One Fine Canine

Sugar learned very quickly that she loved putting her collar on herself! Instead of just putting the collar on her ourselves, we change the way she feels about it by teaching her that the presence of it equals great things! Once she caught on she couldn't put her head in fast enough! 😄

Lucius and I demonstrating how to condition your dog to a positive word marker or clicker. This should be your very first step when beginning your training journey with your dog. Word markers and clickers help with accurate communication. They help your dog learn faster and it greatly lessens the chances of frustration during training. Use your word marker or clicker when teaching new behaviors or changing behaviors and once your dog has caught on, you don't need to use it for that behavior anymore! Also, timing is key when using a marker, so practice using them right when your dog completes the desired the behavior or as soon as they make the choice that you wanted to reinforce! Make sure that desired reinforcement always comes after the marker and your dog will have it down in no time! Happy training! On a side note, Lucius was a little worried during this video about someone on the other side of the fence. Can anyone point out the mild stress signals that he displays? #onefinecanine #humane #dogtraining #lucius

Ren's pet parents have been doing an amazing job working on these newer behaviors! We taught each behavior individually and then started chaining them together. We mix it to keep things interesting and fun! It made for the perfect rainy day activity to help provide mental stimulation and fun when he couldn't go out for walks. I always enjoy watching them work with Ren! 🖤🐕 #onefinecanine #humane #dogtraining

We can also teach fun cues too! And just because they are fun doesn't mean they don't have value! Teaching your dog anything new in a fun, positive way provides valuable mental stimulation and helps build a stronger bond between you and your dog! Ren loves doing his "bang" cue! 😄 #onefinecanine #humane #dogtraining

Here Ren works on his "round" cue and adding in a "down" with some distance! We started close to the cone and slowly added distance as Ren was consistently getting it right! Great work Marty and Ren! 🖤 #onefinecanine #humane #dogtraining #dogtraininggames

Ren is a dog reactive dog and although his owners have worked very hard to get him to the point of not reacting when they have him out for walks, they plan on taking him camping this summer! With off leash dogs being a common occurrence in that environment, one of the tools they wish to utilize to keep Ren safe is a basket muzzle. While they are waiting for the muzzle to come in the mail, we started muzzle conditioning using a cone! We started this behavior using shaping and was first rewarding Ren for just looking at the cone or sniffing it. Within no time he was happily sticking his face inside! 😄 #muzzleconditioning #shaping #safetyfirst #muzzleupproject #onefinecanine #humane #dogtraining #dogtraininggames

Hand targeting is not only a great confidence builder, but a great tool to use to interrupt undesirable behaviors without the risk or fallout of using punishment or "corrections". So just remember, if your dog is doing something you want to stop, you don't need a "correction", all you need is to ask for something incompatible with the behavior, like touch. Your dog can't do the undesired behavior and touch at the same time, so this not only stops the behavior, it also presents a better, more positive choice! 😄 #handtargeting #positivereinforcement #dogtraining #onefinecanine

Ren runs right into his new crate without any cues or prompting! We are using shaping here to create positive associations with the new crate and slowly start working on closing the door and adding duration. This crate is extremely durable and did I also mention that it folds up! How amazing is that!! #impactcrates #onefinecanine #humane #dogtraining

Here Lucius demonstrates a couple of his cues, sit, down, holding down, and stand. All very useful cues for a wide range of scenarios! You will see that I quickly added reinforcement when he started to get up from his down too early, but he only paused (maybe this position can be a new trick we work on!) So I just re-cued him and we tried again. He was very successful and he absolutely loves learning things! It's amazing seeing him think and learn! 🖤🐺 #luciusthewolfdog #onefinecanine #humane #dogtraining

The foundation for a solid recall is as simple as consistently pairing a noise or word with something your dog finds very reinforcing. Adding distance, duration, and distractions comes after this association is successfully made and is certainly the harder part of recall training as it takes a lot purposely set up scenarios and consistency to ensure success. If your dog doesn't come to you then the criteria was too difficult and you will want to set up a similar scenario that's easier, like decreasing the distance or starting off with just rewarding a look at you instead. This gives you something to build off of. Also, it's important to remember that dogs are not good at generalizing, so if you have never called your dog when a squirrel is present, you will want to make sure to decrease distance, having a lower criteria to teach your dog that come applies when this type of distraction is present. 🐕🐾🐕🐾🐕🐾🐕🐾🐕🐾🐕 In this video specifically, I call Lucius to come inside for his lunch. "Come" for Lucius means that I have something he wants. And if you pay close attention to the timing of his recall, he has actually already started to come when he hears the door open because he has learned that this door opening means I am going to call him and he's going to get something. Although I never plan to let Lucius off leash in public, a solid recall behavior is important for safety reasons. #luciusthewolfdog #onefinecanine #humane #dogtraining #recall

Being able to enjoy a beautiful walk with your dog is a great feeling. With no pulling, it's a stress-free experience for everyone! We teach reliable loose-leash walking skills humanely, so we don't have to rely on an aversive tool or risk the negative side effects of their use. The only thing we rely on here is the amazing relationship with our dog and the behaviors that we have successfully taught. Take away a shock or prong collar and your dog is more than likely to revert back to previous behavior, but an amazing relationship and learned behaviors are not something that can just be taken away, resulting in truly reliable behaviors with your dog! How amazing is that?! #luciusthewolfdog #onefinecanine #humane #dogtraining

Have you ever seen your dog roll in a gross or interesting smell? This is an innate behavior called "scent rolling". It's almost like they can't help it, especially if the smell is very strong. Not all dogs scent roll, but if your dog does you will definitely want to try to avoid dead things and poop! 😂😂🤢🐾🐾 Here is Lucius rolling on a sprinkle of coffee grounds. #luciusthewolfdog @moonstruckwolfdogs #onefinecanine #scent #rolling #dogbehavior