Hi everypawdy - puppy extraordinaire Dickie Hill back again, and look at me starring in my very own video! Mum wanted to show off how how clever I am and a man that looks a bit like a giant German Shepherd put this together. He's quite round, so I don't think he runs as often, or as fast as me.
Mum says that's rude, but it's still true.
Mum keeps saying that she wants the best start in life with me and I agree - it does feel like the greatest start I could want. She often talks with Lisa, the training lady, and I do get a little bit worried that whatever they come up with next might prove too much for me. How silly of me, it remains all too easy each and every time!
Although, I did hear them talking about the Fear Period coming soon, now that doesn't sound like fun now does it? I'm sure I'll be fine though.
In Lisa Hird's latest Behavioural Top article she explains how best to use enrichment. This is useful advice for all breed, not just German Shepherds, although GSDs do tend to require stimulating activities like this - or they may make their own!
Enrichment for our dogs seems to be the buzzword at the moment. In many ways, this is great news. We should be providing activities that are mentally stimulating and enrich our dogs environments. But - there is always a but - enrichment can actually cause more problems if it isn't suited to the individual dog.
Individual is one of my favourite words whether we are talking about activities, walks, diet, motivators, environment - we must take into account the individual dog.
There are some amazing Facebook pages and groups that have lots of truly innovative ideas for mental stimulation and enrichment.
However, we must consider the individual dog! I have spoken to quite a few people who say their dog is not interested in puzzle games/mental stimulation/enrichment ideas.
Providing enrichment isn't as straightforward as just giving a puzzle toy though. As with any training we do with our dogs, we must set them up for success.
For example:
My male Staffie is a real problem solver, but my female Staffie soon gets bored if she can't get to the food quickly enough. In fact, she would bark in protest! Not something we want to encourage!
My German Shepherd girl is wary of new things and won't even attempt some puzzle games. If it hasn't got real chicken or ostrich treats it isn't worth attempting. If we make the game too difficult or too noisy she may become anxious.
Things to consider:
How we introduce the puzzle - for nervous dogs it is a good idea to prepare the activity first to avoid making lots of noise while setting it up. Quietly place on the floor and encourage the dog to engage - and then let the dog explore. Choose something really easy such as a treat underneath an old towel or treats in a cutlery draw organiser, along with some toys.
The difficulty level - if the puzzle is too difficult, dogs will not engage and it can have the opposite effect. Instead of building confidence it can actually decrease it. Start with easy puzzles so the dog enjoys finding the food and gradually increase the difficulty level. Set them up to succeed.
The food we use - if the dog is not motivated by the food he is unlikely to bother working to find it. Using a portion of their dinner might work later on, but we need to use something tasty, at least to begin with. Moist, soft treats tend to work best.
Where we use it - if you have a multi dog household we need to be careful not to cause problems between dogs. Some dogs will be reluctant to interact if there is another dog around. Stair gates between dogs or dogs in other rooms often provide a feeling of security and allow the dogs to explore. In multi dog households a little 1:1 time with each dog is a good thing to do anyway.
Which puzzles we use - A Kong Wobbler for example would not be a good idea for a noise phobic or nervous dog. These are designed to roll around - have you heard one when it hits a radiator?
If your dog does not seem interested in using puzzle toys, scattering treats in the garden or hiding them behind pots/seats/sheds etc can often encourage them to engage.
Dickie Hill here - puppy extraordinaire! We're near the end of my origin story (yes I do think I may be a superhero when I grow up!) and I hope you've enjoyed it. I sure enjoyed living it!
Mum told me that the updates on my brothers and sisters mentioned that they were taking naps. No one had found how to remove my batteries out yet, so I kept going. We visited the garden several times a day and there were so many interesting smells I just couldn't get them all. I also learned how to walk on different surfaces, like grass, wood, tin, plastic, shingle, stones, and wood chips. Mum led me to a wobble board and across a swing bridge. Mum explained this would help me develop and build confidence.
It was too easy peasy for me though. See you all soon!
Hi everyone! It's competition time and one of our generous supporters has donated this lovely Teddy Bear for a competition to raise funds for the German Shepherd Dog Welfare Fund. They commit to not only rescuing vulnerable GSDs, but also to never euthanise unless absolutely necessary - and so also provide life long care for dogs with complicated health and behavioural issues.
Entry is £1 per guess, or you can buy 6 guesses for £5 using the button below.
The competition ends midnight 27th March 2022 (UK time). If there is more than one correct guess, then the first received guess will win the prize. Please enter only the correct number of guesses, if there are too many then only the first will be taken.
Note that you don't need a PayPal account to enter, you can use the guest payment option instead when offered.
Hi everypawdy - Tia here with the conclusion to how I now live with the GSD Welfare Fund. I hope you enjoyed it, because it wasn't at all catty-tartic like I'd been told. Luckily for the hooman I'm too polite to say "I told you so".
We drove for a while and eventually arrived at a house. I heard lots of dogs barking but I couldn’t see any yet. It didn't sound welcoming and my fierceness and bravery had long slipped away.
They carried the crate out from the van and placed it in front of a kennel. Before opening the cage door, they poked wire through the bars at me. What were they playing at?! Oh no! I bet they wanted me to be one of those dancing bears. Some bravery returned with that thought - they could think again! I was no dancing bear! So I pulled away from the wire, and the harness that I had been wearing since I left my original home slipped off in a flash of pain. But after that pain came soothing relief even though I was sore and bleeding underneath where the harness had rubbed me since my initial escape.
With the harness removed, they opened the cage, and I ran straight into cool darkness of the inviting kennel. The hooman didn’t follow, and didn't approach closer except to deliver food. This routine continued for a couple of days. She talked to me as she came by, and tossed treats for me but kept her distance and try didn’t try encouraging me to come closer.
They were tasty treats too. Sosagies and chimkin. I can almost taste them just by thinking of them! As far as I was concerned she could toss as many as them as she liked. On the fifth day I summoned my bravery and decided to approach her and see if she would be friends with me. It wouldn’t hurt to have the hooman as a friend if she had plenty chimkin for me. This went really well, and I realised that felt safe with her.
She never asked me to do anything or didn’t try to do anything to me without me instigating it. The hooman can be a bit annoying at times. She isn’t much fun either, but I know she loves me.
Well that's my story and I appreciate my hooman assistant editing out that last part before posting it. We don't need the hooman to know everything - she needs to work at it. Anyway, back soon with some more fun adventures. Love Tia
The GSD Welfare lady took me home and there were lots and lots of other dogs there. I'll admit to being a bit worried, but I couldn't show them in case they thought I was silly. My mum didn’t let them come near me though, and she said that I needed time to settle first. That pleased me as by then I may have grown some.
The first day passed in a strange manner. Although my mum seemed nice and already filled a huge part of my being, I missed all my brothers and sisters. I also missed snuggling up together. Instead, now I slept alone. A teddy at night to cuddle and a cloth smelling of my new mum provided company, but it wasn’t the same.
Also, I'd always toileted whenever I felt the need. Now, mum seemed to want me to go while I outside. That's so much effort just to go for a pee, much easier to just let it out.
She fills my heart with joy, but also manages to confuse often.
Thanks for reading pupsters and we'll carry on my story very soon - I can't wait to share some of the cool stuff I'm learning!
