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Best Tools To Use While Training Your Dog

Clicker

A clicker is a small, rectangular box that makes a “click” sound when you press it with your thumb. You use it to mark when your dog does something correctly. After you click, give your dog a treat. The click sound is precise and more powerful than using your voice because it’s a unique sound your dog will only hear during training. It means one thing—he did something right and a treat is coming.

To start training with this tool, click it once, then immediately give your dog a treat. As long as your dog does not seem startled by the clicker sound, focus on marking a simple behavior (such as your dog turning and looking at you) and follow it with a treat.

Training Targets

Targets are handy tools you can use to train a variety of behaviors, including tricks. The goal is to teach your dog to touch his nose or his paw to the target. You can use a training target like the ones shown here, a drink coaster, or even a sticky note.

To teach a nose target, hold the item close to your dog’s nose. She will likely reach out to investigate. When she touches it with her nose, click and treat. Repeat until your dog constantly touches the target. Then, as she reaches to touch it, start moving it a little away from her so she has to follow the target. Let her touch it, then click and treat. Build up the number of steps she needs to move before reaching the target.

Once your dog understands the target concept, you can use it to build behaviors. For example, put a target in her crate to teach her to go into her crate.

Treats

You can use just about any type of treat for a reward when training. Just make sure it’s something your dog really loves so she’s incentivized to perform the task at hand. And make sure it smells good so she knows there’s something yummy coming.

You don’t need anything more than a tiny, pea-size morsel you can hide in your hand. Soft treats work best because they’re easily gobbled up and you can move on to practicing the next cue quickly.

Long Line Lead & Stake

If you’re practicing cues like “come” with your pup, you need a safe way to extend the distance between you for practice. That’s where a long lead line comes in. Made from wire cable or cloth (like a standard leash), lead lines can give your dog the freedom to run without being totally untethered. Paired with a stake or wrapped around a pole or tree, a lead allows your dog to roam a bit. If you have a big dog, make sure you look for a lead that’s rated for her weight and can handle the resistance she can put on the line.

Dog Collar or Harness

Every dog needs a collar or harness. Aside from holding identification in case a dog is lost, collars play an important role in dog training. There are several different types of collars and harnesses, and the one you choose may depend on the type of training you do. A flat collar or martingale collar is perfect for positive reinforcement dog training. For dogs who are tough to handle on a walk, a head halter or harness can be the perfect solution because it makes pulling feel unnatural to the dog.

important training skills

Are You Making These 6 Training Mistakes?

  1. You don’t train your dog often enough

Most of us do teach basic behaviors and routines to our new dogs. But once the relationship stabilizes, we often allow our dogs to go on “auto-pilot.” Consequently, response times for important behaviors can worsen; often a dog won’t even respond. This degradation is simply a function of a lack of practice; if you play golf only once a year, you’re going to stink at it, right?

Instead of “training then forgetting,” keep your dog’s established behaviors sharp by working them randomly and regularly, several times each day. “Sit” for dinner, “wait” at doors, “down” at the dog park; be spontaneous and unpredictable. Then, each month, teach a new behavior—a trick will do—to keep your dog’s mind and motivation up. The larger your pet’s repertoire of behaviors, the smarter he or she gets, and the more important you become.

  1. You repeat commands

I see this often, especially among newbie owners with challenging dogs. The owner has taught a behavior such as “sit,” but, due to distractions, bad technique, or confusion on the dog’s part, the pet fails to respond. The owner asks repeatedly until, after the sixth or seventh attempt, the dog halfheartedly sits. This stalling becomes a learned behavior, one that’s hard to break.

This often occurs with behaviors that haven’t been fully proofed, or with one the dog doesn’t particularly like to perform. Headstrong dogs, for instance, hate to lie down, as it is an admission of deference. Timid dogs also resist lying down, a position they might deem too unsafe.

When I teach “sit,” I do so as if it’s a fun trick; I treat reward at first, praise, then work it in other locations, reducing reward rewards along the way while increasing praise. I make sitting, lying down, or coming when called the greatest things to do.

