I am in a fairly new relationship.  I have never had the joys of having children of my own and so raising a puppy was always a fairly easy task for me, after all I am a professional  ha ha.  I have never dealt with someone giving the wrong commands at the wrong time, or reinforcing bad behavior, so I was dismayed the other day when my pup grabbed a piece of nasty trash and as soon as I noticed she playfully bucked and bowed and frolicked in the opposite direction.  Calling her sent her bounding in the opposite direction tossing her prize into the air and daring me to chase her.  “Ahhh” I thought, “Someone has been chasing her when she has confiscated a naughty item”.   My new family are not yet professional dog trainers!

The Grab And Chase Game has to be, hands down one of a dog’s favorite pastimes.  This interactive game requires a partner, who is often quite animated and angry and who haughtily chases the thief around and around the house.  Most often the dog is enjoying every angry moment and expletive as they spryly dance throughout owner’s legs and dash by, gaining grace and distance with every well timed movement as their owner crashes into furniture and throws themselves toward the walls and floor in an attempt to catch the robber.

Your dog is having the absolute time of his life, and because he does not have the ability to reason, he doesn’t really realize at some point he is going to slow down or give up and give you the upper hand.  This is normally when punishment arises and enters the equation.  Dogs don’t understand punishment, they go from having a great time to being toss around, yelled at, or worse kicked, beaten or abused.  Typically, no matter what the punishment and because it arises “AFTER” the deed is done it does not diminish your dogs excitement at the prospect of doing it again.

Often the item is swallowed, or ruined before the owner has the opportunity to take it from their pet and so the anger is magnified by the frustration.

So, what do you do then when Scruffy grabs your underwear and begins to dash through the house?  I use doggy psychology to my advantage.  I have two options that will work to MY advantage:

• Prevention: I make sure I NEVER leave any object out that he may get a hold of that he shouldn’t have  (I do recommend this for high priced items.  You will never see my $500 sun glasses on or near the floor) or I keep him on a leash so that I can pluck the item out right away, extinguishing the ability he has to run and be chased.   This is not always realistic.

OR

• Reward: I praise him and go get him a treat as exchange for my underpants.

Trust me the look on his face will be just as confused as the look on your faces now at reading this or on my clients faces when I recommend the same feat.  Yes!!! Praise and reward!!!  This also keeps you from playing the run and chase and frustration game.  Instead of being rewarded by the “Best Game Ever” (remember that for him chasing him and interacting with him IS a reward), he is rewarded for showing you and bringing it to you.

Reverse psychology, if you will, instead of chasing him when a bad situation arises; reward him for doing the right thing and bringing it to you.

Please, keep your expensive and dangerous things locked up so that a deadly situation does not occur.  But when faced with this situation, give up and give in and let your dog know if he has something and brings it to you instead of running there is a reward in it for him.

Won’t this “create a monster” out of your dog?  That is the most frequent question I get after the look of shock and horror goes away.  People are afraid that this will create a criminal and reward bad behavior.  Yes, to some degree you will watch the behavior escalate but if you know some key learning and behavior principles you can get the behavior you want.

At first, you will see your dog grabbing objects and bringing them to you for reward.  Just this morning my puppy spit a dime at me while I was getting my soon to be step-son ready for school, and yes I rewarded her for it.  Once she begins to realize that the game is bringing me the object, then I can determine if I like the behavior or not.

Personally, I like dogs that retrieve.  I have raised, trained and work with Service Dogs for people with disabilities for most of my career and I like having a dog that picks up the things I drop, heaven forbid I have to bend over and pick something up!  It is a skill I relish in and enjoy.  My dogs can retrieve anything from as small as a paper clip to as large as an over turned wheel-chair.

Once the behavior is consistent, (no more dart and dash) I either choose to continue to reinforce it with praise and rewards and then ask for it on command, or I never reward the behavior again and wait for the behavior to extinguish.

You see, dogs are just as shallow as we humans are if at first they are paid for a behavior but then never receive payment for that behavior again, they refuse to show it anymore.  Imagine your job decided to quit paying you, with no payout you would probably never go back there again.  However, if they increase your pay, reward you with onsite education, frequent bonuses and treat you with kindness and praise, you will probably be a happy employee for life.

If you don’t want to see this behavior continue, never reward it with anything but half-hearted praise again.  You will quickly see a decline in the thieving.

If you are like me, lazy, and like to have a dog around that retrieves on command then give it a command and start requiring more and more until you have a polished retrieve (more on this later).

