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
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Week 2 Long Line

6/15/2018

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PROPERTY OF MANNERLY MUTTS DOG TRAINING AND ROBIN RUBIN. WE ONLY ALLOW PAYING CLIENTS TO COPY THIS MATERIAL FOR THEIR USE ALONE. THIS MATERIAL MUST NOT BE DISTRIBUTED TO OTHER NON-CLIENT PARTIES OF MANNERLY MUTTS WITHOUT EXPRESS PERMISSION.  THIS MATERIAL IS MEANT FOR USE UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF A TRAINER, EXPRESSLY MANNERLY MUTTS DOG TRAINING.

Long Line Work Follows Sit on The Dog Work:

Equipment Needed for This Exercise:· 15’ cotton canvas web long line. (See the “Before You Begin” page for the proper way to hold your long line)
· Training Collar with 2 Metal Rings, Preferably Herm Sprenger. If not a Herm Sprenger collar, check that the action on the collar selected is easy and fluid. It should not stick or be halting along the links. (See the “Before You Begin” page for the proper way to fit and put on a training collar.)  · Three planned points no less than 50’ apart, which we will refer to as points A, B, and C.
· Silence-The handler must be prepared not to give praise, direction, or command during this exercise other than to walk from one area to another.
· Quality shoes, preferably sneakers. No sandals, clogs, shoes with heels, or shoes that becomes slippery on surfaces. I prefer form fitting non-laced sport shoes.
· Practice areas. For days 1 to 3, you might want to identify a large enclosed area, just in case.
· Single handler(I do not mean your marital status) only!! Don’t confuse your dog by subjecting them to inconsistent handling during training.


Explanation and Goal of Exercise: This exercise begins to teach the dog to pay attention to the handler. It also begins to teach the handler how to allow this to happen without nagging the dog by the use of silence and movement.


Steps for Days 1 thru 3:

  • Start with confining your dog to a small area (preferably their crate) for two hours prior to beginning.
  • Put the training collar on correctly when you let your dog out. Hold the collar by the top and bottom ring. Drop the chain through the bottom ring. Place the collar over your left hand. If you have done this correctly, when you tug on the ring that is not holding the chain (live ring), pulling the live ring will allow it to release. Otherwise, it will just tighten on your arm, and that is not what you want. Once the collar is in the correct conformation, position your dog at your left hand side, facing in the same direction that you are. Put your left hand on top of his/her head, then slip the collar off of your wrist and over his/her head instead.
  • Clip the leash to the collar.
  • If you are not outside already, you may want to walk your dog outside on the six-foot leash. Then clip the long line to the collar, step on it, and take off the six-foot leash.
    Slip your left hand thumb through the leash handle. Hold this hand at belly button level with elbow bent.
  • From this point on, you are to walk directly to points, and not acknowledge or look back at your dog whatsoever. Leave the length of the leash out, and walk directly to point A without command, praise or any verbal comment whatsoever.
  • Now walk straight from point A to point B. Walk briskly and with purpose to not meander or try in anyway to follow your dog.
  • At reaching the destination area, stop thirty seconds. Do not praise or talk to your dog. Look at your surroundings and relax.
  • At the end of the break, walk purposefully and briskly to point C.
  • As before you will rest for a few minutes. You will want to complete the walk to each of the three points six times.   (So your first rotation would be A to B then B to C then C to A then repeat five more times)
  • Do not walk your dog back to his place directly after the session. Instead, keep the line out and continue to hold the handle, but now you are going to be following your dog around for the next ten minutes.
NOTE: Handler/owner should start making a list for the next days of things that have successfully distracted their dog. Also be aware at other times of things that distract your dog easily.
Steps for days 4-7 (Italic is different than first few days):
Objective of days 4-7, your dog must watch you in order to be attentive and accomplish the exercise correctly. We are teaching the dog to be attentive to the whereabouts of his/her handler, not the other way around. Since we are not giving a command or signal, the dog has no choice but to watch us intently in order to predict what we are about to do.

