Are you a leash popper?

 Are you a leash popper?  Do you yank and crank? Guess what?  Your leash is not a steering wheel or a switch, it’s merely a safety belt!

Leash Corrections Don’t Teach Dogs Anything! When you leash pop, you’re not really teaching your dog anything at all.  Leash corrections are waiting for the dog to get it wrong. 

Look at it this way: You have a child and you want them to learn to play piano. You could introduce them to a piano as something fun, encourage them and reward progress or you can force them to play and deliver a painful shock or slap them or yell at them every time they hit the wrong key. Will both methods work? Maybe……. But the punishment is crazy and cruel right? But, that's the method you're advocating for when you use leash corrections. The punishment method is also likely to make your child hate playing piano and it can cause dogs to avoid engaging with you or participating in training.

Punishing is more rewarding to the punish-er than the punished. That statement probably stings, but it’s true.  Physical or verbal corrections destroy your relationship with your dog. I’ve witnessed how leash corrections ruined the bond between dog and owner so many times.  I’ve seen a dog get a leash correction and then totally give up, walk off, lay down or refuse to pay attention any longer. I have heard people say dogs “appreciate corrections because they’re done with love.” Yet, their dogs’ body language says otherwise.

All to often, people forget their dog is an animal that does not speak English and views the world differently than humans.  Taking your frustrations out on your dog, who is not a human, is so unfair. Anything and everything that goes wrong during the learning process gets blamed on the dog – your dogs are animals; they do not speak English and they cannot read your mind!

Be a teacher:  As a teacher, it’s your job to teach the learner. If the learner is confused, the teacher did something wrong! The next time you get frustrated during a walk or training session, take a moment to breathe deeply. Excuse yourself or hand the leash over to a friend, walk away, and compose yourself! It is your responsibility to be a great teacher.

First steps:  If yanking the leash worked, you would only need to do it once or twice and it would work!  Instead, teach your dog to focus on you!  Reward your dog for looking at you, paying attention to you and for keeping the leash loose.  Teach your dog to target your hand on a walk!

Need help?  Give me a call or text!

 

Like Us on Facebook

Click here for more free advice! 
 

Dress for Success

         DRESS FOR SUCCESS!

Written by:  Becky Hall, Assistant Dog Trainer

My Best Buddy Dog Training

 

I'm sure you've all heard this term. Here's how it applies to dog training. We just started three new puppy classes and while talking to all the new people about socialization and how to do it, I started thinking about some of the things I always do to make socialization easier on me and more effective for the puppy. This goes for all training times, not just socialization.

Here's my tip: DRESS FOR SUCCESS! By this I mean that doing something as simple as dressing more effectively for puppy class, at home with your puppy, or when going on a socialization outing, can make a huge difference in your training. Since puppies nip and jump, and have sharp teeth and nails, even when it's hot weather, I always wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants. When it's hot I just wear cooler versions! A must for me, ALWAYS, is wearing safe, enclosed shoes with good traction, such as sneakers with the laces double knotted, or well-fitting slide-on sneakers (like Vans) for times when my puppy is in the "shoe-lace-tugging" phase. Avoid wearing clothes with "flowy" hems or items that can be snagged. 

It's so much easier to focus on working with your puppy when you aren't worrying about being nipped, scratched or losing your balance. And since puppies are easily distracted by just about everything, at least you can control what you are wearing and remove those distractions! So Dress for Success and see what a big difference it will make this week!

Note the handler (my husband Kirk Hall) has on long pants, long sleeved shirt, safe shoes and a training treat pouch filled with training treats, dog's shot records, poo bags.  Back pack contains water and water bowl, extra food and a small blanket for Penny to settle on.  He's ready to train!

 

 Like Us on Facebook
Follow on Twitter

Dog Training Dictionary

Adolescence - A dog leaves puppy hood and enters adolescence at about the age of 6 months. The dog stays an adolescent until age 2 or 3 years. The most challenging age is usually between 6 to 18 months (which is when most dogs are surrendered to shelters). Some dogs pass through the phase with little trouble, but most drive their guardians crazy! During this phase it can be hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Adolescent dogs have an insatiable curiosity about the world, which they explore through all their senses, including taste. They have no idea what things are supposed to look like or how much they cost. They don't know what cars can do to them or that people on bicycles are really people - to the dog they can be moving objects to be chased and nipped.

