Top Tips Tuesday: Teaching a skill

I frequently get the question "How do I teach my dog to (insert skill here)?  The fact is that, like people, not every dog learns the same way. We have come to realize that every dog has a unique cognitive makeup which means that there is no single, universal, step-by-step way to teach a dog a skill and guarantee that it will work for all dogs.  (If you want more on dog cognition, check out The Genius of Dogs: How Dogs are Smarter than youThink by Vanessa Wood and Brian Hare).  But there ARE basic things that you can do that will increase your success regardless of how your dog learns.

1) Make a plan!

Don't just start training!  Be sure you think about what you are going to do BEFORE you work with your dog.  What skill(s) will you work on? What rewards/penalties will you use? What proficiency level warrants a reward? After all, if you are not clear in your own mind about what you expect from a training session, how is your pup supposed to figure it out?!  Establish your teaching structure before you start the hands-on work.

2) Be flexible

Even though you have a plan, be ready to adjust things on the fly!  Don't allow your dog to continually "fail" because you are not flexible in what your are asking or how you are asking for it!  If, for whatever reason, your dog who could bore holes in your face with his eyes for 15 seconds because he was so focused can barely maintain eye contact for 2 seconds today -- stop expecting 15 seconds!!!  Start rewarding for 2 seconds of focus,  This serves two purposes . . . first, your dog is having a positive training experience so you are building confidence and positive associations with you AND training sessions.  Second, you avoid getting irritated and labeling your dog as "stubborn" or difficult.  Every creature has good days and bad days -- just because your dog had a higher level of proficiency earlier does not mean that the skill is solid or that they are little robots and will ALWAYS perform perfectly!!!  Which brings me to the next tip.

3) Have realistic expectations

Your dog is a living, breathing creature -- NOT an infallible machine.  Just because your dog knows how to sit does not mean it understands to do it when you say the word "sit".  Even if they understand what the cue means, it doesn't mean they will do it perfectly every time.  (What if you are asking them to sit on a cold surface?  They may, understandably, refuse completely or sit but pop up again immediately.)  Sometimes, our expectations do not take into consideration that our dogs have needs as well and if we want their best behavior, we need to be realistic about what we are asking them to do for us and when.  Going back the to focus . . . even if your dog can always hold eye contact for 15 seconds when they are at home does not mean that they can do that when you are in a park with dogs and kids playing around them!  Be realistic and adjust your expectations to the situation and gradually build your dog's proficiency around higher and higher challenges.

4) Control your frustration

This does not mean "be perfect" -- after all, if you are going to allow your dog to make mistakes, you should give yourself the same courtesy.  Frustration happens . . . but you should avoid letting it affect your training session.  If you find yourself getting frustrated, change your plan and your expectations.  Take a moment and analyse what is happening.  Are you confusing your dog by mixing cues?  Is there another way you can communicate to your dog what you want from them?  Is what you are doing too much of a leap for the dog to make -- do you need to break the skill down further?  If you find that your frustration is getting the better of you, ask the dog for something that you KNOW it can do and end the training session on success.  One I like to do is get the dog's attention (I am purposely being vague here).  Name recognition is something that is usually fixed very early in the relationship and only requires the dog to acknowledge that you are addressing them.  So, I say the name and if the dog gives me a split second of attention that is a success!  It is asking for very little from the dog AND further reinforces the dog responding to their name.

5) Make it fun

We frequently make the mistake of classifying "training time" with our dogs as "WORK" and viewing success as the dog consistently getting better at doing what we say, when we say it.  But we also expect our dogs to be a source of joy and relaxation in our lives -- that can be difficult to achieve if the time spent training is "work" that is measured by performance standards.  Speaking generally, dogs want to please us and make us happy (this is not universal, but THAT is a discussion for another post).  Sure, from the point of the "student" it is better to learn in a fun and engaging way, but this is also true of the "teacher".  If you enjoy the "game" of training, your dog will be more engaged and WANT to train with you.  Remember this when you make your plan -- create a training plan that is fun for both you and your dog!  Enjoy yourself and each other!

Time for a regular, new series!  Starting today I will start posting training tips and information on Tuesdays.  Anyone interested in a particular training issue -- feel free to mention it in the comments and I will put it on my list of upcoming topics.

This week: What to do BEFORE you bring a dog home.

1)  Decide that you are committed to caring for another living creature for their ENTIRE life!

The minimum life expectancy of an otherwise healthy dog is 7 years (giant breeds) while the maximum is 16+ years (small dogs).  In the Paws and Stripes program, we use dogs that fall into the medium/large category so life expectancy is 10-13 years.  Now, I have had dogs most of my life, all of them have been medium to large in size and all of them lived to 13+ years. Part of that has to do with genetics while the other part has to do with how they were treated.  The point is:  If you are getting a dog, be prepared to care for them until they pass away.  Too many dogs end up in shelters because people move, have a baby, don't have time, etc. and the dog no longer "fits" in their lives.  I see it all the time and it breaks my heart!

2) Analyse your life style.

