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Canine

Advice Column Dog Training

Ask Ms. Deborah – How to stop dogs from jumping?

May 3, 2017

Dear Ms. Deborah,

I saw that you offer dog training advice so I am wondering if you can help me with my dog jumping on everyone. How do I get this big lug to stop jumping on me or my family? When anyone comes in the door or visits, my husband thinks it is funny and encourages it when he comes home.

 Sincerely, Frustrated Wife

Dear Frustrated Wife,

I am so sorry that you are experiencing this exuberant greeting from your dog, but it is not uncommon. Dogs jump up for many reasons. One, it is a form of greeting and if rewarded, it will continue. Two, if the dog adds in licking of the face, it is offering a peacemaking behavior and hoping someone will regurgitated their food. As gross as this sounds, it’s a win for him.

Before I begin on the steps of how to train your dog to stop jumping, you will need to express the importance to all of your family of why it shouldn’t take place. If anything was to happen to a small child or to grandma, all of you would be heart broken. You can explain to your husband that your buddy can continue to jump up but only when given permission to do so.

How to train your dog to stop jumping?

  1. Don’t make a big deal coming or going from your home. Raise your hand, come on! I know that all of you have come in the front or back door all excited, talking in that high pitched baby voice getting your buddy all worked up and BAM, the jump. For me, it is best to come in the home quietly and calmly. This type of entry reduces the excitement at the door.
  1. Ignoring the behavior you don’t want and redirecting to a behavior you do want. I highly encourage you to watch your dog closely. He will give you a cue of when he is going to jump. If he does jump up, turn your back and don’t encourage it. When he offers four paws on the floor, reward with either a small treat or your attention, calmly. Also, if you have small children coming home from school, please help them get in the door and assist them in training the correct behavior.
  1. Manage the dog and his environment. As you and your immediate family practice the new ground rules and begin to teach Fido what is expected now, it is important that friends and extended family understand the importance too. Don’t allow your dog to practice the behavior ever. Because the more he practices it, the better he will get at it. You will have people constantly trying to booger up your training by saying that they don’t mind the dog jumping up, but stay the course.
  1. Tips and Tricks. You can ask friends and family to call or text before coming over so you can manage your dog’s success. It is important to have control of your dog at all times. A leash is a great way to have that control. If you feel that your dog will be unsuccessful greeting people at the door at this stage of his training, you can place him into a secure area until all of the excitement at the door has calmed down.  At that time, you can leash and calmly walk him over to greet all of those wonderful people.
  1. What not to do! This is the part that I beg that you don’t get frustrated. Adding excitement to the situation will only make it worse. Please don’t knee him to the chest, yell, punch, push or cause any other pain to your dog. I have seen many people use alternative methods and it will make your dog become terrified of you and never really learn the behavior that you are asking for in the first place.

If you dog has any other behaviors such as growling or biting with the jumping, I highly recommend you working with a dog trainer that specializes in behavior modification.

 

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Dog Training

Digging 101

April 27, 2017

Spring has arrived! It’s time to be outside and do some of that yard work. Your dog has offered up his/her services and has provided the ultimate assistance, digging holes. Digging those large, deep holes is not what any homeowner wants but it is a must do for your dog.

Why does your pooch dig holes?

  1. It’s fun! It’s a way to let out all of that cooped up energy. Also, many breeds have those characteristics and are more likely to dig.
  2. They are hiding something! Dogs love hiding their treasures. Those treasures might be your phone, chew toy, food or for some, stolen socks and underwear.
  3. It’s hot outside. Dogs will dig holes under bushes or outdoor furniture to cool down.
  4. They are hunting something! Critters hide in holes. Trust me, if your dog sees a hole, their prey drive will kick in and the hunt is on.
  5. They have scheduled a road trip without you. Escaping from under a fence can happen a time or two. It is important to find out what type of behavior is happening at that time, such as escaping from being in a fenced or confined area or a combination of that and separation anxiety. If you have some concern with regards to this behavior or separation anxiety, please consult a professional dog trainer that specializes in behavior modification.

What can you do to stop digging?

It is important to supervise your dog at all times. With all the pets being stolen right out of their yards nowadays, it is important to keep an eye on them.

With holes that your dog has already dug, you can put chicken wire down on top of the hole and cover the hole with dirt, bark mulch or gravel. Another alternative is placing their poop in the same hole that they continue to dig and cover with dirt. Dogs don’t like playing with their own poop.

Lastly, you can compromise by creating a specific area for your dog to dig. You can fence off a suitable area and replace the topsoil with a heavy sand to make digging easier. You can teach your dog that this is his/her play area and place this behavior on a cue.

Want to make it fun? Each week, you can hide a variety of treats and toys. For example, while your dog is in the house, you can place some toys or treats under the sand in a variety of places. Let your dog out, lead him to his area and say, “Dig”.

For some really cool ideas on how to create a dog-friendly landscape with a little pop of fun, log onto Pinterest. They have really creative ways to make your backyard fun and safe for your dog.

Do you have a designated area for your dog to dig? Please share your photos and ideas. I would love to hear from ya.

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Rescue Spotlight

Goose

April 21, 2017

Photo Credit: Found My Animal.com

I am so excited to share this rescue spotlight. Lisa Letson of True and Faithful Pet Rescue Mission works around the clock for her rescues. She uses her grace and charm to network with many other organizations to find these dogs forever homes.

