Tag: halloween

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Training the shy or fearful puppy or dog

With dogs as with people, some dogs and puppies are naturally more bold and daring than others.  When you watch a group of puppies play, it will quickly become apparent which ones are bold and which ones are shy.  Some of the puppies will hang back at the edge of the pack, perhaps fearful of angering the stronger dogs, while others will jump right into the fray and start jostling for control.

Working with a shy puppy or dog, or one that is fearful, presents its own special challenges.  Of course bold, forceful dogs present challenges of their own, especially with control and leadership issues.  Every type of puppy or dog has its own unique personality and its own unique training challenges as a result.

One important reason to build confidence in a fearful dog is to prevent biting.  High fear dogs often become biters to deal with their fear of new situations and this type of fear response can be dangerous for you and your dog.  It is important to teach the puppy or dog that new situations and new people are nothing to fear and that they are not out to hurt him.

Signs of fear in both puppies and dogs include being afraid of strangers, being suspicious of new situations and avoiding certain people or objects.  A fearful puppy or dog may also snap or bite, especially when cornered. 

If you recognize signs of fear in your dog or puppy, it is important to act quickly.  Fear responses can quickly become ingrained in a dog and once those fear memories are planted they can be difficult to erase.  Properly socializing a young puppy is essential to making sure your dog is not fearful and will not become a fear biter.  Many puppies are raised as only dogs, but even these puppies should be given the opportunity to play with other puppies and with well socialized older dogs and friendly cats as well.  The more novel situations the puppy encounters when he is young, the better he will be able to adapt to new situations as an adult dog.

Adapting to new and changing situations is a vital life skill that every puppy must learn.  As you know, the world is constantly changing and adapting and it is vital that both you and your four legged companion learn to take these changes in stride.

It is important for owners to not inadvertently reinforce or reward shy or fearful behaviours.  For instance, when a puppy or dog shows fear, by whining, crying or hiding, it is only natural for the owner to go over and reassure the dog.  This type of reassurance, however, can be misinterpreted by the animal as a sign of approval from the pack leader.

When the dog or puppy displays fearful or shy behaviour, the best strategy is simply to ignore him.  The dog must be able to learn on his own that there is nothing to fear.  If left alone, a dog will often start to explore the fearful object on his own, thereby learning that the initial fear reaction was mistaken.  The owner must allow the dog to explore things on his own and not try to coddle or over protect him.

Another reason for fear reactions, particularly in older dogs, is past abuse or lack of proper socialization as puppies.  The window for good puppy socialization is relatively short and once this window has closed it can be difficult to teach a dog how to socialize with dogs and other animals.  Likewise, a dog that has been abused probably has all sorts of negative associations and it is up to a patient owner to work with the dog to replace those fear reactions with more appropriate responses.

When working with an older fearful dog, it is important not to try to rush the socialization and fear abatement process.  It is best to simply allow the dog to explore things on his own, even if it means he spends a lot of time hiding from the perceived monster.  Trying to force the dog to confront the things he fears will do more harm than good.

It is also important to address already ingrained fear based behaviours, such as biting, snapping and growling, whether they result from past abuse, a lack of socialization or a combination of factors.  If the dog is frightened and reacts defensively to strangers, it is important to introduce him slowly.  It is important to correct these potentially dangerous behaviours, however, and teach the dog that fear is no excuse for growling, snapping or biting.  The best way to do this is to immediately reprimand and correct the dog when he bites, snaps or growls at anyone. 

The dog should be generously rewarded the minute it stops displaying aggressive behavior.  If you do find yourself having to reprimand your dog for displaying aggressive behaviours, it probably means you have tried to move him along too quickly.  It is important to avoid threatening situations as much as possible until the dog has built up the confidence it takes to deal with those situations.  If you think you have moved too fast, take a few steps back and let the dog regain his confidence.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Advanced dog training exercises

Coming when called is a vital skill that every dog must learn, both for its own safety and that of those around it.  A disobedient dog that refuses to come when called could easily be hit by a car, get into a fight with another dog, or suffer a variety of other bad experiences.  A well trained dog that comes when called can safely be taken out to play in the local park, at the beach, on the walking or hiking trail, or anywhere else the owner and dog may wish to go.

Basic training to come when called is relatively easy and straightforward and involves providing praise, treats and other perks when the dog does as his owner wants.  After these basic come when called training exercises are mastered, there are a number of fun exercises that can be introduced to challenge the dog and pique its interest.

Making training into a fun game is one of the best ways to motivate dog and handler alike.  It is easy for training sessions to become routine and boring and it is important to keep them from degenerating into this state. 

