Trust your gut

Don’t be afraid, just do it.

Don’t be afraid to say no to your trainer, to well meaning neighbors, friends and family and to yourself when you feel things just aren't right.

Be aware of how much work the trainer is doing with your dog as opposed to how much you are doing, do you wnat your dog bonded to you or the trainer? listening to you or the trainer?

Control the mind to control the head.

Control the head to control the body.

Control the situation and environment to control what the dog learns.

You must be physically and mentally comfortable to teach.

The dog must be physically and mentally comfortable to learn.

Be aware of your own tendency to blame.

Be aware of your own tendency to punish.

Never allow other people to set your priorities.

Training should be a contract between you and the dog. You get what you want, then the dog gets what she wants.

Control the resources or sell the dog and take up knitting.

It isn't about whispering. It's about speaking clearly with your body and mind, and then listening to the answers.

Teach the animal to target.

It is not your job to control the animal. It is the animal's job to control herself.

It is your job to put the animal in a situation where she can learn what I want her to know as quickly and easily as possible.

Rewards are defined by the student, not the teacher.

Learning is defined by the student, not the teacher.

Work where the animal is, not where you expect her to be or where she "should" be.

If this animal is mine, I am the one who is responsible for what happens to her.

If this animal is mine, I am the one who is in charge of what happens to her.

When the student is ready, the teacher appears. Nobody loves a .

Self-control reduces fear and stress.

Work for five minutes, then quit. Leave the animal interested in you coming back.

The leash is to keep the animal from getting hit by a truck, not to control, punish or teach.

Plan once, train twice. Or plan twice, train once. The choice is yours.

Keep records that will mean something to you.

Break it down. The smaller the behaviour you're teaching, the greater your chance of success.

WHY is not nearly as important as WHAT. Teach yourself to see what the dog is doing rather than worrying about why he does it.

WHY is not nearly as important as HOW. Teach yourself to see how the dog is being rewarded for a behaviour you don't want. Then you’ll be able to see how to stop the behaviour.

Give the animal a chance to think.

Explain clearly and then let her sleep on it.

Look for the startle.

“My dog won’t...” and “My dog can’t...” should be followed either by an alarm bell or a training plan.

Never go for duration with a really hungry puppy.

It's all tricks, relax.

Sit back and enjoy the ride.

There are 1000 ways of teaching your dog obedience.  You can use a clicker, an e-collar, leash corrections, pushing the dog around, food lures, etc.  There are also 1000 ways of dealing with the behaviors your dog does that don't quite fit into your world.

We've started a new program here at Seize The Leash called C.L.A.S.S. which stands for Canine Life and Social Skills.  This is a program that has been developed by the Association of Pet Dog Trainers.  In reviewing the program before becoming an evaluator, I wanted to see what methods of training were recommended and what the goals of this program are.  There was so much about this program that fit with my views of behavior and training, that I couldn't pass up the chance to use it.

This program revolves around play training.  There are over 100 games involved in teaching the skills required to pass the three levels of testing (BA, MA and PhD).  Each game is so much more then just a game, it's Real Life Set-up.  Games such as Pizza Delivery, Bagel Recall, Theme Parties, Do You Really Know Sit, etc.  Each games has one or two specific skills it teaches and strengthens.  Each games uses a part of the human world as a distraction or a teaching tool.  This is the stuff of magic.

I already use games in my classes, especially Reactive Dog, Shy Dog, Righteous Recalls and Out Of Control class.  No one walks away at the end of the hour without having learned something new and improving someting they learned in a previous lesson.  And everyone has fun, including the dogs.  The dogs get desensitized without boring repetitions of encouraging calming signals or trying to stay under threshold.  The dogs get counter conditioned without the humans even realizing it's happening.

Think outside the box, don't limit yourself to someone else's idea of what the solution to your dog behavior problem should be. There are 1000's of ways to solve problems, to calm a dog, to desensitize a dog, to redirect a dog, to teach a dog. Setting limitations can set you and you dog up to fail. Be creative, think outside the box.

C.L.A.S.S. is an educational program designed to promote training focusing on the use of positive reinforcement and to strengthen relationships between humans and their canine companions. The mission of C.L.A.S.S. is to promote positive relationships through positive training methods. This approach both develops and safeguards harmonious relationships by maintaining trust and mutual respect.

