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Why are there so many dog training methods and different techniques to train dogs?

9/22/2020

If you have ever looked into finding a complete dog training plan for your dog, you probably found a confusing amount of information out there. Some of one method's rules probably contradicted another's method rules.

Does this mean some people are using methods and training and that don't work? Why can some methods be so different, but still seem to get great results for the dog training team?

Glossary of Dog Training Terms

9/21/2020

Tommy is our dog and a client surrender. He is our oldest dog right now at age 14. He loves this bed.

Through my experiences, readings, and discussions; these are the definitions that I have been coming up with to define terms that I use in dog training. It's important to note that other dog trainers or canine professionals may mean different things when these same terms are used. However, I try to remain true to these definitions, such as these, when I speak on dog subjects.

Aggression ( I tend to untangle my definition from overlapping with fear or dominant as to the best of my ability) A canine with the confidence of forward moving action in order to further a goal.
Associative Learning-As per wikipedia "Associative learning is the process by which an element is learned through association with a separate, pre-occurring element."
Behavior Modification In dog training this is a series of steps and exercises that seek to improve a behavior in the domesticated canine that is seen as unsuitable to the human family or handler's purpose. (IE being a pet dog, a police dog, a therapy dog and so on) IMO the possibility of behavior modification is greatly enhanced by the knowledge of dog training, and in most cases I feel dog training is necessary to communicate to the dog in order to get to behavior modification practices.
Bribe-Relying on constant rewards (usually readily handy like treats or toys) to get the performance of a command.
Bridge-Transferring a reward like a treat to a noise like the noise of a clicker in it's place (much of the time).

About Perception Modification and Desensitization

9/13/2020

In general, training a dog involves teaching a command that can be understood by your dog using a verbal cue or signal. Unless you also know how to teach your dog to be focused, calm, and confident in certain situations, you may be constantly struggling, because you have missed another important piece of the puzzle.

That piece is behavior modification, which does not just apply to dogs with behavioral problems. This can also be for active dogs to learn how to chill in environments that might be exciting in order to do their work or focus on training with you.

Four Steps of The Dog Training Process

9/10/2020

A common question that I get asked as a dog trainer is "How long will it take to get my dog trained to do XYZ?" That question does not have any concrete answer, and of course it depends on a variety of factors. Age, temperament, owner commitment, behavioral challenges, and increasing distractions all change this answer. When I am training a dog here, I feel that I need at least 21 days of consistently working the dog on training commands and behavioral exercises to get a dog owner on their way to picking up where I left off easily (or easier). Training does not just happen in one day or in one environment. Dog training, as dog trainers understand it, when you have reliability of a command (and very dependent on whether you are talking about an adult dog or a puppy) without the need of going through much effort other than the verbal command at least four out of five times in various environments and distractions. That actually takes much more than three weeks if you want a full set of commands that can be worked in that way. It also depends on if this is a family's needs for their family dog, if this is a working dog, or if this is a sports and competing dog.

I don't know if most of the dog owning public is aware of the levels that we pass through when teaching a dog a certain command. Here are the four levels that I usually think of:

1) Demonstrate to the dog what you want him to do.You can do this by positioning or luring your dog into position. Dogs need to be shown what to do, because they don’t naturally know the things we take for granted that older dogs have already been taught. Obviously they don't understand our verbal cues, and need to be shown what they will correspond to in the future. In the Demonstration phase, the command is verbalized in conjunction with the luring or placing the dog into correct position.

Give Feedback to Your Dog by Using Markers or Clickers

8/31/2020

Typical Shana face when she hears the verbal marker "good".

Feedback is information that lets your dog know whether they are on the right track or not, depending on what you are doing with them. It is important that feedback is given at a well timed point to let them know in that moment if they are performing or working in the direction or task that you want. Ideally you want this feedback to be able to be given with some space in between you once you get going. Rewards and corrections are a type of feedback that is close up. Instead in this article, I am going to talk about equipment, the clicker, and verbal, your voice.

