I got mine
Snuffle Mat from Etsy
Otter has now been with us for a few days. Time to start training! Only, Otter doesn't know we are actually training, as far as she is concerned we are playing really cool games!
The games we are playing are really the cornerstones of what we will need later, and will hopefully help Otter adapt to the strange world of hoomans. This is also about the puppy in front of me, which may be different from the puppy down the road. Actually, it is really fascinating to see how different she is from Bramble and Benson as very little puppies. For now, everything is about behaviours, no cues, just working in tiny bite-sized puppy chunks, learning as much from her as she is from me, and lots and lots of sleep, for both of us, as an overtired pup and an over-tired hooman are not a great combination!
What we are working on...
Crate training - essential in my mind. For Otter the crate is the place where magically the best toys appear, she gets feed (wowzers!) Actually right now I can see her sleeping and have a great view of puppy tummy!
Before crate time, I find it easier to gradually wind games down, have a chew on my lap, (not my lap exactly, but a toy IN my lap! ) then very quietly with a kong smeared with wet food encourage her into her den, I never cajole her, but wait patiently until she willingly enters. It's not easy, doesn't happen in a day, but worth it in the long run with visits to the vets, car crates, etc... When she is calm in her crate, if only for a minute or two, I quietly drop a few bits of kibble to reinforce the behaviour of being calm and relaxed. Already we are finding she is a bit of a live wire so the investment now in building the foundations of calm behaviour through pairing with positive reinforcement will be worth its weight in gold later! Oh, did I mention she is a total foodie!Otter in her crate mid-morning today complete with gorgeous puppy tum!
Otter has two crates, one night-time and another in the kitchen, currently, Benson is sleeping in there!
The Focus on my Face Game
This is a really fun game! The objective is to move the focus from a treat in the hand ( or fixating on a treat bag for example ) and move to our face. No cues are added at this stage, but just rewarding puppy for looking at my face. Look at my face, click, give a treat.
In more detail - I hold a treat in my left hand - puppy looks naturally at my left hand....nothing happens ( boo!!! ) The instant she moves her gaze in my direction, click and treat from a stash in a pot....not the left hand holding the treat. Otter is VERY good at this, and has taken to giving me a hard look when she wants a treat! A note here, I treat in the same place...to help prevent coming forward or lunging for her reinforcement.
The Snuffle Mat Game
Bought a fabulous Snuffle Mat from Etsy. This has lots of interesting pockets in a soft felt for a puppy to explore. We used this to play together, in this clip I show Otter where the treats are and we work together to find them! A lovely way to bond with puppy! This works well with older dogs too.
Just put "snuffle mat" into the Etsy search bar and there is a really good choice, this is where I got mine
Snuffle Mat from Etsy
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