datachie, Author at Smart Dog University

Dog Lovers: Best of the Week

November 15, 2013

I don't usually write "best of" posts, but I don't want any dog lover to miss out on these great sites, articles, and ideas.

Wondering what to do with your dog if you're traveling for the holidays? We take ours with us, but Something Wagging's got a good summary of the options (along with pros and cons of each).
I wanna make these delicious doggy pancake puffs and keep them all to myself. They look THAT good. Thanks Jodi, for making me want to eat the dog's breakfast.
Want a feel-good cry? This amazing ad will do the trick. It's lovely. And the behind-the-scenes is amazing! Wow.
You don't have to convince me that rescue dogs rock. Meet Rupee, the first dog to climb Mt. Everest!
I think I knew a group of penguins was called a rookery, but a congress of salamanders? A wisdom of wombats? Really? Wanna know what a group of giraffes is called? Or woodpeckers?
If your dog has separation anxiety, you might be interested in this high-tech toolkit. [A great read, especially if you're a behavior geek like me!]

Your turn: Do you like lists like this one? It was fun to put it together. Let m e know if you like lists — they can become a regular Smart Dog Blog feature!

How to Fix Pulling on the Leash Part 3 (Video)

November 14, 2013

In our third article helping you reform your big-league puller, we’re giving you the next set of steps to follow. We know you’ve been doing your homework in the first and second articles on loose leash walking, which means you and your dog are ready for this next video.

We started by just working on getting the dog to move with us (making it easy by walking backward and rewarding the dog handsomely), then turned to walk forward (still rewarding handsomely), and now we’re adding more to the loose leash walking equation.

What’s New?

More steps. We’re adding even more steps now. If you’ve done your homework in the first two articles, your dog is already good at taking three steps by your side (at which point you then click and treat). Now, start to add some more steps before you reward your dog. I encourage you to talk to your dog — tell him he’s a good dog in a happy voice — to help keep your dog’s attention while you’re getting some more steps between your rewards (clicks and treats). Begin to “yo-yo” the number of steps you ask for. Don’t always keep asking for more steps — that ruins the fun of this loose leash walking game. Yes, keep increasing the average number of steps, but also throw in some gimme’s — say one or two steps, then clicking and treating.

Eye contact. In addition to more steps, we’re now going to reward the dog for checking in. Checking in means glancing in your direction. I don’t want my dog staring at my on his walk, instead I want my dog to enjoy his surroundings.

My goal for walks with my dog: we both enjoy the walk and we both get something out of it.

So for this new goal, you will click any time your dog glances at you. Have your finger on the clicker, ready to click. If you have to fumble for your clicker, you’ll miss the opportunity to reward your dog for that glance. The attention will be brief and quick at first. That’s ok! Remember, you don’t want prolonged eye contact from your dog, it’s enough if he’s just checking in with you from time to time. It doesn’t matter when your dog looks at you or why — reward him everytime he does!

Next, we’ll need to add some distractions to the practice, but it’s imperative that your dog is great at this level (more steps and checking in) before we move along. A strong foundation speeds to process of teaching leash manners.

Your turn: What is the most challenging distraction for your dog? Some dogs find other animals distracting, while others are really distracted by scent. Still other dogs notice movement (joggers, strollers, cars, etc.). Tell us what your dog notices and we’ll try to work those into the next article!

How to Fix Pulling on the Leash – Part 2 (Video)

November 7, 2013

Tango’s got a nice, loose leash.

Hope you’ve been practicing the skills from our first post about fixing your dog’s leash pulling problem! If you’ve done your homework, you’re ready for Part 2! If you haven’t mastered the tips from the first article, no worries! Check the article out here and start practicing today!

Let’s summarize what you were doing last week.

clicking and treating your dog 5 times for nothing. Just click and treat 5 times consecutively.
then taking one step backward and clicking and treating the dog for “filling the gap.” Click as soon as the dog moves toward you. Stay at this step until it becomes super easy for your dog to focus on you and immediately fill the gap you create when you step backward.
add an additional step backward before you click and treat, and then another until you’re able to walk 3 steps backward and your dog is filling the gap immediately.

The additional steps you’ll be adding in this week are, well, steps! This week, you’re actually going to turn around and walk forward like a regular human being! Here’s how it’s going to work.

Step 1: After your third step backward, simply turn around and walk forward.

Step 2: Click the instant you turn to face forward (and as usual, treat everytime you click).

Step 3: Take another step forward and click again if your dog is keeping up with you. You’re clicking every single step you take as long as the dog is still attentive to you. Continue with Step 3 until your dog is focused solidly on you — not trying to get in front of you, veer off in either direction, or lagging behind.

Step 4: Add another step so you’re now taking 2 steps forward before you click and treat your dog for keeping up with you. Stay at this step until your dog is solidly focused on you.

