Basic’s of Dog Training: Equipment- Day 4

Finally, Day 4 finishes out my Basic’s of Dog Training series by discussing what equipment is necessary for training and what should not be used. Anyone who has been in a pet store or down a pet aisle at Wal-Mart knows that there is an overwhelming amount of equipment to choose from. What do you really need?

What equipment should I start out with?

• Use a 4 or 6 foot leash- These leashes are the most versatile. They are also the most affordable. When you are working with a young puppy, expect things to get eaten. Save the expensive things for later when the dog is more reliable and out of the teething stage.
• Do not use a retractable leash- Retractable leashes train your dog to pull. Thats because the more he pulls, the farther he gets to go. There is always resistance. If you want your dog to walk nicely at your side, training them, even inadvertently to pull is bad.
• Use a collar- Collars go off and on easily. This is good for dogs that just cannot stand still. They are affordable and easy to replace as your puppy outgrows them. I recommend adjustable collars.
• Do not use a harness- Harnesses also allow your dog to pull. They give the entire upper body (head, legs and shoulders) to pull with. Since a collar goes around the neck, the legs and shoulders don’t help the dog to pull and the sensitivity of the neck provides a slight deterrent to pulling.
• Clicker training?- Clickers, for those who haven’t heard of them, can be used in several different ways in dog training. Some trainers use them as the actual command (ie. One click means sit, two means down etc). Others use the clicker as a reward (ie. Click is praise, “good dog”). When I use a clicker, I use it as a reward. Studies have shown that clickers are faster and more consistent. They may help your dog to learn quicker. However, some students find them clunky and inconvenient to use.

So, thats it. I know there is so much more out there to consider, but to me, these are the basics. We can go into more detail later, in specialized posts! Feel free to leave comments or ask questions.

Basic’s of Dog Training: Teaching- Day 3

Day 3 covers a bit of a broad range.

How do I begin to teach?

• Do not introduce the verbal command right away- Adding the word will not help until the dog understands the action. If you say “sit” and your dog doesn’t know it, the word will become meaningless to the dog. It’s better to wait until you can associate an action with that word before you add it. See “lure” in the next point for how to do that.
• Lure- To “lure” is to show a dog how to do what you want them to. For example, in “sit”, you would start with your hand in front of the dogs nose and slowly raise it up and over the dogs head. As the dogs head follows the treat, the bottom will go down and he will sit (its more comfortable to be sitting when you are looking up). That is luring. Praising the dog as soon as his bottom touches the ground lets him know he did it right. Then, when he will follow the lure easily, the verbal command can be added.
• Release your dog (with a release word) before you reward- For example, say “You’re free, Good boy” instead of “Good boy”. There will be times, when the dog is doing longer duration commands, where you will want to praise your dog but not release him or end the command (stay is the easiest example of this). Its better to distinguish the difference early and incorporate a release word like “free” or “okay”.
• Be very consistent- Do everything the same way, every time. You will confuse your dog if you do different things and expect the same result. For example, if you say “down” and expect the dog to lay down, you should always say “down” and not “lay”. Also, when working on “heel” or leash walking, make the dog heel every time, not just when you feel like it. The dog will not understand that he can pull sometimes, but not others.
• Be patient- Your dog will be disobedient, he will be hard of hearing at times. If you get frustrated easily, you may even have to take a break and come back to training later when you’ve calmed down. Frustrated moods will only further stress your dog and slow down training. Be patient and understand that training takes time.
• Do not give up- Never let your dog win. If you have to, force him physically to do what you ask. Note, this may not always work for every dog. But, in most cases, if your dog “wins”, he will continue to disobey because he knows that he can get away with it.

What else would you add to my list? Leave comments!

Basic’s of Dog Training: Rewards- Day 2

Day 2 of my Basic’s of Dog Training series is very important. Dog’s need

motivation as they learn and rewards provide it! Without motivation, why

would a dog do what you want?

How and what should I reward?

