Happy New Year, all!
We are so excited to start 2012 at Teacher's Pet Training. We have a great year planned, full of great ideas, meeting new people and dogs, and continuing to help you and your dog achieve your potential! So, join us in making training goals for 2012!
Our next challenge of this Test Your Skills series is based on loose leash walking. Set out a couple objects that can be used for walking a figure 8 pattern. Once set up, get your dog into the loose leash walking frame of mind :). You may use treats to lure your dog into position on your right or left side. Start walking, and then warm up with some easy figure 8's.
Once your dog is easily walking the figure 8's, I want you to put a frisbee on your head, and then try to walk figure 8's. If it falls off, you must start again. This will get easier as you and your dog get more fluid at walking nicely on leash.
If you are looking for a bigger challenge after trying out the frisbee, you can have a friend blindfold you. Then, the friend calls out directions on where to go, and you are trying to keep your dog walking on a loose leash.
Good luck, and happy training!
Teacher's Pet
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Test Your Skills: Challenge #3
Happy Belated Thanksgiving, all!
We apologize for the delay in our writing our next blog. We have been very busy the last couple months!
Without further ado, here is your next challenge. Again, we hope that the first challenges have been successful! Please post comments, questions, issues, and more!
For this challenge, we are starting to work on "distance control" for skills. Here are the details:
1. When your dog is ~5 feet away from you (but facing you), ask him/her for a SIT. If successful, reinforce handsomely with some treats or a playtime! When your dog is doing this readily, move to ~10 feet, then ~15, and so on.
2. Repeat Step 1, but use a DOWN instead.
3. Repeat Step 1, but try a SIT-DOWN-SIT (Puppy Pushup).
4. Now, walk with your dog on one of your sides. Ask for a STAND and WAIT. Go about 5 feet away, and then ask for the SIT. Again, repeat this with the DOWN, too.
Please post how this challenge goes! If you'd like extra assistance, join our Doggy High School class! This course focuses on adding more challenging aspects to foundation skills, such as Sit and Down.
Happy Training!
Teacher's Pet
We apologize for the delay in our writing our next blog. We have been very busy the last couple months!
Without further ado, here is your next challenge. Again, we hope that the first challenges have been successful! Please post comments, questions, issues, and more!
For this challenge, we are starting to work on "distance control" for skills. Here are the details:
1. When your dog is ~5 feet away from you (but facing you), ask him/her for a SIT. If successful, reinforce handsomely with some treats or a playtime! When your dog is doing this readily, move to ~10 feet, then ~15, and so on.
2. Repeat Step 1, but use a DOWN instead.
3. Repeat Step 1, but try a SIT-DOWN-SIT (Puppy Pushup).
4. Now, walk with your dog on one of your sides. Ask for a STAND and WAIT. Go about 5 feet away, and then ask for the SIT. Again, repeat this with the DOWN, too.
Please post how this challenge goes! If you'd like extra assistance, join our Doggy High School class! This course focuses on adding more challenging aspects to foundation skills, such as Sit and Down.
Happy Training!
Teacher's Pet
Friday, October 7, 2011
Test Your Skills - CHALLENGE #2
Hello again!
We hope the first challenge went well for everyone. If it didn’t, post feedback here, and we can offer suggestions!
Challenge #2 is focused on Recall/Come. This is your dog moving towards you, and possibly away from something s/he shouldn’t be doing! :)
When your dog is a bit distracted (inside the house), call his/her name and, once attention is on you, call “Come” in an exciting voice and race in the opposite direction. When your dog gets to you, throw a big “party” with treats and praise! Continue this chase game until your dog doesn’t hesitate at all when hearing that recall word (“come”).
The second part of this challenge is to complete it outside on leash! Use the same process as above, but this time, your dog will remain on leash.
Good luck, and we look forward to hearing your feedback!
Happy training,
Teacher’s Pet Training Academy
We hope the first challenge went well for everyone. If it didn’t, post feedback here, and we can offer suggestions!
Challenge #2 is focused on Recall/Come. This is your dog moving towards you, and possibly away from something s/he shouldn’t be doing! :)
When your dog is a bit distracted (inside the house), call his/her name and, once attention is on you, call “Come” in an exciting voice and race in the opposite direction. When your dog gets to you, throw a big “party” with treats and praise! Continue this chase game until your dog doesn’t hesitate at all when hearing that recall word (“come”).
The second part of this challenge is to complete it outside on leash! Use the same process as above, but this time, your dog will remain on leash.
Good luck, and we look forward to hearing your feedback!
Happy training,
Teacher’s Pet Training Academy
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Test Your Skills - CHALLENGE #1
Hello friends!
