Amazing People

One of our trainers had a wonderful experience while they were out training with one of our teams. For those who don't know, we frequently train out in public which can be very challenging for veteran, dog AND trainer!  Understandably, people see us in the stores and are curious so we get all sorts of reactions when we are out. Every encounter is a training experience, but sometimes the team that we are with are not ready for a particular scenario and the interaction makes the session more difficult than intended. So we never know if an encounter is going to help or hinder the learning process.

However, on this instance, the person had excellent sevice dog etiquette.  He was an employees and when he caught sight of the first team (we had two in the store that day), he approached and asked if they needed help finding anything. Before leaving he asked the trainer if they were with Dogs of War.  When he learned that they were, the employee burst into a big smile, stating that he watched the show every week and he loved it.  He walked away, beaming and was still beaming when he came in sight of the second team working in the store, but he didn't approach them.

Why was this wonderful?  The employee did not interfere with the training sessions.  He was polite and asked a couple of quick questions and then left BOTH teams alone after only speaking to one. He is one of those amazing people who appreciate the work that is being done and understand that they should not interfere with the service dog.  This employee is in the same group of people as those wonderful parents who explain to their children that they can not pet that puppy because it is working.

Thank you, amazing people!!

Top Tips Tuesday: Rewards

When using a reward based training system, it is important to understand what works as a reward for your dog.  Every dog is different and it is your responsibility to figure out what things motivate your dog.  At the same time, it should not be something so wonderful that your dog becomes overly excited and stops listening. So, how do you figure out what your dog likes?

1) Know your dog's body language.
Remember, you are trying to reward your dog.  Make sure your dog's body language reflects enjoyment!  I frequently see handlers being very energetic with their praise even when it is freaking their dog out because they don't like to be handled that way.  If your dog is not enjoying what you are doing, it is not working as a reward and instead of encouraging a behavior, you will be causing your dog to avoid doing the very thing you are trying to train.

2) Be creative!
Sure, food is frequently a reward for dogs -- especially high value treats.  But what if your dog is not food motivated (believe me, it happens) or you just don't want to use food as a reward? What do you do then?  I like to do something with my dogs that they like.  Scratching that special place is a good fall back but it is important to mix things up.  Many dogs love to sniff.  Believe it or not, this can be used as a reward.  Ask your dog to walk with you ignoring all the distractions and then give them a sniff break!  Play fetch, hide and seek, a special voice that tells them that they did something correctly.  There are as many rewards as there are ideas, just make sure your dogs enjoy what you use.

3) Make a list.
I like to write things down.  If there are several people in your home, make a list and keep it on the fridge so everyone knows the ways your dog likes to be rewarded.  You will be surprised how many items you can come up with.  Make it a contest!

4) Know when to take a break.
Remember, your dog has to stay calm in order to follow your cues.  Over excitement works against you.  Things like fetch or tug-o-war may not be the best choices if your dog looses its mind during these games.  My boy can get so excited when playing fetch that he starts jumping on me and trying to grab the object instead of waiting for me the throw it.  So I have to be very careful and give him breaks when he starts to get excited.

5) Remember it is not about you!
The reward is for your dog, not you.  Don't do something because it makes you feel good unless it also makes your dog happy.  If you want your dog to do something for them, you have to make it worth their while.  Just because you like something doesn't mean your dog does!

Top Tips Tuesday: Manners

Most times, when people think about dog training, they think of obedience.  Things like sit and stay.  But there is more to dog training than just getting the dog to perform "tricks" (even if they are practical "tricks, like sit).  After all, your dog is not always going to have someone around to tell it what to do.  Even if you are with your dog, you are not telling it what to do every second of the time you are together.  But you DO expect a certain level of behavior from your dog even if you are not expecting it to follow a particular cue.  Here are some things that help your dog to learn basic manners.

1) Know what proper manners are to you

Just like with training obedience/skills, having a clear idea of what manners you want from your dog is the first step. What are the "house rules" and how will everyone know what is to be rewarded?  It helps if you put this in writing.  Even if it is not a problem behavior in need of fixing, be prepared!  Just because you do not have small children in the home does not mean that you don't have to teach your dog the proper way to interact with a child-what happens when the nieces and nephews come to visit in the holidays?  Make sure your "rules" provide clear guidelines. For example, when greeting a person, my dog must stay in a sit. Not: when greeting a person, my dog must be friendly. (My friendly and your friendly could be very different, so we might reward different behavior and confuse the dog.). Every adult in the household needs to agree with the house rules and be willing to reward appropriate behavior and discourage inappropriate behavior. V

2) Reward calm behavior

If the only time you engage with your dog is when they are excited or behaving badly, you are teaching your dog that excitement and bad behavior is what gets your attention. Naturally, your dog will resort to these things when he wants your attention, because you are (unintentionally) encouraging it. Don't just ignore your pup when he is calmly laying by your side this is a time to reinforce calm behavior. Be careful that your reward does not cause the dog's excitement to rise. If your praise causes your dog to jump up and bounce around the room (or on you) you are defeating the purpose!

calm. 

3) Reward small improvements

Just like you would reward small successes in behavior training, it is important to reward small improvements in behavior. If your dog loves to chase the cat, only rewarding him for completely ignoring the fluffy moving object will result in a lot of frustration on your part and a looooong learning process for your pups. If your dog stops straining at the end of the leash, but still jumps up and lunges toward the cat when it angers the room, this is an improvement and must be rewarded. Gradually increase the reward criteria and your dog's behavior will improve quickly.

4) Keep your dog BELOW threashhold

Ok, so this is a technical training term for controlling the dog's environment and exposure to manageable levels. If your dog is so wound up that it can't think and is only running on instincts and adrenaline-she is over threashhold. Learning can not take place if the dog is running solely on instincts. They need to be able to think in order to learn. That is why using distance in socialization is so successful-the dog gradually learns proper behavior around a trigger and the trigger is slowly brought closer while always keeping a distance that the dog can handle without losing it. Understanding a dog's boy language is key to this step so either become fluent yourself or contact a good behaviorist in your area to help you. 

5) Be patient

This requires understanding. It will take time to teach your dog proper manners. Even if they come from a home where they were well behaved, you will need to teach him the rules of your household. Remember, you have to set your dog up for success so you MUST fulfill his needs.  A dog can not be clam if you do not provide an outlet for his energy. Nor can he be calm if you do not teach him to be.  Reinforce the behavior you want and you will find spending time with your dog is one if the most pleasant things on earth!