Dog Obedience Training Blog
Category : Dog Training
Are You Being Positive or Just Permissive?
Image: federico stevanin / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Using positive training methods to train your dog is the only way to ensure that the behaviors you train are predictable and repeatable. However, there is a big difference between being positive and letting your dog get away with just anything. Read Gillian’s article to learn more.
Why is a Positive a Negative?
March 10th, 2010 by Gillian Ridgeway, Dog Star Daily
Why is it that the word “positive” can strike such a chord in a dog owner’s mind? Having been involved in the dog world since 1972 and spending the great majority of my adult life working with dogs, it has been an uphill battle to increase awareness in the theory of learning for dogs. There has been a vast increase in awareness of this theory for children, but the dog owners are still lagging behind. Although, giving credit where it is due, it is leaps and bounds better than in the middle 1980’s, when dog training took a surge from being a novelty to a necessity.
Positive doesn’t mean permissive. That sentence, while not originated by me, is a powerful message and one that all dog owners can relate to. Positive means helpful and constructive, and a positive response from a dog owner to his canine companion means that the dog will receive something pleasurable after he does the desired behavior, which in turn will increase the likelihood of the behavior re-occurring. Sounds simple? The more you give your dog positive feedback for what you want, the more likely it is that he will repeat that exact behavior.
The Power of Positive Reinforcement
When I first starting training dogs, over 16 years ago, dog training consisted mostly of compulsion: a strong, usually irresistible impulse to perform an act, especially one that is irrational or contrary to one’s will i.e. force. Back “in the day” we taught our dogs to vehemently wait for a command so that they could comply.
The tools of the trade were choke chains, prong collars, throw chains and shake cans. I understudied at a dog training establishment in Wisconsin for over a year while I learned how to train; most puppies and adult dogs were fitted with prong collars. Then I moved to Colorado and began training with an organization that trained Service Dogs for adults and children with physical disabilities, and I was introduced to positive reinforcement and clicker training.
What a novel idea, to motivate an animal to work? Our physically disabled clients, after all, couldn’t force their four legged companions to comply to their every command; the dog had to “WANT” to comply to fulfill the job requirement and continually work throughout the day.
Socialization
courtesy of www.dogstardaily.com
You are probably aware of how important it is to socialize your puppy. Having good socialization skills will help your dog respond with acceptable and healthy behaviors when faced with situations that may be disturbing or disrupting to their normal routines.
Siblings and Roommates Don’t Count
posted by Cindy Bruckart, February 24th, 2010, dogstardaily.com
I’m often asking dog owners about their dog’s socialization history. Even if the dog owner tells me that their dog is “good with other dogs”, I have to ask more questions. Time and again, the dogs that their dog is good with include the siblings he played with at the breeder’s home, the dog he lives with and a relative’s dog. That’s it.
When I tell them that siblings and roommates don’t count, we get to the truth of the matter. The dog may be nearly a year old and have only met one or two other dogs, besides siblings and roommates. Now, I know that dog owners reading this might not see this as a big problem, as long as the dog was good with those dogs, we should be able to assume he’d be good with others, right? Wrong.
Behaviors to Encourage
We all want a dog that behaves well, don’t we? So, when you see your dog exhibiting a behavior that is a ‘good’ one, be sure that you reinforce that behavior. Read this article to find out one way to do that.
What dog behaviors should I encourage?
by Nicole S. Silvers, March 3, 2010, dogstardaily.com
Most owners know that they want their dogs to SIT, DOWN, STAY, COME, HEEL. When it comes to general behaviors, owners have little idea of what behaviors they even want to encourage, let alone how to accomplish the encouragement. By contrast, ask an owner what they are trying to stop, and there are multiple answers. Even the most mannerly dogs’ “rap sheets” tend to be read out when meeting other dog people.
The Take A Break Command
I rolled over this morning, stretched and opened my eyes only to have a wooly pink bunny dropped into my newly opened peepers. My dogs lay quietly until they see any sign of me rising, and movement is often celebrated with a fuzzy gift and a little dance of joy about the bedroom, luckily for me gifts aren’t usually shoved in my eye.
But this morning, I wanted a chance to catch up on some missing sleep. 
Later, while doing Yoga and in a very precarious and painful position a fuzzy rump was thrust my way in an attempt to get a scratching. Sometimes I simply need a break or some space. I prefer working out on the floor without furry people sitting on my face.
