Professional private training lessons and dog behavior consultations in the Greater Denton, Texas ar
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In-home private dog training and behavior consulting with Kit Perry.
I've opened up more appointments for in-your-home dog training. Our weather is warming up in the North Texas area, and it will be perfect for taking nice walks with your dog. If your dog pulls on the leash and the walks are not-so-enjoyable, in-your-home dog training may be a good solution for you! Message me for more information.
Deer! Polly is trained that if anything interesting happens on our walk, and he looks at me, he gets a treat. When deer run by, he will automatically look to me and expect a snack without me needing to call him or worry about him chasing after the deer.
I love PORTL (a teaching system to strengthen trainer skills).
We’ve gotten into the busy part of the semester, and I haven’t shared an update recently from our PORTL graduate class.
Over the past several weeks, I have been lecturing to the class about errorless learning, one of my favorite topics.
Last week, we took some time to talk about component behaviors and prerequisite behaviors. During my lecture, I shared this quote from Dr. B. F. Skinner.
Skinner writes that, “The student can be taught how to study and how to think. I don’t see any point in making education chaotic and difficult in order to teach the student to rise above a difficult environment. If you want to teach him to rise above a difficult environment, then program a difficult environment.”
The quote is from a small book from 1968 in which Evans interviewed Skinner.
Traditionally in teaching situations, educators and trainers have often presented problems that were above the learner’s head. Perhaps they thought that the learning experience would be more valuable if the student had to really struggle.
What often happens in these situations, however, is that only some of the learners are able to meet the challenge. Others fail. Still others figure out the solution, but the experience is unpleasant and it makes them not like the topic or learning in general.
Instead, Skinner urges us to “program a difficult environment.” This statement may seem cryptic. However, what he means is that we need to identify the skills the student will need and go through a teaching process so that the student can successfully learn these skills and competently face new problems and challenges.
Photo description: The image is text only and has the Skinner quote that is also included in the post.
Kazoo had an accident. But it wasn't an accident at all.
I was tired and dragging when I woke up at 5:30am. I let Toast and Kazoo out to potty because I didn't feel like going outside. Kazoo is pretty reliable so I didn't feel the need to monitor his morning potty outing. I got their breakfast put together in their food puzzle toys while they were outside.
Kazoo came back inside and I said, "that was quick", full well knowing he usually takes longer outside. Then I said in a silly voice, "I hope you did your business" and went about my morning.
Kazoo followed me for the most part as I went up and down the stairs, in and out of different rooms, at breakfast, and got ready for the day.
When I went to do something else I found p**p in the hall. This was no accident.
What happened?
I didn't feel like going outside- no excuse. Tired or not, by not monitoring if my puppy p**ped I can't know that he went and that it's ok to give him more freedom.
I was tired- no excuse. Same rule applies as above.
He's pretty reliable- means he's not 100% reliable- he's still a puppy.
"I hope you did your business"- I banked on him being reliable with his house training habits.
"That was quick"- I knew he wasn't out long enough.
Kazoo followed me around as I was doing things... for the most part. Which means I didn't have eyes on him for some of the time to notice any signaling that he needed to go.
I set Kazoo up for failure. He had no chance of being successful with house training. I should have went out with him to be sure he went potty. I didn't. When he came back inside quickly, this was a chance to redeem myself and help him get it right... and I didn't.
This was no accident. The p**p in the hall was a direct result of me not following my house training plan. Trainers are humans, too. We all make errors.
Really cool research on using a clicker and always following with a treat or using a clicker and sometimes treating.
Congratulations to Pamela L. Peiris and Jesús Rosales-Ruiz for their recently published article in the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.
The article, which is titled “Some detrimental effects of conditioned reinforcement on the maintenance of dog behavior” will appear next month in a special issue that focuses on animal behavior and animal training.
Many positive reinforcement animal trainers use a clicker, whistle, or some other marker signal as a “conditioned reinforcer.”
However, trainers disagree about whether the click should always be followed by a treat (or another type of primary reinforcer) or whether it is okay to sometimes double click. That is, whether it is okay for the trainer to sometimes click and not give the animal a treat.
This research study investigated this question. The article explains the results of the study, as well as the implications for both animal training and basic behavioral research.
