Total Dog Magazine

Category: Dog Training

  • American Bulldog Puppy Training With Clicker

    This is just the sixth session training Pink with a clicker.

    The trainer is Amy Peterson of Norcal’s American Bulldogs.
    www.norcalsbulldogs.com

    Dog clicker training does it work?

    You bet it does!

    Clicker training has been around for a long time now and is highly thought of by some of the world’s most respected dog trainers.

    As seen with the training video of this American Bulldog puppy, clicker training can be used from a very early age and can form the basis for an entire lifetime of training exercises.

  • How to Stop Dog Barking

    Dog barking is one of the more common and anti-social* traits many owners would like to fix.

    This video gives a good, basic overview of the techniques you can use to address the problem.

    *Anti-social in human terms. Dogs barking is, in reality, one of the most overt social behaviours dogs display.

  • 27 Amazing Dog Training Tips to Remember

    All of us dog owners can identify with that moment where our dog does something that, frankly, we really wish they wouldn’t. Millions, no, billions are spent and earned around the world as a result of dog owners who simply want their beloved canine to behave more appropriately. Here we’ve got 27 foundational dog training tips that you should memorise to your internal hard-drive (that’ll be your brain!). Each excellent in its own way, but together – these are 27 rules that any dog owner will benefit from when it comes to having better behaved, happier dog and owner. Enjoy!

    1. Concentrate on what your dog is doing right. Professional dog trainers everywhere tell their students to reward their dogs when they do something right. This “positive training” method is in contrast to training that centres on punishment. Trainers recommend that owners praise and reward their dogs with treats and affection for good behaviour instead of just scolding them for bad behaviour.

    2. Be proactive and keep your dog from behaving badly in the first place. One of the most important tips that a professional dog trainer will tell his or her students is that good behaviour is not just the responsibility of the dog. The owner must make every effort to avoid giving the dog the ability to engage in bad behaviour while they are still learning the ropes. For example, if you notice that your dog likes to chew, it’s important to make sure that everyone in the home puts their shoes behind closed closet doors to remove temptation.

    3. Stop saying NO! One of the biggest mistakes that people make when training their dogs is saying NO without giving the dog an explanation of some type. Dogs, much like children, will become confused with a simple command of NO! Here’s what you should do instead. If your dog is stealing the cat’s food, tell him NO and then gently guide him to his own food dish. Or, if your dog is chewing on a table leg tell him NO and give him rawhide or another toy on which he can chew. Once your dog begins to actually use the new behaviour, reward him with treats, toys and praise.

    4. Learn the difference between boredom and separation anxiety. It is important to determine whether your dog is misbehaving when you leave home because he is bored, or because he is experiencing a case of separation anxiety. Figuring out why your dog is engaging in bad behaviours is usually the quickest way to combat the problem. If boredom seems to be the issue, you can probably keep your dog from destroying your house during alone time by providing him a toy stuffed with treats or something else that will help exercise his mind a little. If separation anxiety is the problem, you will need to learn ways to desensitise your dog to not only your absence, but also your “preparing to leave” routine.

    5. Consider trying clicker training. Clicker training is a relatively new technique in the dog training world and involves the owner using a specific sound to indicate to their dog that a particular behaviour is acceptable or desired. The owner will repeat the “click” and then reward their dog for his or her good behaviour. The positive feedback will encourage the dog to repeat the good behaviour.

    6. Be patient, persistent and consistent. These three behaviours on the part of an owner will develop similar behaviours in a dog. Patience means that you understand that learning new behaviours may take some time and a lot of practice and repetition. Persistence means that you, as the owner, do not give up when training does not seem to be going well. Consistent means that your dog knows what to expect from you. For example, if you always say NO when your dog is misbehaving, they learn to recognise NO as a sign of disapproval. Conversely, if you only give treats for good behaviour, your dog will learn to recognise such positive feedback.

    7. Start early. As soon as you get a dog, you should begin training in some capacity. If you are getting a late start, it may take some time to catch up. The key to remember is that training is often nothing more than reversing bad habits and behaviours. If your dog is young, they haven’t had a chance to develop a significant number of these bad behaviours and training will be simple. With an older dog, you really have to unteach everything the dog knows about behaviour and start to reteach behaviours that you find acceptable.

    8. Be kind and gentle for best results. An owner who constantly punishes his or her dog for bad behaviours is bound to be a lot less successful than an owner who is gentle and kind, rewarding his or her dog for acceptable behaviours. Consider offering your dog plenty of praise, and be gentle when redirecting his attention from a bad behaviour to one that is more acceptable to you.

    9. Have reasonable expectations. For example, if your dog misbehaves at home you are wise to expect that he will misbehave at the dog park or in the yard. Therefore, if your dog is having trouble paying attention to your commands you will want to make sure to keep him on a leash when outside. If your dog jumps on people in the house, expect that he will be rough with other dogs. You can reverse these behaviours through positive training, but you need to realise that bad behaviours will most likely continue regardless of the circumstances until they have been unlearned by your dog.

    10. Always enforce your commands. If you give commands, but do not enforce them, your dog will learn that there is no reason to listen to you. On the other hand, if you back up your commands with reinforcement he will quickly learn that you mean business. For example, if you tell your dog to sit and he ignores you, gently push him into the desired position and praise him. Always praise good behaviour as a means of enforcing your commands.

    11. Use the ONE command rule. Only give your dog each command one time. If you want your dog to sit, tell him SIT! If your dog decides to ignore the command the first time, gently place him into the sit position and then praise him. Do this with every command, so that your dog doesn’t think that your commands are optional. Stick to the ONE command rule, and your dog will quickly learn to take your commands seriously.

    12. Clearly define your commands. If you expect your dog to follow commands, then it is imperative that he understands what it is that you want him to do. For example, if you are trying to teach him to sit you will only confuse him if one time you use the command SIT and the next time SIT DOWN. If he’s confused he’ll most likely just ignore you. And this can lead to a vicious cycle. So, pay attention to the commands you are teaching and don’t confuse your dog by being inconsistent.

    13. Teach your dog to read your tone. Tone is just as important as the actual command that you are giving. Therefore, try to always use a consistent tone when issuing a command. Yelling a command will be less effective than just using a firm and authoritative tone. Pick a tone, and stick with it. Your dog will begin to recognise that tone, and respond to what you are telling him more effectively.

    14. Analyse stubbornness. If you find that your dog is stubborn and does not want to listen to your commands, there may be a simple explanation. Look for signs to see whether you are giving commands that your dog understands, whether your dog knows what to do when they hear a certain command and whether the command is creating an uncomfortable feeling in your dog. Most likely, you need to simply repeat training for a specific command and make your dog feel more comfortable through rewards and praise.

    15. Never use your dog’s name in anger. You should try to reprimand your dog without using his name so that there is no negative association with the name itself. When you praise your dog, call him by name so that the dog responds happily when he is called by name. You may find that simply using the dog’s name will get him to come to you eagerly in just a short period of time.

    16. Earn the respect of your dog. If you hit or scream at your dog, he will quickly lose respect for you. And instead of becoming a loving companion, will become reserved and fearful. Therefore, be sure to avoid training when you are in a bad mood and avoid negative reinforcement whenever possible. Staying upbeat will make your dog more willing to do whatever it is that you expect from him and help the two of your form a good relationship.

    17. Never use a training technique that is not natural and comfortable for you. If you are using a technique that does not come naturally, your dog will sense your hesitation as quickly as he will sense fear or anxiety. This can lead to your dog ignoring any commands given and cause frustration for both of you. Therefore, work to find techniques that you understand and feel comfortable with before starting to train your dog.

    18. Consider an obedience training class. There is no shame in asking for help with training your dog. Some people are simply not equipped to train their dog on their own, either due to a lack of patience, inexperience or not enough knowledge. Investigate different obedience training classes in your area and sit in on a few to determine whether or not they might work for you.

    19. Consider a training club. Some kennel associations offer training clubs to their members and the general public. These groups will often allow member access to professional trainers, and the knowledge of other members. Some breeds are more difficult to train than others, and having this type of resource available may be an excellent asset to your own training program.

    20. Learn about your dog’s breed. Different dog breeds may respond better to different methods of training. Dogs of different sises may also require different types of training. For example, if you have a small terrier who likes to jump it is less dangerous to all involved than if you have a St. Bernard that weighs in at 150 pounds who likes to jump! You will need to concentrate on different areas with different breeds and sises of dogs, and knowing what to expect is half of the battle.

