Meet Bindi Miller-Rubens
our former Engaged Dog of the Week
Bindi met a massive milestone in confidence building over the last week when she went hiking with her friend Penny Grace.
This may not sound like a big deal to those who don't know Bindi, but Bindi can be a bit of a princess; it's what she was bred for!!
However on this hike, not only was she willing to adventure in the rain, something she
normally would have been less than impressed with, but when Penny found access to a rushing creek nearby and happily ran in to splash around, Bindi barely hesitated before following her in!
Bindi is a 2.2 year old King Charles Spaniel whose breed was previously owned by royalty and intended to keep their humans' lap warm as they snuggled up with them. You can see why swimming, digging in the sand, and getting wet in general might not be Bindi's jam in this case.
So how did she do it?
How did she get all that confidence to not only get out of the car and start hiking in the rain, but also to follow her friend right into the flowing water?
Dogs mirror each other, learning social norms communication, and more from each other. By having Penny Grace there who has a lot of prior experience hiking in all types of weather and terrain and who has previously gone through similar self-discovery of her love of the water, Bindi felt safe and confident enough around her friend who was setting the example and leading the way into the water.
Dogs and human children are similar in this way.
hey each watch others of their species, observe, learn, replicate.
We can utilize this knowledge to our advantage when wanting to teach our pups' a new skill or introduce them into a new environment.
In this case, Penny Grace was able to help her friend Bindi feel confident and excited about the entire hiking adventure and both girls are eager to return soon.
Have you used another dog to help teach your pup something?
What about to make them feel brave?
What other techniques do you utilize to build confidence in your dog?
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