We have not met with Romeo for over 2 months, and in that time his family has taught Romeo, who is deaf, Sit and Down. What a wonderful job they have done so far. Tonight we continued his training by teaching him Wait, Stay, and Leave It. As his name might suggest, Jumper is a very active 6-month old Labrador Retriever mix.
Over the next few weeks we will be teaching him not only the basics, but also how to live nicely with the horses, cats, and other animals on his family's farm. Tonight Emmett learned how to sit from both a verbal cue and a hand signal, and while we
didn't get to teach him Down, we were very pleased at how he interacted with me, considering his fear of men. TIP #1: DON'T CHEW ON THAT On occasion, an adult dog who has been trustworthy with his chewing habits may suddenly surprise you with an oral foray into the forbidden. This may be a stress response to something environmental happening in your absence, such as a burglar trying to break into your home, loud equipment working in the street in front of your house, or stray dogs romping through your yard. Or, a return to inappropriate chewing may be a result of inactivity and pent-up energy. Perhaps the weather's been bad or your workload extra heavy, curtailing your normal exercise sessions with your canine companion. That energy has to go somewhere - and for some dogs, it goes right to their jaws. If you can determine the nature of the stressor and control or remove the cause, your dog should quickly revert to his prior good chewing behavior. He might also need a refresher course in the crate, after a veterinary exam to rule out possible medical causes. (Anytime there's a significant behavior change in an adult dog it's important to rule out - or treat - any possible medical contributors to the undesirable behavior.) - excerpted from The Whole Dog Journal TIP #2: USE TRAINING TREATS STRATEGICALLY For behavior that your dog already knows (e.g., sit), use lower-value treats, like pieces of his kibble. When you want to encourage him to learn a new behavior, use higher-value treats. The reward should be commensurate with the difficulty of the task. - Patricia Bentz We began Mya's training by working on her greetings, reinforcing calm, quiet behavior.
We also taught her to lie down without using a food lure. One of Birdie's biggest issues is her over-excitement when she meets her favorite
neighbors, so today we taught her how to properly greet someone. We also worked on Come When Called. Roxi completed her basic manners training by learning Heel and Loose Leash Walking. She does really well in lower distraction environments, but is easily distracted walking on the sidewalk. She will get there with time and practice.
"A man may smile and bid you hail Yet wish you to the devil; But when a good dog wags his tail, You know he's on the level." - Author Unknown I had the pleasure of meeting Rose and her family today. Rose is a sweet, 11-week old
black Labrador Retriever. We will be teaching Rose how to potty and play nicely with her human siblings, as well as the basic cues that all dogs should know. This will be fun! Oliver finished his basic manners program by learning how to walk nicely on a leash. As
he had done the previous 3 weeks, Oliver did great. He and his family will enjoy a nice life together. |
AuthorJeff Dentler, CPDT-KA, IAABC-ADT, FFCP, CTDI Archives
April 2024
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