Mila REALLY wanted us to go on a walk, so I used her desire to run towards to road to practice her recalls, and she did FABULOUS, especially with this only being her second session👏👏
(Also isn’t she just the cutest thing??😍)
#Yorkie #DogTraining #PositiveReinforcement #DogTrainer #PittsburghDogTrainer #ClickerTraining #Dogs #PittsburghDogs
Things I hear a lot as a dog trainer:
“Is it okay that my dog _________?”
“I know my dog is supposed to _______, how do I teach them that?”
“I’ve heard that my dog should_________, so I’ve been working a lot on that.”
Hear me out: Society doesn’t have to determine what is acceptable and not acceptable for your dog, that’s up to you! If you’re okay with your dog pulling on the leash or walking in front of you, great, so am I! If you’re okay with your dog jumping up on you, then it’s okay for them to keep doing that! If you enjoy your dog sleeping in bed with you and are okay with them begging at the dinner table, that’s all fine as well!
You don’t have to conform to societal standards when it comes to how you raise and train your dog. Yes, some people may judge you for your dog’s behavior, but that’s their problem, not yours🤷♀️
#DogTraining #PositiveReinforcement #PositiveReinforcementTraining #DogTrainer #PittsburghDogTrainer #ClickerTraining #Dogs #PittsburghDogs
My job as your dog trainer is not just to train your dog. A big part of my role is teaching you, as the guardian, how to work with your dog and communicate with them, as well as teaching you how to listen when your dog communicates to you.
Dexter struggles on walks to stay engaged and maintain a loose leash. But by making some small adjustments to what his mom was doing, such as switching to a hands-free leash to avoid yanking it, we were able to get more engagement from Dexter and have a more successful walk.
Is there still learning that needs to happen on the dog-side? Absolutely! But making adjustments to how our human learner communicates can help our canine learner be more successful in understanding the criteria.
#DogTraining #PositiveReinforcement #PositiveReinforcementTraining #DogTrainer #PittsburghDogTrainer #ClickerTraining #Dogs #PittsburghDogs
Did you spot it??
Everest has hip dysplasia, and whipping his head towards his hip to give it a quick sniff is a common indicator of pain for him, especially with his left hip where the dysplasia is worse.
Everest struggled on this walk. Twice, he barked at people as we were walking on the path, something he used to do as an adolescent teenager in his fear stage, but rarely ever does now. He also struggled seeing a dog from a relatively far distance off, farther than his usual threshold.
If I didn’t know what Everest’s pain indicators were, I could have easily gotten frustrated or upset with him because of his seemingly “bad” behavior. But because I can spot the more subtle signs, I was able to recognize that Everest’s behavior was not a result of him choosing to act out and make my life harder, but because he was struggling physically, which in turn affected him emotionally, making him more irritable and less tolerable for things around him.
So many dogs go through life with unrecognized pain, and it’s often a contributor to behavioral issues that we see in them. Animals communicate pain in so many subtle ways other than the classic limping or yelping, and learning how to spot these signs could mean the difference in how you go about working through your dogs “issues.” Everest never limps, yelps, or hobbles on 3 legs, but he shows his pain in other ways through hip sniffing, increased irritability in the house and on walks, handling sensitivity at the vet and during grooming, changes in coat pattern, favoring his “down” behavior over a sit, reluctance to run and play for long periods of time, and more. I could easily pass these things off as him needing more training, being lazy and stubborn, having low drive, needing stronger leadership, etc. instead, I’m able to recognize each of these as him being in pain, and I’m able to support Everest and help him feel more comfortable.
(Also yes, we are practicing “leave it” with the remain
All seriousness, I find so much satisfaction in removing undercoat😍
Our fence is getting replaced, and the workers are working right on the other side of this window. The dogs insisted on being in the bedroom with me while I do stuff, but I didn’t want Charlie reacting nonstop at them, so here we are with clothespins and a very annoyed doggo🤷♀️😄
Boris got a little sidetracked from training for a moment when he spotted another Samoyed🐻❄️😆
#Samoyed #DogTraining #PositiveReinforcement #DogTrainer #PittsburghDogTrainer #ClickerTraining #Dogs #PittsburghDogs
Helen got to have some fun with me on Valentine’s Day!💕🍪
#ValentinesDay #Cookies #Pittbull #PittMix #PuppyLove
Millie and her parents are doing great with training and working hard to make progress!👏❤️
#DogTraining #PositiveReinforcement #PositiveReinforcementTraining #DogTrainer #PittsburghDogTrainer #ClickerTraining #Dogs #PittsburghDogs
Trick Tutorial Week 5: Spin
Have you taught your dog this trick? Tag us in a video!
