Being Crazy Before The Walk

Being crazy before the walk The good old dog walk has to be one of the dog's biggest rewards, second only to a romp in the park. Many dogs go quite crazy at the prospect of a walk, and of course, the walk only reinforces his craziness. Moreover, dogs pull on-leash with increasing vigor with every step you take, and, of course, each step you take reinforces the dog's pulling. Luckily, there's a better way. The walk can reinforce your dog's good manners.  Before going on a walk, practice leaving the house in a mannerly fashion. Say "Let‘s go for a walk" and waggle the dog's leash in front of his nose. Most dogs will go ballistic. Stand still and wait for your dog to calm down and sit. With his walk stalled before starting, your dog will suspect you want him to do something, but as yet he isn't sure what. He will likely offer many creative suggestions, maybe his entire behavior repertoire. Your dog may frantically bark, beg, jump up, lie down, roll over, paw you, and circle you. Ignore everything your dog does until he sits. It doesn't matter how long it takes; your dog will sit eventually. When he does, say, "Good dog," and snap on his leash. When you snap on his leash, your dog will likely reactivate. So stand still and wait for him to sit again. When he does, say, "Good dog," take one step toward the door, stand still, and then wait for him to sit once more. Head toward the door one step at a time and wait for your dog to sit after each step. Have your dog sit before you open the door and have him sit immediately after going through the door. Then come back inside, take off the dog's leash, sit down, and repeat the above procedure.  You'll find that the time it takes for your dog to sit progressively decreases as the exercise proceeds. You'll also notice your dog becomes calmer each time you leave the house. By the third or fourth time you leave, your dog will walk calmly and sit promptly.  Don't prompt your dog to sit. Don't give him any clues. Let your dog work it out for himself. Your dog is learning even when he presents a series of unwanted behaviors. He is learning what you don't want him to do. The longer you wait for your dog to sit, the better he learns which behaviors are unwanted. When your dog sits and receives praise and a reward, he is learning what you want him to do.  Dogs love this game. After playing the game for a very short time, your dog learns which green-light behaviors (sitting) get you to proceed and which red-light behaviors (everything else) cause you to stand still.  When your dog can leave the house in a mannerly fashion, it is time to go for a real walk. Put your dog's dinner kibble in a bag, for today he will dine on the walk. Hold a piece of kibble in your hand, stand still, and wait for your dog to sit. When he does, say, "Good dog," and offer the kibble. Then take a giant step forwards, stand still, and wait for your dog to sit again. As soon as you step forward, likely your dog will explode with energy. Stand still and wait. Eventually your dog will sit again. Say, "Good dog," offer the kibble, and take another giant step forward. As you repeat this procedure over and over, you'll notice your dog sits progressively more quickly each time you stand still. After just a few repetitions your dog will begin to sit immediately each time you stop. Now take two giant steps before your stop. Then try three steps and stop, and then five, eight, ten, twenty, and so on. By now you will have discovered that your dog walks calmly and attentively by your side and sits immediately and automatically each time you stop. You will have taught him all this in just one session, and the only words you said were "Good dog."

Basic Essentials for Successful Dog Training

Basic Essentials for Successful Dog Training

Set you and your dog up for success. Train in a familiar and friendly environment. No distractions. No noise, cell phones, TV, and especially no other pets or children. When the dog masters the current task in this environment you will gradually change spaces and slowly introduce minor distractions. When you introduce a new exercise you go back to basics always setting yourself up to succeed.

You must always have the dog’s attention before you ask him to do something. So before you give a command or more specifically before you give a directive you say the Dog’s name. This is why our first task is to teach the dog his name. Until you have his attention and focus there is no sense giving a command or directive.

There must always be a reason for the dog to perform a task. This is called motivation. When we want the dog to do something we use a food treat or a toy. We start with food because it is the strongest motivator. This is positive motivation. With positive motivation the dog willingly performs the task and is anxious to repeat the task. If we want the dog to not do something or to stop doing something, we use negative motivation. For example we will take away something the dog wants. With negative motivation the dog does not willingly want to repeat the task.