Step 5: Add another step (you’re now up to 3 steps) before clicking and treating your dog for keeping up with you. Stay at this step until your dog is solidly focused on you.

Step 6: Continue to add in an additional step before clicking as your dog’s focus improves.

Next week’s article will give you the next steps on the road to loose leash walking. AND: an update on Schooner’s loose leash walking progress (and his growth progress — he’s huge now at about 145 pounds!)

My Dog Listens In Obedience Class, But Not At Home!

November 6, 2013

It’s frustrating when your dog listens sometimes, but other times acts as if he has no idea what you’re asking him to do.

One of the most common questions I’m asked from dog owners is: “He listens in obedience class, but when we’re home he won’t do a thing we ask. Why?!” Let’s will explore this seemingly odd phenomenon and give you strategies so the dog listens in obedience class as well as at home!

When Dogs Don’t Listen At Home

Some people are caught off guard the first time they realize their dog listens in obedience class only. They’re embarrassed by their dog’s behavior in front of company, especially if they’ve told those friends how lovely their dog has been doing in doggie obedience school. They can’t understand why their dog “is doing this” to them. Surely this dog is pulling one over on his owners, right? Not really. Here’s why. Dogs are good at learning the rules by location. Much like children are allowed to eat candy at grandma’s house, but not at their own, dogs, too, quickly figure out which rules apply where. Dogs aren’t so good at generalizing those rules across locations. It’s almost as if dogs need to be taught how to behave in several different situations before they begin to realize that they can listen to you in other places than obedience school.

Why?

In obedience class, the lessons are clear and simple. We work on sits, for instance, for 10 minutes and the dogs get really good at sitting. Then we work on settling on a mat for 10 minutes and the dogs are great at settling. This seems fabulous to the owners – their dog knows what to do and can do it, right? Not so much. What the dog does know is that at that very moment, his owners really like it when the dog sits. That’s it. That doesn’t mean that the dog completely understands sit in any location, under any circumstances, and for any length of time. And this is one of the reasons owners are surprised and disappointed when their dog doesn’t listen at home. Another reason the dog doesn’t behave as well at home as they do in dog class is because most dogs don’t get enough practice at home, in a real life environment. For instance, if you teach your dog to settle on his mat in the living room and don’t change locations or add distractions, you’re setting your dog up for failure when you really need that behavior in real life. When you’re headed to the door with the baby over your shoulder and yell out “Settle!” as you rush to sign the receipt for a package, your dog is flummoxed. “Settle? Surely she jests – we’ve never played this game before!” is what your dog thinking.

The Keys to Making the Transition from Class to Home

Practice. Practicing at home is a must. You can’t get by without practice. Everyone knows this, but it’s one of the most overlooked solutions.. When I say practice at home, I mean regularly. As in: every day. There’s no getting past it – if you don’t practice with your dog, the behavior will always be better at class than it is at home.

Randomize. Don’t be predictable with your practice sessions at home. Mix up the timing – if you usually practice right after you get home from work, practice before you go to work in the morning. If you normally practice for 15 minutes, ask your dog for just a couple of behaviors, then go take your dog for a walk, play with him, or just take a break. In other words, shake up the normal routine. This is one of the few places in dog training where less predictability is actually preferred.

Change the reward. Instead of getting the treats out before you practice with your dog, ask your dog to sit (or whatever behavior you’d like to practice) then reward him with a quick walk outside. No clicker, no food treat, just straight cause and effect [because he sat, he gets to go outside]. Don’t stop there! Make a list of all the things you do for or with your dog that he loves. Your list might include belly rubs, couch time, walks, feeding meals, praise, affection, and play. Now, ask your dog to do a simple behavior and reward him with one of these “real life rewards.” Your dog will suddenly realize that those behaviors he’s learning in class are relevant in his regular world, too! Teach. Occasionally, your dog will know a behavior like nobody’s business in class, but gives you the blank stare when you ask for it at home. If this is familiar to you, you may need to re-teach the behavior from the beginning in your home environment. This is easier than it sounds.

Sprinkle. I think training is most effective at home when it’s unexpected and it leads to fantastic things. Therefore, I like to sprinkle training into my dog’s day as if that’s the standard way of doing business in our house. I like to think of it as the way you can teach your dog to say “please.” Your dog wants you to throw the ball? Ok, have him do something simple for you (target, sit, eye contact, whatever). When he does, throw the ball! Before you clip the leash on to go for a walk, ask your dog to do something. When he does, clip the leash on and head out the door!

Going Forward

Now you know why your dog is having a hard time making the transition from dog training class to home and have the tools to improve your dog’s behavior. If you start today, you can say your dog will listen in obedience class, too!

Bringing Up Baby…With A Dog In the House

November 2, 2013

I don’t remember what was going on in this picture, but I do remember the dog. That’s Penny, the first dog I ever had.