STEP 1:  Put the training collar on correctly when you let your dog out. Hold the collar by the top and bottom ring. Drop the chain through the bottom ring. Place the collar over your left hand. If you have done this correctly, when you tug on the ring that is not holding the chain (live ring), pulling the live ring will allow it to release. Otherwise, it will just tighten on your arm, and that is not what you want. Once the collar is in the correct conformation, position your dog at your left hand side, facing in the same direction that you are. Put your left hand on top of his/her head, then slip the collar off of your wrist and over his/her head instead.
STEP 2:  Clip the leash to the collar.
STEP 3:  If you are not outside already, you may want to walk your dog outside on the six-foot leash. Then clip the long line to the collar, step on it, and take off the six-foot leash.Slip your left hand thumb through the leash handle. Hold this hand at belly button level with elbow bent.

NOTE:  Have your memorized internal list of temptations and distractions handy. (opening doors, going to house, going towards car, opening car door, children planted, trained dogs planted strategically,)  When you dog gets good, later on you may want to plant a distraction around each point.

STEP 4:  First, walk the dog purposely towards the point A.
STEP 5A:   Watch to be sure your dog is no more than five feet from you as you are walking.  If they remain there, you may end up at point B and wait for 30 seconds.
STEP 5B:  If your dog lags, run forward five steps and then walk a normal gait again.   If they catch up, just keep walking normally, but if they are not trying to catch up run forward five steps again.  Keep walking to your point as long as your dog does not later forge (get ahead of you more than five feet).
STEP 5C:  If your dog is at either your left or right more than five feet, run in the opposite direction (to your left if your dog is drifting on your right or your right if your dog is drifting from your left).   Then go back to center and keep walking to your point as long as your dog does not later forge (get ahead of you more than five feet).
STEP 5D:  If your dog runs ahead of you, turn back to the previous point, and run five steps then walk a normal gait all the way back to the previous point.   Start over and try again until you can get to the point without the dog forging ahead of you more than five feet.
STEP 6:  Repeat until you have done the triangle six times around (you can break this into smaller sessions of three times around).
STEP 7:  When done with your cycles, encourage your dog to you, say "good dog" and give a pet, then give the release word "okay" or "break" or whatever word you decided on.
STEP 8:   Finally, for 10 minutes allow your dog to investigate their surroundings while you follow along.


NOTE: Increase the draw of the distractions and temptations during the next four days. Still no praise or commands for the dog during this lesson.

NOTE:  THESE VIDEOS SHOW ME DOING THIS IN AN EARLIER VERSION THAT I DID.  THEY SHOULD GIVE YOU AN IDEA THOUGH.   WE DID NOT USED TO DO IT IN A TRIANGLE, AND ON DAY 3 WE WOULD STOP STOPPING AT POINTS.  HOWEVER, I LIKE THE NEW FORMAT ABOVE MUCH BETTER.  I THINK IT GETS RESULTS QUICKER AND IS QUICKER THAN THE WAY I USED TO DO IT.  THAT IS WHY I AM IN THE PROCESS OF CHANGING IT IN MY DIRECTIONS.  I WILL ATTEMPT A VIDEO WITH ONE OF MY DOGS IN THIS NEW WAY.

The following video has edited out some time.   This is a sample and representation of what you need to do the early days of 4-7 to get the result in day 8.   This is broken into two parts.





Day eight: Do as days 4-7, but keep your dog five feet from you (IE the moment your dog even starts to list away from you, jog the five steps in the opposite direction) Last 10 minutes of this day, move your dog to a six foot leash and practice the same pattern. Still end the session the same way.

Example of what Day 8 would look like:



Maine and New Hamsphire Dog Training
Mannerly Mutts Blog
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Week 2 Lured Down Changes

6/15/2018

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​Puppy should be on six foot lead and training collar.  Handler should have kibble readily available.

STEP 1:  Handler should get on the ground and bend their leg so their is a place to go under on the puppy's side.
STEP 2:  Hand should lure puppy from between legs to crawl under the leg.   
STEP 3:  When puppy gets about half way under the leg, say "good girl or boy" and then give them the food reward.   (If the puppy doesn't right away, just lure them with food again and you may be working against the rules which are above at the top of the page.)  Go slowly and have patience.
STEP 4:  Release them with the release word (usually okay, break, yes or free.  Those are some of the ones that I use).

NOTE:  You can lower the arch of your leg once she has it, and that will help make her lie down when she goes through. 


