Mannerly Mutts Making Dog and Owner Dreams Come True in York Maine
(207) 361-4395 Robin Rubin, Head Trainer Cell Phone
(508) 735-8630 Robert Rubin, Sales and Daycare Cell Phone
37 Paul Street York Beach, Maine 03910
mannerlymutts.rubin@gmail.com
  • Home
  • Programs
  • About
    • FAQS
    • Facilities
    • Directions and Contact
    • Resume
  • Testimonials
  • Videos
  • Blog

Patterns and Structure, How Do They Help with Dog Training and Behavior?

10/19/2020

Comments

 
Picture
Patterns, as I define them in dog training and behavior modification, are manufactured predictable events.  That is they are a sequence of steps  that become predictable with repetition and consistency.  Remember, canines do not share our human language.  We can not tell them what is coming up, but our actions to create patterns and structure can place them on more predictable ground.

​As humans we take this for granted for ourselves, but if you think about it, our every day patterns and structure lend to the feeling of safety and security for human children and adults alike.   Of course we can talk to each other should an unanticipated event comes up.   Can you imagine how scary some events are to dogs who do not have that sort of heads up?  We can make everything smooth sailing (or smoother sailing anyway) by adding a little pattern and structure to certain parts of our canine's day. 


Read More
Comments

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

10/13/2020

Comments

 
Picture
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.

Read More
Comments

Engagement and Motivation

10/5/2020

Comments

 
Picture
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.


Read More
Comments

How to work with and be realistic with the dog or puppy you have right now

9/28/2020

Comments

 
Picture
Dog lovers know that a dog's physical appearance as far as size, hair length, hair color, ears shape, curly or flat coated, age, and so on.   Dog's are also individuals, and these internal characteristics do not show on their outsides.  These personality traits and temperaments can vary wildly from playful, wary, suspicious, defensive, resource guarding, driven, active, laid back, and so forth.   Add to the mix that some dogs have some training or real life experiences that may be useful as a dog owner or trainer creates a training plan.  Recently, one of our blogs went over why there are so many different methods, techniques, and tools that help a dog owner to train their dog.

A professional dog trainer will look at the dog you have right now (as best they can in the time they have) to determine the right path to start down.  A dog owner who is honest with themselves can begin to assess this too.   None of these traits determine how well a dog will be trained, but they do guide you to what ways will most likely efficiently and effectively train your dog to the best of your ability.


Read More
Comments

Give Feedback to Your Dog by Using Markers or Clickers

8/31/2020

Comments

 
PictureTypical 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.


Read More
Comments

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

8/24/2020

Comments

 
Picture
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



Read More
Comments
    Call Us

    Author, Robin Rubin

    ​Owner and Head Dog Trainer in Maine, Robin Katherine Rubin, started her Maine dog training business in September 2004.  Our dog training facility is located in Southern Maine in York Beach and we help families enjoy their dogs more, making sure they listen reliably and resolving unwanted behaviors.

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    September 2022
    September 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    July 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017

    Categories

    All
    Activities
    Basics
    Behavior
    Dog Care And Grooming
    Dog Daycare
    Dogs From Rescues
    Dog Trainers
    Dog Training
    Dog Training Distractions
    Dog Training Equipment
    Health Issues
    Intermediate
    Multiple Dogs
    Obedience Training
    Pack Dynamics
    Pandemic Series
    Podcast Finds
    Poison To Dogs And Puppies
    Puppy Tips
    Puppy Training
    Questions From Dog Owners
    Selecting A Dog
    Selecting A Puppy
    Small Dog Tips
    Socialization
    Spaying Or Neutering
    Training Journal
    Training Techniques
    Tricks

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly