Service Dog Archives - Page 3 of 34

How to Build a Solid Stay: Intro to Distance

January 22, 2015

Everyone wants their dog to “stay.”

Stay there, don’t move. It sounds easy, right? I mean, how hard can it be to just stay still? For a dog, it’s pretty darn hard — he’s social, he’s interested in what’s going on, maybe he’s uncomfortable or even scared. If you take the time to build a solid stay from the beginning, though, stays aren’t that hard at all.

The Three Parts to a Stay: Distractions, Distance, Duration

We’ve introduced the concept of an advanced stay and now we’re ready to introduce distance!

Here’s how we add distance:

Start small — take just one step away at first.
Return to your dog immediately (we’re working on distance, not duration)
Click immediately upon return to your dog (if he’s stayed in place)
Reinforce with something yummy and maybe even the opportunity to play a bit before starting again
Systematically increase the number of steps you take until you’ve reached your goal

Troubleshooting:

What if the dog gets up? You asked him for too much, too soon. Instead of scolding your dog, remind yourself to take smaller steps (literally and figuratively) next time.
What if the dog lies down (if you left him in a sit)? Leave distance behind. Go back and work on the sit position for duration, then once the sit is solid (not sliding into a down), then bring distance back into the picture.

Remember, your goal as your dog’s teacher is to set him up to be successful. Too much, too fast doesn’t help the dog get it right. The more clicks and treats your dog earns, the more he learns “the right answer.”

Talk back! Leave a comment and let us know the most distracting thing your dog has faced.

Teach Your Dog a Moving Leave It (Video)

January 15, 2015

Leave it is a great tool to keep your dog from focusing on something in the environment.

From cars, to poop, to dead animals, a solid “leave it” can prevent your dog from pulling you down the street, lunging toward those things, eating crud, or barking. If you’ve already taught the basic leave it, and the advanced leave it, you’re ready to take leave it on the road!

Here’s how to start the moving leave it.

Start with a mildly distracting item.
Place it on the ground about 3 feet off to the side.
Put yourself between the dog and the item (this makes it easier for the dog to get it right)
Start with a few clicks and treats as you’re approaching the item.
It’s important to click and treat before your dog is distracted.
Say in a happy voice “Leave it” (or whatever your word is — ours is “not yours” for Levi).
Click and treat the instant the dog looks at your or leaves the item alone.
If the dog can’t look away from the item, you have two choices:
- Use a less interesting item or
- Move further away from the item
When the dog has been successful a few times, move a little closer.

Carry your clicker and your treats with you on your regular walks and cue the “leave it” when your dog is only mildly interested in something. You want to capture as many “you’re right!” opportunities as possible. You’re building a new habit! The habit is: when the dog hears “leave it,” he swivels his head and looks at your direction. The more times you can get success, the faster this habit will be built.

It’s really as easy as it sounds — as long as you practice and you set your dog up for success.

Your turn: what’s the craziest thing your dog has left when asked?

Gift of Snow: Levi’s Turn-In Rescheduled

January 13, 2015

Service Dog Turn-Ins are the Worst

I had written several “goodbye and good luck” posts to Levi at the beginning of the year. Thankfully, my computer was busted and my iPad kept losing the posts. Tuesday, January 6 was supposed to be Levi’s last day with us. I loaded him in the car before dawn and started the three-hour trek to the service dog organization. A light dusting of snow was forecast for our area, but central Virginia was supposed to be fine.

The snow saved the day.

Our roads were awful. Interstate 70 is a major highway that runs from Maryland to Utah, surely it would be snow-free, I thought. Nope. The highway was completely snow covered, no lane markers could be found. We were going about 45 miles an hour and slipping up the hills. It was ugly.

We went about 10 miles before I decided to turn around and get the heck off the road. If I did make it there without getting busted up in an accident, it would have taken double or triple the time. Three hours one way is bad enough, I didn’t fancy double or triple that!

We got back home, snuggled up in a blanket and called it a day. Schools had been cancelled, accidents snarled traffic, and we watched it all from inside the warm, comfy house. Later that day, after the snow stopped and the sun was this peachy, glowy, lovely shade of yellowish orange, I took my camera outside to get some of these “found” moments with Levi.

New Turn In Day

So, naturally, the snow didn’t change anything except Levi’s turn-in date. He still has to go back, I still have to say goodbye, but not until the end of the month! I’m hoping we get a few more days to play in the snow. We’ll certainly make the most of our extra “found” time together!

Supercharge Your Dog’s Paw & Shake Skills (Video)

December 4, 2014

“Shake” and “paw” are pretty cool tricks, but your dog is capable of so much more!

Wanna supercharge your dog’s paw or shake skills? Teach your dog how to use his paw to touch different things.

