Dog Training with Cindy Noland

08/26/2024

Client Appreciation Picnic! Sept 22, 2024, the first day of fall. All current and former clients invited for some food, fun, dogs and good people. Please rsvp to me at [email protected] if you are coming and if you are bringing a human companion. Of course, dogs are to be included! More info when the date gets closer.

06/17/2024

05/30/2024

MACH Mo and Mary Blom. April 17, 2024.

04/08/2024

MACH Ch Stark!

03/17/2024

Practice at Northern Border in Washingtonville, OH next Sunday, 3-24. Message me if interested.

02/14/2024

Both Stark and Cseze qualified for the AKC Rally National Championship again this year! I won't be going as money is going toward Malinois Nationals again. Maybe next year, but proud of my teams anyhow!

12/06/2023

Happy helps me work with reactive dogs and so.etimes a distraction for performance dogs. Tonight he had a ball and Elma Jean wanted it. Lol!

11/20/2023

Getting back to the agility trials lately and I want to recognize some of my students who have been trialing, many with their first ever agility dogs! Congratulations to you all for putting in the effort, being faithful with your lessons and practicing at home and attending the special practices at other facilities. Effort pays off!

08/12/2023

When working with dogs, especially with performance and sport dogs, we all strive to be the perfect trainer or handler but sometimes the human part of the team is flawed in some way. It can be a physical limitation that prohibits the handler from performing the traditional cues, or a mental issue that keeps one from remembering or being timely with cues or various other problems. Most people are not experts and most people will have some kind of limitation and our dogs need to be able to adjust for their individual owners. This is where cookie cutter methods don't always work out. This is where individual and in person instruction is most beneficial. Methods can be adjusted to conform to the needs of the team. So while I might be able to take someones dog and make it work for me it doesn't always transition back to the owner of the dog. Even fast agility dogs can learn to work with mobility challenged handlers, strong dogs can learn to walk with frail owners, and obedience dogs can learn to be patient with handlers whose timing is off.
We all know dogs are perfect, and sometimes they just have to put up with their less than perfect counterparts.

06/17/2023

Fun event for all you dog owners and lovers! Cseze and I will be competing in dock diving as Team Jumping Puma on Saturday! Come on over and cheer us on at 1:30, 3:30 and vertical at 5:30. I hope to see a lot of my clients with their well behaved dogs!

02/08/2023

This week I drove an hour each way, or more, to go practice rally and obedience. Two different days. Not a show, just a practice. Why? Because I want to do well at the Malinois National in May. Rather than let my performance fall to chance I am putting in the work and preparing my dogs for what is to come. Each practice, especially at a new place, gives me valuable information on how my dogs feel, what they know, and how they will perform. With that information I make a plan that will help us to improve. Each of my dogs are different in almost every way, so each has their own plan. One has to get comfortable and one has to have time to calm down. My expectations are also based on the individual dog, what level of performance is their "best". My goal is that each dog will do the best of their abilities, and those abilities are mostly dependent on me and how well I prepare them. The next couple of months will be busy and full of preparation. I believe in being over prepared so that I can relax (relatively) and enjoy our performance.
Years ago while getting ready for the Doberman club obedience Top 20 event with my dog Britta a wise friend told me "don't get so nervous that you don't remember everything." I plan to store lots of memories this year!

01/13/2023

Generalizing the "hold" behavior using reward availability. As soon as the item is taken by the dog the reward, the ball, is made available. (The dog already knows not to grab it until permitted.) The presence of the reward makes the dog hyper focused and prevents chewing and grip shifting of the retrieve item. Reward availability is very valuable for a lot of behaviors and easy for the dog to understand. If a mistake is made by the dog, such as dropping the item, the reward is instantly NOT available. Even if I show the reward for one behavior I don't have to give it to the dog every time. Once I ask for another behavior, such as coming closer to me, the item is temporarily unavailable until the new behavior is accomplished. I can make it unavailable simply by twisting my wrist to block the view of the toy. This hold behavior was shaped to start with. She is panting from excitement and activity, not stress. And the eagerness to take it is her attempt to make the reward come quicker, not an avoidance of any negative consequence such as an e-collar. Distraction provided by Stark, as usual.

01/07/2023

Sincerity is just as important in dog training as it is in relations with other humans. It is a big part of communication with a species that does not speak the same language as we do. "Sincerity: the quality of being free from pretense, deceit, or hypocrisy" In other words, mean what you say. When using praise in training you must mean it, and more importantly the praise marker should be backed up with a reinforcement that is meaningful to the dog. When you mark a behavior, whether a desirable one with a "yes!" or an undesirable one with a "no!" it should be followed up with a consequence appropriate to what you are trying to accomplish. (reward/punishment) If you have been consistent with conditioning your dog to your marker words you will see a reaction when you make them. And building on that, you should also FEEL the emotion you want to convey to your dog. Dogs read energy extremely well, in each other and in us. If you lie when you say "good dog" enough times and don't feel it, whether you are tired or annoyed, the dog will learn that word does not mean much. You can even mess up their enjoyment in their reward by not conveying that feeling. I will often mark behaviors that I like, but when they get it right in a big way my emotion changes and I let them know that they did something super good! They respond by trying harder to get that same response from me. The actual reward item might be the same, but the energy is not and they respond to that in a positive way. An action known as "cheerleading" is often lying, the people use high pitched voices and insincere energy in an attempt to convince the dog that they are having a good time. Dogs are better at reading sincerity than people, I believe, so don't lie to your dog. :)

01/03/2023

There is no substitute for experience. And that saying is no more pertinent than in dog training. Up close and personal interaction with many dogs of various breeds and personalities is the most valuable of experience. Have good knowledge of dog behavior and learning theory and you can teach just about any dog with any method. And with experience an observant trainer will be able to read each dog as an individual and be able to apply the most appropriate methods to achieve the desired results. All dogs are individuals, much like humans are, but dog behavior and how they learn is consistent. An experienced trainer is quick to recognize specific behaviors and knows how to address them, either encouraging wanted behaviors or discouraging unwanted behaviors. And also what methods are most appropriate and effective for that particular dogs character and personality. Every dog will teach you something and give you knowledge, make sure to be open to receive the experience.

