One of Kristoff’s biggest issues before he came was stay! He can be a bit insecure, and likes to stay close to his people for safety, along with that, noises were so overwhelming that just strangers walking behind him would cause him to forget what was asked of him two seconds prior.
He is a very smart pup though! And loyal to people he trusts. We worked on building his confidence as well as his understanding of what stay actually meant, and now he’s rocking it!
This is at a public park, there was a playground and skate park next to us, people walking dogs by, and a couple off-leash dogs playing in the field behind us. I’m proud of this boy for being able to acknowledge the noises around him, and still commit to his stay! Good boy!!
Eevee LOVES people and dogs, so she’s been struggling a bit with her recalls. Treats mean nothing to her when in the presence of a new potential playmate.
Luckily, treats aren’t the only way we can reward our dogs for good behavior! After all, the main reason Eevee is so distracted by people and dogs is because they mean FUN. So, we just have to use fun as a reward!
A random stick plucked off the ground serves as a perfect prize for coming away from a lady and her pup.
Remember, if we want play with us to be as valuable as play with someone else, we have to be convincing! Your dog will know if your heart isn’t in it. Instead of trying to convince your dog playing with you is fun, convince yourself and just enjoy the game!
#recall #recalltraining #dogtrainer #rewardbasedtraining #dog #training #dogtraining #playbasedlearning #markerwords #puppytraining
Apologies for the radio silence - we have been revamping our website to streamline the training sign-up process, as well as adding some exciting automations to our mailing list so we can stay in touch better after pups go home!
Of course, we’ve also been working dogs and performing a few Christmas miracles like the one in this video - a peaceful (and quiet!) Cane Corso resting in his crate while someone is in the other room. No more straw either - although he does require a big fluffy bed (fair enough). Good job Jake!!
Winston putting in his entry for both, “Cutest Downs” and “Most Enthusiastic Downs”. I think he’s got a fair chance for both categories…
Eevee (little black dog) has been nervous of new dogs and unwilling to play after leaving her littermates.
Any attempt from Garner to interact led to her hiding between my legs and snarling - even after she had gotten comfortable walking with him and moving around with him off-leash.
My usual method to entice nervous dogs to play is to encourage nervous dog to get into a playful mood with me, then instigate a game of chase by having both dogs run after me. This was not working with Eeve as she became too focused on me, and even more irritated by Garner getting into our space. So, I tried a different tactic…
Get Garner to run and play while removing myself from the equation. In a matter of seconds Eevee realized that this previously scary, unknown creature could actually be an entertaining playmate far better at playing chase than I ever could.
Note: Do not try this with toy possessive dogs or dogs with a history of dog aggression. I felt safe doing this as both dogs are puppies, but instigating an older dog to chase may result in a more aggressive prey-driven response.
Lily is demonstrating the difference between:
“Good” - Duration Marker (Reward will come to you, continue staying)
And,
“Yes” - Terminal Marker (You come get reward, finish staying).
Leave it to a terrier to create their own shortcuts when they take the wrong turn on a recall… 😂😂
Way to be creative Garner!
If you want a rock-solid recall the key is practice, practice, practice.
I like to throw in 5-10 quick recalls on my walks. Coming when called is something I ALWAYS reward for unless I don’t have treats or toys on me (and even then I’ll do a cuddle session or find a stick/interesting leaf to toss). I want my recalls to have a lot of value and a lot of repetitions, so that the “turn on a dime and sprint to your person” pathway in the brain is strong and reliable.
Of course, there are times when the “chase the squirrel” pathway is going to be stronger, so we are layering the e-collar over the recall in case it is needed.
The steps are as follows:
1. Press down the red button on the e-collar around a four-six and hold.
2. Call your dog to you with “(Name), come!”
3. Begin to back up.
4. When your dog turns to you mark this correct action with “good” and release the e-collar button.
5. Come to a stop and guide your dog into a sit with hand signals if needed.
6. Reward reward reward. You can also throw some rewards in between steps 4 and 5 while you are still moving. This makes them more interesting.
7. Release your dog with “yes” and a reward and then get them back into heel or allow them to sniff and explore.
Humphrey is practicing his recalls, so we can ensure he has a very clear understanding of what is expected when he is told to “come”.
What I want a smooth recall to look like, is for him to turn immediately upon hearing “come”, follow me for as long as I am moving, and sit centered in front of me until told he is free to wander off again.
The reason I teach a recall like this is because I want to be able to use my body movement as a cue to guide the dog back to me if they get distracted partway through a recall. I want the centered sit so that I can reach down and leash up or pick up the dog if needed, without having them dart away or past me.
You’ll notice I’m not asking for a “sit” once he comes to me. This is because I do not really want him in a sit-stay. If I begin to move again I don’t mind him following me, if anything that is ideal (when I say come follow me until released, sit when I stop, but follow again if I move). If I were to ask for a “sit” then technically he should remain sitting even if I move away. I want him to stay near me/in front of me until released, but not necessarily in a formal sit-stay.
This same concept also applies to sitting in heel when I stop. I don’t ask for a “sit” because I want the dog to continue moving when I begin moving again.
Sunny is a very nervous dog who has resorted to some very bad behaviors in an attempt to control her environment.
I am teaching her some basic concepts to help get her on the path to understanding that she can react to cues and pressures from her environment and get a positive response from them. I am also showing her we can communicate in ways that are very predictable and that are a direct response to her actions.
