This cute face belongs to Piper, a 6-month old American Pit Bull Terrier. We will be teaching her basic manners as well as counterconditioning her to the vacuum and other noisy things. Today we taught Liesl how to Heel, and then took her on a walk to socialize her to some things she is unsure about. We met several strangers, saw a group of children on bikes and scooters, and watched two dogs walk by in the distance - all very calmly and without any negative reaction! TIP #1: PREVENT YOUR CHILD FROM BEING BITTEN A dog can be frustrated through rough play or by teasing and a child can inadvertently inflict pain by sitting on a dog, or with the pull of a tail or a poke in the eye. Help prevent dog bites by teaching your child to enjoy time with the family pet without these types of potentially dangerous interactions. - Victoria Stillwell TIP #2: GIVE 'EM A BREAK What should you do when your dog overreacts to something? One thing is give him a break. Stress levels don’t come down instantly, in fact they can take days to return to their normal levels after an incident! Giving him at least a few days break from both positive and negative arousal/stress events is key to ensuring this does not become a frequent occurrence. - Tom Mitchell Gaia, a 3-year old American Pit Bull Terrier mix, pulls on leash and is reactive when she sees another dog, and sometimes people. We will be teaching her impulse control as well as leash manners. Today we taught Bandit, a 5-year old Chihuahua/Pomeranian mix, the Touch game, as well as how to Leave It. He did really well with leave it, and that will be important when he encounters his triggers on walks. We played recall games with Liesl to teach her how to Come When Called. She responded brilliantly to me and my ring bologna, but not nearly as well to her owner and her lesser- value reinforcer. Remember, the food, toy, or praise isn't a reinforcer if it's not increasing, or at least maintaining, the desired behavior. TIP #1: LIFE IS A REINFORCER Every minute you are with your dog you are training him. Your everyday interactions with him are the most powerful training tools you have. Your dog depends entirely on you for all of his needs. Every time your dog wants something, that something can be a reinforcer for something that you want him to do. If you are going to give your dog something he wants or needs, that is an opportunity for you to ask for something in return. If you do things for your dog without asking him to do something for you, you have trained him to not work to get what he wants. You have trained him that he is free to ignore you until you signal that you will be gratifying one of his desires. If you ask him for a behavior in exchange for doing things for him, you have trained him to work for you to get what he wants. You have trained him that he had better pay attention to you because you never know when a reinforcement opportunity might arise. - excerpted from When Pigs Fly! Training Success with Impossible Dogs TIP #2: COMFORT DURING THUNDER If you pet your dog while she quakes during a thunderstorm do you think you are rewarding the undesirable behavior? Don't worry, you aren't. What we are dealing with is an involuntary, emotional response. Your dog is learning about events and their predictive relationship with other events. Voluntary behavior (sit, down, etc.), on the other hand, is all about rewards and punishment. |
AuthorJeff Dentler, CPDT-KA, IAABC-ADT, FFCP, CTDI Archives
April 2024
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