I particularly like this quote from the paper’s discussion section:
“Conditioned reinforcers are not static. That is, conditioning is happening all the time.... Rather than letting conditioned reinforcers develop haphazardly, communication during training may be clearer if the trainer teaches and maintains a well-defined and consistent conditioned reinforcer, such as a clicker, that can serve as a discriminative stimulus for collecting the reinforcer.”
Here is a link that you can use to read the article:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/author/DNPISC98HXFWAXAASNBR?target=10.1002/jeab.790
Training tip Tuesday: If you know your dog is likely to do something “naughty” or “bad”, don’t wait for them to do it! Get in front of the behavior.
Yesterday I was driving down the street in my neighborhood, and I saw a dog that I often see being walked. This dog tends to bark and lunge at other dogs, and the owner struggles with the dog’s behavior. There was another dog on the other side of the street, and as that dog was passing by the other dog stared. And stared. And stared. And THEN, after probably 5 seconds of staring and getting worked up, the dog started to bark and lunge, at which point the owner started to pull and yank on the dog in an effort to STOP the behavior.
When dogs have a long history of behaving a certain way, we have a pretty good idea of WHEN the behavior is going to happen. Old school dog training had us wait for the undesired behavior, and then CORRECT the behavior using all means of nasty techniques. But we know now that training that way can have negative consequences for our dogs and our relationships, so we no longer want to train that way.
Instead, if your dog has a history of a problem behavior in predictable contexts, focus on getting in front of the behavior proactively, instead of waiting for the naughty behavior and reacting instead!
In the case of the dog in the first paragraph, if his dog was able to take food in the presence of the other dog we could have tried scatter feeding, using a food lure to move the dog away, or asking for an alternative behavior (although this is usually a bit too difficult to start with!) BEFORE the barking and lunging started and then reinforcing heavily for these behaviors, which would have prevented the explosive outburst.
If your dog has a long standing jumping issue, don’t wait until your dog is already jumping on you! Instead, anticipate that they will probably jump on you when you get home, and either use management like gates and pens to prevent the jumping from happening at all, or ask your dog for a sit or four on the floor as they approach you and BEFORE they have jumped up on you. Don’t have them practice the jumping in the first place!
It’s so, so important to minimize the rehearsal of unwanted behaviors in our dogs, and one way to do this is to anticipate the behaviors and get your dog doing something else instead, before they’ve even been “naughty”!
Extremely responsible breeders do this sort of thing to allow the puppies to explore and acclimate to noises, moving objects, etc. Training and socialization can start super early.
So true!
Sharing this again as this topic has come up in a lot of my training sessions. Knowing how far back to dremel or cut a dark nail can seem tricky, but these photos help clarify things!
GUIDED PUPPY PLAY w/Karen Deeds, CDBC
****INFO UPDATE****
We've added room for those that would like to come and WATCH - AUDIT SPOTS. Those that would like to watch and learn. We've added registration links below for the audit spots as well.
10am Session will be for pups 16 weeks to 24 weeks.
Noon Session will be for pups 8 weeks to 16 weeks.
Puppies need to have been in the home for 2 weeks, been vet checked for health and wellness, have a recent negative f***l and have at least 1 Parvo and 1 Distemper vaccination. (Noon Session will need 2 Parvo and 2 Distemper vaccination.)
Each session is open to 4 puppies. All play will be closely monitored to promote mutual, happy and appropriate play. Puppies will have "safe" places to rest, as wall as novel equipment and surfaces to explore. Karen will monitor and point out the body language that each pup is showing.
Please fill in the "fields" questions during the registration. We hope that this session will be appropriate for your puppy. There may be some reason for disqualification, which will be explained to you, if this is the case. We will be looking for puppies that may be a good fit.
We have allotted an hour for this session, which will be dictated by the dogs in the session.