Your dog is simple; even negative emotions and behavior elicited from you can be rewarding.  Use the knowledge of reverse psychology to your benefit.  It is a lot easier than chasing your dog out of frustration!

I love a dog that retrieves

Teaching Your Thief How to Retrieve is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

Does This Look Like Your Dog at Mealtime?

“What?” You say….shouldn’t I be writing about how to get your dog NOT to beg?  Well, you would think so but often times in dog training you have to approach things from a different angle in order to be successful quickly.

My dog training background comes mostly from training Service Dogs for adults and children with disabilities.  I was lucky that when I got started at an early age training dogs there was also a local prison that was training dogs for disabled individuals, working with the men and the dogs was truly a blessing and it changed my life.  From that time on, I have done all that I can to continue to work with Service Dogs and the disabled even starting my own nonprofit organization.

When you train a Service Dog for someone with a disability, you quickly realize that physical force is out of the question, trainers can force the dogs to complete tasks but the disabled individual would not be able to use the same techniques, so you learn to use positive reinforcement to sculpt a dog to do all sorts of tasks and you even learn to train your dog to do some things that you will later never ask for again.

One of the first things I teach my dogs is how to beg.  I start with a positive reinforcement game, which means when you do what I want you to do you get rewarded for your behavior.  I ignore bad behavior, and only reward the things I like and I don’t use any real commands, I wait to see what behaviors my dog is willing to offer me.

When I first start this game off, I reward my new dog or puppy for sitting patiently.  Each time my pup sits he gets a treat and praise, and if he continues to sit I continue to feed and praise him for his patience, because I don’t want a dog that bounces right up after a task.  If he jumps on me I turn my back or ignore him, if he wanders away I wait until he returns and sits; but if he lays down I jackpot him.

Jackpots are larger treats (normally I use pea sized or smaller) or better treats.  Sometimes I stuff a tool belt full of mediocre treats i.e. normal dog treats in one side and awesome treats i.e. chicken or cheese in the other side.

When my pup does something average but good, I reward with mediocre small treats, but if he completes a difficult task or one I really want to focus on I give the better higher value reward.  This tells him YES that is the behavior I want to see from you.  Dog training is about chaining behavior together, starting out small and then little by little requiring more and more.

Sit is the first and easiest thing to get a dog to do reliably.  But, I like a dog that lays down and stays there most of the time.  In my house, if in doubt lay down!  So I shape and reward that behavior first and foremost.  My pups learn from the moment they come home that laying down is where I want them.

I teach my dogs from an early age or straight out of the shelter if they want ANYTHING they must lay down in order to get it.  I want them

This is a Great Behavior

to think they control their environment to some degree, so this is how I teach them to beg.  If they want my ice cream cone, my hot dog, my affection, whatever the scenario they must lay down in order to have a shot at it.  This behavior also transfers to other people in other situations if my dogs wander across a 3 year old eating an ice cream cone they aren’t gone to knock the kid down and run off with the prize, they are simply going to lay down at the toddler’s feet and wait to be rewarded.  It is a great system!

In the beginning,  I carry lots of treats with me so that I can reward the behavior right away going back to the scenario with the toddler I would give my puppy a treat and lots of praise and he would think “YES, they have to give me what I want”.  This would cement the idea and ensure that he follows the same behavior pattern time and time again.

Then, I begin to fade the treats and provide my dogs with constant praise for a job well down and treats on occasion.

Finally,  the clincher is if you like this behavior (and I do) I continue to reward my dogs randomly and on special occasions for the rest of their lives for adhering to this plan.  I like to recognize a job well done and most people may never notice a dog calmly laying at their feet for attention or food but I like this calm, kind behavior.

But, if you don’t like this behavior in general and don’t want your dog to even lay down and beg, then you totally extinguish ever giving your dog a treat again while you are eating or while anyone else is eating.  Your dog has already built the foundation for calm behavior and laying down so he will eventually stop begging but will likely to some degree still show acceptable behavior.  He may even vacate the area and lay somewhere else.

Because I have trained and worked with Service Dogs for so long I have taught my dogs to lay down under the table while we eat, this way they can’t see me and I can’t see them so there is no way for them to sit and beg and this system works at our house.

Sometimes even teaching a behavior you don’t want and then never asking for it again is an extremely effective way to teach your dog not to do something.  I guarantee you this works on a variety of behaviors!  And, this is a much happier more fun way to train than using force!  Good luck and have fun training!