    21. See yourself as the team leader during training. You are not the only one responsible for successful training sessions. If you see yourself and your dog as a team in training, you will be much more successful than if you assume the burden of all responsibility. You need to be aware of everything that goes on during training, because you are the leader. However, realise that your dog must be a willing participant for training to succeed.

    22. Remain calm and relaxed. Your dog will sense fear, anger and anxiety. Therefore, in order to be effective you must stay calm. Issue commands in an authoritative voice and be firm and consistent to keep your dog’s attention. Any behaviour on your part that is out of the ordinary will keep him from staying focused and reduce the effectiveness of your training efforts.

    23. Be consistent. If you aren’t serious about wanting your dog to perform or stop a specific action, then do not issue the command. Otherwise, you are going to teach your dog that you only mean what you say some of the time. This will lead to confusion on your dog’s part and frustration on yours. It’s much easier to only issue commands that you will enforce.

    24. Recognise and respect your dog’s needs. Just like people, you will find that when a dog’s basic needs are not being met he will misbehave more often. Be sure that you are providing quality food, plenty of water, constructive socialisation with people and other pets, adequate shelter and safety and lots of exercise. When these needs are met, teaching your dog the basics will be much easier.

    25. Practice, practice, practice. Practice makes perfect, isn’t that what your mom always said? Well, dog training is no exception! If you’re going to work on training your dog, make sure that you practice consistently for several 5-10 minute intervals throughout the day. Focus on practicing one skill at a time until your dog has mastered it and then move on to something new. Be sure to revisit already learned tricks and behaviours regularly though so they are not forgotten.

    26. Expose your dog, slowly over time, to different situations. It is critical to emphasise to your dog that you expect him to behave consistently regardless of his surroundings. One of the best ways to do this is to socialise with your dog. Introduce him to new people and other animals (dogs, cats, etc.) so that he learns to be social. Take him into unfamiliar surroundings whenever feasible so that he learns that regardless of where he is you are still there and in charge. This will allow you to have more effective control, and will alleviate anxiety caused by unfamiliar people and surroundings that can lead to misbehaviour in the future.

    27. Find out what works. Not every child learns the same way, and not every dog learns the same way. Therefore, you should attempt to use different training techniques until your find one that you are comfortable with, and that works with your particular dog. The general rule to remember is that if a technique isn’t working after a week, you should try something else.

  • Socialising Your New Dog

    Below are some helpful tips on how to socialise your new dog with existing pets in the household, with your friends, and with other people’s animals.

    Socialising a pup or a new dog is vital if you want the dog to be well mannered, well adjusted and pleasant to be around in the company of other animals and people.

    Socialising with Existing Pets: Make an initial contact with other dogs outside the home. If you can, take your existing pet (or pets) for a walk and have a friend meet you somewhere with your new dog. Take a long walk so the dogs can get used to each other. Switch dogs on your walk.

    Take all the dogs back to the house. Switch dogs and have a tour of your home, with all dogs still leashed. Let your existing house dogs loose, but keep the new dog tied to you. If the new dog tries to mark the house anywhere, correct him with a sharp jerk and a stern “No!” If any of the existing dogs try to mark, correct them in the same manner. Explain to all, in no uncertain terms, that marking will not be tolerated. In addition, when you feed the dogs be sure to feed the established pets first and stay near the new dog while he eats.

    Most established pets, if already well socialised, will enjoy a newcomer as long as the newcomer is friendly and is introduced in the manner described above. If adopting, ask their rescue for their best advice on introducing your new dog since they will have been able to assess your new dog’s actions and reactions in lots of situations before rehoming.

    Socialising with Your Friends: While puppies always generate warm feelings, adult dogs do not. It is especially important that they make a good impression on your friends and neighbours from the start, especially if you already have other pets. Set rules for your new dog immediately.

    No jumping on friends; keep your dog leashed the entire time friends are at home gatherings for the first few weeks to make sure your dog does not try to jump on them. No barking when the doorbell rings; no running out the door when you open it for guests; make him sit at your side and ask the guests to ignore him until everyone is in and he has a chance to evaluate the new people. Let him approach them for petting if he is calm; if not, wait until you have established the control you need so as not to make a spectacle of yourself and the dog.

    When he can accept guests, make sure he does so with all four feet on the ground. It is easy for a dog to try to explore with his paw as well as his nose. If you are firm and consistent from the first guest on, you not only will eliminate obnoxious behaviour but will instil acceptable behaviour. The end result: Your friends will welcome his addition to your family.

    Socialising with Other People’s Animals: The same logic applies here as with your other animals, so use the same type of rules. Take long walks on which you know you will meet friends doing the same with their animals. Contain and restrain your dog from barking at other animals as they approach. If necessary make him sit at your side.

    Always allow thorough sniffing from both animals, as this is their way of saying hi. If at all possible, invite friends and their animals back to your home and allow the dogs to play by themselves. This solves many problems the everyday pet owner may not think about and he will find the dog much more relaxed and easier to handle.

    Worth a read – puppy socialisation checklist

  • For Better Dog Training Results: Understand Your Dog’s Hearing Ability

    For Better Dog Training Results: Understand Your Dog’s Hearing Ability

    A dog’s keen sensitivity to low-volume sound is often troublesome. They can hear a faint sound at 75 feet, while most humans could only detect it at 17 feet. This indicates that a dog must learn to ignore myriad sounds that do not affect him, and accommodate to a veritable avalanche of sounds in a family household, such as television, radio, stereos, etc.

    However, when this sensitivity is translated to phobic behaviour relative to, say, thunderstorms, it indicates that dogs may hear the thunder of an approaching storm over 50 miles away, while the sky is still clear. If a dog has a history of becoming upset by thunder or other explosive sounds, he may become increasingly anxious as the storm nears, salivating, pacing, hiding, seeking comfort if the owner is home, or escaping.

    This sensitivity may also explain why “desensitizing” techniques, such as playing recordings of thunder at low levels, rarely succeed. Audio speakers are not designed to produce volumes softer than humans can perceive. Also, storm activity is generally preceded by elements to which dogs and some other mammals appear to be sensitive. Merely producing low-volume thunder claps may not fulfill the total stimulus complex required to achieve desensitization.

    But such programs are usually more successful with dogs than fear gunshots or other loud noises. However, even with storm phobias, if we can change their emotional interpretation of such stimuli by providing a behavioural example, rehabilitation is generally quite successful.

    An important auditory/learning tendency in dogs is to quickly develop a motor movement response to a sound stimulus when the sound is accompanied by a visual signal. In other words, dogs tend to move their head, ears, eyes or other body part in response to sound accompanied by movement. This leads to some problems if owners are not aware of this mechanism, but it facilitates training for those who use it properly.

    Two examples typify common problems. The first is the owner’s tendency to raise his hands while telling a jumping dog, “Down!” Raising the hands not only causes reflex movement upward, but also encourages the dog to continue jumping. The usual outcome of this sort of mis-teaching is an owner who resorts to punishment, such as kneeing the dog in the chest or pushing him down, and a fully confused dog.

    Effective use of this learning tendency involves moving the hands abruptly down and/or toward the dog while saying “Down.” Even more effective is to apply the movements without speaking, and to praise the dog’s downward response. In this way the situation itself becomes the conditioned stimulus to stop or not start jumping.

    The second problem occurs when owners try to teach their pet to “Come” as they lean or move toward the pet. Both movements visually instruct the pet to stay or retreat. Most owners end up approaching the pet and often punishing him, or giving up. A better method is to abruptly lean or move away or crouch down with one side of the body toward the dog and praise the first signs of approach by the dog.

    This method facilitates initial learning, even in adult dogs that are resistant due to improper training. This type of initial training, in which the dog actively performs the proper motor responses, is much faster than those that force passive movements through physical manipulation by the hands or leashes.

  • How to Keep Puppy Learning Fun & Entertaining

    How to Keep Puppy Learning Fun & Entertaining

    Looking for fun games that your puppy can enjoy? Check out these tantalizing activities that you can get a puppy of any age involved in.

    Grooming Made Fun

    Probably one of the most important things to do is groom and brush your puppy. So what better way to start on the right foot than to make it a pleasant experience?

