When is a good time to introduce potty bells?
Potty bells are an extra step that is potentially unnecessary. Therefore, I don’t typically introduce them unless puppy is having trouble and still having accidents in the house after a fair attempt has been made to teach puppy to potty outside. If puppy is giving you NO signs that they need to go outside to use the bathroom and has made no progress within 3-4 weeks of being home, potty bells are a great tool.
So how do you teach a puppy to use them? First, we encourage puppy to ring them whilst not on the door. Sending puppy to ring bells versus asking them to ring something you’re holding is very difficult. Remember, we should break down end goals into baby steps. Slowly, you’ll transition puppy to ring them when they’ve learned a cue for it. I often use “ring it”. They’ll then begin putting two and two together, realizing the bells mean to go outside. The kicker is, once they become good at it, they may ring the bells constantly in hopes of just going out to play. Once you’ve made it over that mountain, it’s smooth sailing!
Harvey here was still having one accident a day in the house at my last visit (right in front of me during the session, in fact!). Although that’s not a terrible amount, it’s more than we’d like. Watch Harvey go through the thinking process that we mentioned last week with Reese! He’s such a smart boy!
*volume up*
You may have seen previous posts discussing the behavior “place”. It can be useful in so many ways; when guests come over, when toddlers are running around the house with food in hand, when you’re out in public, etc. Not only is “place” a useful behavior, but it also teaches a dog body awareness, patience, listening, and thinking skills. It can also be used as an introduction to free “stay”.
What I would really like to focus on in this post is not “place”; but why it is SO important to say your verbal cue ONCE and NOT AGAIN unless it’s absolutely necessary (ex. your dog walks away from you and leaves the room, never to return).
When you say a cue more than once, a few different things happen, none of which are beneficial.
1. You distract your dog. If you are thinking through a math problem, and somebody talks to you, would you lose train of thought? That’s what happens to your dog when you do this. For me, my end goal is to have a dog that just “knows” what to do. Not one that I have to be a Drill Sargent to for their entire life. This is accomplished by allowing your dog to think, which is accomplished by being QUIET. I have done entire training sessions with only saying a handful of words. This may seem like it goes against when I tell you how important communication is with your dog. The difference is, giving affirmation vs allowing time to think. You can stay silent but give your dog body language “hints”. That counts for the communication part.
2. Nobody wants to ask their kiddos (or spouse) to do things more than once. Do you really want to have to ask your dog eight times to sit? Or do you want them to sit the first time that you asked? If you constantly repeat yourself until your dog completes the behavior, your dog will learn it doesn’t have to sit until the x time that you say it.
3. Teaching your dog to respond to a cue the first time that you say it, is a life saving skill. If your dog is running across the stre
We got up early and played in the snow this morning!
What a rare treat!
Let’s see pictures/videos of your pups in the snow 💕 ❄️
Meet Myrtle!
Myrtle is a 7 month old Cocker Spaniel puppy who has been in training with me. Her owners originally reached out to me for help because their older Cocker Spaniel, Mollie, wasn’t adjusting well to Myrtle. In between working on their relationship, Myrtle also works on obedience training. Fact is, Myrtle is still a puppy and can still be naughty sometimes though! Our favorite phrases that we say to her are “Myrtle, you’re a hot mess…” along with “Get your brain cells together, girl!”. We sure do love her feisty, stubborn and smart self so much though! She never fails to keep us entertained. So much so, that the owners daughter decided to make a silly video of her. Stay tuned for a training video of Myrtle, to be posted soon!
Enjoy!
Sometimes, it’s fun for both the owner and the dog to take a break from obedience training and try something creative! It can keep training fresh and fun for all; keeping the dog engaged and increasing the bond between the dog and the owner.
Karma managed to learn how to open doors on her own, but wasn’t great at closing them behind her. It didn’t take long for her to learn how! In just one session, this was the progress she made. (Note that this is still a work in progress; our end goal is to be able to send her from across the room to do it.)
She’s such a smart girl! Although this is just a “fun” behavior, it’s also one that service dogs must complete before becoming certified!
Notice the celebration of praise after she completed the behavior and received her food reward. Hyping your dog up and really making a big deal out of their accomplishments can be the best reward! Remember - training should be fun and it’s okay to take breaks to celebrate!
In 2020, my husband and I took the most amazing trip to Hilton Head, SC. We chose this destination because we had read about how dog friendly it is. Every day of our vacation, our dogs went to the beach with us, walked around town with us and went out to eat with us.
One comment that we received repeatedly on our trip was, “Man, I wish my dog could do that! He/she could never!”
