Bindi Teaching ch 12

 CHAPTER 12.

 

IS EVERYONE HAVING FUN?

 

URBAN PLAYTIME

 

I started this whole thing saying how important play is for you and pooch.

 

Playtime is fun time, can be excitement time, but is also the best time for caring, bonding and training.  Below are a few ways we include play in a day.

 

So much of what comes before in this book can be included in playtime so the training does not get too focussed on seriously addressing things that may happen in the very short times you are out and about with your urbanised pooch.

 

Consider making Brushing, health checks, cleaning and daily pooch maintenance part of a gentle play session.

 

BRUSHING PUP

 

In our household when the ‘Brush’ command is given it is delivered as an enquiry, ‘jawanna brush?’ By using no other training tricks than saying that every time and going to where the brushing place is,  pup gets a reward and happy voice praise on arrival and when brush is introduced and again after brushing the first and subsequent strokes.  If at any time pup retreats, we remain calm and await the return, if it comes.  There are treats in play so pup will probably return. 

 

After a bit of persistence brushing is understood to be nice.  Pup knows what is coming and ours often beats us to the brush place to nose the brush before we have even finished saying the brush command.

 

Brushing is a calm time of gentle stroking and calm chatter, pup is not constrained and if an exit is performed mid session, we wait for the return, reward, and continue calmly.  It is a lovely part of the day, and for a hairy dog most recommended as a frequent activity.

 

MAINTAINING PUP

 

We use this approach for things like our ‘clean eyes’ command.  This is helpful for when pup has sore, scratched or mucky eyes, something every pooch will get some time or other.  Good to have a ploy in place to help when it happens.

 

We start the de-sensitising lesson for this at a time when pup is nearby us and in a calm state.  When pup looks at us we praise, we stare back, and say ‘eye’ at the same time gently cradling the mouth from beneath while holding the eye-to-eye contact.

 

On frequent opportunities we repeat this action and slowly bring the other hand towards the eye, retreating if pup shows uncertainty.  After a few progressive attempts over some days or straight away depending on pup, you will able to touch the edge of the eye and drag out the corner muck. (ours licks it as a treat for some reason, never taught that)

If this is not within your sensitivity to touch eye gunk with your finger then do all this but have a cotton bud to hand as you de-sensitise for proximity to the eye using the bud to familiarise.

 

I don’t need to fill pages by repeating the exact same process for getting access to clean the ears, feet, cut nails, squeeze anal glands (yuk), check teeth, open mouth or holding up tail  (for temperature checks). 

 

Sufficient to say the calm, make-it-feel-good slow approach and familiar action is a great way to embed a desired behaviour and save yourself anguish at some future time when you need to remove a burr from fur, get grit out of an eye or clean an ear to stop endless scratching.   I may have said before, it is about building trust.

 

You practiced many ways that trust can be shown and rewarded for different actions.  Now, when one point of trust is thwarted, like if pup resists or refuses, if perhaps you fail to reward excellent behaviour, if you give a wrong command, get cross, yes it does happen, then the wide blanket of other trusted behaviours you share will quickly help heal the small tear made by that little slip-up.  Don’t beat yourself up for a training fail and similarly, show endless forgiveness if pup slips up.