The High Drive Dog is a subscription based Training Program designed to make advanced training goals
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What happens when we change criteria?
This weekend, Xen was asked to do an exercise he knows very well but we changed one variable...Suddenly, he couldn't release his toy anymore!
The important thing? This is normal. It’s part of the learning process. It doesn’t mean you need to go in a new direction or that it’s not working.
It means that you need to watch carefully, and see if you’re still on the right path.
Hats off to all dog parents creating great habits through management while maturity does its thing 🧢
Socialization never ends, and indeed… for some dogs it’s better to minimize (not eliminate) how much you socialize when they are young, and try again when they are older and naturally more able to make calmer, clearheaded decisions.
You want to prevent failure whenever possible. What if you just want to see what might happen?
Rarely does that end up in good training.
Not to mention, videoing my training these past few years everyday and uploading it for our fine subscribers has improved my training. So thank you to our members for helping me be a better trainer!
Foundation skills are things you teach so that you can use them later on in various ways. Maybe you string together a bunch of foundation skills to teach a formal exercise or, maybe you teach them even though they will never show up in a competition.
But! Even if you never use them in competition, you can use them to help refine your competition behaviors. If you want to see you foundation skills can make your competition behaviors even better, join The High Drive Dog subscription to see how uses them for everything from positions, to heeling, to retrieves and bitework.
Foundation skills are your friend!
In excellent training, you do not need to work full exercises. You need to be aware of your dog’s weaknesses, tendencies, and strengths – and from there train the appropriate pieces.
If you have a weak area and you know it, then work on that weak area. Isolate it from the chain. Do not put it back until you are thrilled with it on it’s own!
The urge to “just see where I’m at” is strong. Resist! Why not hold yourself to one formal exercise for each training session, just “to see,” and spend the rest of the session working on “the bits?” It’s good training. It’s fun for the dog. And it avoids creating problems where none existed before.
It's gonna happen. Problems creep into your competition behaviors you're gonna have to fix. Don't dig yourself a hole by trying the same things over and over again hoping your dog will just get it. Get creative! Could be changing up your reinforcement strategy, changing the order of cues, or simply a happy interrupter. Whatever you do, don't forget to video your session so you can identify the points of confusion for your dog so you can make it more clear for them next session!
Have you ever had to come up with a creative solution because of failure in competition training? What worked?
Food for thought 💭 Eye contact doesn’t always equal connection. Actually, it can cause pressure for some dogs. Eye contact is definitely useful, but you can also use physical touch and contact to simply connect with your dog.
Flow is achieved when trained behaviors blend together and become self reinforcing for the dog.
To train this way, you need a variety of foundation behaviors to work with, and a relaxed, confident, and willing partner.
Invest in those foundation behaviors and go back to them frequently, so when you're at the point of stinging them together, your session will just...FLOW.
Slowly, and over time, you can increase the quality of behaviors and chains you request while ensuring your dog’s head stays “clear.”
It’s not always necessary to push it; be absolutely certain the dog can complete each behavior under lower levels of arousal and distraction before asking for more.
Why are we always talking about foundations, anyway?
Because, guess what? All the pieces you see a 2+ year old Xen performing, come from the same basic, foundation behaviors he learned at the beginning of the High Drive Dog program!
Now that he’s confident performing those behaviors under a variety of conditions, we can layer them together. The more we layer the pieces, the more he has to listen, the more interesting the work becomes, and the stronger the basic behaviors will be! All the way to competition!
It’s that simple. It’s also that difficult!
Add a tiny bit of complexity to what your dog knows… A little more and a little more, and your dog will understand with confidence.
Yes, even when they get it wrong! The responsibility for setting up the session to be successful is on you. Keep changing what you’re doing and keep reinforcing until your dog gets it. That way, they’ll never stop believing in themselves and want to play your games. You will probably find that you can get to where you want to go pretty quickly and then some this way 💛
Lots of high drive dogs can work around tempting distractions because they tend to be pretty good at channeling emotions into work! Control through training helps your dog cooperate in spite of difficulty and behaviour work helps your dog cope with the emotions around those distractions. Take advantage of both!
When using work to keep your dog’s focus around distraction, the pace should match the dogs arousal against whatever is out there. That is the beginning of focus work! Give the dog a reason to pay attention.
What distraction sends your dog into high arousal? Let us know in the comments!
There will come a point in your training when your dog will be well trained – the exercises will be reasonably fluent and your dog will be comfortable working in a range of training situations.
Good trainers prepare their dogs for more than the exercises. They prepare for competition.
Which comes first? The emotion or behaviour?
At every stage in your training, you should be asking yourself if it would be wise to focus more on the dog’s emotional needs, or more on the actual expressed behavior.
Not to be confused with latent learning! Which we talk a lot about in The High Drive Dog program.
How fast your dog responds to your cue is often a reflection of the degree of confidence they feel in performing that behavior successfully. Make your dog win if you want them to be speedy!
