Hide and Seek

How many of you play hide and seek with your dog?  It is a great game to firm up their recall.  The kids can play it with the dog.  Hide somewhere in the house and then call your dog.  When he gets to you praise him and let him know he is the smartest dog in the world.  This makes the recall fun for both of you instead of frustrating when you are "formally" training and the dog ignores you.  If training isn't fun for you and your dog, you're not doing it right.

Positive Punishment

I just got around to reading some old emails and this stuck a chord in me.  I am guilty of telling my dog no or uh uh.  Guess I have some work to do.  For those of you who don't know who Susan Garrett is, she is an agility trainer which means she doesn't have a leash attached to her dog to give corrections when the dog does something wrong.  Leslie Nelson said if you want to see what kind of trainer you are, take the leash off.  I definitely have work to do.

Positive Punishment:
If you are still using positive punishment (physical or verbal corrections) in your dog training please know they are not only unnecessary but they are taking you a step away from where you really want to be; one of harmonious teamwork with your dog. Because I do believe our dogs are a reflection of our abilities as a dog trainer, when I see someone trying to teach something like  a sit stay and they come out with "errrrrr" or "noooooo!!" or "aaah aaah" when their dog moves I immediately think, two things.
My first thought is, wow, that dog is being blamed because his owner did not do a good enough job teaching him sit means "don't move . . . no matter what."
My second thought is that you are drawing attention to yourself, just as if you were clearing your throat to make a big announcement to a crowded room . . .
"Aaaah aaaah, excuse me everyone, if you can hear me I would like to draw your attention to the absolute crap job I did of training my my dog's sit stay, you will notice he did move toward the distraction  . . . thank you, thank you for this acknowledgment."
I know sometimes it is frustrating because we believe the dog "should know better" but the solution to your frustration does not lie in physical pain or intimidation. The answer lies in a better manipulation of the reinforcement your dog is seeking.~~Susan Garrett

Recalls

Are you tired of your dog looking at you and then going in the other direction when you call him?  Do you repeat yourself numerous times and he still ignores you?  Learn how to get your dog to come every time you call with our Really Reliable Recall session.  It takes a bit of work on your part but the results are amazing.  Your dog will leave whatever is distracting him and come right to you. Call me today to schedule your session,  your place or mine, at your convenience.

Crate training

Yesterday I got to do one of my favorite things.  I had a crate training session with the cutest boxer.  Coco would go in her crate but when her Mom go home, she was drowning in drool and licking the latches on the crate.  Left out of the crate, she would destroy the house.  So I was called in to help Coco.  In 20 minutes, Coco was able to sit in her crate without licking the latches.  After about 40 minutes, her Mom could walk away from the crate and Coco would remain calm.  I love crate training.  Crates are not punishment for the dog.  Crates keep the dog and your possessions safe.  So if you want to keep your dog safe and have him love his crate, give me a call.

Trial #2

Yesterday a friend and I went down to Milton, near New Paltz, for an obedience trial.  We got there at 11:30 thinking the dogs would go in the ring around 12 noon.  It ended up that the dogs didn't go in the ring until 3:00 by which time Emma needed some Red Bull.  I could not get her ramped up for anything.  There were very few dogs in our class so Emma ended up taking second place.  Unfortunately, my friend's dog didn't like the judge and so didn't qualify.  All in all, it was a good day seeing all kinds of dogs and visiting with friends.

Training versus management

There is more to dog training than obedience training.  There is also a part that is known as management.  Any one who has raised children is familiar with this although it seems very few people know that we need to use this with our dogs, too.  Right now I have a dog in my kennel, Koda, who was surrendered because he growled at his sister after dinner.  The whole rest of the day the got along.  These people did not believe in obedience training.  They apparently did not believe in crate training either.  This is a management problem and I see it as an easy fix.  I have a newfie puppy who likes to cause trouble.  She is also my best trained dog and does obedience competition.  When she is causing trouble, I tell her "Crate" and she gets in her crate for a time out.  This would work for Koda, too.  We recently had Emma spayed and this upset the pack order and Emma and one of her sisters started fighting.  This called for management, not training.  A week later and the girls are no longer fighting.  Once in a while, they need to be reminded who is really in charge here. 

Emma's first ribbon

Emma went to her second trial yesterday.  I did nothing to disqualify her this time.  She took second place in her class.  I was very surprised, I didn't think they could do as bad as she did and still qualify.  She still needs a lot of work and I need to start putting in the time.