    It is important to teach skills like staying in place. Also of great importance is to get the puppy used to being touched all over and yet be relaxed the entire time. This grooming/touching procedure will create a tight bond while allowing the owner to maintain dominance over the puppy as it grows into an adult.

    This is important since there will always be nails to cut and teeth to clean, as well as rules to follow. Fun grooming practice builds a foundation tolerance within the young pup.

    It’s Circus Time!

    Puppies like jumping so why not play bar jumping games, just like they do at the circus?

    The first thing to do is walk over the jump with your puppy. The pup will probably follow at your side. If the puppy doesn’t want to go over the jump with you then encourage your puppy over the jump with a treat. Be sure to start with the jump on the ground, then increase the height as the dog’s skill level develops.

    Hide & Seek, What A Classic

    Who doesn’t like hide and seek?

    Playing hide and seek with your puppy can be loads of fun while at the same time introduces the puppy to the come command.

    First you need to have a leashed trained pup or one that can obey the sit/stay commands. Put the leash and have a friend hold the puppy, or if the pup can obey the sit/stay command without a leash then that is just fine.

    Hide close by, like behind an open door or a small piece of furniture. If playing outside then get behind a bush or tree. After a short amount of time, call the puppy in a playful tone of voice. Make certain that the leash is not being held.

    Once your pup finds you, give him a treat and/or simply tell him how good he is and love him.
    You should attempt to move farther away and making finding you more difficult as your pup’s skill increases.

    Let’s Go On A Treasure Hunt!

    Finding toys and objects is another classic activity that can be fun for your puppy.

    First, put your pup on a leash and tie it securely to a chair. Then place many toys and other objects on the floor while the puppy watches.

    Now go see your puppy, but have a toy that your pup likes in your hand. Just hold it while the pup observes for a minute and then toss it into the pile of stuff you made on the floor. Now let your puppy go and say repeatedly “Fetch, boy Fetch!”

    When he goes to hunt down the toy you were showing him be sure to give positive reinforcement and lots praise. Eventually you will be able to have your puppy sniff one object for a few seconds and literally dig it out of anywhere you hide it.

  • Car Chasing Dogs – How to Cure Car Your Car Chasing Dog

    Dogs that chase cars endanger their own lives and those of motorists. As bad dog behaviour goes, car chasing dogs are just about at the top of the dangerous league. So, for owners of dogs that chase cars – how can they be cured?

    In the Italian Job the car chase was thrilling to watch and goes down in cinematic history as one of the most famous scenes ever to appear on the silver screen.

    Dogs that Chase Cars

    Whilst our dogs can’t be accused of being influenced by the movies they see, some of them seem far too keen to experience the thrill of the car chase.

    Dog’s have an in-built instinct to chase things that move. They are predatory animals who have never lost their desire to give chase whenever the opportunity presents itself.

    Dogs all have their favourite quarry, for some it’s squirrels, cats, rats, ducks, pigeons, other dogs or basically any furred or feathered creature capable of movement. The behaviour can be overcome fairly easily but in many cases this chasing habit is not regarded as a particularly big deal by the dog’s owner as the chases usually take place in the garden or countryside and more often than not ends in no success for the dog leaving no lasting damage to hunter or hunted. The same can’t be said of a dog with a desire to pursue cars as their quarry of choice and action to remedy the problem is essential.

    Some time ago it was decided that in countries where rattlesnakes or porcupines were resident it would make sense to ‘educate’ the dogs that shared the same environment that these animals posed a clear and present danger BEFORE an accident happened.

    (more…)

  • How To Teach A Dog To Stay

    No matter what age your dog (with puppies you would begin this training at around 10 weeks of age) you can teach your dog new tricks and commands. In this article we’ll show you how to teach your dog the ‘stay’ command.

    Training a dog to stay

    Now on to the lesson plan – keeping firmly in mind that kindergarten training is primarily for teaching a dog how to learn, we can introduce the command to “stay” when the dog is but ten weeks of age. Thus far, we’ve written the words “sit” and “come” on the chalkboard of the dog’s mind.

    We’ve given the dog no opportunity to do otherwise when those commands have been given. Therefore, the dog cannot have been guilty of any disobedience in response to those commands. He certainly didn’t perform any of those behaviours on his own, of course, but at that age he shouldn’t be expected to. We’re teaching the dog how to learn, so always keep that in mind!

    Introducing The Stay Command

    If you’re beginning with a puppy, start this work when the dog is around 10 weeks of age, and during your fetch-sit games, you can introduce the word “stay” into your dog’s vocabulary in the following manner:

    With the dog in a sitting position, and prior to throwing out the fetch toy, place your left hand on the dog’s rear to assist in holding him in that sitting position. Give the command “stay” in a firm, authoritative voice, placing your other hand (palm open) at his eye level for added emphasis. Then throw to fetch toy.

    If the dog does not move in an attempt to go to the toy, praise him immediately and release him with “Okay, get the toy.” If the dog moves in an attempt to retrieve the toy, tell him “No!” Lead him back to the exact spot and reinforce the command to stay.

    Have him hold that sit-stay position for a few seconds, then release him to retrieve the toy, followed by the usual praise – and, at the conclusion of the training period, his treat reward.

    How To Teach Your dog To “Sit-Stay”

    When teaching your dog to “Sit-Stay,” put him on leash at the beginning of the training. Find a quite area without distractions. Command your dog to “Sit” and when he does, tell him to “Stay.” As you say the command, drop your voice at the end so that it does not sound like a question. Swing your flat open hand toward the dog, palm facing him as if you were going to touch his nose with it. Stop short of touching him and withdraw your hand. This is the hand signal that goes with the “Stay” command. Take one step back and wait.

    Do not be angry or disappointed when your dog gets up and starts to walk toward you. Do not think that he is dumb or spiteful. Be kind, decisive, consistent and patient with him. Say “No,” then walk him back to exactly where he was sitting. Again, command “Sit,” signal him and tell him to “Stay.” He will probably think that “Stay” means just that and he may want to get comfortable and lie down. Most puppies will do this on the “Sit-Stay” at the point when he figures out what “Stay” means.

    You could be so excited he is “staying” that you do nothing, however, lying down on a “Sit-Stay” means that your dog is breaking the command. This is where the test in your leadership comes into play. Your dog knows that if you fail to correct his breaking of this command, he can break any and all other commands. So when he lies down on the “Sit-Stay,” say “No, Sit-Stay!” Saying “No” tells him that he did wrong by lying down. “Sit” tells him what he should be doing instead, especially as you pull straight up on the leash and seat him again. “Stay” repeats and reinforces the second half of the command that he is working on.

    As many times as he breaks the command by lying down or getting up, patiently repeat the three words “No,” “Sit,” “Stay” and place him back where he was sitting in the first place. This is the way for him to test his limits and to learn the exact definitions of vocabulary words. Know that he is not being bad and that he is trying his best to please you.

    An Alternative Way Of Teaching Your Dog To Stay and Sit

    The sit-stay is a basic exercise that all dogs should know. Here is how you do it. Hold your left hand, palm back, close to the dog’s nose and command ‘Stay!’ Step out with your right foot and turn and face your dog. Stay close to him at first! Pivot back on your left foot to heel position without circling your dog. Again, tell your dog to stay! Signal back with your left hand and move out on your right foot. Keep your leash slack, but be ready to make a quick correction if your dog shifts position! Now, with the dog facing you, hold your right hand in front of his nose and say “Stay!” and back away to the full length of the lead.

    When the dog is at the handler’s side in heel position, the stay signal is given with the left hand held in front of the dog, palm back. When the dog is sitting and facing the owner, the stay signal is given with the right hand. It is held with the palm toward the dog and the fingers pointing to the ground. This is the signal that will later be used to make the dog sit from the down position. It should be put into effect at the start of training.

    While your dog is facing you at the full length of the leash, circle slowly to the right and pass in back of your dog to heel position. As you move around, take up the slack in the lead with the left hand and hold it on the right side of the dog. If he moves, stand still and repeat the command “Stay!” as you jerk him back to a sitting position. Hold the dog with both hands, if necessary, while you circle around him, but don’t let him move from that spot until you give him permission. Stand quietly at his side. Pat and praise him while he is still sitting. Now release him from training and play with him.

