Training Around Deer with CoolWhip (Big Distraction!) (Patreon)

Quick video of me taking advantage of the deer distractions I encountered at this park when I got out of the car. You can't see them until around one minute when they run away (they are white tail deer and you can see their tails bounding away). There's also some off-screen that you will see Whip watching at one point in the video. 

Whip LOVES to chase animals including deer. There were lots of deer at this park and when I saw them in the distance I knew it was a good opportunity to work with her on attention, under threshold, at a distance she could be successful at. But you better believe she knew they were there!  

You can see that during this minute-long training session (it only took a minute!) she gets faster at redirecting to me. Notice I don't ask her to look at me. I want her to choose to do that on her own, and there is no risk or downside to holding the training session that way, as she was on a long-line. Ultimately, I want my dogs to check in without being prompted so I'm much more likely to play these kind of games over asking for attention. 

You can also see here that Whip's body language is uncomfortable (tail slightly tucked, a little condensed, ears back frequently). I believe there were two reasons for this. One was she doesn't love frosty wet grass (we call it "icky feet!") and another was later in that walk we encountered a pack of either off-leash dogs, or coyotes (we didn't stick around to find out!), and I believe she had already scented them. 

During our walk we did encounter lots of deer, and I was able to call her back to me and reinforce for that recall off the herds of deer. The simple game we got out of the car and played helped prepare her and focus her for our off-lead walk together. 

And again, it only took a minute! Great one to play with your pup in a new location, especially when distractions are at a safe distance which makes it easier for your dog to be successful and connect with you. 

Here's a step by step video on how to play the game: https://youtu.be/SFTDHi6QCR8