Teach Archives - Page 6 of 16 - Smart Dog University

Advanced Nose Targeting (Video)

November 6, 2014

I’ve talked a lot about the benefits of teaching your dog to target your hand.

After your dog has a solid hand target (nose touch to your hand), you’re ready to take this skill to the next level where it can be really useful!

Here are some advanced uses for targeting. Here it is — the fun stuff!

Using targeting, your dog can:

push a drawer closed
push a basket across the floor
tip a cup over
play soccer
close the refrigerator door
close the door after he comes indoors
signal you that someone’s at the door
alert a person that blood sugar levels have changed drastically

The uses for targeting are endless — use your imagination!

Make the move from basic targeting to advanced targeting.

First, transfer the touches to another object.

Using just your hand as the target limits the uses of targeting. It’s important to teach your dog to target another object, like a piece of paper or tape. I like to use a sticky note — it’s a good size and the sticky part helps you hold the paper. Simply hold the target in your hand, and cue your dog to touch the target with his nose. Click and treat your dog for all correct nose touches to the target you’re holding in your hand.

Gradually begin to move the target toward the end of your hand (toward the end of your fingers) so that the dog is reaching for the target more than your hand. You may need to make tiny approximations so the dog easily understands that he’s now getting clicked for touching the new object, instead of getting clicked for touching your hand.

Then move the target to a different surface.

In the video, I’ve moved the target ever so slightly — from my hand to my leg. It’s still at nose-height for Levi, which makes it easy for him to be successful. Occasionally I have to help Levi a little bit — you’ll see me point to the paper stuck to my leg to give Levi a little hint. If I’m relying on hints, then that tells me I’ve moved too quickly. But if he needs just one or two hints before he’s got the idea, then I can keep right on going. Remember to click and treat for every successful nose touch to the target that is now stuck somewhere other than your hand!

In an upcoming video, we’ll show you how to transfer this new skill to something fun like closing cabinets!

Talk back! How could you use targeting with your dog? Something fun? A cool trick? Helpful tasks? Let us know — leave a comment!

Dog Training 601: How to Clean Up Cues and Transfer Cues

November 5, 2014

You read last month’s article and are now revved up about cues for your dog. Now that you understand what a cue is, what makes a good cue, and how exactly to get your dog’s behavior on cue, you’re excited to move onto the next steps: cleaning up your cues and maybe even transferring cues. We’re happy to bring you our sixth article on the nuts and bolts of dog training so you can have a well-behaved dog. This month’s article picks up where we left off and you’ll learn how to clean up your current cues and also a nifty cool skill called “transferring a cue.”

Cleaning Up Your Cues

You learned from last month’s article that a good cue is simple and consistent. You know that if you’re saying something and moving at the same time, that your cue isn’t clean – it’s what’s called a double cue. The truth is that your dog probably pays attention to just one of those cues anyway and it’s probably the visual one.

It’s really simple to fix a double cue: simply try each cue separately and see which one the dog responds to. For instance, if you lean forward when you say the word “sit,” try keeping your back straight and saying “sit,” with no other movement. Did your dog sit? Now, do just the other part of the cue (the leaning). Lean forward and say nothing. Did your dog sit? Most dogs notice our body movements more than they pay attention to our words and are more likely to respond to just our movements.

If your dog sat when you leaned forward, you don’t need to say the word sit! You’ve instantly cleaned up your cueing, just like that! If your dog sat when you said the word (without leaning forward), you don’t need to move when you ask your dog to sit! Again, instant cue cleanup!

Another big challenge for people is to ask the dog to do something just once. It’s not “sit, sit, sit.” It’s just: “Sit.” And wait. Wait for the dog to do the action. If he does – yay, click and treat! If he doesn’t – just hold still. Wait. Wait some more. If the dog doesn’t do the behavior, take a step or two away from the dog (reset the training session), get your dog’s attention, and start again. In the end, you want the dog to understand that you’ll ask him once, and then it’s up to him as to whether he earns a click or not.

This frightens some people. They (incorrectly) think “I must make my dog obey! If I let him get away with not sitting, he’ll think he doesn’t have to listen!” Not at all! Think of it this way: if your dog sees a squirrel run across the lawn, he’s got to act immediately if he wants a chance at catching that squirrel. That squirrel isn’t going to parade back and forth several times saying “Hey dog, didn’t you see me the first time? Here I am! Do you want to catch me? Do you want to catch me? Do you want to catch me?” The dog learns quickly: to catch the squirrel, he can’t hesitate; time is of the essence! The dog won’t be so slow the next time, that’s for sure!

