The magical connection of your hand-touch

This article first appeared on 2houndsdesign.com and is reprinted here with permission.

Holding hands is our way of showing affection to our loved ones. Our hands should always build trust - you never want to see a child or a pet flinching away from a hand!

I’d like to show you a quick and easy way to instil confidence in your dog - while getting her to fit in with what you want.

It’s the Hand-touch.

And you can use it to ask your dog’s permission to handle her, to put on her harness, to fall in beside you when you’re walking, to teach her tricks, to bring you the thing she’s carrying - once you have the hand-touch in your toolbox you’ll find ever more uses for it!

How to teach it? Oh, so easy!

More commonsense tips to be found in this free 8-lesson email course to get you started with your dog

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◆   Have a supply of small but tasty treats. Cheese or hot dog are always popular, just pea-sized pieces.

◆   Place a treat in the palm of your hand and hold it out to your dog at her nose-level to eat.

◆   Repeat a few times till she’s keen to engage in this hand-feeding game.

◆   Now, with the same rhythm you’ve just built up over several repetitions, offer her your hand without a treat in.

◆   She’ll smoosh her nose into your hand, look surprised to find nothing, then you instantly give her the treat with your other hand.

◆   No need to say anything much, except the odd “good girl,” or “Yay!”

◆   Repeat several times, till she’s pressing her nose to the palm of your hand, and even holding it there for a moment, before you give the treat.

◆   Keep this light, quick, and FUN!

◆   Once you’ve done a few sessions to consolidate the learning, you can move your hand slowly as your dog touches her nose to it - now you can have her follow your hand!

So how could you use this new hand-touch?

✓   Putting on her harness: Loop your harness over your wrist, offer your hand, and while she’s touching your palm you can drop the harness over her head.

✓   Re-direct her attention: Have her follow your hand to get through a narrow gap without tripping you over, or to guide her away from a clamouring child or a glaring dog when you’re out.

✓   Make contact for reassurance: like sports teamies do, whether they’ve won or lost the point.  

✓   Body-care: Ask for a hand-touch to give you permission to start grooming your dog, or checking her feet. If she doesn’t want it done, she’ll turn away from your hand. Time for you to find out how to make grooming more of a two-way thing, and comfortable!

✓   Follow your hand: Teach the Stand and the Down - just by getting your dog to follow your hand with her nose.

Now, what can you come up with? Post your ideas in the comments below!

More commonsense tips to be found in this free 8-lesson email course to get you started with your dog

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Why You Should Always Give Your Dog a Choice

This article was first published on 4knines.com and is reprinted here with permission

The young boy in class adored his puppy!

It was a delight to see how proud he was of her, and how attentive he was to everything being taught.

Carl was 10 years old, and animals were clearly his passion. He was more diligent in his practice than many of the adults. And I was particularly impressed with how quickly he grasped this concept:

Don’t beg your dog!

Many of the owners were trying to coax their puppy to pay attention to them. They waved treats in front of their inattentive noses. They bent over and called their name repeatedly. Some even got down on the floor with their puppy in an attempt to get a response.

But young Carl had it licked!

More commonsense tips to be found in this free 8-lesson email course to get you started with your dog

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He listened and followed the guidelines to the letter. He demonstrated to his little pup that he had food, then stood still and waited. He waited for the puppy to decide what to do, and as soon as she made a good choice, she got the treat!

He skipped all the begging, nagging, and cajoling that the others were doing.

Mine is a force-free class – in many other classes people would go further and yank the lead, shout, or poke the dog. Not in my school! Put yourself in the dog’s place – how would you respond to this treatment?

Give your dog a choice

There’s choice – and there’s choice! In Choice Training you give your dog a choice between doing something you like and earning a reward, and … nothing. So you weigh the chances in your favour of your dog choosing to do what you want. There is no punishment, no shouting or prodding – just patience.

“I have a treat – what would you like to do to earn it?”

So your dog will focus on you, maybe stand still, maybe sit, and keep trying things till she hits the spot. You keep the treat right out of the way until you get what you’re waiting for – no waving it about in the dog’s face!

What happens if you “lure” your dog with food is that you give your dog a free choice whether to pay attention or not.

“Come to me and get this treat I’m holding out,”

OR, more often:

“Carry on doing what you’re doing and get the treat afterwards (because I’m desperate to give it to you!)”

You’re saying to your dog: “You choose.”

But you’re not limiting the choices to what you want. It doesn’t take a pup long to figure out that he can have his cake and eat it – he can sniff the floor or stare at the other puppies then come and get the treat. He can give a slow and dawdly sit and still get the proffered reward.