We determine specifically and exactly what it is we want to teach and we break it into the smallest teachable and learnable part. Using our treat we the lure dog into the desired position or through the desired action. When he is in the desired position we mark the performance with either a single word (such as “yes”) or with a Clicker. The marker (word or click) simply tells the dog “you have done what I want you to do.” After we mark the performance we open our hand and offer the reward.

The entire sequence then becomes, get the attention, lure through the desired action, mark the performance, reward. The most successful method is to repeat this action six or seven times and rest, and repeat this process several times a day.       

 REPEAT AND REWARD !!!

 

"...I wish I had said that."        artthedogguy

the other end of the leash

 THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH

For the most part teaching basic obedience to the average dog is not difficult. We get their attention. Name, Focus. We use positive reward based training so we use a treat to lure the dog into position and reward the action. After this you repeat and reward. The problem exists with the other end of the leash. Many people have difficulty accepting the basics that make your training efforts easier and more successful. So here’s my list’

There must always be reason for the dog to perform a task. It’s called motivation. We use positive reward based motivation and we start with food because it’s the easiest.

Always set your dog up to succeed. This includes an environment that the student knows, no distractions, and making the task easy to perform.

Clearly identify that which you want to teach. Break it into the smallest teachable and learnable steps. Lure, Reward, Repeat.

Timing is everything. We mark the dog’s achievement with a specific word, like “yes” or “good”, or if you are Clicker training this is when you would click. This marking must be at the exact time the dog successfully performs the task. If you are 5 or 10 seconds late the dog doesn’t relate the reward to a specific action and all you are doing is feeding the dog.

Never give a command until you have the dog’s attention. This is why we teach Name, Attention, Focus. If you don’t have the dog’s attention you are simply setting yourself and the dog up for failure. Old time trainers used to say “if your dog’s not looking at you his ears are facing away and you’re just yellin’ at his butt.”

Don’t  make changes in the environment, add distractions, or change the duration of the expected task, until you have completely mastered the task. Only then do you change places and add new steps.

Training success is a direct result of repetition. Five or ten smaller training sessions a day, which include lots of successful repetitions, will achieve much more than an hour every two days. The secret is to make the desired action automatic every time the student receives a verbal or physical signal. If, for example, you want the dog to stop and sit before you proceed through a door or down a few stairs, you train with lures and rewards and expect correct performance every time. Gradually the dog will automatically sit and the reward will phase down to a vocal, “Thank You” or “Good Dog” and a simple pat.

Avoid accidental punishment. I regularly see these two examples of accidental punishment. Many people will call their dog from a distance and then turn and start to walk to the car. The dogs comes and is not acknowledged or recognized as having come when called and the first comment from the owner as he turns his back and walks away is “Hurry up and get in the car”. The second common case is when people let the dog play in the park and when they are ready to go they call the dog and as soon as he gets near, they snare him, snap on the leash, and hustle him off to the car. Both of these are cases of accidental punishment. Not intentional but they have neglected to praise or even acknowledge the dog for coming and they have ignored the fact that the dog was having fun and maybe wasn’t ready to leave.

Don’t reinforce improper or unwanted actions or performances. Remember, every time you ignore a dog who is doing what you don’t want him to do you are reinforcing whatever he is doing at that time as being a correct action. Your message is telling him that you accept what he is doing as another acceptable procedure.

“Loose leashes Happy Tails”

Teaching the "NO" word

Teaching the “NO” word

Most trainers today teach the positive reward based system where the “treat” is used as a “lure” to move the dog through an action or into a specific position and upon achievement you “mark” the action with either a clicker or a marker word and then give the “reward”. This is by far the very best system for teaching the dog to do the standard sit, down, stay, etc. exercises.

At some stage the dog also has to learn that there are things he shouldn’t do or is performing incorrectly  so obviously he has to learn the meaning of the word “No”. Yes I realize there are those that say you should never use the “No” word but trust me I get calls every week to come and address the problems created when a dog never learns the meaning of the word No.

The problem is many people think teaching the word “No” has to involve punishment when this is simply not necessary.

The dog learns that when he does things properly he is rewarded. Conversely, when he does something unwanted, wrong, or incorrectly, the action is “marked “ with a word such as “Wrong”. Many people use “No” but the problem is you started using the “No” word the day you got the dog and in most cases it is no longer effective. I personally use “Oops” because to me that is a pretty good description of an incorrect action.  

