Oh I love this! I absolutely will be incorporating the chin rest preset. Thank you.

Diggy I see raised wagging tail, ears forward and sniffing. Bean I see ears back, squinting eyes and lip licking.

count me in 🐕

🎸whoot!

My mentor suggested Coaching People To Train Their Dogs by Terry Ryan. I did not read through the whole thing to prep but I love this book – it covers everything and short simple segments to refer back to. I will say I laughed when it arrived as its about half as big as the CATCH Master program study guide.

Thank you! I can’t imagine preparing for it without CATCH!

Hah! My dog is a pro trader. Now her theiving is very much a request for attention. She doesn’t care about the object – in fact she handles it with care now (generally). She will take the same typical shoe of my mothers and flop it around loudly in front of us. Louder tossing and flopping if ignored. She became so good at trades for a treat… Read more

Brilliant! Love this idea. I hope to catch up/ keep up.

4s. Brindle steps in front of bulldog in response to look away

7s. Brindle wags tail in response to human correction “eheh”

8s. Brindle looks to human and continues wagging tail (subjective: Brindle appears to be utterly adorable trouble maker)

I studied by using the study topics list provided by ccpdt and used it to review what I wasnt 100% on. Then, since I had typed up the questions and my answers for all the CATCH study guides I printed them out and quick read through all. I will say I used the entire test time 3hrs 15m with 55 seconds to spare before hitting submit but I had… Read more

Thanks – Wonderful to be back! I updated my whereabouts while missing on my profile 🙂

Reward is praise and treat. Next step could be taking the used tissue and dropping in the garbage can. Way to go Ginger!

6 sec. I see the bulldog shift his weight back as brindle moves into him. Next he moves head and neck forward and left to sniff while body remains in same position.

Im curious to hear how others weigh in on this issue….

My first instincts tell me that the dog may need more space and time to adjust to their attention if she has only had two weeks home and is 3 years old (was she /how long was she in a shelter?). She may enjoy the attention but be getting overly aroused by it. Outdoors there could be a…

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Thank you! I appreciate the encouragement from you and @Catherine , especially to take opportunities to practice scripts and language we would use with clients. I will keep this in mind as a great way to learn and sharpen skills moving forward. Your highlights and summaries of valuable dialogue and comments are very useful!

Interesting point. I think the key difference is what happens after the Kong is removed. Does the dog get ignored or get enriching interactions with the owner? If the dog has a good interaction awaiting as an exchange for the Kong they may happily give it up.

Gut health! Thank you for this. Any suggestion on a bee pollen serving/dose?

Finding her “goodnight” ball of treats hidden in the house is still Freya’s favorite game. And yes a confidence booster!

I started hiding them out of reach and her instinct was to sit and ask for it which she now does anytime its not an easy grab.

She looks to my body for clues and its hard not to help her cheat but I do use vocal tones…

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Yes! Step by step finding the exact trigger (noted). Thank you for summarizing all the right steps taken. What a motivating success!

*she was rescued at 3.5 – 4mo

I feel this. I have been having the hardest time with my rescue and eating for the last year+. She is high energy, nervous and was a street dog from PR. We finally got her eating instinct raw frozen and instinct kibble but not always on her own. She is very distracted and only eats a bite or two at a time but also wont eat alone in a… Read more

lol 🤣 same. I prefer when “my trainer” does actual sessions instead of just working on the fly.

Hi Ginger! I am in NJ also (Somerset Co) and a CATCH student. Glad to meet you.

Hi Kate! Wow you have done so much and gained a lot of experience bringing yourself along on your journey. Kudos! I look forward to learning from you and hearing about your experiences. Welcome!

Hi Nicole! I am looking forward to learning from you and your experience/expertise. Glad you are on board. 🙂

Great to meet you Maiya! I wish I had gotten started so young! I’m just getting started and a CATCH student. Welcome!

Hi Olivia! Adorable pups. I am curious about agility, I hope you can share some of what you do with your pups. My dog and I are very, very low key climbing stone or wood chip piles or jumping on or over tree logs. I would love to get a little more formal. Welcome to Digging dogs!

Nice! tying to secure it is smart! My dog seems to like the liki-bowl better than a lick matt. The wobble motion is a challenge I suppose.

oh and butt scratches are always welcome. I think I will try to reintroduce the consent concept to the rest of the fam!

Thanks for sharing! My dog likes chest pets and will let us know if she is enjoying it by tapping our hand if we stop (she especially likes this in the car since its soothes her and she isnt a fan of rides). A while back I reached out to pet her head and paused to test/ read her reaction and with that moment of hesitation it was very clear… Read more

👋👀👀👀

I am a trainer and CATCH student. I notice a lot of trainers are also sitters and walkers though.

How long have you been running your sitting business?

Yes this is exactly what I want/need to nerd out on! Looking forward to it.

lots of curvy bodies and wagging tails…

Somerset County! Warren Township – we are not far apart 🙂

Factors at play might be weather, smells, energy levels, age, playmates.

Freya’s standard preferred enrichment is “playing basketball” – we all think this “game” she made up is silly and makes no sense but it’s her absolute favorite so we comply, but say “its so and so’s turn” and try to pass it off to someone else when we see the basketball…

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Wonderful script and it doesn’t feel indirect as gentle as it is. Another take on the same script might be Because I have the advantage of viewing it on video, I am able to see some behavior more clearly and I notice…

Yes! Great idea. There is also asking for a “wait” before entering and exiting the door/threshold.

Thank you! I definitely need practice fearlessly sharing – especially videos, so the encouragement is appreciated. Now I just need you to come to my house and encourage me to take the time out from the grind and do those enjoyable training things! 😁😁

Lol that is great! Yes I must plan this tasting session. Last night she was in class and I saw her eyes light up huge when I opened the bacon bag (a new one). I love all the cues our dogs give – the alertness level, the way and speed in which they take the treat, mouth reaction – to tell us how much they are being paid.

Hello Claudia, YESSS a swimming pool for dogs! The dream! I hope to open a business sometime after graduating and look forward to you sharing your experiences. Welcome! Cute pups – and I will look into some stinky blue cheese!

Hello Everyone! I’m so grateful to be a part of this special group. I learned a ton from the first Beta go-around and can say that participating is definitely worth it. I’ve incorporated so many things in my training that I exclusively picked up from Digging Dogs. I am a CATCH student in NJ and have shared more details in my profile “about…

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Hi Debra! I love hearing so many people with successful dog businesses here. I’m still a CATCH student and hoping to learn a lot about how to handle a business from the rest of you! Welcome!

Hi Cliff! Bear is very lucky. Welcome!

Hi Amy! I am a current CATCH student in NJ and have been going to Toms River since I was a kid – back then we would go all summer. Nice to meet you. Welcome!

aha yes!

Yes my dog definitely uses it as a type of stress or pent up energy release.

Freya has just advanced her seemingly random and senseless digging (for sniffing and expelling excesss energy) to chew toy burying. She tries to do this secretly. We watched her spend at least two entire days burying her yak chew then un-burying it and re-burying it in a new part of the yard over and over again. (She had no interest in…

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