#DogTraining #PositiveReinforcement #PositiveReinforcementTraining #DogTrainer #PittsburghDogTrainer #ClickerTraining #Dogs #PittsburghDogs #TrickTutorial
Dogs are situational learners, meaning they tend to associate all sorts of circumstances in their environment with the cue being given —The owner’s subconscious movements of their hands and body when giving the cue, the location in which the cue is give, the owner’s body posture and position (e.g., standing vs sitting), the pitch/tone in which the owner gives the cue, the position of the dog in relation to their owner (facing in front vs. by their side vs. behind them), and so on and so on.
When that situation changes— The owner gives the cue while sitting in a chair, or while carrying bags of groceries, or while in a new location for example, that can throw the dog off and make them less likely to respond to the cue, because the usual circumstances associated with the cue are not there.
Practicing cues in different contexts and situations can help to strengthen the behavior and improve the dog’s understanding of the cues being given. If your dog is struggling to respond to cues in different contexts, remember to help them out! Use a hand signal or food lure to help your dog understand the behavior that you’re asking them to do.
#DogTraining #PositiveReinforcement #PositiveReinforcementTraining #DogTrainer #PittsburghDogTrainer #ClickerTraining #Dogs #PittsburghDogs
How do you get a reliable recall? Reward Reward Reward!💰💰💰
So many people call their dog, then give them a pat on the head or one little treat, then wonder why their dog ignores the recall in more distracting environments.
If I called you over, then gave you a pat on the shoulder and dollar, you’re not going to care much about me calling you over in the future. But if I called you over and gave you $500, then the next time I call, you’re going to drop everything to come to me as fast as you can!
Make it worth your dog’s while to come when you call them by paying up!🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪
#DogTrainingTips #RecallTips #DogTraining #PositiveReinforcement #DogTrainer #PittsburghDogTrainer #ClickerTraining #Dogs #PittsburghDogs
When training your dog, save your fingers with this treat delivery method!🍪
#DogTrainingTips #DogTraining #PositiveReinforcement #PositiveReinforcementTraining #DogTrainer #ClickerTraining #Dogs
These skills are super helpful for moving your dog to your other side so you’re between them and oncoming cars🚗
#DogSafetyTips #DogTraining #PositiveReinforcement #PositiveReinforcementTraining #DogTrainer #PittsburghDogTrainer #ClickerTraining #Dogs #PittsburghDogs
Duke here to remind you that mental enrichment isn’t just for dogs and is important for all species!🥕🐰
Did you know the direction of your dog’s tail wag can tell you how they’re feeling?
Studies have shown that dogs tend to wag their tails more to the right when they’re feeling happy and confident, and more to the left when feeling scared or nervous.
This is because movement on the right side of the body is controlled by the left side of the brain, which is associated with positive emotions, whereas the left side of the body is controlled by the right side of the brain, which is associated with negative emotions🧠
This goes to show just how complex our canine companions really are!
Coco struggles with anxiety on walks, but her humans have been working hard to help her feel more safe and confident! (Also can we take a moment to appreciate her beautiful loose leash walking??😍)
#DogFacts #DogTraining #PositiveReinforcement #PositiveReinforcementTraining #DogTrainer #PittsburghDogTrainer #ClickerTraining #Dogs #PittsburghDogs
Cooperative care training with my Charlie boy❤️
Charlie is very sensitive about his muzzle being touched for oral care and exams. These skills allow him to be a more willing and active participant in procedures, giving him choice and the ability to opt out if need be.
#CooperativeCare #DogTraining #PositiveReinforcement #PositiveReinforcementTraining #DogTrainer #PittsburghDogTrainer #ClickerTraining #Dogs #PittsburghDogs
Because Helen is deaf, her parents can’t rely on verbal cues and sounds, and must rely on visual or tactile cues. But visual cues only work when a deaf dog is paying attention to you, so Helen is learning to voluntarily check-in with her parents.
When we first started working with Helen, her focus lasted only a few seconds, and we figured that was just her short attention span. Nope! After a bit of experimentation, it turned out that the treats we were using weren’t rewarding enough for Helen. Once we switched to a treat she liked more, bam! Her attention span immediately improved!
Not all treats are one in the same. Just because a dog will eat a certain treat doesn’t necessarily mean that treat is rewarding to them. Determining what treats ARE rewarding for your dog can sometimes make all the difference for making progress in training!🍪
#DeafDogsRock #DogTraining #PositiveReinforcement #PositiveReinforcementTraining #DogTrainer #PittsburghDogTrainer #ClickerTraining #Dogs #PittsburghDogs
#LifeHacks #DogTrainingHack #DogTraining #PositiveReinforcement #PositiveReinforcementTraining #DogTrainer #PittsburghDogTrainer #ClickerTraining #Dogs #PittsburghDogs
Dog: Fantastic at working with kitty distractions!👍
Humans: Terrible at working with kitty distractions👎
But to be fair, it’s hard to focus on training the dog when there’s a cat playfully attacking your training bag right next to you🤷♀️😂
#Kitty #DogTraining #PositiveReinforcement #PositiveReinforcementTraining #DogTrainer #PittsburghDogTrainer #ClickerTraining #Dogs #PittsburghDogs
