Best Friend Dog Training

( 🔊 Sound on!) I am so proud of Bliss. Back-chaining is an incredible thing, where you work so hard to get to that final reward. In this case, fresh chicken! ⠀ Bliss lives in a unique situation where she needed to move away from instant gratification (greeting someone at the door) and into her crate which needed to be open, and then remain there until released, all without any prompt besides a knock on the door. ⠀ Bliss is 10 years old. This was a safety issue, as Bliss cannot go through the door for any reason until on leash. Yes, this took a long time to teach, especially because of the level of excitement she experiences when people come to the door. ⠀ But no one can tell me old dogs can’t learn new tricks! She’s got it, excited girl that she is. 😆 ⠀ #backchaining #sandiegodogtraining #positivereinforcement #positivedogtraining #clickertraining #dogtrainersofsandiego #catchcta

Have you ever tried using a toy instead of treats as a reward during training? ⠀ Tug helps Luke to redirect frustration. When we were sitting outside of the shelter trying to get him adopted, he was too overstimulated to take food. But tug? He is up for tug anytime! ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ #caninecoach #positivetraining #positivedogtraining #sandiegodogtraining #clickertraining #dogsofsandiego #dogtrainingtips

What do you see?* ⠀ Here Luke is showing a great example of showing when a dog is soliciting for more tug, and when they are finished and want to play with the toy on their own. First, he comes back with the toy when she loses her grip. Then he changes his mind and mouths his toy and puts his body over it. He is saying “I’d like to be alone with my toy now.” ⠀ I often see people playing tug far longer than their dog wants to. Dogs run away with the toy or lay down to chew it and the owner snatches it up again, causing the dog to snap for it. Listening to your dog’s communication builds trust. Trust helps with all areas of your relationship with your dog. ⠀ *Please note that tug is a short and highly supervised game in our house. My kids have years of experience around many dogs, and I wouldn’t trust just any child with those bitey mouths. ⠀ #rulesoftug #sandiegodogtraining #positivereinforcement #positivedogtraining #clickertraining #dogtrainersofsandiego

(🔊Sound on!) Classical conditioning doesn’t just apply to dogs! ⠀ You know how your dog suddenly gets excited when you say the magic “walk” word or grab the leash? That’s classical conditioning at work! Your dog has learned that one thing (the word or leash in your hand) always leads to outside time, something they love! ⠀ Here my guinea pig Hazel is demonstrating some classical conditioning. I normally give him a bowl of veggies within 1 minute of greeting him in the morning. This morning he was chattering up a storm because I changed the routine and didn’t immediately come back to feed him. His conditioning said that was all wrong, where is the plate of veggies?! And he stood at the door and chattered about it. ⠀ Classical conditioning can be used to our advantage as an enjoyable routine for everyone. Such as asking your dog to sit at doorways before the door is open. Recognizing how you are knowingly and unknowingly using classical conditioning with your pets can be a really helpful catalyst for change. ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ #caninecoach #classicalconditioning #positivedogtraining #sandiegodogtraining #clickertraining #dogsofsandiego #dogtrainingtips

Breakfast at our house! 😋 ⠀ You don’t have to have your dog boarded with a dog trainer to give them exercise, enrichment, and breakfast all in one. Just get creative with the cardboard you have lying around! ⠀ And I should note, with most dogs my kids are trained to never approach around food. This pup is an exception but know your kids and dogs and most importantly, train those kiddos! ⠀ #behaviormodification #sandiegodogtraining #positivereinforcement #positivedogtraining #clickertraining #dogenrichment