Murphy people and dog watching 

19th December 2022

Another road trip for Mr. Murphy, down to the local park. Mr. Murphy can be a little socially awkward with other dogs (although he seems to love the ladies) so we are doing some work around seeing other dogs.

When we are working to help dogs who are socially awkward it is important to ensure we do not overload them with stimuli. We deliberately choose quiet periods to visit the park so they can just observe calmly and not feel they need to react.

We also use distance, working at a distance where the dog can observe calmly. 

Murphy uses his nose - a lot - when he sees other dogs which is wonderful. We don't try to shovel treats down him, we don't speak and say it's ok, look at me etc. It is important that dogs can calmly observe the various novelty in the environment.

Today we had two dogs and two people together and Murphy was a superstar again.

Dog watching

Murphy likes to watch people too. Again, we just stand until he is ready to move on so he can learn about them. He loves meeting new people and is incredibly friendly and affectionate. 

Back to the kennels for a rest to process all that learning. Such a sweetheart.