TRAINING A DOG

This is a question I hear almost daily.  The answer of course is whatever your dog really likes!  Some dogs go ga-ga for their kibble or commercial treats, some go crazy for chicken, liver or leftover steak and a few will eschew the food for a good game of ball or tug!  Whatever you find to be your dog's motivators remember a few basic rules:

1. If you are using a food reward make it TINY, most dogs do well on 1/4" cubes of whatever you are using

2. Moist treats are always easier to eat quickly so you can move on to the next behavior, you really don't want to have to wait while your dog chews an entire milkbone to practice the next skill.

3.  Some dogs are SO food motivated that you have to dial it back a bit (think labradors and goldens!), if your food treats are too high value all they will be thinking about is the food, not the behavior.  For those dogs you can try carrots, peas or dry kibble (small bite please).

4.  A good option for small or, mouthy dogs is liquid treat dispensed out of a plastic bottle with an adjustable tip.  There are a couple of good liquid treats on the market, a food enhancing powder mixed with water works well, but don't use broth (too high in salt and may contain onion or galic in large quantities)!  This is also a good option for the chunky dogs as it is low in calories. 

5.  Another option for small dogs is a bit of peanut butter or cream cheese smeared on a wooden spoon, it beats bending over and trying to get a tiny treat into a tiny dog!  Click, Lick and you are ready to go again!

6.  If you are using a favorite toy, reserve that toy for training only!  Better yet, have 2-3 very favorite toys that your dog only gets during training time.  Use it just like the food,  click, play (2-4 seconds) take it back, next behavior please!

7.  When using toys or tug as a motivator you MUST teach a cue for the dog to drop/relinquish the object before using it in training.  You don't want the training session to denegrate into a game of chase! 

8.  If you are using a tug toy, it's a good idea to teach your dog Tug/Settle.  This is a game you play where you play tug for a bit, and on the word 'settle' (or some other appropriate cue) your dog knows to reliquish the toy and calm down. This prevents the dog for getting so worked up over tug it takes over!

9.  Finally, remember if you are using a clicker you MUST give a treat each time you click a behavior!  Be sure and click first, THEN move to take the treat out of your bag and give it to your dog.  Clicking and moving to get the treat at the same time takes the dogs attention away from the behavior and puts it squarely on your bait hand! 

10.  If you are not using a clicker remember you only have 1.5-2 seconds to deliver the treat to your dog for the dog to associate the reward with the behavior.  (HINT:  Clickers are a much clearer way to communicate with your dog)

BTW, for my local customers, I have been experimenting with a couple of recipes for liquid treats and will have a stock of good gravy powder and dispensers available by April 1.

Wow, I don't get to blog very much any more. I think about lots of things I'd like to blog about ... it's time I don't have. Maybe I'll be better about it in 2013.

So those pesky goals for 2013. I've been thinking about them for several weeks. I like how Kathy Keats posed her questions in the conclusion of the Agility Mind Gym series in Clean Run's December 2012 issue, so I'll use those questions to frame my goals this year.

What have you learned about yourself in the last 12 months?

What a deep question, especially this year. I have learned to endure. I have learned to endure through pain and loss and disappointment and frustration. I'm not patient, so this is hard for me. I don't always do it well ... who am I kidding, I never do it well. But I find at the end of 2012, I might be at peace. Let's see if I can stay that way.

What have you changed about yourself in the last 12 months?

I'm getting serious about keeping my body in shape. Severe sciatic pain in mid-October when I couldn't walk for nearly a day and a half was my wake up call. I still have pain most days, but I'm getting better and I can finally move. I need to be stronger, and I'm working toward that goal.

What do you want to improve about yourself in the next 12 months?

I want to improve my physical condition, for my dogs and for myself. I demand a lot of my body, but only during part of my day. I need to have the fitness to continue what I love doing. It's hard to train dogs when you're in pain.

