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How To: Get Your Dog to Pay Attention – Part 2

January 2, 2014

Ever wish you could get your dog’s attention no matter what was going on around you?

In this series of videos, we’re showing you how you can do exactly that! In the first video, we taught you how to teach your dog to look at you without anything else going on. Your dog has to be good at that step before you move on to this one. [If your dog’s not looking at you frequently, there’s no way we can add distractions and expect him to look at you!]

How to Add Distractions

Start with something easy — not your dog’s favorite toy. In the video, I used an old, roughed up yogurt container that the dogs had already pretty much destroyed.
Call your dog’s name, then click and treat when he looks at you.
Get him interested in the object again and repeat step #2.
When the dog gets really good at that, choose an object that’s a little bit more difficult for your dog to disengage. Your dog should still have a really good chance of succeeding.
Call your dog’s name — once! — then wait for him to look at you. Click and treat when he does. Note: in the video, it may be hard to see that Schooner’s eyes are moving from the distraction to me. His head isn’t swiveling away from the object, but his eyes are sliding from the object to me. He gets a click and a treat for any eye contact, it doesn’t have to be a massive head movement.
Continue to ratchet up the distraction gradually, so that your dog is able to look away even when you have food in your hand.

Check out the video to watch Schooner learn how to leave toys and food alone when he hears his name.

Your turn: What’s your dog’s biggest distraction? Is it another dog? A scent? People? Noises? Leave a comment and let me know!

How To Teach Your Dog to Come When Called – Part 2

December 27, 2013

You accidentally drop your dog’s leash on the trail.

He gets a whiff of something and…he’s off! Can you call him back? Will he come running right back? Or are you going to have to spend time chasing him through the woods, hollering his name until he decides to come back? If he comes back.

Teaching your dog to come when called is easy and I think it should be required for all dog owners.

In our last video, we got you and your dog started with the basics of come when called. Now, we’re going to add some real-life elements like distance or distractions. Starring in this video is Great Dane, Schooner. In our first video, he was just learning the basics of coming when called. He didn’t have any speed or enthusiasm. What a difference a few weeks makes!

Check out Schooner’s excitement (he’s about to wag his tail right off!) and enthusiasm when I call him to me.

Make coming to you the most exciting thing for your dog!

It’s a party and the party’s wherever YOU are! Convince your dog of that and you’ll never have a runaway dog again!

Your turn: have you discovered a fun game or an exciting treat that makes your dog think the party’s wherever you are?

Share it in a comment!

Holiday Stress Relief – Crazy Great Dane Video

December 24, 2013

Christmas stress relief brought to you by Schooner, the Great Dane service dog in-training.

Ever wonder how much fun a Great Dane can have all by himself, with a little recycled plastic lid?

The setup.

I’m trying to find a stuffed Kong that’s rolled under the bed for Lily (not on screen). Tango, yellow Labrador, is doing a fine job supervising the project. Watch the Great Dane amuse himself by flinging the plastic, then get ready for the Crazy, Spinning Great Dane Whirling Dervish. (It’s not your computer, the audio and video don’t quite match.)

Take a look:

If that doesn’t de-stress you, even momentarily, I don’t know what to tell you.

Christmas Traditions with the Dogs: Tree Cutting

December 14, 2013

It’s an annual tradition that dates back some 45 years.

We always trudge out, sometimes in the snow, other times in the rain, to pick the perfect Christmas tree.

At one point, when I was in my teens, my parents brought up the idea of getting a fake tree. A resounding “NO!” was my answer!

When I met my husband, he was a fake tree guy.

I get it — it’s really easy to get a tree out of a box (especially if the lights are already on it), pop it up and be done with it. Our first year married, I introduced him to the Christmas tree farm and the joys of cutting one’s own tree. Thank goodness he liked that experience, it could have been a deal-breaker if he’d insisted on that artificial tree.

So, every year, we take two of our dogs.

We try to switch it up from year to year so that everyone gets a chance to trek across the fields. This year it was Tango and Schooner! Because the service dog in-training is with us for usually just one Christmas, it’s a given that they get one of the spots.

We trekked out to the Douglas Fir trees and took a look around.

As far as you could see there were trees in every direction. Occasionally we’d hear someone else in our field searching for their tree, but never did we run into another family picking their tree at the same time. It was kinda cool to be “alone” in the Fir forest. We found her — the one.

Paul Bunyan had his saw handy and cut the tree down lickety split.

Schooner did a great job of supervising the work. He gave Paul two-paws up for his efficiency.

As per tradition, the annual Christmas tree photos are taken.

All our Christmas tree farm pictures are either of my husband or of me — never are we photographed with the dogs together. Like I said, we typically don’t see anyone else while we’re out in the middle of the fir forest, so we always get our pictures separately with the dogs.

Soon after this picture was snapped, we were back home drinking hot chocolate and admiring our handiwork.