Teach your dog that quiet from you means keep going, continue on your path. This is your dog’s signal that they’re doing the right thing and are on the path to reinforcement.
Chattering, luring and helping means something needs to change.
That way, when you’re in the formal trial environment, your silence won’t cause your dog to worry they’re not getting things right; they’ll know they’re doing just fine!
How do you keep you and your high drive dog happy when you’re too busy for formal training?
Let us know in the comments 💬
Does your dog request to work?
When the dog starts the training session, this ensures that the dog chooses to engage. Choosing to start and remain engaged in work instead of other interesting things going on…that is the basis for control within bite-work.
Age is almost always your friend! Say that one million times.
Teenage dogs are hard. They tend toward high arousal and low impulse control. Time alone helps a ton if...
The dog is not practicing problematic behaviors. Simply keep your dog away from the triggers as much as possible, unless you are specifically working with your dog. If you did nothing but keep your dog away from triggers until three years of age, you might be amazed at how good your dog became with way less effort! But that's hard to do in our society, so...just be aware of that reality.
Regardless, hold on to the reality of time, age and maturity while simultaneously not letting your dog practice problematic behavior sequences.
If your dog is worked up, be mindful of what adding arousal may do to their state of mind.
We can think of the dog’s emotions as the fire and arousal as the fuel. You can add to positive emotions by adding arousal but if there are underlying negative emotions like anxiety, fear, anger, etc. our goal should be lowering arousal and being aware of how the dog is feeling in any given situation.
This is why it’s so important to understand that drive can mask those yucky feelings in our dog so we don’t inadvertently add fuel to the fire.
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What are your biggest challenges in training precision behaviors?
hint: there can be a lot. So many pieces make up our final picture! So much to fine tune! But it’s fun, right? 😅
News flash!
Learning isn’t linear in dog training 😌
If you’re dog’s just not getting it and you’re getting nowhere fast, it’s perfectly alright to rebuild your training plan in a way that makes sense to you — based on the dog in front of you ✨
The important thing is that you start by recognizing that sitting on a platform is not an operant learning event (except actually getting on it) so one cannot assume that just because a dog is correct on a platform that they will be straight without it. Some dogs will and some dogs won’t.
So after the aid (the platform, nose bridge, pivot bowl, chin rest, etc.) is gone, you move into another phase of training for precision behaviors. You can use small movements of your body to help the dog become aware of what they are doing.
Behavior work and distraction training are the same thing; focus on appropriate distances, provide reinforcement that will motivate your dog to give you the behavior you want in a happy frame of mind, and adjust your plan as needed —either easier or more challenging!
Start by listening to your learner, then present appropriate challenges. If you run into trouble, it’s always okay to go back to where your learner was successful even if it feels like a step in the wrong direction.
If there’s anything we’ve learned through the High Drive Dog program is that the line between classical and operant is never pure and simple.
Takes a while to wrap your head around but whether you’re working on behavior, like skills, or competition behavior, it pays to able to understand both as linked.
What do you think? How has your dog’s learning moved from classical to an operant/thinking realm?
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No need to hyper-focus on impulse control when they’re young! Let experience and maturity do it’s thing 😉
Arousal isn’t a dirty word BUT there are caveats when working with dogs on the high end of the drive spectrum OR the lower end. #thehighdrivedog #highdrivedogs #buildingdrive #drivebuilding #dogtraining #dogtrainersofinstagram #k9 #dogbehavior #dogthoughts
There’s a lot you can do with a platform and ball! @catooutdoors #thehighdrivedog #highdrivedogs #mondio #obediencetraining #belgianshepherd #dogtrainingtips
When shaping a behavior, it’s a good idea to prevent offering multiple behaviors under stress by not reinforcing. Throwing out known behaviors can become an ingrained habit that’s hard to undo. Plus, we want to teach our dog to think through a problem instead of “moving” to solve the problem. They’ll be much more successful that way and hit the correct behavior. #thehighdrivedog #highdrivedogs #dogtrainingtips #obediencetraining #dogtrainer
Train for bad weather! Hope this inspires you if it’s a crappy day out today. If you compete in this sort of weather, than you should train in it as well. #thehighdrivedog #highdrivedogs #rainorshine #trainearlytriallate #getoutandtrain
Here’s a video from the archives! Engagement training is a huge part of the Adolescent & Overaroused classroom for High Drive Dog subscribers. If you’re dog loses their brain in public, check it out — it’s 40-days worth of behavior work! #thehighdrivedog #highdrivedogs #reactivedog #overarouseddog #higharousaldogs
Here’s an example of how your attitude matters when responding to an error. In this case, Xen makes an error of anticipation in fronts. No big deal—this is challenging work! So big party when the dog gets it right 👏 #thehighdrivedog #highdrivedogs #competitiveobedience #prodogtrainertip