Repeat for approx 10-15 repetitions each session.
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Week 2 Place Command Continued

6/15/2018

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The place command is usually taught around the same weeks that they stay commands are taught.   The difference from a stay command is this becomes a "send to" where you can send the dog to stay.  Once you get going you can use this for a crate command or a on top of command, unless you want separate verbal cues for this.  

Uses for a Place Command:  Sending your dog from company that may not wish to greet them at places like the dinner table and door without your escorting the dog to the desired location.   Behaviorally modify dog's behavior that may have a territorial aggressive bent.   Send away from an area that may hold danger like a broken glass surrounding the owner.   Interrupt an oncoming conflict between dogs by sending one or two away.   Send a fearful dog to a safe area.   Move a dog around a room while completing housework (keeps them safe from chemicals you may be using).

Goal of a Place Command:  To direct a dog to an area without needing to escort them to the area yourself.   To train a dog to recognize what and where a place is, and to both travel to and place them within those boundaries.

Equipment needed:   Need a leash and training collar in addition to the place itself.  Many trainers use a raised platform for a place (usually made with plywood, rug, and pvc piping) so that there is a definite raised boundary area to begin.   Also many trainers usually make a negative place (pvc boundary only) for ease of traveling with it.   However, a dog bed, mat or something with a definite boundary on which your dog can fit all their paws into laying down will do.

 THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE PLACE:
STEP 1:   Position your place equipment in the middle of the room.
STEP 2:  Start heeling your dog around the room.
STEP 3:   Walk in a heel with your dog over the place area.   When all four paws are in the place, say "place".
STEP 4:   Repeat step three from every angle of the place mat or bed (remember dogs can totally interpret something as "just from this direction", so help them to learn to generalize the command by doing this).
STEP 5:  After several (25 or so) repeats of this, stop short of the mat, and see if the dog is ready to step on themselves.  

STEP 2 OF THE PLACE COMMAND:
So now your dog is walking onto the place without your going over it with them.   Here is the next step, and there are more coming.   Remember that the end goal in this exercise is to have your dog cross an area to the place themselves while you are nowhere near the place.   Here is the second phase of the place command training.

****NOTE:   This is intellectual property of Mannerly Mutts and Robin Rubin.   If you are a professional interested in using these training plans, please contact Mannerly Mutts and a fee arrangement can be made.

STEP 1:  You still have a leash and collar on your dog.   The place (board, mat, dog bed) item is in the middle of the room so you can walk around it, and use all sides to place your dog (so that they do not generalize).
STEP 2:   Now as you approach the place, from a couple of steps away from the boarder of the "place item", extend your arm as you say "place" before the dog walks onto the place (different than before as you were saying place as you walked over with your dog, and only when the four paws were on the mat).
STEP 3:  If your dog does not make it onto the place themselves, use the collar lead and your body language (IE nudge into the direction) to help your dog to the place mat.   Be sure once there, that all four of their paws are on it.   If paws are sticking out beyond the boarder, just place your feet near them.   If they try to walk off and you catch them early, you can normally just move towards them quickly, and they will walk back onto the place area. 

NOTE:   IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE HERE THAT YOUR DOG SHOULD NOT BE TOLD TO SIT OR DOWN.   OTHERWISE YOU WILL RUIN THE UNDERSTANDING THAT A PLACE HAS BOARDERS IN WHICH THE DOG IS RESPONSIBLE FOR KEEPING THEMSELVES.

 NOTE the next step is really the third part of the place command.   You don't have to do circles right away, until you find your dog stepping on the place consistently by themselves.  (Not from any distance away yet other than your couple of steps away from it).

 STEP 4:  Once all four dog feet are on the place board, and your dog remains in whatever position he/she wants to, Have your six foot leash totally loose (this is so your dog can't dart away and have a game of chase), and circle close to the boarders of the place item (mat, board, dog bed).   When a successful circle has been made, you can tell your dog "good place" and give them a scratch under the chin.
STEP 5:  Now it's time to introduce your release word.   At the end, say break and lead your dog off the place board.   You can tell him/her that this was very good.   You should only leave the place board once the performance has been good (IE you made circles around them very closely).

The next part is for next week...(videos are attached though if you want to look at the finished version).

