Blog

‘Spot’ Purpose- Training your dog to go to their ‘spot’ can prevent your dog from jumping on you or house guests.  It prevents them from begging at the dinner table.  It can also prevent them from crowding you as you walk through the door with your children or a bag full of groceries. Criteria- Your dog leaves you to go lay down on their designated ‘spot’.  They should remain there until you release them. Que- Point toward their ‘spot’ and say ‘spot’ or ‘go spot’.  You may also say ‘place’ or ‘bed’. Behavior Pyramid Your dog should be clicker trained. Find a blanket, towel, or bed that you would like to designate as your dogs ‘spot’. Put the ‘spot’ in an area that your dog still feels part of the family such as your living room or outside the kitchen.  You can have multiple ‘spots’ in the house. Stand next

Training tips for training your recall 1. Never ask your dog to ‘come’ to you and then do something they do not like.  For example, do not give a bath or cut their nails. 2. If your dog is having fun playing or smelling, do not tell them to ‘come’ and end their fun. 3. ‘Come’ should always be rewarded, under all circumstances! Never play chase with your dog, if anything your dog should chase you!   Management for training a recall   1. Make sure your dog is getting enough physical and mental exercise. 2. In a safe place allow your dog plenty of off leash activity.  Example, in your back yard, go to dog parks, or a friends yard.  If you cannot find a safe place to have your dog off leash allow them to drag a long line behind them so still have freedom yet you have

Emergency Recall The emergency recall is a conditioned recall or automatic response by your dog to your signal.  This means your dog will come to you without thinking or hesitation despite their surroundings or what they are doing at that moment. 1. Establish your everyday recall first. 2. Develop a new signal for your dog to come to you.  If you’ve been saying ‘come’ change the word to ‘here’ , ‘now’, ‘yahoo’.  Choose a word that carry’s. 3. Signal should always be said as if it were an emergency.  ‘FIDO HERE!!!’ 4. Use the signal 3 times a day for 3 months.  ONLY SAY IT WHEN YOU KNOW YOUR DOG WILL COME TO YOU!  Your best chance of success is to do this in your home or back yard when your dog is not distracted. 5. Say your signal only once! 6. Reinforce every step your dog takes to you

Training a reliable recall takes a lot of time and practice.  I like to train two different recalls;  the everyday recall and the emergency life saving conditioned recall.  Both are beneficial but as their titles suggest, they are very different. You might use your everyday recall casually.  Your dog may respond to the recall on their terms.  The conditioned emergency recall is used when your dog bolts out the door and is about to run into the street.  During the emergency recall we condition our dog to automatically, without hesitation or thinking about what you just asked, come to you. During this 2 part series we will look at how you train both behaviors. Everyday Recall Stage 1 You and your dog should be in the same area, yard or house Get your dogs attention by stomping your feet, running the other way, making funny sounds. DO NOT SAY ‘COME’

Clicker Training  What is clicker Training?  Clicker Training/ A Reward Marker is a sound that marks the exact moment in time that your dog is doing a correct behavior.  A reward marker can be a clicker or verbal “Yes” or “Good”.  Your dog will learn that when they hear this sound or word they will be reinforced by a treat.  Behaviors that are reinforced will increase in frequency. Example, as soon as your dog stops barking, click and treat (CT).  Your dog will soon learn being quiet gets goodies!  Why clicker training? The sound of the click is different from any other noise your dog encounters. It is quick and concise.  Much faster than your voice.  Dogs are very timely animals.  It is important that you catch them the moment they are doing something right. It is positive. It gives your dog a choice. It forms a strong bond between

Crate Training Why is it important to Crate Train my dog? When trained properly, Crate Training simplifies house training and prevents damage to furniture, floors and other personal goods by giving him a place to retire at the end of the night.  It can also be used as a positive tool for time-out while visitors are present or during family dining. Is it cruel to leave my dog in a Crate? Since canines are den animals, the Crate actually resembles a sanctuary where they can relax and have a place that he or she can call their own.  Therefore it is important to make the Crate a very positive place for Fido where he can feel safe and secure.  The misuse of a Crate involve, leaving dogs in for long periods of time, and using it as a form of punishment if a bad deed was done.  Leaving a dog

Your Spot–  Your dog should go to a designated area and stay. Hand Signal–  Point to the designated spot such as a dog bed or blanket/ towel laid out for your dog. Verbal Que–  Your dogs name and ‘your spot’ Benefits-  This behavior will deter your dog from begging, bolting out the door, and jumping on people.  It will give your dog a special place to go. Train- Establish a visual que for your dog.  For example, a blanket, a towel or dog bed. Introduce the object to your dog, say ‘your spot’ while your dog is on the object and smelling the object. Place your dog on a ‘sit’ or ‘down’ on the object.  Repeat ‘your spot’ while pointing to the object.  Continue to reinforce your dog. Take one step back from the spot.  Point to the spot and say ‘your spot’ if your dog goes to the spot