Training Mechanics

There are plenty of people out there that never seek out professional training for their dog. Perhaps they have an "easy" dog, or maybe an older rescue with no issues, but I have a feeling that most people that don't at least take a basic obedience class with their dog, refuse to do so because they think they can do it themselves just fine at home. While I am not denying that there are those out there with wonderfully trained dogs that did it all themselves at home, I see many "home-trained" dogs that aren't very well behaved. The owners missed out what is really taught in classes; training mechanics.

Training class really isn't about how many things we can teach your dog to do, it is about teaching owners how to be effective teachers! There are plenty of bonuses that come with attending a group class; socialization to people, dogs and a new environment, learning new things, bonding, motivation to practice etc.

I can take a dog that isn't listening to his owner and get him to perform a new or known command for me. I know where to place my lure, when to be quiet and when to speak up, when to praise and when to redirect. My goal is to teach the owner to do all these things that come naturally to me from training so many dogs. This is why board and train does not work except for very specific circumstances!

Biggest training faux pas:
1. Repeating the command over and over.
2. Commanding the dog when she doesn't actually know the command.
3. Luring incorrectly.
4. Forcing the dog physically to perform the command.
5. Towering over the dog menacingly.
6. Using a harsh tone.
7. Not rewarding enough.
8. Not using a high enough value reward.
9. Expecting the dog to preform at too high a distraction level.
10. Giving mixed signals physically or verbally.

With that being said, how would I go about teaching a novice dog to sit?

Sit: novice dog would be on a 4 foot leash and I would be stepping on the very end of the leash. That way my hands are free and the dog isn't going anywhere, but isn't glued to me unable to move. In a class situation, I would be at least 6 feet away from other dogs, perhaps further, maybe even behind a visual barrier if novice dog was too distracted. I would have something very very yummy, like natural balance food roll in my treat bag and take a pea sized chunk and slowly place it almost on novice dog's nose while simultaneously moving it backwards toward his tail. If I move slowly enough and keep his interest, his bottom will touch the floor and I will say "good sit!" and pop the treat into his mouth. I am not commanding him to sit, nor am I pushing him or moving the food too fast or dancing it out of his reach. After doing this a few more times, if he is keen on it, I can start telling him to sit when it is highly likely he will do it and I can start introducing a hand signal and omit the lure and start giving him only hidden rewards. If he gets confused, I will go back a step and help him. After about 10 reps, he would probably need a break and we would move onto another exercise. If I was to use a clicker, the process would be slightly different, as I would mark his bottom touching the ground with a click versus a word marker "good" or "yes."

For a dog that already knows how to sit, but does not do so without multiple commands or help or forcing on the owner's part, the mechanics would look a little different.

I would tell average dog to sit and assuming he does not, I would get out a yummy morsel and show it to him, then ask him again. If he immediately sits, he would get the treat. That scenario tells me that average dog does not understand how to do a command without seeing the reward first and he needs some "fake-outs." Meaning I will show him a treat, tell him to sit, he sits, he gets it. Next rep I pretend I have a treat in my hand, he sits, he gets a hidden treat, and I go back and forth between fake-out treat and real treat until I am doing more fake-outs than real and eventually showing him my hands are empty and asking him to sit. After so many positive reps, he should sit with seeing empty hands and I will give him a big jack-pot of hidden treats! The trick with this is to not now go to empty hands all the time, but switch between visual treat and empty hands and slowly the dog will start to do a command without seeing a reward. It is also helpful to use life-rewards with a dog that does this. My post on Value is very helpful when it comes to this problem.

If average dog will sit without a treat but only on the second command and does so slowly, then a game is in order! I tell average dog to sit, he does not, I show him what morsel he missed out on and walk away for a second and come back. I tell him to sit again, he does. Jack-pot! Then we run around together and I stop, ask for a sit and if it is quick, he gets a goody, and if it is slow, I walk away and we try again. I am only rewarding what I want; quick sits on the first command and I am ignoring what I don't want and showing him that he missed out. Hopefully what I have is exciting enough that he wants to work for it.

If average dog will only sit if pushed into a sit, then he never was taught properly and must go through the novice dog steps.

Command Rules

1. Only say a command 2 times!
2. After the second time, help your dog! This means going back to baby steps and most likely luring your dog.
3. Assess if what your asking is too much.
4. Assess if your dog cannot preform due to too high a distraction.
5. Make sure you are using an even, nice tone of voice and aren't yelling at your dog.

Do you have a specific question on how to teach or clean up a certain command? Comments are always welcome! I teach classes and offer privates in the East Bay area of California. 