Over the next weeks, we will be posting different challenges for you and your dog to complete. Please post questions, successes, etc!
Your first challenge will sound simple. :) We want you to ask your dog to “SIT” while in various locations (out on a walk, dog park, pet store, each room of the house, etc), as well as asking for a sit while YOU change your position. Examples are: have your back facing your dog, you sit on the ground, you lay on the ground – really use your creativity and test your dog’s skill!
If you have any trouble, consider dropping into one our beginning classes – our “How Do I Get My Dog To Do That?” class goes over SIT. OR, jump into our Doggy High School course – this course goes over asking for cues in various settings.
We look forward to hearing your feedback on how this challenge went for you!
Happy training,
Teacher’s Pet Training Academy
(608) 467-2643
www.teacherspettraining.com
Over the next weeks, we will be posting different challenges for you and your dog to complete. Please post questions, successes, etc!
Your first challenge will sound simple. :) We want you to ask your dog to “SIT” while in various locations (out on a walk, dog park, pet store, each room of the house, etc), as well as asking for a sit while YOU change your position. Examples are: have your back facing your dog, you sit on the ground, you lay on the ground – really use your creativity and test your dog’s skill!
If you have any trouble, consider dropping into one our beginning classes – our “How Do I Get My Dog To Do That?” class goes over SIT. OR, jump into our Doggy High School course – this course goes over asking for cues in various settings.
We look forward to hearing your feedback on how this challenge went for you!
Happy training,
Teacher’s Pet Training Academy
(608) 467-2643
www.teacherspettraining.com
Monday, August 1, 2011
Thoughts on Invisible Fences
(by Brianne Statz, CPDT-KA)
The “invisible” fence has become a very popular tool for dog owners, and I’m often asked what I think of them in classes. I do understand the appeal of them - having just put up some privacy fencing in my yard, I know how expensive a real fence can be. And many neighborhoods have restrictions on true fences (although I will never get on board with that policy). However, despite the appeal, “invisible” fences can lead to some major problems.
First and foremost, I’m putting “invisible” in quotation marks. While that is the common term for them, they are, in reality, shock systems. “Invisible” makes it sound harmless, but it does deliver an electric shock to your dog. Many people claim it’s such a low level that it doesn’t hurt the dog, but it has to be unpleasant. If it wasn’t unpleasant for the dog, he wouldn’t bother to avoid it, and thus, it wouldn’t work. Shock training (even at low levels) can lead to fear and anxiety. Some people end up with dogs afraid to go in the yard at all, afraid to walk out of the yard to go for walk, etc. Other times, there is a stimulus so exciting (“Oh my gosh! A squirrel! A squirrel!”) that the dog bolts through the line, but then doesn’t want to brave the shock to get back into the yard. And as a vet tech, I have seen multiple dogs develop sores and skin infections at the site of the shock collar prongs.
Some argue that the dog only has to experience the shock a few times before the warning signal is effective. However, if you think about how classical conditioning works, the warning signal comes to evoke the same physiological events as the shock itself. Think Pavlov’s dogs – after being paired with the food, the bell itself could evoke salivation. By being paired with the shock, the warning tone itself can evoke the same internal response that the shock does.
Shock fences can also increase reactivity in some dogs. For a dog who is already a bit nervous about strangers, other dogs, kids, or whatever might be walking by the yard, if he approaches them and gets shocked, he can pair that shock with that thing going by and it can increase his anxiety, lead to crazy barking displays, etc. And while your dog may not get out of the yard, the shock fence does not keep other things from coming into your yard. The dog walking by that your dog charges at barking can come right into your yard and cause trouble.
The bottom line is that an actual fence is the safer way to go. If that is not an option, but you want to give your dog more freedom outside, try a long, 20-foot leash line, or take your dog to the dog park or other fenced area for off leash play.
The “invisible” fence has become a very popular tool for dog owners, and I’m often asked what I think of them in classes. I do understand the appeal of them - having just put up some privacy fencing in my yard, I know how expensive a real fence can be. And many neighborhoods have restrictions on true fences (although I will never get on board with that policy). However, despite the appeal, “invisible” fences can lead to some major problems.
First and foremost, I’m putting “invisible” in quotation marks. While that is the common term for them, they are, in reality, shock systems. “Invisible” makes it sound harmless, but it does deliver an electric shock to your dog. Many people claim it’s such a low level that it doesn’t hurt the dog, but it has to be unpleasant. If it wasn’t unpleasant for the dog, he wouldn’t bother to avoid it, and thus, it wouldn’t work. Shock training (even at low levels) can lead to fear and anxiety. Some people end up with dogs afraid to go in the yard at all, afraid to walk out of the yard to go for walk, etc. Other times, there is a stimulus so exciting (“Oh my gosh! A squirrel! A squirrel!”) that the dog bolts through the line, but then doesn’t want to brave the shock to get back into the yard. And as a vet tech, I have seen multiple dogs develop sores and skin infections at the site of the shock collar prongs.