Molding One of The First Steps in The Four Levels of Training

8/24/2020

Molding is the process of teaching your dog what you want them to do, while at the same time:

1. Getting them used to close handling
2. Teaching them to relax under your touch
3. Being able to have them start to get the position each time from the beginning
4. Build trust in your relationship with them
5. Gentle way to build motion memory into your dog
6. Beginning leash training and not pulling on the leash, believe it or not

Calming Exercises for your Puppy or Adult Canine

8/17/2020

Lucy Black getting used to the benefits of relaxing. She is an anxious dog in general with separation anxiety.

Calming or relaxation exercises benefit all dogs, unless you have the rare very relaxed dog in any situation. In the majority of dog or puppies though, learning to relax is a very important skill. It helps those dogs of sound temperament, it helps dogs with behavioral problems, it helps young puppies, and it helps those older adults not exposed to the concept of self chilling.

I always hope to influence very young puppies with these exercises, but you don't always get that lucky. Many years ago, I myself had not discovered the very value benefit to my dogs of doing these. I discovered the value, when trying to figure out how to calm my dog, Jackie, before we got into the ring to do obedience and earn his Companion Dog title. This was the key to his success in that area, but this is also the key to a well rounded, confident dog, who has been exposed to many stimulus's that get most dogs all riled up, and cause dog owners many unneeded problems. These exercises are worth the time and the effort. Some may be very boring, but they are enormously valuable. I would not do them myself it they were not.

Sit on The Dog Exercise

8/14/2020

In addition to the following instructions, I have included a video of a dog that was really struggling with dog reactivity, especially when dogs were moving, playing, or barking. This was a mid week behavioral exercise with Lucy Black. If you watch the beginning parts where she gets anxious and reactive, and then scroll to the end, you will see how this exercise allows dogs to start to find their center and chill spot on their own. I always use this as part of a training plan that also includes nutrition, exercise, down time, and a more formal obedience training plan. This helps us especially get to the training in distractions.

Pyrometra-- warning for those with intact females

8/14/2020

Shana home and on pain medications after emergency spay.

My first female dog puppy is my current 7 year adult dog, Shana. My two other female dogs before Shana, were both spayed and well into adulthood when I got them. The decision, therefore, was up to me whether to spay her and when to spay her. Originally, I was planning on the two or three year mark so her hormones would be intact during her development years. Then I could not find a compelling reason why to have such a surgery on her. She was not going to be out and about around males that could impregnate her or out of my sight, and the mammary tumor concerns did not seem to warrant it or guarantee this would not be a problem later. I had not heard out Pyrometra until our vacation this last week. This is something you really want to avoid, is dangerous, and pretty common occurrence, as I was about to find out.

Manual Training collars pros and cons

6/10/2020

I am not going to talk about head halties or harnesses in this article. I consider them management equipment and not training equipment. These types of equipment are designed to keep the pressure on the dog at all times, and not allow for decision-making ability on the part of the dog. There are definite uses for them both behaviorally and for the safety of the owner. We will be going over those in a separate blog post.

The following are all equipment that are used in a training program with other many other tools and methods. This is a small but important parts of training that is combined with handler confidence, body position, praise, rewards, consistency (arguably the most important tool), vocal tone, motivation (as in what does your dog naturally like to do, and use it) and training plan. None of these operate well without the others. Reading your dog and their response to tools and stimuli is also important. Have a trainer handy to walk you through whether your dog will not work well on the collar, or are just going through common avoidance antics. This is often hard for a first time dog owner/trainer to judge. You also need someone to help you fit these properly. None of these should be too loose, and the metal training link collar should have about two inches of extra link in it (depending on the size of your dog of course, this is the rule for most medium and large dogs—smaller dogs need much less slack as well their necks are teeny tiny). Generally, these tools and some training methods are used after a dog has become approximately six months of age.