    Tell your dog to stay and stand in back of him. Stay close at first and be ready to correct him if he moves. The dog is permitted to turn his head but not his body. Correct him if he does. Step back to heel position. Don’t praise him yet. Tell him to stay once more. Step in back of him to the full length of the lead. Return to heel position. Say “Stay!” and face him. Go to the right of the dog and stand in back of him. Walk past him and face him again. Return to heel position. Don’t keep saying, “Stay!” Repeat the command if the dog breaks, but otherwise don’t say anything. Move slowly in the sit-stay exercise until the dog becomes accustomed to staying by himself. If the dog breaks position, move quickly! Allow as little time as possible between the actual mistake and the ensuing correction. With dogs in heel position, say “Stay!” Back with your left hand, out on your right foot, and go to the end of the lead.

    Lean over and put the lead quietly on the floor. Command “Stay!” as you do so. Pick up your lead. Command “Stay!” at the same rime. Drop it again without leaning over. Pick it up. Circle back to heel position. Every time your dog moves forward to break the sitting position bounce the palm of your hand against his nose, or lift the lead sharply to throw him back again into position. Keep your lead slack when you step out from your dog!

    Use a firm tone of voice when you give a command the first time – a demanding voice if the dog disobeys. Don’t keep repeating your dog’s name! Stress the command. Don’t keep talking to the dog. If he is sitting, let him alone. Repeat the command if your dog is disobedient.

    Advanced Testing Of The Stay Command Using Distractions

    Reaction to distraction testing requires a demonstration of the dog’s confidence when faced with distracting situations, which can be any two of the following, usually one auditory and one visual:

    1. A person using crutches, a wheelchair or a walker.

    2. Sudden closing or opening of a door.

    3. Dropping a large book, no closer than ten feet, behind the dog.

    4. A jogger running in front of the dog.

    5. Good-natured pushing and shoving or animated excited talk and backslapping by persons, with the dog and handler passing within ten feet.

    6. A person pushing a cart approaching from the front or rear, passing within ten feet.

    7. A person on a bicycle approaching from the front or rear, passing about six feet to the side of the dog.

    8. Knocking over a chair, no closer than six feet from the dog.

    As he begins to understand the meaning of “Stay,” you will want to gradually lengthen the time he will stay. Have him stay for one minute the first time, three minutes the second time, and then for thirty seconds the third time. Your unpredictability will make your dog pay attention to you more carefully because he will not be able to second guess your timing.

  • How To Teach Your Dog To Walk To Heel

    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

    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.

    An Alternative Method For The Introvert

    If your dog has an introvert personality, one that is reluctant to walk with you, you will need a slightly different method. The introvert dog just doesn’t quite understand what’s going on with this new piece of equipment and he’s as reluctant to get involved as a person being taught how to play a new instrument. This type of dog needs a little encouragement and a show of enthusiasm on your part, and don’t let anyone tell you any differently.

    Use your free left hand to pat your leg as you give your dog a little talk of encouragement. Use short, forward snaps on the leash to help inspire your dog to walk with you. Watch closely as he begins to discard his reluctance, praise him enthusiastically and warmly. This shows him three things. First, that you are pleased. Second, that everything is alright. And third, that he has made the right decision.

    Dog Training: Correct Heel Methods (3)

    There are two extremes of personalities in dogs – the introvert and the extrovert. However, there are many degrees in between those two extremes as there are dogs in this planet.

    Regardless of where your dog’s personality lies on that scale, once you have given the command to heel you must start walking and continue walking. Encourage your dog to accompany you if necessary. Correct his heedless rush with absolute right-about turns if necessary. But, you should never, ever give in if your dog decides to not follow your command and just “sit this one out”.

    Dogs learn by associating their actions with a pleasing or displeasing result. Therefore, the dog who tries to take advantage of the new shortened leash by surging and keeping a strain on it comes to a sudden discovery that you still have the situation very much under control. As soon as he can cause the leash to tighten, he will take his eyes off you, only to feel the sudden jolt of your right-about turn.

    By using the reserve slack in your hand properly, your dog will realize that the leash is no different than the long line, except that he must pay even closer attention since the six-foot leash gives him less time to react than the fifteen-foot long-line. He’ll realize how much more pleasing it is to walk at your side so that he can see which way and when you’re going to change direction. Your left hand giving him a pat on the head when he’s in the correct heel position is also more pleasing than the sudden jolt that he gets when not in the proper position.

    On the other hand, your introvert dog, one that stands as if he had feet glued to the cement, suddenly feels the slightly displeasing effect of the short, sharp jerks of the leash. Hearing your enthusiastic tone of voice and seeing your left hand pat your leg invitingly will do wonders to make your pet choose the more promising alternative. The moment he does, he will discover the warm, affectionate praise and pat on the head to be far more enjoyable than the series of sharp jolts he experienced as a result of his initial reluctance to walk with you.

    You may have to spend each of your fifteen-minute training sessions for the next four days in this simple leash introduction so the introvert-type will walk without any reluctance or fear and to stop the extrovert’s heedless rushes by your unannounced change of direction.

    Don’t Be Afraid To Use Too Much Pull

    Let me describe a scene of what an extrovert dog may do when prompted with a distraction. Picture a dog tied to a tree on a twenty-five foot rope lying in loose coils on the ground. He is sleeping comfortably under the tree when a cat walks by past the dog at a distance of about twenty-seven feet.

    The dog wakes up, spots the cat and rushes recklessly to pounce on the poor cat. The dog will be stopped two foot short and very abruptly too. After regaining his composure, he will still strain and tug to try and get the cat. But, unless he’s a total fool, he will not make that reckless rush a second time – not while still tied to a tree. But does he blame the tree? Of course not.

    You are not as firm as a tree, so don’t be worried about hurting your pet. Your objective should be clear. Your dog should walk at your left side, neither lagging behind nor surging ahead.

    Always remember that the leash should be slack. Eventually, you’ll be heeling your dog without the leash and you will realize the importance of that slack. If your dog is used to feeling a tight leash restraining him in the heeling position, he’ll be long gone when you walk him without the leash later on.

    Dog Training: Correct Heel Methods (4)

    When it comes to obedience training, there should be no “half-way action” accepted. In other words, it’s all or nothing from your dog. And a crooked sit must be considered as something less than your dog giving his full potential.

    Not only does it look shabby, but it also prevents the dog from accomplishing his full measure of discipline and character. You can prevent your dog from developing the bad habit of crooked sits simply by using your free left hand while heeling.

    As you prepare to stop during a walk, make sure that your left hand is in a position to place on the dog’s rear in such a way as to prevent him from moving around in front of you after you have come to a complete stop. If your dog succeeds in sitting in a crooked way, hold back the praise until you have straightened his sit. As your left hand drops to his rear, keep your left thumb pointing toward your left leg. This will ensure that you do not accidentally place your dog in a crooked sit.

    You do not have to push down heavily on your dog’s rear. You need to simply press lightly to help guide him into the proper sit position. It is more the right hand pulling the leash upward than the amount of pressure on the dog’s rear that will place him easily and quickly in the proper sitting position. Putting heavy pressure on your dog’s rear may stimulate him to resist, which is an unwanted action.

    In these learning steps, the less resistance you have, the better off it will be, both for you and your dog. Also keep in mind the importance of a positive attitude.

    Recap Of The First 10 Days Of Correct Heel Training

    Your first ten days of obedience training should consist of proper leash introduction, getting your dog to walk confidently and happy. This is achieved without lagging or straining as he walks at your left side in the response to the command “Heel”. The first ten days of obedience training also consists of the introduction of the command “Sit” in which you place the dog in the sitting position each time you stop.

    Once you are confident about placing your dog in the sitting position, which took one full week, you are now ready to bring your dog to a higher level of discipline, intelligence, and response.

    You must decide to never place your pet in the sitting position again. You have spent one full week showing him exactly what sit means, and it only takes four days for the average house dog to learn the average thing. Now, it’s time to show your dog that he must do it for himself and that you will not be leading him by the hand all of the time.

    Dog Training: Correct Heel Methods (5)

    When you feel that you have sufficient control of your dog while walking, usually within four days of his initial orientation to the leash, you are now ready to go to a higher level of control.