Reward placement is often a trade-off between speed, accuracy, and calm. #thehighdrivedog #highdrivedogs #competitionobedience #obediencetraining
Did you know? Your choice of work can become the reinforcer for the last thing you did! If you want to learn more about arousal modulation in work and reducing toys and food, join us in the High Drive Dog program for the nitty gritty! #thehighdrivedog #highdrive #highdrivedogs #prodogtrainertip #onlinedogtraining #competitiondogtraining
For those of you working on bite work skills without help from a decoy, your entries may be a little tame than what’s ideal. You have some options if you don’t have access to a decoy, but the main thing that’s going to help is maturity & confidence 💪 #highdrivedogs #highdrive #bitesports #bitework #mondio #decoywork
Testing Xen’s bite strength on the ground! This was a bit weird for him at first, but as you can see here, he’s getting pretty good at it! #bitework #biteworktraining #mondio #mondioring #belgianshepherd #highdrivedogs #biteystuff
Speed = confidence! And there are a lot of factors that go into performing a behavior confidently — including how much your dog enjoys working with you 😉 #thehighdrivedog #speedvsaccuracy #confidencequotes #thisisfoundationtraining
Here’s a clip from this week’s Handler’s Choice webinar when we talked about the monthly positions challenge. Denise shared her current long-term strategy for teaching positions. #thehighdrivedog #thisisfoundationtraining #obediencepositions
We’re releasing this last webinar we did with subscribers because the subject of foundations is really what The High Drive program is all about! Typical foundation training programs already assume a baseline of skills, but when you break down each skill into smaller pieces, you realize that if your dog understands these pieces, they will translate across the board, improving your training in every area! #thisisfoundationtraining #thehighdrivedog #onlinedogtraining
We have an activity for you! This video is not subtitled. Can you see the various ways that Denise is encouraging interactive play in this video? A hint: she uses at least 5 techniques here. #thehighdrivedog #thisisfoundationtraining
Developing your relationship with your young dog should include as many forms of interactive play as possible and learning a good game of interactive tug is right up there! Here are a few rules of thumb to get you started: More side to side and less back and forth avoids winners and losers. Figure eights in front of your body helps to accomplish that goal. Add measured doses of stress by pulling your dog up on your body and then relieve that stress by “giving” with the toy. Get your hands on your dog. Desensitize them to mild pressure while they are young! Keep that toy moving. There should be constant tension in motion. Not too little and not too much! Quick hint. If your puppy is mouthing the toy there’s not enough tension and motion. If your puppy starts vocalizing and facing you with eye contact, there may be too much pressure; relieve the stress and change that picture! Above all, this should be fun for both of you. Laugh, move your bodies, verbally interact, and have a good time.
🔥 CONTACT HEELING Typically trained for protection and ring sports. The goal is the dog keeps his shoulder in contact with the leg during the back transport (where dog has to look at helper not handler). 🔥Here we have the handsome High Drive Dog student @mrbones.nz demonstrating teaching the beginnings of this behavior against a wall. Don't do protection sports? Use this skill for reactivity training: your dog can look around at his environment while you become a “human platform.” . . . . . . #thehighdrivedog #highenergydogs #clickertraining #studentsofTHDD #rewardbaseddogtraining #positivereinforcementtraining #sciencebaseddogtraining #balanceddogtraining #workingdog #workingdogsofinstagram #dogtrainingtips #sportdog #dogsports #competitiondog #dogbehavior #onlinedogtraining#shepherd #dogsofinstagram #germanshepherd #gsd #dogs #instadog #gsdofinstagram #germanshepherddog #gsdlove #gsdunited #germanshepherdsofig #germanshepherddaily
Handling tip! If you are working with a strong dog who pulls back when they tug rather than pushing in, you’ll want to take a good look at your technique. Notice that my back is straight and my arms are close to my body. This gives me leverage. I have both hands on the handles, which I only do with strong dogs. When I want a release, I bring my hands very close to the muzzle, pull the dog into my body, and…wait! The thing to hold onto… Straight back and arms close to your body. You don’t want to get hurt, especially when the dog thrashes their head. Any tips that work particularly well for you? Share with us!
Want to know how I build confidence in my puppies (and adult dogs)? I add pressure then reinforce it. Here, I explain how I introduced the clatter stick with baby Dice, rewarding all the way with tiny tugs. Even if your puppy or dog will never see a clatter stick, your body while playing can be a source of pressure. Pairing confidence and pressure is an invaluable trait we can teach by layering tiny amounts of it making sure the dog always wins! You’ll be able to see this entire process with the clatter stick when you sign up for The High Drive Dog subscription where the game progresses to the dog he is today! . . . . . . . #thehighdrivedog #highdrivedogs #highdrivek9 #highenergydog #workinglinedog #puppytraining #mondioring #mondioringtraining #mondioringdog #onlinedogtraining #playwithyourdog #puppyfoundations #balanceddog #balanceddogtraining #rewardbasedtraining #positivereinforcementdogtraining
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