The Crate Training Debate: Why Iām All In š¾
Thereās a lot of debate about whether or not to crate train a puppy.
Iāll be honestāI canāt imagine not crate training! Hereās why:
š¹ Teaches Self-Control: Crate training helps your puppy learn they canāt always have everything they seeāa critical skill for coming when called and walking nicely on leash.
š¹ Gives You a Break: Letās face it, puppies are adorable but exhausting. The first two weeks, it might feel manageable to follow them around constantly, but that level of supervision gets old fast. Crate training allows you to reclaim a bit of your lifeāwhether itās reading a book, watching TV, or just scrolling Facebook.
How I Crate Train My Puppies:
1ļøā£ Start with Rewards: Every time Wicca goes into the crate or X-pen, she gets rewarded. I have a handful of kibble ready, and as I set her down in the crate, I release the kibble in front of her.
2ļøā£ Next Step: After a few days, I notice sheās starting to look for the kibble instead of turning back out of the crate. Thatās when I up the challenge:
I place her just outside the crate door, giving her the choice to go in on her own.
When she makes the right choice, sheās rewarded with a handful of kibble.
3ļøā£ Mistakes Happen: In this video, youāll see Wicca go the wrong way on her second attempt. No big dealāI simply pick her up and reset, pointing her toward the crate. When she makes the right choice, sheās rewarded!
If she had kept making the wrong choice, I would have gone back a step and placed her directly in the crate again.
Why This Works:
Crate training gives your puppy opportunities to figure out how to earn rewards, but itās important not to let them fail too many times in a rowāfrustration doesnāt help anyone.
How is crate training going for you?
Has your puppy started to settle in their crate or X-pen?
Let me know in the commentsāIād love to hear your experiences! š¶āØ
š
Upcomi
Mastering the Sit-Stay: Treat Placement Matters š¾
When it comes to teaching behaviours like a solid sit-stay, treat placement can make or break your training success.
Check out this video of Allison working with Turbo on his sit-stay š
Notice how Turbo naturally reaches for the food when she goes to reward him. Instead of giving him the treat immediately, Allison pauses until Turbo chooses to settle back into position. Then she rewards by gently pushing the treat into his mouthāavoiding rewarding the reaching behaviour altogether.
The dog pulling back is not required but at the beginning it helps us see what action is being rewarded.
Why Treat Placement Matters
If youāve been struggling with what I call the āshort gameā of stays, treat placement is probably be the culprit.
Hereās what typically happens:
You offer the treat slightly away from the dogās mouth.
The dog reaches forward to get it.
Over time, this reaching behaviour becomes a habit.
It might not seem like a big deal at first, but eventually, your dog starts anticipating the reward. Theyāll break their position or stand for the treat as soon as you move toward themāeliminating the concept of staying altogether.
Pro Tip:
From the very beginning, reward in a way that ensures your dog doesnāt move forward. Push the treat gently into their mouth while they remain still. This helps them understand that staying in position is part of the game, even for little puppies.
Start small, be consistent, and watch your dogās sit-stay transform!
Thank you Alison and Turbo for playing in the video.
Do you have a stay story or tips to share? Drop them in the comments! š¶
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Video 4: Indoor Scent Work šµļøāāļøš
When the weather outside is frightful, give your dogās incredible nose a workout with scent games!
Start by building value for a box:
š¾ Toss some treats into the box and let your dog find them.
š¾ Add multiple boxesānow your dog has to figure out which box holds the treats.
š¾ Level up by hiding treats around a room and having your dog sniff them out.
āØ Pro Tip: This game doubles as a great way to feed your dog their dinner while keeping them entertained!
Benefits:
š Searching for hidden items burns mental energy and is a fantastic way to tire out your dog indoors without braving the cold.
š Bonus: Share a video of you playing this game in the comments, and youāll be entered into a draw for a winter-themed biothane leash!
Give it a go, share your progress, and stay tunedāweāll announce the winner of the leash draw on New Yearās Day!
Video 3: Hide-and-Seek Fun š
Looking for a fun way to tire your dog out and improve their invisible leash? Try hide-and-seek!