    Give your dog the command to heel and begin walking, remembering to start out on your left foot, in a straight line. Make a few right-about turns as necessary to make sure that you have his full attention. Then, as you prepare to come to a stop, shorten your hold on the leash just a bit. As you stop, not after and not before, pull up the leash with your right hand and press gently on the dog’s rear as you say the command “Sit”!

    As soon as he sits, praise him and give him a pat on the head. Remember, dogs learn by associating their actions with a pleasing or displeasing result.

    Next, give the command “Heel” and begin to walk briskly in a straight line. As you prepare to stop, shorten your hold on the leash. When you stop, pull up on the leash, pressing gently on the rear with your free left hand, at the same time giving the command “Sit”.

    Always follow a correct behavioral response by your dog with praise, even if you caused the behavioral response. Even though you are placing your dog in the sitting position, this should still be followed by warm praise.

    This will be the pattern throughout the course. You will show your dog what he needs to do and follow it with praise. After the learning process has taken place within the mind of the dog, then will you correct for disobedience.

    Your training program at this stage should still be limited to fifteen minutes per day and consist only of the commands “Heel” and “Sit”. Give the command to heel, walk about ten feet, do a right turn, then come to a stop, placing the dog in the sitting position while giving the command to sit. Follow each sit-placing with warm praise.

    Dogs with above average intelligence will absorb what you are trying to convey in less than four days and will begin to sit by themselves before you have a chance to place them. However, you must be firm with your decision that, regardless of how fast your dog appears to be catching on, you will continue to place him in the sitting position each time you stop for a period of one week.

    Dog Training: Correct Heel Methods (6)

    Now it’s time to find out if your dog has truly learned how to heel and execute an automatic sit.

    Give him the command “Heel” and make any necessary corrections for poor heeling or lack of attentiveness to bring him up to the proper mental level of awareness. Come to a stop and command “Sit”. Watch your dog do it all by himself. Get down to his level and praise him enthusiastically.

    For the stubborn or uncooperative dog who would rather be helped for the rest of his life, you’ll be surprised to see that he is going to graduate from being spoon-fed whether he wants to or not.

    How do you do this? When you come to a stop and command “Sit”, silently count to three. If your dog is not seated by the time you get to three, place both hands on the leash, making sure that there’s a little slack in it, and jerk straight up! Your dog will immediately sit if you make the correction strongly enough. Don’t forget the praise when you’re done.

    If he still refuses to sit after the initial correction, consider that correction ineffective. An ineffective correction is inhumane because it means that you will have to keep doing it. This is unfair to your pet and will only create resistance. If you simply tighten the collar around his neck by pulling up slowly on the leash, the only thing you can accomplish is constriction of your dog’s breathing, and you have caused your dog’s training collar to turn into a choking chain.

    This is your fault, not his, and he is going to wonder why you have suddenly decided to choke him. So, in all fairness to your dog, make a humane correction by an emphatic and upward jerk of the leash using both hands. Make the correction properly the first time, and chances are you will not have to make it again. Remember to follow the correction with loving praise the moment your dog has responded correctly.

    The heel and sit combinations should be continued for one week, after which time you will notice that it’s no longer necessary for you to command “Sit” every time you stop. Your dog will realize that this is what is expected when he is out on a walk and you suddenly come to a stop.

    At the end of a week, you can begin dropping the command “Sit” since he will be doing it automatically anyway. Be sure, however, that anytime he fails to sit, make the correction immediately, followed by praise.

    Congratulations!

    Now you have the proper tools to teach your dog to walk beside you and to sit automatically at your side each time you stop. Why is this crucial? In addition to getting your dog’s attention, which is necessary in order to take him to more advanced levels of training, it will make all the difference in the world when you take him for a walk down a busy street or a crowded place.

    Should you stop to talk to someone, your dog is trained to sit at your side patiently, rather than jumping on the person you’re talking to or wrapping the leash around your legs and making a nuisance of himself.

  • Can Dogs Have OCD?

    Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is not just exclusive to humans. Dogs too can suffer with compulsive disorders. With some dogs, meals aren’t the only source of oral intake they have. Wool and other fibers, non-digestible plant material, rubber, plastic, wood, and even their own hair are just some of the things a dog may choose to ingest. Called pica – the drive to consume material that is not generally considered food – is what animal behaviourists call a compulsive disorder.

    Compulsive Disorders in Dogs

    In a human, a compulsive disorder may be repetitive, such as frequent hand washing or pulling one’s hair out. In dogs, these disorders can include excessive licking and spinning in circles. Compulsive disorders are competitive, nonfunctional, nonbeneficial behaviors. Although the exact cause of compulsive disorders is unknown, animal behaviourists feel that they are often caused by stress brought on by environmental conflicts such as competition with other pets, changes in the home, constant punishment, or confinement to small areas such as cages or crates.

    Lack of socialisation or too much attention may bring about a compulsive behaviour as well. A nutritional imbalance can also lead to pica. A dog with a compulsive disorder loses control over his ability to initiate and stop these negative, repetitive actions. Often the compulsive behaviours are oral in nature, causing the dog to eat things he shouldn’t.

    Controlling Your Dog’s Compulsive Disorder

    1. The first step in treating a compulsive disorder is to identify the cause and eliminate it. For example, if your dog is crated for a large portion of the day, allow him outside the confined space to help get him on the road to recovery.

    2. Don’t reinforce the behaviour by paying attention to him while he is engaged in it. Providing good quality time on a set schedule is preferable and more effective than petting, stroking, or verbally consoling your dog in the midst of repetitive activity.

    3. Do not reinforce the behaviour by punishing your dog for the compulsive behaviour or for other inappropriate activities. It may make the problem worse.

    4. Spray household objects your dog likes to chew with cayenne pepper, essential oils in citrus, cinnamon, or eucalyptus scents, spray deodorant, or perfume that is not your own.

    5. Spray favourite chewables with a pet repellent to deter your dog from sticking non-food objects in his mouth.

    6. Keep dangerous objects such as yarn or string out of your dog’s reach to prevent him from chewing and swallowing them.

    7. If your dog is chewing his hair, he may have an allergy. Discuss the problem with your veterinarian before embarking on a behaviour modification program.

    8. As a last resort to solve a compulsive eating disorder, discuss drug therapy with your veterinarian. Drugs that increase serotonin levels, like Prozac and some antidepressants, are used for treating compulsive disorders, including compulsive eating.

  • Do Dogs Get Jealous?

    Do Dogs Get Jealous?

    According to some new research by scientists, they do. Dogs do get jealous? Really?

    Personally, I don’t believe they do and I’ll explain more about that in a moment. But first let us look at the new research done in the name of science.

    The experiment consisted of taking pairs of dogs and getting them to present a paw for a reward. On giving this “handshake” the dogs received a piece of food.

    One of the dogs was then asked to shake hands, but received no food. The other dog continued to get the food when it was asked to perform the task.

    The dog without the reward quickly stopped doing the task, and showed signs of annoyance or stress when its partner was rewarded.

    To make sure that the experiment was really showing the interaction between the dogs rather than just the frustration of not being rewarded, a similar experiment was conducted where the dogs performed the task without the partner. Here they continued to present the paw for much longer.

    Dr Frederike Range from the department of neurobiology and cognition research at the University of Vienna, says this shows that it was the presence of the rewarded partner which was the greater influence on their behaviour.

    “The only difference is one gets food and the other doesn’t, they are responding to being unequally rewarded.” she said.

    The researchers say this kind of behaviour, where one animal gets frustrated with what is happening with another, has only been observed in primates before.

    Studies with various types of monkeys and chimpanzees show they react not only to seeing their partners receiving rewards when they are not, but also to the type of reward.

    The dog study also looked at whether the type of reward made a difference. Dogs were given either bread or sausage, but seemed to react equally to either. Dr Range says this may be because they have been trained.

    “It’s through the fact they have to work for the reward, this confers it with a higher value,” she said.

    Source Here

    Let’s take a look at this in smaller chunks.

    The dog without the reward quickly stopped doing the task, and showed signs of annoyance or stress when its partner was rewarded.

    Well of course. Surely we wouldn’t expect anything different here? The dog wants the food and it sees the other dog with the food and it gravitates toward the treat. This is quite logical, nothing ground breaking yet.

    To make sure that the experiment was really showing the interaction between the dogs rather than just the frustration of not being rewarded, a similar experiment was conducted where the dogs performed the task without the partner. Here they continued to present the paw for much longer.