I like to eat without heated dog breath exhaled in my face or drool dripping onto my lap or down my leg. And, I prefer welcoming visitors without the help of hairy feet dancing about in front of them and jumping their way. So, I teach my dogs to go and lay on their beds until distractions are gone, or they are told otherwise. Read the rest of this entry »
Vietnam War Dogs Remembered
This memorial at the March Air Reserve Base in Riverside pays tribute to the war dogs that served in the Vietnam War and their handlers. courtesy of www.wavenewspapers.com
Dogs have served in the military for decades. Their contributions through various wars have saved the lives of many. Read more about the much-deserved memorial dedicated in their honor and the lives of those they have touched.
Decades later, Vietnam War dogs are remembered
By JESSICA RAVITZ, CNN, Feb 18, 2010
www.wavenewspapers.com
Maybe it was the sound of the wind cutting through the wire. Perhaps he caught a small vibration with his keen eyes. Or it could have been a slight difference in the air’s smell.
Whatever it was, when Sarge noticed that his Marine Corps handler, Fred Dorr, was creeping down the wrong path in the Vietnam jungle, the German shepherd did something he’d never done out in the field: He looked at Dorr and barked, before taking a seat.
“When he sat down, I knew there was a trip wire. I was one step away from it,” remembered Dorr, who with his dog in 1969 was “walking point,” leading the way for a dozen soldiers. Had the hidden explosive device been tripped, “It would have gotten half of us.”
How To Stop your Dog from Begging (Video)
>NOTE: If you have not yet downloaded the free report, Off Limits Training that I reference in the video, please click on the image of the report to download it now.
The training video above was designed for you to watch AFTER reading my special report. So if you have not yet read through it, please do so now.
If you have already read the report that set the stage for this video, please tell me…
Did you find this video helpful?
If so, please leave me a comment, or post any questions you have about this technique below. I’d love to hear from you.
And if you feel this video would be something your dog owning friends and family might enjoy…
Please Share it Facebook with your fans, or…
Then go and USE this technique on your dog and report back! I’m excited to see how this can start to change how compliant your dog is in your life.
Stay tuned for another great video in a few days!
>>Check Out The Entire House Manners Course Here<<
Tunes for your Dog
courtesy of www.dogblog.dogster.com
They say “Music soothes the savage beast.” Yes, I realize that is a misquote; it is actually “Music hath powers to soothe the savage breast.” However, I believe in this case, we’ll go with the first one. Now, perhaps you don’t consider your sweet little pooch to be savage, but then again…
Dogster Exclusive Interview: Calming Dog Musician, Lisa Spector
by Maria Goodavage
Dogster’s for the love of the dog blog
We’ve got another terrific interview for you this week, with Lisa Spector, concert pianist and graduate of The Juilliard School.
“But this is DOGster, not MUSICster,” you might say. True. Fortunately for us, Lisa has a foot in both camps.
Lisa is co-founder of BioAcoustic Research & Development, where she presided over the groundbreaking music and canine research conducted with 150 dogs. She is the pianist on the Through a Dog’s Ear music series. If you have a dog who could use a little calming at home or in the car, these CDs are for you.
How To Introduce Your Dog To A New Kitten
When I was in college, I decided to add my first cat to our family. I had no idea we were all in for a bloodletting! He was a beautiful 7 months old Siamese mix and at the time I showed Rottweilers. I let my dogs outside. Clasped in my arms I brought in the new arrival, and proceeded to bring in my dogs.
They had never been aggressive with animals, but in their excitement they raced toward the new furry feline. Within milliseconds, he scratched both dogs in the face and proceeded to shred my hands, arms and scalp as he climbed and leaped to the drapes. We were all bleeding and traumatized!
Devocalization of Dogs
Do you know the laws in your State regarding devocalization of dogs? If not, you might want to read this article. It seems like such an inhumane and unnecessary step, and can lead to other physical and emotional problems.
Stop the devocalization of dogs in your state
by Stephanie Modkins, February 1, 2010
Dogs Examiner
Did you know that some breeders and canine owners devocalize their dogs in order to reduce the sound of their barks? Sound strange? Seem barbaric? Well, it is. For this reason, passing a bill in your state that sets parameters for this type of sugary is a must. Read the rest of this entry »