Once you are sure a dog knows a behavior, ask only once! If you are ignored, it’s either because you haven’t taught it properly, or the dog is distracted or simply rebellious (yes, they can be!). Take Fido to a quiet spot and ask again; if he still doesn’t respond, go back to basics and re-teach, avoiding the mistake of asking multiple times, or of making the behavior seem dreary or unbeneficial. If you suspect your dog is simply blowing you off, don’t be afraid to show your disappointment by saying in a convincing tone: “No; sit.”

One other tip; after asking once without response, wait a moment, while looking your dog square in the eye and moving in a bit closer. Often this will be enough to get the dog to comply. Then praise!

  1. Your training sessions run too long or too short

Teaching new behaviors to a dog is a process of evolution, not revolution. The key is in knowing that it’s usually going to take numerous sessions to perfect a new behavior.

Time spent on a training session should reflect some positive result; as soon as you attain some obvious level of success, reward, then quit. Don’t carry on and on, as you’ll likely bore the dog, and actually condition it to become disinterested in the new behavior. Likewise, don’t end a session until some evidence of success is shown, even if it’s a moment of focus or an attempt by the dog to try to perform. Remember that ten one-minute sessions in a day trump one ten-minute session every time.

  1. Your dog’s obedience behaviors are not generalized to varying conditions

If you teach Fluffy to “sit” in the quiet of your family room, that’s the only place she will reliably sit. It’s a mistake that many owners make; failing to generalize the new behavior in different areas with varying conditions and levels of distraction will ensure spotty obedience at best.

To generalize a behavior, first teach it at home with no distractions. Then, gradually increase distractions: turn the television on or have another person sit nearby. Once that’s perfected, move out into the yard. Then add another person or dog. Gradually move on to busier environments until Fluffy will perform consistently, even on the corner of a busy city street. Only then will the behavior be “proofed.” This generalization is especially vital when teaching the recall command, a behavior that might one day save your dog’s life.

  1. You rely too much on treats and not enough on praise, esteem, and celebrity

Treats are a great way to initiate a behavior or to reinforce that behavior intermittently later on. But liberal use of treats can often work against you. There can develop in the dog’s mind such a fixation on food that the desired behavior itself becomes compromised and focus on the owner diffused. Think of it: you’ll rarely see hunting, agility, Frisbee, or law enforcement dogs being offered food rewards during training or job performance. Why? Because it would break focus and interfere with actual performance. Instead, other muses are found, including praise and, perhaps, brief play with a favorite toy. Most of all, reward for these dogs comes from the joy of the job itself.

By all means, initiate new behaviors with treats. But once Fido learns the behavior, replace treats with praise, play, toy interludes, or whatever else he likes. Remember that unpredictable treat rewards work to sharpen a behavior, while frequent, expected rewards slow performance and focus. Also, understand that you are a reward as well; you responding happily to something your dog has done will work better than a treat, and have the added effect of upping your “celebrity quotient.”

  1. You use too much emotion

Excessive emotion can put the brakes on Fluffy’s ability to learn. Train with force, anger, or irritation and you’ll intimidate her and turn training sessions into inquisitions. Likewise, train with hyperbolic energy, piercing squeals of delight, and over-the-top displays of forced elation, and you will stoke her energy levels far beyond what is needed to focus and learn.

 

beginner tips for training puppy

Beginner Tips to Start Training Your Puppy

How do puppies learn?

Puppies, like all animals, learn by doing what works for them. They will do what is effective, from their point of view. Puppies will repeat behaviors that have a good result. If it leads to a treat, attention, a toy, a desired interaction, the ability to explore, sniff, or run, the puppy will do it again in the future. In general, teaching puppies what to do through praise and rewards (positive reinforcement) is the best practice. Setting puppies up for success using management, supervision, and positive reinforcement training plans is effective and safe. Waiting until the puppy does something you don’t want and then trying to punish the behavior can lead to problems such as avoidance, fear, and confusion.

First, learn what your puppy likes then make sure she receives something she likes any time she does something you like! It’s a simple concept but can be tricky to implement. Remember, a reward or reinforcement should always be from the puppy’s point of view.

Example: What if my puppy likes attention and petting? My puppy jumps up on me and I bend to put my hands on him, pushing him off my legs while saying “off.” He jumps again, and we repeat the process.

Think about this from the puppy’s perspective: I am ignoring the puppy > puppy jumps up > I touch the puppy and talk to him. Guess what, it worked! Puppies do not act out to upset us or compete with us. They just do what works, from their point of view.

What should I teach my puppy?

In general, the best approach is to consider what you want your puppy to do; what is the desired course of action in a situation or in response to a cue? Some examples include:

  • When the puppy sees a person
  • When the puppy hears her name
  • When the puppy sees another animal
  • When the puppy hears the doorbell
  • Where the puppy should rest or sleep
  • How to get his leash and/or harness on
  • How to respond to grooming, brushing, and veterinary care

Once you have a clear picture of how you wish your puppy to behave, then you can begin teaching him baby steps toward the goal. For example, when your puppy hears his name, you want him to come to the person who called him and wait near that person. This response can be trained using a combination of luring, capturing, and shaping. We will follow this example throughout.

INVEST IN THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT

You don’t have to spend a lot of money to be your dog’s trainer. But you do have to start with the right stuff. Your dog training toolkit should include:

A short leash. Training on a short leash (four feet or less) to instill polite behavior while walking your dog will make both of your lives a lot easier. After you master the basics, you can move on to more advanced training on a longer leash.

Small, healthy dog treats. These can be anything from a cheese stick cut into small pieces to cereal-sized snacks designed for training. Remember, your goal is to use small, easily digestible treats that won’t fill your dog up or make them sluggish before you are done with your obedience training sessions.

At least one active/engagement reward. A game of tug-of-war, a few rounds of fetch, or a chew toy filled with peanut butter are all activity-based rewards you can give your dog after a good training session.

BEGIN WITH BASIC COMMANDS

While you may be eager to show off just how smart your best buddy is, save the fancy stuff for later. “Come,” “Sit,” “Heel,” and “Stay” are four of the most basic commands for training your dog to obey. These terms are great building blocks for a common language that both you and your dog can understand.

The “Come” command is a perfect starting place, for two reasons. Once your dog understands how to come to you on demand, playing outside and spending time off-leash becomes so much safer for your dog. Second, your dog probably comes up to greet you naturally lots of times during the span of a day, so he or she might not need too much convincing.

Next time your dog comes bounding up to you, act like it was your idea. Say their name, wait a beat, and say the word “Come!” Give your pup a treat for “responding,” take a step backward, and repeat the command to see if they will repeat the behavior. Most likely, it won’t take long for your dog to realize that obedience equals reward. Focus on mastering one command at a time to prevent confusion.

Once your dog understands the concept of obedience, teaching additional commands will get a lot easier! To begin to teach your dog to “sit,” say the command before you physically maneuver your dog into a sitting position. Give them a treat for their “obedience,” and try to see if you can get them to repeat the behavior.

To teach your pup (or mature dog) to heel, use small treats as an enticement to follow close by your side. Move from one side of a small room to the other with your dog following by your hand, repeating the “Heel!” command followed by your dog’s name. When you reach your destination, ask your dog to “Sit!” and let them have that tasty treat. Repeat the process until your dog gets the message.

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Thanks For a Great Open House!

Thank you for all of those who participated or joined in on the fun for our Waukesha location Open House! We really appreciate you all coming out on such a hot and stormy day. Tours, training demos, tacos, treats and more!! We hoped you enjoyed seeing all the amazing things our new facility has to offer your four-legged friend!! We’d also like to say a BIG THANK YOU to everybody who helped make our open house a success! With help from all our vendors and raffle donations, we were able to raise $300 for Charge Away Cancer!

For those of you who have photos but never shared them, we would love for you to share them with us!

Again, we want to thank everyone who came out to make it a special day! Want to keep up to date? Keep an eye on our Facebook page for upcoming events. Hope to see you all for our next event.

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Why Your Dog Should Only Swim Indoors

Like most people, dog owners can’t wait for the great summer weather. After the cold and dreary winter months, it’s exhilarating to spend some long-awaited time outdoors with our canine companions. Though summers in Wisconsin offer so many wonderful outdoor activities for dogs and their people, swimming outside can be very dangerous, especially for our furry friends. One of the greatest risks is the exposure to cyanobacteria, commonly referred to as “blue-green algae.”

Blue-green algae are microscopic bacteria found in freshwater ponds, lakes, streams, and standing water and often look like spilled green paint or pea soup. Blue-green algae often accumulate in blooms, which are dense build-ups caused by standing water, warmer weather, and sunlight. These blooms contain high levels of toxins that can, if ingested or even touched, result in extreme liver and nervous system damage to dogs and small children. The website petpoisonhotline.com reports that:

If the blue-green algae bloom produces high volumes of toxins, then touching it can cause rashes and other skin irritations as well as itchy nose, eyes, and throat. Ingesting it can cause diarrhea and vomiting. At high enough levels, toxins can cause liver and nervous system damage. In the case of small children or pets,
due to their body mass, the toxins can be fatal. Dogs are particularly susceptible to the toxic algae if they get it on their fur and skin and ingest it by drinking the water or licking the algae off their fur.

Not all blue-green algae blooms produce toxins, but since it is impossible to determine this without testing, one should always err on the side of caution and avoid water with any potential for blue-green algae.

Symptoms in dogs following exposure to blue-green algae toxins can include:
• lethargy
• difficulty breathing
• disorientation
• excessive salivation
• lack of coordination
• vomiting
• diarrhea, blood in stool, or black, tarry stool
• pale mucous membranes
• seizures or convulsions
• shock

Dogs exposed to toxins could show symptoms within 15 to 20 minutes of exposure, with death occurring within 30 to 60 minutes upon leaving the water. Some dogs may not be effected from swimming in blue-green-algae infested waters, but they could develop symptoms after licking it off their fur from their coats. Even the smallest amount of blue-green algae can result in fatality.

Think Pawsitive’s K9 Splash Swim Center offers a sanitary, clean, and safe alternative to outdoor swimming. Our pool is meticulously cleaned and maintained each day. The staff take great care to skim the pool and sanitize the rinsing station after every swim, conduct a chemical check each day, and vacuum the pool each morning. Chlorine levels are kept as low as possible for the dogs’ safety, yet at a level that kills bacteria, ensuring the pool is safe at all times for all our canine guests. Dogs that swim at K9 Splash can swim with ease, with the assurance that there is no presence of blue-green algae, mosquitos, or bacteria. In addition to our water quality being safe, the temperature is kept at a soothing 84 degrees, so dogs’ muscles are nicely warmed up while jumping and frolicking away during their swim session! Our rule of only one client per session ensures that the dogs have “the pool all to themselves” to enjoy in a safe fashion.

Think Pawsitive is offering some amazingly HOT Summer Specials to keep all our dogs swimming at extremely affordable prices! If you have ever wanted to try swimming your dog, this is the time! Please call today to schedule a swim session and be sure to ask about our summer swim packages!

See you in the pool!

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Learning to Massage Your Own Dog

In a few weeks, Dr. Cindy DiFranco will be returning to present her Massage Technique presentation and offer private individual lessons on canine massage. This will be Dr. Cindy’s third visit to Think Pawsitive.  She will teach new participants how to properly massage their dogs and teach returning participants how to advance their massage techniques.  For more information about Dr. Cindy DiFranco visit our website at:

Click here to read Instructor Bio.

The benefits of canine massage are so important for dogs of any age and the value of learning how to do the massages yourself will enrich your relationship for a lifetime. Starting massage on young dogs teaches them to relax and acclimates them to being touched on all parts of their bodies. As you are massaging, you are able to locate lumps, bumps, soreness, ticks, tightness or any medical conditions that you may not have been previously aware of.  You can also closely monitor any changes in the condition of your dog’s physique. With massage one treats the dog as a whole. The manual investigations will reveal soreness, tight muscles and pain that many dogs are very good at disguising.  These unresolved issues might cause the dog to compensate, leading to further distress and possible injury.  Further, learning to massage gives you a tool to relax dogs that struggle with stress and anxiety.  Regular massage gives you a means to alleviate pain and stiffness in aging and arthritic dogs.

I have had the pleasure of working with Dr. Cindy with several of my dogs that have various chronic conditions.  Her ability to teach specific techniques has given me the confidence to routinely massage each of them.  I have learned to identify problems based on my dogs’ physical responses to being massaged and now have the ability to alleviate many of them.  I strongly encourage all dog owners (especially owners of canine athletes) to learn to massage their own dogs.  It is a non-invasive treatment that helps speed up the body’s healing process.  It will improve your dog’s circulation, mobility, and range of motion.  It will improve your dog’s gait and stance, allowing him to distribute his weight naturally and equally on all four limbs.  All of these benefits will ultimately contribute to boosting the performance of competitive dogs and minimize potential injury.

Once your dog learns to relax and trust your massage routine, he will really enjoy it and be eager for treatment. The trust you’ve gained will enrich your relationship and your training.

Dr. DiFranco’s Massage Technique presentation will be held on Thursday, May 14th, 2015 from 6 – 9 PM.  It is aimed at anyone who wishes to learn – both beginners and those who wish to brush up on their skills.   She walks you through a full body massage in a step-by-step manner and demonstrates each technique on one of her dogs.  55-minute private lessons with Dr. DiFranco may be scheduled during the day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (May 15th -17th).  She will help you perfect your massage skills and learn to identify and relieve issues particular to your own dog.

Visit our website for more information or to register for this great event. You won’t want to miss it!

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Do Dogs Want You To Reach for Them?

Why would one want to grab his/her dog’s collar? For safety, re-direction or to build drive to name a few reasons. One of the games we teach in our foundations courses is the Collar Grab Game. It was developed by Susan Garrett and is one of the most valuable skills I have taught my own dogs.

I was a professional pet groomer for 12 years and the thing that concerned me most was the fact that many dogs were unapproachable by humans, including their owner! For logical reasons, many dogs feel threatened by a human reaching for their collar. This behavior may have been inadvertently trained and the owner has no idea how or why it happened or how to undo it. The last thing a pet owner wants is a dog that gets loose and is unable to be caught.

I stress the importance of this game with all of my students from the very beginning. Once a puppy comes into my home the game becomes one of my first tasks in training. I start with a “learn to earn” approach in which my puppy quickly learns that he will earn a reward by performing a behavior. I use my puppy’s meal as reinforcement throughout the day. Roughly 30% of his meal is earned by allowing me or another human to approach him and place a hand on his collar without him bolting. The reward is delivered to his mouth with the opposite hand while still holding the collar. I then let go. I may also reward the puppy for coming to me when I call him off engagement with another person. Again, I hold the collar with one hand while I deliver the treat with the other hand and then let go.

I play this game very often and in a variety of environments so that the rewards become unpredictable and the dog learns that whenever one approaches him and grabs his collar, good things occur!

Once my pup is comfortable with this, I can add intensity to the collar grab and vary the position at which I grab the collar. I will also begin to vary the reinforcement so that I can walk a few steps while holding the collar before I deliver the reward. I may vary the reward itself so that it could be food or a good game of tug. This becomes an important skill if you ever need to redirect your dog or interrupt an undesirable behavior. Eventually, the cue of my hand approaching him will mean that great stuff is about to happen.

By evolving and revisiting your collar grab game throughout your life, your connection with your dog and your ability to recall him will show marked improvement. Enjoy the video!

