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S is for Skills – HoundTable Highlights from Kelsey Weber's SEED Schedule Talk!
????Those who attended yesterday’s HoundTable chat with Kelsey agreed: we needed more time! This is fun: we can continue the conversation right here in Digging Dogs.????
Kelsey created the SEED framework for helping pet owners work toward balancing their dogs’ needs: Skills, Exercise, Enrichment and Downtime. She emphasized that “balance” is a verb, not a state of being… so we are always “balancing” – little adjustments, then reassessing, then adjusting again.
First up is SKILLS – and oh, boy – do we trainers LOVE to teach skills!
But – can training be “too much”?
Watch this clip and then join the discussion:
How are you balancing skills training with your dogs?
Read Skills Clip #2 – Avoid Overwhelm
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15 Replies
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I appreciated that Kelsey stressed that not every piece of SEED needs to to be checked off as its own item or “box.” Teaching a new skill which also engages a dog’s sense of smell for example, can act as one activity that checks two boxes. I like to use nose work games to fulfill enrichment and skill or perhaps light agility to fulfill skill and exercise. These combos come in very handy on rainy days when no one wants a walk!
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Exactly right – this is where “multi-tasking” is great! ????
An exploratory walk in nature could include:
- Practicing recall (on a long line), auto-checkins, Watch/release – Skills
- 10-30 minutes of stretching muscles – Exercise
- Sniffing novel things – Enrichment
- And when you get home, they’re ready for a nap – Downtime!
So, tho it seems like a lot, it really can be simplified. It’s a nice way to check in and see if the dog’s needs are being met before trying to jump in with more complicated training plans for unwanted behavior.
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Wow! So cool! So bummed I missed it. Sounds like it was a great presentation! I love the SEED acronym.
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I’m so bummed I missed this. Is there a replay/recording of the full presentation that we can watch?
Thanks,
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Hi Gwen – we missed you too!
We’ll be posting a few highlights of this talk in the coming weeks. There’s no option to view the entire recording at this time, unfortunately. Enjoy the highlight videos we’ve already posted! They’ll always appear on our trending page.
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Thank you so much for this amazing HoundTable. I have a new 5-month-old puppy, Goose, with oodles of energy and avoidance to down time. I love applying SEEDS throughout the day to manage his physical and intellectual needs and scheduling in downtime. It’s been a lifesaver! A great tool for dog trainers to help clients for sure. Thank you Catherine and Kelsey. I can’t wait for the next HoundTable!
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I guess I am not technologically capable enough to post an image…????
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Yay! I figured it out
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I feel you, @Kat13 ! Glad you figured it out. Goose is an adorable pile of gangly legs! Is he a shepherd?
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@virginiad we think he’s a shepherd lab mix. I’m having him DNA tested in a couple weeks. I’ll post the results. Here’s another angle of his adorable little monster face.
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Oops I think I sent a video instead. Gosh I don’t even know what I sent lol!
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Gorgeous! Can’t wait for the DNA reveal.
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@Kat13 He’s beautiful! Can you post these photos in the Breed Discovery channel and then challenge everyone to guess?! You can then do the “big reveal” once you have the DNA back! ????
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Love this training! Thanks for sharing info
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