To learn more about C.L.A.S.S., visit the program web site at www.mydoghasclass.com. Sign Up Here

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Tough Love Program

1. Write down everything your dog does that is inappropriate.

2. Write down everything you would like your dog to do instead of what he does in #1

3. Write down everything your dog does that is a demand from you for something. This can be for play, food or attention.

4. Write down what your emotions are about your dogs demands.

5. Write down everything you love about your dog.

 

The program

1. NO free time. If he is not interacting with you, he is crated.

2. The only things he is allowed to chew on when he is not interacting with you is a bone.

3. All meals are hand fed with the pushing method.

4. All exercise, all free time is done on leash or long line.

5. He is no longer allowed on the furniture.

6. He is no longer allowed in your lap.

7. Get him on a head halter or traffic lead and keep it on him at all times when he is outside his crate.

8. Receives nothing for free. All toys, interaction with you, food, attention or treats must be earned.

9. Interaction with any one is constructive play. Tugging, fetching (on the long line), trick training, scent detection - anything that is natural for a dog to do.

10. During all play with the other dogs, you must recall the dog every 5 minutes. If he doesn't recall, he goes back in the crate.

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Recall Games

While working on the all important recall, use these games for practice.
They are fun for you and your dog

So, you know what not to do, you know what to do instead; what else should you do to build a really reliable recall?  This is not an exhaustive list of recall tips or tricks–there are many fun games and exercises to do with your pup to improve their recall.

JACKPOTS–This is an obvious but often overlooked aspect of recall training.  If your dog makes the awesome choice to stop chasing a deer and recall, and all you reward with is a few pieces of kibble, your pup may decide that chasing the deer is more valuable.  When teaching a recall I pretty much jackpot each successful recall with 30 seconds of happy dancing, playing, happy pets, and getting multiple rewards…even on “easy” recalls.  I want to build my value up significantly so I can regularly compete with the reinforcement of chasing a deer.  Now-a-days, I don’t have to have food on me to recall the dogs successfully, but I do reward with food whenever I have it, will throw a party (minus food) if I don’t have food, and will occasionally jackpot with food, party, exciting play.

BE YOUR OWN CHEERLEADER: This means that when you call your dog, you are actually competing with all the other stuff out there which is also calling for your dog’s attention, whether it’s the interesting smells to investigate or other dogs to play with or joggers to chase or food scraps to scavenge… People don’t seem to realise or understand this -- they think that their dogs just OUGHT to listen and obey, without them putting in any work - when actually, you have to compete for and earn their attention just as much as anything else. You have to be your own cheerleader.

Basketball. Inside, with dog on lead, two handlers sit on the floor facing each other about 6' apart. One handler holds the dog; the other holds the end of the lead.
The handler with the lead calls the dog, in a happy and pleasant voice. If necessary, the handler pulls the dog to him, praises and (optional) treats. The dog is then turned around to face the other handler, who repeats the procedure. Goal: repeat until dog no longer needs to be pulled by the lead. At that point, increase distance, and repeat until dog is coming willingly. Repeat until handlers are 12' apart. If the dog does not come immediately, put lead back on and repeat. Goal: dog comes repeatedly without lead.

Hide and Seek. Dog off lead. One handler goes out of sight (around a corner into another room). Call the dog. Praise and reward. If the dog does not come to the handler, go to the dog and take him by the collar. Pull him to where the handler called him, sit, praise (or treat). Second handler calls dog back. Repeat above procedure. Goal: Repeat until dog doesn't hesitate in finding handlers. Repeat the sequence above, hiding in different rooms in the house. If the dog needs help, get him and take him by the collar and guide him to where he was called. Praise and reward the dog every time he finds a handler. Goal: Repeat until the dog finds handlers every time.

Repeat out in the yard (in a secure area). Go back to the lead if the dog is distracted. Praise and pet into sit with treat. Repeat until dog comes every time, even with distractions. This can now be done with one handler.  Take the dog away from home into a secure park, woods, etc. Practice hiding from him any time he gets more than 20' away. Remember: always praise and/or reward him when he finds you. Continue your practice in different places with different distractions.

Play Ball: Stand about 50 feet from your helper, with your dog wandering around without a leash (you can have a tab leash on if you choose). Then throw a ball so it lands near your helper. As soon as the ball leaves your hand say "Macy come!", by doing this you are giving your dog a choice to make. She can either come to you as requested (which you would reward her for) or set off after the ball.