Are you extremely active? A couch potato? Somewhere in between?  How many people live in your household and what are their ages?  Is EVERYONE on board with the idea of including a dog in the family?  These are just a few of the many questions you need to ask yourself before you start looking for a dog.  Some dogs need a lot of exercise, others are happy laying on a nice bed in front of a fire most of the day.  If you have very young children or live with a person that has physical limitations, it might be better to avoid a high energy dog.  Regardless of your life style, you MUST have time to train your dog.  If you can not take considerable time over the next 6-12 months training a dog and reinforcing that training, it is not likely that ANY dog will fit into your life style.  Most dogs (even seniors) do not come pre-trained.  You will have to do the work and if you don't, that dog probably will end up back where you got it in short order.

3) Research . . . then research . . . and research some more
Now that you are committed to care for a dog until it's natural life is over and you have a clear idea of the life style it is time to decide what kind of dog will fit well in your household.  You may be interested in a particular breed or size of dog.  Be realistic.  Know what you are getting in to!  If you do not have a lot of space and you can't exercise a lot with your dog, don't get a Husky!  They love to run and like to do it as much as possible.  But don't just assume because a dog is a particular breed that they will follow the "breed specifications".  Every dog is and individual and they don't always fit nicely into categories.  If you can't provide the environment that your dog needs, neither you or your dog will be happy.

4) Decide where to go.
"Kill" shelter; "No-kill shelter"; Rescue; Breeder; Pet store; neighbor; Store front . . . there are many places that you can get a dog.  Some are better than others (don't get me started on puppy mills).  Regardless of what you decide, make sure you have done your research!  Don't just research types of dogs . . . research where you decide to go to get your dog.  Ask for references, tour the facilities, make sure you are comfortable with the way the dogs are cared for before you take them to you home.  Ask questions like: How often are the dogs getting exercised?  What type of enrichment do they receive?  The environment you get  your dog from will affect them, so make sure you know what that looks like so you can decide if you can provide your new family member with what it needs.

5) Prepare your home.

This is really a non-stop activity, but is particularly important before you bring your dog home.  If you don't want your dog to chew on shoes or clothes, make sure these things are not left where the dog can get to them.  Hate counter surfing -- don't leave yummy morsels on the counter!  Prepare a cozy space for your dog to sleep (I am a strong proponent of them sleeping in the bedroom, though not on YOUR bed).  Check your property for things that may be hazardous to your dog (plants, pesticides, etc.) and that the fences and gates are well maintained and will not allow your dog to escape.  It is important, particularly in the early months of integrating a new dog into your home, to limit the ways that your new family member can make mistakes.  If the temptation is not there, then it is easy to avoid it.  Look at your house from a dog's perspective . . . do you have valuable nick knacks on the coffee table where they can be toppled by a dog's wagging tail? Instead of trying to keep the dog from whacking them, put them where they are safe from sweeping tails, at least at first and maybe forever.  If you don't want to prepare your home and maybe change some things about it, make sure you add that into the information you include in #2 above . . . if you don't, your new pup may be the source of many frustrations that could have been avoided.

All aboard!

It takes time and consistency to train a dog.  Even if that dog is the family pet, it is very unlikely that your dog was the perfect, well behaved, angel you expected when you brought him home.  Puppy . . . adolescent . . . adult . . . shelter . . . rescue . . . breeder . . . even if they were fully trained, they needed to learn the new house "rules".

Regardless of how much your dog needs to learn when you bring them home, the key to success is getting everyone who will interact with your pup on the same page.  This requires PLANNING!  You have to figure out:
1) How do you expect your dog to behave?
2) What rules are they to follow (and exactly what does that look like)?

It is not enough to determine that your dog must be "friendly".  After all, behavior your 20 year old cousin sees as friendly might scare grandma half to death (or cause her to fall and break her hip)!  You need to decide what "friendly" LOOKS like so everyone knows when the dog is behaving in a way that deserves praise.  Then, you have to make sure everyone who interacts with your dog rewards acceptable behavior and not unacceptable behavior.

This is a picture of a note one of the Paws and Stripes staff left me after she had taken Treun out for a potty break when I was out of the office for a bit.  Before I go into detail about what a wonderful co-trainer Mandy is when she handles dogs in the office, I need to let you in on a few details.  "Good manners" translates to calm behavior such as sitting to greet, waiting to be leashed, walking calmly by handler's side, and not pulling (Treun is a little bit of a freight train when he is excited).  The big rule is that if dogs are in vest, they are working and must be treated as such (minimal interaction as is necessary to complete the task), out of vest they are fair game!

This is such a good example of a person working within the rules.  Mandy clearly reinforces desired behavior by ensuring that Treun behaves properly and she rewards him without causing him to get over excited.  She also adjusted her behavior by interacting with him more than she would normally because he was out of vest.  She also took the time to write a short "progress report" for me so I was aware of how he did while I was gone.  It is wonderful that everyone in the office loves dogs so much but still remembers that even if they are not the primary "trainer", they still have an important role to play in shaping the dogs that they encounter.  

If you are doing anything that helps to shape a dog's behavior, you are participating in the training process -- remember that when an owner corrects their dog for doing something to you that you don't mind . . . just because you don't mind a pup jumping up on you to say "hi" doesn't mean you should let him -- after all, remember grandma's hip!