Origional Articles

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TEACH YOUR DOG TO BE A COURTEOUS CANINE

By the Instructors at K9U.com

Dogs that lack self-confidence, who are destructive or act spoiled and demanding are dogs that need structure and benevolent discipline in their lives.

Just like children, dogs need to learn good manners and what the rules of the house are. DOGS NEED YOUR LEADERSHIP, and here's how you can provide it:

Teach your dog to say PLEASE for what he receives. Implement a "Please and Thank You" program as part of his daily life.

Example: suppose your dog wants a treat? You ask your dog to SIT. (SIT = PLEASE) When he complies by sitting, you give him that treat and say "THANK YOU!"

If your dog wants his breakfast or dinner, you might ask him to DOWN first. Once he downs, you then reward him with his meal and say, "THANK YOU!"

Does your dog love to go for walks? Ask him to STAND QUIETLY to have his leash put on. When he does this for you, leash him up and thank him. Also ask him to WAIT until you exit the doorway first.

When your dog wants to play, ask him to DO A TRICK first. When he does, reward him with his favorite toy and play with him.

Anytime your dog is presented with something he enjoys, consider asking him for something in return. Reward your dog when he is courteous toward you and others by giving him something that he
wants, and you will see all of these great behaviors increase. This is the beauty of positive reinforcement training!

Remember that a reward to your dog could be many things; i.e., food treats, tug games, a game of fetch with a tennis ball, going for a ride, sniffing everything in sight, chase games, running through a field, being petted and praised, and lots of other activities. Make a list of 10 of your dogs most favorite reinforcers, and then use those reinforcers to motivate him during training.


When your dog realizes you will always be there to provide him with valuable resources, fun and other amenities of life, you'll begin to notice that he'll be more than willing to join you in this spirit of mutual cooperation. His trust in you will not only strengthen your relationship, but his overall outlook on life will be positive and upbeat.


This is a WIN-WIN program for both humans and dogs. It is based on establishing mutual cooperation and appreciation. Part of providing structure in your dog's life means setting him up to succeed! If you continue to train him using positive methods, he will reward you by behaving just the way you want him to. Reward all good behaviors, and then just watch them increase. It happens all the time!

Dogs that are pushy, demanding or destructive become more courteous - substituting new and better behaviors for those old ones. Dogs that suffer from low self-esteem develop more confidence because what they are doing is working for them and they are winning! Dogs that are spoiled start to understand that they now have to work for their rewards - not just receive them.

Teach everyone in your family to implement the PLEASE AND THANK YOU program. This provides many additional opportunities throughout the day for your dog to receive rewards and privileges.


If you follow this program for the rest of your dog's life, and you are consistent with it, your reward will be having a well-behaved and courteous canine.


__________________
Mychelle Blake, M.S.W.
DoggieDoor.Com Canine Advisor

Member, Association of Pet Dog Trainers
Managing Editor, The APDT Chronicle of the Dog
Owner, All Ears Dog Behavior Consulting, www.allearsdogs.com

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Settle



The goal of the “Settle” command is to teach your dog to lie down quietly and relax. There are two areas to teach settle – in your home, and in an unfamiliar setting, such as outdoors or at a training class!



In Your Home:


1. Have your dog on-leash and find a place in your house where you would like your dog to go to when you want him to settle down. This can be on a dog bed, a mat, a towel, a nice, soft, carpeted area, or even in his crate.



2. Determine a quiet activity that you would like to be doing, such as reading a book or a newspaper, watching TV, knitting, etc.



3. Take your dog by the leash and sit down on your chair or couch. Guide your dog to the spot you want him to lie down, and put your foot down on the dog’s leash. You want the dog to have enough leash so that it is not taut, but not so much he can get up and walk around. If the spot you have chosen is not up close to your chair or couch, you can use the leash to tether him to a piece of furniture or a gate or a door knob to keep him place. Again, remember when you tether him to keep the leash short enough so it is comfortable for him, but he does not have all 6 feet to get up and walk around.



4. Ignore your dog and start working on your chosen activity. If the dog starts to bark, whine, or carry on, ignore him completely. If he can reach you and tries to nudge your hand or leg with his muzzle, move away, but don’t look at in. If he tries to jump up on you, stand up so that he simply slides off your lap, and make sure that you continue to not make eye contact. Basically, you want to act as if he does not exist!



5. At some point, the dog will get bored with his attempts to get your attention and he will lie down. At this point, say “Yes!,” but keep your voice warm and calm rather than bouncy and upbeat. You don’t want the pitch of your voice to excite the dog. Give him some food treats on the ground so that he can eat them while lying down. Go back to ignoring him.



6. After a few seconds (say 10-15), repeat rewarding him as above if he continues to remain quiet. Reward him in intervals of about 15 seconds, and slowly you can work up to spreading the time increments to 20 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, etc. As he starts to understand the behavior, then you can add in the verbal command “settle.”