If she decides the ball is a better option, your helper leans down and picks it up before she arrives. Your helper just holds onto the ball and ignores your dog. When your dog decides it's time to go back to you, just give her a bit of a pat, but don't make a fuss. It's a good idea to mix it up a bit and throw the ball without issuing your "come" command at times, just let your dog get the ball.

Come Fore: Begin walking forward and after a few steps run backwards about six steps while calling the dog to you. DO NOT turn around and run away from the dog. You want to back up so that when the dog turns to look at you when you call him, he realizes that you are backing up and he will run to catch up to you, not just catch you. If he doesn’t come right to you, reel him in like you had a fish on the end of the leash. Bring him right to you, between your knees. Heap on the praise.

Restrained Recall: This is another game for two people. First person holds dog while second person walks a good distance from the dog, turns and calls the dog to them. First person then releases dog who should race to the second person. You can switch rolls if you want the dog to learn to come to both of you. Remember to both use the same recall command. This recall is a great way to teach your dog to come FAST. Be sure to do this in an enclosed yard and only if the dog comes to you regularly. If the yard isn’t enclosed you can use a long line (30 foot) to attach to the dog. With a long line, the person calling the dog should take the handle of the line and walk to the end of it and turn to face the dog and call him to you. Again, keep this exercise fun and upbeat.

Run Away Recall: Here's another game for two people. Have a helper hold the dog while you go out about six feet. Turn and face the dog. As you call him in a very excited way, turn and run away a little bit so the dog has to chase you to catch you. Turn to catch the dog as he reaches you, you don’t want the dog to run past you, but to you. You want to stop running and turn to catch the dog as he gets close to you. Catch him happily when he gets to you. It’s ok to do a little wrestling with him at this point if it makes him happy to come to you. Just don’t let it get too out-of-hand. This is another good exercise to teach a speedy recall. Again, don’t do this one if the dog is not coming to you regularly.

Toy Chase Recall: When your dog is a distance from you call him and just as he reaches you, toss a toy behind you so he will run past you to get the toy. (for fast recalls) With a small dog you can toss the toy between your legs. Encourages straight "to you" recalls. This is just another way to make the recalls lots of fun and encourage reliable recalls. Again, don’t do this one until the dog comes to you regularly.

Long Line Recall: Use long line to increase distance for longer recalls with control. This is a good method to use if you are teaching more formal, controlled recalls with sits in front. Put your dog on a sit/stay. Attach a light weight long line to his collar, along with his regular walking leash, AND do not touch the long line again. The dog will now have two leashes on his collar. Begin walking with the dog in heel position while only holding his regular leash. Let the long line play out behind him until you have walked far enough so that the line is straight out behind the dog. Come to a halt with the dog sitting next to you. Make an in-place about turn/halt. The long line should now be stretched out in front of you. DO NOT TOUCH THE LONG LINE. Unsnap his regular leash and let the dog see you drop it on the ground next to where you are standing. DON’T TOUCH THE LONG LINE. Give the dog a stay command and walk away from him to the end of where the long line is lying on the ground. If you are afraid the dog will bolt, stand on the long line but don‘t touch it with your hands. Call the dog to you. When he gets to you, have him sit in front. If he doesn’t come to you, quickly walk down the long line and take his collar on each side of his face and run backwards a number of steps, calling him to you. Keep it HAPPY, don’t be angry or upset. When you stop with him sitting in front of you, give him lots of praise for coming. I know, you did all the work, but you still need to praise him.

In the event the dog should try to bolt or not come to you when you call, and you are standing on the end of the long line, do not pick up the long line and bring the dog to you. Instead, walk quickly down the long line and grab the dogs collar. DO NOT GRAB THE LONG LINE. Let the dog think that you can get a hold of him, no matter where he is. He will have forgotten about the long line, unless you remind him that he is wearing it.

The long line is also an excellent way to begin teaching obedience off lead. If the line is light enough and the snap is small enough, it will be easy for the dog to forget he’s got a long line on, and all you have to do is step on the line to keep him from getting too far away from you. Just remember, GRAB THE DOG, NOT THE LONG LINE.

Around:

The first method explains how to teach a dog to follow and touch a target stick with its nose - this training can be done informally at home. Once the dog has understood the concept, the target stick can held by the trainer or helper while they are standing behind the traffic cone. Then the dog can run up to touch the target stick as it is being moved around the cone before running back to its handler for it motivator. This method of training takes longer to teach but has the advantage of being able to transfer the dog's willingness to follow the target stick to other training situations (eg. teaching tricks for Heelwork To Music etc.) and is particularly suitable for those dogs that are able to concentrate.

