✨ Client Spotlight ✨
Finn's owner says, "Finn is doing great with his Place at work! He is doing great with recall, heel, and place!! Plus his whole temperament is awesome! And he’s 1!"
So proud of Finn and his owners for staying consistent with training after competing his board and train here at Top Dog, which has opened the door for these opportunities and bonding together. A testament to how truly life changing training can be. Keep up the great work! 🐶
We have one opening remaining for a board and train in April. Message or visit TopDogIN.com to learn more!
Helpful tip during a storm: Use your dog's crate. Use the crate daily, so it is a part of your dog's routine and provides a sense of comfort during these moments. Since crate time is part of our routine here, the storm was just like any other crate break and everyone was relaxed. They're used to the crate and crate covers.
What I would not do during a storm: Coddle my dog, stroke them, and tell them it's okay. I know it sounds like a good idea and harsh not to do, but coddling during those moments will reward the anxious behavior. When your dog is rewarded for being anxious, they will think it's what they should be doing. Their routine would be anxiety during a storm vs. calm crate time during a storm.
I shared a story this morning about the importance of calming your dog's mind down, and it led me to talk about that more. Daily place practice is beneficial in so many different ways. Your dog does not have to be constantly played with and stimulated. That can do more damage in the long run. Those play times and active training are important, but the calm time is just as important if not more!
What does the progression of getting your dog on the place bed look like? How can you guide your dog to the bed once they've mastered walking on with leash guidance? Watch this video for some place progression tips! Side note - yes, I was made aware of how many times I said "um" when I watched this back and added captions 😆 it's a work in progress! Next time will be better 😁 still helpful tips!
These are all possible progressions with consistent use of the command.
An example of a dog that's very nervous of new things. I've built trust with Vinny and follow through with what I ask for to provide clarity and help his confidence grow. I also wanted to show this to show the messiness of what training can look like in the beginning. Not every dog that comes to me magically wants to go on the bed and stay there. I used a lot of leash pressure and was confident in what I was doing with Vinny to help him understand what we're doing and provide clarity vs confusion. We practice this every day, and it gets easier as we go. I know that place will provide huge calming benefits for Vinny and help regulate his nervousness as he gets more comfortable with it.
Being a confident leader and guiding your dog through the nervous moments also builds your relationship together. Instead of rewarding nervous behaviors by coddling our dogs in these moments, we can show them what we want and guide them through it.
How can you use the place command for kitchen manners?
Put your dog on place while you make dinner, eat, or load and unload the dishwasher. This is great impulse control practice for your dog and helps with unwanted begging at the table or near the stove! The place command also helps with counter counter surfing while you're prepping food. Give your dog the job of place, so they won't find one on their own - like prewashing your dishes 🙈
We've been practicing "place" every morning while I make and eat breakfast. 🐶 This is an easy way to make the place command a part of your daily routine.
Remember - if you want your dog to be able to handle place time with guests at your house, then you have to practice regularly with less distractions as well. Set your dog up for success with regular practice, so they will be able to do it when you really need it!
✨ Client Spotlight ✨
Carl and his owners have done a great job practicing the heel command, and that practice has given them the opportunity to move to an off leash heel! A huge benefit to e-collar training is the ability to progress with off leash work. Training and continued practice can truly improve your relationship and bond with your dog as you see with Carl here! Great job!!
I love this and had to share!
This is so common. Thinking our dogs need to be doing something all of the time, and then unintentionally creating an overstimulated dog that can't settle. Teach your dog the place command and leave your dog home alone to relax! Use the crate for rest times during the day and when you are gone. I promise your dog is better off at home resting than at doggy daycare where they are super overstimulated all day long, never learn to be calm, and become super pushy. If your dog's needs have been met, then there is no reason that they can't be on place relaxing as part of your daily routine.
@whata_bout_winston thank you for sharing this!
We've been working on our heel command this weekend 🐶
✨️ Follow Through ✨️
When you ask your dog to do something, you need a way to follow through and make it happen. What's the easiest way to begin practicing follow through? Use a leash!
The more you repeat yourself, the more your dog will learn that he doesn't have to listen the first time. He won't magically begin to listen. Use a leash to follow through, and that's when you'll see a difference.
