Fun with Hounds (Lurcher and Grey )

We had a great walk today , have a new field to play in ! The grass is a bit long at the mo but being cut at the weekend , so good to let Tom play with his ball ! On long lines at the mo but recall fab today and for the first time recalled from a cat who was sat up a tree watching us !! The other news is Tom is now walking locally without a muzzle , I have been using the BAT technique and it is working a treat with him , so good to walk without stressing and see Tom without a muzzle , he still thinks about barking at other dogs but because I am switched on to what is happening it is so short lived it has given me the confidence to carry the muzzle with me but not put it on as a default. I will never be complacent about this but the progress he has made is such a good feeling and he is starting to be the fab dog he is outdoors as well as indoors !

A few pics from today !





















Thanks for looking !

what beautiful dogs you have and well done to Tom.

Thanks and Tom has done so well in the last year, been a lot of work but he is worth it !

Really great news about Tom, hopefully we will get to see the improvement on a walk soon

Lovely pics, the third one is really lovely of them together

Thanks Emma , yes a walk on the Chase would be good soon , maybe I will post at the weekend and see if we can agree a date , and hopefully Tom will keep progressing !

Lovely pictures! Glad to hear Tom is progressing nicely

Thanks , I am sure it will be 3 steps forward and one back but its progress ! He is enjoying life and thats whats important !

Aww Bless Lovely pictures Thanks for sharing x

Lovely pictures, both gorgeous as always

What's the BAT technique?

Thanks Mel , its Behaviour Adjustment Training, its the first thing thats made sense to me in terms of how Tom reacts and what the causes could be and how to address it. there is lots on the net about it , introduced with seminars to the UK by a lady called Grishsa Stewart, others may have views on how and if it works but its working for us so far !

A very high level summary is

BAT gives the dogs a chance to learn to control their environment through peaceful means. It’s very empowering to the dog, in a good way.

BAT uses functional and bonus rewards, combined with clicker training and systematic desensitization to help dogs make better choices in an error-free way