Using games and high value reinforcers we taught Tucker how to Come When Called. He had a ball running back and forth through the snow as we played the fun recall games like puppy ping pong and hide and seek. TIP #1: DON'T PUNISH YOUR DOG'S GROWL It's very common for dog owners to punish their dogs for growling. Unfortunately, this often suppresses the growl - eliminating his ability to warn us that he's about to snap, literally and figuratively. On other occasions, punishing a growling, uncomfortable dog can induce him to escalate into full-on aggression. So, if you're not supposed to punish your dog for growling, what are you supposed to do? The next time your dog growls at you, try this: 1.) Stop. Whatever you're doing, stop. If your dog's growl threshold is near his bite threshold - that is, if there's not much time between his growl and his bite, get safe. If his growl doesn't mean a bite is imminent, stop what you're doing but stay where you are. Wait until he relaxes, then move away, so you're rewarding the relaxed behavior rather than the growl. 2.) Analyze the situation. What elicited the growl? Were you touching or grooming him? Restraining him? Making direct eye contact? Taking something away from him? Making him do something? 3.) Figure out a different way to accomplish your goal without eliciting a growl. Lure him rather than physically pushing or pulling him. Have someone else feed him treats while you touch, groom, or restrain him. If you don't have to do whatever it was that elicited the growl, don't - until you can convince him that it's a good thing rather than a bad thing. 4.) Evaluate the stressors in your dog's world and reduce or eliminate as many of them as possible. For example, if your dog is unaccustomed to strangers, then having your sister and her husband and three kids as houseguests for the past week would undoubtedly stress your dog. Noise-phobic dogs might be under a strain if city crews have been digging up a nearby street with heavy equipment or there was a thunderstorm last night. The vacuum cleaner is a common stressor for dogs. A loud argument between you and your spouse could stress your dog as well as you, and your stress is stressful to your dog. Harsh verbal or physical punishment, an outburst of aroused barking at the mail carrier, fence fighting with another dog. The list could go on and on. 5.) Institute a behavior modification program to change his opinion about the thing that made him growl. One way to do this is to use counter-conditioning and desensitization to convince him the bad thing is a good thing. - Whole Dog Journal TIP #2: THINK TWICE BEFORE ADOPTING 2 DOGS AT THE SAME TIME Living with multiple dogs brings a whole new set of challenges. Adding a second (or third, or fourth) dog means more fun, more love, more joy and more wonderful doggy companionship. But it also means much more from you: more time, more money, more energy, and more working through problems. Adopting two dogs (or worse, two puppies) at the same time is simply asking for several years of chaos. It may be fun. It may even be worth it. But it will for sure be chaotic. The dogs will likely develop a stronger bond with each other than with you, making for a longer, more difficult road when it comes to training and socializing. You can, of course, counter that tendency by keeping the dogs separate, working with each individually, and establishing your relationship first - though this may not be a realistic option in an average home. The amount of work, energy, and effort is much more than simply having two dogs. - Whole Dog Journal Today we taught Luna how to Stay. She did okay when working for food, but when we switched the reinforcer to a ball is when she really responded well. Remember, what is reinforcing is not decided by us, but by the dog. With help from Ash we were able to work on Daisy's reactivity. She was doing fairly well at a distance but once she got to within 30 yards Daisy would start to bark and pull. We then dramatically increased the rate of reinforcement and that made all the difference in the world, enabling Daisy to walk by with a loose leash and very little, if any, barking. Both Meister and Simmy pull when they walk. So how do we teach two big, strong German Shepherds to walk nicely? With prong, choke, or shock collars? Nope. By rewarding the behaviors we like (eye contact, walking nicely, etc.) the dogs learned that being around us was a better option than being out in front. If my client can walk two dogs totaling almost 200 pounds so can you! TIP #1: DON'T DO YOUR DOG'S HOMEWORK A child might get better grades if an adult did his homework, but he or she would not learn the skills needed to function successfully in the world. This same concept is also true for your dog. If you have been doing his "homework" via constant reminding or demanding obedience, telling him, "No," all the time, and/or using leash manipulations and physical prompts to keep him in line, he will not have learned the skills needed to function calmly in life. Dogs, like children, must learn to problem-solve when life comes at them, and providing your dog a motivation to perform behaviors through rewards will help him learn those skills. In order for that to happen, however, he will need different, and well-practiced behaviors that will give him the answer to the question, "What do I do when (fill in the blank) ________?" If your dog's current answer to that question is to spiral up and become wild, out of control, inattentive, or reactive, he has very few tools from which to choose. When your dog has a limited number of tools, he will continue to use the ones that are the most readily available and familiar since those are the easiest to grab. If your dog's behavior toolbox includes impulsive or reactive behaviors and little else, he has no choice but to use the tools that have served him best in the past. For training to be effective, your dog needs to learn how to handle different situations without grabbing the old tools from his toolbox. Those old tools will always be there, but as you teach your dog that he will be rewarded for calm and relaxed behaviors, those old tools will be buried deep at the bottom of the toolbox under all the new ones, making access to them difficult and unlikely. - excerpted from Chill Out Fido! TIP #2: HOW LONG TO TRAIN? As you train with your dog, it is important that you don't overdo the amount of training. Science has shown that animals retain better when taught in short (five to fifteen minutes) spurts, rather than long, drawn out sessions. Dogs not only fill up on treats, they also get bored during long training sessions. If you over train, your dog will not be as excited about doing an exercise the next time. If you stop before he gets full or bored, leaving him wanting more, you will have a cooperative dog the next time you train him. If you find yourself overtraining because you are excited about your dog's progress, simple count out 20-50 tiny treats and stop when they are gone. That will keep you on track with limiting the amount of time you train. - excerpted from Chill Out Fido! |
AuthorJeff Dentler, CPDT-KA, IAABC-ADT, FFCP, CTDI Archives
April 2024
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