He’ll weigh up his choices – roll in this badger poo now or go and get a piece of kibble . . . hmm, which will I do? Later this will translate to – choosing to run off and chase things rather than choose to get a treat, pulling on leash rather than choose to have a treat. Then we hear “My dog is not interested in food.”

Bribing your dog with food is going to hand the reins to him. Rewarding him for making the choice you want keeps the power with you!

Young Carl inspired the others with his success.

Is your dog ignoring you?

Many of the puppies in that class were choosing to ignore their owners. All the time they were coaxing and calling, the pup knew they were there. There was no need to pay attention.

What Carl had grasped was that staying silent meant his puppy checked in with him very quickly, and earnt her reward. The onus was on the pup to pay attention. And she made the choice we wanted her to make.

Carl’s puppy quickly chose to face him all the time and watch out for clues for how she could earn the next reward. (The other owners got it later – especially when they saw the boy’s success.)

It occurred to me that Carl had also learnt a valuable life lesson. Begging people to do things for you is usually a fruitless endeavour. Inspiring them to act is a much better course.

Hopefully in a few years’ time, Carl will not be begging a girl to go out with him – rather the girls will be chasing him!

More commonsense tips to be found in this free 8-lesson email course to get you started with your dog

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Results from the Growly Workshop

Well . . . even I am amazed by the results the Workshoppers got from my free 5 Day Live Workshop for your Growly but Brilliant Family Dog

People with anxious dogs, shy dogs, reactive dogs. People who could not understand why their dog - who is so lovely at home - looks like a sabre-toothed tiger when out.

• We had puppies stopping biting.

• We had dogs walking nicely on the lead.

• We had dogs passing other dogs without a meltdown.

• We had dogs coming when called!

All within five action-packed days!

Carol bubbled with pleasure: “I am so happy, and so are my 4-leggeds! Thank you for this Beverley Courtney!”

Sally was amazed at how her very shy and timid Misty got on.

“We can not believe what this has done for our anxious girl. A safe place. A focus. A place where she knows she's doing the right thing. First time at the pub tonight. We had people gasping in amazement as she dived on the mat after a little explore then stayed there. Best thing ever.”

Andrea was bowled over with such quick results which her whole family could enjoy:

“I’m already seeing results with him learning to transfer the skills he has learned from this course into his walks. Thanks for a fantastic learning opportunity for our family!”

And this is what Cath said:

“Brilliant video lesson and fantastic course. Ben and Duke really enjoying it so far and I am loving seeing them having such fun. Thank you!”

Not just dogs!

I’m used to hearing about positive change for the dogs in the Workshop, and for their harassed and baffled owners. But I think this evidence from Caitlin is a first!

“I’m amazed by the change already, thank you so much for this Workshop and the advice this week. I had my blood pressure taken today and it had also greatly improved so win win for all of us xx”

Tracie wrote, “Thank you Beverley for this free workshop. Lilly and I went for a walk this afternoon and she was A LOT calmer and so was I. I am looking forward to continuing lessons.”  And she’s now one of many who chose to carry on working with me in my advanced program.

Isn’t this what we all want? A calm life for us and our troubled dogs?

Hannah-Jade told us that Hank is now choosing to hang out with her more often rather than being aloof! “This is really helping our relationship.”

Real, deep, change

Natasha said one of the most moving things. She said,

“In just two days I’ve had a complete change of thinking in how I treat Oscar.”

For me, that makes everything worthwhile!

And Charlotte told us,

“This course has helped me fall back in love with my dog and given me hope for the future. It is a wonderful feeling to know that I can take the lead in his training rather than feeling I have to hand over my dog to someone else. Just this week I feel our bond has gone from strength to strength and I am really excited about the future.

Alfie is asleep while I write this and watch your sessions, instead of pacing about and obsessing over background noises thanks to the training sessions you have put in place for us.”

Wow! That’s some change!

Shannon simply wrote:

“Loving this course thank you so much: lifesaver!”

Might it be a lifesaver for you too?

How to get these results for yourself and your dog

“Three tries and then she did it and walked outside calmly - I can’t believe it!!”  Kirsty

Want to know WHAT Kirsty tried? Here’s the Workshop! Even if you missed the live event you can still benefit from it now, and find out just what gave these folk such amazing transformations.

5 Day Growly Workshop September 2019

Growly Workshop! Enrol now!

Exciting times! Our ever-popular Free Live 5 Day Workshop for your Growly but Brilliant Family Dog starts next week. People are already piling in and waiting excitedly for the private group to open in a few days’ time.

I, of course, think it’s the best thing since sliced bread:

• It gives hope to people with no hope.

• It shows people who have been told to do nasty things to their dog that they are right, and there is a better way.

• It gets results!

• It massively builds people’s confidence that they can do this!

  But why not let the Workshoppers speak for themselves?   