All FUR Fun Training and Event Center
15559 Wright Brothers Drive
Addison, TX 75001
Info? [email protected]
10am Session 16 week - 24 weeks - https://allfurfundog.dogbizpro.com/public/registration/index.aspx?schedule=2182
10am AUDIT spot - https://allfurfundog.dogbizpro.com/public/registration/index.aspx?schedule=2194
Noon Session 8 weeks - 16 weeks - https://allfurfundog.dogbizpro.com/public/registration/index.aspx?schedule=2183
Noon Session for AUDIT SPOT - https://allfurfundog.dogbizpro.com/public/registration/index.aspx?schedule=2193
Training Chickens. Why am I training a chicken? I'm actually taking a virtual training class. Chickens are used to sharpen training mechanics, partially because they move so fast, so your skills have to be good! I've teamed up with my friends, Mary Hunter and Paula Barber, to train this enthusiastic hen.
This is one of my favorite photos with a "hold" behavior. Poodles names are Liberty and Justice!
This doodle pup has been working on her obedience and manners. She is prepping for a fun outing to the lake and just got her new life jacket. She will be practicing wearing the life vest a few times at home and on walks before she actually goes on her lake trip. Sometimes "doggie attire" can be akward if a dog isn't used to it, so it's a good idea to gradually practice with them wearing it in familiar places first.
I take treats on ALL of my outings with my dog. Every walk, every vet visit, etc. I've learned that life will throw interesting scenarios your way. Being prepared to reward your dog for good behavior in new situations can make a huge impact overall. My dog, Polly, here is used to being rewarded for ignoring cats, ducks, barking dogs, etc. and he expects a reward for focussing on me when he sees these things. This particular cat ended up following us for a bit on the walk, which made for a fun training situation. Polly already earned treats for looking at me while we walked right by the cat. He earned a couple more for looking at me while the cat followed us.
Very well said. Correctly raising two puppies at once takes an extreme amount of time and energy. And teaching regular separation time is sooo important.
Myth busting Monday: Two puppies are better than one!
I sometimes get asked, when someone is bringing home a puppy, if it might be a good idea to bring home two at the same time, and my answer is always the same: a resounding NO. Please, please only commit to raising one puppy at once.
I think the person usually asking this question thinks that two puppies will keep each other company and they’ll be built in playmates, and honestly that is often true, but it’s literally the ONLY perk of having two puppies at once.
Puppies are A LOT of work. I think most people are surprised by just how much work puppies are, and how much time they consume. Even people who’ve had puppies before are often shocked at all of the things they had forgotten their puppies had done in the past (“my last puppy never did this!” “Yes, friend, I promise you they did. But that was 16 years ago and our memories fail us all the time!”)
Two puppies means twice the time spent potty training (your puppies will not always be on the same schedule, so make sure you know when the last time puppy a was out versus puppy b!). Two puppies means twice the time spent training; training two puppies at once is a difficult task for even experienced trainers, so don’t think you can just train them together!
Two puppies is also a much larger financial strain; are you SURE you want to pay two times the food, two times the vet, and two times the training fees? This is especially pertinent if your puppy ever contracts something contagious like worms or giardia; if one puppy gets something like this, it’s almost a guarantee that both puppies will have it if they’re sharing a living space.
But for me, the biggest problem with two puppies is the impact that having two puppies tends to have on that puppy’s socialization and behavioral welfare. Puppies usually get very attached to each other very quickly, and trying to work with one puppy at a time becomes complicated because the puppies may not want to be separated, so that’s a whole new skill you will need to teach them. And if you don’t teach them how to be apart, this usually presents as a pretty significant issue as they get older, with the puppies displaying extreme distress when separated from one another.
Additionally, in my experience if there are two puppies at home the puppies usually get less time out of the house, meaning less socialization, meaning those puppies are more likely to be worried or fearful of novelty as adult dogs, which can be disastrous. I often tell puppy clients that they need to get the puppy out every day to experience something new for at least 20-30 minutes; properly socializing your young puppy to the world simply cannot wait, and must be started as soon as you bring your puppy home.
With two puppies this should be done separately; it’s tempting to just take both puppies, but the truth is that if you have both puppies with you, you may not be getting a feel for how those puppies actually feel about stuff as individuals. Together your puppies may be confident, but they may get more easily overwhelmed when not together, and the only way to know is to get those puppies out separately. Which means an hour a day out of the house with your puppies to work on their socialization. So with that hour, on top of the training time, the exercise time, the time spent managing and supervising your puppy so they don’t hurt themselves by chewing through wires or swallowing a sock, the time spent cleaning up p*e and p**p, and all of the other time devoted to the puppies…. That’s A LOT of time! That’s a huge commitment!
