Re: BAT tips I dunno, I'd just keep doing what you have been doing. It's working. While I'm a fan of the whole idea that calming signals are meaningful, we still don't really know what's a displacement activity, what's "I'm stressed!!!", what's "chill out, dude, everything's cool!" and what's "leave me alone, please!". It's a bit of a guessing game with these subtle things, marking exactly the right behaviours.... I think it's easier to go for something unambiguous like an overall relaxed stance, or looking at you, or an absence of hackles up, barking and lunging.
Re: BAT tips Thanks Rachael. Good point. It is complicated when you think about it. For example sniffing the ground can be a calming signal but I guess could also be a displacement activity. Turning the head or turning their back on a dog can be a calming signal but I suppose could also mean leave me alone please. I will continue rewarding looking at me. Whatever else it might mean it certainly works to calm them down.
Re: BAT tips I walk with a friend and her Doberman who has issues with some dogs, Land Rovers and Helicopters, so I have been BATing him, like I don't have enough to do with Charlie :, anyway if I meet her in the village with Hattie, he always barks in her face and bounces all round the pavement which is extremely dangerous as he weighs 42 kilos and she is my size which is very small , when he was quiet and looked at me, treat he's a smart boy and now when he sees us coming he looks straight at me - perfect, no more bouncing. I have started doing the same with the Land Rovers and chasing Helicopters, but I can't convince my friend to give this a go even though she can see the results I have had success BATing Hattie too, there are 3 areas to practise along the road out of the village. First one is a lunatic Collie that bounces to look over a high wall which does freak Hattie out. I tell her "look at me" and we can manage to walk past leaping Collie, so this is helping. Moving further along there is a rather lively Boxer that charges at the gate, Hattie now slows right down on the approach looks at me and gets a sprat (love thos sprats Heidrun ), moving along the worlds largest dog barks from behind a large fence, again Hattie slows down looks at me and gets a sprat. If anyone is thinking about using this technique I can highly recommend it for youg or old dogs - it works!!! Thanks Jen. xxx
Re: BAT tips Brilliant Helen. Well done Hattie. Fabulous. ;D Where do you get the sprats Helen ? Think I could do with some of those and do you have a daily ration? It's a shame your friend won't try it. The Doberman sounds like he catches on quickly and it would make her walks so much easier. :-\ So pleased its helped. ;D
Re: BAT tips Hi Jen, Heidrun posted about the sprats and they are on www.marinerschoicepets.co.uk they still have buy 1kg get one free £25.00 + £6 P&P. Personally I think that is a lot for 2 dogs and they only have a 3 month shelf life, unfortunatley I was sent mine towards the end of June and will only last till end of August so a bit peeved about that, I reckon they might last longer than that. I don't know what the daily ration is but I only use them for retrieving, stop whistle and clicker retrieve and they do the trick
Re: BAT tips It's a miracle. Well not far off. It's definitely amazing. ;D This morning on our walk we caught up with Toby the whippet and and his owner forever now known as mrs whippet. :. We did our BAT just before we got to them. Toby is very calm and S&S behave very well with him but of course despite meeting her a number of times and being stroked by her mrs whippet is a stranger and we know what that means or should mean ! ??? As we got to them Scott went straight to her followed by scout. She automatically moved her hand to stroke them I was waiting for the bark. OMG NO BARK.!!!!! We walked along nicely with them and stopped at our lane she lives just passed it. Scott again went to her to be stroked. Scout was looking at Toby wagging like mad. Mrs whippet spoke to Scout so he went to her as well !!!! Scout never voluntarily goes to a stranger to be stroked. Scott ended up leaning against her leg while she stroked under his chin !!!!! Obviously I assumed there was either something wrong with my dogs or aliens had swapped them in the night. My dogs DONT behave like that. I still think I dreamt it. ;D
Re: BAT tips That is fantastic Jen you must be so proud of them. You have worked amazingly to get them where they are, so a pat on the back to you xx
Re: BAT tips BIG pat on the back ;D And Scott and Scout say they deserve an extra special treat Mum ;D
Re: BAT tips Thank you both very much. ;D Just for a few minutes it was like having 'real' Labradors.
Re: BAT tips Ah Jen, I read an in-depth report just this morning that there has been a mass outbreak of alien Lab-napping. Swapping them all over the place, it said. Praying hard that mine will be swapped before his gundog training lesson tomorrow! If you see the little green men, put in a word for me? ;D ;D ;D
Re: BAT tips We had a great result with the BAT, a Welsh Terrier was walking towards us on Saturday, Charlie greeted the little guy beautifully just having a little nose to nose sniff and immediately looked at David for a treat as if to say "didn't I do well". Hattie quickly got in on the act and got a treat too : xxx
Re: BAT tips Charlie sounds like he has excellent doggy manners. I can just imagine his face looking up at David. ;D. You've all done really well with the 'look at me' it sounds like its become second nature for Charlie. Yesterday we met Mr Mainroad. If you remember S&S arent usually keen on Mr Mainroad. We haven't seen him for awhile. Ive been using PAWS off Woody's Way website along with BAT. Well PAW because the S stands for stroke and with most people that would be a letter too far for S&S. : I asked him to stand still and he said he would ignore them. We walked straight towards him and S&S went right upto him and had a good sniff. They then sat nicely while we spoke not bothering even when he had to move nearer because of a car and moved his hands about talking !!! I gave them bits of fish when they looked at me. Scott even went to him again !!! At the weekend they actually chose to go straight to a lady we occasionally meet to be stroked !!! Scott kept going back for more and even Scout went back twice !!!! Each time they looked at me after they'd moved away as if they'd done something amazing and brave. ;D. Got lots of fishy treaty obviously. Don't know what it is about her but she must give off the right vibe. It was like having 'Real Labradors' .
Re: BAT tips Pippa put an article on The Labrador Site about Tracy Chapman and the work she does going around schools with her dog Woody educating children about interacting with dogs. Her web site is www.woodysway.co.uk On the website is Woody's PAWS rules. They are a set of rules actually for people telling them how to interact with dogs they don't know but it's also very good for dealing with nervous dogs. I'd already been doing something similar with S&S. Asking people to stand still, not making direct eye contact, letting the dogs approach them etc but it was really good to see it written down by a trainer as an actual training method. It would be easier if the people we meet knew PAWS rules rather than me having to call it out but never mind it works either way. ;D