This is exactly what you’re teaching your dog when you ask once. If the dog does it, he “caught the squirrel!” (earned his click and treat). If he doesn’t do it, “too bad, squirrel got away that time” (doesn’t earn the click and treat). Giving the cue just once leads to faster, more accurate responses by your dog!

Work on cleaning your cues up this month. First, find out which parts of your current cues are important to your dog. Then, give only that part of the cue – and give it only once. Then wait for the response. You’ll be surprised at how quickly you see improvement!

As a result of your cleaner cues, you may decide you don’t like the cue that your dog actually responds to. In the sit example earlier, for instance, let’s assume that the dog has really been paying attention to your leaning in, not to the word sit. But you prefer that the dog respond to just the word – how to fix that problem?

That’s where transferring a cue comes in handy.

Transferring a cue simply means teaching the dog to respond the same way to a new cue (a new way of asking for the behavior). Transferring a cue is super simple: give the new cue first, then give the old cue. In our sit example, you’d say the word sit, then lean forward. It’s crucial that the cues are sequential, not simultaneous. It looks like this:

New cue (“SIT”) –> Old cue (lean forward) –> Click and treat for correct response.

Repeat that sequence several times, begin to pause a moment after giving the new cue, then give the old cue. Eventually, the dog will begin to understand that the new cue predicts that the old cue will be given and he’ll take a “shortcut” and do the behavior after you give the first cue (the new cue). Click and treat immediately when you see the dog begin to recognize this!

Why Transfer a Cue

As mentioned above, you may want to transfer a cue after you’ve cleaned up your cues and have found that the cue your dog notices isn’t necessarily the cue you want to give. Another reason to transfer a cue is if different people use different cues for the same behavior. For instance, if some people in your family say “Come,” other say “C’mere,” and yet others say “C’mon” – all to get the dog to come to them – you definitely want to transfer the cue to just one simple, clear, standard cue! To do that, first have a family meeting to determine exactly which word will be the new universal “come to me” word. Then, follow the simple formula above: new cue –> old cue –> click and treat.

Cues are your dog’s vocabulary. It’s important to ensure that the cues are clean, clear, and consistent between family members. Using this article, you now know what it takes to clean up your dog’s cues which will, in turn, clean up the behavior, too!

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!

Talk back! Do you care who goes through the door first? Why or why not?

Is Your Dog Guessing? Cues are Important! (Video)

October 24, 2014

Does your dog KNOW what the word “sit” means? Or is he guessing?

Does your dog go through all the behaviors he knows when you ask him for something?

Sometimes, when you ask your dog to do something, does he look at you like you’re speaking a foreign language?

All of those things are related to cues — the way you ask a dog to do something. We’ve talked a lot about cues here because they’re so important. What makes a good cue; a post with video on how to use cues to ask your dog to do something for you; how cues get your dog to do what you ask; and the basics of cues.

To illustrate what it looks like when a dog is learning how to differentiate between cues — when they’re really thinking about what you’re saying and actually listening — here’s a video I shot in 2011 with a very young puppy learning the difference between “kennel” and “mat.”

That pup is Sweet Baby Caysun, one of the service puppies in training that has graced us with her presence. She’s now a working girl — working as a diabetic alert dog.

You’ll notice that Caysun’s just a pup when I’m teaching her to distinguish between the cues. That’s the beauty of clicker training — even very young dogs can learn, and very quickly!

Here’s what you need to know:

I’d taught the two behaviors separately and put them both on cue.
The dog knew both “kennel” and “mat” behaviors by themselves. I could say the word — just once — and Caysun could make the correct choice if just the mat or just the kennel was available.
I was confident that the dog had a very good chance of learning to listen to the words coming out of my mouth.

How to find out if your dog is guessing.

It’s easy to find out if your dog is guessing. Start with two very well known behaviors. Make sure you only ask once for the behavior. (Not: “sit, sit, sit, SIT!”) Alternate between the two known cues. Click and treat every correct response. Ignore any incorrect responses.

Talk back! What questions do you have about cues or cueing? Have you taught your dog any creative cues?

Cues In-Depth: What’s a Good Cue? What is “On Cue?”

October 10, 2014

We started a series in June to bring the nuts and bolts of dog training directly into your email box. Everyone who has a dog can improve his or her dog’s behavior. But sometimes, just getting started can be overwhelming. Or the first little speed bump you hit on your training road can be just enough for you to say “I’ll get back to this later.”

We want you to be successful from the beginning and have your training take off like a rocket ship! To that end, here’s our latest article in the series. Last month we talked about cues (which used to be referred to as “commands”). We’re taking a closer look at cues because this is where some people sort of fall off the “training wagon.”

