On the Fence: The Better Bond Workshop

 Are you wondering if the Building a Better Bond Workshop is right for you?

The overall goal of this workshop is to help develop the relationship between a human and their dog that is beneficial to both participants by fostering a teamwork based approach which thrives by using cooperation to achieve common goals. All lessons and activities will be taught using Force Free/Aversive Free methods, encouraging positive reinforcement throughout the learning process.

We can safely say that everyone in the BBB Workshop LOVES their dog!  I have a blog post available if you would like to learn more  about How Dogs Show Us Love.  Yet we all feel like we can benefit from increasing our bond with our dog, or we wouldn’t be here.  So here are a few things to keep in mind as you participate in the weekly activities in this workshop:

• Every action or interaction with your dog has an effect, it can be beneficial or harmful. This goes for training sessions, games, snuggle time on the couch, etc.  It’s up the the human to make the commitment to providing more beneficial interactions then harmful interactions because the dog has very little freedom or choice in daily activities.

• Teamwork is an evolutionary process that involves history, is influenced by the economy or value, and driven by the culture or rules that you live by.  In order to have true teamwork, all participants must receive a benefit of some sorts from the activities that you do together.  

• Cooperation in activities is essential to achieve common goals as a team.  All common goals can be broken down into one of these categories; games/fun, learning activities, being safe together, defending or taking care of each other.

Here are a few other blogposts that might help you determine if this workshop is right for you. Click on the title of each blog post below to read the full blog.

Understanding the K9 Bond

I get asked quite often, "How can I make my dog choose ME instead of other things in the environment?"  The very first step in building a better bond with your dog, is understanding bonding from your dog's perspective. Dogs that seem to struggle the most with bonding issues are adolescents (6-18 months) due to the brain changes going on during the adolescent stage, including fear periods, high distractibility, & low impulse control.  

 

The Human-Dog Bond

What does it mean to have a healthy Human-Dog bond?  Every dog lover knows that dogs can enrich our lives and make us happier, healthier, and more compassionate.  Science has proven that dogs have a calming effect on their owners whether that's in the form of snuggling on the couch or being the watcher of the house while we sleep.  And if your reading my posts, there is a pretty good chance you are a dog lover!  It doesn't take much for us to think of ways that our dogs improve our lives.  

Confidence and Bonding

If you've spent any time around dogs, you've probably noticed that some dogs are more confident then others.  Some of this is genetic and breed specific, for example an Aussie that has great herding instincts might seem confident managing the "herd" or a bloodhound might be confident in a nosework activity.  But confidence can also be developed outside of the instincts the dog is born with.  In my years of working with rescue dogs, it was very apparent that some dogs need a huge, loving dose of confidence.  And many trainers will share various confidence building techniques as there are a ton of activities that can grow your dog's confidence.

 

Are You Overwhelmed?

Being overwhelmed is a common problem that many dog owners struggle to get passed.  Whether your current dog is more challenging then previous dogs, your current schedule is too much, or your health and well being is not where you'd like it to be.  All of these things lead becoming too overwhelmed to focus on training your dog.  This month my focus is on developing the bond with your dog, becoming the handler/dog team of your dreams.  In this post I'm going to talk about that deeper connection with your dog that you are looking for.  It may seem like the other posts all point to things you may be doing wrong with your dog training.  But this post is going to focus on what you are doing right with your dog training.  Because I'm 100% sure that if you've found your way to my site, that you ARE doing some things right with your dog!  And I'm pretty sure your already doing the #1 action that is most likely to help improve your human-dog bond and develop the teamwork you've always wanted.

And if you are still not convinced,

• Read this Building A Better Bond Client Review
• Read the Prelude to the 2021 Building a Better Bond Workshop
• Contact me at yooperpaws@gmail.com with questions.

You can register for the Building a Better Bond Workshop at the Crazy2Calm website!