DogTrainster.Com

Article Source: avexco.com

Dog training does not have to be an excruciating painful task, it can actually be quite enjoyable, if it is done appropriately. It is always very important for a dog owner to understand that dog training is not going to happen overnight, it will in fact take a little bit of time, which means patience is an absolute must.

With the right amount of knowledge and a really good attitude, your dog could eventually be the best and most trained dog around in your area, which could really give you something to brag about right. Everyone that owns a dog really does want their dog to be well behaved and for their dog to listen to their commands, but nobody seems to want to put in any amount of work in order to really make this happen. It is so funny, it seems that most people just expect that their dog will just automatically listen to their commands, maybe if they scream it at them or whip their behinds.

It is so important to realize that it just does not really work this way people. In order to have a well trained dog that does listen to your commands, you will absolutely have to gather up some correct information on different dog training tips that can help you throughout this process, or else it probably will not happen for you.

Instead of looking at this as a dreaded task, look at it as an opportunity for you and your dog to become closer and while this is happening both of you will begin trusting one another much more and a special bond will begin being created as well. Dog training will be a time when you and your dog will be spending a great deal of time with one another, which is always a great thing. One reason for so many different kinds of dog behavior problems is because they are lonely, nobody to play with, not getting enough attention, which is why spending time with your dog is so very important.

Let your dog know how very proud of him you are anytime that he does something worth rewarding, even if it is just something small really. The more you praise them, the more likely they will be to continue their good behavior for you. Have fun with your pooch, try throwing a ball for him and letting him go and get it and bring it back to you. Each time that he brings it back to you and lets you have it, really brag on him. This quickly turns into a new little game for you to play with one another and is really a fun way for you and your dog to pass some time.

You could be using dog training techniques on your dog and not even realize it, that is always a great thing right. You and your dog will be much happier in the end thanks to you giving him the attention that he requires and applying dog training techniques on him every single chance that you do get with him.

Article Source: examiner.com

CHARGE THE CLICKER
The first thing you need to is charge the clicker. Charging the clicker is simply teaching your dog that the ‘click’ noise always precedes a wonderful treat. Simply take 10 treats and occasionally click the clicker and give your dog a treat. Mix it up so he does not do one behavior or just sit in front of you waiting for the next treat. If he does this, walk away from him and take a little break. When you get to the point where your dog is looking away from you and quickly turns around upon hearing the ‘click’ then you can say the clicker is “charged”.

START USING THE CLICKER
Now that your dog associates the clicker with something wonderful, you can use it as a teaching tool.  The great thing about the clicker is that it marks a behavior very clearly so a dog knows exactly what the right answer is. Here is an exercise that you can do with your dog. I want you to think of the clicker as taking a picture of a behavior that you like. This is really good with young, overexcited puppies.

As we discussed, you can use a clicker to teach a dog that his behavior dictates whether he gets rewarded. So, you can do something called shaping. Don’t ask your dog to do anything, just click and treat when you like what he is doing, and ignore when he does something inappropriate. Good examples include sitting, lying down or following you. Behaviors that you want to ignore might be jumping on you or barking. Read this post about shaping behaviors, and this post about getting rid of problem behaviors using shaping.

NAMING BEHAVIORS
Once your dog does a behavior repeatedly is a good time to name the behavior. This might happen in one session or after multiple sessions. If he sits multiple times in a row in order to get a click and a treat, you can say, “Sit” and wait a moment. There is a good chance that he will sit because that has resulted in a treat in the past. You have now taught him what that word means by rewarding the behavior.

USING THE CLICKER OR “YES”
As I mentioned, if you don’t have a clicker, you can use the word “yes” or another consistent word. I don’t think this is as effective as a clicker because the sound of the clicker carries really well, especially outside when traffic noise might drown out the word, “yes”. The clicker is also very consistent, even if multiple family members train the same dog. You can experiment with using the clicker or “yes” and see what you like better. You can also interchange the two strategies. As long as you are being a really good teacher, the clicker is just a tool to help with that goal.

USING THE CLICKER AND VERBAL PRAISE
Now I want to talk about using the clicker in conjunction with verbal praise. There are tons of trainers all over the world not using the clicker and getting great results. Why am I such a fan of the clicker? Well, it works. It makes it absolutely clear to a dog what is the right answer. But, is the person that doesn’t use the clicker and just says “good boy” wrong? I don’t think so; I just think they are limiting their ability to be crystal clear in their instruction.

