Practicing the Name Game for a Strong Recall Response

Step 1: Condition the Name Response – Begin by conditioning the dog’s name to be associated with wonderful things. Grab a handful of small, yummy treats and say your dog’s name, then immediately pop a treat into the dog’s mouth. The dog doesn’t have to do anything (like sit or look at you), just say their name and pop the treat into their mouth within one second. Do this 20 or 30 times consecutively. This procedure can be repeated periodically to ensure a strong association remains.

Step 2: Ask for Name Recognition – Once you have done this, you are ready to ask for a behavior in exchange for the treat. Say your dog’s name ONE time (do this when they are NOT distracted!) and say “Yes!” and deliver the treat the instant they offer any acknowledgement of their name whatsoever. This may be a glance, a quick turn of the head, a wag of the tail… ANYTHING that indicates that the dog heard you say his name.

If your dog does not offer any indication that they heard you, you may repeat their name after 15 seconds (ONE time!), again saying “Yes!” and delivering the treat as soon as you get a response. If you still get no response, go back to step one and practice again, or try moving to a less distracting location.

Step 3: Add Distraction – Through practice, your dog will begin turning immediately in eager anticipation of a reward as soon as you say their name. As you begin to get this fast and strong response, you can start practicing the game in increasingly distracting situations. The more you practice, the stronger and more reliable the dog’s response will become. If you get no response, go back to step two or try a less distracting location.

Step 4: Add Distance – Once you are confident that you have a strong Name Game, take your dog out on a 20ft line, allowing them to sniff, play, and explore. Periodically call your dog’s name, saying “Yes!” and delivering a high-value food reward (or throwing a ball, etc… anything super exciting). Immediately release your dog to continue sniffing and playing.

This game should be practiced regularly throughout the dog’s life to keep an immaculate response. When first training for a strong response, it is a good idea to put a handful of treats in your pocket each morning, delivering them randomly throughout the day in exchange for Name Game response.

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Consider this: when our dogs are pulling us down the street, strangling at the end of their leash, they are just as uncomfortable and frustrated as we are.

Neither dog nor person in this situation is having any fun. However, the dog may not realize that there is an easier way to walk down the street. It is our job, as the person, to show the dog just what that better way is.

Pulling on leash is one of the common complaints dogs owners have. In fact, this phenomenon is so common that it has spawned hundreds of different pieces of equipment in the form of special leashes, collars, and harnesses all claiming to be just what you need to get your dog to stop pulling and start walking politely on leash.

Unfortunately, when it comes to walking on leash, there is no magic bullet, and good old fashioned training and consistency are necessary if you are ever to achieve reliable results.

One of the biggest problems with teaching a dog to walk politely on leash is that is something that the dog simply would not naturally choose to do. When we are teaching things like ‘sit’ or ‘down’, they are easy because these are behaviors that the dog normally does everyday, we are simply putting them on cue.

Walking slowly in a straight line from point A to point B is a human behavior; one that is not natural or sensical to a dog. When you watch a dog walking off- leash with his human, the human walks in a straight line. The dog runs around the human, circling, zig-zagging, weaving, looping…He is busy using all of his senses to investigate the world around him. For a dog, life is about the journey, not the destination!

It is certainly achievable to teach our dogs to walk without pulling on the leash, but we must give them a reason to do so, and be calmly consistent on our insistence that they not pull. This is where the training comes in. There are numerous ways to teach your dog what you want, and I regularly employ several to find the one that works just right for each dog/handler team that I train. Although there are numerous ways that involve using pain and punishment available, it is never necessary to choose to resort to these methods and you can achieve remarkable heeling results without them.

Whichever method you use to teach walking, it is crucial that you remain consistent with your dog. As in – we are never going to move forward on a tight leash, no matter what the circumstances. Period. Many dog owners are excellent at making excuses for allowing the dog to pull “just this once.”

“He was really excited because we were on our way into dog class; he saw his best doggy friend; there was a squirrel/cat/leaf blowing; it was really cold out; I was in a hurry…” the list goes on.

If we expect our dogs to be 100% consistent with not pulling on the leash, we must be 100% consistent for not allowing them to pull. No matter what. Remember, it takes two to pull (without you pulling on your end of the leash, the dog would have nothing to pull against), so you must take equal responsibility when your dog is pulling you down the street. If you are allowing him to move forward on a tight leash, he will learn that this is an acceptable way to get where he wants to go.

The easiest way to teach a dog not to pull on leash is to teach them how to walk off leash.

Begin with your dog off leash in a large enclosed area such as a fenced yard, basement, or large room in the house. Let the dog wander while you begin walking around the perimeter of the space. Don’t call the dog to you, just start walking. At some point, your dog will wander over to see what you are doing. As soon as he does, say “Yes!” and reinforce (this can be with a treat, praise, play, anything that your dog adores.)

Continue on in this fashion, letting the dog do as he chooses, but reinforcing anytime he checks in with you, and continue reinforcing every few seconds as long as he keeps moving with you. What you’ll find is that after 10 minutes or so of this game, (maybe less if you are using really good reinforcement!) the dog is walking around the room right by your side. He has decided that, given everything else he could be doing at that moment, the most exciting thing for him is to walk around the room with you. This is huge! We are not forcing him or making him walk with us, he is CHOOSING to!

The next step is to add the leash. Clip on the dog’s leash and hold it loosely, so that it looks like a nice “J” (don’t let it hang so low the dog is tripping over it.) Continue to play the game just as before, reinforcing the dog for staying with you, but now everytime the dog begins to wander away, stop walking. Don’t call or pull the dog back, just plant your feet and wait. As soon as the dog reorients to you, say “Yes!” and begin walking again, reinforcing the dog for choosing to move with you.

Once you and your dog are pros at moving together around the house or yard without any tension on that leash, you are ready to take it on the road. Same rules apply outside, but remember that once out in the big world, you have a lot more to compete with for your dog’s attention. Try to begin in an easier outside area – spend time walking just in your back yard, or up and down the driveway, before moving out to the neighborhood or park where other people, dogs, and excitement compete for your dog’s attention. Make sure you have excellent reinforcers and be generous with them, especially at the beginning. Remember your dog is learning a new skill. Above all, have patience. Wait for your dog to offer the correct behavior and reinforce when he does. Before long, he will be choosing to walk nicely by your side and walks will be fun for both of you.

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Barking at the Doorbell

Whenever that bell rings, it predict that a visitor has arrived…a very exciting time for dogs, who are usually quite vocal about their excitement! The easiest way to stop doorbell barking is to change the meaning of the sound from “a guest is here!” to “it’s time for a cookie!”.

1. Get a bag of extra yummy treats and ring the doorbell with your dog standing beside you. As soon as the bell rings, pop a treat right in the dog’s mouth. Try to be quick and do this before your dog begins barking. Repeat several times until your dog pauses to look at you for a treat when the bell rings.

2. Ask a family member to go outside and ring the bell while you sit inside with the dog and treat every time the bell rings. Try to feed the treat fast, before the barking starts. Repeat until your dog is looking to you for a treat instead of barking when he hears the bell.

3. Start doing step 2 randomly. When the bell rings “unexpectedly”, give your dog a treat and then go about your business. After awhile, when the bell rings, the dog will assume it means “cookie time” and will come to you instead of run to the door barking like crazy.

Stealing off Counters

While management (keep your counters clear!) is good advice, a little training can go a long way in making things easier during the hustle and bustle of dinnertime.

1. Show your dog a treat and place it on a low table, keeping it slightly covered with your hand. Wait quietly while your dog tries to get the treat. As soon as he starts to move away from the treat, say “yes!” and give him an even yummier treat from hidden behind your back.

2. Repeat several times until your dog immediately moves away from the treat on the table. Now, try the game without covering the treat, but stand nearby to grab it fast if your dog goes for it!

3. Once your dog is doing great, choosing to stay away from the table, begin practicing with you standing further away and pretending not to watch, until your pup will still choose not to grab that treat, even if he thinks you aren’t paying attention.

4. Repeat the steps using more enticing forbidden items, and on different counters and tables. Before long, you will have a dog who reliably chooses not to steal things off of counters and tables, even when alone!

* It is important not to use a cue, like “no” or “leave it” with this game. We want our dogs to comply with this exercise, even when we aren’t there to give the cue.

Greeting Guests at the Door

Our dogs are just as eager to say hello to guests as we are, but their style of greeting is often a bit overwhelming! Teaching our dogs to sit to say hello to guests is one of several easy ways to get polite greeting manners.

1. Make sure your dog has a strong and reliable “sit” cue. Go outside, then come back in and immediately cue your dog to sit. As soon as he does, bend down to give him lots of praise and attention. (giving a treat too will help make training go faster). Repeat this step a few times.

2. Play the game again, but this time don’t cue your dog to sit. Just come in and wait expectantly. As soon as he sits, reward! Repeat this step several times.

3. For this step, when you come in, you will wait for your dog to sit without being asked. If he does, reward! If instead of sitting, he jumps up, say “too bad” and go back outside to try again.

4. Repeat steps 1-3 with all family members, and any friends and neighbors who are willing to help. Before long, your dog will have learned that sitting is a great way to greet guests and jumping up just makes them disappear. You will soon see your dog start to sit automatically when you go to the door, in eager anticipation of greeting friends!

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The crate should be the center of all wonderful things for the dog. Play with the dog by throwing toys into the crate to be retrieved. Hide treats and toys in the crate for the dog to discover.

Feed the dog in the crate. Begin by putting the food dish on the crate where the dog is likely to eat out of it. With some dogs, this can be the back of the crate. With other dogs, the crate is too scary for this and they will refuse to go in and eat. If this is the case, begin by placing the food dish in front of the crate, gradually moving it further back day by day as the dog becomes comfortable.

Use a high value treat to play crate games with the dog. Begin by treating the dog for looking at the crate, then moving towards the crate, stepping into the crate, and so on until the dog will happily run into the crate to receive a reward. It is important to use the treats to reward your dog for interacting with the crate, rather than using it to lure the dog into the crate. Do not touch the door during this game.

Once the dog will happily go into the crate, begin treating continuously to keep them in the crate for a few seconds, slowly building this duration. Encourage the dog to sit or lay down if possible, but do not push. Once the dog will happily remain in the crate for a short period to earn treats, begin by touching the door (without moving it) and then giving a treat. In this fashion, you can work up to closing and latching the door (at the dog’s pace!) by following each action with a treat. The dog should be happy and relaxed throughout this process. If the dog shows any signs of anxiety, you are moving too fast.

When you have built the dog up to be able to remain happily in the crate with the door closed for several minutes, begin by walking away and returning to sprinkle treats in the crate, slowly increasing the duration of your absence before returning to sprinkle treats.

You can also give the dog a stuffed Kong or marrow bone in the crate and move away (make sure the dog’s anxiety level remains low – the dog should remain engrossed with their bone.) Return while the dog is still eating, open the crate and take the bone away. Continue in this fashion, increasing the duration of your absences.

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When our dogs are engaging in problem behaviors like excessive barking or chewing, it can be easy to get frustrated and angry. With no ideas on how to stop these behaviors, we may react by yelling or punishing our dogs in an effort to get these problems to stop. This is rarely successful and can lead to even more anger and frustration and sometimes more drastic measures. If we take the time to stop and consider the problem behaviors we are experiencing in a different light, we may find that solutions can be easier than we imagined.

First and foremost, we must look at the amount of exercise that our dogs are getting. Dogs have very high energy levels. After all, they were originally bred to work and do specific jobs. Since we no longer have specific, demanding jobs for our dogs to do, we must provide them with alternative ways to use up all that energy! That energy is in there and if we do not provide acceptable, constructive ways for ours dogs to burn it off, they will invent their own destructive ways to use it up. This boredom and excess energy is where many, many problem behaviors stem from. So, take your dog for walks or runs, play fetch, practice your obedience cues, give him interactive toys, and allow him to spend time running around a fenced yard with his doggy friends. Provide a physically and mentally stimulating environment for your dog so that he has ample opportunity to burn off that excess energy in appropriate ways.

Second, we must change our own way of thinking about our dogs’ problems. In the past, the accepted way of training was to wait for our dogs to make a mistake and then “correct” them for it. Imagine how many mistakes it is possible for a dog to make. Wouldn’t it be much easier of we could just teach the dog what he should be doing? With positive training, this is exactly what we do. We must change our own way of thinking about our dogs’ behavior. Instead of thinking in terms of what we don’t want the dog to be doing, we need to start thinking about what we do want. Then, we must arrange our dogs’ environments to set them up for success and reward them for engaging in the appropriate behaviors.

When our dogs are engaging in unwanted behaviors, instead of reacting negatively, we need to try to take a positive, proactive approach. We can accomplish this by using a simple 5-step model. Let’s take a look at the five steps using “inappropriate jumping” as our sample problem behavior.

1. Ask yourself WHY the dog is engaging in this behavior. What is the dog’s goal in doing this? In our example of jumping, our dogs often jump up because they are seeking to get our attention.

2. Consider HOW the dog is being rewarded for this behavior. In order for a behavior to be repeated, there must be some type of reward. If our dogs are repeatedly performing the same behavior, they are getting something out of it. Our job is to figure out what that reward is. In the case of our jumping dogs, their reward is our attention, whether we are petting them “hello” or pushing them off of us, our jumping dogs are getting the attention they were seeking.

3. Manage the behavior. In order to manage the behavior, we can either prevent the behavior from being able to occur in the first place or prevent the dog from being rewarded for the behavior. For a jumping dog, we can simply ignore him to prevent the reward of our attention, or we can use a tether to prevent him from being able to reach us to jump up.

4. Ask yourself what you would like the dog to do instead. The dog will not stop the problem behavior unless he is presented with an alternative way to get the reward he is seeking. For our jumping dog, while we don’t want to be jumped on for a greeting, we would enjoy giving our dog attention if he would sit calmly to greet us. When our dog realizes that sitting calmly always gets him the attention he wants, he will have no need to jump up to seek it.

5. Be Consistent! It is very important that the old behavior is NEVER rewarded and that the new behavior is rewarded consistently. This goes for everyone that the dog has contact with. If the old behavior is even occasionally rewarded, it will never completely go away.

By consistently following the steps outlined above, we can eliminate those problem behaviors without the anger and frustration that comes from not knowing how to get our dogs to stop doing something we do not like. Whenever our dogs start engaging on a behavior that we do not want, we can simply stop and go through the 5-step model to fix the problem. Thinking in terms of what we do want our dogs to be doing can help us to have wonderfully behaved companions and a great relationship with our dogs.

* While the 5-step model is a wonderful jumping-off point to take care of many problem behaviors, it is not a meant to be a substitute for professional advice. Some problem behaviors are more complex and require an individual treatment plan with guidance from an experienced trainer. If your dog is displaying serious problem behaviors, especially those involving aggression of any kind, please seek the assistance of a qualified positive-training professional.

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Why Should I use the Clicker to Train my Dog?

Using the clicker when training your dog can greatly speed up your results. The clicker acts a bridge that increases communication between you and your dog and makes the training process easier and more enjoyable for both of you. It also allows you to train your dog by quickly teaching what behavior IS acceptable, rather than constantly scolding for behaviors that are not acceptable.

Why Does the Clicker Work?

The clicker is what is known as a “reward marker”. This means that the dog learns that every time he hears the click, he has earned a reward for whatever behavior he was performing at that exact moment. The sound of the click “marks” a precise behavior and because the dog knows that click = treat, he is more likely to offer that particular behavior again. For example, if you click and treat every time your dog comes up to you and sits, watch how often his butt starts hitting that floor.

Because the clicker can mark such a precise moment or behavior, it can also be used to train very specific things. For example, if you want the dog to sit only on your left side, click and treat only when he sits on your left. You will be amazed at how quickly he figures out what actions make clicks happen, and before long he will be sitting at your left side every time. Some cues that may be difficult to teach with more traditional methods are fast and easy using the clicker.

Clicker Rules

1. One Click = One Treat. Every time. This rule is important to maintain the integrity of the clicker. If your dog keeps getting clicks that are not followed by rewards, the association will weaken and the clicker will begin to lose its power.

2. Your clicking must be precise. If you click at the wrong moment: at best, you will end up with a very confused dog; at worst, you will be reinforcing a behavior you definitely do not want. Practice your clicker timing by watching a tennis match on tv and clicking every time the racket hits the ball. (Be sure to do this while your dog is out of earshot!)

3. The clicker is used mainly to train new behaviors. Once your dog knows a cue, he will not have to receive a click for that anymore. You can phase out the clicker for that behavior and reward with praise and life rewards (like toys, playtime, access to resource, etc.) In fact, rewarding known behaviors randomly results in stronger performance than a reward every time.

Charging the Clicker

Begin by gathering together your clicker, your hungry dog, and a large bag of yummy treats. Get the dog in front of you and begin clicking and treating in fairly rapid succession. Make sure that the click is always just before the treat. The dog doesn’t have to be doing anything special for this, as long as he is not doing anything undesirable.

After a minute or two of this the dog should start to make the association between hearing the click and getting the treat. Wait for the dog to look away and then click. If his head whips toward you with a “where’s my treat?” look, your clicker is charged and you can begin to move on to exercises requiring the dog to practice simple behaviors to earn clicks.

If the dog doesn’t whip around with a “where’s my treat?” look when you click, the association has not yet been made. Go back to click-treating in rapid succession and then try again. Be sure that your clicks are always delivered before the treat.

Once the association has been made (the dog looks for his treat whenever he hears the click), we want him to learn that he has the power to make clicks happen.

Start with clicker and treats in hand and just stand and wait. Do not ask the dog to do anything*. As soon as he performs a basic behavior on his own (sitting or eye-contact are both great for this exercise), click and treat. Then stand and wait again. After a few minutes or so, he will most likely do it again. Click and treat. As this goes on, the dog will begin to realize that he is making the click happen by sitting (or whatever it is you were clicking for.) He thinks he has his very own treat machine! At this point, he will begin offering this behavior like crazy. Congratulations! You have a fully charged clicker and a dog who is willing to do whatever he can to make those clicks happen. You are well on your way to a wonderfully behaved companion!

* The reason we do not cue the dog is that we want him to choose to offer the behavior on his own. This helps us produce dogs who are thinking and creative, rather than robots who wait to be told what to do. If you teach your dog to offer different behaviors until he finds the one you are looking for, training will be much easier and more fun for both of you.

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Inappropriate jumping is one of the most common problems seen in dogs. Fortunately, it can be very easy to fix with a combination of patience and consistency.

First, we must think about why the dog is engaging in this unwanted behavior. The most common answer is that he is jumping up for attention. When a dog’s paws are on your chest, whether you are giving him a hug or pushing him away, for those few seconds he is the center of your attention. This is very rewarding for a dog.

To stop the problem jumping, what we need to do is stop rewarding the behavior we don’t want, and start rewarding the behavior we do want. The reward in this case is our attention. So, from now on, whenever the dog begins to jump up, we must immediately take our attention away. The best way to do this is to simply turn your back, cross your arms, and look at the ceiling. Remember, even negative attention (like yelling “off” or pushing the dog away) is still attention and therefore rewarding to your dog. We must behave as if a jumping dog simply does not exist.

After a few seconds or minutes, the dog will become confused about why he is not getting the attention he always gets for jumping up. He will stop jumping and either sit or stand still to think about what to do next. The instant this happens, turn around, get down to the dogs level and reward him with attention. If he begins to jump again, immediately stand back up and repeat the process. We want him to learn that jumping up gets ignored, but sitting or at least having four feet on the floor gets loads of love and attention. Once he figures this out, the choice between whether to jump up or to sit to greet becomes obvious. He will choose to perform the behavior that will earn him the reward he is looking for.

When you first begin to practice this, it may take a little bit for the dog to really catch on. For awhile, his first instinct will still be jumping up, and the more he has been rewarded for it in the past, the longer it will continue. But, you will find that he begins to offer the desired behavior (sitting, or four-on-the-floor) faster each time. Don’t get discouraged if he doesn’t get it immediately. Remember, jumping up has been rewarding for him for a very long time. He will still want to do it until he learns that it is no longer rewarded at all, and the only way to get your attention is to offer appropriate behavior.

The best way to speed this process along is to make sure that you and everyone else the dog greets is 100% consistent in ignoring a jumping dog and rewarding polite greetings. This cannot be stressed enough! If jumping is ignored most of the time, but rewarded every once in awhile, it will never go away. The dog will always jump up first to see if this is one of the times that will be rewarded. Remember, this must be followed by every person, every time in order to be effective! Consistency is the most important part of training the dog not to jump.

If you follow these steps and use patience and consistency, you will find your dog offering polite greetings and sitting patiently for attention in no time!

The post Jumping Problems appeared first on Tails of Success.

There you are quietly watching tv when Lucky comes prancing onto the room with one of your brand new shoes in his mouth. “Lucky, drop that shoe” you shout, getting up from the sofa. Instead of letting go of the shoe, Lucky drops into a play bow and then starts dashing madly around the house, shoe in mouth and tail wagging a mile a minute while you chase wildly after, shouting various threats at him, until finally, you corner the dog, grab the shoe away and tell him just what a bad boy he has been!

Sound familiar? This is a scenario that happens all too often in many homes. Fortunately, it is one that can be easily managed or even prevented with just a little bit of training. Let’s take another look at the scene from the dog’s perspective.

Lucky is bored. You are just sitting there on the sofa, paying no attention to him. He wanders around the house and discovers something new and fun to chew and brings it into the living room. When he enters the room, you get very excited and jump up. “This is great!” Lucky thinks. “This must be a wonderful toy because my person really wants it!” So, Lucky starts running off with the toy and you chase him. Suddenly, Lucky is the center of attention. What fun! There isn’t a dog alive who doesn’t love a good game of chase. When he finally gets caught, Lucky gives up the shoe. The game is over and his person is very angry and yelling at him.