Lex

It seems that the problems that crop up in relation to having a toddler and dog(s) never end! You may have read the saga of Lucy and my baby that led to Lucy being relocated to my dad's house. She is very happy there and we have worked out a good system so that she is still "my dog." What ultimately led me to relocating her was that her stress levels were so high, she became physically ill. I didn't think I had to worry about Lex since he has been in love with my daughter from the day we brought her home. Apparently, things change........

Now that my daughter is a full-fledged toddler, she does things that may seem odd to a dog. Her movement is unsteady, her mood is ever changing, she wants up, she wants down. She can climb and she can throw! She also enjoys chase games and "sharing" her food. Lex has taken most things in stride. He never stressed over crying or crawling or even toy throwing. What really gets him though is when Elsie starts to follow him around. It is quite harmless really. She wants to see him, she walks up to him and he licks her and she laughs and then he gets up because he is a gentleman and moves aside to let her pass. Except she doesn't want to pass him. She wants to hang out with him. So when he walks away, she follows him. Then he gets that stressed look on his face like "what is happening?" and she thinks they are playing a a great game and is just laughing, following him around. She isn't grabbing him or actually touching him at all. My dilemma starts in how to actually deal with this.

I can't let it just go, I can see that Lex needs me to intervene since this freaks him out. When I stop her physically or verbally, she throws a mini tantrum and then my sensitive dog high-tails it to his crate as if it were all his fault! If I try to re-direct him to our newly made safe-zone, he seems confused and thinks he is being banished/punished. If I get treats out to reiterate to him that he is not being punished, he doesn't seem to make the connection and simply takes the treats and either continues to look stressed OR goes into training mode and becomes an intense obsessive border collie that had no recollection that a toddler was chasing him!

I will say, we have made a little bit of progress. My goal is that when he feels insecure, that he seeks out the "safe-zone" on his own without prompting, and comes back when he wants to. The "safe-zone" is a baby gate in our bedroom doorway. In the bedroom is his open crate. The progress I have made in the last 48 hours is that he is now coming out of the room without prompting, but I still have to tell him to go over the gate when I see he is getting stressed. He seems to have chosen the spot behind the rocking chair in Elsie's room as his second "crate" which isn't what I want, since I am not going to gate my daughter out of her room. At least he is choosing to leave completely rather than just walking in circles and then I can intervene and redirect the baby.

It makes me a bit sad. Here I was naively thinking my toddler and dog were the best of friends, but in reality I don't think it is possible for a dog and toddler to be friends! To co-exist, yes, but to actually have a relationship in which both parties benefit, no. I have successfully taught her to be gentle, to not share her food, to not throw things, to be sweet to him and now I have to teach her to basically ignore him. This will not be an easy task! I will not re-home Lex. With Lucy, the cards just fell into place and her issue was much more severe. It is times like these that I think if I were not a dog trainer, I wouldn't even notice that he was displaying stress signals. How wonderful it must be to be ignorant of such things! Thankfully I am aware though, because I can prevent a potential bite to my child and keep my dog happy. 

Recalls

Teaching your dog to come when called is a must for all dog owners! Below is a guide to get you started on teaching and sustaining a great recall.

1. Find something your dog really likes to use as a reward. I prefer a tug toy, but we can use food or other toys as well.
2. Prepare to practice a ton! Start by simply going a few feet away from your dog and progress to greater distances and more distractions.
3. Always reward your dog for coming to you, even if this means carrying around treats or that special toy with you.
4. Practice restrained recalls, casual in the house recalls and “real-life” situation recalls.
5. Use a long line if necessary to practice in large environments or those without fencing.

The following are “rules” to abide by during and after the process of teaching your dog to come on cue.

1. Never call you dog to do something he finds negative (such as nail trimming or bath time).
2. Never call your dog during the training process when you think it is unlikely he will come.
3. Don’t punish a dog for coming to you later than you wanted or you will send the message that coming to you=punishment.
4. 2 chances for listening. After you have given your dog 2 shots to come to you either go get the dog or try any of the below options;
a. Run: dogs like to chase, so run away and get your dog to chase you.
b. Hide: dogs are inquisitive, if you disappear he may learn to keep a closer tab on you in the future (only do this if it is in an enclosed, safe area).
c. Sit on the ground: many times dogs want to see why you are sitting on the ground and will come over to check it out.
5. Don’t chase your dog unless there is a drag line attached and there is a high probability of you cornering your dog or stepping on the drag line. Most dogs when chased, will run and humans are not faster than dogs.
6. Don’t call your dog and then proceed to do nothing or your dog will learn to ignore you.