This is the Epitome of Good Behavior, Laying Down with the Head Down

Teach Your Dog to Beg is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

Set Your New Puppy up for Success

My dogs are getting older, one is 10 and the other is 8 and I realized at the beginning of this year as I trained for a 5 mile race (not a 5k) I had no dog to train or run with because my dogs are too old to run so far, so I recently got a puppy.  Actually I picked her up on Sunday!  I forgot just how much work and effort a new little life is,  but it reminds me of the importance of setting your puppies up for success in the very beginning of life.

Before Your Puppy Comes Home

• Puppy proof your house!!!  You would baby proof your house if you had a toddler or a baby over, why would you not puppy proof things!  Pick up shoes and expensive items, put things in safe places, and make sure medications and cleaners are out of reach.
• Get a toy box for your baby and stock it FULL of a variety of items.  Puppies are tactile like babies they like to play with numerous types of toys so give them an opportunity to explore their environment the only way they can, with their mouths and teeth!  This will help them not use their teeth on you
• Buy a crate for crate training, one that will grow with your puppy as he grows.  If you are unable to come home and let your puppy out every few hours, specify a space i.e. kitchen, laundry room, bathroom for your puppy until he gains bladder control and can be crated for longer periods of time.

Potty Training

• I have had her for three days and at 8 weeks we have yet to have an accident around the house or anywhere else!
• Potty training for a puppy of 8 weeks is all about ME it isn’t even about her.  She is too young to be expected to hold her bladder for long or to alert me to her needs so it is my responsibility to get her outside about every 2 hours and after naps or eating or drinking or raucous play.  I have to monitor her food and water intake and gauge how often she will need to relieve herself.
• When she is outside, I keep her on a leash so that I can watch where she is going and what she is doing and how much volume is coming out.  Sometimes she gets distracted and I have to get her up and move her around in order to change her mind set.   Often she would rather pounce and play and put her mouth on everything instead of going potty, so I just move around the yard until she gets the idea and then I bring her inside when she is finished.

Setting Up for Success Around the House

• From the moment she stepped into this house she has been on a leash.  Keeping her on a long leash or long line prevents her from sneaking away and having an accident and it also keeps her from doing all kinds of other naughty behaviors.
• Although she has been great with the kids ages 2 to 15, when she does get out of control and wants to bite pants or hands and legs, I already have her on a leash and can prevent her from continuing these naughty behaviors.   I can redirect her energy toward her toys and interact with her in a healthy way.
• Having her on a leash also prevents her from chewing things that she shouldn’t  or things that might be dangerous for her.  Her leash is either attached to me or attached to a heavy piece of furniture (8ft leash or long line) in the room I am in, so I notice the moment her sharp little teeth grab something they shouldn’t have grabbed.  It also prevents her from grabbing naughty objects (underwear ha ha) and dashing around the house evading apprehension.  This evasion game is a favorite for most dogs but by keeping her under control and close she doesn’t even realize this game exists.
• This also helps with early training, it is never too early to begin training.  Keeping your dog on a leash and close to you gives him the manners he needs early in life to make a good pet and this keeps him from establishing problem behaviors that need to be fixed at a later date.  If she is on a leash, I am not going to let her, chase the cat, grab food from the table, jump up on me etc.  Doesn’t it make more sense to teach your pup correct principles from the start?  Don’t WAIT till there is a problem, curb the problems from ever rearing their ugly heads!

Socialization

• I have a very short period of time to socialize her to as many people and things as possible before she starts to form opinions about everything on her own.  Puppies who are not socialized early are dealt such a disservice.  Puppies and children are capable of learning and experiencing more while they are young, if you wait too long the window of opportunity closes and it becomes a much more difficult process.
• Get your puppy out and start socializing.  Keep in mind that your puppy is not safe from diseases until they are 16 weeks or so and have received their last set of boosters and the rabies vaccination so do not socialize in unknown or uncontrolled areas or with unknown dogs!
• You can, however, start socializing your puppy with sociable dogs that you know and you know are well vaccinated.  Not all dogs like puppies, puppies can be quite irritating to older and geriatric dogs so use caution and set up play dates with dogs that are known to be good with puppies.
• Start socializing your pup with all shapes, sizes, ages and colors of people.  Puppies need to be introduced to all varieties of people, especially children and people who might be interpreted as different.  This early socialization forms a strong foundation for your dog as it grows to be accepting of people from all walks of life.  They should get use to seeing people with hats on and people who limp etc. so they accept differences in people as normal.
• It is also essential to get them use to a variety of noises and environmental challenges.  I often like to sit outside of my local Wal-Mart with my pup on my lap so they can watch people and carts coming and going and get use to the normal sounds and spice of life.