Problem behaviors

At Amsterdam Dog Trainbing, I address problems behaviors as they are brought up in class.  Private lessons are an excellent was of addressing problem behaviors.  What bothers you about your dog may not bother someone else with their dog.  In order to best address problems behaviors, this article contains a list of information to gather that will be helpful to the trainer.

If you've obedience trained your dog, you have a pooch who is a good listener and a savvy learner. But some dog problems and behaviors cannot be solved with the basic commands such as "Sit!" and "Come!" And a dog who follows every command during a training session can still have behavioral problems.
When the peace and quiet of the home hearth is suddenly disrupted by your dog's bad behavior, it's not time to get frustrated and lament how this can be. You may ask why they didn't cover digging in obedience class or excessive barking or shoe chewing. But you can find the answers to these mishaps right here.
The first step is to analyze the destructive behavior by asking yourself a few questions:
What - What exactly is he doing?
When - When did this behavior start? Does this behavior occur at a certain time of day or during the week?
Where - Has there been any change in my dog's environment, big or small? Does it always occur in a certain room or outside or in a new space?
How Often - Is the behavior consistent or does your dog just misbehave when something is different, such as having guests over?
Why - An analysis of these questions will give you a "why."
Consider ruling out an illness before you begin your strategy. Any significant change in a dog's behavior warrants a visit to the vet. Look at the time the behavior started and tie that into any possible change. Change means something big like a newborn or something small like a change in your dog's routine. If the behavior occurs at a specific time each day, consider what goes on during that time - is it when you leave the house or come in? Or is it when the trash truck comes? Also, consider your dog's environment where it occurs - has there been a rearrangement of the furniture in the living room? Or new sod in the backyard?
Keep notes about the time, place, and activity going on when your dog misbehaves and follow these tips to correct the behavior.

No no, bad dog

Is your dog's name No No Bad Dog?  If the only time you speak to your dog is to tell him what he is doing wrong, how does he know what he is supposed to do instead of the wrong thing?  Praise the dog whenever you catch him doing the behaviors you want, whether you have asked for that behavior or not.  Is he sitting next to you?  Praise him with "Good sit".  Is he lying down?  "Good down".  Then the dog will know what the desired behaviors are.  Rewarded behaviors will flourish will unrewarded behaviors will extinguish.

Begging

Unless they are trained not to do so, most dogs will form the natural habit of begging for both attention and food. Some dog owners except this behavior and think it's acceptable, but most people get annoyed very quickly when their dog starts to beg every time he wants love, attention, and especially when he smells something tasty cooking in the house.

Begging is another form of demanding and it gives your dog an aspect of control within the family "pack". I describe your family as a pack because that is exactly how your dog sees it. Anyways, while it seems adorable when Sparky rolls over on his back expecting a belly rub every time you enter the room, or just sits all teary-eyed staring straight at your plate of food when you're eating dinner, this behavior has the possibility to gain momentum and become aggressive.

Just how aggressive can a dog possibly become?

If you do not think that your dog could ever possibly bite your hand because he expects you to give him food every time he begs, think again. For years a friend of mine would hand feed his puppy pieces of food at any time of the day he was eating. If it were breakfast, his dog would get a two pieces of bacon. At lunch time my friend would hand feed his dog a few bites of his sandwich. The same went for dinner.

After some time, his dog matured and grew bigger, and my friend did not realize that he was reinforcing a dominant leadership role into his dog every time he gave in to begging. Once he decided to change this behavior with his dog, he learned quickly just how dangerous the situation was. At one of his meals, my friend absolutely refused to feed his dog anything and the begging and crying turned into aggression and barking. Then without notice, his dog leaped up onto his plate and snapped at the food, taking a little bit of my friends flesh with it.

Begging can be eliminated with proper training

The above example may seem a bit extreme and you still probably could never imagine you're adorable dog biting you in the attempt to get food that he was expecting. However, the problem is real and you must start early in your puppy's life with instilling the rules when it comes to begging.

During your meals, you need to train your dog to sit and stay in a specific area when the family is eating. This may take some time but eventually he will remain in a sit position until after your dinner is over and then of course you should praise his actions by offering him up a nice hot meal that he can eat in his own food bowl, and only after everybody else is finished eating.

Another attention game

I do not like to only train from a standstill, because I want the dogs to know that they can pay attention to people even while they're moving. I arm myself with goodies, wait for the dog to look at me in my face and then give a few treats while praising, then I take off at a quick pace. As soon as the dog catches up to me and looks at me, I praise, feed a few more treats and move in a different direction again. It's like you are constantly trying to get away and the dog is always trying to catch up. It's like the game many dogs are playing already, but the role is reversed! If you are playing outside, you will need a leash for safety reasons. As this goes on, you will let the dog take more steps with you and should be looking at you longer before you pay out.