The invisible leash is all about teaching your dog to keep an eye on you at all times. When the weather cooperates, this game is even more fun to play in the forest!
āØ Bonus: Itās a great activity for the whole familyākids love getting involved too!
š¾ Build your dogās drive to come to you while keeping them mentally and physically active.
Whereās your dogās favorite hiding spot? Let us know in the comments!
š Bonus: Share a video of you playing this game in the comments, and youāll be entered into a draw for a winter-themed biothane leash!
Give it a try, share your progress, and donāt forget to check back tomorrow for the final activity in this winter series!
Video 2: Down-to-Sit-and-Back Exercise šŖ
Cold weather can make it tough to keep your dog fit, especially for our shorter-coated friends!
This simple down-to-sit-and-back exercise engages multiple muscle groups, helping your dog stay active and strong throughout the winter months.
āØ Goal: Focus on your dog keeping a straight back as they fold down.
āØ Tip: With multiple reps, this becomes a strength training exercise. Start with 3 sets of 5 reps and gradually work up to 3 sets of 10 reps. Watch for signs of discomfort to ensure your dog doesnāt overdo it.
š¶ Think of this like dumbbell curls for a human: one rep is easy, 10 reps are a challenge, and 100 is impossible!
Give it a try and share your experience in the commentsālet us know how your pup does with this fun and beneficial exercise!
All videos submitted in the comments of you working on this exercise with your dog will be entered in a draw for a winter themed biothane leash.
Looking for Fun Indoor Activities with Your Pup This Winter? š¾
Over the next four days, Iāll be sharing 4 winter activities for you to try with your dog! These games are designed to keep your pup mentally and physically engaged during the colder months.
Video 1: Strengthening the Sit Cue
Winter is the perfect time to sharpen your dog's skills indoors! In todayās video, weāre working on the sit cue with distractions to help your dog focus no matter whatās going on around them.
Ideas for distractions you can try at home:
š¾ Empty food bowl on the floor
š¾ Full food bowl on the floor
š¾ Kids running around
š¾ Opening the cookie cupboard
š¾ Loud music
š¾ A video of dogs barking
āØ Goal: Have your dog sit on the first cue and hold the position until released.
š¶ This exercise is a great way to build patience and reliability in your pup.
š Bonus: Share a video in the comments of you working on this exercise with your dog, and youāll be entered into a draw for a winter-themed biothane leash!
Try it out, show us your progress, and donāt forget to check back tomorrow for the next fun activity!
Essential Puppy Skill: ODR (Observe, Donāt React)
ODR, previously called the "Post Game," is one of the first things I work on with a puppy. Let me tell you why itās so important!
What I Want:
A dog that can walk calmly on a loose leash regardless of the environment.
How We Achieve It:
Right from the start, I reinforce watching without engaging. Don't worry I also work on engagement, but first the calm.
Hereās the Truth:
Pulling and lunging arenāt innate behaviorsātheyāre trained.
Yes, you read that right! We unintentionally teach our dogs to pull and lunge by reinforcing the behavior.
Picture This:
Youāre walking down the street, and a neighbor is excited to meet your new puppy. You let your puppy greet them, and it happens again on your next walk.
Soon your puppy starts anticipating these greetings, pulling toward people they want to meet. A few weeks later, as your puppy grows, the pulling gets harder to manage. You try to stop it, but your neighbor (or anyone passing by) keeps engaging with your dog.
Every time your puppy pulls and gets to greet someone, theyāre learning that pulling worksāand before you know it, theyāre lunging and barking at everyone they see.
Why ODR Matters:
ODR helps prevent leash issues like pulling and reactivity before they start. If your dog already struggles, ODR can retrain them to control themselves and develop better leash manners.
Want to Learn More?
Check the comments for a link to our ODR PDFāa step-by-step guide to keep you on track!
ODR is a skill we cover in all our classes, encouraging dogs to observe and not react.
Paola Hoger
Shake-A-Paw Dog Training
****
NOW ENROLLING: 2nd Feb - Sunday
AGILITY FOUNDATIONS
@ 9:00 AM
BASIC MANNERS
@ 10:15 AM
š© Message us for more info and to secure your spot!
