 We did more long line work with Murphy in the pen with the goats and chickens. Because of the recent snow it was the first time in a while that Murphy has been in the pen, so at first he was really excited, but he was soon ignoring them and responding very well to all his cues.
 Today we taught Charlotte how to Down on cue. She learned it super-quick but she'll need to practice on other surfaces. We also taught her Wait, which she did well with her food, but she needs more work at the door. She's a smart puppy who loves to play!
 Charlie already knows how to Sit, so today we taught him how to do it from a hand signal. From this point we will ask him to sit for every thing he wants, which will help put an end to his jumping. We taught him how to Down on cue, too.
 Both Bella and Skye did a fantastic job learning how to Stay. We were able to walk out of the room, and out of sight, for extended periods of time without either one moving out of place. We are making great progress.
 TIP #1: AIN'T MISBEHAVIN'!
The most common cause for nuisance behaviors in dogs is boredom. Dogs are social creatures and crave attention and affirmation. Ignoring a dog for long stretches at a time and then reprimanding him for seeking attention is counterproductive. Reprimands are a form of attention. Behaviors that earn the dog attention will increase in frequency. Reprimands only confuse the dog. 1. Keep your dog busy: give him something to do. 2. When you take breaks, (please) don't forget to pay attention to your dog. 3. Teach/reward your dog to relax on his bed. 4. Give your dog exercise, play, and mental stimulation every day. - Elisabeth Weiss TIP #2: SEPARATION ANXIETY OR BOREDOM? Have you ever had the misfortune of walking into your house to find overturned furniture, inches-deep claw gouges on door frames, blood-stained tooth marks on window sills, and countless messages on your answering machine from neighbors complaining about your dog barking and howling for hours on end in your absence? If so, you're probably familiar with the term "separation anxiety" - a mild label for a devastating and destructive behavior. Most separation anxiety behavior happens within 30 minutes of the owner's departure and within a similar period before the owner's anticipated return. This is one of the keys to determining whether your dog's behavior is truly an anxiety reaction or simply a bout of puppy hijinks. If you can leave and come back in an hour to an unscathed home but four hours puts him over the top, chances are you're dealing with boredom, excessive energy, or a housetraining issue rather than true separation anxiety. (Some dogs will become destructive in their efforts to go outside to relieve themselves if they are very committed to not soiling the house.) - Whole Dog Journal  Hi, I'm Charlie! I'm a 4-month old Golden Retriever and I like to jump on people, and chew things, and bite things, and act like a nut! Dentler's Dog Training is going to teach me my manners, which my mom and dad will appreciate!
 Say hi to Charlotte, a 4-month Bluetick Coonhound/Rottweiler mix. For first-time dog owners her family has done a great job with her so far, but they need some help teaching Charlotte her basic manners, and we are here to help!
 TIP #1: REINFORCEMENT PAY SCALE
The amount and quality of the reward have direct effects on behavior. Animals work harder for larger or more tasty rewards. Also, if given a choice, animals prefer several small bits of food to one big bit of food, even if they both add up to the same amount. This is because the act of engaging in eating is itself very rewarding. Don't forget alternative forms of “pay”, like: - Play - Life rewards (going outside, meals, walk/run, critter chasing) Depending on the individual dog these may rank low, high, or somewhere in between on the pay scale. TIP #2: CHOOSE YOUR DOG'S FOOD ON FACT, NOT EMOTION Dog food marketing campaigns that are based upon emotions are not inherently misleading or false. However, when an advertising campaign relies only on the emotions that it elicits to convince us that the product is healthful for our dogs (and superior to its competitor), they neglect to provide the actual evidence for why we should believe this to be true. And, of course, your emotional reaction to the advertisement does not necessarily have any bearing on the truth or falsity of the nutritional claims that are being made for that food. Marketing strategies that rely principally upon evoking the "Awww" response are hoping that consumers are so overcome with soppiness that we neglect to examine the actual merits of the food. The bottom line is that almost all effective advertisements appeal to our emotions in some fashion or another. Just be aware that this is occurring, that it is intentional and designed to sell food to you, and often has no bearing whatsoever upon the quality of the dog food that is being promoted. - excerpted from Dog Food Logic |
AuthorJeff Dentler, CPDT-KA, IAABC-ADT, FFCP, CTDI Archives
June 2023
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