This is lovely to hear. My dog decides where we go on walks ( within safe limits) and when he wants the walk to end. People say 'you let that dog be the boss' but it's always felt right, and my dog still listens to me. It feels like more of a collaboration than a hierarchy, which works for us.
@kikopup8 ай бұрын
i like the idea of calling it a collaboration :)
@CosmicCarbuncle6 ай бұрын
Recently took on a border collie mix puppy who spent a lot of time in a crate before me. Whenever she was out, she could NOT settle and was so overstimulated by everything. 6 months later and giving her choices in life has made such a huge difference. She can settle easily in the house and no longer spends any extended time in the crate as she can live peacefully in our home, even when we are away. She enjoys daily off leash sniffy walks (with good recall) that have helped calm her mind and body. She has turned out to be an AMAZING dog and the help I've had from your channal has been critical in making that happen.
@Smokeybluetheraccoon7 ай бұрын
SO so true! I feel like this gets neglected or downright ignored in dog training. Thank you for highlighting this!
@jjsolly50398 ай бұрын
Hi Emily, this is really important. I have also heard it called "agency." Even just waiting at the back door for that evening potty followed by "smell-a-vision" as my pup checks out the night air. I have learned to just be patient & wait. Due to wild critters I never leave her, but just hang out and let Ruthie decide she's ready to come in. She's such a blessing, it's the least I can do to be on her time then! In Christ's Love, JJ & Ruthie😊🐕🦺💕✝️🙏
@inugami-d53558 ай бұрын
Having been watching your videos for... 14 (?) years, I find it fantastically interesting how we have some many similar ways of doing things now. The specific point that made me really spot this was when you explained pointing at a random spot on the floor and acting interested! I do this with my behaviour clients ALL the time and they are shocked it works :P You are wonderful Emily!
@PiaRavenari8 ай бұрын
'Go sniff' has been such a game-changer for our puppy. I realised I was really unrealistic in expecting a puppy to be able to handle loose leash walking (and worse, heeling) all the time, and ended up reading some Turid Ruglaas and went to a looser / longer leash and let him have more decisions on our walk provided he didn't pull hard (at which point we stopped, paused, and turned / changing direction. We found that giving him treats beforehand when he was walking on a loose leash made him shoot off like a rocket, so this is an area where we've had to reward the least with treats to get improvement, as weird as it sounds). We saw huge results though. After that we introduced a strong 'go sniff' command, and now it's like everything's clicked together. He knows he gets to make his own decisions completely for a while, and we know he'll be more likely to be polite with us on the walk because he trusts it's not just what we're doing non-stop. We've found he's more responsive to commands when out and about even for a very excitable, nervous dog, and it's also helped a lot with his confidence. He knows we trust him to make his own decisions, and he knows we'll follow and support him doing that, and we get to know he's happier exploring sections of the park/s on his terms, and not just ours. It feels more fulfilling for all of us that way! So hopefully we all continue to learn more (and my expectations stop being so demanding!) going forwards.
@yogiyoda8 ай бұрын
My dog would make lots of bad choices in many situations, but I try to give her safe opportunities for freedom whenever I can. It's harder to find spots in the city because she isn't dog social
@kikopup8 ай бұрын
cities are hard. yeah i make bad choices too haha
@Curry_Alejo8 ай бұрын
I remember giving my pup freedom of choice when I first received her. I bought many toys and a small crate but never closed the door so she can decide if she wants to go in there or not. Doing so really built a lot of trust with my doggo. And although I give her all the freedom in the world she always looks to me for confirmation on a lot of things for both safety and respect. Especially when it comes to getting on the bed, saying hello to people, and hell even barking lol I’ve been subscribed to this channel ever since I got her 5 years ago and I’ve learned quite a lot.
@ShainO88 ай бұрын
I love letting my dogs go on a sniffari. It's good to hear a trainer recommend giving freedom.
@kikopup8 ай бұрын
yeah, honestly i didnt think to make a video like this, because I felt like it was common knowledge but now seeing videos popping up that are to the contrary that dogs shouldnt have choices...
@ShainO88 ай бұрын
@@kikopup I definitely think your view is the best! I'd hate for someone to make every decision for me.
@mobstercrow75158 ай бұрын
When I crate trained my dogs, I made sure they had a crate that was a lot bigger than it should be. I kept a kong and a lick mat inside of the crate, as well as their favorite toys and a blanket. They were only crated during their naps, and at night time. Once they were potty trained, I left the door open so they could go in if they wanted. I always made sure that my puppies went for a walk, did some training, and played right before bed time. If they ever woke up during the night, they could play with their toys, lick their kong or lick mat, or dig in a blanket. They never had accidents in the crate! The crate was 2 times longer than my first puppy, Lola. Sadly, my second puppy was 6 months old when we got him and he was the size of our boxer so we couldn't find a giant crate 2 times larger than him, we used a playpen instead. Lola was afraid of the crate at first so I put her food inside of the crate towards the very front, and her water was next to the crate. I moved her food in a little further each day until she was fully inside, then she started to LOVE the crate because of the blanket inside. She loved sleeping under it and rolling on it!
