Here is everything you need to know about creating successful outcomes when training your dog, in less than 3 minutes:
Do not give a command you are not willing or capable of reinforcing.
Once you issue a command, you have to follow through, regardless of protest or refusal, whether you are in public or in the privacy of your home.
There is no malice in this correction, and the dog learns that there can be consequences for refusal. You don't need to be aggressive with your correction, nor should you *ever* be permissive, and allow the refusal to slide, especially with a known command.
Learn to 'read' your dog. This fellow offered a behavior in a high-traffic area and should have been allowed to explore that on his own, with enthusiastic reinforcement for doing so. The primary reason he refuses when he is given the command to lie down is because he had just been corrected for volunteering the exact same behavior a moment before.
Think things through. Pay attention to your dog's behavior. If your dog is showing signs of fatigue, have the wherewithal to recognize that and give him some relief. This was a big ask for such a young dog, and he had performed exceptionally well.
The fact remains that once given a direct command, cooperation is expected, and must be secured, which reduces the risk of refusal in clinch situations where absolute obedience is required.
How you handle your dog's decisions today will influence your dog's future experiences, so be thoughtful in where you go, what your expectations are, and how you handle outcomes.
Your dog depends on it.
When you are ready, we are here.
#marylanddogtraining #puppytraining #dogobedience #dogtrainer #dogtrainingtips #marylanddogtrainer #dogtrainingmaryland #dogtraining #dogtrainingthatworks #hermsprenger #starmark #bridgeportk9equipment #negativereinforcement #dogtrainingtools #westminstermddogtraining #carrollcountydogtrainer
Here is everything you need to know about creating successful outcomes when training your dog, in less than 3 minutes:
Do not give a command you are not willing or capable of reinforcing.
Once you issue a command, you have to follow through, regardless of protest or refusal, whether you are in public or in the privacy of your home.
There is no malice in this correction, and the dog learns that there can be consequences for refusal. You don't need to be aggressive with your correction, nor should you *ever* be permissive, and allow the refusal to slide, especially with a known command.
Learn to 'read' your dog. This fellow offered a behavior in a high-traffic area and should have been allowed to explore that on his own, with enthusiastic reinforcement for doing so. The primary reason he refuses when he is given the command to lie down is because he had just been corrected for volunteering the exact same behavior a moment before.
Think things through. Pay attention to your dog's behavior. If your dog is showing signs of fatigue, have the wherewithal to recognize that and give him some relief. This was a big ask for such a young dog, and he had performed exceptionally well.
The fact remains that once given a direct command, cooperation is expected, and must be secured, which reduces the risk of refusal in clinch situations where absolute obedience is required.
How you handle your dog's decisions today will influence your dog's future experiences, so be thoughtful in where you go, what your expectations are, and how you handle outcomes.
Your dog depends on it.
When you are ready, we are here.
#marylanddogtraining #puppytraining #dogobedience #dogtrainer #dogtrainingtips #marylanddogtrainer #dogtrainingmaryland #dogtraining #dogtrainingthatworks #hermsprenger #starmark #bridgeportk9equipment #negativereinforcement #dogtrainingtools #westminstermddogtraining #carrollcountydogtrainer
Leash Handling 101:
The equipment your dog wears determines how you handle your leash during each phase of training.
Dog training equipment is designed to facilitate learning, and knowing how to handle it correctly makes the training job easier.
Learning how to functionally control a leash facilitates the process and enables the dog to learn from its own actions far faster than anything we try to convey.
Allowing things to happen is far different than making things happen and helps the dog understand its role in its own comfort or discomfort.
I am not one to chatter like a magpie to my dog during training, either. I provide a cue, and once the dog has demonstrated proficiency, I hold it accountable for that information.
This dog is wearing a Starmark High Impact plastic prong martingale and a chain back-up. The leash is a 1/2" 6 foot leather from Bridgeport.
My hands find their place along the leash length based on my height and the dog's height relative to me. This will change from dog to dog or handler to handler, but the mechanics are identical.
For this set-up, we only allow the dog a small amount of latitude to make a decision, as he learns how not to oppose pressure. This ensures that the dog feels *just enough* pressure to be reminded, but not so much that it becomes overwhelmingly uncomfortable.
The dog learns how to maintain the loose leash, without the handler snatching at it, jerking it, or maintaining tension constantly.
This method is for this equipment, and is modified only as the dog learns how to maintain that equilibrium between the presence of pressure and the absence of pressure.
Mastering the leash is so much more than wadding it up in a fist and just jackhammering the dog when it pulls.
Learn how to manage your equipment efficiently to maximize your training goals.
#marylanddogtraining #puppytraining #dogobedience #dogtrainer #dogtrainingtips #marylanddogtrainer #dogtrainingmaryland #dogtraining #dogtrainingthatworks #wes
This isn't anything groundbreaking, unless you consider a 4.5 month old puppy learning to cope with the close proximity of 7 other dogs for the first time to be compelling.