FINAL PART OF THE PLACE COMMAND:
THIS IS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OF MANNERLY MUTTS AND ROBIN RUBIN.  INDIVIDUALS ARE WELCOMED TO USE THESE INSTRUCTIONS, BUT THESE ARE NOT FOR DISBURSEMENT BY PROFESSIONAL TRAINERS FOR THEIR OWN USE.   NOR SHOULD INDIVIDUALS BE DISBURSING THESE DIRECTIONS WITHOUT THE SOLE PERMISSION OF MANNERLY MUTTS AND ROBIN RUBIN.

So now your dog is walking onto the place item consistently by themselves (you are still close to the edge of the place when they go), and remaining in the boarders while you circle them (also from no more than a few inches away.

It is time to introduce the "send" from a distance (a short distance to start) and place as you walk away a distance (a short distance to start).

STEP 1: You may want to switch to the 15' longe line at this point.   You can take up any slack that you need.   Be sure that you have the training collar on your dog and the leash on your dog.  (if you are proficient at the e-collar, you may not need the leash at this point).  The place item should be in the middle of the area that you are working in.  
STEP 2:  As you walk towards your place item, stop a few feet short of where it is, extend your arm, and say "place".  
STEP 3A:  If your dog does not walk onto the place item themselves, there is a few things that you can do.   (1) If you have good aim and will hit the place item (not off the place item in other words) you can extend your arm and throw a treat onto the place item, as you say place.   If any feet are off, you can use your body or leash to correct it so that all four feet are on the place mat.   (2) You can use your body and leash without the treats to guide your dog onto the place mat.   (3)  If you are using the electronic collar, you can use a low continuous to indicate (with help if needed with your body and/or leash) when they are on the correct place item.
STEP 3B:  If your dog does walk onto the place item themselves, you can say "good boy/girl" and give a pat if it won't make them go off the place board.  
STEP 4:  Now walk away a couple of feet to do your circles.   Keep eyes on the dog so you can provide a well timed correction should they think of walking off the place item.
STEP 5A:  Should the dog attempt to leave the place you can (1) quickly step forward into the dog so they go back onto the place (2) use the leash to move them back onto the place or (3) use the electronic collar to indicate that they walk onto the place.
STEP 5B:  Should the dog stay on the place, please tell them that is a "good place" or "good boy/girl".   Be sure that you haven't inadvertently made either of these a release word.
STEP 6:   At the point that you are ready to release your dog, WALK BACK TO THE PLACE ITEM.   Then you can give them your release word and walk off with them.  

You don't want to increase the distance of the send or the walk away until the dog is dealing with the distance with successful performances four out of five times.

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Week 2  Beginning of the Place Command (You shouldn't need to do this)

6/15/2018

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NOTE:  YOU SHOULD NOT NEED TO DO THIS, UNLESS YOU ARE HAVING TROUBLE GETTING DAISY TO RECOGNIZE THE NEW PLACE AT HOME.   YOU ARE ON TO THE NEXT PLACE DIRECTIONS.
The place command is usually taught around the same weeks that they stay commands are taught.   The difference from a stay command is this becomes a "send to" where you can send the dog to stay.  Once you get going you can use this for a crate command or a on top of command, unless you want separate verbal cues for this.  

Uses for a Place Command:  Sending your dog from company that may not wish to greet them at places like the dinner table and door without your escorting the dog to the desired location.   Behaviorally modify dog's behavior that may have a territorial aggressive bent.   Send away from an area that may hold danger like a broken glass surrounding the owner.   Interrupt an oncoming conflict between dogs by sending one or two away.   Send a fearful dog to a safe area.   Move a dog around a room while completing housework (keeps them safe from chemicals you may be using).

Goal of a Place Command:  To direct a dog to an area without needing to escort them to the area yourself.   To train a dog to recognize what and where a place is, and to both travel to and place them within those boundaries.

Equipment needed:   Need a leash and training collar in addition to the place itself.  Many trainers use a raised platform for a place (usually made with plywood, rug, and pvc piping) so that there is a definite raised boundary area to begin.   Also many trainers usually make a negative place (pvc boundary only) for ease of traveling with it.   However, a dog bed, mat or something with a definite boundary on which your dog can fit all their paws into laying down will do.


THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE PLACE:
STEP 1:   Position your place equipment in the middle of the room.
STEP 2:  Start heeling your dog around the room.
STEP 3:   Walk in a heel with your dog over the place area.   When all four paws are in the place, say "place".
STEP 4:   Repeat step three from every angle of the place mat or bed (remember dogs can totally interpret something as "just from this direction", so help them to learn to generalize the command by doing this).
STEP 5:  After several (25 or so) repeats of this, stop short of the mat, and see if the dog is ready to step on themselves.  

Some examples of what the finished product looks like after all the steps (including the below sections) have been completed:

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Week 1 Videos

6/8/2018

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Week 1 Attention To Name, Lured Sit, Lured Down, Relax for Exam

6/8/2018

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Some things to keep in mind when working puppies:
  1. They work much better when they have had a good sleep.​
  2. Keep sessions short with puppies below six months old.   So no more than 15 minutes (except for sit on the dog) and sometimes as little as five minutes is fine.   You can do them multiple times a day.
  3. Working during meals is a great time to do it.   That way, you are assured your puppy is not full and you are not starving your puppy to get in a training session.
  4. Always have your puppy on a leash and training collar when working them.   To get off leash, you have to start out on leash (or do a bunch of crazy things that will take much longer).

EXERCISE 1  Their Name Meaning Attention to You in Distractions:
STEP 1:  Let the puppy become mildly distracted by something, but also don't have anything out that is beyond their ability for distraction yet (toys for instance might be a bit much, though you will want to work this in eventually)   Don't get impatient, this is an important step.
STEP 2:   Be sure you are prepared with  kibble in your hand  BEFORE giving a command.
STEP 3:  When it looks like the puppy is off looking away from you say "Puppy's Name.  Their name is a way to get their attention if needed. Your hand holding the kibble should be held at your nose close to your eyes at first (as you progress, you start moving the treat to the side of your head, or over your head, ET to wait until the puppy makes eye contact with you).
STEP 4A:   If the puppy makes direct eye contact with you, mark that moment immediately by saying [good girl or boy], then the release word, then the food reward.
STEP 4B:   If they do not look to you, first try calling their name again after a few seconds.   Give them a few seconds in between so you aren't just rapidly firing off their name.     You could also try to make a silly noise after you say their name.   Usually though, once they know what the deal is with the food reward, it does not take more than three times to get them to look at you.
STEP 5:   You can either repeat this exercise from STEP 1.


Repeat for approx 10-15 repetitions.  The first week is usually very light on distractions around the puppy while doing this.

EXERCISE 2  Lured Sit: (remember we don't say the command sit at this point until her bum hits the ground and her two front feet are also on the ground)


STEP 1:  Take the treat and hold it right up to their nose (do not snatch it away if they jump or keep it far from their nose).
STEP 2:  Then you move the treat past their head and over their rump area.    Make sure they follows your hand and that you do not move it too quickly.
STEP 3:   Once their bum is on the floor and their two front feet are also on the floor, give them the food reward and say "sit".


Repeat for approx 10-15 repetitions each session.

EXERCISE 3  Lured Down:
Puppy should be on six foot lead and training collar.  Handler should have kibble readily available.

STEP 1:  Handler should get on the ground and bend their leg so their is a place to go under on the puppy's side.
STEP 2:  Hand should lure puppy from between legs to crawl under the leg.   Start at the treat towards their nose, and then lure them very slowly (don't snatch the treat away) under your leg.   You may have to restart this a few times in the beginning.
STEP 3:  When puppy gets about half way under the leg, say "good girl or boy" and then give them the food reward.   (If the puppy doesn't right away, just lure them with food again and you may be working against the rules which are above at the top of the page.)  Go slowly and have patience.  NOTE:  AS THE PUPPY PROGRESSES, GIVE THEM A LITTLE PRESSURE ON THEIR BACK WITH YOUR LEG WHILE HOLDING THE TREAT TO THEIR NOSE ON THE GROUND BUT NOT SO MUCH IT FRIGHTENS THEM.  THIS WILL HAVE THEM PUTTING THEIR BELLY ON THE GROUND.   AT FIRST YOU CAN REWARD THEM EVEN IF THEIR HIPS ARE IN THE AIR, BUT EVENTUALLY ONLY REWARD THEM WHEN THE HOLE BODY IS DOWN, BELLY HIPS AND FRONT.
STEP 4:  Release them with the release word (usually okay, break, yes or free.  Those are some of the ones that I use).