“Four days later and you simply wouldn't recognise Tia. She has changed positively beyond my dreams. Another day another success - can't believe the almost total positive change in both Tia and me. Never seen her so relaxed and responsive when we're walking.”

 “She is already much happier, more responsive AND is improving on her recall.”

“Such small changes with such amazing results!”

“We had a lovely walk, and I think I've overcome a huge hurdle. Now there's a big difference. It's made me more confident. This morning I did none of my usual distractions or avoidance of other dogs but just let things happen. I am so thrilled. Of course, I'm now wishing I'd known this years ago. My dog is just 7 and we've had such a stressful time. We are on our way to a much happier life together because when she's relaxed, I'm relaxed too, and we can have much more fun.” 

“Thank you so much for the training over the last few days, my little terrier George has had a calm week. The main thing is how you have made me and George think about things differently and make some fundamental changes.”  

You are not alone any more:

“I did not realise just how anxious my dog actually is. It’s also lovely to interact with others who experience similar problems.”

For some people, it was less barking:

“Hi Beverley, now on Day 4 of your free online course, thank you. Molly is super chilled and not barked at the neighbour, which she would normally do. Thank you for your expertise. I'm convinced.“

“Other dog lunging barking snarling. Lola and I turned and walked away. I was so proud of her - she never looked back pulled growled or barked, I am brimming with pride. A few months ago she would have been the other dog but not any more. Beverley thank you for all your wonderful advice and coaching.”

For some folk, it was at last stopping the pulling on the lead!

“Well we continued with the focus training and loose lead walking training after the fab workshop, and we have just had the BEST walk we have ever had in 4 and a half years!”

 “Four days into this Workshop, we are making great progress overall with her attention. Loving this hands-free approach. It has also set us up for some great loose leash walking! Thank you Beverley!” 

“ I thought you might like an update! My working lab is now eleven months old and from pulling like a steam engine he is now walking beautifully. This has helped my shoulders and back!”

Even professional trainers learn from the Workshop!

“Just love the first two days of your 5 Day Workshop. I am an Instructor and I have passed your details to one of my students.“

And, in general, people just LOVE the approach, which is a breath of fresh air for many of them:

“Thanks for your kind approach; it’s so much nicer than harsh words or worse!”

“This is really revolutionary! Thank you for sharing your wisdom and by that helping a huge number of people be their best version of pet companion.”

“I love love LOVE that as a beginner it’s about just doing the exercises and letting the magic happen, whether with my creativity or my dog’s responses! THIS I can do!!”

“There are no words for how grateful I am for the start Beverley has given me.”

So get on over to Free Live 5 Day Workshop for your Growly but Brilliant Family Dog and mark your calendar for September 16th when we’ll be starting . . .

•  Starting a new way to be with your anxious dog.

• Starting a new way for you to think about your troubled companion.

• Starting a new life for the both of you!

See you there!

What is your biggest problem with your dog?

And what's your biggest frustration right now with training your dog?

You may be saying,

He barks at everything!

OR

I can’t have visitors to the house any more

OR, maybe

I’d love to go for walks or holidays with friends, but my dog is so unpredictable … it wouldn’t be fair on them or their dogs.

I understand that so well!

I was like that for a long time, thinking nothing would ever work to change my dog. I thought I’d tried everything. But in fact I’d only seen the tip of the iceberg, the things people shout loudest about . . .

But now I’ve dug way deeper and learnt how to do it - all dog-friendly, no nastiness, no shouting, no nasty gadgets - and I’ve been able to help hundreds and hundreds of people like you - frustrated owners who love their dogs - to make big changes with their dogs and make their lives happier and so much more comfortable.

If I had something that could help you solve this problem, would you be interested in taking a look at it?

What would it be worth to you to have these problems solved?

What do you think it's costing you not to solve these problems?

• Losing friends?

• Spending money on expensive trainers?

• or nasty gadgets?

• No holidays? No kennels to take your dog?

• Worst case: vet or doctor or legal bills?

Maybe you’re like Liz, who never really had the chance to talk to other dog-owners about her problems. She found it quite isolating having a growly dog!

Or maybe you can relate to Emma, who found that every time she visited the lessons she’d get a renewed sense of calm and her resolve would be strengthened.  

“I felt like an outcast. All I could see around me was well-behaved dogs, and mine was like a Tasmanian devil on the lead! But this support is helping me to really focus on helping my little rescue dog, and things are starting to look better. He’s experiencing a calmer way of being outside. Thank you Beverley, you are amazing.”

And what about Stella? After the Workshop she dived straight into my full program, and said:

“Only one day in and already good things are happening! All sorts of realisations dawning on me! Thank you Beverley, really enjoying this journey.”