Schooner was most curious about the tree being indoors. He’s not neutered yet, but nor has he started marking (or even lifting his leg), so I don’t think we’ll have any pee-pee issues with the presents under the tree!

Your turn: fake or real tree for you? What holiday traditions do you share with your dogs?

Leave a comment and let us in on your traditions and merriment!

How (and Why) to Teach Hand Targeting – Video

November 28, 2013

Hand targeting is one of the easiest dog training behaviors you can teach your dog.

Hand targeting is dead simple and is ridiculously useful. I wish I’d known about the many uses of hand targeting when I had my “bad dog” Lucky. That dog taught me so much about dogs, behavior, and dog aggression. I was relatively new to dog training when I realized the extent of Lucky’s behavior problems and while I did the best I could with him, I was still learning and didn’t have the depth of knowledge I now have.

Hand targeting works great for all dogs and it’s great for lots of different situations.

You can use hand targeting to keep your dog’s focus on you (instead of the jogger, bird, other dog, rabbit, etc.). You can move your dog around easily (instead of tugging on his collar and forcing him to move). You can make veterinary or grooming visits go more smoothly by being able to direct your dog’s head and body in a specific direction (instead of manhandling him into the perfect position). You can use it to help with loose leash walking (the dog can’t forge ahead if he’s targeting his nose to your hand). You can also teach your dog a neat trick like ringing a bell to let you know he has to go outside (the bells are the new target!).

For service dog training, we use targeting to show the dog exactly where we want him to push something.

For instance, if the dog is learning to close a cabinet drawer, it’s very easy to get the dog’s nose in the right position so nosing the cabinet closed is a cinch.

This week’s dog training video highlights how easy it is to teach targeting to your dog.

Here are the steps outlined in the video:

Step 1: Hold your hand out flat, palm facing the dog. Drop your hand right down in front of your dog’s nose so he can’t miss it. Click and treat the instant you feel whiskers, nose, or tongue on your hand.

Step 2: When your dog is successfully tapping his nose to your palm when it’s right in front of him, begin to present your palm slightly to the right or left. Then present a little higher or a little lower.

Note: If the dog doesn’t move toward the hand within 2 seconds, pull your hand away and put it behind your back. Get your dog’s attention and the present the hand again, very close to his face.

Step 3: When your dog is good at tapping his nose to your hand no matter if it’s high, low, to the right or to the left, then present your hand again and pull your hand forward a few inches as your dog reaches toward your hand. The goal is that your dog will take a step or two while following your hand.

Step 4: Begin to move your hand further so the dog has to take several steps to follow your hand.

Your Turn: There are lots of uses for targeting. What situations do you think you can use targeting with your dog?

Service Dog Training: Boosting Enthusiasm

June 27, 2013

Ever have a day where you don’t really feel like doing any work?

Schooner, Great Dane service pup in training, feels that way every day. I gave you the lowdown on his challenges at our last visit to the service dog organization.

Here’s what I’ve been doing to help pump up his energy and enthusiasm level. If you have a dog who you might label stubborn, lazy or hard headed, try some of these ideas. You might see that it’s not any of those things, but merely an issue of enthusiasm.

Ways to Boost Enthusiasm

Go back to basics. I’d been excited about teaching Schooner as much as I could. Puppies are like sponges and I didn’t want to miss any teachable moments. In my haste to fill his brain full of the many service dog tasks, good manners, and precise behaviors, I might have fried his baby brain. I’m used to Labradors who can’t learn fast enough — they want more, more, more!
Cheerlead. I am normally a quiet trainer. My body is still. I’m silent. I let the clicker do all the talking. Schooner needs a little bit more excitement and encouragement. It’s been a challenge for me to squeal and carry on, but after a few tries, I’m getting pretty good at it.
Get physical. Surprise you? A clicker trainer saying “get physical?” What I mean is this: Schooner really likes to be thumped on the side, rather roughly. This kind of physical praise seems to really pump Schooner up. He gets excited and then looks forward to his next opportunity to earn some good ol’ thumpin’.
Work for food. I’ve cut Schooner’s food back by about 1/3. He earns that remaining 1/3 of his calories through high value treats when we’re training. High value means something different to every dog. For Schooner, it means leftover flank steak, summer sausage, and cheddar cheese crumbles. We’ll keep trying new food treats, as it’s good to have several really good options when training.
Leave ’em wanting more. With the Labradors, I’m used to longer training sessions. Most Labradors think a short training session is a joke — if they’re gonna train, they’re gonna really train! For Schooner, though, I’ve been setting a timer for five minutes. I stop about 15 seconds shy of the alarm. We’re done! Short and sweet.

Every service pup in-training that comes through our home teaches me something new. And for that, I’m thankful. And excited. It’s always fun to try new things, to be challenged, to figure new solutions.

Your turn: Have you had to pump up your dog’s enthusiasm? What’s worked for you?

Leave a comment below and let us know!

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