In my handling, I need to be more intentional while running courses. Neither of my dogs is ready for me to make assumptions (are they ever?). Devon feels the disconnect and stresses and heads for the ring gates. Page goes by jumps.

In my training, I need to be more diligent. Work on something every day. Fine tune when the weather is bad and I'm stuck inside. Take advantage when I have opportunities for more training.

Part 2 -- Ok! Enough about me! Onto the pups!

Devon

What have you learned about Devon in the last 12 months?

Devon can shake off bad training decisions on my part and the ghosts of issues past. She has shown me, especially in the last several trials, that she can literally shake it off and continue to run confidently. What could have been a setback isn't anymore.

I have also learned that I need to give Devon lots of time to work out training and become confident. While Devon is bright and learns quickly, it takes her time to be comfortable with training and learned exercises. I wish I had learned this earlier, because she's been telling me this for years. All the obedience training we have done for years came together this spring for her CD. I tried to rush her into the ring and she was stressed and unsure of herself. When she was ready, we got three straight legs with one placement and compliments on her heeling.

The same is true in agility. We came into 2012 with one MX leg, four MXJ legs and 38 MACH points. In spite of some struggles from March through May, Devon ends 2012 with 14 MXJ legs, eight MX legs, 180 MACH points and three double Qs. And more importantly than the stats, for the last three months I've had people stop me at trials and tell me Devon has never run better, faster or more confidently. People can't tell Devon and Page apart on course anymore. 

How has Devon changed in the last 12 months?

Devon is a much more confident agility dog this year. Decisions I've made to run with her from the start, jackpot problem obstacles and reward speed have paid off. She's within 2-3 seconds of Page on many runs. This confidence in known environments has paid off in new places. This year she has several Qs in other locations besides those where we train. This weekend she Q'd in a place she could hardly run in when she started there 27 months ago. She was fast and confident in her weaves. And even when stressed, she shook it off and moved on.

What do you want to improve in your dog in the next 12 months?

I want to continue to build on this confidences and translate it into fast confident runs that are clean with weaves on the first attempt. To do this, I need to be focused and purposeful while still continuing to jackpot her and reward her speed. Devon has shown me she can handle me maintaining criteria and only rewarding criteria, not just every try.

In obedience, I want to finish teaching her utility exercises and perfect them. Devon is solid on a couple of exercises, and spotty on most exercises. It's time to push her through to completion. Even though we are having a ball in agility, we need to begin to focus on the next phase of her career, which is obedience. With training and effort and using the same rewarding and jackpotting techniques I've used in agility, I see great things in obedience training. Now we need to complete that picture and polish it up!

Page

What have you learned about your dog in the last 12 months?

Page is working very hard to read my handling cues in agility. I can see her effort in class and in trials. And she's doing all this without losing speed. She's slowing down to read my cues, and as we become a better team, I'm sure she'll get faster at reading my handling -- and I'll get faster at providing it!

How has your dog changed in the last 12 months?

Page is maturing and not being as willful as she has previously. Oh sure, I still get a long discussion at the table, especially last weekend when I asked her to by pass a tunnel, which she did, only to present her with a table, which she didn't appreciate. But her startlines are become very solid, and we're doing a better job of teamwork.

What do you want to improve in your dog in the next 12 months?

Now that we've come to an understanding about staying for startlines, collecting into weave poles and most of the time stopping for the table (although she does tell me what she thinks), we must get these contacts in hand. I was encouraged two weeks ago when she acknowledged the A frame contact and decelerated and hit it and she even gave me 2o2o for the dogwalk!! But this weekend away from home they fell apart.

So that's our goals for 2013. We'll see how we do with them in about 12 months!

January has been declared National Train Your Dog Month by the Association of Pet Dog Trainers.  This is a great opportunity to get some very valuable training tips and information about your dog through the offerings on their web site. 

