Duncan is on high alert the moment he steps outside because of all the things he finds
stimulating around his home, especially dogs and people. Today we took him to an unfamiliar and quieter place to work on his reactivity, and it helped. We will continue this tactic for the next few weeks. Little Rose likes to torment the cat and chase the kids, so today we taught her Leave It
and another great impulse control behavior, Wait. She did so well with Leave It that we were able to put it to use right away when she went after the cat, and it worked like a charm. TIP #1: KINDNESS IS POWERFUL Stop focusing on "correcting" your dog's behavior and focus instead on building a bond and teaching him what you do want from him. You'll be amazed at the results. - Victoria Stillwell TIP #2: STAY POSITIVE TO CONDITION YOUR DOG TO LOVE (INSERT SITUATION) How do you like to be treated by others when you are worried and anxious? I’ll bet you respond much better to a kind word or a gentle touch than being ordered around by cranky healthcare workers or neglected by absent-minded clerks. Keep this in mind when your dog is in an anxiety-producing situation and it will help immensely! - excerpted from The Whole Dog Journal We met with Lottie tonight. She is a 15 month old Chocolate Labrador Retriever who you
may have read about in the paper last week when she fell through the ice while chasing a duck. Lottie has typical adolescent behavior issues such as jumping and mouthing so we will be working on her impulse control in the coming weeks. Buster doesn't like being groomed, so today we worked on desensitizing and counter-conditioning him to the brush, blow drier, and bath time. He has already begun to have a positive emotional response to these things that have made him uncomfortable in the past.
Each year, the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT), the largest professional association for dog trainers in the world, proclaims January "National Train Your Dog Month". This campaign’s goal is to promote the importance of training and socialization to all dog owners. According to the ASPCA, nearly 4 million dogs are turned in to animal shelters each year, and over 1 million are euthanized. Studies by the National Council on Pet Population have found that most dogs are turned in to shelters for common behavior and training issues that could easily be solved with the assistance of a professional. In fact, research has found that training and socializing dogs when they're young can reduce or even eliminate behavior problems in the future. · Puppy classes provide the opportunity to get your new family member started off on the right paw by providing the experiences and opportunities to develop interaction skills with other puppies, with people, and in new environments. Puppy socialization has been found to be critical to the psychological health of adult dogs. · Training classes provide dog owners the skills and knowledge for dealing with common, normal dog behaviors, such as housetraining, chewing, digging, barking, and pulling on leash. · No matter what age you start training your dog, foundation training provides the basis for any activity, behavior, or job you want your dog to do. · Training provides dogs with the basic good manners we all want - from polite greeting when guests arrive, to walking nicely on the leash, to coming when called. · A trained dog is a fully participating member of the family by joining in the fun when company comes, accompanying the family to the kids’ sports games, going with you to visit friends and relatives, going for hikes, swims, and everything else a family does together! · Training enables you to choose from a broad range of activities and dog sports to participate in and enjoy with your dog such as dog agility, rally obedience, dancing with your dog, tracking, search and rescue, disc dog, skijoring, sledding, dock diving, water rescue trials, obedience, carting, reading programs, therapy work – it’s a nearly endless range of fun things to do! · Training has been shown to be the single most important thing that keeps a dog in his or her “forever” home. · Training builds your mutual bond and enriches the relationship you share with your dog. · A trained dog increases the quality of life of both you and your dog! As a certified professional dog trainer (CPDT-KA) I see too many instances of owners waiting until their dog’s bad behavior has become a habit that is hard to break before they seek help. Since January is the time for New Year’s resolutions it is the perfect time to begin teaching new, good habits! If you need the help of a professional please contact me. TIP #1: LIFE IS A REINFORCER You do have the time to train your dog. Whether you realize it or not, every minute you are with your dog you are training him, and those everyday interactions with him are the most powerful training tools you have. Remember these two concepts: 1. 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. 2. 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: DITCH THE FOOD BOWL Stop feeding your dog out of a bowl and use his natural foraging abilities to your advantage, stimulating the brain while feeding a meal. Puzzle toys and stuffed bones help burn up excess energy, which lessens boredom behaviors such as barking, digging, and chewing. As we have mentioned before, Jumper's situation is unique because he lives on a farm. The distractions are unique as well, like horses grazing in his front yard, yet despite them Jumper did well learning how to heel and walk on a loose leash.
Today we met with Scout, a 7 month old Labrador Retriever/Poodle mix. She has already
completed basic training and knows those cues pretty well. However, she has recently started to become leash reactive to strangers and other dogs. We will begin a desensitization and counterconditioning protocol next week. |
AuthorJeff Dentler, CPDT-KA, IAABC-ADT, FFCP, CTDI Archives
April 2024
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