Milo learns about the consequences of refusal without anything other than a brief physical reminder, the absence of reinforcement, or both.
There's only one way for young dogs to learn how to keep their emotions in check. Teach them what you want, reward them for doing it, and hold them accountable for the knowledge.
It isn't a 'once-and-done' trial. It's a deliberate, ongoing process that helps the dog learn how to control its own emotional state.
Milo is equipped with a Starmark collar on a chain back-up.
As he becomes more adept at understanding expectations, he will be able to wear *anything*, or *nothing*.
When you are ready, we are here.
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It's nice to know you are able to impact a person's life in beneficial ways that transcend *dog* training.
Combining the final lessons of several students into one this past weekend, we had an opportunity to hear exactly how.
Each of these dogs struggled with uncertainty that led to various degrees of defensive behavior that made it difficult to enjoy them, even in the home.
Resource guarding, destructive behavior, anxiety, defensive aggression on walks, and the usual pulling, jumping, barking, obnoxious behaviors that make dog ownership a burden.
Training is more about our understanding of dogs than making them do things or not do things.
Training helps owners communicate with their dogs more effectively, more enjoyably.
I am grateful for the folks who stick it out in crappy weather, when it was inconvenient, through some difficult moments-
You have so much more than a trained dog to be proud of!
#marylanddogtraining #dogobedience #dogtrainer #dogtrainingtips #marylanddogtrainer #dogtrainingmaryland #dogtraining #virtualcoaching #virtualdogtrainer #virtualdogtrainerprogram
It never ceases to amaze me how much misunderstanding there is when it comes to training dogs. Regardless of the equipment and the applications of that equipment, the psychology behind the work is remarkably the same.
The universal application of pressure assures that we can manipulate an animal's behavior using different forms. Social pressure, physical pressure, environmental pressure, spatial pressure, etc.
For years, it was thought that leveraging devices were the fastest way to get where you as the trainer, wanted to go. Generally, the opposite is true; the less physical pressure you use, the faster, and more durable your results are going to be.
This was never more apparent than this last weekend as I worked with a few owners that are within the same training timeline and helping them understand the concept that 'less is indeed more'.
The client in the video is working on proofing his dog's lack of attention in the face of compelling distractions.
The inescapable resistance a dog feels when the leash is always tight, or ecollar pressure never ends, makes them resist harder. This is a universal truth. The more pressure you apply, the more the dog tries to escape it.
The learning happens when the leash is loose. As difficult as that may seem to a lot of people, when the dog finally achieves that light, loose leash contact, they become more responsive to the handler, and to the message the handler is trying to convey.
This clip shows when the owner 'gets it', the dog does too. There is no sound on purpose. Look at the person, then look at the dog.
Tell me what you see.
When you are ready, we are here.
#behavior #negativereinforcement #dogobediencetraining #marylanddogtraining #dogtrainer #positivereinforcement #dogtrainingtips #marylanddogtrainer #dogtrainingtools #weshowyouhow #dogtrainingmaryland #dogtraining #marylandsbestdogtraining #lionheartk9university #dogtrainingthatworks #onlinedogtrainercourse #dogtrainingonline #virtualdogtrainer #virtu
Teach Your Dog To Pay Attention
It never ceases to amaze me how much misunderstanding there is when it comes to training dogs. Regardless of the equipment and the applications of that equipment, the psychology behind the work is remarkably the same.
The universal application of pressure assures that we can manipulate an animal's behavior using different forms. Social pressure, physical pressure, environmental pressure, spatial pressure, etc.
For years, it was thought that leveraging devices were the fastest way to get where you as the trainer, wanted to go. Generally, the opposite is true; the less physical pressure you use, the faster, and more durable your results are going to be.
This was never more apparent than this last weekend as I worked with a few owners that are within the same training timeline and helping them understand the concept that 'less is indeed more'.
The client in the video is working on proofing his dog's lack of attention in the face of compelling distractions.
The inescapable resistance a dog feels when the leash is always tight, or ecollar pressure never ends, makes them resist harder. This is a universal truth. The more pressure you apply, the more the dog tries to escape it.
The learning happens when the leash is loose. As difficult as that may seem to a lot of people, when the dog finally achieves that light, loose leash contact, they become more responsive to the handler, and to the message the handler is trying to convey.
This clip shows when the owner 'gets it', the dog does too. There is no sound on purpose. Look at the person, then look at the dog.
Tell me what you see.
When you are ready, we are here.
#behavior #negativereinforcement #dogobediencetraining #marylanddogtraining #dogtrainer #positivereinforcement #dogtrainingtips #marylanddogtrainer #dogtrainingtools #weshowyouhow #dogtrainingmaryland #dogtraining #marylandsbestdogtraining #lionheartk9university #dogtrainingthatworks #onlinedogtrainercourse #dogtrainingonline #virtualdogtrainer #virtu
Thanksgiving is a few days away. Is your dog a nuisance when guests arrive? Does your dog like to take chances and try to bolt out the door every time you open it?