@marieb52518 ай бұрын
Excellent video, the kind of content I look for as a regular dog owner.
@kikopup8 ай бұрын
yay! I spent about a decade training trainers, so i am trying to get back to creating info for dog owners without making it indigestible
@Jamie-8138 ай бұрын
Thank you! I'm only 45 seconds in and already I would agree. This is what I've seen with my mini aussie. He's 11yo now, but he's always needed help co-regulating due to his anxiety. However, over the years I've been trying to give him the choice to walk away when he sees another dog and gets excited. I'll wait and call for him to come, and more often than not he'll make the decision on his own to walk away. Then of course he gets a treat. Recently, for the last years or so, I've been walking with him on a flexi-leash though, and giving him even more freedom to make his own decisions on a walk. His reactivity has reduced a lot and he'll even stop to look at a dog and turn back to me unprompted to get a treat. It's so good to see him thrive as I've given over control and opened up to trusting him to make good decisions. I've realized just how confined his life in the city is, so giving him the freedom of a flexi-leash has been fantastic for both of us.
@wildatheart77048 ай бұрын
Hiyas, thanks for sharing this great tip about choices for our dogs, your collies are beautiful, take care UK 🇬🇧
@kikopup8 ай бұрын
awe thanks!
@eyjayy8 ай бұрын
rly helpful framework for thinking about this! im gonna look for videos of yours about creating/shaping that default behavior.
@kikopup8 ай бұрын
For the loose in the house I think I talk about it in this video - kzbin.info/www/bejne/h2W8f4aQp9eNbJosi=bAlZbOk2AQDXUnID the rescue puppy in the video died at the er becuase of Covid I was not allowed to see him and I think his issue was misdiagnosed and he died from the treatment… :( so I’ve not been able to watch the videos he’s in but I think it’s in this video
@eyjayy8 ай бұрын
@@kikopup sorry for your loss 😞💕 ty for the link that’s rly helpful!
@MinaMaksova8 ай бұрын
Dream 🤍
@kavitalevel38 ай бұрын
I didn't realize this needed to be said! My dog is young and very curious, and determined to eat everything, so he's gotten sick quite a few times from our hikes. People criticize me occasionally for working him on a long leash, but they don't seem to get that I'm doing it to teach him his default behaviors when he is young so he can have more freedom by degrees, safely. Dogs do need guidance before being given total freedom. They’ll say "It seems like a shame he can't be free" or "so you think he'll just bolt from you immediately?" as if I am cruel for ever having him leashed, rather than understanding the concept of building skills so he can be more and more free. It's pretty offensive, actually.
@thediscodogz8 ай бұрын
2:31 the dog on the sofa has a heart shape on his leg ❤😮
@bugbean55008 ай бұрын
I became quite creative with giving my dog as many choices as possible, no matter how small they might be. I put different types of chews in one box because I live in a small space and instead of just giving one to him, he gets to pick whichever he wants out of the box himself. He always takes time to sniff different parts before taking one, sometimes he even comes back to quickly get another one 😂
@christophbader37138 ай бұрын
What a lovely video. Helpful as usual, but this one has been more like just enjoyable.
@trickberto13588 ай бұрын
Do you have a community to discuss your training?? I’m running into a lot of problems with my dog and have no idea how to troubleshoot
@LorenzoWake8 ай бұрын
This is awesome. I really would love a structured step-by-step Kikopup-approved puppy program to follow. I love these YT vids, but I need structure. What to do on Day 1, in Week 1, different things to teach them, etc :) Specific q on this: I'm going to be travelling a lot, so need to crate train. But I get this too, this agency. How best to balance?
@itlitlitl68 ай бұрын
Thanks for that. About the dogs bed that epic lays.. do you recommend? Good for border collie as well? And which brand is it?
@kikopup8 ай бұрын
I chose it because 1 cheap 2 the surface is easy to remove dog hair from 3 washable 4 - has a zipper- this smaller one I put a heating pad in 5 I like the walls of it don’t get smooshed - like others I’ve bought downside- the bed is washable but there is no area to remove the wall only the bottom pad- so my washing machine struggles with the larger beds- I’m sure they are going to break it one day. www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0B3HXHHN3?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
@Traebert8 ай бұрын
Nice!
@manolopapas8 ай бұрын
Great video
@joannaycwang27068 ай бұрын
❤
@doglabdogtraining-gus.88738 ай бұрын
Constructional approach
@AndyHibberd8 ай бұрын
Very good. Please write a book/articles so your philosophy is preserved and spread easily. It's a new and progressive paradigm in dog psychology/behaviour/relationship with us. 😊
@inaecht8 ай бұрын
If you want to add a scientific explanation, look up for Bowlby's and Ainsworth's Attachment Theory. It's already well approved for animals as well.
@abdumalikov78 ай бұрын
Brave warrior 85
@drewflanagan42968 ай бұрын
Don't go chasing waterfalls please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to
@Moagie18 ай бұрын
I'm sure you're fully aware that I sang that in my head
@inaecht8 ай бұрын
It's kind of sad, that you have to mention the importance of having degrees of freedom. 😢 That should be a given thing for every family member combined with consistent everyday rules for a peaceful living together. Well, I hope many people get you message.