This early socialization is crucial to a well rounded out going dog!

You have a lot of work to do, and so do I!  Get your puppy out and set him up for success.  It is our responsibility as doggy parents to make certain that we are setting our dogs up for becoming the best pets possible!  Dogs are and investment in not only money but also time, effort and emotional bonding, we owe it to ourselves and to them to give them the skills they need to thrive.

Puppies 101 is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

Relaxation and meditation is known for having such health benefits as decreased heart and respiratory rates and decreasing anxiety.  Relaxation can also be taught to your dog as a conditioned response.    Just like Pavlov taught a dog to drool in response to the ringing of a bell, you can teach your dog to decrease his anxiety, and relax in times of stress.  This type of training can be essential for owners looking for ways to help treat dogs with behavior problems and anxiety disorders, and is also crucial for any good training program.

Often, I think we unknowingly condition our dogs to get excited as a response to most exciting things that go on in our world.  Our dogs are unknowingly conditioned to get overly excited when people come over to visit, when we take them out on a leash, when we come home; almost everything we do in some ways encourages our dogs to get excited.

Let me explain; when people come over it is normal for most dogs to get excited the inherent problem therein lies when we allow them to be rewarded for this behavior, we pet them, we allow our company to pet them or we shriek at them to get down and get off of people; therefore giving them attention for their poor behavior.  After a few visits, this excitement, which has previously been rewarded, gets to be the custom and your dog thinks he must show this behavior in order to be interacted with; i.e. a conditioned response to exciting stimulus.

I once worked with a client who allowed his dog to bark and scream and pull him toward the beach each time they arrived.  When the dog was a puppy, he thought it was cute, but he didn’t realize he was conditioning the barking and screaming and pulling as a response to being at the beach.  The dog thought this was a part of a ritual he had to perform to get to the beach.  We had to regress and teach this dog calming techniques and teach him that only when he was calm was he allow access to walks and play on the beach.  They had to drive to and away from the beach several times before the dog realized that he would only be rewarded while he was calm.

Relaxation must be taught as a response to exciting stimulus, and can even be used to help focus dogs with mild aggression problems.  (Dogs with severe aggression problems should seek the advice of a Veterinary Behaviorist before trying any training program.)  Do not pet or reward your dog if he is showing signs of stress, teach him to be calm.

Take your dog to a quiet room, one that is free of distractions.  Next take a treat in each hand and show them both to your dog, then bring them up toward your eyes.  Your dog should look from one treat to another and back and forth until finally in a moment of frustration he looks directly into your pupils.  As his eyes look into yours tell him what he is doing by saying “Watch” in a calm tone.  Dogs often mirror our behavior, in order to teach your dog to be calm you must show the same attributes.  After a few brief seconds of holding your gaze, praise and give your dog the treat.  If your dog is tense, do NOT reward!  If he is showing signs of stress stop this lesson and try again later.   Do not reprimand him, just discontinue the session.

Your dog MUST be relaxed!!  Relaxation is the purpose of this exercise.  Your dog’s posture should be malleable and tranquil, if he is stiff, trembling or shivering then try again later.  His pupils should be small in size not large and hard.

Continue this until he is readily looking into your eyes.  Once you think your dog has mastered this command, take the treats away from your eyes and take them out at arm’s length out to each side.  If your dog is still staring deep into your eyes and not looking at your hands your dog has mastered the command.  If your dog is still watching the treats in your hands, he is not yet ready.

If you are having trouble getting your dog to relax, try this exercise just after your dog has taken a nap and is already relaxed, or when he is tired, just prior to a nap.

Once your dog is looking at you in a peaceful manner, hold the treat behind your back and give the “watch” command.  Wait until eye contact is made then reward.  If your dog can do this with no problem, wait to reward until he holds your gaze for a longer period of time.  Every time you change the difficulty level expect some failures and just back up a few steps in training if needed.  DO NOT get frustrated, this does not encourage relaxation, simply back up and praise him for something that is easier for him to achieve.

Practice on and off throughout the day at random times.  Just remember not to reward your dog for any signs of stress i.e. panting, whining, crying, pacing or trembling.  Extend this until he can stare into your eyes for 15 to 20 seconds.