SO …

Mark your calendar for Monday September 16th, when you’ll find out just HOW I’ve helped so many people to change their lives with their dogs.

I’ll be hosting one of my celebrated Live 5 Day Workshops and it’ll give you a behind-the-scenes look at some of the methodologies used in my paid program - and you’ll get it all free!

Karla absolutely loved the Workshop, and she said,

“thank you for all you do to help as many dogs as possible.”

Do come and join us! There’ll be people from all round the world - and I would love to have the opportunity to show you a new way to cope with your difficult, reactive, aggressive - Growly - dog! so YOU can get the results that these folk have had!

See you on the 16th!

We’re not quite ready for you yet, but get onto our waiting list! and you’ll be the first to get all the details

… More news soon …

The Daily Dog Walk… Really? Do I Have To?

This article was first published on 4knines.com and is reprinted here with permission

You’re feeling guilty about your dog. You look at him and he gazes back with those patient brown eyes that can see right into your heart. You feel guilty because you’ve been so rushed today that you didn’t fit in a morning walk, and now it’s pouring with rain and you can’t face it. But have another look at those gorgeous brown eyes: what’s your dog trying to tell you?

He’s saying that what he wants is some time with you – some action, yes, to use up his huge store of energy – but mainly it’s time enjoying life with you that he wants.

So don’t fret over missing a walk. Here’s something for you to hang on to:

Dogs do not need to be walked every day.

“You mean I don’t have to walk him every day, whatever the weather?”

That’s right.

And for some dogs – fearful, reactive, or old and creaky – that comes as a great relief!

For help with your reactive, anxious, aggressive, “growly” dog, get our free email course here.

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What’s the walk for?

Imagine you are afraid of spiders. And every day your friend insists on taking you along a spider-strewn walk, your face brushing past bushes draped with webs and wriggly beasties, seeing them scamper across the path in front of you.

Are you going to enjoy those walks?

I think not.

And if you have a dog who reacts to every dog he sees by barking ferociously and lunging towards it – shouting at it to go away – then he’s not going to enjoy that overmuch.

And your shoulders and wrists probably won’t either!

So choose times and places to walk your fearful dog when he has a chance of enjoying the outing, not having a procession of other dogs marching towards him along the road, in other words.

Your old and creaky dog can tell you when he’d like to join you for a slow amble. Pick up the lead and see what he says. If he starts a juddery dance with his stiff old legs, and comes to get the lead put on, then off you go. But if he turns his head away, or stays resolutely on his bed – leave him be. Of course he needs some exercise to stay as well as he can be, and to keep his digestive system moving. But a gentle game in the garden may fit the bill.

Your fearful dog would benefit from some sessions with a force-free trainer who can build his confidence so he doesn’t need to shout with fear at new dogs or people.

Your old dog may appreciate a joint supplement to loosen up those old bones a bit.

My dog is young and active!

Fearful and old dogs are the special cases.

But if your dog is young and active and has energy to burn, then you can exercise his body and his mind in far better ways than tramping along a hard road on a lead.

If you have a garden, however small, you can enjoy a fast and furious game with a ball or frisbee. Both of you will enjoy this, and both of you should be puffing by the end of it!

Your aim is for your dog to be panting with his sides heaving, his eyes sparkling. Your dog doesn’t play ball? Just start a running chase game with him – take turns at chasing and being chased.

Better yet - use his brain as well as his body.

Thinking – as we all know too well! – can be more tiring than doing. So see what rainy day fun you can have indoors.

Scent Games and Brain Games are great for this

• Find the Lady

  using upturned beakers with a treat beneath one of them, for instance.

• Hide and Seek

You can hide a favourite toy, one of the children, or yourself! Hiding may just involve rolling someone up in a duvet and letting your dog dig them out (protect faces from scraping claws). Or the family could scatter and hide under beds or in cupboards. This was always a favourite game with my children!

• Practicing your superfast recall

Inject excitement into this game to get your dog’s speed up, calling him from one end of the house to the other – for a game or a treat.

• Teach your dog to tidy up!

Show him how to put his toys back in his basket, or pick up his empty food bowl and pass it to you (for another treat to be dropped into it, of course!). He could even put it on the shelf in the cupboard, if it’s at the right height for him.

• Have him fetch the mail,

or bring his lead when you’re going out, act as an alarm clock for the teenagers by leaping onto their beds and snuffling their sleeping faces!

These games are all so much more fun than clomping around a cold dark street!

Yes, your dog does need to go out and see and experience the world, and run free over field or beach.

He just doesn’t have to do it every day.

And watch out for September 16th when something exciting is happening here at Brilliant Family Dog - you won’t want to miss it!

Lots more ideas here to help with your charming but growly dog with our free email course here.

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