Clicker Training Archives - Page 14 of 46

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!

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.

Service Dog Training: The Things A Dog Trainer Learns from Her Dogs

October 25, 2013

One of the reasons I love dogs is because they’re all different. We’re on service pup #15, Schooner, and oh, the things he’s teaching me!

One might think that dog training consists of the dog trainer teaching the dog. And yes, that’s true for the most part. My job is to help the dog learn. Opening up to learning from the dog, though, is when things get really cool. That’s where I am with Schooner in our training journey.

He’s teaching me. And he’s a pretty darn good teacher.

I’m learning:

to keep training sessions short
that training sessions better be fun
the dog can (and will) quit a training session if it isn’t fun
that not all dogs find chicken delightful and to keep searching and trying new treats until a I find one for which Schooner goes nutty
when I deliver a treat matters — slow is not acceptable (even when my click is perfectly timed)
dog brains develop on their own schedule and I need to modify my training schedule to match the dog’s schedule
keep training, even if it seems like the dog isn’t getting it
don’t be afraid to take a break from training for a few days, though if things feel like they’re not fun anymore
if you’re not smiling when you’re training, definitely take a break
some dogs are bottomless pits, while others walk away when they’re full — and that’s ok
clicker training conquers just about any training issue you throw at it AND the dog loves the solution

Schooner is 10-months old and he’s just now starting to really learn. I won’t lie: I was panicked for a couple of months because his progress was s o s l o w. The Labradors I’ve trained have always been ahead of me in the training game — I couldn’t teach them new things fast enough! Schooner, on the other hand, had a decidedly different path. He’s a “stop and smell the roses” kinda dog when it comes to learning.

His message in a nutshell: Don’t rush him, be patient, and his brains will eventually kick in. When I surrendered my need for progress, progress, progress, and let the dog dictate the pace, I was happily surprised with progress!

That, to me, is what dog training is all about. It’s a journey taken together with a little bit of give-and-take. It’s listening to one another, striving to create the opportunity for learning so that when the dog is ready to learn, I’m ready to teach.

Dog training is not about “making the dog” do anything. It’s not about shutting off behavior (jumping, barking, pulling etc.), it’s about getting lots more behavior and then rewarding only the good stuff that you want to see more of (sitting, chewing a toy, walking politely, etc.). If you hear someone say “just make him do it!” walk away. Quickly. That ain’t what dog training’s about. Not at all.

In the end, Schooner will have learned how to be a top-notch dog who can provide his human partner with the help she needs to get through life every single day. He’ll do it happily. He’ll do it eagerly. And together they’ll be a terrific working team, and — better still — a terrific team…period.

Your turn: What have you learned from your dog? Is your dog a good teacher? Are you a good learner? Let us know and leave a comment below!

Wait and Stay: What’s The Difference?

October 24, 2013

What’s the Difference Between Stay and Wait?

There are bunnies and squirrels in our yard. I am hoping to avoid the carnage of dogs vs. itty-bitty wild creatures. I tell the dogs to wait while I open the back door and clap my hands several times in warning. When I’m satisfied that I’ve sounded the “dogs are coming” alarm, I release the dogs and they’re off, bounding into the yard in search of bunnies, squirrels, chipmunks, birds, or whatever else might be spending time in our fenced yard while the dogs aren’t looking.

That’s a wait – the dogs are put “on hold” briefly while I do something or other, and then I release them from wherever I am. It’s definitely not a stay. It’s more of a “hang on a minute, we’re going to do something, but you have to wait until I’m ready.”

My doorbell rings and there’s our UPS delivery driver with a package and his trusty clipboard that I must sign. I tell the dogs to sit and stay, and then I chat briefly with the driver while I sign for my package. The door is wide open to the unfenced front yard. I need my dogs to stay in place until I return to them.

That’s a stay – the dogs should get comfortable and not move until I return to them. Stay means “get comfortable, nothing else is happening until I am back by your side.”

Here’s a quick video that shows you the difference between the behaviors and why you want your dog to know both.

Wait

I use wait in many different situations:

When I’m attaching my dog’s leash to her collar before going out the door
As I’m opening the car door so I can gather her leash and my belongings
To fix the blankets on the bed before she jumps up into the bed
When I stop to adjust the leash, my shoes, etc. on our walk
Practicing come when called

Wait tells the dog to hang on a minute, I’ll be right back to her. It’s a sort of pause button. My dogs have learned that wait means that shortly, something else is going to happen. It means “stay tuned, you’re going to be asked to do something (or released to do something) in the near future. It helps the dog know that she should stay alert for my next instruction.

I find it helpful to have both a wait and a stay because they are very different behaviors and I have a good use for both.

Stay

Stay is different from a wait. Stay means “get comfortable.” I use stay in these situations:

When I’m greeting a visitor at our front door
When I’m walking out the door or leaving the room and the dogs aren’t coming with me
When I’m walking to the mailbox and I want the dogs to stay well away from the road
If I need them to be still while I look at a possible injury, clean their feet, or administer medication

Stay, in my mind, is a more formal behavior than the wait. There’s another important distinction between stay and wait. In a stay, my dog never leaves that position until I return to her, release her from the stay, and then we move away together. I don’t ever call my dog out of a stay – she stays there ‘til I return.

This is mostly a safety issue. I know that my dog’s stay is rock-solid. She’s never practiced leaving that position. Coming to me isn’t something we’ve ever paired together with the stay. Here’s the point: you don’t want to put your dog on a stay, walk to the mailbox, and then – before you know it – see your dog in the road because she thought you were going to call her and just came running. If you routinely call your dog to come to you from a stay, that situation could very well be a disaster in your future because the dog could easily anticipate your call and leave the safety of the stay.

