DogTrainster.Com

Article Source: progressivepuppy.com

For centuries, humans have imagined they are the only animals with morals.  But humans are not alone in the moral arena… Animal behaviorist Marc Bekoff says there’s a long list of observable emotional and ethical behavior of dogs:

• Most dogs have a sense of fair play. They dislike cheaters. They experience joy in play. They delight in friends. The big guys handicap themselves in games with little guys.

• Dogs get jealous when a rival gets more or better treats or treatment. They are resentful, unnerved or saddened by unfair behavior. They are made anxious by suspense. They get afraid.

• They are embarrassed when they mess up or do something clumsy - and they feel remorse or regret when they do something wrong. They seek justice. They remember the bad things done to them but sometimes choose to forgive.

• Dogs have affection and compassion for their animal and human friends and family. They defend loved ones. They grieve their losses. They have hope.

Article Source: Azstarnet.com
By Jennifer Sterba

Local dog-training experts say that when a pet fails to learn a command or behavior, it’s often because the owner failed to communicate or train his or her dog. In other words, the fault lies with the owner, not the dog.

Thom McKinney, owner of Dog Day Adventures, started his business two years ago after learning everything he could about dog training and behavior.

“Some sources will tell you that some breeds are more malleable, trainable or designed to please the trainer more,” he said. “There is some merit to that. However, lots of people nowadays have mixed breeds.”

But any dog has the desire to please, and tapping into that desire is the key to motivating your dog to learn.
So we asked our experts to tell us, how can you tell if your dog — er, owner — is trainable?

Is your dog focused on you?

Steve Dell, owner of a Bark Busters franchise in Tucson, said that on an initial visit, he’ll put the dog in a sitting position and watch the dog’s eyes. If the dog is looking at the owner, he’s paying attention. If he’s looking all around, at the child down the street, he’s not focussed.

“If the dog is not focused, then we’re going to work on a variety of things to get the dog paying attention to the owner.”

Who’s the boss?

“All dogs are trainable,” Dell said. “They all want to follow a good, strong leader.” Dell said he interviews the owner on the dog’s living arrangements.

Where does the dog sleep? Does the owner put his food down and then pick it up later, or is the dog allowed to graze all day? How does the dog behave in the car?

“These things go a long way in helping me help the owner assume leader-of-the-pack status.”

Do you speak his language?

One of the biggest stumbling blocks in dog training occurs when the owner says, “No!”

The dog doesn’t understand the difference between “know” and “no” for starters, Dell said. So right off the bat, the owner is possibly confusing the dog.

Second, Dell teaches owners to read their dog’s body language and communication style.

The obvious growl translates to, “Hey, you’re out of line,” Dell said.

How quickly does your dog follow commands?

“It can be a verbal command, but oftentimes when I meet a new dog, I can just point to their rear area or on the ground and they often will sit,” McKinney said.

That’s why making eye contact with your dog is so important, he said.

Most dog trainers recommend interchanging verbal and nonverbal commands, even changing to just facial expressions, he said.

Does your dog know how to please you?

“If you’re only punishing your dog when they do something bad, they don’t know what to do to please you,” said Christopher Beeson, co-owner of Dawg House, a dog day care at 750 N. Stone Ave.

Beeson said it’s important that positive reinforcement and repetition go hand-in-hand. He suggests ignoring any bad behavior and focusing on praising and rewarding positive behavior.

“That’s what makes them look smart,” he said, “when they’re only doing something that pleases our species.”

Article Source: star-telegram.com

By Karen Deer

How smart is your dog? If you think it’s just a matter of Fido’s natural aptitude, think again. A lot depends on you. How well a dog learns to do what’s expected of her — one common way of defining “intelligence” — is actually as much a function of time, patience, practice and environment as it is of canine I.Q., says Debra Horwitz, a veterinarian and board certified animal behaviorist from Creve Coeur, Mo.

If a dog is physically and neurologically healthy, it can learn new tasks at any age, Horwitz said.

But to bolster your dog’s “intelligence,” start training at a young age. Horwitz firmly believes that every dog has the ability to become more intelligent with proper training and positive reinforcement.

And she should know. Horwitz spends much of her time training pet owners to retrain their four-legged friends to correct behavior problems. We visited with her recently as she worked with Neela, a 1-year-old Siberian husky, and Baley, a 20-month-old Labrador mix, to measure their “intelligence.” After a few minutes of get-acquainted licking, slobbering and sniffing, they got down to business.

The first test, a smart walking technique, required learning to walk on a Gentle Leader head collar. Instead of a traditional collar around the dog’s neck, the Gentle Leader has a nylon loop around the dog’s muzzle and behind its ears. (In canine families, applying pressure on the muzzle is a gesture of dominance — mothers do it to calm rambunctious pups — prompting a submissive response.)

Baley, who was focused on the test, passed with flying colors. He went from pulling and darting on his leash to walking calmly with only a little instruction.

But Neela just wasn’t into it. She didn’t want to go for a walk, not even for a treat.

That doesn’t mean that Neela isn’t as smart as Baley, Horwitz said. It just means that Neela wasn’t quite comfortable with the environment.

Dogs are like humans, Horwitz says. Some will never gain their highest potential of intelligence, just like humans. “You don’t [need] a pure bred to have a smart dog,” she said. Plenty of mutts have plenty of smarts.

Of course, some dogs have been bred over centuries for their talents in specific areas. For example, the border collie is a breed classified as intelligent for work. But because of its excitability and need for a job to do, the border collie wouldn’t be considered “intelligent” in a home environment that didn’t offer plenty of running-around time.

‘Dull’ isn’t stupid

Research shows that professional dog trainers and judges have found that even the “duller” breeds are capable of achieving high marks when it comes to learning. But findings also suggest that some brighter dogs show no interest in learning what we want them to.

Instead of thinking of your dog as “smart” or “dumb,” try to understand what your dog likes to do, and why she might not understand the lessons you’re trying to teach.

Try teaching tricks during quiet, calm times.

Altering your training technique may yield amazing benefits. For dogs that like to jump up and down, for example, try teaching them to “dance.” This channels their energy in a more appropriate way.

Personality and temperament have a huge effect on how well a dog adapts to training. A shy dog may find strong physical techniques overwhelming and be intimidated. A quick, energetic dog may find too much repetition boring and lose interest. Training techniques that focus on positive reinforcement as well as different ways to teach the same task will usually bring out the best in any dog, Horwitz said. Punitive training methods are less effective, and produce frightened, unhappy — and unpredictable — animals.

When you are clear in the response that you want, you are more likely to get it from your pet, she said.

In the end, Baley and Neela aren’t all that different from us. Some days, we’re up for a challenge.

And some days we just don’t feel like learning a thing.