This weekend, 4/22 – 4/23, True and Faithful Pet Rescue Mission is working with a wonderful company, Found My Animal, a pet accessory store, located in Brooklyn, NY. Found My Animal gives back to their community by encouraging and promoting pet adoption. For more information on this adoption event hosted by Found My Animal, please go to their Facebook page for their locations and times.

Now, Goose is a rock star. He was found as a stray in Miami and is looking for that special someone to love.

  • 10 years of age.
  • Good with other dogs.
  • Well mannered.
  • Fully vetted, heartworm negative and has zero teeth.
  • Loves baths, dressing up and car rides.
If you’re interested in adopting or meeting Goose, please email Found My Animal at found@foundmyanimal.com.
  

  Found My Animal

Pet Accessory Store

Great Collar, Leashes, Harnesses & More

  http://www.foundmyanimal.com/about.html

  True and Faithful Pet Rescue Mission

3063 Kennedy Drive

Venice, Florida 34285

941-234-6531

   https://www.trueandfaithfulpetrescuemission.org/about-us

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Dog Training

Capturing a Behavior

April 14, 2017

When I was training my big boy, Bear, I learned a little trick from my mentors in dog training. Anytime I saw something that Bear did that I liked and wanted to keep in his repertoire, I was told immediately to click and treat for it.  See, training is happening every second of the day, so why not “capture” that desired behavior.

The concept is based on operant conditioning. It’s an association between a dog’s behavior and a consequence. Of course, the consequence is the reward. My reward is based on what drives my dog. At that time, Bear was very food motivated. I used small, high value, smelly and delicious treats.

For example, I had a hard time teaching Bear the down cue. Well, eventually he would lay down on his own because he was tired. I had my clicker ready to go at a moment’s notice to click and toss that treat right between his legs in the down position.

Finally, he did lay down and boom, click and treat. His expression of “what the heck just happen” lit up the whole room. From there, I built my training sessions around that moment.

How can you capture a behavior?

  1. Treats. Have small delicious treats on you and ready to go. Another trick that I learned was to have small Tupperware containers with Zukes training treats all around the house just in case Bear presented something else that I absolutely loved.
  2. Watch. This is time to be quietly watching your baby for that behavior that you have been looking so desperately for.
  3. Click and Reward. Woohoo, it happened. The behavior has presented itself and now you must click and treat. If you don’t have a clicker, a verbal marker of yes will do. Also, you must be careful of what you mark. Timing is everything. If you clicked or verbal marked at the wrong time, you still must treat. You can fix your mistake the next time.

What are some behaviors that you might want to capture?

  • Sit
  • Down
  • Look at me or checking in
  • Bow
  • Come
  • Heel
  • Going to the bathroom
  • Any natural behaviors that you can turn into tricks!

When do you add the cue or command word to the capture behavior?

Once you have captured the desired behavior and your baby is consistently performing it clean and with no other behaviors attached, that is when you add the cue.  Remember, you only reward for what you want and ignore what you don’t want. Your training sessions should be no longer than 5 to 10 minutes and always end on a good note.

How are your training sessions going?  I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to comment below or message me privately.

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Rescue Spotlight

Mimi & Cherie

March 21, 2017

These precious senior girls are looking for their new forever home. Their elderly mother went into a nursing home and was unable to continue caring for them.

  • Both girls are 12 years old.
  • Fully vetted, spayed and ready to go!
  • House trained.
  • Prefers a home without small children.
  • Mimi is a little shy at first but warms up quickly.
  • Cherie is all about her.
  • They are a bonded pair and must go together.
If you’re interested in adopting Cherie and Mimi, please submit an application to Poodle Rescue of New England at www.poodlerescuenewengland.org.

Poodle Rescue of New England

P.O. Box 441447
Somerville, MA, 02144-0012

(617) 628-1425

Email: poodlerescue@poodlerescuene.org

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Dog Training

Introduction to Clicker Training

March 8, 2017

Clicker training is a fun and effective way to teach obedience exercises, solve behavior problems and even teach tricks!

 Clicker training has been used with marine mammals for years and is a clear, effective way to communicate with your dog.  A clicker is a small plastic box with a metal tab that makes a clicking sound when pressed.  That click is a clear, consistent marker to let your dog know the moment he is doing exactly what you want.

Why would a dog care that you CLICK?

Each click is followed by a treat!  When a dog learns that a click equals treats, they will try to recreate what they just did to make you (the human) “click”.  See, the click is the “aha! moment”. Since the click is faster and consistent than the human word, the dog will learn the behavior that you are trying to teach much more quickly.

Things to remember when using this clicker:

– The clicker is not a remote control. Please do not point the clicker at your dog! It doesn’t work that way.

– Timing is so important. If you clicked wrong, you still have to treat. You can fix that oops moment on the next click.

– Keep your training sessions very short, like 5 minutes.

– Teach only one behavior at a time.

– If you are trying to teach two or more dogs, teach each dog individually first. Once each dog has mastered the behavior, then up the level of distraction to a group session.

For more information on clicker training, you can hit the web, go to your local library or search for a dog trainer that focuses on positive reinforcement and clicker training.

Here are some other links and books for your reference below:

Clicker Basics for Dogs and Puppies by Carolyn Barney, KPA-CTP, CNWI

http://carolynbarney.com/index.php?id=50

Getting Started, Clicker Training for Dogs by Karen Pryor

http://www.clickertraining.com/whatis

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