Best Pets Dog Training

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Adopting your dream dog

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Whether you choose a puppy, adult dog, purebred or mixed breed, male or female, here’s a quick checklist to help you find the dog of your dreams:

  • Make a list. Write down all the qualities of your favorite dog of all time, both good and bad.
  • Rank these qualities in order of importance, from “must have” to “can’t stand.” This will help you narrow the field of choices.
  • Think about what you want to do with your new dog. Will he or she primarily be a companion? Agility dog? Hiking partner? Spend some time envisioning what life with your new dog will be like, both indoors and out.
  • Insist on good health. Regardless of where you acquire your dog, make health among your top priorities. Even the most beautiful, sweet, athletic-looking dog can be a heartbreaking and wallet-draining experience if his or her health is poor.
  • Choose a breeder or rescue with care. Do your research before visiting the shelter or calling the breeder! After you’ve seen your potential new fur friend is not the time to be negotiating on issues such as temperament, health, and ethical breeding practices.
  • Get expert help. When in doubt, ask a professional trainer or behavior consultant to accompany you to meet your new potential family member. A professional trainer can help you weed out unscrupulous breeders or rescuers and head off any potential behavior issues.

Your agility dog: Building focus and drive (Part Two)

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In Part One of this two-part series, we talked about what drive is, why it’s important, and the difference between drive and arousal. This week, we’re going to take a peek at some strategies to increase focus for dogs prone to arousal and talk about how to build drive.

Focus and agility

Now that we can tell the difference between drive and arousal, it’s time to apply what we’ve learned to agility class. Most dogs who are serious about their agility are tempted to bark at other dogs running a course. (Heck, some dogs bark while they run the course!) Some handlers look at this tendency proudly, noting how much “drive” the dog has to do agility.

But before we go slapping the “drive” label on anything that barks, let’s review our definition from last week: Arousal plus focus on the handler equals drive. Barking wildly while other dogs run does not fall under this definition!

So, how do we prep our dog for this and numerous other distractions while on the course? And what can we do with a dog who is determined to find something else to focus on besides the handler?

First, let’s up the ante on Doggie Zen. Start requesting your dog’s attention/eye contact for longer periods before clicking and treating. Use your dog’s favorite treats (or favorite toy!), held just out of reach. Practice in locations with other distractions: the vet’s office, the grocery store parking lot, or just outside the dog park. At home, add a verbal “Leave It” cue and start putting the treats on the floor instead of in your hand — first behind you, then (the ultimate!) between you and your dog.

Second, start or review the Name Game. You can use this same method to enhance your dog’s response to your on-course recall word, as well.

Use these tools in a distracting situation to gain and maintain your dog’s focus. If your dog starts barking at something, move farther away from the action until he or she is able to focus on you. Then praise, reward and make your way back to the distraction.

To see a great example of how channeling your dog’s drive and focus can be helpful (and an amusing look at how a simply aroused dog behaves), check out this video!

Slow dog? Build drive!

The easiest way to get a faster dog on the course is to use what he already loves — a game or toy! Pair your dog’s favorite game with an “on/off” cue — remember “Go Wild and Freeze”?

Does your dog have a favorite game, such as tug or fetch? If not, it’s time to find out which non-food-eating activity your dog enjoys most. Dogs who have a natural retrieving instinct are likely to enjoy chasing balls, discs or other toys, while wrestlers often enjoy tugging on ropes or leashes. Terriers typically like chase-and-pounce games. If you have a timid dog, play gently at first, allowing the dog to “win” the toy often.

Your body language and tone of voice is also vital to enhancing your dog’s drive. Using a high-pitched, excited, happy tone works to bring out the puppy in most every dog. Practice using this tone during all of your dog’s favorite rowdy activities, such as walking or feeding time. When working on an obstacle, make sure your body language is inviting to the dog. Don’t stare at the dog, and turn your body sideways or keep your back to him or her as he or she navigates an obstacle.

