dog training yourself Archives - Epic Survival Secrets

June 3, 2022June 3, 2022

Bleed For Your Belgian Malinois

If You’re Not Willing To Bleed For Your Belgian Malinios, then you probably should not have one. Every week I get a scratch or two, sometimes several. They are totally innocent but they are a part of Flashes nature.

Do Belgain Malinois Bite?

Well, do bears shit in the woods? Of course they do, it is their nature. It is our job as trainers to direct the “bite work” constructively. If we cannot handle that, then we should not be training top dogs like Malingatiors!

Flashes Training

Since I got Flash, he has been doing remarkable things. Obstacle courses, fetching, Tug-tug and now this week I have him finding deer sheds. He is 100% successful and has just blew me away with how fast he picks things up.

Deer Shed Training

After watching several videos and training manuals, I decided to put Flash on deer sheds. This happens when a male deer sheds his antlers and leaves them on the forest floor.

I started out by putting the sheds throughout the field, then putting deer roast on them. Once he found a shed, he got a treat and a lot of praise from me. After a few times of that, then I took away the treat and just gave him praise. It worked! He loves to use his nose, and he loves to hunt! I will have videos on Flash performing this task soon.

May 17, 2022June 3, 2022

Hiking With My Belgian Malinois Around Home

Flash and I like to hike around home here since it is so beautiful. The people are exceptional and so is the scenery. I hear that hiking with our dogs though the forest really helps their senses and mindset.

Dog Senses Highened

I can see my dog’s senses being heightened as we hike through the forest. He smells coyote poop, bear skat deer and more. When he smells the distinct scents, I try to name them for him. I don’t know if this means much, but it does not hurt to associate a sound with a scent.

He loves running through the vegetation as well. He is tasting the grass, ferns, rocks, and dirt as we go. His sense of hearing is great as well. We both heard something snort in the forest at the same time. He was good though and never does he run off.

14 Weeks Old

I continually have to keep reminding myself that Flash is only 14 weeks old. Many older dogs could not compete with his talent and abilities. I want to continue to challenge him, but I do not want to over-train him either.

Natural Abilities of Belgian Malinois

Their natural abilities to understand and pick up on things quick are just blowing me away. It seems like everything I challenge him to do, he picks up on quickly. Thank goodness for YouTube where I can keep getting fresh ideas.

Supper Time

We left right after supper. There is nothing like a good hike after some beef stroganoff . I cooked it like grandma showed me and Flash even liked some of the burger, lol. 🙂

Pictures Of OUr Hike Today

Here are some pictures of our hike today, we hope you like them. 🙂

May 17, 2022May 17, 2022

Progress Made With My Belgian Malinois Puppy Flash

The progress I have made with my Belgian Malinois puppy, Flash, has been incredible. He is so smart that he seems to get bored and wants to go onto the next big thing.

Motivating Factors

Food is not his big motivator however, his toys and affection are his greatest incentive. Most of the time, he just snubs the food and it does not matter what it is. Liver, high quality tasty treats. I do not know if this will change with time, but I will keep posting his progress here.

Very Fast Obstacle Course

The obstacle course is becoming very easy for him. He flies through it, especially when I have one of his favorite toys. I do not give it to him until he finishes the course. He is actually faster than me when he runs through the course. It is my hope that I can keep challenging him.

Giving Things To Me

Flash’s biggest challenge is giving things back to me so I can either throw them or play with him again. I am trying out something new that I saw on a YouTube video where a guy has a leash and a tug toy {one of Flash’s favs} and he tugs for a while, then lets the dog win several times in a row. This seems to resolve the issue slowly. I will have to keep it up and see how long it takes. With our brief sessions only lasting 10 to 20 minutes, it’s hard to get too much down.

May 16, 2022May 17, 2022

Belgian Malinois Flash Glamour Shots

May 15, 2022May 15, 2022

Belgian Malinois 13 Weeks Old First Obstacle Course

I love training my Belgian Malinois puppy. This is his first obstacle course. Of course, it is not as fancy as other dog training courses out there, but he is nailing it. Basically, I take the things around my yard and try to assemble them into an obstacle course and it’s working!

Playing Fetch and The Risk

I realize that playing fetch may be a risk, but it is a chance that I will take for now that he is just a puppy. I am not sure if I will continue it when he gets older. The research I did shows possible injuries while playing fetch.

Food

My Belgain Melinois is not food motivated, but he loves his toys. So when I want to get him excited to do something, I bring out one of his favorite toys and include them in the training when I can. I try not to overdo it.

Dog Training Videos

I am watching tons of videos on dog training. Some I like and some I am reserved about. I am learning as much as Flash is during this process. I really like to understand how my Belgian Malinois thinks. This is a real challenge, but I love the process. I find that “Patience” is one of the most valuable virtues to have during this process.

May 14, 2022May 17, 2022