Some argue that the dog only has to experience the shock a few times before the warning signal is effective. However, if you think about how classical conditioning works, the warning signal comes to evoke the same physiological events as the shock itself. Think Pavlov’s dogs – after being paired with the food, the bell itself could evoke salivation. By being paired with the shock, the warning tone itself can evoke the same internal response that the shock does.
Shock fences can also increase reactivity in some dogs. For a dog who is already a bit nervous about strangers, other dogs, kids, or whatever might be walking by the yard, if he approaches them and gets shocked, he can pair that shock with that thing going by and it can increase his anxiety, lead to crazy barking displays, etc. And while your dog may not get out of the yard, the shock fence does not keep other things from coming into your yard. The dog walking by that your dog charges at barking can come right into your yard and cause trouble.
The bottom line is that an actual fence is the safer way to go. If that is not an option, but you want to give your dog more freedom outside, try a long, 20-foot leash line, or take your dog to the dog park or other fenced area for off leash play.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Watching for Unintentional Cues for Behaviors
(by Brianne Statz, CPDT-KA)
When we start working on sit and down in classes, we usually talk a bit about how dogs tend to rely most heavily on visual cues from us. They do of course learn lots of words too, but visual cues from us are the dog’s go-to signals. Check this out if you want a detailed summary of some of the research in this area - http://tinyurl.com/44f5669.
In class, we teach hand signals for sit, down, stand, heel, and more, but hand signals are really only one type of visual cue. Recently, I stumbled upon a new cue while working with my ever-energetic Aussie, Payton. I was working on establishing a “default” down. A default behavior is a position (often a sit or a down) that your dog should choose when unsure of what else to do. If you’re just standing there, not asking your dog to do anything specific, the default behavior is what they should choose. You train a default behavior by capturing it – just waiting for it to happen, then rewarding it. Apparently while waiting for these downs to happen, I was taking deep breaths, and Payton got my deep breath tied in with his downs. So now, based on my body language, he has a new cue for down. If I take a deep breath, he lies down.
While I didn’t start out to intentionally teach this, I love it! Payton can be a bit of a crazy man in certain situations. He sometimes gets over-aroused when he sees other dogs on walks, or if there are lots of children running around. Now if we find ourselves in an overly-stimulating situation, I can take a deep breath to calm myself down, and it also tells Payton to do a down (and if he’s doing a down, he’s not barking at the end of his leash!).
To summarize, your dog can easily pick up any sort of cue, so watch how your dog is interpreting your body language – who knows, you might discover a great cue like I did!
When we start working on sit and down in classes, we usually talk a bit about how dogs tend to rely most heavily on visual cues from us. They do of course learn lots of words too, but visual cues from us are the dog’s go-to signals. Check this out if you want a detailed summary of some of the research in this area - http://tinyurl.com/44f5669.
In class, we teach hand signals for sit, down, stand, heel, and more, but hand signals are really only one type of visual cue. Recently, I stumbled upon a new cue while working with my ever-energetic Aussie, Payton. I was working on establishing a “default” down. A default behavior is a position (often a sit or a down) that your dog should choose when unsure of what else to do. If you’re just standing there, not asking your dog to do anything specific, the default behavior is what they should choose. You train a default behavior by capturing it – just waiting for it to happen, then rewarding it. Apparently while waiting for these downs to happen, I was taking deep breaths, and Payton got my deep breath tied in with his downs. So now, based on my body language, he has a new cue for down. If I take a deep breath, he lies down.
While I didn’t start out to intentionally teach this, I love it! Payton can be a bit of a crazy man in certain situations. He sometimes gets over-aroused when he sees other dogs on walks, or if there are lots of children running around. Now if we find ourselves in an overly-stimulating situation, I can take a deep breath to calm myself down, and it also tells Payton to do a down (and if he’s doing a down, he’s not barking at the end of his leash!).