The second method of teaching a dog to do Round is done with the helper or trainer calling and luring the dog around the cone using their hands and body movements.Eventually the distance is increased until the dog is running the full 51ft to run around the cone. This method takes less time to teach and is more suitable for those dogs that have poor levels of concentration as they only have to watch what the helper is doing with their hands and body movement. It is also popular with those types of dogs that love to run for the sheer pleasure of it, without having to "think" too hard!

Touch: The dog learns to run approximately 51ft (15.3m) up to a Target Box and touch it with at least one of its paws as it turns around to run back to its handler.

The first method explains how to teach a dog to touch a "marker" with its front paw - this training can be done informally at home while you are watching TV and relaxing. Once the dog has understood the concept, the marker is stuck on a >target box and the dog is taught to run up to the box, touch the marker with its paw and run back to its handler.

>The other method of teaching a dog to do Touch is done by slightly altering what it was taught to do in Hand. Instead of the ball being put on a black rubber car mat for the dog to retrieve, the ball is placed in a "ball holder" that can be clipped to the front of the Target Box. Although this is a far quicker method of training a dog to do Touch it has the limitation of not being able to teach the dog to press or touch any other object in any other circumstances (which it is possible to do using the "marker" method - eg. shutting doors, pressing buttons, training a dog to touch contact equipment in Agility, etc).

Round Robin Recalls: Three or more people can play. Spread out in a circle 20 or more feet in diameter. Your dog should be dragging a line long enough to reach all the players. One at a time, call your dog and give him treats when he comes. If he decides the game is to run from person to person getting treats, only the person who calls him should pay any attention to him or reward him; everybody else should look at the sky. Use the dragline to enforce the recall if necessary.

Cookie in the corner:

Collar grab:

1. While you are touching your dog's collar, give your dog a highly reinforcing
   treat.
2. When the dog is obviously looking forward to you touching his/her collar
   then you can wrap your fingers around the collar and give the treat while
   holding the collar.

Notes:
Always give the treat while you are touching/holding the collar, not before or
after. Your dog should quickly get to the point when s/he is moving towards you and if
you hold your hand out that s/he will push his/her collar into your hand.
Do no more than 3 repetitions of this in a row without breaking it up with a
release to play, a game of tug or fetch.

Cookie In The Corner

Chase: chase is fine, as long as you are the one running away. Call your dog, then sprint away as fast as you can. She will catch you. Turn and run a different direction. She’ll catch you again. Ask for a sit and give her a treat. You don’t necessarily have to treat this one — chase is rewarding in and of itself.

Follow Me!: In this game your dog will enthusiastically follow you as you walk backwards. With your dog on-leash and with plenty of space start walking backwards. As your dog turns to follow you say “yes” or click, continue to walk backwards. As your dog is walking, trotting or running toward you say <YourWord> and when your dog catches up to you reward with a treat. Repeat by walking backwards in the opposite direction. The quicker you can move backward the more speed you should get out of your dog – but be careful not to trip, of course. This game creates another “picture” for your dog that coming toward you is fun and rewarding.

“Go Wild and Freeze” Game: This game will get you moving as well as your dog – it’s like interval training, and you can modify it as you like or as needed for your dog. Start by jumping and dancing around and get your dog excited and playful; you can teach your dog a cue for this – “get excited” or “get wild.” After about a minute, stop and give your dog a “freeze” cue and the command “sit” or “down.” Reward your dog by starting again and repeat the game over and over. It’s fun for you both and a great way to teach your dog to respond to your cues when he’s excited

Find It: This easy game will be a hit with your dog. Show your dog his favorite toy, one that he usually carries in his mouth. Give him the “Stay” command and leave the room to hide the toy. Return to your dog and tell him “Find It,’ and watch as your dog searches for the toy. If he comes back to you without the toy, urge him to keep looking, or direct him to the general area where it’s hidden. Once your dog returns with the toy, show him lots of praise and excitement and watch as he drops the toy, ready for you to hide it once again. This is one of Woof Reporter Larry’s favorite games and it’s always interesting to see him go to the usual toy hiding spots when searching for the hidden toy. You can also play this game with food, hiding treats around the house for your dog to sniff and discover, or hiding one treat at a time as you’d hide a toy.

Collar Holds: We want this to be very good before we put it with any of the other recall games. We want to practice so much that our dog gets wiggly and happy when we reach for his collar.