Listen, I love puppies. Like, a lot. Like, a LOT a lot. I see upwards of 20 puppies a week in my group classes and private lessons and working with puppies is one of my favorite things in the world to do. And I personally would not ever want to take on two puppies at once, even with everything I know. When done well, it’s just way more work than your average person can handle.
Training Tip Tuesday: JUST REWARD YOUR DOG.
I know I'm probably preaching to the choir, and most people who follow my page are likely already doing this, but I know some of you will share this, and I want to hammer home this point: YOU CANNOT OVER REWARD GOOD BEHAVIOR. You just can't. You won't spoil your dog. You won't teach your dog to 'manipulate' you for food. You WILL see more of the behavior you like, though! And isn't that the point of training?
The NUMBER ONE thing that I do that increases engagement and compliance with my canine students is that I reinforce far more often than a non-trainer might. Sometimes in class my students will get frustrated because their dog responds better to me then them with all of the distractions, but the reason that that happens is that I am consistently generous with the dog and I pay with typically very exciting and novel food reinforcers. (my own novelty is likely also at play here as well, but unfortunately when we live with our dogs our novelty wears of fast, just ask Regis and Phoebe 😂😂😂).
There is no magic, I'm not a "whisperer", I don't have a special 'bond' with dogs, I just pay more often and have better treats! And those are both things you can do just as well!
The 'race to get rid of treats' is in our heads. There is no way to completely fade reinforcement from training (behaviors that are no longer reinforced get extinguished, that's just how it works). And I think sometimes our ego takes over even when we should know better (the dog SHOULD do it, because I said so!) when we've been working at a skill for a while. Don't let these things hold you back! REWARD YOUR DOG!
Guilty! 🙋🏻♀️😅🐶
Great workshop for training pros and dog owners who want to take their training skills to the next level!
We are excited to announce that we will be offering 2 two-day shaping workshops with Dr. Jesús Rosales-Ruiz and Mary Hunter this summer. These events will allow you to learn new concepts and to practice and refine your shaping skills.
Event details:
June 25–26, 2022
Ann Arbor, Michigan (near Detroit)
Hosted by: Laura Perkins and Sara Crockett
August 6-7, 2022
Hurst, Texas (near Dallas/Fort Worth)
Hosted by: The Art and Science of Animal Training
These workshops will consist of lectures, hands-on PORTL exercises, and discussion. These workshops are limited to small groups of attendees to allow ample time for discussion and so that participants can receive individual coaching during the hands-on exercises.
To find out more about both workshops, visit the Behavior Explorer website: https://behaviorexplorer.com/events/
So true. The earlier the better for training to start.
Myth busting Monday: Wait to start training your puppy/dog until (insert arbitrary age here)
There’s a lot of misinformation out there about when to start “training”, either at a certain age or after a certain amount of time that your dog has been in the home. But in my experience the sooner you begin working with a credentialed, experienced positive reinforcement based trainer the better. Remember: even if you’re not training, your dog is ALWAYS learning, and sometimes that learning leads to behaviors and habits we don’t want.
It is absolutely possible to change the behavior of an older dog, however when you are working to UNDO learning that has already taken place (whether that learning is “jumping up works for attention” or “when I bite people they go away”), the longer the unwanted behavior has been practiced the longer it will take for that behavior to change. A dog that’s been growling about having their paws touched for a year is going to be a MUCH longer term training project than a dog that’s only growled one time and whose owner immediately contacted a trainer. You can’t walk 10 miles into a forest and expect to get back out in 5.
I’m a firm believer that you will get more bang for your buck from preventative training; hiring a trainer to help you learn how to prevent rehearsal of problem behaviors is one of the most important things you can do with your dog, as is proactively teaching your dog life skills that you can ask for so that they’re not always guessing (and probably guessing wrong!)
So, if you know you’re bringing home a new dog or puppy any time soon start looking for a trainer NOW. Once you know when you’re bringing home your new addition, get on that trainers schedule ASAP so that you don’t end up having to wait. And if you’re bringing home a new puppy, get them signed up for a well run puppy class as soon as you can, for socialization purposes you do NOT want to wait (yes, that means getting them signed up even before they get their rabies shot at 16 weeks). Any well run puppy class should sanitize appropriately so that it’s safe for your pups to join class as long as they’ve got their first round of shots and have been in your home for a week!