Here’s how you teach that the “Oops” word means that you have committed a no-no. Put your dog in a stay and place a treat about a foot in front of him. Every time he moves toward the treat you say “Oops” or “Wrong” and you pick up the treat and put him back in a stay. At the outset you will have to repeat this action quite a few times. Pretty soon you will see him stay for a longer and longer time and if you persist and proceed quietly he will stop moving toward the treat and you will be able to say “good dog” or “thank you” or use the clicker to “Mark” the fact that he did what you want and he now gets the treat. Remember the “marker”, verbal or clicker, is simply your way of telling the dog that he has done the right thing.

Voila! You taught “No” without jerking, pulling, yelling, or any other type of punishment. You simply took away something the dog wanted until he figured out what to do in order to get what he wanted.

There are other ways to use the “take something away that the dog wants” system that work equally as well.

The one we use early in the dog’s training is stopping the dog from jumping and lunging when you are feeding. You ask the dog to sit stay and you put his dish down and expect him to stay until you give him permission to go eat. If he moves toward the food before he is released you simply reach down say “Oops” and pick up his food and tell him to sit stay. It may take several repetitions but he will get the message that “no stay” results in “no breakfast”.

You can use exactly the same method when the dog goes “wacko” when you get the leash to go for a walk. You tell him to sit and if he doesn’t you say “Oops” and you put the leash away and go sit down. Again you, “take away something the dog wants”.

Hurray, you just taught the “No” word  the thinking man’s way.

A Couple of Different Training Ideas

 

A question I get asked often is:
“What do I do when my dog doesn't listen to me?” 

If your dog does not listen to your command, the dog is not properly motivated.

Motivation has to do with consequences. It can be difficult training pet dogs sometimes because they can behard to motivate.

Think of the different ways to motivate a dog.

Food, toys and praise are the ways we motivate. 

 If a dog has constant access to food, toys and the owner’s attention, the dog will be difficult to motivate. So if you are having a difficult time training your dog you have to think about........deprivation. Not big deprivation, just enough to get better results with your dog.
Instead of leaving the food out all day, feed twice a day.Take some or all of the toys away and teach your dog that playing is done with you.  

Start having your dog work for your attention.

This does NOT have to be for the rest of the dog’s life, just when
you are having a tough time getting your dog to listen to you.

 

 

Something I rarely see dog trainers talk about.

It is the cornerstone of all your training.Get this right and many problems will go away. Get it wrong and your dog could become leery of you and others. Worst case scenario, your dog could develop an aggression problem.

What am I talking about? I’m talking about trust.

The relationship between you and your dog has to be developed and
maintained with trust. But let me explain why this is so important and what you can do toimprove your training.

You see, having a dog often becomes a game of "catch me if you can."
It then often becomes a relationship based on setting the dog up for
failure which leads to corrections.

When you first get a dog or puppy you need to be really good at
managing your dog’s behavior. You have to make sure they don’t have the opportunity to get intotrouble.

Then when you start training you need to focus more on helping the
dog get it right than correcting for getting it wrong.

One of the first steps I like is to teach what is called a Non -Reward Marker.

This is a word the dog learns that means a reward is not coming because the command was performed incorrectly.

It communicates to your dog that they didn’t do it right but they are
not going to get nailed for doing it wrong.

One of the first commands I teach is stay because the dog learns the
words or Markers "Yes," and "Wrong." 

Put a treat on the ground and give the command, "Stay."

Most dogs will go for the food and this is when I quickly grab the treat before
they do and say, "Wrong." I repeat the process until the dog stops
moving toward the treat.

Once the dog freezes I say, "YES!" and the dog can now get the treat.

Giving a correction at this stage would break down trust. The dog
would also be nervous about doing anything which leads to frustration
on our part.

Teaching a Non-Reward Marker can go a long way to developing trust.

Try these two ideas. I hope you’ll enjoy the results.

Working in the Street

WORKING IN THE STREET

A while back I was working with a seven month old German Shepherd male who was well past his basics and we were into what I like to think of as “working in the street”.