We’re going to look in-depth at cueing: first, what makes a good cue; next, what does it mean when a behavior is “on cue?” Finally, how do you actually get a behavior on cue?

What’s a Good Cue?

What IS a cue, exactly? Let’s start there. A cue is anything the dog can perceive – a word, an action, something he can see, smell, or even the appearance of an object. Have you ever seen a dog that goes crazy when you pick up his leash? The leash is a cue: the appearance of the leash means a walk is imminent. You don’t have to say a word; the dog is ON IT. Walk! Walk! Walk! Let’s go! Walk!

You can use a word (like “sit”), a hand signal (hand spinning above dog’s head to get the dog to spin around), the presentation of something (a leash before going for a walk) – anything your dog will notice.

A good cue is simple – it should be just one of those things. A good cue isn’t the word “sit” and the hand signal given at the same time.

A good cue is consistent. It should look or sound the same every time. It doesn’t matter who is giving the cue to the dog. Take some time to talk about cues with your family. Make sure everyone is saying or doing the same thing all the time. If someone calls the dog by saying, “Come!” while others say “Come Here!” the dog’s response (coming when called) will go downhill over time because the cue lacks consistency.

On Cue

What does it mean when we say a behavior is on cue, how can you tell if a behavior is on cue, and what the heck difference does it really make to you if your dog’s behaviors are on cue?

A cue is what tells a learner (most often in this article, I’m talking about your dog, but really, our lives are filled with cues, too) that the behavior he offers will work (or, in a training scenario, be reinforced). A cue is how you get control of all the behaviors your dog knows. In short: It’s the way you ask your dog to do something

So when a behavior is on cue, it means that you’ve identified for the dog the signal that means, “go do that behavior” and the dog understands the cue. Here’s an example: you ask your dog to sit and he offers a sit in response to your request.

If your dog throws out every behavior he knows when you hold a dog treat in your hand, those behaviors are probably not on cue. If they were, you could ask for a single behavior and get a single correct response. And when you think about it, wouldn’t that be a lot easier (and more fair)? I mean, would you like to do 15 things only to find out your boss only needed one thing done, but he let you go through all 15?! We wouldn’t dream of doing that to another person, but a dog doing it usually draws chuckles. We can fix this and make life a lot easier for you and your dog.

Aside from just being nice to your dog and making things clearer for your dog, cues strengthen your dog’s reliability. Do you ever wonder if your dog will come when you call? Having a clear and clean way to ask for that behavior (the cue!) is one of the building blocks to a strong, reliable, consistent come when called behavior. Without a good, clean cue, a good recall is impossible no matter how much you practice.

Put the Behavior On Cue

Now you know what makes a good cue, what an on cue behavior is, it’s time to get some of your dog’s behaviors on cue! Here’s how to teach your dog that your signals (the cues) matter.

Set up a formal training session with your dog (clicker and treats). Click your dog a few times for doing the behavior to which you’d like to add the cue. (Just wait for the behavior to happen. Ignore any other behaviors that your dog volunteers. No talking. No “directing.”
Once the behavior is predictable insert the cue just as the dog starts to do the behavior (say the word, or the hand signal, or otherwise insert the cue). Give the cue just once.
At this point, you’re giving the cue because the dog is about to do the behavior, not to get the dog to do the behavior. You are pairing your cue with the behavior the dog is doing.
Click and treat the dog when he does the behavior.
Insert the cue again right as the dog offers the behavior.
Click and treat the dog again when he does the behavior.
After several repetitions, begin to back the cue out of the process by just half a second. In other words, give the cue about half a second before the dog does the behavior instead of giving the cue just as the behavior occurs.
Click and treat every correct response to the cue.

If the dog offers another behavior or doesn’t do the behavior you cued, just wait. For example, don’t repeat the cue “sit, sit, sit.” Just say “sit” once.

Continue to systematically back the cue out of the process by giving the cue earlier and earlier.

If your dog ever waits or even pauses for a moment (doesn’t offer the behavior if you haven’t asked for it), click and treat that! Yes, click and treat your dog for doing nothing! Confused about that point? Here’s the quick and dirty explanation: you’re clicking the dog for waiting for the cue. So clicking him for not volunteering the behavior in the hopes of getting a treat from you, you’re actually reinforcing him for thinking!

Or, instead of clicking and treating your dog for pausing, go ahead and give him what he really wants – the cue (the opportunity to do the behavior to earn a click and treat). Your dog will very quickly see that the cue is really important and he’ll start to pay more attention to you (a nice side effect of teaching your dog cues).

