Sometimes we need a reminder. A reminder of the gifts boisterous dogs give us. A reminder just for those times when they do something and we need to take a deep breath.
So in a moment of quiet I reflected on why I love living and working with hyper, enthusiastic and boisterous dogs.
Here is my list of unique gifts boisterous dogs give.
Improved training skills
These dogs seem to do everything fast, including their speed of learning. It seems that this is especially true when it’s something they figure out for themselves.
It never never ceases to amaze me how quickly they will teach themselves something we really wish they hadn’t learned – like how to open doors, draws, zips, jar lids, fridges… (not mentioning the name of a certain Kelpie).
For this reason, I really like teaching these dogs with behaviour capture and shaping methods. Let them figure out what they need to do to get you to mark and reinforce them.
This technique improves my training skills and gives me plenty of practice in shaping different behaviours. It uses both classical and operant conditioning, if you would like to learn more about this click on the hyperlinks.
As an added bonus this type of training tires them out mentally and they often rest afterwards.
Sense of achievement
Speaking of rest and tiring out these high energy dogs. Another gift boisterous dogs give is a new appreciation for calm, restful or sleepy dogs.
The sense of satisfaction (and relief) when I have successfully set up the environment and found the right formula for a high energy dog to settle down and relax is another gift.
How do I achieve this? Well it often starts with behaviour capture and shaping as mentioned above and a lot of enrichment.
We become enrichment experts
This is a gift of creativity, imagination and observation skills.
We learn which types of enrichment amp our dogs up and which ones calm them down. We learn how to best apply each type to help maintain a modicum of decorum inside the house.
In my house Kongs, nose games and licking mats are gold, watching animals outside the house or yard not so much (from my perspective – the dogs may have a different opinion).
Coming up with new enrichment or variations to old enrichment items with dogs that learn really quickly and are often highly motivated keeps my creative side happy. As an example I’ve come up with over 10 different enrichment ideas using egg cartons.
If you are looking for enrichment ideas of information consider this short course or search this facebook group for ideas.
Practice using a range of reinforcers (rewards)
Often boisterous high energy dogs like a lot of things e.g. food, toys, praise, water, a run, a feather, a leaf, silly noises.
The wide range of interests means you have lots of reinforcement options to use – your range of choices, beyond simply treat variety, can keep these dogs happily engaged for a long time.
This is a gift of imagination and adaptability combined with developing skill using uncommon reinforcers that just happen to be of interest to your dog at that time.
Balance
Working with very easy to excite and motivate dogs allows for some amazing training and performances. Being able to switch on the energy then tone it down is a gift boisterous dogs give – the skill of balance.
When you would like some extra oomph or zest in a behaviour like recall, or heeling, snappy quick sits and downs it is normally very easy to excite our boisterous enthusiastic dogs. The potential for awesome training and performance is right there, ready and waiting (probably impatiently).
On the flip side we learn to be clear, calm trainers that modulate our energy with precision. Too much movement and we send these dogs into overdrive, just the right amount and these dogs respond with precision.
They teach us the importance of slowing down and being calm. They teach us how to settle. The balancing act requires finesse, not too much not too little but just right for the situation.
Rapid feedback
The final gift boisterous dogs give is rapid almost immediate feedback on our training, changes in the environment, shifting moods, our distraction and loss of focus, our energy levels, body posture and reinforcers.
As a trainer this rapid feedback speeds up my learning and ability to adapt on the go.
What gifts have your received from living or working with boisterous high energy dogs? Please share in the comments.