This works. Each and every time. Why? Because I do not leave anything to chance. The dog is on a leash and collar, and the same three axioms that all of our foundational training relies on are in place here;
Limit Options,
Guide Choices,
Control Outcomes.
It is not that difficult to teach your dog better manners. It takes a little planning and a little self-awareness, but you can practice this well before guests arrive on Thursday afternoon!
When you are ready, we are here.
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There is no easier way to explain or demonstrate this. The principle remains the same whether the dog is a mature adult or a 12 week old puppy.
Human influence endowed this puppy with a lot of "go" for such a tiny body. She is what every working dog breeder wants to emulate and every performance dog owner wants to own.
For the better part of her life, I suspect she had to fight for everything - a seat at the milk bar, not get muscled off the food pan, etc. She grew up TOUGH.
As a result, she had the K9 equivalent of Oppositional Defiance Disorder and had absolutely no concept of 'earning while learning'. It was all fight because fight was all she ever knew.
So, instead of fighting back by using leveraging tools or deprivation, we simply withheld what she wanted until she settled down long enough to focus on the task.
Her first week wasn't easy. Grappling with a belly full of internal parasites, a UTI, and an appetite for violence, re-writing the first 9 weeks of her life took a lot of patience. A LOT of patience.
*Making* this dog do anything would have served no purpose. To her, opposition (pressure) was a signal to fight harder.
Helping guide her into the right choices took less time than trying to force compliance, which wouldn't have helped for many of the behaviors she presented with in the beginning.
I actually think there are a lot more dogs like her out there than not- having to exist in an environment where external forces trigger survival tactics, making dogs resistant. It makes them defensive, and in this little booger's case, very offensive.
Sometimes less is more. Stop adding pressure. Give the dog the latitude to figure things out, and stop trying to make these things happen.
#marylanddogtraining #puppytraining #dogobedience #dogtrainer #positivereinforcement #dogtrainingtips #marylanddogtrainer #dogtrainingmaryland #dogtraining #dogtrainingthatworks #dogtrainingschool #behavior #obedience #puppytrainingtips #commonsense #puppylife
I talk about leash management a lot. I consider it to be responsible for about 99% of effective dog handling.
The quality of leash is important, quantity, not so much. Handling the line means handling what you need to get the job done and disregarding the rest.
This is the first segment of a series we did on training a dog to have manners when being approached by a human. Subscribers to our online training programs will receive the entire series.
Safe equipment management is necessary to protect yourself when handling any dog, as well as knowing how to handle a leash smoothly.
The leash is a conduit of information that flows both ways. If you learn how to use one efficiently and effectively, your training goals will be much easier to achieve.
It's no different with collars. Understanding the functions of a well-fitted collar of any type will enable you to accomplish your training goals without a lot of drama.
Learn how to let the equipment work for you. Each tool has its purpose. Professional quality tools are useless in the hands of people who don't know how to use them correctly.
#puppyexperts #puppytrainingtips #puppylife #dogs #trainyourdog #puppytrainer #dogtrainingschool #puppy #dogobediencetraining #negativereinforcement #behavior #obedience #obediencetraining #EducationMatters #commonsense #marylanddogtraining #puppytraining #dogobedience #dogtrainer #positivereinforcement #dogtrainingtips #marylanddogtrainer #dogtrainingtools #dogtrainingmaryland #weshowyouhow #WhenResultsMatter #virtualdogtraining #onlinedogtraining #LK9U
Starting to combine skills isn't difficult.
We had introduced a 'retreat' command a while ago, and a 'down' behavior fairly recently. I hadn't practiced the down behavior a lot since, but this clever monkey doesn't take long to figure out what the goal is.
The subscriber version of this clip is maybe 12 minutes long and shows the whole progression from introducing the retreat to only reinforcing for duration and focus.
Eris is putting 2 and 2 together pretty quickly as she matures. She is a lovely puppy with a strong willingness to try new things, which is so much easier in the young dog than in the adult.
I enjoy watching her Big Giant Brain get even bigger after sessions.
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Ms. Ethel has offered us some great learning moments if you pay close attention.
The "down" behavior/exercise can either be a catalyst for relaxation or one of considerable conflict.
When working with fearful dogs, it's important to remember the distinction between suggesting the behavior and demanding it.
There is a moment here where we move from suggesting to demanding, applying resistance to her refusal, and demonstrating that it doesn't take the kludgy, offensive amount of pressure some folks employ to get a dog to lie down.
I reward everything that looks like a down enough times for Ethel to recognize it as something she can do without concern, and then I only reinforce voluntary behavior.
She thinks herself clear of a confusing moment between about 1:58 and 2:20, when she takes a head-clearing walkabout to help understand my rebuke after her submissive posturing once she gets up, until our next attempt.
Tiny, subtle little things tell me she is capable of understanding that pressure need not be feared, and effort is self-reinforcing.
Today, we'll be requiring similar responses in an environment she has been before, but is much more chaotic than this one.
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