Check Your Progress

When you think your dog has noticed the cue and understands to wait for it, instead of giving him the cue to do that behavior, give him the chance to do another behavior. So if you’ve been working on “sit” for instance, after working for about 3 minutes on just the sit, throw in a “down” cue. If your dog downs instead of sits, click and treat! He was paying attention! If he sits, simply ignore that behavior. Wait 2 – 3 seconds to see if he figures out that you asked for something different. If he doesn’t figure it out, take a few steps to reset him and start again (cue the “down”).

Important Points

Ignore any uncued behaviors (behaviors that happen if you didn’t ask for them). If your dog gets clicked and treated whenever he offers the correct behavior (as opposed to only when asked for the behavior), the cue is meaningless to the dog.

Say the cue just once. This is often the hardest part of this for dog owners. They want to repeat the cue “down, down, down!” to get the dog to do the behavior, but what’s really happening is that the dog is getting a “muddy” version of the cue. The cue is “down.” Period. Say the word and then wait. And wait. And wait some more if necessary. Wait silently. When the dog does the behavior, click and treat! This silence and stillness helps the dog see the link between the cue and the behavior (and the reinforcer that comes from performing the behavior upon perceiving the cue).

Work on one cue and behavior within in a training session. The concept of cues may seem daunting to your dog, especially if he’s never had any reason to notice them in the past. After you introduce the cue to one behavior and your dog seems to catch on, go ahead and work on a different behavior.

Next month, we’ll finish up with cueing. Until then, work on getting two or three of your dog’s behaviors on cue!

The Best Dog Training Treats? People Food! (Video)

October 9, 2014

Have you read the ingredient list in commercial dog treats?

Have you smelled those commercial dog treats?!

Many of the popular dog treats found in grocery stores are (1) expensive, (2) filled with preservatives and by-products, and (3) smell just horrible. Yet, many of my clients still want to feed their dogs these ick-laden things to their dogs (and expect their dogs to remain focused and happy to work, even in the face of distractions).

Would you eat one of your dog’s treats?

And more importantly, would you enjoy it? I doubt it. [Yes, I know. Dogs love a lot of things we don’t find appealing.] My point is still: people food is a really good choice for dog training treats.

Concerns About People Food

My dog will beg for food if I feed her people food.
- Not even close. Dogs don’t beg at the table because of people food. Dogs beg at the table because they’ve been fed at the table! The begging is more closely related to WHERE the food comes from than WHAT KIND of food your dog is eating. In other words, if you fed your dog his own kibble from the table, your dog’s going to beg for his food at the table.
Dog treats are healthier for my dog.
- Take a look at the ingredient list below for T-Bonz. I think plain chicken breasts are a lot healthier.
It’s expensive to feed people food.
- It’s a lot cheaper to feed human-grade food to your dog. See below.

T-Bonz is a dog treat from Purina. If you shop at Target, you can pick up a 45 oz. bag of T-Bonz for $10.99. That’s $0.24 per ounce or $3.90 per pound.

Chicken breasts, also from Target, run $7.19 for 40 ounces. That’s about $0.18 an ounce. That’s almost $1 a pound cheaper than dog treats!

Still not convinced? No problem.

Chicken breast ingredients: chicken, salt

T-Bonz ingredients: Ground wheat, corn gluten meal, water, wheat flour, ground yellow corn, sugar, glycerin, beef, chicken by-product meal, hydrogenated starch hydrolysate, corn starch-modified, liver, soybean meal, salt, bacon fat preserved with BHA, natural and artificial flavors, added color (Red 40 and other color), phosphoric acid, dried whey, sorbic acid (a preservative), gelatin, animal digest, natural porterhouse steak flavor, calcium propionate (a preservative), soy protein isolate, BHA (a preservative), citric acid. I-4258

Ew, really?!

Yeah, clearly chicken’s the winner here no matter which way you look at it. It’s healthier, it’s more economical, and you can eat it!

Other People-Food Choices

Cheese (buy a big block of cheese and cut it into hundreds of tiny pieces — this is super inexpensive!)
Hot dogs (dice them and then microwave — paper plate lined with paper towel, lay hot dogs in single layer, cover with paper towel, microwave until dried out. Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn!)
Pepperoni, summer sausage, kielbasa
Luncheon meat (bologna dices nicely)
Spam or Treet
Leftovers from the grill (pork chops, steak, chicken, salmon, whatever!)

Make your dog (and dog trainer!) happy, bring tiny, pea-sized pieces of chopped people food to your dog training classes for your dog. And you, too — if you skipped dinner, just reach into the treat pouch and grab a handful for yourself!

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