Once your dog is 95% reliable with the command in an environment without distractions, take him to a room with a few distractions (like windows or your kids playing).  When he has mastered (95% reliable) in a room with minor distractions, take him outside to the backyard and work until he has mastered the command in that environment.  As he masters the command in a multitude of environments you can continue to increase the level of difficulty while still expecting some failure or learning events, just back up in your training as these occur.  Remember don’t get frustrated, this is a normal step when learning any new behavior.

When your dog can stare into your eyes reliably with a multitude of distractions, you can begin using this command for all kinds of situations:

• When you have a dog that is fearful or mildly aggressive
• In situations when you are unsure how your dog will react
• To bring your dog’s focus and attention back to you before you give a command or after a distraction is added
• And even when preparing for competition obedience

Eye contact is the foundation to good obedience, and it is a great way to strengthen the bond between you and your canine companion.

Training for a Relaxed and Calm Dog is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

Training a dog is an art and not all of us good at this art. When we set out to train our dogs we make a number of mistakes. These mistakes happen because of our ignorance. We do not realize that our faulty approach affects our dog very badly. Things that we think are helping our pet while training them indeed make them regress to their old ways or make them into fussy pets.

If you know the common mistakes that people make while training their puppy, you can easily avoid them. Here are list of common mistakes that you should avoid in your puppy potty training and puppy house training.

Consistency Is KEY

The first mistake that you should avoid is inconsistency. When you are inconsistent with your training you will only confuse your dog. Remember your pets have their own limitations as an animal to understand and interpret your commands and your language.

So if you want your dog to understand your commands and to obey you, it is always best to have your list of commands written down for each and just use those commands every time you want your dog to perform that act.

Consistency will improve the pace of your dog’s training progress. It is not only with your commands that you should be consistent, it is also your reactions to your dog’s behavior that should be consistent.

If your dog makes a particular mistake let your reaction be consistent every time it repeats that mistake. Do not try to be rigid one time and soft the next time. This does not help your pet to learn fast.

Punishment Is NOT The Answer

Secondly, when you notice that your dog has made some mistake like messing up in the wrong place do not call your dog and punish it. This will lead to your dog thinking that you are calling it to punish it and it will try to run away every time you call.

This is the most common and the biggest mistake many people make with their dog training. Not rewarding your dog when they maintain good behavior.

Your pets should know that their behavior is appreciated and which type of behavior is appreciated. So give your pets small treats they love for good behavior. This will encourage your dog to develop good behavior fast.

Don’t Put It Off!

Pet owners think that their dog is too young to be put to training and wait for too long. Habit formation will become very difficult once the dog grows big so all habit formation has to be handled in the tender age. So time your dog training correctly. Check with a professional dog trainer if required to know when you should start your training.

You can also Grab Our Hands Off Training Program which walks you through the early stages of training and will teach you the basics that are absolutely essential for any puppy to learn!

Dog Training Mistakes To Avoid is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

Get Your Dog's Attention and Adoration

If you have ever taken an obedience class with your dog, and actually done your homework, you will remember and notice that for that period of time (usually 6 to 8 weeks) your dog begins to listen to you faster and his obedience improved.  But weeks after the class is over, his skills begin to wan and the dynamics of life before class take over and it seems as if he never completed an obedience class.

WHY?

It’s simple if you think about it; if you practice something together you are better at it, the more practice and time you devote to something the better you get at it.  However, once you stop practicing and working on something, often, the more things go back to the way things were and you forget what you had once learned.

Are You Smarter Than a 5^th Grader?

Most of us have either watched this show on TV or at least know the concept; adults (sometimes even doctors, lawyers and Yale graduates) are asked simple questions along the lines of the curriculum that we learned in and up to the 5^th grade.  Most of us learned these things a number of years ago, but how much do we truly remember?  To have a child in school and needing help with homework is sometimes humbling!

Without practice or applying our knowledge, we often forget what we have learned.  The same is true of your dog!  If you don’t make obedience and training a part of your daily lives together, you and your dog will slip back into the same patterns of life that lead you to frustration and into obedience class.

But, often instead of understanding that dogs, too, forget and slip back into previous habits, we often blame them, think they didn’t learn or that they are being obstinate and refusing to comply, when really they are probably reverting back to what they knew and know best which is the dynamics of your household “before” obedience class.

What to Do?

Set a goal

• Sit down as a family and come up with a plan.  What is going wrong in your current relationship with your dog?  Come up with a plan to address your issues and stick with it!  Consistency is the key to good dog obedience so everyone must be on board.

Take a Class

• You may need to take a class or re-take a basic class if things have deteriorated severely.  A class leads to accountability and homework.  A class often coerces people to make time to work with their dogs.
• I have been training dog professionally for almost 17 years and I still take obedience classes (I just don’t admit I am a trainer).