Is A Stay Always Longer Than a Wait?

The difference between the two has less to do with the amount of time staying or waiting, and more with what happens after the stay or the wait. In the wait, the dog stays more alert, watching and listening to you for what to do next. In the stay, the dog knows that he’s staying put until you return to him.

I think of stays as more relaxing for the dog. She is free to daydream, sleep, or watch what you’re doing. She knows that she doesn’t really have to pay attention until you return back to her side. It’s like telling her she’s off-duty until you’re back by her side.

Do You Really Need Both?

I use both stay and wait daily in my house. I love having an easy way to tell the dog “pay attention, something’s coming next, but just hold on a second.” Just last week, I was going to let the dogs outside, but before I opened the back door I saw something unusual in the backyard. It looked like a dead animal. I wasn’t going to let the dogs out until I knew just what it was. I told the dogs to wait, then walked out to the questionable “thing.” It turned out to be one of their stuffed animals that had been left out, gotten drenched in the rain and it’s “fur” was starting to stick up as the toy dried out. I yelled “release!” and all four of the dogs came bounding out into the yard. I just needed the dogs to hold on for a minute while I checked the suspicious thing in the yard. They stayed attentive to me, waiting for my signal to join me.

A salesman showed up on my front doorstep a few weeks ago. I didn’t want to put the dogs away – this guy might not have really been a salesman – so I told them to stay (right next to me) as I opened the door. Visually, four dogs are intimidating. The pest eradicator salesman hurried through his pitch and didn’t try to sell me when I declined his services. He left as quickly as he came and the four dogs got some stay practice. It was a good day for everyone (except the salesman who didn’t get his sale, poor guy). I didn’t want the dogs to do anything other than stay where they were. They could lie down or sit, I didn’t care – they just had to get comfortable and stay there; nothing more would be required of them and I’d let them know when they were done by returning to them.

Wrapping Up

The safety of my dogs is a top priority and that’s the main reason I teach a wait and a stay. I don’t want them to anticipate me calling them out of a stay and come running whenever they think I want them to come to me. Instead, I teach them that I’ll never call them from a stay and that they will only be released from a stay when I return to them. By setting up that kind of predictability and consistency, my dogs are very good at staying planted where I leave them in a stay.

If you’ve already taught your dog that she can come to you from a stay, you’ll want to teach her a new word that means “stay where you are until I return.” Follow these instructions and when it comes to adding the word, you’ll choose a brand new word that’s distinctly different than your current word. It’s that simple!

Your Turn: Does your dog know stay? Wait? How do you use those two behaviors? Please leave a comment below!

How to Train When Your Dog Doesn’t Like His Food Or Treats – With Video

October 16, 2013

I like to use food to train dogs whenever we can for many reasons. First, food is what’s known as a primary reinforcer. That’s a fancy way of saying “the dog needs it to survive.” Think about it, dogs (or us, for that matter) can’t live without food. So it’s pretty important to a dog. Second, food is usually a really nice reward for a dog. It tastes good. It smells good. They like it and will work hard to earn another tasty tidbit.

However, some dogs are picky.

Like Schooner.

He refuses chicken. Won’t take a hot dog. Won’t even consider a dog treat. Which limits my options for using food as a reinforcer. I mean, if Schooner doesn’t like it, it’s not a reinforcer. Period.

I’ve found that he does like cheese. It’s relatively cheap when bought in the econo-saver blocks and it lasts over a week in the refrigerator. It’s easy for me to handle — not too sticky or goopy and easy to deliver one small piece at a time.

The problem: Schooner tires of cheese relatively quickly. Meaning that it’ll work great for 15 minutes, then he begins refusing it. He needs more than a 15 minute session. Sometimes we’re out running errands for a couple of hours — I needed to find a way to mix in a different, non-food reinforcer.

The solution: I happened upon a solution while I was in the yard working on his loose leash walking skills. He had worked nicely for about 15 minutes, as usual, then began turning his head away from the cheese. Ugh, what am I supposed to do?! He needs loose leash walking practice!

He’s huge, it’s easy to forget he’s still an adolescent dog. But I figured, what the heck, I’m going to try getting really silly with him after he walks nicely for a few steps (instead of clicking and giving him an unwanted piece of cheese).

I wish I had video of our original play session. He was as animated as a baby deer or foal — bucking and romping through the yard. I had to pause our training session briefly to get my giggling under control. This is a “re-enactment” of our play session and, while you can see he enjoys the opportunity to be goofy, I can assure you it’s not nearly as enthusiastic as that original session.

In the video, you’ll see me click and treat with the cheese. Notice how frequently I’m clicking and treating. Also notice his attention and enthusiasm. Both are pretty dull when I’m using the cheese. Then I switch to using play as the reward for loose leash walking. Look at the difference! He’s got more pep in his step, I’m getting a lot more steps between rewards, and he’s much more engaged with me.

The results: He liked it! He enjoys the opportunity to get a little silly (I dare say we all like that opportunity!) and it gets him interested in training again. He’s an eager participant with the opportunity to play, whereas with the food he’s more of a passive learner.

The takeaway: I’m not going to abandon food in training — there are places where play isn’t appropriate (restaurant, movie theater, doctor’s office to name a few) — but play definitely has a place in Schooner’s training plan.

Every dog is different. Most dogs I work with (Labradors) love food and will work long and hard for the tiniest piece. Other dogs don’t think food is as great and need a different reason to work. I’m flexible. I’m willing to find out what works.

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