• Rewards can be many things- Rewards are not just food. Sure, some dogs will do anything for a food reward. Others prefer to work for a toy or for attention. Plan to reward your dog three ways at first: with a treat, verbally, and with attention. All three are very important, as we phase out food rewards the others will hold more primary roles. Do not neglect the verbal or physical praise.
• Rewards should be small- The dog does not need a large piece of treat every time he does well. Actually, a very small piece, just a taste is better. If you give your dog a large reward, he will get full and stop working. He will also get fat. Use a reward that is proportional to the size of the dog. A good rule of thumb is to base the size of the reward on the size of the teeth, it should be about the size of the base of the canine.
• Rewards should be no more than 10% of your dogs diet- As you work, remember not to give your dog too much. Use food rewards only when training and only when the dog does what you ask. I actually like to use dog food when I teach sometimes (especially with dogs that are not picky). Then, I can just subtract the amount that I used as a treat from feeding time later. Plus, I know the dog food is healthy.
• Rewards must be something your dog wants- This seems obvious. If your dog does not want the treat you are trying to give him, its not a reward. Try something else (another type of treat or a toy). A reward must be positive, the dog must be willing to work for it.
• Use “life rewards”- “Life rewards” are positive things that occur everyday in the life of a dog. Examples are: placing down the food bowl, throwing a ball, getting a belly rub and going for a walk. It only takes a moment to ask your dog to “sit” before you put the bowl down, then, the food is the reward for good behavior.
• Do not reward your dog for effort- reward only when the dog listens and does what you command. Many students say “well he tried” and reward, but that does not teach your dog good behavior. He needs to learn that he gets a treat for the right thing, and doesn’t get anything for disobedience.

So, consider what motivates your dog, what can you use for a reward? Leave other ideas in comments!

Basic’s of Dog Training: Work- Day 1

Welcome to Day 1o of my Basic’s of Dog training series. Today we will be

talking about work. Work is very important because without work, your dog

will not learn. Here are some tips to consider during training time!

How and where do I work?

• Work in short sessions- Dogs get bored and burnt out just like people do. Working in short sessions keeps training fresh and exciting, which is more conducive to learning. 30 minutes in a session max, less with younger dogs. I usually recommend that new students train between commercial breaks in T.V. shows. Then, you get several commands in at a time with a nice break in between to relax.
• Work several times a day- Once a day isn’t enough. Three times a day or thereabouts is best. Using “life rewards” (see below) helps out a lot with this because anything can be involved in the training process. I want the dog to understand that the training is relevant in every part of life, not just when he has his leash on or when he is at training class.
• Work in different places- This is related to how we want the dog to understand that training is relevant in every part of life. If you only work with your dog at training class, he will not associate what he has learned there anywhere else. For example, your dog may sit immediately when you ask him in class, but if you ask him at home, he will look at you with a blank expression. Dogs must be taught in multiple places in order to associate that a word = an action, instead of a place + a word = an action. Work in your house, outside, at pet friendly stores and at the dog park. Work alone and with a group. As your dog progresses, you can also work with other dogs or added distractions.
• Start simple- Moving too fast, too soon will only confuse your dog. When working with a new command, start really simple. You may think that after he has done something twice, he’s got it. He doesn’t. Give him a couple of days to let it really sink in. Then, you can move on to the next step. Keep the time between rewards short. Reward every time. You can phase back the rewards, and add more time between the rewards, later when the dog has gotten down the basics.
• Practice- Nothing gets done without some time and effort. How quickly your dog learns is directly related to how often you work with them. If you do not practice, your dog will not learn.

The rest of this series will be coming up over the next three days. Stay tuned! I’ve got lots of great tips planned for you. Leave feedback via comments and I will be happy to answer questions.

How to- Basic’s on Dog Training Series- This is the series introduction post, for more information or to read the next posts, follow the links from this page.

How To- basics on dog training

Before I introduce too many commands, I want to discuss a few important training basics. See, you can’t just go out there and start talking to your dog. He doesn’t speak english, yet. That is the goal. That is what we are striving for.

