SitSpot Canine Center

01/04/2025

Do you make resolutions?

I do not.

I do set goals. Reasonable, tiny goals that grow into bigger goals.

Atomic Habits is an amazing book. I highly recommend it.

I keep going back to it, though I have not yet read the whole book. I get so inspired every time I start it that I put it down and actually do what the author suggests.

It works. Try it. Read Atomic Habits. Stop making resolutions that you won't keep.

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01/03/2025

Dog training is a life style, not an event. And playing training games with your dog as part of your life with your dog and your family is the most effective way to prevent behavior problems and/or to change behaviors.

I suggest you look for and take advantage of opportunities that present themselves to test and progress your training.

I have not had a lot of opportunities to work Marvel the Wonder Dog around real life difficult distractions, like people arriving at the gate, though I manufacture a lot of distractions.

For example, a friend pulled up to our gate and the 4 dogs in the yard with me went flying to say "Hi". I was quite a way behind them and called out "Sit".

2 did. The friend's dog did not, and Marvel the Wonder dog did not. "hmmmm", I said

I did not keep calling out "Sit", instead I went and got her by the collar and gently took her back to where she was when I first called "Sit".

I told her to "Wait" and walked back to where I was when I originally called.

She started to follow me. So we practiced "wait" a couple of times and she was successful.

I went back to my place and called "Sit". She stood her ground. "hmmmm", I said.

"sit" once more. She stood stock still. "hmmmm", I said.

I typically will give the dog in training 2 opportunities.

I walked to her and said "sit". She did. I made the exercise a little easier and made a note that she needs lots more practice responding to cues when people arrive at the gate.

You see, she had gone to a state of high arousal at the gate. At that moment her brain was not able to process what I was asking.

There is more to this "training opportunity", but the end result was Marvel stood still while I walked back to my original starting point and called "Sit". She did.

We repeated the exercise, just once! She got a cookie for the second one, not the first success.

I knew my friend would not only not mind waiting for us to work through this, but she would find it interesting. Friends are invaluable for dog training!

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01/02/2025

I hope everyone has a year and more of good health, peace and prosperity.

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12/22/2024

Try calling your dog away from something, anything, difficult distraction or easy. Call just once.

What happened?

Did your dog come bounding, delighted to come to you?

If not, I suggest you note in your training notebook (you do have one, right?) the date, the distraction or none if there was no distraction, and what you did for either the successful recall or the failure.

There are tons of games you can play with your dog to teach a reliable recall.

If you'd like to learn how to teach your dog to come the first time you call, contact me and I will be happy to help.

530-257-3161

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12/20/2024

Recently while working with Marvel the Wonder Dog I became impatient, wanting her to understand what I wanted and not getting the desired results.

I stepped back, took a couple of deep breaths, looked at my video and recognized I needed to slice the behavior thinner. That means I was asking too much of her too soon. She was confused. She was not deliberately not doing what I asked. Dogs don't do that.

So I went to my "training chocolate" and we had a great time together. My training chocolate is nose touches to my hand, a game she has come to love and is very cute doing. We laughed together.

Then we returned to the game we had been working on, I asked her for much less, and she was successful.

I could see her relief. She was more relaxed and looked SOOO happy.

So we did a couple of quick, short retrieves and ended the session.

When we return to the original exercise, the one that left me frustrated, I know we will be successful. I will build her confidence slowly and her response speed and accuracy will increase.

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12/17/2024

"Animal training is both an art and science" Bob Bailey.

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12/16/2024

If you or someone you know is thinking about giving a pet for Christmas, please don't! The holidays are a poor time to bring an animal into a home.

The regular routine of the home is likely to be disrupted, and in all likelihood there will be more opportunities for holiday foods pets shouldn't have to accidentaly find their way to the pet.

A better idea is to bring the pet home after the holidays, when things have settled down and you can give the new family member the time, training and attention needed to help the animal adapt to the new surroundings more successfully.

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12/16/2024

Is your dog afraid to have his toenails trimmed? I wish we had access to this groomer, or someone trained by her! Unfortunately I believe she is down by San Diego.

You can, however, help your dog to accept toenail trimming at home by yourself. The first step is to teach your dog to lie on her side with her head down. You can use a target stick or just your hand, using lots of small bits of super high value for (think steak or roast beef). Take your time. It may take days, weeks or even months, especially if your dog has been repeatedly traumatized by the experience of being forced.

You can also test your dog's tolerance of leg/ feet handling: While standing next to or in front of your dog, have super high value "cookies" ready in one hand. With your other hand, lightly stroke a front leg from the elbow down toward the foot.

At the moment you see your dog BEGIN to be concerned, give a cookie and stop. Repeat, repeat, repeat, whenever you think of it.

Do both legs.

