I don't very often read scientific articles (by very often I mean never) but the latest one that is floating about caught my eye...
I actually read this one and it struck me that the way these trainers went about teaching dogs to not chase a lure using reinforcement was a little different to how most trainers I know would go about it.
In saying that, they almost revealed the secret or MY secret to how I taught the Poodle NOT to chase a moving thingy, like a chicken.
I don't have all the answers, but seeing as this study looked at very realistic, effective reinforcement based methods I thought I would let everyone in on the ACTUAL way us trainers teach this that the study almost got right....
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And if you are wondering, yes this video is a joke...
Almost as much of a joke as that 'study'.
What you see online, isn't usually the full picture..
Kobe
Most of the training we do with dogs happens at home.
We like to prepare the dog, before we put them in front of the challenge.
If you’re watching the Olympics, you’re probably amazed at what the athletes can do. the athletes didn’t just rock up to Paris and know what to do without any preparation and be able to perform brilliantly in front of all those distractions. They have trained for years to perfect their skills. And then they practice some more.
When it comes to dogs, if we have high expectations, it can take a long time for a) the handler to be skilled enough to teach the learner and b) the dog to understand what to do regardless of what is happening.
The good thing about training at home is that short and simple sessions are better than long drawn out lengthy sessions.
And the most important thing about the training, especially initially is how willing are they to do the training and cooperate with you as opposed to any solid compliance. That can come later.
This is a very basic session I’m doing with Kobe to just teach him where I want him to be (where he gets the good stuff). It’s not brilliant training and it’s a bit messy but that’s dog training. This is where I’m at and something is better than nothing.
I promise you, if you neglect training at home and only try training when a problem arises you’ll not get very far.
Some quick math that I’ve just made up - do 80% of your training and 20% when you need it. Let me know how you get on to see if I need to change my math.
Adira walking
When we got Adira, we called her the kangaroo when we took her out walking. She would be on her hind legs with her front paws off the ground pulling.
We didn’t view it as a problem, we viewed it as a young dog figuring out how to navigate our world and it was our job as her new humans to help her out.
So we decided to teach her a few things that would help. She’s deaf and blind so we couldn’t use conventional methods due to her being both deaf and blind so we taught her a few simple concepts.
If we blow on your face, follow where it came from.
Finding our l right leg equals good things.
If we flick you under the chin, move that way.
The change didn’t happen over night. It didn’t happen over a month. I can’t actually remember how long it took before things became very predictable and very easy, but things did change. And that’s the important part.
We trusted the process. And that’s one thing I have to keep reminding myself with our foster pups. Change takes time and you always have those bad days creep in and unfortunately it’s the bad that us humans focus on.
So have a plan, stick to it, and remember that progress takes time and just keep going.
It’s not that some dogs are too hard to train, it’s usually because we give up too quickly and the result we’re after is just around the corner but we quit just before the turning.
Remind yourself regularly trust the process. Dog training works, that’s why we do it.
And yes, I am using a flexi lead. I don’t use them all the time and for all dogs, but they are not the devil and have their place.
www.Thinkdog.nz
We have a few flirt poles left in stock.
When I’m feeling lazy this is my go to to keep our dogs happy.
Very little space needed.
Very little time needed.
Very, very good outlet for lots of dogs.
If you’d like one, get in touch or visit our website here:
www.thinkdog.nz/shop
Nigel
Introducing our newest foster pup.. Nigel.
We still have Riff but there’s a reason why we have more than 1 foster this time.
Unfortunately we can’t talk too much publicly about that we’re posting that journey for our subscribers/supporters over on our alumni page.
If you’d like to follow what’s going on there subscribe on our website and you can then join our tribe on alumni.
As always thanks to all our foster sponsors and @natures ki for fuelling these guys.
To help these guys visit www.Thinkdog.nz
Adira pup
Whenever people find out that Adira is both blind and deaf people tend to suddenly feel so sorry for her.
It’s completely natural to respond this way but it’s odd for us as she’s by far the most happy and carefree out of all our dogs.
It’s just goes to show how adaptable and happy we all can possibly be.
Www.thinkdog.nz
Juggling the dogs
Hannah’s away so I’m having to multi task to keep the dogs happy..