NOTE:  You can lower the arch of your leg once she has it, and that will help make her lie down when she goes through. 


Repeat for approx 10-15 repetitions each session.



EXERCISE 3 Relax for Examination:
STEP 1:   The owner should be in a seated position somewhere comfortable.
STEP 2:  Hold the puppy on your lap on their back.
STEP 3:   Any time the puppy squirms or struggles, just hold them to your firmly.
STEP 4:   When the puppy is calm ONLY (do not do this while mouthing ET, because we are teaching to be calm when being examined) start examining each part of her body (paws, in between toes, ears, belly as if for ticks, legs ***this can also show you any unusual growths or changes***, teeth, ET).


Do this for about a fifteen minutes  while watching TV or relaxing in bed each day.

Homework Notes:  Basically with puppies it's a little less formal as far as reps go.   It is important that they do NOT go flat or get bored.   So if that happens, I usually take note at about how much time passed before that happen.   Then I shorten the next session.   With puppies, I generally do three to four 15 minute sessions spread during the day.   Often I do these at feeding times with the puppy, and use their breakfast or lunch as the lures.   


Also I will generally do about 10 to 15 reps of each exercise.   Also I usually use a fifteen minute interval to do no more than two commands, and one sometimes is plenty.
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Week 1 Sit On The Dog

6/8/2018

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Exercise: Sit on The Dog (do not confuse with the down exercise later on)
Equipment needed: Metal Training Collar (for puppies a flat collar will due but be sure they can't slip their head out if it's too loose), 6' leather lead (for puppies inexpensive lead or clothes line lead), chair for handler to sit on that they aren't too worried about (IE an antique chair would not be a good idea, especially for a dog that might try to chew something other than their toy while you aren't watching, but a good metal folding chair will do), silence which means no verbal commands, praise, or corrections. Also no conversations of any sort with your dog.


Objective and Goals: This exercise starts the leadership portion of dog (or puppy) training in a very non confrontational way. You are defining the space and activity that the dog will inhabit while you are engaged in other activities. It starts the process of showing the dog how to quiet themselves down during certain times of day, and employ self control in distracting situations. You are also getting the dog used to releasing the tension on the collar and relaxing instead of fighting against the collar. This becomes so important as the training lessons continue.
STEP 1: (if using the metal training collar, otherwise go to STEP 2) Put the training collar on correctly when you let your dog out. Hold the collar by the top and bottom ring. Drop the chain through the bottom ring. Place the collar over your left hand. If you have done this correctly, when you tug on the ring that is not holding the chain (live ring), pulling the live ring will allow it to release. Otherwise, it will just tighten on your arm, and that is not what you want. Once the collar is in the correct conformation, position your dog at your left hand side, facing in the same direction that you are. Put your left hand on top of his/her head, then slip the collar off of your wrist and over his/her head instead.

STEP 2: Handler places the flat part of leather leash on the chair seat and under their butt, so that the snap attached to the dog and collar is on their left. The handle of the leash will must come out on the right hand side. The handler holds the other end with handle in his/her right hand to be sure the puppy or dog does not loosen up the distance at all. Remember that the correct handle grip is thumb through handle, and fingers close around and enclose the handle of the leash.

STEP 3: Handler must have something else to do during this exercise so that they do not concentrate on their dog. You may only correct mouthing at the leash or jumping up on you, but nothing else. Let your dog whine, cry, tug at the leash ET to figure out what is required of him. Corrections for leash mouthing or jumping up are simply either pushing them gently but firmly off of you, or removing the leash from their mouth. You DO NOT want to talk to them or make any kind of significant eye contact. Look quickly away and don't acknowledge them if you accidentally meet their eyes.

STEP 4: The timer for the exercise starts when the dog first goes into a down. After that the dog can go up and down, and again the handler can't say anything to correct him. This exercise must be done for the next thirty minutes minimum (in one stretch).