Tammy Reinarz, CPDT-KA and a Professional Member of the APDT, has been training dogs of all breeds within the Central PA area since 2005.

Heeling

Once you have reached the level in training your dog where he is not fooled by distractions or temptation, you are then ready to proceed to the next level of training – how to heel correctly.

If your dog cannot walk comfortably at your side, there is no way you’re going to teach him anything about being obedient. He must learn to heel properly and focus his full attention to you.

You will be using a six-foot leather training leash for this phase. During this stage of training, you will teach your dog to walk beside you like a gentleman. He will learn to automatically sit at your side when you stop.

No Punishment Needed When Training Your Dog

The right attitude cannot be achieved if your dog is mistreated or abused. To restrain or choke the dog on a short, tight leash, to hit him in the chest, or to smack his face with the end of the leash while trying to teach him to heel will result, among other things, in a completely negative attitude in the animal.

Starting Position

To begin, you will notice that your leash has a loop in one end. Place your right thumb through that loop. With your left hand, grab the leash at the middle section and place it in your right hand. Notice that the dog is on your left side, but that the leash is held in your right hand. This will seem a little awkward at first, but your left hand will be doing other things.

Do not form the habit of trying to restrain your dog at your side by holding him up close with the left hand on that leash. Remember, you want to train your dog, not restrain him. Forget about everything that you were told or read about restraining a dog tugging at your side in the hope that he will get the idea that this is where you want him to walk. That idea will never occur to him.

There is an important characteristic of an untrained dog on a leash that will become obvious to you during this stage of training. This dog wants to feel a tight leash! If there’s a slack in the leash, he has no way of calculating its exact length. On a tight leash, he can lunge and pull and go through all kinds of twists and turns, because he has the security of feeling where the other end of the leash is. Therefore, it is very important that you don’t give in to your dog’s wishes by walking him on a tight leash.

As you begin, position your dog at your left side while keeping the leash short. Leave a belly of reserved slack, with your right hand, look at your dog, say his name, then command “Heel”!

Begin walking, starting with your left foot. Walk briskly in a straight line, with confidence in your movement. Your dog will lose confidence in you if you wander aimlessly.

Remembering his experience on the long-line, your dog may walk alongside you fairly comfortably, but the odds are that since there are now only five to six feet connecting the two of you, he will react in one of the two following ways:

1. He will either rush forward past you in an attempt to keep a tight strain on that leash, or
2. He will hold back and be hesitant to walk with you at all. After all, this six-foot training leash is new to him.

If your dog is one that takes off like a marathon runner in a race, either surging ahead or out to the side in an attempt to keep the leash tight, simply open your right hand, release the slack you’ve been holding in reserve, and immediately do a right-about turn and walk in the opposite direction. When your dog is back in the proper heeling position, give him praise and a pat on the head with your free left hand. If you have a small dog, bend over to his level and give him his pat while continuing to walk.

Each time he surges ahead, release the slack as you do and definite right-about turn. Without slowing your pace, pick up some reserve slack and place it once again in your right hand in preparation for his next heedless charge. Your left hand is free to reach down and give him a pat on a head when, and only when, he is in the proper heeling position. That is, at your left side with his head and neck area about even with your left leg. Each time you place the reserve slack in your right hand, be sure to leave a belly of slack in the leash between you and your dog.

Reward values

 An important point to remember with attention is that most dogs look at what they are interested in, and you want to be that thing that your dog finds interesting. Games are a great way to retain that learning. If you enjoy it, it's more than likely the dog will too! When it comes to the treats that you use, make sure that you use the appropriate treat for the specific environment that you are training in. The kibble that works in the house will probably not work on walks or at the vet's. Be imaginative. A reward's value is dictated by the animal that accepts it. So if your dog doesn't accept your treat, then you have too many distractions or your rewards aren't good enough for that setting.

Paying attention

Attention: you know you want it from your dog, but how do you get it? I think that it is the most important thing for a dog to know. If your dog doesn't look at you, you'll find yourself having difficulty with everything from walking to general training. Most people find themselves having difficulty when distractions are around. That's normal. You always want to start new skills with the LEAST amount of distractions and then choose harder settings. Practice under scenarios that your dog will be in contact with. Practice attention games in the house, then in the yard, out on a walk, when another dog is approaching on a walk, in a classroom, when the doorbell rings, on a camping trip, etc. Know how your dog is going to be a part of your life and train for it!