10/28/2022

Agility practice at Countryside in Erie, PA will be on Sundays.
Dec 4
Dec 11
Jan 29
Feb 26
Mar 19
April 2
We usually start at noon, so I am thinking one hour advanced handling group class, a one hour Novice level group class for dogs who are ready to trial. and then a few 30 min private lessons after that. I have to reserve the times so please let me know asap which one you are interested in and what times are good for you. Class price will be based on how many people in the class to cover the rent of the ring and my time. Current clients given first choice, but outside people also welcome!

08/31/2022

CLIENT APPRECIATION PICNIC 2022! Sat Oct 1 starting at 2:00. All past and present clients and their dogs welcome! There will be food, games, agility, rally and coursing set up for your dogs and you to enjoy. Rain date will be Sun Oct 2. Show off your dogs good manners or bring a crate or pen for them to relax in. More info later but save the date on your calendar now!!!

05/19/2022

Yelling at your dog AFTER it has done something bad is not going to alter it's behavior. Most likely your dog will look at you and just keep doing what it is doing. Most people yell at their dog and then never do anything to back it up, so yelling has no consequences good or bad and therefore is meaningless to the dog. The best way to end a bad habit is to PREVENT IT from happening in the first place. Behaviors that are repeated become habits, whether you yell afterward or not. Control the dog and the environment and help the dog to rehearse the correct and desirable behavior and reward (or absence of punishment) for it. This is how your dog learns good behavior. Yes, it is harder and requires more effort on your part but it is worth it to have well behaved dogs that other people enjoy being around.

05/10/2022

Cseze and Griffy practice waiting at the park while we pack up our cars after rally practice. Griffy also did an excellent down stay while we ate, only was corrected once for demanding vocally. Obedience is very useful for every day life and lets you enjoy each other so much more. Afterwards a nice walk without being dragged around. Tons of distractions and we helped our dogs be successful. Confident dogs with clear rules are happy and a joy to have around!

03/23/2022

PACH Brooks, owned by Linda Arnold, earned his title on 3, 13, 2022.

03/17/2022

Fever always had something to say about contact obstacle performance in agility! With the method I use today the dogs LOVE their contact obstacles. It is no longer a place of conflict. The dogs love the contact "game" and are eager and quick to get to the yellow zone to earn their reward, and the reward is getting to go on to the next fun thing.

03/17/2022

Stark earning his APR3 title with High Obedience in trial. June 2017. We lost points in protection for additional "out" commands but I screamed loud enough that he finally released his grip so we passed. Whew!

03/10/2022

Outdoor, fully fenced agility field. AKC regulation contact equipment from Mark's Agility Equipment. Also available for rent weather permitting.

03/10/2022

03/10/2022

My building is available to rent for $20 per hour with no instruction. It is 30'x50', Great Mats rubber flooring. I have agility and comp obedience equipment, or bring your own. A great place to practice before a trial! I've had obedience, agility, rally and even mondioring people here working their dogs. If you are interested send me a pm or email me at [email protected]. (proceeds go toward enlarging and improving the building!)

11/19/2021

Six month old Millie with owner Beverly Miller. Millie is learning communication with her handler. Learning cues for direction, motion, and obstacle commitment. Millie is a fantastic Lab pup!

04/14/2021

Interesting reading.
Intrinsic Motivation:

Trainers from the instinct sports know something that other's do not... the value of intrinsic motivation...

While we need to teach with food and toys and praise, these need to be considered teaching tools. Your teaching tools are there to help you clarify the concept that you are trying to communicate, but in no way should be keeping your dog engaged and with you.

Your dog needs to be enjoying working with you, and should not be working for his food. While this almost looks the same, there is a ginormous difference.

If you are confused by what I mean, go take all leashes and training equipment off your dog, and empty your pockets, and go and stand still. Is your dog pestering you to do something with them? If yes, all is good. If all you see is a tail and a bum, then when you get your food they are suddenly ever-present, you have some work to do.

I do not want my dogs thinking, "If I do this, I get that". It won't hold when I need them the most.

What we need to instill into our dogs is an inner joy for their work. If they love their work, the work itself becomes the reward.

Rewards quickly steal the play from play and turn it into work. Alternately, focusing on the learning of the work can turn it into play. If you don't believe me, ask some young kids to help you wash your car and observe how they enjoy the sponges and the bubbles, and their finished product. Then the next time pay them $5 for washing your car. Do that twice, and see the difference in their enjoyment as they do it. Rewards stop inherent enjoyment - and instead get us focused on the reward at the end, not the job at hand.

However, there are exceptions where, "If I do this, then I get that," rewards are needed. They have a place when it comes to dull, mundane practise, such as is necessary for any repeated drill like fronts and finishes, that has no purpose to the dog. As Evan Graham says, "Leave something in it for the dog". If the work itself gives the dog nothing, then we need to add it.

Intrinsic Motivation is complex, and will take a while for you to wrap your brain around. Rewards do have a time and place, but the difficulty arises when they are expected. The focus and enjoyment on the challenges of the work lose their value and enjoyment, and rather become a roadblock to their reward. We need to create joyful work, and joyful moments, and find the right balance. Allow work to become enjoyable work, (with a reward at the end) rather than focusing on the reward at the end.

Monique Anstee
Victoria, BC