Dogs oftentimes duck and back away when people try to pet them. This reaction is often subtle and goes unnoticed. This cartoon is a great exaggerated depiction of that reaction.
Most dogs don’t like to be pet on their head by strangers. Instead, if you want to say hello and you’ve asked their guardian, say hello verbally and allow the dog to choose if they want to be pet. If they come closer for a sniff, leave your hand at your side. Allow them to sniff and initiate a pet, then pet their side behind their shoulders and stop. If they want more, they’ll let you know. Consent is important for dogs, too.
My website is back up! Thank you everyone for your patience.
Easter Poodle! This is a great example of using a long duration hold behavior for fun photos. 2 other trained behaviors seen here are a sit with duration, and comfortably wearing the bunny ears. Good job, Bella!
So, so true. Oftentimes the same fear is manifested in a different behavior depending on the circumstances, or the developmental age of the dog.
Myth busting Monday: “He’s not aggressive, just fearful, so I don’t think I really have to do too much about it”
Every once in a while I’ll be chatting with someone about their dog, and they’ll talk about how their dog is “fearful, but not aggressive” so they don’t need to do anything about it, or they don’t need to worry about the dog’s behavior. Unfortunately this is not true and can often lead to more trouble down the road because that avoidant fear CAN turn into aggressive behavior under certain circumstances.
Many, many dogs who bark/lunge/bite started their lives practicing “flight” behaviors instead of fight behaviors. Flight behaviors are avoidance type behaviors such as moving away, hiding, and offering lower level cut off signals like head turns and body turns. These flight behaviors are often practiced by young puppies who are worried and insecure, as well as shy and fearful adult dogs.
Unfortunately for many of our dogs, humans do not often notice or listen to flight behaviors. Think about the dog at the family birthday party who is getting followed by a toddler and every time he moves away the child follows, or the dog that runs and hides when you break out the nail clippers, pushing themselves as far under the bed as possible. We understand that the dog isn’t enjoying themselves, but we don’t take these behavioral cues as a sign to stop doing what we’re doing. So we continue to do what we were doing, until the dog goes “oh god, moving away and hiding aren’t working! This human can’t take a hint! Guess I need to tell them in another way!” And then they escalate to growling or snapping, at which point we usually take notice and stop what we’re doing because aggression freaks us out.
So in the above situation, the dog has learned that flight behaviors DON’T work but that fight behaviors do, which makes the dog more likely to escalate to fight next time as well. If this continues to happen in scenarios where the dog if fearful, the dog will start to realize that there’s no point in practicing flight behaviors since no one listens to them anyway, and they will escalate to fight faster and faster. Dogs do what works.
Some dogs will escalate to aggression much faster than others, and in my experience there are other dogs that are much less likely to snap or bite. However, this isn’t something you can predict or know for certain until the dog has lived their life, so it’s much better to be proactive and make it so that your dog doesn’t have to escalate in the first place.
This post is NOT meant to shame anyone. I understand that sometimes we HAVE to do something to our dogs. Maybe your dog gets an ear infection and has to have ointment applied, or maybe your dog hates the cone but they have stitches so they have to wear it. Heck, my own dog Regis hates baths and I sometimes have to force a bath on him if he rolls in p**p (although that is something I’m going to work with him on).
The purpose of this post is to help you understand that flight and fight are two sides of the same coin and if you notice that your dog is avoidant around certain things, your best bet is going to be listening to those lower level “flight” signs that your dog is uncomfortable, and helping your dog feel better about the situation.
If you’re not sure where to start, hire a certified, qualified professional to help you!
“I couldn’t possibly stop taking my dog to the dog park every day, they’d be out of control!”
The above is a common worry that trainers hear when we suggest to owners that their dog could benefit from a little less dog park time. Many owners of hyperactive and excitable dogs use the dog park to burn off their dog’s energy, so that the dog is more manageable.