Before beginning any food based training exercise, it is important to make sure that the dog is properly motivated and ready to respond to treat based training.  Testing the dog is simply a matter of taking a piece of his regular food and waving it in front of the dog’s nose.  If the dog shows great enthusiasm for the food, it is ready to start the training.  If not, it is best to wait until the dog is in a more receptive mood.

The treats that work best for treat based training games like hide and seek are cut up quarter inch or smaller pieces of chicken, cheese or liver.  In other words, something your dog will love.  It is best to use very small pieces to avoid overfeeding the dog during the training sessions.

One great game for you and another family member or friend to play with your dog is simply back and forth recall.  This is a great exercise for teaching your dog to come whenever it is called by a member of the family. Dogs often learn to only respond to one person and this can be a problem when other people are watching the dog.  That is one reason why professional dog trainers always insist on working with the owner as well as the dog.  A well trained dog must learn to respond to whoever is in charge, not just the owner or usual handler.

In the back and forth recall game, two or more people stand approximately ten yards apart, in a safe place like a fenced in garden.  One person calls the dog and asks him to sit and say until another person asks the dog to come.  When the dog responds to the command to come, it is rewarded with a treat.  Most dogs respond wonderfully to this exercise and love playing this game.  When playing the back and forth recall game, it is important that only the person who called the dog be allowed to give the dog a treat. 

After the dog has mastered the back and forth recall game, the humans in the game can start to spread further out, thus turning the back and forth recall game into a fun game of hide and seek.  The hide and seek game starts with two or more people in the center room of the house.  Every time they call the dog to come, they spread out further away from where they started.  As the game continues, one person will be at one end of the house, while another may be at the opposite end.  What makes the hide and seek game so much fun for the dog is that he must seek out the person to get the treat, instead of simply running up to a person in plain sight.  This type of seeking behavior appeals to many of the dog’s natural instincts.  After all, dogs are naturally hunting animals and seeking out food is second nature to them.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Obedience Training Your Dog – the Importance of Rewards

Rewards just may be the single most important motivator in dog training.  Obedience training through the use of rewards and other positive reinforcements has long been recognized as the most effective method of reaching most dogs and getting the best possible results.

Making obedience training fun and even making it a bit of a game can be very important to keeping both the dog and the handler motivated and willing to learn. Incorporating a period of playtime at the beginning and end of every training session will make sure that every session begins and ends on a good note.

The most basic of all obedience commands is heeling, or walking with the handler on a loose lead.  This is usually the first obedience behaviour that is taught and it is an easy one to teach through reward training.  Begin by fitting the dog with a quality, properly fitted training lead and training collar.  If you are unsure of how to fit the training collar, be sure to ask a dog trainer or the manager at the store where the equipment is purchased.

Start walking with the dog, always being cognizant of the dog’s position relative to your own.  If the dog begins to forge ahead, gently pull on the leash.  This will engage the training collar and give the dog a gentle reminder to slow down.  It may be necessary to apply greater pressure at first until the dog learns to accept the correction.

If the dog begins to fall behind, slow down and gently urge the dog forward.  The use of a lure, or a favorite toy, can be very useful when teaching the dog to walk at your side.  By keeping the lure at the desired position for the dog, he or she should quickly learn the desired location.

Always be sure to provide plenty of praise, treats, toys and other rewards when the dog does what is expected of him.  Dogs learn best by positive reinforcement.  Positive reinforcement means that when the animal does what the handler wants, it receives a reward, which can be anything from a pat on the head to a treat to a favorite toy.  At the beginning of training, even the slightest attempts to please the owner should be rewarded.

Training by using reprimands and punishment is not nearly as effective as training by using rewards.  Dogs can become discouraged and confused by excessive amounts of punishment and reprimands.  Reprimands may be required from time to time, to correct potentially dangerous behaviours like chasing or biting, for instance, but reprimands should be short and directly attributed to the problem behaviour at hand. After the immediate danger has passed, the training should continue with reward based training and positive reinforcement.

For instance, if you come home and your dog is chewing the furniture or other inappropriate item, immediately give the dog a sharp “No” or “Off” and take the item away.  Then immediately give the dog one of his toys or other items that he is allowed to chew on and praise the dog enthusiastically when he takes the toy and begins to chew it.  This will teach the dog to associate chewing some items, like his toys, with praise and chewing inappropriate items with reprimand.

It is very important for the dog to make these associations, since it is very hard to change negative associations once they have formed.  It is always much easier to train proper obedience behaviours the first time than it is to go back and retrain a problem dog later on.  That does not of course mean that retraining is impossible, it simply means that it is more difficult.

Teaching a puppy, or an older dog, to associate the behaviours you value, such as coming when called, sitting on command, walking at your side, chewing only on toys, etc. with happy, fun times is the basis of all successful dog training.