To summarize, your dog can easily pick up any sort of cue, so watch how your dog is interpreting your body language – who knows, you might discover a great cue like I did!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Click! The Art of Clicker Training: Part 2
(by Brianne Statz, CPDT-KA)
Let’s try some clicker training! First, your dog needs to understand what the clicker means. The click is going to mark the instant your dog performs the behavior you like, and it tells your dog reinforcement is on the way. You teach your dog what the clicker means by simply clicking, then feeding a treat, clicking, then feeding a treat, etc. Your dog doesn’t need to be doing anything particular at this point – you’re just charging the clicker up. Do 3-4 repetitions, then take a break and repeat later. After a few times, you should see that your dog seems excited to hear the click (ears perk up, tail wags). Now you’re ready to start using the clicker to help you teach a behavior.
There are a couple different strategies to teach a new behavior. You can lure your dog by putting a treat right on his nose and moving it around – move it up and back and he sits, drop it to ground and he lies down, move it in a circle and he spins. And you click as soon as your dog achieves the behavior you want, and give the lure as a reward. While this is a great way to get things like sit or down trained quickly, you’re not engaging your dog’s brain very much. It’s easy for your dog to follow the food without really thinking too much about what it is that you want. Where the clicker becomes a really helpful tool is in capturing and shaping behavior.
Capturing means you just sit there as an observer of your dog, wait for him to do what you want, then click and treat. When you have something your dog wants (like a toy or a handful of treats), he’s likely to try to figure out what he can do to get that good stuff. Bark at you? Jump up? Lie down? Click! Yes – down is the behavior you wanted! The click tells your dog that down earned a reward, and he should want to repeat that behavior again. Here’s an example of a captured trick: Payton’s itchy
Capturing is a great way to teach a new skill. But for more complicated skills, you may also need to use shaping. Shaping refers to marking (clicking) an approximation of the desired behavior. As an example, take teaching your dog to go sit on a mat or bed. If your dog is not in the mood for a nap, he might not spontaneously go walk over and sit on the mat. But, he might turn his head toward that side of the room – click & treat! And once he figures out that side of the room is important, he might take a step over that way – click & treat! Then two steps – click & treat! One paw on the mat – click & treat! Four paws on the mat – click & treat! Sit on the mat – click & treat! By reinforcing steps in the right direction, you can keep the dog interested in figuring out what it is that you want. Essentially, your dog is working to make you click. Here’s an example of shaping: Joan’s mat
The more you can encourage your dog (or other pet!) to think about what you want, the better your dog will get at offering behaviors that please you, and the clicker is a great tool to help you and your dog reach that goal!
Let’s try some clicker training! First, your dog needs to understand what the clicker means. The click is going to mark the instant your dog performs the behavior you like, and it tells your dog reinforcement is on the way. You teach your dog what the clicker means by simply clicking, then feeding a treat, clicking, then feeding a treat, etc. Your dog doesn’t need to be doing anything particular at this point – you’re just charging the clicker up. Do 3-4 repetitions, then take a break and repeat later. After a few times, you should see that your dog seems excited to hear the click (ears perk up, tail wags). Now you’re ready to start using the clicker to help you teach a behavior.
There are a couple different strategies to teach a new behavior. You can lure your dog by putting a treat right on his nose and moving it around – move it up and back and he sits, drop it to ground and he lies down, move it in a circle and he spins. And you click as soon as your dog achieves the behavior you want, and give the lure as a reward. While this is a great way to get things like sit or down trained quickly, you’re not engaging your dog’s brain very much. It’s easy for your dog to follow the food without really thinking too much about what it is that you want. Where the clicker becomes a really helpful tool is in capturing and shaping behavior.
Capturing means you just sit there as an observer of your dog, wait for him to do what you want, then click and treat. When you have something your dog wants (like a toy or a handful of treats), he’s likely to try to figure out what he can do to get that good stuff. Bark at you? Jump up? Lie down? Click! Yes – down is the behavior you wanted! The click tells your dog that down earned a reward, and he should want to repeat that behavior again. Here’s an example of a captured trick: Payton’s itchy
Capturing is a great way to teach a new skill. But for more complicated skills, you may also need to use shaping. Shaping refers to marking (clicking) an approximation of the desired behavior. As an example, take teaching your dog to go sit on a mat or bed. If your dog is not in the mood for a nap, he might not spontaneously go walk over and sit on the mat. But, he might turn his head toward that side of the room – click & treat! And once he figures out that side of the room is important, he might take a step over that way – click & treat! Then two steps – click & treat! One paw on the mat – click & treat! Four paws on the mat – click & treat! Sit on the mat – click & treat! By reinforcing steps in the right direction, you can keep the dog interested in figuring out what it is that you want. Essentially, your dog is working to make you click. Here’s an example of shaping: Joan’s mat
The more you can encourage your dog (or other pet!) to think about what you want, the better your dog will get at offering behaviors that please you, and the clicker is a great tool to help you and your dog reach that goal!
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