Let’s take come when called as an example using just “good boy” without the clicker. A dog is 20 feet away and you are teaching him to come when called. You call him, and while he is headed towards you say, “Good boy, keep going” and give him verbal praise. Then, he gets to you and you say, “Good boy” and give him a treat.

You gave him verbal praise at various times during the behavior and then gave him a treat with another “good boy” when he successfully executed the behavior    . Which part of his behavior was the meaning of the cue, “Come”? Maybe you are thinking that it is obvious to him that come means move towards you until he is right next to you because that is when he got the treat. But, what about behaviors when he is not right next to you? What if you are teaching your dog to lie down, and you say, “Down” and then he lies down and then you walk over to give him a treat and he is standing when you get there. He already lied down which is correct, but now he is standing. Hmmm. Now what do you do? Should he lie down again? But then that is asking for two behaviors instead of one.

The clicker marks a very precise moment in time that an animal does something and makes learning really fast and efficient. With the come when called example, I recommend saying, “Come” then provide verbal encouragement until your dog is right next to you and then click and treat. You are creating another level of communication by giving encouragement which means “Keep going – you are doing great, but you aren’t done yet” and then the click and the treat occurs when he does it exactly right. For the Down example, as soon as your dog lies down, you would click and treat to communicate that putting his belly on the ground is what “Down” means.

If you don’t use the clicker, your dog might get confused.
If you don’t use a clicker, confusion might result in your dog thinking that one behavior got him a reward, when in fact, you were rewarding a different behavior. The sound the clicker makes is actually called a reward marker and marks the behavior that results in a reward.

Some quick things to keep in mind.

* There is always one click and a treat, or a “jackpot” with multiple treats for extra special behaviors.
* The clicker is not a remote control. If you ‘click’, there is a good chance that your dog will come running in anticipation of the treat, but you just marked whatever your dog was doing when he heard the click. It is not supposed to be used to initiate behavior, but instead mark behavior.
* If you feel frustrated, break down your expectations into smaller segments. If you want a down, for instance, you might click and treat when your dog just moves down just a bit. When he is doing that reliably, you would say “Good” for that and click and treat when he lies down a bit more. You are motivating him to do more of the behavior for each click and treat until he is doing the entire behavior.
* You will always give a treat after using the clicker. As your dog gains more reliability with each behavior, you should start getting more behaviors in between treats by using verbal praise before clicking and treating.

FADING OUT THE CLICKER
That leads me to my next point . .. . Fading out the clicker.
The way to fade the clicker is to use verbal praise and get more of one behavior or more individual behavior’s each time.

Your dog can learn to understand to work harder in order to get another click, because a click always means a treat. So, you can start picking and choosing fantastic responses, faster sits, longer stays, or more behaviors before clicking.

Think of your training strategy as broken down into individual 5- minute sessions. Start with a number of treats in a session, let’s say 30 tiny pea-sized treats. In the first session, you might give 30 treats in that period of time. In the next session, I want you to give less treats and use more of your verbal praise, petting or toys as rewards. You should start picking out the fantastic performances and click and treat for those, and the other behaviors you should give verbal praise. “

“That was pretty good, but if you sit three times in a row, that is a click and a treat!”

I want you to work up to the point where you are using LIFE REWARDS. I have a blog post on my site about this, but basically it is a strategy to use rewarding toys, meals and events like walks that you give your dog anyway. You should do a quick training session before you give your dog anything rewarding throughout the day. Your dog will love the mental stimulation and you will have a lot of great practice.

DO YOU HAVE TO USE THE CLICKER FOREVER?
No. You might get to the point where your dog is reliable with all behaviors and you use toys, petting, walks and other life rewards as rewards. In that case you might just use verbal praise. However, I am a firm believer in teaching dogs new things whenever possible. When you have time to teach something new, get the clicker out and teach your dog something new. When that gets reliable, switch to verbal praise.

And remember, do not click unless you are going to give a treat. If your dog is doing a behavior that is reliable, say, give verbal praise until he does something new such as a longer down stay, or 5 sits in a row instead of 3 before you click and treat.

Article Source: seattletimes.nwsource.com

By Deborah Wood

Behavior problems are the No. 1 reason animals are turned over to shelters, and the leading cause of death for dogs under 3 years of age.

