Twosday Training Tip

TIP #1: THREE THINGS TO DO WHEN YOUR DOG GETS OVEREXCITED FOR A WALK
Does your dog get crazy excited when you pick up her leash? These 3 tips will help make the event more calm and enjoyable:

• Exercise first. Spend 15-20 minutes tossing a ball for your dog in the backyard, or providing intense mental exercise with a heavy duty shaping session. You'll take the edge off her excitement, reduce her energy level, and make leashing-up and walking more relaxed and enjoyable for both of you.
• Pick up her leash throughout the day. She gets amped up when you touch her leash because it always means the two of you are going for a walk. If you pick up her leash numerous times throughout the day, sometimes draping it over your neck and wearing it for a while, sometimes carrying it from room to room, sometimes picking it up and putting it back down, the leash will no longer be a reliable predictor of walks, and she won't have any reason to get all excited about it.
• Use negative punishment. Not a bonk on the head. It means setting up the situation so that doing the behavior you don't want causes a good thing to go away. If, when you pick up the leash, she goes bonkers (the behavior you don't want), say "Oops!" in a cheerful tone of voice (what's known as a "no reward marker," it simply tells her no reward is forthcoming), set the leash down, and walk away. When she settles down, pick the leash up again. You're teaching her that getting excited makes the opportunity for a walk go away; staying calm makes walks happen.

- The Whole Dog Journal

TIP #2: TAKE BABY STEPS
Having trouble teaching your dog a behavior? Try breaking the exercise into smaller steps. For instance, if you are teaching a puppy to sit and she keeps popping up, just mark and reinforce for putting her nose in the air. Then wait until she lowers her butt and mark and treat for that. Finally, mark and jackpot when your dog's bottom touches the ground.

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