What is a Drishti?

What is a Drishti?

 

Drishti is actually a sanskrit word (which I learned from my yogic studies) and it basically means ‘sustained focal point’... it’s used in the world of meditative arts because there’s an undeniable metaphysical shift in your body that takes place when you are able to skillfully sustain your focal point on something while simultaneously blocking out all other distractions... the result is deep presence along with a calm and tranquil mind.

Yesterday I showed up to train Blu, a 4 month Aussie Sheppard (regular training client) and to my surprise his best friend, a 7 month rotweiller pup was also there... both of them... in a 550 sq foot condo going bananas.. both parents were attempting to control them with their leashes on, and this was only making things worse.  They looked at me like dude, you’re the dog trainer, show us something.  

So I asked the humans to sit on the couch, unleash the dogs and let them loose....I have a tremendous appreciation for how fleeting a dog’s attention span is (in othe rwords, no ability to cultivate a drishti on their own).  I tapped into their sense of smell with some high value treats and for the next 20 minutes I kept repeating a sequence of 2 commands with a few variations... sit... follow me.

It’s not really about the commands... it’s more about ‘managing’ your dog’s drishti... through smell... and then harnessing that focus on ME for a sustained period.  

I think my clients were pretty impressed... after 20 minutes I was able to get their two unleashed pups to do a 30 second sit stay and I had perfect recall.  I should also mention that the once hyperactive puppies were so calm and focussed it was like they were coming home from a retreat.   

In short... my strategy was simple.  I was redirecting their attention on me, using sense of smell, while keeping them ‘under command’.  It helped that both breeds were working dogs, but I encourage you to try a technique like this with your own dog and let me know how it went.

$26.95 for daycare Sale!! Back to School Special.

$26.95 for Daycare, a $39 value. Unlimited Quantity available per customer.   Buy Now Offer expires Thursday Sept 4th.  This is an online special only and is also available in the store!   It's time to get ready for school! This is a great way to build up a bank of daycare days on file... like all of our daycare packages prepaid daycare never expires.   This is my favourite time of year for the business.   How do we ensure we provide the dogs with a creative curriculum?   Why do dogs love it here and get excited to come back?   Do the dogs just sit in that room all day!?!? This summer the daycare team and I have been coming up with some really creative programs that are going to set this year apart from what we’ve done in the past.   Some have already seen our newly developed a report card in an initiative to increase our communication with you about how your dog’s day is going, how his behaviour was today, what mood he was in, what his favourite activities are and what training, if any, might be useful in every day life. Be sure to check out our latest blog post, 5 Training Games Dogs Love at Woof & Shloof. Wishing everyone a wonderful long weekend, we are closed Monday for labour day.

Where should I go when you eat dinner, asks the dog.

It's day 5 of our 5 days of tips about "is your dog in your face for his grub"

This is the last day of our blog BUT not the last blog! We hope you and your pups had fun working on these training tips!

Make sure your dog has a place to go when you are eating. As a puppy it is hard to know where you are supposed to be at what time!

When you sit down to eat, whether it is at the kitchen table, the dining room table or the couch make sure your dog knows where his is supposed to be. This is going to keep that naughty beggar away and give him/her a job. I like using a bed, I can move it from place to place and it gives an exact area as to where my dog is supposed to be, also it’s consistent. Find a place, where you can see each other, and put your dog in a down stay position. It is going to take a while to establish this ground rule so don’t be surprised if your first few meals a interupted! Every time your dog gets up, your get up and put him back in “his spot” and go back to eating. After dinner, play the waiting game or reward him with a couple treats in HIS bowl.