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Leadership is definitely important, to some extent, for all dogs, (temperament, breed, and current behavioral problems…even as minor as entitlement, are factors to consider) taking orders from someone who is not a leader doesn’t make sense. If your client has mobility issues and there is a potential safety risk, this is something to take more seriously as the dog is sexually maturing.
Creating a mind and body connection: Dogs thrive when they are given the opportunity to connect mind and body in problem solving tasks that they can complete. They gain self confidence by overcoming fears and confidence in their handlers by overcoming fear with the encouragement and support of their loved ones.
Giving their brain exercise is so important and can help them expand their minds! It also helps prevent them from developing behavioral side effects related to lack of stimulation, and fear regarding variables in the environment (destructive chewing, obsession with toys, chasing shadows, problems focusing in higher stimulus situations or when excited).
Think of it like this….what is the first thing therapists suggest for people overcoming anxiety or other emotional or physical limitations? They suggest playing a sport, working out, having to think about where your body is in space while engaging with your environment. It makes us exponentially better at handling stress, relationships, generalizing learning and soothing/preventing anxiety (drive balance), coordination, and courage in trying new things, than if we did not do physically and mentally stimulating activities. Doing things like this to prevent “needing” to do them is a great part of a training and relationship building plan ESPECIALLY if the owner has mobility issues and you may be the only source of it.
The Vomeronasal (Jacobson) organ drill is a very primal usage of the dogs talents, and it is the coolest thing to help them build. They push moisture into the organ cavity on the roof of their mouths into their sinuses where they can break down and separate odor. Pet dogs don’t always have the opportunity to do this (other than with urine deposits from other dogs) unless we provide it.
I don’t have a lot of public videos but I do have a ton of “productive play”on my client FB page and you are more than welcome to join!
