GM News - February 2024

February, so the year's properly started; let's go!

Amanda, David & Ruth
Gentle Modern School of Dog Training

Top Tip - Time for Training

Nicole Wiebusch has great tips for keeping your dog engaged during a training session. (The quotes below are from Nicole's article.) First, make a plan and second, keep the session short.

What are you going to work on?
How many repetitions will you do? "Say you're teaching stand to down. . . . For each rep, I give a treat in the down position and a reset treat to get the dog standing again. . . . I'll do 5-6 reps before ending that session." That's 10-12 treats.
Instead of using the number of treats to let you know when the training session is finished (when the food's gone, you're done), you can set a timer "If I'm practicing a single skill, I usually set a timer for 1-2 minutes at the most."

Thinking ahead about what your training will focus on will help the training process to be fluid; you won't be stopping to think, 'What will we do now?' or 'I don't have any more food rewards!' "If you don't disconnect [stop to think about what could come next or fumble with food] after giving the dog each reward, it will be much easier to keep your dog engaged throughout the whole session."

Planning isn't your thing?
Put 20 treats in your pocket at the start of the day. Throughout the day or whenever you're with your dog, do little snippets of training. Fido wanders over to you; ask for a "sit". You're hanging out clothes, ask Fido to do a short "drop"-"stay" at your side. You catch sight of the postie about to pass by, call Fido and ask him to "watch" you. Fido's about to jump on Sarah, toss a treat "Fido, find it". You get the idea :-)

Body Language - Tails

Firstly, did you know "dogs wag to their right in response to positive experiences – such as seeing their owners – and to their left when they wish to withdraw, for example, in aggressive situations"? Check out American Kennel Club's short overview of the messages conveyed by a dog's tail.
A recent Guardian article delved into research on dogs' tails. Why the domestic dog wags its tail more than other species with tails requires further research, however, the article considers two hypotheses:

Humans consciously or unconsciously selected for tail wagging during the canine domestication process because we are very attracted to rhythmic stimuli (Why do dogs wag their tails? Silvia Leonetti, Giulia Cimarelli, Taylor A. Hersh and Andrea Ravignani Biology Letters, Vol 20)
Tail wagging was a social signal between individuals that dogs had adapted to use with humans because people found barking irritating. (Dr Holly Root-Gutteridge, a dog researcher at the University of Lincoln)

Good Cause, Adventure, Exercise - What's not to love!?

The Animal Aid Adventure Dog 2024, Wandin Park, Gruyere will be held on 7 April 2024. For $65 you and your dog (on-lead) will be mentally & physically challenged throughout a course at Wandin Park Equestrian Centre: over hills, under logs, through the mud and water. This event is a fundraiser for Animal Aid.

Do you have a

Pet Sitter/Boarding Kennel,
Doggy Daycare,
Dog Walker,
Groomer,
Vet,
Canine Massage Therapist, etc.

that you would recommend to other members of the Gentle Modern School community? If you love them, please share them!
We often have people ask about these services and it would be great to be able to suggest services that are recommended. Email Amanda with details. Thanks in advance!

Have you checked out GM's Facebook page recently?

In weekly posts, we share upcoming free resources from trainers and experts we respect (e.g. webinars, infographics, etc.), and all manner of health, general care, canine psychology and science, and occasional just-for-fun dog stuff.

Reward for reading to the end

Not canine but animals that are almost as good :-) Wildlife Photographer of the Year People's Choice Award winners

In the spirit of the platonic Valentine; we love to have you part of the GMSDT community.