While the extreme playtime common to most dog parks will certainly tire out a dog, it is also one of the things that often exacerbates or even CAUSES hyperactivity. Here are some of the potential effects of frequent dog park time:
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1) BUILD UP OF STRESS HORMONES
A dog engaging in over-the-top play will be experiencing physiological stress. Living things react in almost the same way to extreme excitement as extreme fear. Whenever a dog is stressed, their body releases stress hormones like cortisol. These hormones are designed to do things like increase the heart rate and blood pressure, and ensure the body’s cells are fuelled with energy.
After a stressful event, it takes time for the dog’s hormone levels to return to normal; it can be as long as a whole week. Deep, restful sleep is a very important part of this process, and a dog who isn’t sleeping well will take longer to recover.
In addition, stress hormones are cumulative, meaning that if a dog has another stressful event before it has recovered from the previous one, the overall levels will be even higher.
This means that many dog park attendees are stuck in a cycle of ever increasing stress hormones, as their bodies don’t return to normal levels in between dog park visits.
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2) INCREASE IN PHYSICAL FITNESS
Using physical exhaustion as a method of reducing behavioural problems is not sustainable in the long term, because as a dog gets more and more accustomed to exercise, they require more and more physical activity to wear them out. Many owners of hyperactive dogs accidentally create canine athletes by forever increasing the amount of high energy exercise the dog receives (like dog park time) in an effort to tire out their dog.
Eventually the owner can’t keep up with the amount of exercise that the dog needs to be exhausted, and the behavioural problems like hyperactivity return.
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3) LACK OF FRUSTRATION TOLERANCE AROUND OTHER DOGS
Dogs who are dog park regulars often struggle in situations where they can’t approach other dogs to greet them whenever they like. They’re used to seeing another dog, and immediately being free to go up and say hello. If this isn’t balanced out by experiences where they learn that they’re NOT allowed to meet another dog, they usually struggle to succeed with behaviours like walking nicely on leash past another dog, or coming when called away from playtime.
The pattern of “I see a dog then I get to meet it!” is one of the common causes of frustration-based reactivity, when dogs bark and lunge at other dogs on leash because they’re hyper-motivated to greet them.
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So, how DO you help a hyperactive dog besides exhausting them physically? The answer is balanced ENRICHMENT. Providing a variety of productive outlets for their energy, like thinking and problem-solving games, learning new skills through positive reinforcement training, new sensory experiences like going on a sniffing adventure, carefully considered social experiences, and varied physical exercise.
Physical exercise IS important, but it shouldn’t be your one-step plan to solving your dog’s behavioural problems.
If you’re struggling with a hyperactive dog park addict, we highly recommend contacting your local professional trainer for assistance. You can also learn some more ideas for enrichment in our article here: https://www.beacondogtraining.com.au/short-article-mental-exercise.
Happy training Dog Geeks!
https://www.beacondogtraining.com.au/thatdoggeek
Dallas, TX
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Deer! Polly is trained that if anything interesting happens on our walk, and he looks at me, he gets a treat. When deer run by, he will automatically look to me and expect a snack without me needing to call him or worry about him chasing after the deer.
Training Chickens. Why am I training a chicken? I'm actually taking a virtual training class. Chickens are used to sharpen training mechanics, partially because they move so fast, so your skills have to be good! I've teamed up with my friends, Mary Hunter and Paula Barber, to train this enthusiastic hen.
I take treats on ALL of my outings with my dog. Every walk, every vet visit, etc. I've learned that life will throw interesting scenarios your way. Being prepared to reward your dog for good behavior in new situations can make a huge impact overall. My dog, Polly, here is used to being rewarded for ignoring cats, ducks, barking dogs, etc. and he expects a reward for focussing on me when he sees these things. This particular cat ended up following us for a bit on the walk, which made for a fun training situation. Polly already earned treats for looking at me while we walked right by the cat. He earned a couple more for looking at me while the cat followed us.
Trained my dog, Polly, to hold still for me to adminster IntraMuscular (IM) injections, which he will now get weekly. While I've trained many species to voluntarily stand for IM injections, this is the first time that I'll be giving the actual injection (usually a vet or colleague would administer the "real" shot). I first trained him at home to rest his head on me and hold still while I mess with his neck (recently added the cue "lap"). For the training, I use a syringe with the cap on, so nothing is actually going into his skin. Twin Lakes Clinic was kind enough to let us come in and have a vet tech coach me through the actual injection (my dog was fine, but I was a bit nervous). The training really helped make things go smoothly!