I don’t remember ever living without a dog. My earliest memories involve dogs. And a cat named Spyder Eyes who would hide and then LEAP onto me as I toddled by.

We don’t have kids, but most of the folks I work with do have children. The wise clients ask for advice on when to bring a dog into their family. The other clients call me after there’s a problem and they’re at wit’s end.

I think it’s wise to involve the children in the raising and training of the family dog as soon as they’re able. Supervision, obviously, is required. It’s not “nice to have” supervision, it’s “CRITICAL to have.”

Naturally, responsibility of dog care and training will increase as the children get older. I remember getting into the gigantic galvanized trash can to get our dogs’ their dinner. It seemed gigantic as a kid and I remember loving the smell of the dog food when the lid was opened. Our dogs lived outside back then and I had to carry water to their water bowls, too. I hated that job: the bucket was heavy and I always got soaked by the sloshing water. There was no getting out of it — the dogs needed their water, and it was one of my assigned duties.

If you have a dog and kids, why not let the kids participate in the care of your dog. Pet360 has some great tips on how to divvy out responsibility based on the age of your kids.

Your turn: Did you have a dog growing up? What were your dog-related chores. Do you have kids and a dog? Do your kids have responsibilities around the care, feeding, and training of the family dog? I’d love to hear from you! Please leave a comment.

This post is sponsored by Pet360. I have the chance to be compensated for spreading the word about Pet360.com, but Smart Dog Blog only shares stuff that WE like! [We don’t share just for money or bling, in other words.]

Dog Pulls on Leash? Here’s How to Teach Leash Manners [Video]

November 1, 2013

It’s easiest to teach good manners, including walking on leash, when your pup is a youngster. However, many people never taught their dog, or adopted an adult dog who came with some bad habits already in place.

No worries, we’ll have your dog walking politely in no time. Here’s what you need to know:

Dogs do what works for them. If pulling you down the street works for the dog, he’ll keep doing it. Not because he’s stubborn or ornery, but because, simply, it works.
Dogs need to be taught how to walk nicely on a leash. They aren’t born knowing how to walk without pulling.
Like most things in life, quick fixes aren’t really quick and they aren’t really fixes.
Loose leash walking is just another trick to teach your dog. It’s not complicated. It’s not hard. And it’s definitley not a “serious” behavior. [Many people think their dog should heel, and say the word very seriously and expect immediate compliance, perfection from the dog — most people (and dogs!) wind up hating the heel precisely because it’s (1) an unreasonable goal and (2) because it’s no fun for the dog or the person.]

dog training, dog obedience, dog classes, dog pulls on leash, stop pulling, Smart Dog

Enjoying a walk — with a loose leash!

Knowing those things, here’s how Smart Dog U does loose leash walking. You’ll start in a very boring location (inside your house, preferably) with your dog on a leash, and with delicious pea-sized treats in your pocket (or in a treat pouch). [Yes, the video was shot in a park. Not the ideal location to teach loose leash walking — there were lots of distractions. Teaching your dog in a boring location is much faster.]

STEP 1
Find something to click. Start out facing your dog (you’re standing) and click (and treat) the dog five times in a row — for nothing. Just click, then feed; click then feed; click then feed, five times in a row.

STEP 2
Raise the bar a bit and get some movement going. As soon as you’ve clicked five times, take onestep backward. Yep, you’re walking backwards to start this exercise. Don’t worry, you’ll be facing forward in no time. Click your dog as soon as he moves toward you. Take another step backward as soon as you’ve fed your dog. Click again as soon as he moves toward you. Your goal for this step is that your dog “fills the gap” as soon as you move backward.

STEP 3
Add another step. Now that your dog has aced the whole “one step backward” task, it’s time to add another step backward before he earns the click. Take two steps backward and click when the dog moves to fill the space. Your goal is to have the dog hurry forward with you to fill the space.

Step 4
This is starting to sound familiar: add another step. Now that your dog is sticking to you like glue when you take two steps backward, add a third step before you click. Your goal is to have the dog forward with you to fill the space.

Step 5
Big changes at this step. You’re now going to walk forward! Like a normal person! Yay! It’s really easy — after your third step backward (see Step 4), just turn around and walk forward. Click and treat the instant you turn forward.

Step 6
Lather, rinse, repeat. You remember how you clicked and treated every step when you were walking backward? You’re going to do the same thing now that you’re walking forward: click every step forward you take.

Step 7
Practice. Really, practice. Every day. Several times a day, if you can. The next video installment will have the next steps. But you won’t be ready for those steps unless you practice these steps with your dog.

Throughout this article, I mention “click.” Know that every time you click, you’ll also treat. No matter what. Also, it’s not imperative that you click; you can certainly teach your dog to walk politely without the clicker. The clicker, however, will really speed the process up and make it much easier for your dog to understand precisely what you want.

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