How is what Lucky experienced different from what his person experienced?

First, when Lucky came into the room with a forbidden object, his person became very excited, jumping up from the sofa and chasing him throughout the house. For Lucky, this is the best thing that has happened to him all day. He is suddenly the center of attention and playing his favorite game with his favorite human. Lucky was just rewarded for stealing the shoe and running away with it.

Second, when Lucky was finally caught, the shoe was taken away and he was immediately scolded. To the person, Lucky was being scolded for stealing the forbidden object and running away with it. But the dog didn’t see it that way. To Lucky, he was being scolded for the last thing that he did. In Lucky’s mind, he was being punished for getting caught and giving up the shoe.

So, how should we handle a situation like this?

1. First, teach your dog what objects are appropriate for him to play with. You can do this by making his chew toys the center of all good attention that the dog receives. Use his toys to tease him and play with him. Grab one of his toys and run away, laughing and calling him. When he catches you, toss the toy and praise him for getting it. Tell him what a good dog he is every time you see him chewing in one if his toys.

2. Second, never chase your dog, especially when he has something that he shouldn’t. When you play games with the dog, always have him chase you. Laugh and clap and run away calling his name. Then make sure it is great fun when he catches you. (This is also a wonderful way to strengthen your dog’s recall response.)

3. Third, make sure that you teach your dog the “give” game (outlined below), and play it on a fairly regular basis. This will teach your dog that giving you an object is much more rewarding than running away with it.

4. Finally, make sure your dog is properly stimulated, both mentally and physically. In other words, play with your dog! Take him for walks, give him mentally stimulating toys (IQube, Buster Cube, etc.), play games with him (fetch, hide-and-seek, etc.) If your dog is all tuckered out from playing, when you are watching television, he will be laying at your feet instead of looking for things to do. Remember: A tired dog is a good dog!

Let’s try this again:

There you are quietly watching tv when Lucky comes prancing onto the room with one of your brand new shoes in his mouth. You calmly get up from the sofa and walk into the kitchen with Lucky at your heels. You grab a dog treat and say “Lucky, Give” Lucky drops the shoe on the floor and takes the treat. You pick up the shoe, put it out of reach and pick up a dog toy that is laying nearby. You and Lucky play fetch for a few minutes and then go back into the living room where you sit back down to watch tv and Lucky chews contentedly on his toy at your feet. Every so often, you reach down to pet Lucky and tell him what a good boy he is.

And that isn’t even best case scenario. Best case scenario:

There you are quietly watching tv when Lucky comes prancing onto the room with one of his chew toys. He is happy and tired from a long walk and game of fetch that you played together after dinner and ready to spend the evening chewing happily at your feet. Every so often, you reach down to pet Lucky and tell him what a good boy he is.

Believe it or not, all it takes is a bit of training, patience, and consistency and your dog can go from the Lucky in the first scenario to the Lucky in the last scenario.

Teaching your dog the “Give” command:

1. When your dog is chewing on a chew toy, go up to him with an especially yummy treat hidden in your hand. Take the toy out of his mouth and give him the treat. Then, immediately give him his original toy back. You want the dog to learn that if he gives you what he has, not only does he get something better in return, but he also gets his original item back. Giving you what he has is a win-win situation.

* Begin teaching this command when your dog is using a low-value chew toy that he will be fairly willing to give up. Do not begin with something very valuable, such as a bone. If your dog shows any sign of aggression when you go to take an object from him (growling, stiffening, etc.) STOP the exercise immediately and consult a professional.

2. Practice this step until your dog gets the idea and starts to give up his toy willingly. You are now ready to add the verbal command. Say “Give” just as you are taking the toy from your dog’s mouth. Ideally, he should be readily letting it go at this stage. Keep practicing until he will freely drop the toy as you give the command, ready for his treat. Remember to praise and give him his toy back as soon as he finishes his treat every time.

3. Once you have the second step down, you can begin practicing when your dog has higher value chew toys. Remember to keep the treat hidden until the dog gives up the item. You are not bribing him to give up the toy, but rewarding him for giving it to you. As the dog gets better at this game, you can begin to use treats intermittently, always remembering to praise and give him the toy back right away.

4. Once your dog really has the hang of this game, you can practice it randomly. A great way to practice is when playing fetch. Ask him to “Give” the ball for you to throw it again.

