Next round of Cooperative Care and Fit Dog Classes continue later this week!
Introducing the bucket Game for cooperative Care
The idea with the bucket game is we teach our dogs to focus on a dish containing treats, and once we finish the task, we let our dogs eat the treats from the bucket.
What makes the Bucket Game different that simply distracting with food, is that the food becomes reinforcement for the task, rather than becoming a possible cue to a behavior they don’t want. I know of many dogs who instantly shut down and worry when they see a spoon of peanut butter because they have learned that if they lick it, something they don’t like will happen. So instead we want the dog aware of what is happening before we proceed and offer food and we want the task to equal food instead of the food equaling task. So essentially it’s a timing thing that makes all the difference to the dog being in control of the situation and feeling a sense of agency vs feeling snuck up on and learning not to trust food.
For class have ready:
Treats, Medium to High value
A small dish your dog can eat from
A step stool or something you can place the food on that elevates it around chest high for your dog (we want it easy to see and easy to reach)
If you have an easy worrier - practice first letting your dog eat treats from that dish on the ground and then on the raised surface so during class you know they are ok eating from it.
Here is an example of using the Bucket Game to help Leo get comfortable with Dremeling his nails
His watching the Bucket is my signal to proceed
If he looks away I stop
You will see lead up videos in class on how to start teaching this, you can head to the Cooperative Care modules to see more videos on using the Bucket Game.
Have you been following along with our Fit Dog Classes? If you are on the FB group we also have a group of folks helping each other to get and stay motivated to exercise with our dogs with monthly virtual events! If you didn’t attend the first Fit Dog class, you can still join in if you head to the recorded zooms and catch up with the first class.
This week we will be looking at the Kick Back Stand, Spins, Cookie Stretches and more. Visit Week 2 & 3 on the Fit Dog modules for more details on exercises we will work on together. Remember Fit Dog classes are for normal healthy dogs looking to get more fit and confidence with their bodies, this is not a rehab class or designed for dogs recovering from injuries. If you are not sure if your dog is healthy for the class be sure to consult with your Veterinarian.
