Hello y’all! I do apologize for taking so long but I have finally uploaded the predation substitution games from the presentation as separate videos with one of my dogs. We had some funky weather, storms, new dogs arrive, household stuff to catch up and learn the new device I bought to help me with recording. It is a nifty little device and so far I like it much better. Please feel free to leave feedback on the videos. There will be more coming and those will probably be behind a subscription but I will still provide some free content as well. The videos can be found under the Anti Predation Substitution Presentation.

In the working canine world we are the types of people that want the high drive “crazy” dogs. The dogs that are ball crazy, the dogs that want to go outside, the dogs that can take a 30 second nap and then go again for hours. Even for the working canine world we still would like our dogs to have an “off switch” and we should understand the benefit of our dog having one. It is important to teach your dog how to relax and decompress because, just like us, they benefit from some quiet down time. If you have the luxury and ability to live somewhere that isn’t super chaotic then half of the battle is already done for you. I am a big believer in balance in all aspects of life and that includes my dog’s life. We want to have the right level of “dopamine addict” in our working dogs. We need to have the confidence that they can cope with our busy days or travel days where we may not have the time we would like to satisfy their high energy and not eat the walls. A few suggestions for decompression ideas might include: - a stuffed KONG or other chew toy (in their kennel if they find that a safe and relaxing space) - playing some soft music while so this can become a cue to start winding down - a lick mat with some dog safe peanut butter (no xylitol – will cause glucose to crash) or other dog safe food such as wet food or plain yogurt - taking them on a sniffari (preferably somewhere quiet if you are able) - snufflemat with some treats or their food (nothing to exciting) - short and calm walk (in an area with little to no distractions that your dog finds stimulating) What do you do for your dogs on the days you are unable to meet their needs or just know they would benefit from some relaxation? Please share so others may learn as I’m sure there are plenty more that we can do for our dogs that I didn’t include in this list.