š 3327 Wallace Road, South Mountain, Ontario.
Recall Gauntlet in Train It All Class.
This is an advanced class where we work on EVERYTHING! Bring your goals to class, and lets make it happen.
****
NOW ENROLLING: 2nd Feb - Sunday
AGILITY FOUNDATIONS
@ 9:00 AM
BASIC MANNERS
@ 10:15 AM
š© Message us for more info and to secure your spot!
š 3327 Wallace Road, South Mountain, Ontario.
š„ Intro to Threadle Rears with Peak š¾
In this video, Iām teaching threadle rears, but I also wanted to share a new technique Iāve been trying with Peak thatās been working wonders.
Dog training is always evolving. You learn different techniques, and suddenly connections or new applications click into place. Thatās exactly whatās happening with Peak!
Connection has been our challenge.
Peak is a deep thinker, and his default when uncertain is to disconnect and sniff. This has made progress slow, forcing me to think outside the box to find solutions that work.
Iāve recently eliminated the set-up routine for more complex exercises. While we still work on set-ups separately (this will eventually become our start line), I donāt attach them to exercises that require a lot of mental effort just yet. This adjustment allows Peak to focus on the task at hand without the added stress of the set-up.
Why does this work?
When a dog struggles to grasp something, splitting the behavior into smaller, more manageable pieces is almost always part of the solution.
In this session, Peak stayed connected throughout, completed multiple reps, and worked through challenges without shutting down. Thatās huge progress for him!
Finding new solutions for my dogs and clients is one of the most rewarding parts of training.
š Have you had to adjust your training for a specific challenge? Share your experiences in the comments!
Looking for help working through your dogās challenges? We offer agility classes for all levels and private sessions to help you and your dog succeed.
š„ Weave Entries with Wicca: Using Vitoās Game š¾
When teaching weaving, entries can be a challenge!
ā
Dog on the right? Itās often the trickier entry when dogs are first learning.
ā
Dog on the left? Once dogs know how to weave, this becomes the more challenging entry.
Over the years, Iāve tried many methods to improve weave entries, but the one Iāve found most effective is Vitoās Game.
In this video, youāll see my latest session with Wicca, working on finding her weave entry. Iāll keep moving the weaves around the building until she can confidently find her entry no matter where theyāre placed.
Why does Vitoās Game work so well?
Because it takes us, the handler, out of the equation. Even when we think weāre not moving or trying to help, itās easy to unconsciously lean or move in ways that guide the dog. Vitoās Game makes the dog responsible for finding the entry independently and removes our input from accidentally messing them up š.
Since Wicca is consistently getting the entry, Iām adding the verbal cue āweaveā each time. (And yes, I edited the audio because Peak is still learning to stay quiet while his sister works š
āprogress, not perfection!)
Training moments like these are so rewarding as you watch your dogās confidence and understanding grow.
š Weāre thinking of offering a weaves course this winter! Want to improve your dogās weave skills during the colder months? Message us to get on the interest list.
Paola Hoger
Shake-A-Paw Dog Training
š 3327 Wallace Road, South Mountain, Ontario.
Teaching the Teeter in Agility
The teeter is one of the most challenging obstacles for dogs to learn in agility. Instinctively, many dogs want to jump off when the plank begins to tip, which can make building confidence on this obstacle tricky.
In our training, we focus on helping dogs ride the motion of the teeter and confidently reach the end, rather than forcing them to "deal with it." Through carefully designed exercises, we teach them to embrace the movement of the teeter step by step.
Check out this video of Shep! Heās making amazing progress and looks confident as he learns to navigate the teeter.
To add an extra layer of challenge, weāre already introducing distractions. While Shep works on the teeter, dogs are running sequences on the other half of the room, building his focus and confidence in a realistic environment.
Agility is all about teamwork and trust, and Shep is a great example of how thoughtful training builds both!
Paola Hoger
Shake-A-Paw Dog Training
š 3327 Wallace Road, South Mountain, Ontario.