7. When you are ready to get up, say “ok!” in a happy voice and release the dog from the leash or tether.



8. You can also practice this exercise by giving your dog something to chew on once he lays down and is quiet, such as a stuffed Kong, or a bone, or a chew toy. You want him to find settling down and being quiet a pleasant and rewarding experience.



Outside of Your Home:

1. The idea is basically the same as the in-home “settle.” When your dog starts to get overly excited, take the leash and take most of the slack up in your hand. You want to give the dog enough leash so that is not taut against the dog’s collar and he has room to lay down, but he does not have enough leash to move around a lot or maneuver around you.



2. Hold the rest of the leash up against your midsection of your chest or abdomen (depending on how tall your dog is!) and remain calm and relaxed. Remember to take slow, deep breaths.



3. Do not look at your dog or give them any type of eye contact or verbal attention.



4. Your dog will probably continue to act excited and frantic and will attempt to engage you in some type of contact. Be patient and wait. At some point, he will settle down and get bored with his attempts to get attention.



5. As soon as he quiets down and either sits or lays down, say “Yes!” calmly and gently and reward him with the treat. You can also gently stroke him behind his ears and along his neck to reinforce calm behavior.



6. Continue to ignore him, and repeat rewarding him for calm behavior every 10-15 seconds. As the dog starts to understand the behavior, increase the time intervals and reward him unpredictably (i.e. reward him after 10 seconds, then 30, then 20, then 1 minute, etc.).



7. As the dog is quiet and relaxed, you can repeat the command “settle” and reward him as you repeat the command.










__________________
Mychelle Blake, M.S.W.
DoggieDoor.Com Canine Advisor

Member, Association of Pet Dog Trainers
Managing Editor, The APDT Chronicle of the Dog
Owner, All Ears Dog Behavior Consulting, www.allearsdogs.com

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Sometimes: Random Thoughts on Training Your Dog

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Random Thoughts on Training Your Dog

The following thoughts are arranged in no particular order that I have jotted down on training your dog. Take them for what they are worth - if you have questions, or wish to discuss them further, please let's do so.



SOMETIMES

If you have a dog you are training, you should know the rules of "sometimes."



Sometimes you train and sometimes you don't is about as silly as sometimes you feed and sometimes you don't. Sometimes can be a good and useful tool and sometimes can work against you. Be careful how you use it.



OBEDIENCE

If you ask for a SIT and the dog refuses and you let it go - the dog will think that he doesn't have to sit every time you ask. Only sometimes -- like when you have a treat in your hand.



When you are training, remember that if you ask for obedience and you don't reinforce it, you dog may start to understand SOMETIMES and that is something you do not want.



You shouldn't ask for something you aren't willing to train and train again. If you ask for SIT and your dog does not SIT, please take the time to show him again what you want. Don't continue to ask for SIT, SIT, SIT and then give up in frustration. Just show him SIT again and this action by itself will tell him that you mean for him to SIT every time you ask for it.



PRAISE

Remember to praise - not just sometimes, but always. Even for the smallest effort. Tell your dog YES! That he is on the right track and making a good effort. You can always improve his effort later. Talking to your dog is a great way to communicate and use your 2nd best tool - your voice! Keep it upbeat and happy. Try not to say NO - say "whoopsie" instead - or say "okay, but let's try that again." Remember most of the fault in training is the handler - not the dog.



TREATS

Treats can be used always when you are first teaching something new. Dogs don't really care how big the treats are, but they seem to care about how many they get. So use soft treats like hot dog slices, cooked chicken, liver or pieces of cheese and bite or break them into really small pieces to get lots of mileage from each slice. When your dog is working to get the treat give him a piece or two, when he's making a really good effort, reward with a few more pieces and when he nails it, give him a JACKPOT of little pieces rapid fire along with tons of praise, hugs and playtime. He will know he has pleased you.



Once a trick or training effort has been taught sufficiently well you can back off the treats to just sometimes and then finally to very seldom. I never back off them completely but if you are going to show your dog in a ring you certainly cannot have food with you so work toward that goal of treating only sometimes.



I also like to use food that I don't mind sticking in my own mouth. That way I can use my mouth to hide the treat later on when I want my dog to start working without this visible motivator.





HOW DOG'S THINK

I subscribe to the theory that dog's are pretty selfish little creatures and once you find the things that they really love, you've got them hooked because they will learn to do the things that earn them those very special treats and games and attention from you.



Here is how I see dog's thinking:



Good thing starts - Yippee!!

Good thing ends - Phooey.

Bad thing starts - Phooey.

Bad things ends - Yippee!



Examples of these things might be:



A game of fetch is a good thing & when it starts your dog goes into high gear! Yippee!!

A game of fetch is over and your dog is unhappy. Phooey!