After that trip, I made it my mission to advocate for a dogs full potential. Is every dog cut out to do all that is listed above? Certainly not, and it’s not fair to assume that every dog would enjoy it. However, if it is your dream to have a dog who can accomplish this, starting early is key. It takes a lot of effort and time in the first few years of a dogs life to make it happen. If you want the perfect dog, you HAVE to put in the work.
Joey has been an amazing owner to Karma and has put in an enormous amount of time and effort into her and into her training. Although his main goal is to have Karma be his golfing buddy, he also wants to be able to bring her anywhere that he can. We are proud to show off how well she is doing in her training. Although I do not have a video to share of that, here is a compilation of her skills shown at a recent Home Depot session.
If you are getting a puppy for Christmas and want this to be you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I would love to help with all of those Christmas puppies! People often ask how old their puppy needs to be to begin training. It should begin the day that you bring puppy home. To get to the point shown in the videos, usually requires two packages (6 sessions each). Because training begins at your home, I have the ability to not have a minimum age requirement for puppy.
Are y’all hot or is it just me?
One great way to cool down (or at least feel the breeze) is a golf cart ride!
Speaking of which, you may wonder how Karma, the golf cart puppy, has been doing!
Here’s a video update sent to me by her dad.
I think it’s safe to say she likes riding on the golf cart 😂
PAR!
Meet Karma! Karma’s owner reached out to me with an interest in basic training with a side of becoming a golf cart buddy.
Living on a golf course, Karma’s owner plays golf frequently and doesn’t want to leave Karma behind when he goes. The only catch is, she must remain on the cart.
Luckily, we started Karma’s training shortly after she came home. This allowed for desensitization of the golf cart and course to begin early on in her life, giving us quite a hand up in her training process.
We first practiced on the golf cart in the garage, and then in the driveway. When we felt confident she wouldn’t jump out, we moved to the course. In the first videos, I’m holding onto her leash for safety and to cue her back into a sit if needed. Our expectation graduated from Karma holding in place for a few seconds to holding in place for a minute and a half. By the end of the six session package, we both were able to walk away from her (and her owner was nearly out of site). Karma will continue her training so that she can complete an entire course while remaining in her place.
Karma also began basic obedience during her puppy package. She’s already a pro on walks!
It is important to remember that desensitization is a large part of training; the earlier you begin with it the better.
It is also important to remember that baby steps are pertinent in reaching an end goal that will last. Slow and steady wins the race! Once we began timing Karma holding in place, it allowed her owner to really see this point in action. Seconds seem like minutes and minutes seem like hours. Always start small and build upon each step. Cliff notes and skipping steps won’t get you an A+ in training.
Do you have a unique goal you’d like to reach with your dog buddy? Let me know, I’d love to help!
When we are working our dogs, it is important to take breaks!
We ask our dogs to work so hard! Not only do they deserve a break, but it also keeps them engaged. They need to a chance to play and relax when appropriate. This is especially pertinent when we are training puppies or young dogs.
Good ways to take breaks are: swimming in a creek along a path, stopping to be petted and free time to sniff/explore.
Today, this pup worked VERY hard to ignore passerby’s in Bass Pro Shop. Since she had shown interest in the taxidermy animals, we figured she might enjoy live animals! We got creative and used the aquarium in the store for her well earned break.
She sure put on a show and brought us some heavy laughter.
Isn’t she adorable?
What do you do to give your dogs a break when they’ve been working hard?
Phoebe and her mom are quite the pair!
Phoebe recently graduated from puppy school; this video compilation shows off her final lesson. Phoebe and her mom worked VERY hard in between lessons on their homework and it shows! Most first visits to Home Depot are spent trying to teach the dog to focus; Phoebe excelled far past this during her first trip.
Let’s see if you can spot out the behaviors that Phoebe achieved with her mom. These behaviors were included in our overall goal.
1. Loose leash walking: walking right beside mom, not pulling forward or to the side
2. Checking in with mom: occasionally looking up at mom for directions, reassurance and guidance
3. Working through loud noises and tight spaces
4. Ignoring those who are talking to us, telling us how cute we are/whistling at us
Often times, many people don’t realize a dogs full potential (especially a puppy; Phoebe is just five months old!) or maybe they do but aren’t sure how to get there. Phoebe has proven that even puppies can handle themselves appropriately and respectfully in busy and loud places. She passed with flying colors, and I couldn’t be more proud of this pair!
If you’re interested in accomplishing the same goals, please don’t hesitate to reach out and ask me for help. I would be glad to help. After all, we all got dogs to spend time with them - not leave them at home, right?
My name is Andrea Standridge and I am an animal trainer/behaviorist.