Aversive training - The use of an unpleasant stimulus to modify a dog’s behavior. Examples:  pinch collar, choke collar, prong collar, jabbing, alpha rolling, yelling, spanking, spray bottles, shaking a can of coins, etc. The use of aversive techniques is less effective than the use of positive reinforcement. The risk of emotional and physical damage is great.

Bite Inhibition – Bite inhibition refers to a dog's ability to control the force of his mouthing/bite. A puppy or dog who has not learned bite inhibition with people does not recognize the sensitivity of human skin, and so he bites too hard, even in play.  Puppies usually learn bite inhibition during play with other puppies.  We also teach it in the first few weeks of puppy class.

Conditioned Emotional Response (CER) - An emotional response a dog experiences that results from an exposure to something.  It can be good (Positive CER) or bad (Negative CER) We want dogs to have good CERs about situations, people, and other dogs. A good CER is the goal of counter conditioning.  Neutral response can be acceptable too. Negative/bad CERs are worrisome and are at the root of many behavioral problems.  We want puppies to have lots of positive CERs during their growing period.

Counter Conditioning -  Also called “Pavlovian Conditioning” because Pavlov discovered it.  Remember “Pavlov’s dogs”?   It is learning by association, where one thing predicts another thing and produces a conditioned emotional response (CER).  In dog training, we use counter conditioning to create good emotional responses to known triggers. We also use it to get rid of bad emotional responses. This happens by repeatedly pairing the stimuli with something pleasant or valuable to the dog.

Duration, Distance, Distractions – This is how we train behaviors and make them “stick”! First, teach the behavior without any distractions! Then, gradually increase the time (duration) still without distractions. Gradually add in distance/distractions - starting with short distance and minor distractions. Then, combine difficulty, distance, and distractions together. Do not move to the next step until the last step has been mastered. If your dog has trouble with any of the steps, go back to the previous step.

Fading out the reinforcement – This means you systematically remove the training tool (food reward, toy reward) from a behavior. It is the process of transferring responsibility from you controlling the dog to your dog controlling himself. We do not want our dogs to be dependent on the tools. Thus, we fade out the food rewards as soon as a behavior is reliable.   Keeping in mind, it takes about two years for a dog to be fully trained.  Never rush to get rid of the food rewards.

ExPen/Exercise Pen - Like a dog crate, but no top - they serve as a way to contain your dog. They give your dog plenty of space to move around and play. Most dog exercise pens are made of connecting panels that can be set up for use and then folded for storage.   We recommend them for short term, supervised confinement in your home as puppies cannot have full run of the house until they are housetrained and have gotten through the chewing stage.  We do not recommend them for unsupervised containment.  Crates are better for that.

Flooding - Flooding is a technique used to force dogs to be in the proximity of something that they are afraid of. Many trainers incorrectly use it without an understanding of how negatively it effects dogs. Eileen Anderson wrote a wonderful blog, that is worth the read: Sink or Swim, 8 Ways You Might Be Flooding Your Dog. What happens after a dog has been flooded: the stress of being forced into a scary situation builds up to a point where they may lash out.  A flooded dog may lash out, or they may shut down, which some interpret as “calm submissive’.  But there is nothing calm about it.  Signs your dog has been flooded:  disengage from you, look away, lie in a corner, hide, shake and tremble, pant, lip lick, whale eye (whites of the eyes showing), paw lift, pacing, rounded body, tail tucked, frantic barking.

Generalization/Generalizing – This means a dog becomes able to perform behaviors and understands those behaviors in a variety of contexts and environments (not just at your home). Dogs are not naturally very good at this.   After your dog has moved past initial learning in your house, you want to quickly help him/her generalize to other environments and contexts. You want your dog to be able to sit/stay/leave it/walk on leash at places other than at home. This should be done slowly and methodically.  Train your dog other places than at home for them to be able to apply those skills you have taught.

High, Medium, Low Value Treats – We recommend carrying low, medium and high value treats in your bait bag aka training pouch.  Low value:  kibble . Medium value:  biscuit style treats like Crunchy O’s or Charlee Bears.  High Value:  soft and stinky treats such as a jerky style or dehydrated meat.