The work we do with leash pressure is a great start, as it begins to teach the idea that she can feel some sort of stress/pressure and respond to it in a specific, non-aggressive way in order to alleviate said pressure. We will be using this to teach her how to create space from stressful situations without resorting to biting.
Marker words show her that we can be predictable as well. If she does the correct action, I will let her know, and when I let her know (with “yes” or “good”) she can expect a positive action to follow. If she is not on the correct path I will also let her know (with “no”) and she can expect some guidance from me if she does not attempt to get back on track herself.
Walks are a great time to run through some simple obedience skills.
Here Garner is working on “sit”, and “down” with a brief stay while I entice him with a toy. If he gets up before being released with “break”(meaning he can get up and go sniff or just wander where he wants) or “yes”(meaning he should come play with his toy with me) then I will tell him “no” and use the leash or e-collar to guide him back into the correct position if he doesn’t reset himself.
Garner is very smart and picks up cues quickly, but he struggles with stay. So I tend to prioritize practicing stay, we may stop once every block or every other block to do thirty seconds to a minute of “down” with him expected to stay until released. He tends to need to be reminded to stay with “no” a couple times when first practicing in a new area.
Having a valuable reward for him, such as his toy, helps build his incentive to stay as he knows that he will get to play a fun game of chase if he waits (which is more rewarding to him than just getting up to sniff grass). He also knows that I mean business when I tell him “no” and that if he doesn’t reset into a sit or down I will enforce it with help from the leash or e-collar.
Thanos is practicing his obedience cues, “sit”, “down”, “heel” at the park.
If he gets distracted by things going on around him I help him out by using body movements to get him back focused on me. For example, I will move away from him to get him to look at me and follow. Then once I have his focus I will ask for a cue, if he is too distracted to respond on the first try I will assist him with the leash or a hand signal, rather than keep repeating myself.
I use “yes” to mark when he is finished with a behavior and can come get a reward. This is different than “break” as break just releases him from the command with no reward. When I tell him “yes” I want him to expect a reward to come from me. The reward can be a toy or food, but in this instance it is a toy as Thanos prefers toy rewards.
The point of “yes” is to build enthusiasm in cues and build focus. I like to use “yes” when we are doing a lot of quick repetitions, when we are in a distracting environment, or when we are teaching a new behavior.
“Break” helps build a calmer attitude, and teach the dog that they can do the correct behavior, but don’t always have to get a reward. I like to use “break” when I want the dog to maintain a stay for a while, when I want to work them through over-excitement, and when I want to slow them down a bit.
Bailey is a strong dog with a lot of interest in her environment. As a result of this, she cannot be walked by anyone in her family except her (human) dad.
She is a bit overwhelmed being with a new person in a new place, so her tugging isn’t as full throttle as it would be at home. It is still obvious she has no clue how she’s expected to respond when she feels the leash (well, she thinks it means: “sled dog time!”).
So, here is our go-to, no-nonsense, walk in circles for twenty minutes method of introducing polite leash walking. If she pulls, I stop, I turn, and I match her tension on the leash until she turns and gives in. Then I release all of my tension and we continue on our way. She got the hang of this pretty quickly so I am also introducing her to the idea of staying with me when I turn.
I let her know “heel” as a cue that she should pay attention to where I am and keep with me. Then I turn and hold pressure until she follows. When she turns into the pressure I let her know that was the correct action with “good” and then I release my pressure as well.
At the moment she is a bit too overwhelmed to take food from me with any motivation, so the release of pressure and the ability to continue our walk is her reward for the time being. As soon as she shows more interest in treat rewards we will use those as well to help clarify when she is correct.
Thanos is learning how he should respond when he feels the sensation of the e-collar. He already understands how he should respond when he feels the leash guide him in certain directions, and he knows his basic cues of “sit”, “down”, and “place”. So here we are layering the e-collar over these cues and over leash pressure.
Basically we want him to understand the e-collar in a similar way to the leash. He does a certain action in response to the sensation and it goes away. However, he has to think a bit more with the e-collar because it is not such a clear physical directional cue as the leash. He really has to pay attention to what we are asking and think through his options.
Of course I will help him with leash guidance or a hand signal if needed. I also am showing him that when I tell him “good” he is on the right track and the pressure will go away.
Sometimes at Crimson Dog Ranch we are full-up on dogs who can’t even stand the sight of each-other. Other times we get three puppies in at once and get to have some free-range fun.
Of course the challenging dogs are very rewarding, but I can’t deny that heavy metal puppy playtime is a relaxing change of pace on occasion.
Cody the six month old Golden Retriever, Garner the five month old Wire Fox Terrier, and Humphrey the eight month old Dachshund.
More Cody!
Demonstrating how we use leash pressure and marker words, and things to keep in mind for both.
Walks are the perfect time to practice general obedience skills. Outside is a lot more interesting than in the house, so it is a great transition from “low distraction” inside practice to higher distraction real-world practice.
I like to make sure we do at least one or two reps of “sit”, “down” and stay on every walk, and I’ll throw in more than a few recalls to keep our “come” sharp and well-rehearsed.
Make sure to bring treats or toys on walks so you can reward your dog when they are successful.
They are just too cute to not post two videos at once… Garner and Humphrey are a perfect pair.
Garner practicing leaving his new friend Humphrey alone when asked. He lives with two elderly yorkies who do NOT want to be his friend, so this is a pretty important skill for him.