The good news is that almost all these problems are preventable. Spending a little bit of time and effort today is relatively painless. And it can avert a sometimes sad, always difficult and usually expensive problem later.

Here are seven simple rules to observe if you want a dog that is a pleasure to live with:

Rule 1: Start early. Every Wednesday night, the puppies take over Dog Days Dog Training in Vancouver, Wash. There is equipment to play on, new friends to make during structured playtime, basic commands to learn and plenty of potty breaks.

“It’s important to get a puppy socialized in a safe, controlled environment,” explains Julie Wilcoxson, co-owner of Dog Days and trainer of the puppy kindergarten class. Puppies grow into calmer adult dogs if they’re exposed to noises, people of all ages and other dogs while they are still young.

In a good kindergarten class, the dogs have supervised play with other puppies that match up well for their size and temperament. They learn simple commands and learn to be still in their owners’ arms.

While socialization is important, it’s also vital to use common sense with puppies that are still getting their vaccinations. Don’t take puppies to places such as public parks where unvaccinated dogs are likely to be. Look for safe, clean environments where careful owners take their dogs.

Your veterinarian may be able to recommend a good puppy kindergarten class. Another place to look for puppy kindergarten and other dog training is the Web site of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers: www.apdt.com.

Rule 2: If you didn’t start early, train your dog now. One study showed one of the biggest differences between dogs that are given to shelters and those that aren’t was obedience classes. Dogs that know such simple skills as sit, come and walking on a leash are better companions than those that don’t. And dogs can learn at any age.

Rule 3: Exercise your dog. Barking, jumping and constantly nagging his owner to play ball are signs that a dog isn’t getting the exercise it needs. A tired dog is a good dog.

Walking your dog is a good start. Dogs bond with the people who walk them, and it’s great for both of you. For most dogs, all it takes is a pleasant daily walk to feel calm and bonded.

For other dogs, a long walk is just a warmup. Siberian huskies and border collies were bred to run hours a day. Riding your bicycle with your dog, playing fetch or taking your dog to doggie day care can all be alternatives for these high-energy dogs. Don’t let size fool you: Many little breeds, such as Jack Russell terriers and even some tiny papillons, may need more exercise than large dogs.

Exercise needs generally decline with age, but not always. Some dogs crave a high level of physical activity their whole lives.

Rule 4: Make your dog earn his dinner. Feeding your dog two meals a day — and making him work for his food when you feed him — may transform your dog. Ask him to do a simple command (such as “sit”) that he knows well before you put the bowl down. Wait patiently until he does what you ask before you feed him.

Ask your dog to do a command before giving treats, too, and even before petting him. If your dog doesn’t do what you ask, just turn away and don’t give the treat or the petting. Soon, your dog will do the simple command when you ask.

This is a gentle, calm way to show your dog that you are the kind and benevolent leader. You may be stunned at how much closer your relationship with your dog becomes just from this change.

Rule 5: Teach your dog impulse control. Lots of dogs know “sit” or “come” but become wild and crazy when something exciting happens. The star of the obedience class may jump on guests when they arrive at your door.

“A dog that has good impulse control learns that being polite is what gets him what he wants,” says Suzanne Malick, training director for Pup-A-Razzi in Beaverton, Ore.

She recommends selecting a behavior that comes naturally to the dog, such as sitting or lying down, and rewarding the behavior every time the dog does it. That behavior becomes a way for the dog to communicate back to you. When he wants something, he’ll begin to offer the default behavior — and you’ll have a dog that is calm, rather than excited, when he’s hoping for something fun.

Rule 6: Deal with little problems before they become big problems. If you have a puppy, don’t allow him to do anything now that you won’t allow when he’s full size. If you don’t want a 70-pound adult dog jumping up and licking at you, don’t let the 7-pound puppy do it.

Deal with irritating habits when they start, before they progress to dangerous behaviors over time. For most dogs, ignoring the bad behavior and rewarding the good behavior quickly shapes a happy, well-behaved dog.

Rule 7: Ask for help if you need it. Even in the best families, sometimes there are troubled kids. The same thing happens with dogs. If your dog is aggressive or has other behavior you don’t know how to deal with, ask for help now. The longer a dog practices bad behavior, the harder it is to change. Talk with your veterinarian about whether your dog might need a referral to medical intervention by a behavior specialist.