Compete

• I HATE competition!  I hated competition as a child and I continue to hate it to this day.  I also hate getting up in front of people.  Ironically, I can lecture to a convention center full of people about dog obedience and behavior, but I hate that competitive feeling and being put on display.  However, I often make myself face my fears and compete anyway.
• Competition takes a high level of practice and work, and the more time I spend with my dog the more he learns to listen to me in all facets of life.   Although I hate the feeling of the final competition (I am getting better ha ha) I LOVE the time we spend together preparing for our moment, and I also love our numerous blue ribbons!

Find a hobby you can both enjoy

• You can take classes for advanced obedience, tracking (nose work), clicker training, games, agility, or weight puling, sledding and skijoring.
• You can even play control games together.
• Invite your friends and family to get together and play doggie games and have your own competition.   You can also find dog board games online like Funagle and Do You Mind by Darfinc©.
• Buy a book and teach your dog as many tricks and commands as you can then have a party to show off your new skills!

To my clients I am known as the “fun” trainer.  I have been training dogs for almost 17 years and have seen all kinds of methods and I have taken my years of experience and knowledge and I have sculpted them into a program where I focus on games and fun ways to achieve my obedience goals.  I do this so that my dog enjoys his training but most of all I do it so that “I” enjoy training and working with my dog.  Fun does not mean there is a lack of skill or that my dogs are sloppy, it just means that my goal is to have a high level of performance and we both enjoy ourselves. The more things I can teach my dog, the happier we both are!  Even if I am just teaching him tricks, he is listening and learning and enjoying himself, and I am ending up with another skill to show off to my friends.

I try and make a point to spend time with my dog and invite him to join me as often as possible.  If I go hiking, biking or to the beach, I want to include him in my plans.  I enjoy teaching him new things and watching him enjoy life and excel at obedience.  It is a joy to have a well trained companion.

Every time you work with your dog in a fun and positive manner and you work together towards a common goal, you are solidifying your place in your furry pack and your dog is learning to have fun listening to you.  The more fun you have together, the more time you will find to spend together and you build a bond of respect that will last a lifetime.  So get out there and spend some fun time together as you reestablish your bond and your dog learns to listen to your every command!

Achieving a Higher Level of Reliable Obedience is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

Does Your Puppy Get In Trouble Sometimes But Not Others?

Consistency or the lack there of, I believe, is the root of all evil when it comes to dog training.  We as humans are often inconsistent, we may be consistently inconsistent or work on a variable consistency; meaning depending on certain variables we are consistent.  Dogs don’t understand inconsistency they need black and white, right and wrong especially when they are learning.

Inconsistency With- in Yourself

I often work with people who care about their dog’s behavior one minute, or in one situation but not another.

• “I usually don’t mind if my dog jumps up on me, but I hate it when he gets muddy paws on my work clothes, or snags my nylons”
• “I don’t mind if my dog gets on the sofa at night with me, but I don’t want him on the couch during the day when I am gone”
• “I don’t want my dog to bark, but I hate getting up in the middle of the night to tell him to be quiet”

Your dog does not understand the differences in these situations he lives for the moment he gets to do what he wants or what comes naturally for him; jumping up on you, laying on the comfortable sofa, and barking.  He does not understand the variable or contingent to the situation, he only remembers he gets to do it sometimes, and that keeps him consistently trying.  If 9 out of 10 times you keep him out of the bed but on that 10^th time you relent, it is that moment of success and enjoyment that he remembers and will make subsequent attempts worse!

Inconsistency With-in the Family Structure

Often the inability of a family or couple to work as a team on dog training aids in the deterioration of the dog’s obedience.  I have even worked with couples who use different commands.  One person can’t say “Come” while the other person says “Get over here!” and have it be as affective for the dog.

I often run into couples who can’t come to some kind of agreement about how to treat the dog:

Do You Mind Your Dog Getting On the Furniture

• “I don’t mind the dog on the sofa with me, but my husband doesn’t want him on the furniture”
• “I don’t feed the dog table scraps but my wife and kids sneak them to him under the table”
• “I don’t want my dog to play rough, but my husband and my oldest son wrestle with him, and now he is tackling my 5 year old”

You need to pick a plan and an ideal that you as a family.  Sit down and come up with consistent commands that mean the same thing to everyone and that everyone will utilize.  Decide whether or not you will allow your dog on the furniture, and what behaviors you will reward and what behaviors you intend to change and come up with a plan for how you will install the changes as a family.  Explain to everyone in the family how inconsistency hurts your dog’s ability to please everyone and therefore leads to him getting in trouble.