Experiment with both your body and voice to see what your dog responds to best.

Doggie Zen

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“Doggie Zen” is an exercise I learned from clicker trainer Shirley Chong. This exercise is particularly effective in teaching your dog to focus on you amidst distraction.

Before you begin, remember…

  1. A click is a promise that a treat is coming. Always offer your dog a reward after you click, even if you have made an error.
  2. Reinforce (click and treat) any behavior you like. Ignore or manage behavior you don’t like.
  3. Wait until the dog has offered the behavior several times before putting a name on it. For example, if you are trying to teach your dog to “Sit” using the clicker, don’t use the word “Sit” until you have captured the behavior several times.

Doggie Zen

  1. Gather your treats, clicker and dog. Put your dog on a leash to keep her near you, if necessary.
  2. Hold out a treat in a closed fist for your dog. Your dog will lick your hand to get at the treat.
  3. As soon as your dog stops licking or sniffing your hand (even for a second), click and open your hand to present the reward.
  4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 until your dog is no longer attempting to touch you. When this happens, begin waiting for the dog to look at you before you click and treat.
  5. Move your fist to a different place; hold it out to one side, then the other. This will help your dog understand that looking at you, not looking for the treat, is what earns a reward.

Watch a video of the Doggie Zen exercise.

When to seek help with your dog

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Most folks either know of or used to have a dog that was absolutely perfect — never made a mess in the house, didn’t shed, never jumped up, never barked inappropriately, never lunged at people or other dogs, never chewed the furniture, always laid quietly in another room during dinner, always paid its taxes on time, never forgot to bring home the milk, et cetera.

Not all of us are as blessed. Sometimes, a dog comes into our lives who has perfected a different art: making our existence miserable!

Dogs are typically biddable (making them easy to train) and quick to learn. However, this doesn’t mean your dog fits the mold, or even if she does, that you’ll always have a smooth relationship.

Here are a few signs to indicate that your dog’s behavior may require professional intervention:

Your dog is actively threatening to harm or has harmed a person. As much as dogs will be dogs, this is the land of people — and sometimes litigious ones. Besides not wanting anyone to be hurt, it’s important to get a handle on your dog’s aggressive behavior, because sometimes an aggressive display (barking, lunging, jumping at a person’s face, etc.) can be misinterpreted. In fact, any “biting incident” involving a dog, even a dog with no prior history of aggression, and even if the bite did not break the skin can be grounds for euthanasia in this country, as the case of Rolo demonstrates.

Your dog has threatened or harmed livestock, cats or other dogs. Again, besides the potential for euthanasia (or worse, if a neighbor or livestock owner has vengeance in mind), these kinds of dog problems aren’t simple to fix. Unless there’s a sibling rivalry issue between two dogs, this type of behavior is likely rooted in predation. Lots of well-meaning folks follow the advice of friends, “trainers,” or relatives, and punish the dog in an attempt to “correct” predatory actions. But predatory behavior is unlikely to be wholly suppressed with positive punishment, no matter how creative. And painful and/or threatening treatment (including yelling and leash-popping) of a dog who dislikes other dogs can exponentially worsen the problem.

You’re feeling helpless about, hopeless about or afraid of your dog’s behavior. If you’re dog is soiling his crate every day, or tearing up the house, or refusing to budge from the couch or bed when asked, ask yourself whether it might be time to call for professional help. Although animal behavior consultation can be expensive, it is a far smaller price to pay than chancing the dog’s life — which is likely to be the outcome when you decide not only can you not handle the behavior, but life would be easier without the dog. A well-known fact is that dogs are relinquished to shelters for behavior problems more than any other reason. Don’t let your dog be one of them.

If you would like help and live within driving distance of Athens, Ohio, contact us and we’ll be happy to assist you. If you’re out of the region, for help finding a professional dog trainer or animal behavior consultant near you, visit the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants at www.iaabc.org, or the Association of Pet Dog Trainers at www.apdt.com.

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