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Winter Blues with an Older Dog

Having an elderly pet is very challenging – especially in the cold winter months. Todd and I own a 15-year-old Golden Retriever, Winnie. She is blind and has very limited hearing. She can hear high-pitched sounds or a whistle, but the loss of sight and hearing has made keeping her conditioned and exercised more than a bit tricky. As she was starting to age it became increasingly difficult for her to go on long walks with us. She became very sore and often wandered too far from us to hear or see us. It was apparent that we needed to find an alternative to hiking to keep Winnie in good shape.

Thankfully, Winnie loves to swim. We decided to make swimming a routine part of her training regimen to maintain her weight and muscle tone as she aged. The warm water of the pool (heated to 80 degrees) helped her muscles “warm-up” which helped her to relax and assist in her blood flow. It has also improved her range of motion.

As Winnie aged, her eyesight continued to degenerate. We had to retrain her to become patterned to the spot at which her toy would land in the water so she could use her nose to locate it. She picked up on that very quickly. Eventually, Todd had to start assisting her in getting in and out of the pool. Fortunately, he is used to this from his years of experience in assisting the dogs that use our pool for rehabilitation.

Once she is safely in the water, she thoroughly enjoys swimming laps to retrieve her toy. With periodic rests to catch her breath, she has the endurance to stay in the water for 20-minute sessions. It may surprise you to know that for a dog, one minute of swimming is equivalent to about 4 minutes of running (Dr. Arleigh Reynolds, Veterinary Surgeon and Canine Physiologist) so even a 15- or 20-minute swim gives her a great cardiac workout. Furthermore, due to the low impact of swimming, she is no longer sore after exercising!

Winnie looks forward to her two swim sessions each week. They are a special time in which Winnie gets her own one-to-one time with Mom or Dad. It truly is amazing that sometimes the simple changes we make to accommodate one thing turn out to have rewards beyond our wildest dreams. Swimming has provided us a way to keep our relationship with Winnie fresh and mutually enriching for her lifetime.

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Training a Young Agility Dog

Hi, my name is Rippa. I am a 16-month-old tri-merle Australian Shepherd. On January 25th, 2014, I ventured out to my first UKI agility trial to test out my skills in an actual trial. I am in the early stages of training for agility competition, so I am just learning to put all my foundation skills together. I entered the Nursery Agility and Speedstakes events and hoped to have as much fun in the real, live trial as my mom (Katie) and I do while training. I love to hear her get excited, lavish praise on me and shower me with rewards when I have done something brilliant!

My mom decided that over the next eight to ten months our goal is to enter fun matches and UKI trials to build my confidence and proof my skill performance under trial conditions. UKI allows us to enter NFC (Not for Competition) rounds so we can take toys in the ring! We can’t use food treats, but mom has chained that if I play with her with a toy now, it will earn me cookies later.

On the big day, my mom took my two favorite toys in the ring for reinforcing: a tennis ball and sheep fur tug toy. I held my start line and followed my mom’s handling over the first few obstacles. Mom rewarded me with playing a great game of tug! Next, I ran my dog walk and earned my tennis ball! Finally, we did some more jumps and a tunnel (my favorite!) and played again. I had a blast and didn’t notice anyone that was watching. It was just like one of my training sessions. This practicing my skills to get me ready for competition was FUN! Mom says we are going to travel to new environments with different distractions and equipment. I can’t wait to do it again.

My goal is to gradually do longer and longer sequences before getting rewarded in the ring at one of these UKI trials. Ultimately, I hope to complete an entire course with my toy outside the ring. I know mom will play with me at the end for my beautiful performance (and she will earn that beautiful BLUE ribbon to brag with)! For now, I am having a great time meeting new people and playing agility. By the way, just so you know that NFC rounds are not just for babies, mom even entered my big sister, Merit in one this weekend. She knew Merit had been sporadically struggling with weave poles and thought this might build her confidence. Merit did an awesome weave entry and mom surprised her with a tugging session!

UKI founders, Greg and Laura Derrett were really onto something when they decided to let us learn and refine our skills with NFC rounds. My mom and I are very grateful.