    Yes, again this surely to be expected? Here we have a dog with no distraction, no food or other dog in the equation and it makes logical sense that most dogs will perform differently in a situation where no distraction – of any kind – is present. This, again, does not prove jealousy as we understand it.

    Dr Frederike Range from the department of neurobiology and cognition research at the University of Vienna, says this shows that it was the presence of the rewarded partner which was the greater influence on their behaviour.

    Now we’re veering in to some strange territory. Let us imagine this experiment but with some different parameters.

    We work with just one dog, no other dog in the area.

    The dog gives its paw. Then a person will come in to the room and puts some food on the floor near to where the other dog would have been positioned positioned.

    Would the dog now be less interested in giving paw and more interested in food?

    In my opinion, yes. Most likely.

    Now repeat the same scenario but don’t have anyone put food down.

    It’s my supposition that the dog would hold paw for longer.

    No other dog present, no jealousy – merely distraction causing reaction.

    The dog study also looked at whether the type of reward made a difference. Dogs were given either bread or sausage, but seemed to react equally to either. Dr Range says this may be because they have been trained.

    Dogs like different foods. And scientists didn’t know this?

    Take my own dog Mia. She loathes banana. My other dog, Chloe, on the other hand loves fruit. So if I’m eating a banana Mia will sit for a while, realise what I’ve got and then go and lie down. Chloe will stay sitting next to me, watching until I’ve finished. I’m not a scientist but I do know this – it’s……wait for it………

    ……because Chloe likes banana and Mia doesn’t!

    Given that Mia is by far the greedier of my two dogs it proves that dogs clearly have different tastes the same as we do, this is – I would guess – pretty universal. Maybe your dog loves a type of food that my dogs don’t. Maybe your dogs go mad for aniseed whereas my dogs love cheese. Just a sec, wait. Not a good comparison – aniseed and cheese are pretty much universal ‘must eats’ on the canine menu (if your dog likes neither, please let me know – in the name of science).

    So, if I set out to train Mia with bananas as my choice of reward for her, I’d achieve less impressive results – quite simply because Mia doesn’t like banana. She places a higher value on food that she likes, similarly toys and similarly different ways of being touched – Mia doesn’t like to be stroked on the head, Chloe will take a good head stroking for several hours. So we’ve still not established jealousy in canines with this research based on the report as presented on the BBC site.

    Studies with various types of monkeys and chimpanzees show they react not only to seeing their partners receiving rewards when they are not, but also to the type of reward.

    OK. Well I’m not a scientist but I do know that monkeys and chimps are NOT dogs. They can and indeed probably do have emotions much more closely aligned to the emotion we recognise in ourselves as jealousy, similarly they have different social structures and are NOT dogs. So the relevance of this is no more apt than saying: “Well humans have jealousy, why can’t dogs?”

    Why do I not believe dogs share the emotion we recognise in ourselves as jealousy?

    If we think about what jealousy is, if we are logical about what we know about this emotion it is incredibly complex and based on a whole level of social elements.

    There are humans who feel jealousy based on widely different factors – is that an innate personality trait in them or is it nurtured? – we don’t really know.

    We have humans within the autistic spectrum who simply do not and can not feel jealous and others within that same spectrum who can be wildly jealous. It’s true that even scientists themselves still haven’t universally agreed a definition for what jealously is! That’s how complex this particular emotion is. What does it take to be jealous? It takes two people very, very different reasons to be jealous, even people within the same family who share almost identical genetics. Yet put two people in a room and mimic the ‘paw test’ and we’d never get close to seeing universal results proving jealous responses in people – we’re too different and jealousy is an emotion that does not run through us all in an identical fashion. So why should it in dogs?

    I absolutely do not doubt for a single, solitary second that they display behaviour which is very easy for us to compare with the emotion of jealousy that we recognise in ourselves. It could be displayed in acts of resource guarding, it could be manifested by dogs who are particularly greedy, territorial, pack motivated, rank motivated – but jealousy it is not. It is quite possible that I want to get my bosses’ job and sit in his chair, in his office and take home his salary but I am not motivated even in the slightest by jealousy, I simply want to do better for myself. Dogs the same. So a dog going to another dog getting rewarded is absolutely not proof positive – in my view – that we’ve cracked the canine jealousy code, we haven’t even cracked ours yet – and we can SPEAK!

    Anthropomorphism is rife. Most of the time it’s harmless but sometimes it’s nothing more than us finding another way to say: “I don’t understand my dog but I’ll bracket a particular behaviour by benchmarking it against my own”. This is, plainly, crazy. And it can lead to problems.

    It will be better for dogs and better for us if we make an effort to better understand them. But always, always, always start that voyage of discovery with one overriding caveat: Dogs are no more human than we are Zebra. They are dogs. They ARE unique and we love them for it. They are masters at making us think what they want us to think. Their understanding of human body language is an art we’re not even close to mastering. Take this example:

    Person comes home. Dog has wrecked the post (again). There it is, all laid out scattered over the floor.

    Owner opens the door.

    “Huuuuhhh!!!! What have you done???”

    “Oh, look at him. Look at that face. Look how guilty he looks.”

    (wait for it)

    “He know what he’s done!”

    Sound familiar?

    Of course he doesn’t ‘know what he’s done’ and he absolutely may ‘look guilty’ but that aint guilt he’s showing, that’s him spotting body langauage and going to fear/survival mode. He’s pretty much saying: “If you want me to look guilty, if that’s the pigeonhole you want to put me in right now, so long as it means I don’t come to any harm, I’ll do a better guilty repertoire than Laurence Olivier if it makes you happy babe!”

    And makes us happy it most certainly does. We might feel guilt for chewing through our family’s latest edition of K9 Magazine (subscribe now) but that’s because we have an understanding of how our actions will have a future negative effect on the mood of our human counterparts. Our dog, however, he was just bored and he wanted something to do. Then we come home and we’re – clearly – pretty mad at him. He’s not feeling guilty, he’s feeling plain old scared. But it makes us happy to think he thinks like us. To quote the chairman of the Kennel Club: “I don’t need no scientists telling me….” that dogs do not, in fact, think like us. They think, surprisingly, like dogs. That’s what makes em’ great!

  • How To Play Hide & Seek With Your Dog

    Canine hide and seek might sound like a bit of a laugh, but it stimulates an integral area of many dogs’ natural instincts such as scent tracking.

    People lost in avalanches are only too glad that the St Bernard that finds them likes a good game of hide and seek, and now you can bond with your dog indoors or out come rain or shine, in this fun, obedience orientated and stimulating activity.

    Step one.

    You’ll need a helper and a treat for this. Ensure that your dog is familiar with the stay command, otherwise this will be a very short game.

    Have your capable assistant ensure that your dog abides by the rules and stays put while you disappear just out of sight with a delicious treat tucked up your sleeve. The great thing about this game is that your dog always gets to win, a bonus for dogs that are a little low on confidence.

    Step Two.

    When you are sure that your dog is aware of your absence, he will probably be bursting to come and get his treat, have your assistant let him go.

    As you hear the sound of paws scrambling across the kitchen floor, begin issuing the command you want to use in the future. ‘Come and get me’ is as good as any.

    Your first hiding place should not be out of sight (in the bin for instance) so he gets the hang of the game sooner rather than later. If you plan to play this game a lot, make sure the treat you use is healthy.

    You will always be found and will always have to issue the treat, so avoid turning your winning hound into a ‘rolly poly’ ball of flab by keeping the meaty treats only for a spectacular performance.

    Step Three.

    When you feel the nudge of an excited nose on your face (or the whip of wagging tail depending on your position) be sure to issue lots of praise and reinforce the fact this is fun for both of you.

    You can extend the game a little at this stage by hiding the prize on your person rather than relinquishing it on sight of your pursuer. A squeaky toy tucked up the trouser leg can result in prolonged hilarity as your dog frantically tries to access it.

    Step Four.

    Return to the beginning of the process, but ensure that you hide further away, and a little more out of sight. Again, you will need the help of your assistant as you are now going to make your dog wait a painstaking two minutes before he is released.

    Issue the command before he is released this time, but ensure your assistant prevents any false starts. See how determined your dog is by hiding under a bundle of blankets. If he merely paws at you, you need to put in more work. You want your dog to be practically dragging these obstacles away from his prize.

    Step five.

    Again return to step one, but have your assistant stay at a distance from your dog, only intervening if the cheating swine tries to get a sneaky peak at you before you are properly inserted into your hiding position.

    Make sure every time you play this you challenge your dog, otherwise it will become like going through the motions for him. But he won’t tell you this as he will want his treat nevertheless. Test his loyalty by breaking a doggy biscuit in half and hiding one piece on his route to finding you and keeping the other piece on your person. If you hear a sequence of ‘gallop, gallop, munch’ sounds, you will know were his priorities lie.

    Step Six.

    Incorporate obstacles into the game by closing doors and encouraging your dog to use his initiative. Also, moving the goal posts will keep your dog engaged.

    When the weather allows, hide outside and leave him to figure it out. Challenge your dog’s obedience by extending the amount of time he has to wait before he is allowed to come and find you.

    Final Step.

    Continue the game for as long as it is fun for both you and your dog, but make it interesting for both of you by introducing new challenges each time you play.

    Remember to praise your dog each and every time he finds you, this will avoid him associating the game with merely receiving a treat. For those of you who believe they have a little dog genius on their hands, try playing this game the other way round.

  • Dog Leash Training Guide

    So, you’d like to know how to stop your dog pulling on the lead?

    Glorious summer days. The sounds of birds tweeting. Beautiful scenery all around….all completely overshadowed by the hound from hell dragging you at a pace you didn’t choose, in fact at a pace you can barely keep up with!

    Taking the dog for a walk is supposed to be a joy but with the dog who pulls on the leads, it becomes more of a hand chaffing nightmare!

    Let’s take a look at the steps we can take to learn how to stop a dog pulling on the lead.

    Stop Dog Pulling: Leads, Collars & Getting The Right Equipment

    Canine psychologist Natalka Jacyszyn – author of this report on ‘How to cure lead pulling in dogs‘ recommends using a flat collar and a nylon or rope lead, something that is comfortable for both you and your dog. Do not use an extending lead for training as you will find that you may not have enough control.

    Dog Leash Training

    Getting the equipment right is as crucial as teaching the desirable heel walking position using positive rewards.

    Having a dog that pulls is one thing, but having a dog that’s able to pull due to an owner using incorrect lead and collar set up is only going to make matters much, much worse.

    Dog Leash Training: Using a Clicker to Cure Lead Pulling

    Clickers are a fun and fast way to speed up your puppy’s learning process. Clicker training relies on behavior shaping principles that mark desired behavior.

    With clicker training, timing is everything. You must capture the exact moment your dog is doing something right. Also start thinking in terms of stage-by-stage training. Let’s say I want to teach my dog to make a left circle. I sit with my dog and click when my dog takes one step to the left. That’s stage one. Then I hold out my click for two steps, then three, then a full circle.

    Training this way definitely takes longer than pulling my dog in a circle, but once my dog figures out the sequence, he’s doing a circle with far more zest and enthusiasm than if I tugged him around and around.

    The second secret of clicker training: Don’t attach a spoken command to behavior until your dog has figured out what is making the clicker work. To explain, think of the behavior Sit. Each time your dog sits, click and reward.

    Getting the dog used to the concept of associating the click noise with a positive reward is how you achieve the best response when teaching the dog the desired behaviour to cure lead pulling problems.

    Tip: You do not begin with the clicker on correcting the lead pulling until you have properly established the positive response reaction with the dog by rewarding small, simple behaviours – such as sitting and coming when called.

    The Basics of Training Positive Behavior in Dogs

    Training any new desired dog behaviour follows a simple six-step method. Depending on the dog and other circumstances, a good trainer will vary his training method when he decides that a particular training challenge needs either a little more or less. When you have used the method enough to know it well, you can add your own personal touch as needed.

    The following are six steps for teaching your dog any new behaviour

    1. Get the behaviour.
    2. Mark the behaviour.
    3. Reward the behaviour.
    4. Repeat the behaviour until it happens easily at least 90{d4f4ff813a06e2c77cbb9c6effe011ebffe2f8986e44983e90e08c54deb62f63} of the time.
    5. Add the verbal cue as your dog does the behaviour to associate the word with the appropriate response.
    6. Use the verbal cue to elicit the behaviour.

    You get the behaviour by capturing, shaping, or luring it. You mark the behaviour with the click., or some other reward marker that your dog has already learned means that the reward is coming. Reward the behaviour by following the click with his favorite treat or, in some cases, with a favorite toy or other desirable reward, such as swimming or going outside.

    Repeat the behaviour until your pet is offering it easily before you add the verbal cue, so that he will associate the word with the correct behaviour response. For instance, by saying “Sit” as he does it, you are telling him that the name of the behaviour he is doing is Sit. If you ask him to do it before he’s offering the behaviour easily, you risk teaching him that the word sit means “stand there and look at me,” or worse, “sniff the ground and pull on the leash.”

    After your dog has heard the word at least a half-dozen times during the behaviour, depending on how quickly he seems to learn, then you can say the word first to elicit the behaviour. Be sure that his attention is focused on you so that he actually hears the word, and keep your body position the same as it was when you were getting the behaviour before. If you had been doing the “Sit” while you were standing and you suddenly start asking for it while you are sitting, he won’t understand that it’s the same thing.

    Give him a few seconds to respond. When he sits, click! and reward. If he doesn’t sit, use the minimum amount of assistance necessary (through body language or a lure, not through physical assistance) to get the behaviour, and repeat the exercise. If you find that he will only respond if you help him, start to minimize the amount of help you give until he is sitting for the verbal cue without any help from you.

    Would a Harness Stop Dogs Pulling?

    There are various styles of body harnesses is to choose from, but the majority of them have the basic metal D-ring which clips to the leash and is located on the strap that runs down the dog’s back. They can be used instead of collars which provide a much safer environment when the puppy tries to pull away.

    In this regard, the puppy receives the tension from the leash, instead of his or her neck, which could result in a spinal injury. Puppies are specially prone to running and darting every chance they get, even when on-leash. By removing the pressure from the dog’s airway, body harnesses are a safe and effective alternative to standard neck collars.

    If your dog is unresponsive when using a flat collar and lead – and still continues to pull – using a body harness or halter type set-up would be something to consider.

    The Basic Principles of Correcting Dog Pulling / Any Other Behavior

    Correcting the problem of a pulling dog is founded in two key principles that are universal to all dog training:

    1. Reward the desired behavior (lavishly)
    2. Do not reward the undesired behavior

    Now, you may wonder what it means to ‘not reward undesirable behavior’ but first it’s important to understand that any response can be perceived as a reward by some dogs.

    So if your dog is pulling and you respond by pulling back, for example, he may be treating this as a reward. He most certainly will if this process is just repeated over and over again.

    You need to work in small steps. Teach him to always second guess the direction you are going to walk in and the moment he is by your side, reward him. The moment he steps out too far, change direction and do not reward him.

    Be assertive and deliberate in your walking style. Do not let the dog lead the walk. If he pulls, you stop or go the other way.

    Encourage him to understand that he will be rewarded ONLY for not pulling. The moment you feel ANY tension on the lead, stop and don’t say a word to the dog. This is a non reward. Seek to establish in his mind a positive association with a loose leash and the way he is walking.

    If you have a problem with a dog who pulls on the lead, you can download K9 Magazine’s eBook ‘How to cure lead pulling in dogs ‘.

    Bonus Dog Leash Training Guide: How to Train Your Dog to Walk on a Loose Leash

    One of the biggest problems dog owners experience is out on the walk. The reason for this is due to the psychology of the pack needing a leader and more often than not, the dog thinks that he is it.

    If the dog believes he is the leader then he believes he should be at the front of the pack and this is why you will see owners being pulled by their dogs.

    Assessing the world through the dog’s eyes is paramount to helping him walk to heel. In order to change the dogs mind from pulling, we have to communicate in a gentle language he will understand.

    The dog believing he is the leader believes it is his job to protect the pack and anything that approaches such as other dogs, joggers or cars could be perceived as a threat.

    This creates all sorts of problems as the dog in a human ruled world will react to the threat in three ways: Flight, freeze and fight.

    To help the dog stay calm in a world it does not understand, we have to switch roles and become the leader. When you achieve this, the dog will have no responsibilities and look to you to react at the potential dangers. To reverse roles and teach the dog to heel we have to go back to basics where the walk starts and identify and progress through the stages. As we complete a stage we can then move forward.

