Happy Friday!!!
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We love this video from @clickstartdogacademy on building recall with adolescent dogs in a novel environment. They take an adolescent golden retriever and an adult golden retriever to a rented sniffspot with plenty of space to sniff, explore, dig, and play — and their approach is a great example of smart antecedent arrangement in action.
Rather than asking for recalls right away, they give the dogs time to settle into the environment first. Once a space isn’t quite so novel, your reinforcers have a much better chance of competing with all that exciting stuff. The presence of the older dog — who has a solid recall — is also doing some quiet work in the antecedent picture. Dogs often follow other running dogs, so watching an experienced dog run to their person can make it more likely the younger dog will too, which means more opportunities to contact the reinforcer (treats!).
Recall is one of my absolute favorite things to teach. If you want to go deeper, we have a full guide in our Substack.
Every once in a while, the internet introduces us to a dog who seems to have cracked the code on happiness.
Meet Ollie, a Jack Russell Terrier from San Diego whose favorite hobby appears to be soaking in a hot tub. And before you ask: yes, there are receipts. Ollie’s entire Instagram feed is essentially a celebration of his spa lifestyle.
How did this start? We have no idea. Maybe he followed his humans into the water one day and discovered that warm water plus bubbling jets equals perfection.
For other dogs, a hot tub would likely be a nightmare. This is a great reminder about how individual reinforcement is and that it doesn’t always come from us. While I cannot magically make a hot tub appear for my dogs, I am always thinking about ways to enrich their environments.
If you’ve been following us for a while, you know we’re always on the lookout for simple ways to reduce stress and be more present with our dogs.
This week we came across a post from @miriam_tinny about trying the viral TikTok “letter walk.” The concept is simple: as you walk, look for every letter of the alphabet in the world around you—on signs, tree branches, shadows, fences, cracks in the sidewalk, wherever your imagination takes you.
What we loved most wasn’t the activity itself, but Miriam’s honest reflection on how it changed her experience of the walk. She said she found herself covering far less ground and noticing way more.
This is one of the coolest things about being human. We can play these little games with ourselves and fundamentally shift our behavior and how we feel. This game is really just shifting contingencies on the walk and that can dramatically change the look and feel of the walk. I think it’s so cool that you can travel the same ground and orient to such different stimuli as a result of a simple mind game.
The comments were full of creative variations, but this one was our favorite:
“When I go for walks I look for cats in windows... there are so many delightful surprises and treasures in people’s apartments and windowsills and sometimes a happy warm curious cat.”
Whether you’re searching for letters, spotting neighborhood cats, or counting rabbits, there’s something refreshing about giving your brain a gentle scavenger hunt while your dog sniffs – especially if you want to shift how you are feeling or thinking on that walk.
Have you ever tried something like this on a walk? We’d love to hear your version.
We love this idea for simple at-home dehydrated apple treats. The author @furever_healthy claims that the teeth will help your dog’s breath, gut and teeth. We’re eager to try these. If you make them, be sure to tag us to let us know what you and your dog think.
You’ve seen them: the little signs asking dogs not to pee on the grass.
This week, @thehonestvet shared a thoughtful carousel unpacking what these signs may be trying to communicate—and whether they’re actually accomplishing their intended goal.
As expected, the comment section quickly turned into a neighborhood ethics seminar.
One commenter pointed out that rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, deer, neighborhood cats, and countless other animals aren’t exactly known for respecting lawn signage.
I 100% am with the sentiment of wanting to make space for dogs to exist in our world, and I also just don’t think it’s actually that hard to keep dogs off of the few lawns that have these signs. What do I know though?
So we’re curious: when you see one of these signs, do you steer your dog elsewhere, or do you keep walking as usual?
Tell us where you land in the comments. 🍿
They’re actually more about bonding with your dog and finding joy through learning than achieving perfection. Join us.
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We Love Y'all,
— TOC
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