Riff the problem solver
I’m teaching Riff to get on a specific platform here. This will be handy for vet visits and to simply start bonding with him. He does something I like, he gets something he likes.
Most importantly these session help the dogs learn that not only does their behaviour have consequences, they can also control what happens based on what they do.
A dog that understands that they have agency and that trialing a certain behaviour may result in something good, is a dog that is great to train and to live with. It’s almost like you’re setting the stage for how things will be long term. The more you do things like this the more your dog will not only enjoy being around you, but will be able to workout what you’re expecting of them pretty quickly.
Puppy Riff
Who wants a puppy?
He’s a Riff Raff.
He’s a little sensitive to new people initially but soon becomes very loving and playful.
He LOVES to train already. He’s a very sweet little fella.
If you’d like to help support these puppies, consider signing up to our foster programme. You’ll also get access to a huge library of exclusive training videos and lots of updates in our private group of Riff and another little project we’ve got on the go too.
Visit:
www.Thinkdog.nz
First thing to teach any puppy
What’s the first thing you should train a new puppy to do?
I’d say train for enthusiasm not any particular behaviour. When they’re really little I wouldn’t worry too much about them sitting or lieing down or staying etc. I’d focus on how willing are they to interact and do ANY training WITH you.
Develop a relationship first and then start giving them things to do. Don’t make the mistake of bossing them about before they’ve decided if they even want to hang out with you, let alone do what you say.
Sunny and the car
I wish she would be more clear about what she wants to do..
Meet Riff Raff.. His name has been decided and he’s coming out of his shell. 😃
Meet RIFF RAFF. He’s coming out of his shell and seemingly enjoying himself now.
I never get tired of letting her know I’m home.
But I have to remember - don’t kiss the baby dog on the face when she’s expecting to bite a ball…
Www.Thinkdog.nz
Edit: for anyone wondering, she is both deaf and blind from birth.
Play more
I have very little control over the way my dog will react in lots of situations. I can do lots of training to modify behaviour so they are more easily managed or easier to live with but I can’t be sure how my dog will react.
One thing I can do however, is create reliable responses to certain cues.
Most dogs like to chase things and a lot of dogs like to bite things.
One thing we always do with our dogs, is look to see what they naturally like to do and let them practice those things on something appropriate.
It’s all just one big game for them, and we can’t just say no to their game. We have to play along if we want to get reliable behaviour.
One thing we can do is teach some solid responses through play. If you can’t stop your dog chasing their toy, then you’ve got very little chance in stopping them chasing a rabbit.
Start with playing with them more. Layer in some things you want them to be able to do so you can eventually use those in different contexts.
If there is one bit of advice I would give every dog owner, it’s to simply play more with their dog.
Positive reinforcement is usually misunderstood and lots of people will naively think of it as treat training.
For our guys it would be more accurate to call the ‘positive reinforcement’ training we do ‘play training’.
Treats are great, but play is the real winner with our gang.
**** HOW WELL DOES YOUR DOG UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE ASKING THEM TO DO? ****
Simple question. But something that isn't easily answered or accurately answered.
When we work with people and their dogs we like to know what the dog can do when asked. And usually we will get a list of things they can do. Which is great because that would then mean there is very little work for us to do as the dog trainer.
But in reality the 'my dog can do x, y and z' is almost always followed by 'except when....'
So this then tells us maybe the dog doesn't really understand what we are asking them to do or they can only do it in very, very specific contexts. For example most dogs can sit and wait in front of a food bowl, but not many dogs can sit and wait once their ball is thrown or their best mates are rushing about.
We also want to know how well our dogs understand the verbal cues we give them. A lot of the time dogs aren't really paying attention to what we are saying and instead they pay almost all their attention to what we are doing.
A classic example of this is that when most people ask their dogs to sit, their head tilts up slightly. Face away from your dog and ask them to sit again and the dog has zero idea what you expect them to do. You thought they were responding to the verbal cue, when in reality they were focusing on a visual cue instead (your head tilting).
Another way you can see how well your dog understands a verbal cue is to tell them a story and sneak in that word that you think they understand. See what they do when you say it and say it once and with the same intonation. Do they respond to it as well as you thought they should? Or do you need to help them understand that cue better?
