At Busy Pawz, we believe that every dog has a brain full of potential. Inside that brain are building blocks—what we call skills—that shape how your dog reacts to different situations. Your dog’s personality, or their strengths and weaknesses, plays a big role in how they respond to the world around them.
Let’s take an example: a working kelpie that disengages from his flock of sheep wouldn’t be very useful to a farmer. But a kelpie who can disengage from sheep during a walk in the park is a fantastic companion! The key difference here is the situation—your dog’s natural personality might be ideal for one environment but not as suitable for another.
This is where skills-based training comes in. Instead of trying to change your dog’s behaviour during stressful moments, we work on developing their skills outside of the situation. That way, when your dog faces the same scenario again, they’ll have the tools to make better choices.
For example:
A herding dog who needs to stay focused on sheep will play games to build FOCUS, keeping them engaged in their work.
Meanwhile, a dog that gets easily distracted by sheep on their morning walk will play games to develop DISENGAGEMENT, teaching them to stay calm and ignore distractions.
While each dog may have different struggles, they also have unique strengths—like RESILIENCE or FLEXIBILITY—which are just as important as their challenges.
"Every behaviour struggle is driven by a gap in certain skills, or more accurately, a lack of specific skills. The good news is, we can change and build those skills."– Busy Pawz
The incredible part about skills is that they can always be improved! But it’s up to us, as dog owners, to help our dogs develop the abilities they need. If we don’t actively work on building these skills, the environment will step in and shape them for us—often in ways we don’t expect.
How Do We Develop Skills?
We play GAMES!
At Busy Pawz, our training is built around fun and effective games that help your dog learn the skills they need to thrive in a variety of situations. It’s not about just fixing one behaviour; it’s about giving your dog the tools to make smart choices on their own.
Thanks for reading! We hope you found this post helpful. Don’t forget to throw your dog a treat from all of us!
Deb & the Busy Pawz Crew
P.S. If you’d like to work with me to better understand your dog and create a happier life together, click here—I’d love to help!
Comments