Learned Helplessness - This occurs when a dog feels totally helpless to avoid negative situations. It usually happens after the dog has been flooded (see above). This is fallout from punishment training and/or overuse of aversive training tools like choke chains, pinch collars, shock collars, etc.  If you are unclear or are weak in your communication with your dog, this can also result in learned helplessness – your dog just gives up and walks off or stands there looking at you. The dog thinks “there’s no way to shut off the negative experience and so I will nothing at all”.

Lure-Reward Training Method- Invented by Dr. Ian Dunbar and what we mostly use in training at MBB. Lure-Reward Training follows the ABC pattern: Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence or more simply RRR: Request, Response, Reward. This is the science of dog training! Lure Reward Training is a 1234 process no matter what you’re trying to teach in this manner: 1: Request,  2: Lure,  3: Response,  4: Reward.  The lure is a piece of food or can be a toy if that motivates your dog.  We phase out the lure once the dog has learned the behavior we are teaching.

Management – This is all the things we do with our dogs to prevent annoying or destructive behaviors. It is important to block these behaviors without damaging their motivation.  We set up the environment so a dog can succeed.  It’s called puppy proofing your house!

Mark and Pay (Pay) - A Marker Word is any sound you will use to tell your dog when he/she did something right.  We say the word “yes”, which means you got it right and I am going to “pay” you with a reward.   It is the first thing you should teach your dog and even though sometimes we "think" our dogs know what we are saying, it is very important to actively train this special word.  Some people say “good dog” and others use a clicker as the marker.

Positive Reinforcement - The addition of a pleasant stimulus to increase the frequency of a desirable behavior. Essentially, it is reward-based training. 

Proofing a Behavior – Proofing, in dog training, means practicing a behavior you taught your dog in different environments and situations, until your dog generalizes that desired behavior and can do it anywhere, even with distractions.

Socialization - Allowing a dog to experience the world including places, people, things, new stimuli, and novel experiences in a positive way to ensure confidence and stability. Socialization is most important for puppies. For adolescent and adult dogs, socialization is also important, but becomes more challenging as developmental deadlines pass by. Under-socialization in puppies is one of the most common causes of future behavior problems in dogs.

Threshold - A dog’s tolerance for certain things such as pain, stimulation, time, and proximity to triggers. It is the boundary line from where a dog can maintain composure to where they “lose it” You always want to work below threshold. Build skills/behaviors in a neutral environment, and then build on it.

Trigger - Any stimulus (something your dog sees or hears) that initiates a strong emotional and/or a physical response. These can be both good and bad, but generally we discuss triggers in regard to annoying behaviors. For example, in reactive dogs, seeing another dog can be a trigger. For some dogs with kennel aggression, someone approaching their kennel is a trigger.  For resource guarders, a human or another dog approaching can be a trigger. The intensity of the reaction depends on the dog’s prior experiences, level of training, and proximity to the trigger. Reactions can range from fear, to aggression, to reactivity like lunging.  We always consider threshold (see above) in conjunction with triggers. We want to work below threshold to reduce the reaction to the trigger. Working above threshold (which is called “Flooding”) is unproductive, and in some cases can psychologically damage a dog.

Like Us on Facebook
Follow on Twitter

Counter Surfing 101

Teach your dog what you want him to do. Put a treat on the counter and work at teaching an uncued "leave it" which is proofed for duration, different items and whether you are present or not.   It takes practice, so be patient and in the meantime, keep your counters clear of temptation/teasers!


1. Place a small piece of food (teaser/temptation) on the counter with your hand covering it. Mark "yes" and pay with a different treat) for ignoring the teaser and sitting politely. Ignore any attempts to get the teaser. Do not verbally cue "leave it", just be patient ! Practice this until your dog is leaving the teaser/temptation immediately after you put it on the counter and cover it with your hand.

2. Place the "teaser" on the counter uncovered - but be ready to cover it if your dog should
decide to grab it. (mark and pay always with a different treat than the one on the counter) for calm behavior and ignoring the food on the counter. Practice this until your dog is great at it.

3. Methodically add distance between yourself and the teaser/temptation on the counter.

4. Methodically increase the amount of time your dog must wait before you mark and pay him for leaving the teaser/temptation. Stay close while you practice this.

