Mannerly Mutts Dog Training Blog - Mannerly Mutts Certified #1157 CEC NADOI Dog Trainer in York Maine

How Quality Equipment Will Keep Your Dog Safe on Leash

6/26/2024

At Mannerly Mutts Dog Training, we pick our equipment for quality and safety. Dog equipment does not train the dog, but it can make the training easier for both the human and the dog. Dog equipment's bigger and more important role is to keep your dog safe.

All you need to do is glance at Lost Dog Recovery of Maine's FB page to see a small representative of the problem. Just a couple of months ago Sapphire, a Jack Russell Terrier, in York Maine was lost, and has not been found. A couple of days ago, we saw another two dogs who had slipped their collar and leash on our road and heading through the neighborhood. We could not catch them, but they did make it home. Not all of these end in a happy ending however, with all the dangers around us (autos, predators, and just the amount of land to get lost in). Dogs can move very fast, especially when spooked, and cover long distances. So what makes the equipment we use safest when bringing dogs outside to train?

The Transitional Leash or Sidekick (Part 3 of the Leash Series)

8/23/2023

Poppy the puppy posing in all her beautiful shagginess on a training walk.

A trainer named, Heather Beck, came up with this design after becoming frustrated with another product's changes, the Gentle Leader. I have to admit that I have never been a fan of that product myself. In my opinion, Heather Beck made a better product which I prefer to call the Transitional Leash, but it is also sold as the Sidekick.

This is a great tool for both training and for behavioral modification or change, in my opinion. Remember though, the tool never trains the dog. The dog owner, trainer or handler trains the dog with the use of the tool. We will go over how this tool can help and how it works.

Why is leash training necessary for pet dogs (Part 2 of The Leash Series)

6/24/2023

Poppy showing off the transitional leash (now called the side kick) which was invented by Heather Beck.

There is a quote passed around by many professional dog trainers "What your dog can't do on leash, they can't do off leash". Leashes are very important pieces of dog training equipment, but they aren't talked about that much in pet dog training circles. They really deserve our respect, because leashes are a life line to a dog in training, who will be enjoying some off leash freedom some day beyond confined areas (fences, walls of a building, and so on).

Play Training Mistakes to Avoid With Food or Toys (Part 2 of Play Training Series)

5/29/2023

Play training focuses on the reward of play for engagement, enthusiasm, and motivation of the tasks, obedience, behavioral change, and relationship being formed. It sounds easy, right? The dog does this, and then we go and do that. The knowledge of the impending reward of continuing the game increases the likely hood of the behavior and/or performance that you want. In theory, it is easy. In practice, you can make mistakes that I would rather others avoid if possible.

Leashes: How to Hold Them and How to Fold Them (Part 1 of Leash Series)

1/15/2023

Shana training on a long line or 15' to 20' leash.

Leashes are a dog's safety net and life line for much of their lives. Many public places are bound by the leash laws of their municipal government. Also, if your property does not have a fence and they are not off leash trained, generally if your dog leaves your property then YOU have probably violated a leash law.

Many owners hold the leash casually, in a way that can harm the human, and in a way that can cause the dog to be free where they should not be and where it is dangerous. The topic of our blog today, is the best ways to hold a leash for the safety of both the dog and the dog owner.

What is your dog's bliss? How can finding their bliss help?

10/13/2020

Leon loved fetching as a wee young thing. We both learned about this skill together, and had a lot of fun doing it.

What do I mean by your dog's "bliss"?

The activity or item that eventually or immediately drives your dog to do it more or want to engage with you more.
This is something the dog is going to eventually be clear about. You can experiment with to find it and start the process, but ultimately you need to pay attention to whether it is truly motivating your dog OR do you just expect it would motivate your dog.

Engagement and Motivation

10/5/2020

Engagement in dog training is the ability to create a relationship with your dog where you are the reward. Engagement done well will have your dog insisting on continuing the activity with their owner. In other methods of training, there are some elements of this as well, but the engagement that I am talking about is much more. Engagement in dog training is more about play with their owner or handler to create that very strong bond and work ethic. As with anything, it can have it's pluses and minuses. I really enjoy this method, because I get to play with my dog and train. The thing that motivates me in this method, is seeing my dog have fun while we are doing it. Why do I also use other methods other than Engagement and Motivational methods? One reason is this is a bit slower process than some other methods in the shorter term. Sometimes if you really need to stop your dog from jumping on your elderly relatives, while including them in your family activities, you might want to take a faster course of action. Of course there are ways to control what you dog does by confining them more, but I like my dogs to have certain freedoms during the day, where this perhaps might not happen if I was only using this method. It takes longer not in time per day, but the progress to build to a goal in general will take more time. There are reasons to want to spend a longer period if time in training your dog. I will go over that at a later date.

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.

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.

Crate Training Tips

5/8/2020

Objectives: Using a crate is important for many reasons. House training, boarding, possible veterinarian visits where they are staying hours or overnight, safety in the house (puppies will try and chew wires and all sorts of things left to their own devices), just having a shower without worrying about what puppy is getting into, and separating out from company that may be afraid of dogs, in general. The objective is to create a peaceful place where your puppy or dog knows they are safe and comfortable to rest and relax.

Equipment: Crate, flat collar on dog (so you have some hold on him putting him in or out), toys placed in the crate already, and a lot of patience. You don't want your puppy to see you getting frustrated. This is all a learning experience for them.