I know my dog learned english much faster than I expected, when I was studying a foreign language it took me YEARS!

There is a lot of material to cover when discussing these basics, so, I’m going to make this into a four day series. I will be covering:

• Day 1- How and where do I work?
• Day 2- How and what should I reward?
• Day 3- How do I begin to teach?
• Day 4- What equipment should I start out with?

Through this series, I hope that you will pick up tips that will help you better teach your dog. Some things on the list will seem obvious to you, but others might be new.

So, check out the series, leave some feedback. What would you add to my suggestions? What was the most invaluable tip you received when you were training your dog?

Appalled by Michael Vick

I was absolutely appalled to open my reader and see this quote from Michael Vick:

“I don’t know what their problem is, because that story pumps me up every time,” Vick said during a postgame press conference. “It’s a classic underdog story: On one side of the dogfighting pit you had Maniac, who was a beast, and on my end you had Zebro, who was pretty good, but not great. Yet we had trained him hard. We strengthened his hind legs by forcing him to constantly jump at a teasing stick; we emotionally tortured him so that he would attack everything in sight; and from the time he was a little puppy, we toughened him up by beating him with a metal baton.”

(for the full post, see Pet Connection).

He is proud of what he did to that puppy. Oh my goodness, how horrible to be so proud of cruelty to a living, breathing creature.  Note that he himself uses the words “torture”, “forced”, and “beating” in reference to the things that he did to the dog.

There is no defense for Michael Vick.

I can see, however, how his perception of his actions could relate to his football career. Vick is forced to strengthen himself up with exercises and training that he might not want to do. His emotions are played upon by coaches in pep talks and through yelling. His body is toughened by drills and running.

None of that is any excuse.

Here’s the difference. Vick, you CHOSE that life. Your dog did not. VICK, you ENJOY your job, or if you don’t, you could stop. Your dog did not and could not. Vick, you are CRUEL.

If my dog meets you on the street, I hope she bites you. Then, perhaps you would know what it feels like.

Debate- Male or female dogs

For some, gender is a major factor in the process of selecting a new dog (or any pet). Differences in gender are not always distinct, but they are certainly there. Gender differences might be heightened or lessened depending on the breed type.

Males (generally)-

• Have more obvious male parts
• May mark territory both inside and out
• May pee several times before they are empty
• Can be territorial (aggressive)
• Hump other animals, people and inanimate objects
• Are larger

Females (generally)-

• Have discreet female parts
• Usually pee once to empty
• Are smaller

My bias is a bit obvious based on my lists. What would you add? Leave comments and I will update the list.

So, what do you prefer. Male or female?

For me, its got to be female! I’ll admit it. When I was younger, we had both male and female dogs. My parents had a hard time explaining the boy parts to my two sisters and me (“Mommy, what’s that red thing?”). Besides that, the marking and humping are two of my biggest pet peeves. Female dogs will mark and hump on occasion, but only some females and not very often. I’ve met some very sweet males, I’ve also met a lot of brutes. Females have me sold.

Blogs.com- Top 10 Dog Blogs

Every good writer needs to be aware of what else is out there on her topic. So, where better to look than a top 10 list? I went to blogs.com and found this list. Click the link for the full post. I am mentioning only the blogs that I found most interesting. I will be subscribing to all of these blogs today. I’ve also included my first impressions of each site.

Dog Bliss- This site seems to focus on new trends and reviews. She has a nice three column layout and has just re-launched the site. It is named after her nine year old dog Bliss.

Dog Blog- The first article I saw on this site was how to bring an outdoor dog inside. Personally, I thought she had great advice. It seemed exactly right.

Dog Cars- Its a weird name, but I enjoyed the site. It has multiple authors so there is a different perspective depending on the post. It keeps things interesting. The site has long posts.

Dogster’s Dog Blog- This blog had short, humorous posts. They have contests and pictures. Readers are allowed to submit ideas for a talk bubble via comments. I enjoyed the humor in this blog. However, i cannot subscribe via my reader, so I might not visit as often.