If your dog doesn't enjoy having his teeth brushed or nails clipped - Phooey!

The grooming session is ended - Yippee!



If you can see your dog thinking in these 4 ways you are well on your way to understanding what will motivate your dog and what will cause him to think Phooey!



This is why mixing playtime with training time is such a good idea. Your dog might think training time is dull and boring. But if you stop every 5 minutes or so for a quick game of tug or catch and just play for even 1 minute the Phooey can be turned into a Yippee and that is when you will start to notice that your dog is becoming an active participant in your training sessions. Feel free to mix toys and treats into training. You don’t' have to use just treats.



BREAK & PLAY

Break and play is something you can do to keep training fun. If training is about having fun, your dog is more likely to enjoy it and not just go through the routine. Do you want a dog who hangs his head in training or who looks at you bright eyed with anticipation, sitting up straight with a wagging tail?



Every few efforts (3 or 4) just suddenly whip out a tug toy or ball or other toy and start playing with your dog. Nothing breaks up routine like a quick game. You only need to play for 30 seconds or so and then pull your dog back into training again for another few efforts. He will look forward to the training because of the reward of playtime.



MOTIVATION

Understanding how your dog thinks and getting the most out of it will help you keep your dog motivated. When you are training and play training keep your attention focused on your dog. Just like talking to a good friend - if your attention wanders they will notice. If you cannot focus, delay your time together until you can.



Keep training sessions relatively short. 5-10 minutes can be plenty if you do it 2 or 3 times a day. I put my dogs on a down or sit stay while I am fixing lunches. And they get rewarded with bits of cheese from the sandwiches I'm making.



Also start small. Don't ask for big leaps of understanding. You can break just about anything into small parts and then assemble those smaller parts into something larger later on.



TRAIN A RELEASE WORD

When you are training sit, down, stand, etc. also remember to teach a release word. This will be critical when you want your dog to sit/stay or down/stay or just simply stay put. I like to use OKAY - other people might use FREE or something else but always be consistent and train this word just like the word SIT or DOWN. To teach/use this word simply have your dog maintain the SIT until you say OKAY and when you say OKAY back up, raise your arms, grab a toy, give a treat or do something that causes your dog to think "Oh, okay I can get up now." Praise and reward the release word just like any other command. In obedience training your judge or teacher will say something like "Exercise Finished." After which you can release your dog. I like to make it something fun so that my dogs can really jump up and move around and enjoy their success.
__________________
Mychelle Blake, M.S.W.
DoggieDoor.Com Canine Advisor

Member, Association of Pet Dog Trainers
Managing Editor, The APDT Chronicle of the Dog
Owner, All Ears Dog Behavior Consulting, www.allearsdogs.com

[aussiesmum]

Crate Training, How To

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Crate Training




Why should you use a crate?

· A crate can be an invaluable tool for teaching a dog to eliminate outside of the house, and is one of the quickest ways to housetrain a dog.

· A crate can provide a safe haven for your dog when you need to be away from the house, or are too busy to supervise your dog.

When should you not use a crate?

· If you are trying to punish your dog - the dog will learn to avoid the crate and refuse to go inside, or he will become extremely agitated in an attempt to be let out of the crate.

· If you are looking for a long-term place to “store” your dog for hours and hours on end. An adult dog should not be left in a crate for more than four to five hours at an absolute maximum. For puppies, you cannot leave them in the crate longer than their physical bladder capacity, which depending on their age and breed can be no more than an hour or so.

Using crates to housetrain your dog:

You can expect to teach an adult dog housetraining within 3-5 days using a crate. Puppies, of course, will take longer due to their smaller bladder capability. The more consistent you are, the more you will see a difference.

Your dog or puppy should be kept in the crate any time that you cannot watch it 100%. This means that you are able to watch the dog at ALL times and move him quickly outside if he starts to eliminate. If your attention will be divided by tasks like cooking, talking on the phone, watchingTV, etc, then do not crate the dog. Rather, use the “umbilical cord” method. Use the dog’s leash to tie the dog to you, either by looping the leash around your waist, or through your belt or a belt holder on your pants.

For puppies, release them from the crate approximately once every hour. Take them IMMEDIATELY outside by running with them on-leash to your door and outside. Have some especially good treats on hand when you do this. When you are outside, give your dog the command (Go Potty!). Most puppies will eliminate within 5 minutes of taking them outside.

If the puppy eliminates, give him some of the treats, praise him calmly and happily, and take him back inside. It is ok to let the puppy run loose in the house, as long as he is supervised. After about an hour, you can put him back in the crate, and restart the whole process again within the hour.

If the puppy does not eliminate, take him back inside and put him in the crate for another 1\2 hour. Say nothing to him and do not give him treats.