Here's Poodle with his new collar that Hannah made him and me telling him a story about himself and his new collar.
The Cosmo has left. I’ll miss his evening cuddles, his company in the workshop and his nose greeting up the bum. Thanks to everyone that helped with Cosmo, our foster sponsors and @natures ki for fuelling his stay with us.
The Cosmo has left.
I’ll miss his evening snuggles, his company in the workshop and his nose greeting up the bum.
Thanks as always to our foster sponsors and Nature's Ki - Pet Wellbeing for fuelling his journey with us.
Www.Thinkdog.nz
Cosmo and cars
Cosmo is just about coming out of the young puppy stage and he’s entering the pre-adolescent stage.
It’s not quite as full on as proper adolescence, but it’s the time where you start to notice that the cute little puppy is actually starting to turn into a dog and they’re starting to experiment with their behaviour.
Cossy is going through a little bit of an ‘I see the thing, I chase the thing’ stage, and some of those things happen to be cars.
This isn’t too much of a problem at this stage but it’s one that we want to make sure doesn’t become a huge problem as he matures.
When a puppy starts to show unwanted behaviours it’s not a simple case of just saying ‘no’ and giving them a bit of an earful. Sure, you might find yourself doing this once or twice but it won’t help change the dog’s behaviour.
What I’m doing with Cosmo to help change that annoying habit is taking him up on our driveway, training him to do the things he knows, and then when a car comes past I’m working him through his emotions.
I know he has big feelings towards the cars so instead of trying to get him to calm down (which will be almost impossible for a young dog), I’m guiding him to do some other things instead and I’m making the training fast paced. I know his system is likely being flooded with adrenaline at this stage so I need to make sure he can move to help him cope with his body’s involuntary response.
I don’t really care what he’s doing as long as he can focus on me.
The goal eventually will be for him to see a car, possibly still feel a little excited, but still be able to look to me and follow my lead.
How long will it take? I don’t know. I can only trust the process and if his response doesn’t get more intense towards cars and instead decreases, then we’re on the right tracks.
Www.Thinkdog.nz
When a young dog gives you their attention, keep it for as long as you can..
Don't take it for granted, especially when they could be off doing other things.
One of the most common things we get contacted about is to do with young dogs around the 12 - 18 month mark that won't come back when called and who just act as if their humans do not exist.
Puppies are pretty easy to train. They're like little kids. They like to hang close to their safety net (you) in general. But as they get older they become much more adventurous and confident. Just like teenage kids too. And if we haven't set the expectations that good things also happen with you from an early age, as soon as they hit that adolescent stage, they'll be off and very unlikely to come back when you want them to.
Dog training isn't about having the most obedient dog. It's about teaching them certain skills so they can have a better life. If we don't teach our young dogs from an early age, then it's very likely down the line they're going to do the things we don't want them to do, or that are just simply unsafe for them or other people. If we have a dog that won't come back or doesn't enjoy hanging out with us then we have to have them leashed otherwise it's unsafe or unfair on other people.
Cosmo is almost 4 months now. This was the second time he'd met our newest foster Lobo.. They've got on great but we don't want to just let them run riot all the time. We want to make sure that our dogs can still focus on us and comply if we need them to.
I don't care too much about things here, as long as Cosmo orients to me then I'll take it. It's not beautiful training but that's what's good about doing training little and often. Eventually it doesn't need to be good training. It just becomes a habit for them and so you can get away with being lazy and sloppy.
www.Thinkdog.nz
Puppies learn very quickly.
The consequences to their behaviour is what either makes that behaviour more likely to be repeated or simply makes the behaviour less likely to be repeated.
I’ve never met a dog owner that at some point doesn’t grab their dog by the collar. That’s not a problem. For safety a lot of us will have to do that at some point.
Dog training for us is about setting our dogs up to succeed with every day life.
All the things we think we’ll likely have to do or will just happen to do to them get put into the training programme.
And one of those things is grabbing them by the collar.
How do we teach them to be okay with this? very simply. When they’re as young as Cosmodo (yes that’s his name now to us - or Cosy) all we need to do is just grab the collar and feed them.
It’s very simple, but it’s very effective.
Remember, really good dog training, is just the basics done very, very well.
www.Thinkdog.nz
