Reward Placement
Rewarding in front means your dog will forge ahead. Rewarding behind means they’ll be anticipating and moving behind. Reward exactly where you want them to be and that’s where they’ll be.
Tools and structure help build the behaviour. But your ability to reinforce it in the correct spot is what makes that behaviour permanent and reliable.
Play has to be competitive.
If you are not invested in the toy and not engaging with the game then your dog is going to get bored and either walk away or take it off to play with by themselves.
You have to want to win.
Play only lasts for around 10 minutes. I will usually play until I’m out of breath and tired.
The intensity within those 10 minutes is high so the game is fun with me and the dog is engaged in bringing it back and restarting the game.
Because the dog finds me valuable and engaging I get more response and respect from them because they trust me and want to do things for me.
If you aren’t engaging or fun, your dog will find things that are fun to do.
I will usually recommend a raised bed over a fluffy bed.
People will often become offended when they buy a nice soft fluffy bed. Truth is those beds are usually designed to achieve the relaxation and comfortability for the human, not the dog.
“Well my dog loves their fluffy bed”, “my dogs buries here way to the back and curls up”, “I’ve always used them for my dogs and never had a problem”.
All are fine, yet not universal for each dog.
We want them to comfortable for potentially hours at a time. We also don’t want to have to worry about them being uncomfortable, too warm or even destructive.
The raised accomplishes this perfectly as well as being able to be very effective at teaching the command as well. Easy for us, easier for the dog.
I’d always use one of these over a fluffy bed from a pet shop.
Let me guess,
“You didn’t need to do that to get him to jump up, abuse”, “just use a high value reward”, “you should never be able to train dogs”
Ok now we’re over that we can actually talk.
If a dogs fear or insecurity outweighs their drive to achieve the reward, no amount of food will convince him of that. Bribing a dog to do something doesn’t mean they know how to just do it and be confident in doing it within themselves.
Using pressure to show they can, meaning they will in the future. The reward comes for completing the task. Not for bribing the reward.
I get it, people don’t like it because it makes them uncomfortable and that’s exactly why these insecurities exist as we won’t push them through and show them it’s ok.
We lead by example, our dogs will follow
It’s not about the length of the walk, it’s about the content within the walk.
Most people will walk their dog to the point where the body is energy but the mind is still alert.
If we tackle the whole dog and give them good quality content and structure, your dog will naturally decompress.
If your dog is struggling with the amount of sleep or relaxing at home it may be that your exercise is not fulfilling the dog and not giving them what they need to relax.
They will then go off and find ways to fulfil themselves by being destructive, getting into places or you give them something extra to do that you don’t need to do.
Give the dog what they need and they will naturally chill out.
It’s possible. You can do it
Reason number 1976384949976290 why you don’t try to walk up to and pet random dogs in the street
You’ve got no idea
If you have a spaniel, then this is their life.
This is proper breed fulfilment.
Purpose overpowers everything else
Fetch is a retrieval game. Yet too many people make it about the ball and not the activity itself.
The monotonous throwing and retrieving 30 times over a short period puts great strain on the jobs as they tire after only a few short repetitions.
Doing 5 repetitions of this game will not only tire your dog out MORE because they are using their nose and natural instincts.
Make the game better and do it less. Not spend more doing doing it more
Release commands
If you’re going to ask your dog to do something, do you expect them to stay in that command until told otherwise or can they dismiss themselves and go off to do what they like?
Bonnie has been taught to maintain positions until given her release cue and then she is free to head off and do what she likes.
That means within those behaviours there are rules to follow. Not abiding by the rules results in a penalty, abiding by those rules results in a reward.
Heel = no pushing no pulling not stopping not sniffing and to walk next to me.
Break = free time. Go off and do what you like.
I don’t need to talk anymore than that as that’s all I need to say as that’s all she needs to understand.
Basic, clear communication
Stress!
No coddling, no throwing food. Let them watch!
Too many times people remove their dog if they get stressed. They don’t allow any recovery time or the ability to process any information because they talk or move them away.
Practice just existing. Instead of running go an investigate. Lead by example not be lead by a poor example of you dog.
The more you expose your dog. The better they get at recovering, resulting in a dog that can deal with everything the world can throw at them.
Now, not every dog will recover quickly.
Genetics plays a role as well. Some dogs are naturally confident and are phased by very little. Some dogs can’t even walk outside without being stressed.
Start at a level that works for you and then slowly increase the difficulty