If you are consistent with this pattern, your puppy will quickly learn that if he holds his urine and feces until you take him outside, not only will he get relief and be able to eliminate, but he will get a treat as well. As your puppy or dog starts to demonstrate that he has learned the “rules” you can begin to phase out the food treats and replace with praise and petting, or play time with you or with a toy.

Using the Crate to “train” your dog to the house:

Always make the crate a pleasant place for your dog to be. Make sure there is some soft bedding, such as towels, blankets, or a dog bed inside the crate. Items that are soft that smell like you are particularly good for dogs that are newly adopted, as it will create a pleasant association for the dog with your scent, and this actually is helpful for dogs that are anxious when left alone. Give the dog something to chew on, such as a toy or a dog bone. Make sure that the toy or bone is a sturdy one that will not break or be digested by the dog while he is in the crate with it and you cannot be supervising him.

If you are consistent, the dog will quickly learn that the crate is a nice place to be—he gets to lie down in a soft spot and gets to chew on something he enjoys. Dogs who are “housetrained” with the crate tend to be less destructive with your household items when left out of the crate because they associate chewing with being in the crate. Puppies under 12 months of age should still be supervised in the house however because the teething stage is a powerful stimulant for chewing. You can also feed the dog in the crate. Many dogs will eat their dinner and cuddle up and fall asleep in the crate. With puppies, you will need to wake them up to take them out to eliminate, and then you can bring them back to the crate to go back to sleep.

If your dog shows anxiety about being in the crate, crate him for very tiny increments. Let him in the crate for 5 seconds and let him out. Repeat. When he appears calm for the 5 seconds, increase to 10 seconds. Repeat. When he has learned to be calm with 10 seconds, increase to 20 seconds, and so on. Do not lock him in the crate and leave if he is anxious. You can also feed an anxious dog in the crate -split his meals up into ten portions, and feed him each portion stretched out during the day to increase the positive association with the crate. Let him out immediately after eating. For his last meal of the day, make it a particularly good meal by adding some sprinkled cheese, or a dab of peanut butter, or some beef or chicken broth to his kibble, and then put it inside the crate and shut the door. Give the dog about a minute before letting him in. Most dogs will at this point whine and pace asking to be let in the crate!

Another method for helping a dog to enjoy the crate is through the use of Kong toys. The Kong is a hardy rubber toy that is hollow. You can stuff it with food treats and freeze it, and then give the Kong to your dog when he goes in the crate. Most dogs will become very fixated on getting the food out of the Kong and will forget about the fact that they are in the crate. You can stuff the Kong with peanut butter; cream cheese, cheese wiz, cottage cheese, applesauce, plain yogurt, dog biscuits, raisins, etc. Be creative, but don’t forget to freeze it, as this makes it harder for the dog to get the food and increases the time his attention will be occupied.

Another method for acclimating your dog to the crate is set him up in the crate with some toys and then set the crate near where you will be. For example, if you are sitting down to read the newspaper in the kitchen, set the crate in the kitchen where the dog can see you, and then sit down and read. If you planning on watching a TV show, set the crate up near the couch and proceed to watch your show. Intermittently talk to your dog in a calm, happy tone of voice to let him know he’s being a good boy for calming lying in the crate.

Once you have successfully trained your dog to accept the crate, you can leave the crate open in your house. You will find that your dog will go into the crate and lie down there on his own with the door open, as dogs are “den” animals and instinctively enjoy a nice cozy place they can snuggle into and retire from the world.

Other Don’ts:

· Don’t leave your dog’s collar on when he is crated. A collar can catch on the metal grating and accidentally injure the dog.

· Don’t put the crate in a high traffic area of your house. Find a nice, quiet area for your dog so he will not be overly stimulated by noise and activity passing by him.

· Don’t let children tease the dog in the crate.

Size of Crate:

The crate should be big enough for the dog to stretch on his side, and get up and turn around without his head hitting the top. A crate that is too big is better than one that is too small.

For an adult dog, measure from the tip of the dog’s nose to the base of his tail for the proper crate length, and from the ground to the top of his skull for height. For puppies, do the same, and add about 12” for his anticipated adult height. With puppies, you may want to block out the extra area of the crate so that he does not eliminate in the far corner. You can buy a smaller crate and buy a new, larger one when he becomes an adult, but many crates can be bought with “dividers" so that you do not have to buy a brand new one when your dog grows older.

Crates come in wire mesh or in plastic “Varikennels” that have a wire grating on the door and along the sides. The wire mesh crates are usually collapsible which makes for easier storage, and you can easily place a blanket or towel on top of them to provide more privacy for the dog. Either crate works fine, although we prefer the wire mesh crates.






__________________
Mychelle Blake, M.S.W.
DoggieDoor.Com Canine Advisor

Member, Association of Pet Dog Trainers
Managing Editor, The APDT Chronicle of the Dog
Owner, All Ears Dog Behavior Consulting, www.allearsdogs.com