5. Do short trials with you near by practicing with different teaser food items on the counter and in different areas of the counter.

6. Try adding a couple of these factors together (i.e distance and duration).

7. Make sure you practice for turning your back and if you want to you can work on having him/her leave the food while you go out of sight. Begin by making it very quick and returning to jackpot him (give extra treats).

If s/he should get the food at some point, it's no big deal, but do your best to go at the right pace so that s/he is successful. It really doesn't take very long, especially for a dog who has already learned "leave it".

Don't forget to reward your dog once you are using this behavior in "real life" or s/he will soon realize that it is more beneficial to steal then wait for his special treat and praise.

Follow us on the web!
Follow on Twitter

Merchandise

We are trying out a merchandise store with Bonfire!  Please go check it out and grab some gear!

 https://www.bonfire.com/store/my-best-buddy-dog-training/ 

Like Us on Facebook
Follow on Twitter

Don't take your puppy for a walk!

There, I said it! Do not take your puppy for a walk! 

We all know that it's important for puppies to get daily exercise. It strengthens their muscles, improves balance and coordination and helps their self confidence. But before heading out to explore in places where they could potentially pick up disease, puppies need to be fully vaccinated. Most Vets recommend waiting to introduce puppies to the wonders of local parks, beaches and walking trails until after the puppies are fully vaccinated at around 14-16 weeks of age.  

There are several other health risks involved with taking young puppies on walks. For one thing, puppies don't have the development of their cardiovascular system needed for endurance. Until they do mature, they are probably not able to build much endurance, no matter how much they exercise. Another consideration with puppy exercise is their "growth plates". Growth plates are soft areas that sit at the ends of the long bones in young dogs. These growth plates contain rapidly dividing cells that allow bones to become longer until the end of the dog's puberty. The growth plates will gradually thin as the dog approaches puberty, signaling the growth plates to close. Closure is normally completed by approximately 18 months of age. Until the growth plates close, they are soft and vulnerable to injury.   

In addition to the health risks, there is another important reason why you should not take your puppy for a walk. Your puppy doesn't know how to walk on a leash!

Here's why. I equate a puppy walking on a leash to a young teenager driving a car. When I was 15 years old I got my learner's driving permit. My father did not hand me the keys to the car and say "go for it". Instead, I started out learning the basic mechanics of the car and then learning how to back up in the driveway and negotiate some simple things. Then when I had that down, Dad drove us to the church parking lot and let me drive at a slow speed, practicing turns, parking skills, etc. When I had mastered these skills, I practiced on the quiet streets in my neighborhood. Eventually, after I had a good year of practice under my belt, I bought a 1973 Pinto and was able to drive. I spent a year learning to drive before I was "let loose".

If you take your untrained puppy on a walk before he has the necessary skills, you are doing the equivalent of handing him the car keys when he doesn't yet know how to drive. Let's take a step back and first teach the puppy how to follow you off-leash around the house and in your backyard. Then practice leash skills in those very low distraction environments where your puppy will be set up for success!

Just as with that year of "driver's ed" I had with Dad, you need to teach your puppy leash skills before beginning walks on leash. Your sessions on leash should be training sessions, not exercise sessions. When your puppy is very young, walks should consist of short ventures outside in your yard to go to the bathroom, with much more emphasis on indoor play than on long exercise sessions. 

So, how much exercise does your puppy need? My general rule of thumb is to take your puppy's age in months and multiply it by five to determine how long in minutes your puppy can walk during a training session. Allow your puppy's toilet training schedule to dictate your walks in the early stages of training. Your puppy will be going out frequently in the first few months, and each trip outside can be treated as a tiny training walk. So, a short stroll around the yard or a walk to the end of the driveway and back each time you take your puppy out to go to the toilet is more than enough at this stage for leash training. As your puppy gets older, keep most of the outdoor potty breaks quicker and turn two or three of them into slightly longer training walks.

 Until your puppy learns how to walk on a leash, you don't need to go for walks! You can get a lot of socialization mileage out of just sitting on your front step or hanging out in your backyard. Practice off leash in the house, then in your fenced yard, before adding a leash in the house and in the yard. Then later, when your puppy is older and physically ready, he'll be ready to begin going on short walks to practice leash skills. 

Like Us on Facebook
Follow on Twitter