When the time comes that your dog has something he shouldn’t have, he will gladly give the item up to you. Remember in real-life situations to always trade the forbidden object for an especially tasty treat and lots of praise. Then, instead of the forbidden object, grab one of his favorite toys and initiate a fun game of fetch.

The post Teaching Your Dog to Give up Objects Willingly appeared first on Tails of Success.

A common complaint heard by professional trainers is “My dog only comes when he wants to.” The world is an exciting place and there any many things that can distract your dog from coming when you ask. There are many things you can do, though, to help strengthen your dog’s recall response. Let’s look at a few:

1. The most important thing you can do is make sure that the word “Come” is ALWAYS fun. I cannot stress that enough. NEVER call your dog to you and then scold him, cut his nails, give him a bath, take him to the vet, end the fun… or anything else that he considers even remotely unpleasant. If you need to do any of these things, go and get your dog, don’t call him to you. “Come” is ALWAYS fun!

*In fact, if you (or someone else) has repeatedly called the dog for unpleasant things in the past, it is possible that the word has been ruined. This means that the dog has learned to associate the word “Come” with bad things happening, and so when he hears it, he runs in the opposite direction! In cases like this, it is best to just choose another recall word rather than trying to overcome the negative association.

2. Practice the recall in situations that you can control. Don’t cue your dog to “Come” if you are not 100% certain that he will come to you. Begin teaching the recall in a low-distraction environment with a long leash attached to the dog. Start walking away from the dog calling to him in a happy tone of voice and praise and reward him when he gets to you. Use only short distances at first. Make sure to make a big deal out of it every time he comes! If he doesn’t come, give a gentle tug in the end of the leash to remind him (don’t use it to reel him in). Don’t forget the praise when he gets to you! You can gradually build up distance and distraction level (do these separately), but never go faster than your dog can handle. Remember to set him up for success by calling him only when you are sure he will come.

3. Playing games (see below) can give you more recall practice time and help your dog realize how fun “Come” really is. Add variety to your games, and don’t forget to praise and reward!

Recall Games:

a. Chase and Tag: When playing outside (in a fenced area) run away from your dog, laughing, clapping, and calling his name. Make it a fun chase, dart around, change direction, grab a toy… When your dog finally catches you, make sure it is big fun!

b. Hide and Seek: Begin by hiding in obvious places where your dog can easily see you and calling him. Make sure it is big fun when he “finds” you. Gradually start to hide in more difficult places so he has to actually search to find you (don’t hide so well that he gives up!) Remember, big fun when he finds you!

c. Round Robin: This game can be played with 2 or more people. Start in a circle calling the dog back and forth. Each time he gets to the person who called him, remember: big fun! As the dog gets the hang of the game, you can start calling him back and forth from different rooms. You can even start hiding for another version of hide and seek.

These games are all great fun for dogs and help them to learn that the word “Come” means great things are about to happen. (Don’t forget to use treats occasionally). So, the next time you call your dog “for real”, he will choose you over whatever great smell or other distraction may be there because he is sure that he will miss out on something wonderful if he ignores you!

* Since originally writing this article, I have started teaching the recall in a different manner from the one listed above in section 2. Rather than rewrite the article, I decided that I would just add this section to the end. This way, you have two training ideas to consider when you are working with your dog at home. I personally use and prefer this new way because it also teaches your dog a second, important skill (stop and turn when he hears his name)

4. Play the “Name Game” with your dog. This will teach the dog that when he hears his name, he should immediately stop and turn to look at you for a reward. The basis of the name game is the idea that if you do not have your dog’s attention, you cannot expect him to come back to you or otherwise respond to cues. This provides a way for us to get our dog’s attention quickly and easily. This is one game that cannot be played too much, and could potentially save your dog’s life in an emergency situation.

Playing the “Name Game”

Begin indoors in a low-distraction environment with a pocketful of yummy treats. Call your dog’s name when he is nearby and not looking at you, but not otherwise distracted. Say his name only once.

The behavior we are looking to mark is the dog turning his head AWAY from whatever he was looking at. Whether you are using your clicker or a verbal marker (“Yes!”), do it just as he is turning his head. He can then come to you for lots of praise and yummy treats.

If, when you called your dog’s name, he failed to look at you, wait several seconds before trying again. We want him to learn to respond to his name right away, not after he hears you say it several times. If he still does not look, you may be calling him when he is too distracted by something else. Move to a less-exciting environment. At the beginning, we do not want to be competing with other enticing things. Once your dog learns what is expected, you can begin to practice with more distractions.