Here are some of the cool things paw targeting can get you:

Ring a wireless doorbell to go outside (or come inside)
Turn on a push-light
Play a kid’s toy piano
Give you a high-five (or high-ten!)
Knock a cup over to reveal hidden treats
The sky’s the limit!

Now, doesn’t “shake” seem kind of boring?!

What you’ll need:

clicker
treats
large indestructible target (large margarine lid, plant “coaster”, 8.5″ x 11″ piece of paper, etc.”

Here’s how to teach your dog to use his foot:

Gather your dog and the supplies above.
Place the target on the floor and wait for your dog to walk on it with his paw.
If your dog is sitting or lying down, toss a treat to get him up and moving first. (It’s hard to put his foot on a target if he’s still.)
Click the instant your dog’s paw touches the target, and toss the treat a little bit away so the dog moves off the target.
Continue to silently wait for one of your dog’s paws to touch the target, clicking and treating each time.
Once it’s clear that your dog understands that touching his foot to the target means he gets a click and treat, start adding the cue just before the dog touches the target with his paw. Click and treat every correct response.
After 10 – 15 repetitions, begin to say the cue about one second before the dog touches the target with his paw, clicking and treating correct responses.
Continue to gradually move the cue earlier, clicking every correct response.
Then, begin to remove the target and ask for a different behavior (like sit, for instance). You’re helping the dog pay attention to your cues.

We’ll go further with paw targeting in future videos, so get your dog’s foundation targeting skills ready!

Talk back! How do you (or could you) use paw targeting with your dog? Leave a comment below and let us know!

Teach Your Dog to Close Cabinets and Doors (Video)

November 27, 2014

It’s the simple things, sometimes, that make a big impression.

If you’d like a little help around the house, use nose targeting to really up your dog’s “around the house” value. If your dog is good at the basic nose touch, and you’re gone on to a little more advanced targeting, you’re ready for the big leagues. You’re ready to “real life” this behavior. I say real life because that’s how I refer to behaviors that are actually helpful in real life, not just in a training session.

When you real life a behavior, you take it out of the training room and you put it to use in a helpful way in your real life.

Here’s how you’re going to real life nose targeting.

After teaching your dog how lucrative it is to touch your hand with his nose, and after transferring the touch to another target, you’re ready for the real life targeting. Here’s how:

Put a large target on a slightly open cabinet door. Targets can be clean margarine lids or even a couple pieces of painter’s tape.
Click and treat your dog when he touches the target with his nose, whether the cabinet door closes or not.
If you think the noise of the cabinet door closing will startle your dog, you can catch the door before it closes (be quick!), or put a towel between the cabinet and the door to help soften the noise.
After the dog is reliably touching the target on the open door, refine your criterion so that you’re clicking only when the door actually moves. Always click and reinforce, of course.
Continue to systematically raise your criterion so that the dog eventually earns the click for actually shutting the cabinet door.
When the behavior is solid, meaning when you’re ready to be $100 that the dog will do the behavior, go ahead and put that behavior on cue.
Invite your friends over and show off your dog’s brilliance!

Talk back! Tell me (or show me with a video!) how you’ve real life-d targeting with your dog!

Door Manners for the Dog: Who Goes First (Video)

October 31, 2014

Who goes through the door first: you or your dog?

Truth be told, I don’t really care who goes first. It doesn’t make you the leader of the pack if you go first, and it doesn’t make your dog dominant if he goes first.

What?! Can’t believe a professional dog trainer is saying such things?! Yeah, hold onto your pants, that’s exactly what I’m saying. The old-style, uninformed trainers who say that kind of thing are just copying another old-style, uninformed trainer you may have run into on tv.

Here’s the truth: do what makes sense to you — go through the door first if it’s more convenient.

Personally, in most cases, I usually prefer that the dogs go first so I can get out the door unencumbered and on my own time.

Polite, well mannered dogs will go through the door and then wait for their person to catch up.

Here’s how to teach your dog to go through the door first, then turn around on his own to wait for you.

Be ready with your clicker and tasty treats.
Have your dog on a 6-foot leash (no Flexis!). (I have the clicker and the leash in the same hand so I have a free hand to deliver a treat.)
Open the door and begin to exit, encouraging your dog to go first if necessary.
Click the instant the dog’s rump has gone out the door.
Treat when he turns around toward you.
Repeat several times until the dog begins to expect the click (and resulting treat).
Go through the door and click when the dog looks back (instead of clicking to cause the dog to look back).
Systematically increase the distraction difficulty (but always begin without any distractions, of course) until your dog is great at turning around to look back at you no matter what.

I’ve taught this at our front door, but if your front door is too highly charged for your dog (he’s too excited to pay any attention to you after the door opens), use an interior door (say, a door to your bedroom, for example). Another tip if your dog is too excited to pay attention: use yummier treats!

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