A couple years ago, my Goldendoodle, Polly, was told by the veterinarian that he had a heart murmur and may need chest x-rays. In order to prepare him for chest x-rays without the use of sedation, we trained him to lay down and stay still in a couple specific positions. We needed him to hold these positions long enough for an x-ray technician to exit out of the area and take the x-ray. My trainer friend, Bryan Gilbert, helped me out by playing the role of "x-ray technician"!
Does your dog jump on your guests when they come through the door? A great way to stop this is to teach your dog to go lay down on a mat (and stay until released). In order for this to be trained effectively, the dog needs to be able to respond to the cue on the first time without yelling. All of this was trained using food, praise, and petting rewards. The item on her collar isn't a shock device, it is a flower decoration. I will always recommend flower decorations over shock collars!
Teaching your dog to sit and wait while on a walk can help them slow down and focus instead of pulling on the leash. This energetic labrador is eager to get to the end of the fence to smell one of her favorite bushes. We used food rewards to initially train this, but now use the opportunity to go sniff as the end reward for doing multiple sits! Ideally, the dog is sitting quickly after being cued only 1 time and can respond to a neutral or even happy tone of voice (I don't need to scream "SIT!!"). If you need help getting your dog's "sits" quicker and more reliable, feel free to contact me to sign up for a Virtual Training Video Conference session! 559-460-0738.
Our Level #4 Volunteer workshop covered the training and safety skills to take the adoptable dogs to their own space in the dogpark. Gizmo was super excited to go to the park. The volunteer handler did great helping Gizmo walk on the leash without pulling, even when she was eager to get to the park!!
In today's Adoptable Obedience class, we got the dogs out to the park for a little run and play time. Turner took full advantage of the open space!
Dogs LOVE snuffle mats! We will have handmade snuffle mats for sale at Valley Animal Center's Holiday Bake and Craft Sale this Saturday, November 17th from 10am-2pm. Each colorful mat is only $40, with all proceeds going towards Valley Animal Center's Training & Enrichment Committee. Valley Animal Center is located at 3934 N Hayston Ave, Fresno, CA 93726. These mats make great gifts for dog owners!! Hope to see you there!
It seems the dogs' favorite trick in our group Tricks class is unrolling the yoga mat.
Jewels worked on walking on the leash without pulling during our Adoptable Obedience class. She's doing a great job!
Sauer was waiting for his forever home for several years at Valley Animal Center. He was adopted this month, and I had the pleasure of working with his new family to help make sure he was settling in well. The stairs posed an intimidating challenge for him at first, but he is already using them like a pro! He seems soooo happy in his new home!
Level #4 Volunteer workshop! For today's workshop, we took boxer-mix, Charlie, out to run and play. Volunteers learn safety and training skills for taking the Adoptable Dogs to their very own designated yard in the dogpark! Charlie is one of many adoptable dogs at Valley Animal Center!
Crush is learning "cross paws" in my group Tricks class! So cute!
We had our Level #4 Volunteer Training "Park Adventurers" workshop this morning. The volunteers at Valley Animal Center got to learn safety and training techniques as well as practice taking the adoptable dogs to their own exclusive yard at the dogpark. Halley, here, enjoyed the pool and exploring all the different smells in the grass!
Animal Behavior College intern, Desiree, has been working with Halley as one of her Adoptable Obedience projects. They have made a ton of progress! Halley is currently available for adoption! Great job, guys!
We had a great Level #4 "Park Adventurers" workshop today! Volunteers learn safety skills and training technique for taking the adoptable dogs to a designated dogpark yard at Valley Animal Center. Sherman enjoyed exploring the yard, but his favorite place was right next to his volunteer! He loves to be cuddled!
I decided to add "enrichment puzzle time" to my basic obedience class. The dogs ended up engaging with the puzzles and doing cute things more than I expected (so I had to video it)! Feeding in a "Food Puzzle" instead of a bowl is a great way to exercise your dog's brain, AND it can help reduce some problem behaviors such as digging and destructive chewing!
Progress with my foster-doodle. He learned this trick as a great alternative to jumping up to greet people. The rule is he can put his paws on me as long as his bottom stays on the ground.