Inconsistency With Strangers

This is a big one!  Most people don’t realize how just being inconsistent when they have company over, or when their dog meets a new person undermines the dog’s training in other areas of its life.

• “We don’t mind Sparky jumping on us but we don’t want him to jump on company”
• “Our dog listens great at home, but he does not listen when we have company over or if we take him away from the house”
• “Sparky never runs out the front door until we have people visit”

Once again, inconsistency is to blame for your dog’s confusion.  Dogs are very adept at reading situations, they recognize very quickly when we don’t want to exert the time and effort needed to work on their training and their behavior.

Your dog might never ignore a command given when you are at home alone, but add the distraction of another person or take your dog somewhere and he doesn’t listen.  Part of this is the addition of distractions which have to be added and worked on with training in mind, but another part is inconsistent training.  People often don’t want to embarrass themselves or inconvenience themselves by working with their dogs when other people are around, so the dog learns he doesn’t have to obey when company is present.

The key to dog training is to be consistent, especially in the learning stages, with your dog.  Your dog cannot reason or understand the minute differences.  In order to set your dog up for success, you must make sure that you remain consistent, always.  Make a plan and stick to it, make sure everyone in the household listens and accepts responsibility for training and working with your dog.  And, when you have company or there are distractions let them know that you must devote some time to your furry friend to be consistent so he learns to obey and becomes a good family pet.

Inconsistency is unfair.  One minute your dog gets away with or is rewarded for a bad behavior and the next minute he is chastised and/or punished for the same act.  This type of environment makes it hard, if not impossible to learn.  You must be firm but gentle; have fun and be CONSISTENT.

Consistency is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

My Best Friends Chilling in their Backyard

There are fewer joys in life greater than a good walk; add a well behaved dog to that equation and in my opinion you have pure perfection!  I have the great honor of training and walking 5 Weimaraners twice a week.

Tuesdays and Thursdays are full of exhilaration and exercise, I tell my friends I am Weimar-running or doing Weimar-obics.  Although it is a job for me (thank goodness for wonderful clients who rescue dogs) it is an opportunity for me to get outside, enjoy the weather and beat some of my stress.

Last Tuesday, I headed out for my normal routine.  First I work with Zach, he is a four year old rescue, and in his former life (if you can call it that) he was tied to a tree.  This lack of socialization and the stimulation of watching other dogs and kids coming and going has caused Zach to be quite dog aggressive and easily over stimulated.

However, I am happy to report after a few years of training and desensitization and under the watchful eye of a veterinary behaviorist we have seen a remarkable improvement.  In the respect of safety, I walk Zach alone.  I also make sure he is always on a gentle leader ® and a martingale collar, this gives me ultimate control in case of an off leash dog emergency.

Many dogs in the South are “outside” dogs and have never seen the inside of a house, and often run in packs.  Although we were rushed by two small dogs, Zach has learned to trust in me and give up ultimate authority to me, and I was able to keep them and him at a safe distance while providing him with mental entertainment.

After Zach, the alpha dog, gets his walk, it is time to walk the other four boys.  Because we have been working and training together for so long, I am able to walk the other three or four dogs together.  I have even trained for a marathon with all of them running by my side in the heel position.

It takes miraculous skill and trust to run with 3 or 4 dogs that are over 100 pounds apiece.  Ultimately I am able to walk or run all of them with four leashed draped over one finger.  They too have learned to listen to respect, and deduce my every movement.  We all really enjoy the time we spend together.

On this particular day, there was a man and his dog in the neighborhood as I rounded the corner with the boys.  His dog was distracted and not use to walking around other dogs, he kept turning around, barking and growling and pulling on his leash.

My boys, were perfect, although stimulated to see another dog, they were fantastic about staying in heel position and paying attention to my every move.  I perceive every occasion like this as a training opportunity, so we fell back about 50 feet and worked on our training.

I varied my pace, changed my direction, made a few circles and encouraged my dogs to pay attention to me with praise and petting.

Unfortunately, the guy in front of me quickly began to lose patience with his dog, and finally kicked his dog in the ribcage and jerked on his leash.  For a moment, his dog did pay attention, but it was simply because he was terrified he would be met by the same anger.

I could see his eyes wildly dashing back and forth toward the street and then back to his owner.  It was clear his dog didn’t know why he had been the recipient of such rage.  In his mind, what he was doing was normal, he was entertaining himself and he was also challenging any sense of danger from a pack of unknown dogs.