 Check out their web site and schedule of events!  http://www.trainyourdogmonth.com/events/

About National Train Your Dog Month - taken from the APDT web site

"In 2010 the Association of Pet Dog Trainers began the National Train Your Dog Month campaign. The APDT thought it was long overdue to dedicate a month to bringing awareness to the importance of socialization and training, and most of all, to inform the public that training your dog can be easy and fun! We selected January as the perfect month because so many dogs and puppies are adopted or purchased from breeders and brought home during the winter holidays. Our desire is to help these new pet parents start off the new year right with their newest family member.

The event is designed to promote the importance and benefits of training dogs to become happy and healthy companions. Too many dogs are turned into animal shelters each year for behavior and training issues that could be easily solved with proper socialization and positive, gentle, science-based methods of training. Moreover, we want the public to know that training your dog is not just beneficial, it's FUN!

We hope that trainers, shelters, dog sports enthusiasts, veterinarians, groomers and most of all, dog owners, will help us celebrate the joy of training and enjoying a healthy relationship with your companion dog not only during January's National Train Your Dog Month, but throughout the rest of the year as well! We have a variety of training resources, events, and other suggestions on this site with ideas on how to promote training to your friends, family, and training clients - basically anyone who lives with and loves dogs!

APDT members around the U.S. are planning events on their communities to promote National Train Your Dog Month in January, as well as to promote the benefits of training throughout the rest of the year. You can find local APDT members by visiting the APDT web site at www.apdt.com.

About The Association of Pet Dog Trainers

The APDT is a professional educational organization of trainers who are committed to becoming better trainers through using positive, dog friendly methods based on sound scientific principles. With over 6,000 members worldwide, the APDT provides professional dog trainers with a respected and concerted voice. The APDT promotes caring relationships between dogs and people and works to increase public awareness of dog-friendly training techniques. For more information, visit the Web site at www.apdt.com."

This is very dangerous for your pets and very appealing to them as well. Tinsel and ribbons can cause serious intestinal damage as one end can get stuck while the other end is pulled into the intestine as it contracts, the contractions can cause it to saw through the intestine. If not caught in a timely manner it can cause infection of the tummy cavity which can lead to death.

The wire branches on artificial trees can be chewed off and swallowed for a aggressive chewer. Ingesting flexible wire could lead to severe and catastrophic results by tearing the oesophagus, choking, ripping the stomach and many more problems.

All ornaments can be dangerous to pets but glass ones can be the most dangerous, not only for ingesting but breaking. Dogs tails and kitty paws can knock ornaments off the branch and if you have hard floors that glass ornament will break and can be eaten or stepped on, especially if it's at night or while you're at work and not able to clean up right away. Stick with home-made salt dough, hard large plastic or sturdy ornaments that can't be accidently shaken or knocked off.

Lights are VERY dangerous mainly for chewers and PUPPIES! Avoid lights on the tree or raise your tree up so the puppy cannot reach any strand of light, if the pup was to chew on the strand of lights while plugged in it would electrocute him or her. 

Many people are hanging their family and pets stockings on weights placed on-top of the mantle. This can be dangerous for your pet if they were to decide that a hanging stocking looked like a fun toy, pulled on it and had that weight land on them.

This means that cotton fluff used to decorate mantles and other surfaces as well as the spray snow for the windows. The fluff can be ingested that could cause a blockage in the intestine and the spray snow has so many chemicals in it that can cause your pet to become very ill from licking at it.

* Used bitter apple spray or even essential oils such as (eucalyptus or peppermint) to deter your animals from the Christmas tree or other items you're not sure if they will take a liking to or not.

*Train your dog to be around the tree and reward for walking away from it. Clicking and rewarding.

*Don't leave any chocolate or cooked turkey out on counters, chocolate can poison your animals and ingesting cooked turkey bones can cause your animal to choke or cause the intestine to rip or block.

I thought I would share this funny clip of my girl on a rainy day, doing one of her favourite things.....playing at the playground!