STEP 5: If at 29 minutes and 59 seconds the dog is in not in a down, wait for him to go back down before releasing him. I would introduce a release word at this point such as "break" to indicate the exercise has ended. Example of this would be "Dog's name, break" and you get up as you say break.




Distraction levels: During the first two to three days, you want to work with mild to moderate distraction levels. I usually start inside my house, and I change up rooms and places inside the house. I use opportunities like dinner, blog writing, book reading, television programming, ET to set the dog up for this exercise.


Once the dog has the idea of this, it's time to increase the distraction level. If it's a good time of year, I find a park with other dogs in it on leash. I may have a family member walk through bouncing a ball. A family member could also help by opening and closing doors to the outside. If understanding company comes over, this is an excellent time to do this exercise. Be very creative and especially target those areas that your dog will find challenging to calm down in.
Homework: 1/2 hour at one time every day, minimum. It must be for one half hour at a stretch minimum.


***Common owner mistakes are to pay attention to the dog, not to have the leash short enough, and not to be doing something else to keep them occupied.
This exercise is an excellent beginning to an obedience program, and to teach the dog to chill upon the owner/handler sitting down. Of course, owners/handlers are expected to give proper care which includes, food, attention, and exercise during the day.
Margot Woods developed this beginning to her Bedrock Basics training method.

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Leash and Tethering Protocols

6/8/2018

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The most common mistake that I see people do with their puppy is start the off leash portion of their training too early. Puppies make owners overly confident that they will stay this way, by the natural instinct of a puppy to stay close to their leaders. However, early lessons that they can get away with their puppy speed, will unfortunately carry over as they grow into adulthood and make their natural curiosity and wander lust worse than it needs to be.

It also starts to inhibit any problem behaviors related to prey drive. In puppy hood you can begin to teach the skills not to chase small furry animals, large furry animals, and cars. All of these things have the potential to be deadly to your puppy and future dog.

At the point that dogs are puppies is a great time to start the checking in process that you are going to desire before allowing your dog to go loose. I do this with puppies or adult rescue dogs with almost no training by doing the following:

1. Inside, while not supervised (definition being complete concentration on the puppy or dog), they are either tethered to me OR in their crate. When I am stationary, I provide a dog bed and toys that they can play with. This is not the sit on the dog exercise, which limits the dog to an area just for quiet. Be aware of where their teeth are in relation to the leather lead, as puppies and adult dogs are fully able to chew through a leash with their back molars very quickly. Otherwise I let them hang out and play around me. If they are tethered to you, you are likely to become aware of when they are in distress of needing to pee or poop. You will also be alerted to their movement immediately.
****NOTE: If I have a puppy that I suspect will worrying the leather lead and I doubt my ability to be aware of it, it is acceptable to use a rope for an indoor ONLY lead or old belt for an indoor ONLY lead for this so you can both relax, and you don't' accidentally loose something valuable. Most puppies are not so stubborn in doing this, but I have had a few small terriers that managed to get their way (and one Thai Ridgeback). So while I was teaching them not to do this, I was using less valuable leads for the inside puppy training. Some puppies are more determined than others.
2. Inside while supervised (definition being complete concentration on dog or puppy), I do allow them to play off lead and most likely with me or a family member. If they are content playing with toys alone, I allow them to do that. Do keep an eye on them though, because they can become bored with that toy and wander off to do something bad. I have a bunch of play sessions that I schedule into my day to allow them this sort of freedom. With a puppy these can be limited to 15 to 30 minutes, and is a good bonding time for the puppy and owner. IF there is a possibility that they are going to be naughty while supervised or have an accident, it can be very handy to have them dragging the leash inside. It is sometimes much easier to step on and grab the leash, than to need to pursue a puppy to catch their collar.
3. Outside, I would only allow a puppy to be completely off leash in an enclosed area unless in a rural setting where you are 100% confident that puppy is staying with. Otherwise, they are most likely dragging a long line. This way you can gently and efficiently stop any dashing off by stepping on the line or grabbing it. This starts the process of the puppy at least starting to ask or check in with you first before you release him/her. You do need to watch for the long line tangling around other dogs and themselves. Be sure that you don't do this near high traffic areas, just in case. It's not in most puppies natures to become serious flight risks at this point, so catching a 20 foot leash should be relatively simple.
4. Bathroom times, I will bring them along on a long line as well (sure to flick the line out of the way) unless I have an enclosed area to let them out in. In some cases, if the owner needs to have their dog eliminate on a six foot leash (they live in the city or they want it to happen on a walk in an area that has a leash law), it is prudent to start that training now. If dogs are given room to go to the bathroom, which I normally have no problem with, it becomes difficult later on to teach them to go on a six foot. I don't think that is your situation, but it is something to think about, if this does apply to you for some reason. (for instance when you take him to where you work, you might find that you have this need)