Rules of 12

The “rules of 12” are a general set of guidelines used to socialize elite dogs such as guide dogs, service dogs and search and rescue dogs. These dogs need to be “bomb proof” in everyday situations. Most dog owners don’t spend enough time/effort socializing their dogs. Many breeders and experienced dog owners are now employing the same socialization methods as these well trained service animals.

The objective of the rules of 12 is to complete at least all of the tasks below before your dog is 12 weeks old as after 12 weeks of age, dogs are more difficult to socialize to new things. For dogs that are older, it is never too late to start!

People
- Positive experience gained from at least 12 different people (hand feeding a treat works best).
- Baby, toddler, elderly, large people, handicapped people, women, men, people with hats or glasses on etc.

Places
- Positive experience gained from as many different places you can think of.
- Pet stores, Home Depot (yes, they allow dogs!), parks, friend’s homes, the vet office (go in just for a cookie or to weigh your pet), groomer’s .

Sounds
- Expose your dog to lots of different noises. In order to make it a positive experience, pair the sound with a treat if your dog seems tentative.
- Keys, pots and pans, hair dryer, lawn mower, vacuum, smoke alarm, car alarm, and any other possibly offensive noises.

Surfaces
- Walk your dog over different surfaces and even do sit/down/stand on them so there will never be a time your dog will refuse to walk over a surface.
- Tile, carpet, asphalt, brick, wet grass, a small body of water (like a baby pool), gravel, bark, wood flooring etc.

Objects
- Expose your dog positively to any object that might seem out of the usual (for example, my dog used to be afraid of boxes because he didn’t see any as a puppy and we had to work very hard to get over this fear).
- Boxes, hydrants, statues, garbage bags , garbage cans, cars/trucks, ladder, strollers, carts etc.

Dogs
- In order for dogs not to be dog aggressive, they need to socialize with their own kind (preferably off leash). Look for dogs similar in size and temperament for your puppy to play with, but also expose your dog to other dogs of all shapes, ages and sizes. To ensure you have a positive experience, don’t allow your dog to be bullied by another. It is difficult for a novice owner to interpret dog communication. An older dog that shows its teeth or air snaps at a puppy is within good judgment and teaching a puppy proper manners. Any dog mounting another, fighting on back legs only, drawing blood, knocking another dog over continuously or holding a dog down so that the other cannot get up is NOT playing.

Leadership

Dogs thrive when they have a leader. A leader has clear, consistent rules and boundaries.  A leader is not to be confused with being “alpha” or “dominating” our dogs. We want a relationship based on love and respect, not a dictatorship based on fear and avoidance. Here are some easy steps to become a leader to your dog:

1. Have your dog sit before his/her scheduled, rationed meal and stay until released. Mealtime is a great given opportunity to practice sit/stay/release with your dog. Waiting for food teaches a dog patience and impulse control.

2. Make sure that you have your dog wait when going through any door that opens to the outside, car door, back gate, or the crate door for safety reasons. A dog with a good wait isn’t going to rush out a door and get hit by a car. Dogs that learn to wait at doorways better respect our space when going through the door which avoids tripping and falling over your dog.

3. When walking on leash your dog should walk next to you unless verbally released to walk in front of you. A dog dragging you forward is leading you and telling you where he/she wants to go. My dogs are allowed to walk anywhere near my side in a very loose heel. If I release them, they walk in front of me to explore and go potty but will come back to my side promptly when asked. Dogs should know how to heel for safety reasons in high traffic areas (cars, and human traffic like down town or inside a pet friendly store).

4. Decide if you want your dogs on the furniture or not. I personally have a rule that my dogs are allowed only when invited up by me. Dogs that are allowed to be on the furniture whenever they please have the potential to guard your furniture as theirs or damage your furniture by using it as a play-thing. I like my dogs to come up to spend time with me, not to enjoy the comfort of the couch; they have expensive dog beds to use on the floor! Many dogs can transfer over to walking on your coffee table and dinner table as well when permitted to use the couch or bed as a jungle gym.

5. Utilize resources your dog wants as much as possible. Meaning if you want to give your dog a snack, kong or bone, have him sit, or shake or lie-down for you. If he wants you to throw the ball, have him do a trick or look/watch you first. You don't need to do this for every throw, but it is a great way to incorporate training and use other rewards than training treats.

6. Lastly do not give attention to a dog demanding it rudely as you can create a doggie monster! We don’t want to pet or treat a dog barking in your face, scratching your leg or placing toys on your lap when you are doing something else. Wait until the dog has lost interest, then engage with him or her.