As you practice and the dog begins to understand what this game is all about, we can begin to add the “Come” cue. The sequence now looks like this:

-say dog’s name-click for head turn- say “come” as dog is coming to you- reward and praise!-

Make sure you are certain the dog is going to come to you before you give the cue!

This game can easily be integrated into your everyday life. You can even play as you are relaxing for the evening with tv or a book, calling the dog periodically, rewarding, and then letting him go back to what he was doing.

Remember, the name game is one of those very important games that you cannot over-do. You want your dog to be so fluent in this game that he will stop and turn when he hears his name no matter where he is, or what else may have his attention. This is something that can only be successful achieved through practice, so get out there and play with your dog!

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The key to successful housetraining lies in preventing mistakes from occurring in the first place. It is much easier to teach a dog what you do want him to do than what you don’t want him to do. For example, when your dog goes potty in his designated potty spot and you celebrate, telling him what a great dog he is, giving him a special cookie and then playing, he thinks “Oh boy, this is great! I am going to go potty here all the time!” But, if he goes on the rug and you yell and punish him, he is thinking “Boy, Mom sure gets mad when I go potty. I better not let her see me do it again.” Then the next time, he chooses to go potty behind the sofa or in the guest room where no one is there to see and scold him. So, for successful potty-training, we must set the dog up for success so he can learn that going potty outside is a wonderful thing.

Going in the Potty-Spot

When it is time to take the dog out to go, snap on his leash and bring him directly to his designated potty area. Ignore any of his attempts to engage you in play and wait quietly while he sniffs around for the perfect spot. Say his “potty cue” (go potty, hurry up, do your business, etc.) just as he squats down to go. (This will help him associate the potty-cue with the actual act and set the stage for going on command in the future.) Begin praising and give him a treat as soon as he finishes*. Then praise some more and enjoy a few minutes of playtime so that he can see how great going potty outside really is.

*using treats to potty train is optional. If you do decide to use them, be sure to give the treat just as he finishes eliminating, not later when he comes inside, so that he can associate the reward with the proper act (going potty, not coming inside).

Management (Preventing an Oops!)

Your dog must be supervised at ALL TIMES while housetraining. This means that he must be within your sight every moment that he is not in his crate. Turning your back for even a moment could result in an accident that sets the whole program back and ruins all of your hard work and success.

An easy way to keep the dog in your sight is to use his leash to tether him to your belt-loop. This way if you see any potty warning signals like sniffing and circling, you can whisk him out to the potty spot before it is too late. Be sure to celebrate for a job well done when he does it the right place. After a successful potty-trip, the dog can enjoy some closely supervised un-tethered playtime.

Setting up a Schedule (Preventing an Oops! 2)

Keeping the dog on a potty schedule is one of the easiest ways to help set him up for success. Knowing when the next potty break will be makes it much easier for him to wait. Your potty schedule will depend on the age of the dog and your lifestyle, but you will want to keep the following things in mind:

* The younger your dog, the more often he will have to go. You may want to begin by going out every 1-2 hours with a young pup.

* Puppies will need to potty as soon as they wake up, 15-20 min. after eating, heavy chewing, or playing, and before bed. You may want to schedule your dog’s activities around times you know you will be able to take him out.

* Keep your dog on a meal schedule as well (rather letting him free-feed). This will make potty training much easier on both of you. (It can also help prevent weight-management problems later in life.)

* Your pup will have to potty more often when he is active than during quiet time.

* You can use a crate as a management tool, but keep in mind that a puppy should not be crated for more hours than his age in months +1, up to a maximum of 8 hours (i.e. a 5 month old puppy can be crated for up to 6 hours.) He will have to go potty immediately upon being let upon being let out.

* Playtime is a reward earned only after going potty. If your puppy doesn’t go when you take him to his spot, put him back in his crate for a little while and then take him out to try again.

Oops!

If you catch your dog in the middle of an accident, make a sudden noise to stop him mid-stream, then pick him up and rush him out to the potty spot. Once there, praise and reward him for finishing up in the right place. Later, remember to clean the soiled area with and enzymatic cleaner and keep a closer eye on him from now on.

If you find an accident after it has already occurred, it is too late to do anything but clean it up with enzymatic cleaner. Punishing the dog now will only frighten and confuse him. There is no way he will associate being scolded now with the mess he left on the rug hours (or even minutes) ago. Remember to watch him more closely from now on, or go back to tethering so that he is always in your sight.

If you set your dog up for success through supervision, scheduling, and reward, you will find that he is potty trained in no time!

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