I’ve read several entries from every blog on the list. Honestly, I’m not too impressed with some of them. How did blogs primarily selling products make the list? Also, several of the blogs are written from the dogs perspective and use words like “pawty”, “pawsome”, “HM (human mom)” and “paws”. I felt like I was reading something that was written by a 5 year old. I think writing from the dogs perspective could be interesting when done only with certain posts, like the occasional day story of the dog. But not all the time! Not in a product review for a leash! This is a personal opinion. I bet there are many people out there who like that style.

Take a look at the list and see for yourself! What do you think?

How to teach the “Eh” or “Wrong” command

As I implied in my previous post,  “Chasing a wiper… er, mop”, a wrong command can be very beneficial for a dog. In that previous case, it can even save a dog from drinking mop water filled with bleach and floor cleaner. Nasty stuff for a dog to get into. There are many other great reasons for a wrong command.

So, what is a wrong command? This may be obvious to some, but a wrong command tells a dog when he is doing something that he is not supposed to be doing. The beauty of it is that it is so versatile. It can be used when he is doing ANYTHING wrong; jumping up, chewing on the rug, peeing in the house or drinking mop water. Many commands can only be used in certain instances, so you don’t confuse the dog. This one can be used anytime.

What word is best for the command? I use “eh eh”. Others use words such as “wrong” or “no”, “bad” or “stop”. I recommend against the latter words listed because they are heard commonly around the house. I don’t want the dog to feel like they have made a mistake when really I was just telling my boyfriend “No, I’m not hungry right now”. Use something unique.

Command non-verbals: Use a strong and authoritative tone of voice. This is not the time for your happy and excited voice, now, you have to be the boss. Stand up straight and tall, don’t hunch your shoulders. Look directly at the dog.

DO NOT: Say the dog’s name in the command. The dog should not associate his name with anything negative, if he does, he will not respond to his name as well.

Step 1: Catch the dog doing something wrong. Yes, you actually have to get him in the act. It doesn’t count to reprimand him after the fact, he will NOT understand if you do.

Step 2: Choose your method of physical punishment. I usually grab the scruff of their neck. It isn’t painful, it is similar to what a mother would do if her puppies misbehaved.  You can also clap and startle the dog, tap the dog on the nose..etc. Harsher methods of physical punishment are not recommended.

Step 3: As the dog is doing the wrong thing, simultaneously say your wrong command (“eh eh”) and perform your physical punishment.

It doesn’t take long for a dog to understand what the command means!

Alternatively, you may redirect the dog to a proper activity. For example, if the dog is jumping, give the “sit” command. Then, you can reward your dog for sitting when asked and skip the punishment phase entirely. This type of redirection is great, but not applicable in all situations, especially the more dangerous ones like drinking bleach-filled mop water.

Chasing a wiper… er, mop

Today at the daycare I only had a few dogs. Slow days are nice because I am able to do my chores. It takes a long time to keep a place like that clean! I’m sure you can imagine.

Dogs are messy.

So today, I was mopping and I had a young 9 week old Great Dane pup. I don’t know if he had ever seen a mop before.

He attempted to drink out of the bucket, bad idea little pup. There are unhealthy things in there.

Then, he followed me around biting on the mop. As I pushed it across the floor, he would chase it and get run over.

Can’t have that, I thought, so I taught him the meaning of the sound “eh eh”. Every good trainer has a wrong command. Some people use the word “no”, but I prefer to use a sound because it is less common and less likely to be heard by the dog when the dog is doing nothing wrong. (For example, your husband/wife asks you if you were hungry and you respond no). Dogs respond very well to sounds and I have great success with this particular command. So, the next time he bit the mop, I grabbed the scruff of his neck and said “eh eh”. That was it. He was done. What a good little pup.

Needless to say. An interesting day at the daycare today.

Coming up… more on the “eh eh” command….

Stay tuned!