Watch this video for an explanation on follow through and how to use a leash to do so. 🐶
✨️ Eye Contact ✨️
Wait for your dog to give you eye contact before releasing them from commands like door manners.
We want to encourage our dogs to give us attention. Focus is huge when it comes to training. These little practices can make a big difference when it comes to getting focus from your dog.
It also takes the expectation to the next level. Be patient. You can see in the video that I had to wait a moment before Gambino looked at me. Once he looked I said, "Yes!" and then released him.
Take the extra minute to get eye contact next time you practice door manners rather than having your dog sit and immediately releasing them. It makes a difference!
Use a leash when you're first introducing threshold manners 😊
✨️ Recall Tips ✨️
✔️ Use a leash! Recall needs to be taught like any other command. I used a 6 foot leash in the first clip and a longer leash in the second clip. Progress to a longer distance as you practice. Your dogs are ready to try without the leash when they are consistently coming without you having to use it. Let it drag on the ground in the meantime so you can follow through every single time.
✔️ Be Motivating! You want your dog to be motivated to come to you. Why would they want to come if they think they're getting in trouble, or if recall is always a signal for fun being over? Practice during play time and let them keep playing after. Encourage your dogs as they are coming to you.
✔️ Mark the behavior! Don't wait until they get to you to say "yes". The command is over at that point. Mark with "yes" when sights are set on you, and they're actively making their way to you. That is when recall is taking place.
✔️ Have your dogs sit when they arrive! This prevents them from doing a "drive-by". In the second clip, I said "sit" before Wilbur actually got to me. It takes him a minute to put on the breaks, so saying it as he's approaching is a helpful reminder. The leash is also helpful for preventing a drive-by as your dog is first learning.
Other tips:
Notice it took Wilbur a few seconds to sit. I only said the command one time. I communicated with e-collar from there and was patient. He's still learning. I would have used the leash to guide him if he didn't respond to the e-collar. Say your commands one time.
I also waited for Wilbur's attention. Once I got his attention, I marked it with "yes" and gave him attention as a reward. The expectation you set for your dogs is what they're going to follow. I could have said "break" after he sat, but I waited for his attention. I want him to be working on focusing on his owners in different environments. Waiting for your dog to look at you before breaking the command is a great way
✨️ Before & After ✨️
Teaching a strong heel command helps build your relationship with your dog, sets an expectation for them, builds confidence for you and your dog, and eases anxiety because they are focused on a job while you're walking.
Your walks do not have to be miles long. Your dog is working hard to stay by your side with the heel command, so a little goes a long way!
A peek into what the beginning stages of heel look like. The foundation of a structured heel is attention on us and not the distractions around. It's so important to build that base. The e-collar is extremely helpful for the heel command. It gives us a line of communication through any level of distraction.
The first few sessions of your training are not going to look beautiful. You can see Smoky started out pretty excited and jumping. I kept a calm demeanor and stayed consistent, and he quickly got into training mode with a calmer mind. Keep up with it, and don't give up when it gets messy!
A glimpse into some of the commands we teach during our board and train program, and the progress made during the dogs' stay 🐶
We love a before and after moment! This shows the power of place 🐶
There are endless benefits to the place command. One of my favorites is the ability to clean while your dog relaxes on their place bed. Peppa is using mental stimulation to stay calm on the bed, whereas before she was using the mop as a toy.
Dogs will find something to do if we don't provide them with a job, and it is usually something we don't like. Now that Peppa has been given the job of place, she can work to stay on the bed.
We love the place command! ❤
Winslow worked hard on his field trip to Lowe's today!
We worked on walking in calmly by sitting at the door, heeling calmly by people and staying focused on me as we walked, and worked on a calm sit/down stay with distractions all around. Training brings out the sense of calm in dogs by providing a job and working through impulses! 🐶
A long leash is so helpful in teaching your dog recall. It allows you to have follow through and be very clear with what you're asking for. This paired with the e-collar opens the door for off leash freedom with consistency of practice and expectations.
I think sometimes we assume our dogs will just know the word "come", but it needs to be clearly taught just like any other command.
If you're chasing your dog around the yard trying to get them to come inside, put a long line on so you can begin to teach recall and set a clear expectation for what it means.
I also reward with a lot of praise to keep dogs motivated to want to come. I sprinkle this practice in with play time, so the dogs don't only associate recall with having to come inside and the fun being over.