Write down the day you start, and keep track of when your dog is ok with your hand stroking a little lower, and a little lower, etc., until you can pick up a foot and wiggle a toenail.

Got the idea? I'd love to hear how you progress.

12/13/2024

I have heard, "Honor the no and shape the yes". Think about that. It makes so much sense.

When a dog says "no", respect the dog. Shape what you want to eliminate the "no".

Handling is just one area where a dog may say "no". One of the most common dogs tell us "no" is having their toenails trimmed.

You can eliminate the "no" by shaping your dog to relax and maybe enjoy having toenails trimmed.

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12/12/2024

A couple of days ago a woman with a small dog on a leash approached me. We greeted each other and the woman moved on.
A few steps away the wee dog saw a small metal sculpture and stopped, looked sideways at the sculpture, her weight shifted slightly backwards and she moved a front foot as though to move away. I stepped to the sculpture and touched it, telling her she was very brave but that this thing was ok.

The woman looked puzzled, so I asked if she had seen that her dog was concerned about the sculpture.

Turns out she had completely missed what her dog had experienced!!! To me the dog waved a huge neon sign.

Pay attention to your dog's body language and try to understand how dogs respond to stimuli, objects and other things in their environment. Sometimes you can better understand why dogs do what they do. Often you can prevent behaviors you don't want or fears developing in dogs.

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12/12/2024

Often people comment on how engaged my dogs are with me. It is not magic!

When training is done right and well, and quality time is spent together, my dogs and I (clients' dogs too!) get very connected.

Trust is a key, the dog trusting I will offer fun and I will try to understand what the dogs are trying to communicate.

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12/12/2024

Here is a short Susan Garrett clip about dog body language and behavior. Enjoy!

12/12/2024

hahahaha!

BAD NEWS: Looks like Santa picked the wrong team this Christmas. GOOD NEWS: Your presents should come earlier this year.

Pic credit: Karen Vermeulen.

12/11/2024

Dog training has gone through a lot of changes since I went to school to become a professional dog trainer back in 1985. We now use "cues" instead of "commands", and while we were taught about how dogs learn and how to read dog body language, etc., I believe there is a lot more understanding of dog body language and behavior. There have been tons of scientific studies on most effective training methods among average pet dog owners. More dog owners are concerned about their relationship with their dogs, and I believe, overall, more people are using kinder methods, or at least trying to.

Often dog owners are misguided or misunderstand how to use positive reinforcement, shaping, and other techniques.

Lots of people get frustrated and give up training their dogs. Some fall into the trap of thinking, "My dog is stubborn because his breed is stubborn", or some such nonsense.

I have been professional dog trainer since 1986 and have yet to meet a stubborn dog. I have, however, met lots of dogs who either don't really know what their owners think they know, or they simply don't see enough value in responding to cues.

I use game based training techniques because they work and are fun for dogs and people.

If you'd like help training your dog, call and set up a meeting with me. 530-257-3161. Jackie Earnshaw, CPDT-KA, Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed. I would love to help you and your dog.

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12/11/2024

Excellent!!!!! if you or someone you know is having a baby, or have a child, please read and pass it on!!!

We have all seen it happen! 👀

One second, your baby is sitting on the floor in your view practicing tummy time and the next… They are gone and on the move! 👋🏻

The sudden changes in mobility can come as a surprise to not only us as parents and guardians, but also our dogs!

This is where our active, awake, aware adult supervision becomes even more important! Once a baby reaches mobility, we usually need double management (like a baby gate and X pen or a crate) when we aren’t able to actively be supervising to ensure everyone’s comfort and safety!

Another way to help increase success once your baby on the move is implementing this Family Paws Phrase:

“Dog and Baby on the scene, Parent in Between!” 💚

In these moments of change, it is important to remember that this is all new for our dogs too even if they have been around babies in the past!

Each dog and child are unique and require different things to feel safe! Always watch your dog’s body language for clues as to how they may be feeling about a certain situation and adjust accordingly!

✏️

12/09/2024

In dog training, a bridge is not a physical structure you drive or walk across, it is a "reward marker", i.e., it tells the dog reinforcement is coming because of something the dog did. An example is asking the dog to Sit, getting a sit, saying "good" or clicking a clicker, followed by tossing a toy or giving a food reward.

A Keep Going Signal, "KGS", is a way of letting the dog know he should continue what he is doing, he is on the right track. One example is saying "Yes", but the dog should not stop what he is doing when he hears that.

Not all trainers would agree with this example, because some use "Yes" as a bridge, and "Good" as a KGS! It is possible to over use a Keep Going Signal. I am careful to use them sparingly as dogs can get confused. Most of the time it is better to be quiet rather than chatter while training.

One of my goals in dog training is to get "FTP", an anachronism Susan Garrett coined for "First Time Perfect", i.e., getting correct responses to first requests.

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