We began our day teaching Sadie how to Come When Called. Even though she is young
she has the typical, laid back temperament of a Rottweiler, so getting her excited to come running to us was difficult at first, but by the end of the session she was understanding that coming to us means good stuff happens! TIP #1: TEACH ATTENTION If we don't have our dog's attention it doesn't matter what we say or how we say it, the dog probably isn't going to listen. Teach your dog to respond to his name by pairing it with really good stuff like treats or play, and never use your dog's name in a negative way. A Look or Watch Me cue also teaches your dog to turn his focus towards you. TIP #2: MANAGE THE SITUATION Dogs do what works. If jumping up gets her the attention she seeks, she will do it again. If chewing relieves stress, anxiety, or boredom you can bet it will continue. One of the keys to changing behavior is managing the situation. If you know your dog is going to jump at strangers have her leashed so she can't, then reinforce her for having 4 feet on the floor. If she likes to chew, redirect her from that table leg and reinforce her choice to chew on dog-appropriate toys. By setting her up for success you are removing the chances of her misbehaving while increasing the opportunities to be reinforced for good behavior. Mya is a 1-year old Labrador Retriever who does typical Lab things, like jumping on
people and stealing items to get attention. In the coming weeks we will be teaching her impulse control to help her and her family deal with these common issues. Like she did at last week's session, Sadie excelled at this week's training. She learned
Wait, which was a snap for her, and Leave It. She likes to take socks and slippers, so this cue will come in very handy. We took advantage of this beautiful autumn weather to teach Tyson how to Come When
Called. We used his enthusiasm and energy to our advantage, make recall a fun game to play! Roxi gets very distracted when outside and that has negatively affected her Recall, until today, when she learned that coming to us means great, fun, and yummy things will
happen! #DogsAreAwesome Shi Shi is a big, strong Old English Bulldog so it's very important she learned how to walk
nicely on a Loose Leash. She not only did that but also learned how to properly greet other dogs that she meets. #DogsAreAwesome "I have found that when you are deeply troubled, there are things you get from the silent devoted companionship of a dog that you can get from no other source." - Doris Day Despite the distractions of being outside, Oliver did very well learning to Come When
Called today. He has also learned to Sit instead of jumping when greeting people! When we first met Cooper he acted aggressively due to his fear of strangers, and never really settled down the entire time a met with his family. Today we began a desensitization and counterconditioning procedure outdoors which really seemed to help. By the end of our session he was lying calmly next to me. Great job Cooper!
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AuthorJeff Dentler, CPDT-KA, IAABC-ADT, FFCP, CTDI Archives
April 2024
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