Once the dog understands and performs the basics such as come, sit, down, stay, and heel, I like to proceed to working the dog in a variety of environments so he learns to focus and handle many different situations and distractions. My ultimate goal is to have the dog working comfortably in a park or plaza. My next step then is to incorporate extended walks in a heel position with frequent stops, downs, sits, stays, etc. This way the dog doesn’t become soured with dry repetitions plus he learns to utilize the various exercises in a practical way.

One day Shep and I were working along a somewhat rural road and we came upon a man and his dog who were tending to about a dozen Nanny goats and their kids. As we approached the flock I asked Shep to sit so he could relax and observe. After a moment or so we moved a little closer and I directed him to assume a down and to watch the goats. The man with the herd was watching and came over and commented on how well the dog was doing. He said he had watched the dog on previous occasions and liked his progress. We chatted about the goats and I commented on a particularly attractive baby that was ivory colored with several seal brown patches. The man asked if I liked goats and I explained that I came from a farm background and have a fondness for all animals and their babies.

He then said come with me and he struck off toward a shed that was several hundred yards away. We entered a small fenced enclosure and I asked about bringing the dog in and he said oh yes it’s not a problem and besides it’s good for him. By now he had swung open a rickety door and ushered us into an area that was alive with hen and chicks, ducks with ducklings, and off to one side was a Momma goat with a very young baby. By now I had Shep sitting beside me and was allowing him to be on a loose leash but I was watching nervously to make sure that he wasn’t going to devour a chick or a duckling.

The man was over by the baby goat and picked him up and brought him over to us and I thought it was for me to see him but instead he quietly told Shep to lie down and he laid the baby goat across Shep’s back and shoulders, told him to look after the baby and he stood up and left Shep there. By now Shep was as shocked as I and he looked up at me for assurance that this was an okay thing and I simply told him he was a good dog.  The man then explained that this is how he taught the dogs to accept the baby animals and not to bother them in the future. Soon the baby was returned to his Momma and the man gave Shep a pet and congratulated him on doing so well with his first lesson.

That was an unexpected bonus to “working in the street” and I can assure you that for all the time I was lucky enough to work with Shep I never saw him make one wrong move toward any farm animals.

Ideas

Tips and Ideas

Wikipedia says this about dog training,

Dog training is the application of behavior analysis which uses the environmental events of antecedents and consequences to modify the behavior of a dog, either for it to assist in specific activities or undertake particular tasks, or for it to participate effectively in contemporary domestic life.

My definition is somewhat simpler. Dog training is teaching the dog to do what we want, how we want, when and where we want, and additionally to teach the dog to not do the things we don't want him to do.

That being said here's some tips and ideas that I hope will prove useful.

Always set your dog up to succeed. We all know about choosing a familiar and comfortable environment with no distractions but also make the task simple, small, and easy. Build on many small success's. Avoid failures. Practice many times a day with short two and three minute sessions.

Get attention, maintain focus. Make training sessions fun and happy.

Remember there must ALWAYS be a reason for the student to perform the task.

When teaching the student what you want him to do, a positive action results in a positive consequence. Initially we use food because it is a strong motivator and a strong positive motivator results in the student willingly wanting to repeat the task.

When teaching the dog what we don't want him to do his negative action produces a negative or unwanted consequence thereby discouraging him from repeating the offense.

Decide exactly what it is you wish to teach. Break it into the smallest teachable and learnable components. With a treat in hand lure the dog into position or through the desired action. Some training books will refer to this as "shaping" the action". When the dog is successful "mark" the success. This is done with a vocal response such as "yes" or a clicker. This is your way of telling the dog he has done what you want him to do. Now offer the treat and reward the action. Repeat this simple process and always reward.

Use the 80% rule. When your dog performs the task successfully 4 out of 5 times, then and only then do you change the criteria. That is you change the environment, lengthen a distance or duration, or introduce some distractions. Never change more than one part of the criteria at a time. Make small changes, build on success's, avoid failures, practice often and always reward.

Never let the dog repeatedly do what you don't want him to do such as ignoring a recall or repeatedly pulling on the leash. If you do not correct and change this action you are simply reinforcing this action and telling the dog that this is another acceptable way to perform this task.

Set, follow , and enforce, Rules, Regulations, and Limitations. Remember, Discipline is not Punishment. All members of a family have to follow acceptable practices and this must always include the dog. Violations are not "cute" or "just something that little dogs do". Good manners make for loving pets.