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Enrichment and Confidence Building for Any Dog
Are you looking for more enrichment and confidence building options? I have been learning about ACE Free Work, created by UK trainer Sarah Fisher.
ACE stands for Animal Centred Education (Sarah’s business), and one of her ideas is to create a course for your dog to explore obstacles, novel objects, different substrates to walk on, boxes and towels with treats, and snuffle mats, to name just a few. Your dog can then choose what she’d like to interact with.
Ideally, this is set up in a fenced area so the dog can be off leash and able to move freely and in whatever direction she wants. This builds confidence because it allows the dog to make her own choices.
Here’s a video of WildeBean giving it a try. I was surprised how long she stayed engaged, even when treats were gone. We both love this idea!! ????
Let’s brainstorm about things we can include in a similar course for our dogs – Bean and I would love some more ideas!
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4 Replies
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She stayed engaged a really long time. Like, “Who put their stuff in my yard!”
So fun.
I often scatter feed my girls in the backyard. I’ll try tossing some new things out there next time and see what curiosity this inspires.
Thanks for the idea!
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I enjoyed your video and Miss Bean is such a great model! Like an obstacle course of treat stations and she was all about it!!!
I love the ladder idea. Dogs need a confidence boost anyway around metal objects and ladders look scary when they are upright. What a cool idea to lie it on the ground and scatter treats.
Here’s an idea along those lines…an umbrella, closed up, on the ground and another, opened up, (maybe staked into the ground, handle side and obviously it would need to be a still day)…dogs need a confidence boost around this utilitarian object we often use!
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@bernerlabreclectus , an umbrella is an EXCELLENT addition!!
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