    Firstly practice walking up and down the house with food reward encouraging your dog by your side rewarding him on a regular basis when he gets it right. As the dog understands where a good place to be is then you are ready to begin the first stage. The idea behind the stages is to start in a place where the dog feels comfortable with no distractions and build the foundations, as the dog improves you then slowly work up to a place with more distractions.

    The first stage is calling the dog to you to put the lead on. In this scenario the dog may become over excited at the sight of the lead and jump up, run around, nudge or make noise. If the dog does react in an undesirable manner then put the lead down. Putting the lead on when the dog is in this state will only encourage pulling out on the walk. Repeat by picking the lead up again and putting down, until the dog becomes desensitised to the lead and reacts in a calm manner. When the dog is in a calm state you are ready to put the lead on and move to the next stage.

    The second stage is putting the lead on and walking up and down the house once again encouraging your dog to the side you want him to be with food reward. If he gets it wrong we correct the mistake with a method called stop, start change direction. This method involves stopping when the dog drifts in front, encouraging him back to your chosen side, starting again when he is behind you, then changing direction. Repeating this method in the house lays the foundations for a good walk. Keep practicing and get it perfect in the house. If the dog does not listen to you in the house with no distractions, then he definitely will not listen to you outside with all the sights, smells and distractions.

    Teaching a Dog To Walk to Heel

    After teaching the dog to heel in the house you are ready to move to the third stage. The third stage is a place with more smells where the dog still feels safe like a garden, keep practicing stop, start, change direction, lots of praise, lots of food reward. If you haven’t got a garden, then choose a place outside with little distractions. Stay positive and dedicate a big space of time. Do not be in a hurry as the dog will feel if you are stressed. As the dog listens to you here then you are ready to progress to the next stage.

    The next stage is somewhere quiet with a few more distractions like a residential area, keep correcting if the dog pulls by stopping, starting and changing direction (SSCD).

    Reward The Dog When They Don’t Pull The Leash

    When they get it right keep rewarding, avoid all other dogs by crossing the road or walking in another direction, showing the dog that you lead in all areas. Keep away from all other distractions by leading the dog in a different direction. If you head towards a distraction or threat, then do not be surprised if your dog reacts. This means he is not ready so help him feel safe by keeping good distance.

    The more you play a leader role and choose flight from potential threats the more the dog will feel safe in your company and begin to trust your decisions. As the dog heels in this area and successfully follows you away from distractions then you can move on further afield to a busier place. If the dog still has problems here then spend time in this area teaching the dog.

    The next stage could be a busier residential street with more activity e.g. more cars, people and distractions. Walk up and down the street encouraging your dog by your side. If you or your dog feels anxious then go back to a stage where you both felt comfortable and progress again from there.

    When the dog is heeling to your side at this point then pick a busier place like your local village or town. This will be a test as there are many distractions. Once this is completed you are ready for the final stage, which is the park. If your dog pulls as soon as it gets here then walk back and try again. Keep repeating to you can successfully walk through the park on lead.

    Training the dog to heel is a test of wills, so no matter what keep it up and recognise your dog’s state. Staying calm, convincing and consistent and not rushing your dog will help him feel relaxed in a world he does not understand.

    Bonus #2: Puppy Leash Training – Stop Puppy Pulling on Lead

    New dog owners whom are working the basics of leash control should be attaching a leash to a harness. When you are not familiar with the basics of leash control, you don’t want to use a collar as it puts too much stress on your dog’s neck, as well as on your own back. Even a 25 pound puppy has a lot of force when he lunges forward.

    Once your puppy gets older and you have the basics of leash control down, then you can switch to a training collar. Remember, when walking your puppy, try to keep him from getting behind you and to your right side. This will only get you tangled up in his lead.

    Let’s look at the dynamics of a puppy’s pull. A pup’s hind legs act as a powerful engine that propel him forward while his shoulders steer him in the direction he wishes to go. Watch his front legs and where they are reaching – this is the direction he is going.

    Trying to hold your dog back when he pulls has the opposite effect that you wish to achieve. The more you resist his pull, the more his hind legs get revved up as if they are going into higher gear. His body sinks lower to the ground which lowers his center of gravity and the result is that your puppy now has more strength behind the pull. You don’t want to play tug-of-war with your puppy.

    The best action is to take a few steps forward into that weight, leading with your right leg so you can close in on your puppy’s head. When you do this, all that energy from his hind legs is released and flows over to his front legs – this throws his weight forward and his balance off. This action will considerably slow the movement of your puppy. This is a good time to snap the leash directly over your left shoulder and say “Wait.”

    You can also slow your puppy down by sitting lower in your seat as you walk, in other words, lowering your center of gravity. By bringing your weight down, you will physically fatigue your puppy from thrusting forward. You are using your weight to counter pull his movement. Since you weigh more than your puppy, you are using your weight to your advantage.

    Contributors

    Nigel Reed is a dog behaviourist from London. For further details about his work or to set up a consulation, visit www.dogtraininginlondon.co.uk

    Natalka Jacyszyn is a full time canine psychologist.

    Further Reading:

    If you are struggling with a dog pulling on the lead, check out Natalka Jacyszyn’s eBook ‘How to Cure Dog Pulling‘.

  • The Link Between Dog Food & Bad Behavior

    The Link Between Dog Food & Bad Behavior

    For many dog owners struggling with their dog’s behavior, one of the last places they investigate when trying to solve the problem is their dog’s food.

    The link between how dog’s behave and the food they eat is exceptionally close.

    In fact, the exact same is true of us.

    Think about it this way; if you were eating a diet fit for a high level athlete but lead a lifestyle that saw you confined to an office for 12 hours per day, you’d certainly find yourself feeling edgy, energetic and probably very frustrated.

    A key tip when trying to match your dog’s food and nutrition to their particular lifestyle is to learn to understand pet food labels. Knowing exactly what goes in to your dog’s food in terms of protein levels, fat levels and the general volume of calories per serving will open your eyes to whether your dog might be on a diet that is incompatible with their breed, age or specific lifestyle.

    Undesirable dog behavior doesn’t start and end with dog food but it is, without doubt, a huge contributory factor.

    “It is a simple fact that what you put into your dog is reflected in how they look, act and feel. Getting the right balance of nutrients is not entirely simple and depends on a seemingly endless amount of variables such as breed, activity level, age and medical condition. As a responsible dog owner, you owe it to your pet to ensure their diet is perfectly matched to their lifestyle, age and activity level. Many dog owners simply select a food and stick with it, never trying anything different and refusing to change even as the dog”s lifestyle changes.”

    Some useful resources for you to view:

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  • 3 Unusual Ways to Correct Aggression in Dogs

    Dog aggression, be it dog on dog aggression and especially dog aggression toward humans should ALWAYS be referred to a canine behaviour professional. Without exception. Here we present three less discussed techniques that may be worth discussing with your dog trainer as part of a tailored canine aggression correction programme.

    1. Have your dog’s teeth checked out.

    Ever heard the phrase ‘don’t mess with a tiger with toothache’? No? Perhaps I just made it up right now. Anyway, the point is, as anyone who’s ever had toothache will know, having dental problems can make even the mildest mannered person turn in to a raging, short tempered ticking time bomb. Have your dog’s teeth carefully examined by your vet.

    2. Neutering.

    Let’s make one thing clear. Neutering does NOT cure dog aggression. Behavioural therapy does.

    OK, worth repeating. Having your dog ‘fixed’ as a means to cure dog aggression is the equivalent of making a burglar have a haircut as a means to stop them breaking in to homes. Dog aggression is something to be tackled from a behavioural stand point.

    3. Understanding Dog Aggression.

    Possessive aggression is centred around a dog’s food, toys, treats, or any article that the dog may have stolen from you and this aggression should not be handled primarily with compulsion (negative reinforcement). It should be handled with positive conditioning.

    [scrollcheckpoint title=’Are You Being Lied To?’ direction=’right’]One of the biggest dog training myths has been exposed. If you are having problems with your dog, click here to read!

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    Then you have territorial aggression, fear aggression and there’s more besides. Learning to understand and recognise the motive for your dog’s aggression and to work with your dog trainer on providing the most appropriate remedial training is key.