GM News - April 2023

It's our pleasure to share dog care, training, and news with you. We hope you look forward to receiving this newsletter :-) This is edition 47.

Amanda, David, Rodna & Ruth
Gentle Modern School of Dog Training

David and I had a pleasant day at the recent Hounds of Heide market. We set up a Come-and-Try course of jumps, tunnel, weaving cones and hoops. Many people came in with their dogs saying, 'I don't think my dog will be able to do any of these things', and then being surprised and delighted when their dog could!

A market environment is not for every dog, though. Looking at their body language, some dogs were finding the unusual sights and sounds and crowd stressful. Some dogs who were enjoying it at first, by the second or third time they passed by, had had enough. It's great to involve your dog in your activities but be mindful of their experience. Picture the activity in advance and imagine it from your dog's height. You know their personality, quirks, confidence, fears, and tolerance - will it be fun for your dog? for how long?

Top Tip

We often recommend food puzzle toys or stuffed Kong Classics to positively occupy dogs. There is an important caveat though: your dog will have individual likes and dislikes with regard to such toys. They may find particular types of food toys frustrating or even scary. Eileen Anderson explores this in her article Dog Food Toys, Rates of Reinforcement, and the Matching Law

Here's some key points from the article:

"Watch for true enjoyment. Just because something is called a food toy doesn’t mean a dog will enjoy it, or enjoy it at that moment.
Watch out for frustration. . . . This is when they might start chewing the toy rather than working to get the food out. So watch closely when they are finishing up the food.
Supervise . . . Chewing hard plastic can be dangerous; swallowing it can be fatal."

Eileen's writing is always thought-provoking and helpful. I encourage you to read the whole article.

Chocolate!

Of course we can't have Easter without considering the risks posed by chocolate to dogs. We hope you won't need it but . . . What To Do If Your Dog Eats Chocolate by Dr. Kathryn Allen

Body Language - Dog-Dog Play

The Freak'n Awesome Dog Project (FADP) has a video chat about dog play: what good play looks like, when to step in and help your pup, and more. Footage of actual play is shown and discussed. It's puppy focused but relevant to dogs in general. 22.30 mins

David also works with Wagging School and thought you might be interested in the following porcine fun.

Your Reward for Reading to the End

When sleep turns your ear into a rose.