Although it sounds like more work now than one would want, it saves you a lot of aggravation later on. So many owners come here with dogs that have never been on a leash. When you have large areas to let your dogs off at home, it's easy to forget that you may come across an unexpected distraction when out. Also as you discovered, that distraction can live right across the street from you. Now is an excellent time to ensure your dog has more freedom in the future when it counts, and less while they are very young puppies learning the ropes.

It's also what starts this sort of calm and confident personality in your dog (in balance with the crate training providing a bit of independence early on). That demeanor in your future dog helps people have more confidence in your dog and your ability to handle him in public. Your future dog will have lost none of his ability to have fun and rip it up as needed either.

Remember, you can't do off leash what you can't do on leash first. This is really important to remember in order to keep you from unnecessary aggravation later on.
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Partial List of Things that are Toxic to Your Puppy or Dog

6/8/2018

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Talking about things that can harm your dogs, here is some more information.


Chocolate
Raisins or Grapes
Castor Beans
Anti Freeze (and other products you may use to de-ice in winter that contain anti freeze)
Caffeine
Garlic
Onion
Mushroom
Plants on the attached link http://www.dogpack.com/health/poisonplants.htm
Moth Balls
Broccoli
Raw Salmon
Too much Asprin & Asprin subsitutes (Tylenol) are always toxic http://www.school-for-champions.com/animalhealth/aspirin.htm
Below are some helpful links regarding this:
Poison Help Site
Various Toxins
Even More Toxins
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Four Levels of The Training Process

6/8/2018

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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.

2) Teach your dog what you want him/her to do (consistency and repetition). Let them know this is not a one-time command performance. There are rewards for the correct completion of a task Be consistent. Don’t tell your dog to “sit” unless you are ready to help him/her into a sit if they don’t quite understand it yet. This is still the teaching phase, and they need to know that this word isn’t one of the stream of sounds they hear from you each day. Don’t converse with your dog during training time They need to know that these command words have a meaning, and that is what we are teaching them. Other sounds in the day may not have a meaning, but our commands do.

Now once certain indicators are present, is the time you start to say the command BEFORE they go into position.

3) Learning: For dogs learning happens in that instant they analyze their choices. Those choices normally are non-compliance, flee, aggression, or comply. You want to give them a few seconds to contemplate their choice once you get beyond the teaching phase. Only compliance will allow them to be rewarded, and you want to do it as soon as the correct performance happens. As the exercises go on the three Ds will be marked as well (distance, duration, and distraction To end the session on a good note, you want to have the dog succeed at least four times in a row. If it takes way too many reps to get that four times in a row, you have most likely rushed the dog forward past their threshold. Now is the time to back up to where their performance was more reliable, and move in a slower fashion forward.

You will need to be patient. In dog training anger or impatience will not get you and your companion where you need to go. If you find yourself getting frustrated, take a deep breath and imagine where it is the training will take you if done correctly. Then begin the exercises again. Allow your dog to be successful, and remember you may need to redefine what that is. Do not try to add things too early. The dog should fully understand the beginning of every exercise before being pushed on to the three Ds.

If corrections are used, it is now that they start being used correctly, of course.


4) Maintenance is the most forgotten step. I can say this simply by "if you don't use it you loose it". Also if you become inconsistent, then you will start loosing it. The best way to maintain is make sure you use all commands in real life situations everyday with consistency. Most of us slip at this though. Keeping up a working schedule with your dog of a few minutes going over things on a consistent basis is also helpful. Remember, it's as easy to untrain your dog as it is to train your dog:) We all vary on where we need our dogs to be, so this is largely up to what the owner wants and needs in their life.

This article has been re-edited from an older one.  

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