I was distraught and saddened that someone would so blatantly abuse his dog however I felt it was in the best interest of the dog to fall back and change directions to alleviate the distraction we were causing.

I Tried to See the Situation from all Points of View

• To me this was a training opportunity, a chance to strengthen and polish my dog’s obedience skills.
• To my dogs it was an opportunity to challenge their minds and add excitement to our walk.  The addition of a new dog meant paying more attention to me, changing directions, doing circles and changing paces.  There was no time to pay attention to what the other dog was doing.
• To the other dog, who was bored with a slow walk, we provided excitement and stimulation.
• To the owner, he let himself get irritated.  He probably didn’t regularly work obedience with his dog at home and he became frustrated when his dog would not listen to him.

It is fairly simple to get your dog to have good leash manners if you understand walking from his perspective.  Walking in one direction at a slow pace is boring for dogs and boredom leads to looking for ways to entertain themselves.

When dogs are forced to entertain themselves, whether at home or on a walk, they often choose naughty or what we presume as naughty behavior.  They bark, they growl, they lunge, they lead with their noses and sniff, they pull; these things provide mental stimulation for them.

The Key to Enjoying Your Walk Together

1. You must provide entertainment for your dog’s mind.
2. Vary your pace!  Dogs like to walk quickly and walking at a quick pace gives less opportunity for sniffing and pulling.
3. Changing your direction, throwing in turns and circles in the middle of the street also teaches your dog that he needs to be paying attention to your every move.  If he has to speculate your movement and direction, he has less time to pay attention to distractions and chose those naughty behaviors plus its FUN for you both and it gives you a chance to polish your obedience.

You MUST provide your dog with mental stimulation.  The Weimaraners I walk not only trust me that they will be kept safe because I am in control, they also enjoy the fact that they never know how fast or slow, which direction I might turn, if I may just turn around…they just don’t know WHAT I will do so they didn’t have time to care what that other dog was doing and most importantly they were getting praised and petted each time they made a correct choice.

Practice makes perfect!  The more you work with your dog the more you will reap the benefits of your hard work and the more you can actually enjoy your time together.  I truly believe there is almost nothing better than a good walk with a well behaved dog!  A good walk is hard to beat!

Sebastian: where all the Weimaraner Rescuing Started

A Good Walk is Hard to Beat is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

Video: Through a dog’s eyes

By Daniela Caride, Publisher, www.thedailytail.com

The PBS series “Through a Dog’s Eyes” will surely be wonderful. With premier scheduled for April 21 at 8 p.m. E.T., the series follows the journey of service dogs and the people whose lives they change.

The film is based on the book, “Through A Dog’s Eyes,” by Jennifer Arnold, founder and director of Canine Assistants.

I had tears in my eyes already only by watching the trailer (below). Enjoy it! But before hitting the play button you might want to bring out the Kleenex!

Read more and watch snippets of the PBS series here.

www.thedailytail.com

PBS Series: “Through a dog’s eyes” is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

courtesy of www.clickertraining.com

Have you tried training your dog to do tricks and just when you think you are making some progress, your dog suddenly decides it does not want to obey your cue?  Maybe you think your dog just does not have what it takes or is just being stubborn.  Read this article to find out why you may be spoiling your clicker training success.

Poisoned Cues: The Case of the Stubborn Dog

by Rebecca Lynch, 4/1/10, Karen Pryor’s clickertraining.com

When I arrived at my client’s house last week, she was very excited to show me how well her dog Missy was doing with hand targeting. “Watch this!” Megan said as she gathered her clicker and treats. Missy was at full attention in front of her. Megan gave the cue, “touch,” and presented her hand. Missy took one look at her hand, ducked her head, and sat down to scratch. Megan tried again. Missy began sniffing the ground. Megan’s face dropped. “We’ve been practicing all week for you. Missy knows how to touch. Why is she being so stubborn?”

Was Missy being stubborn?

She had been excited to participate in the training up until the moment she heard the cue. She was fully focused on Megan and anxiously awaiting the opportunity to perform. But the moment she was given the cue, she changed her mind. And although scratching and sniffing seemed to Megan an act of defiance, I knew that Missy was actually giving stress signals. Missy was worried about touching Megan’s hand. Why was Missy worried? Just the week before, Missy was running from across the room to place her nose in Megan’s hand. What had happened?

Read the rest of Rebecca’s article.

Do you have a stubborn dog? is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog