clipandcoach

Corvus I totally agree Arg! Me too. These two dogs are like models of submission. I have a photo of one on the ground with Erik trying to out-submit him. Of course, that doesn't mean they don't try to stick their heads in your treat bag. They just do what they've learnt works. I wonder if to some degree it's a lot of confirmation bias. They are sweet, gentle dogs and I think there's every chance treating them as if they had a dominance problem would actually work. If it didn't, it would at least make the owners feel better about it all. It gets me riled, though, that people get fed rubbish, and then it works for an entirely different reason, and then this just perpetuates the myths. Sometimes I think dogs are their own worst enemy. Most of them don't punish stupid advice with 20 stitches.

My philosophy on 'pack theory' style training is not that is doesn't usually work, but more that the explanation given for it working is not correct. If we look at learning theory then we can see that negative reinforcers (often adversives) are put in place to exhibit 'control' which is often referred to as becoming 'pack leader'. Control of behaviour can also be obtained with positive reinforcers, such as food rewards. Both aiming to avoid a negative reinforcer or obtain a positive one will change a dog's behaviour. In modern dog training we have realised that if something can be obtained in a way that is both more pleasant for dog and owner then why wouldn't we do it? That is why modern dog training methods use a lot of food rewards (and other rewards) as positive reinforcement for behaviour, to give the dog something to work for rather than against. I would question any trainer's methods if they are not explained from a scientific basis (using proven principles and theory's). I would also always look for enjoyable ways to train my dog. Wouldn't you?

I love Karen Pryor! I'm reading "Don't shoot the dog" one of the best books i have read. Also, go on Amazon, you can flick through the pages there

Barb has a good point in that a lot of people are taking their puppies out anyway. There is no 'correct' solution to this. You can only look at your own situation, weigh up the risks and choose how you are going to go about it.

Hi Smisch, what an awesome idea! Here's my channel: CLICK to view my positive and fun training videos! At the moment I am uploading a training series on getting your otherwise fearful dog to love the water. Great post.

Hi LuvMy, Excellent question, I totally understand your concern here. A baby puppy class can be a fantastic thing if done properly. Generally I would look for a baby puppy class that was performed in a safe and hygienic area , free from the feces and urine of other dogs. If the class was in a room say, there are special cleaning chemicals used to clean floors in quality dog training facilities, such as the chemical F10. These chemicals can kills parvo virus. I would be concerned about putting an un-vaccinated puppy on grass where other dogs had been. If that is what's happening then you have a reasonable concern.

MissMetal you are doing the right thing!!!! Get your puppy in puppy classes the earliest you can with it being safe. Most classes accept puppies who have at least 2 vaccinations but they don't usually need the full vaccinations. Socialising with people in these classes is just as important as dogs don't forget. Look for a puppy class that allows some off-leash work, that does not use aversives (leash jerks and other unpleasant things for puppies) and that focuses on teaching you how to control your pup in everyday situations. If you don't feel you are progressing the way you would like then don't be afraid to ask for your money back after the first or second lesson and find a new teacher. Make sure the teacher teaches you how to control your dog during off-leash play and uses play as a reward. This will ensure that you can control your dog in the park when he is playing crazy with other dogs!

Hi Tigger! You are doing the right thing, you just need a little adjustment. It's very simple what's happening here. When teaching a dog something, in the beginning it's best to focus on one thing at a time. Now the main focus here it to target the right box (with the tea). What you are asking your poods to do is to target and then sit. This is a lot to ask in the beginning. In order for him to learn exactly what you want him to do, try one thing at a time. Because he is sniffing the box and you would like him to sit, when you don't reward the targeting without a sit you are wasting valuable learning opportunities. This is confusing him as he's thinking, hmmm i just sniffed it and nothing so i'll move on and try something else. That something else may not always be a sit it might be try and find something else to sniff. So if I was you, I would go back a step. Start with 1 box. When he sniffs it (only) 5/5 times then introduce either a sniff and sit or a second box (where sniff only is expected). If you up the anti in one department (adding a new box) drop the expectations in the other (no sit required yet). Once he is targeting the right box with 2 boxes 5/5 times (successfully 5 times in a row with no mistakes) then you can either add another box or a sit. Just juggle one thing at a time. Also, if u add something new and he gets it right less than 3/5 times I would drop down and make it a bit easier again. If you need more help let me know! This is the secret to all great dog training!! Goodluck

I walk my dog on a treadmill everyday. My tips with speed/duration is to learn your dogs own limits. My dog walks very casually on 4km/hr. I generally put him on there for 30-40mins and also walk him outside, although he could happily go on longer than this. You will know you've pushed your dog too fast/hard if she/he isn't eager to hop back on next time. Always supervise your dogs on the treadmill and you might like to try short spurts of higher speeds/inclines and judge your dog's expressions to see if they are becoming too tired. I am training my sister's dog to walk on the treadmill (American Staffy) so his limits are endless. Now he is becoming quite confident at walking on the machine we can take him up to speeds of 14km/hr. He just LOVES it. At these high speeds I stand very close by and only do this for 2-5mins. A harness is a good idea for safety as well if you strap them on rather than a collar. For most dogs though this would be way too high. I would imagine a springer to walk comfortably at 6km/hr and probably even jog a bit higher than that for shorter durations with those long legs! If you'd like to see a video of my dogs walking on the treadmill here's the URL: http://www.youtube.com/clipandcoach#p/a/u/2/pMFmkFdRzj8 Weighted backpacks are also great and swimming if possible. I also like to call my dog back and forth at top speeds from far distances it kills him!!!

very cute :D

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Awesome Deelee goodwork!!! Just keep those ridiculous treat portions for that sound for success! I give quite a lot of training tips on twitter and I am also in the process of updating my website to include articles that outline similar things to my forum posts so keep an eye out if you have a few other things you'd like to work on I just love that funny sound trick it's just well....funnny

Thanks Tangerine! I'm glad I can help. I do have proofing exercises for chasing little furries. I would only ever suggest you try them though once you have a very strong recall in a few lead up exercises I usually give in my programs. Otherwise I would be setting you up for failure.

Comfortis will work a treat Vaccum like crazy and wash bedding if you have an infestation. I heard vinegar spray in the yard will help too. 10% of the fleas are on the dog 90% in the house. They could have sprung in to your backyard quite easily.

O.K! So heres a few points to follow to have a reliable off-leash dog in any location. 1. If she will come back to you at the beach then you are obviously doing the right sort of recall training. The problem is you have only "proofed" (practiced and succeeded) the behaviour in 1 or 2 locations. For every behaviour you desire you must practice it in a multitude of locations with a whole bunch of different distractions. Start practicing your recall in new locations. Start out the front of your house. Have her on a lead (a really long one if available) let it extend then call her to you. 2. New #1 Rule: Before Mia is allowed to go for a walk or go to the dog beach she must first come to you. This can seem a bit silly but its gold. Before opening the door for your walk call her away from the door have her sit then go and open it. Do the same outside, let her extend to the end of the lead, call her back to you then proceed your walk. Do this every 20 metres on your walk. This reinforces that the only way to go exploring around your house is to come to you first. (you can also add this exercise to every activity, like before dinner, before sniffing a tree, before meeting a dog). It teaches the dog that to get to great things in front of them they must come to you first! At first they won't get it, they will stare at you blankly as it's a very new concept to a dog. Be very patient and magic will happen. 3. Start taking her to the off-leash areas more often (at least 3-4 times per week). This will empty her off-leash exploring bucket and she will be much less likely to go and empty it herself (by running out the front). I'm not sure how often you walk her but if it's less than once a day I would increase the walks as well. 4. When she does come to you have her sit, grab her collar THEN dispense a treat. This will stop her ducking and weaving and is a great safety behaviour to install incase you do have to grab her suddenly. 5. When doing recall exercises its important to understand that on the dog's terms its an expensive behaviour (it's a big ask). So we must reward accordingly. Especially in the beginning of your training, find the best treat in the world to Mia. Give a handful of it for recalls (I know this seems crazy but it works). Slowly reduce the amount of treats as you can't keep giving handfuls for more than a couple of weeks. Keep the amount of treats at a level much higher than for other less expensive behaviours, such as, sitting. Until you have a super strong recall I would always give a treat, and especially always if you end the play session for the day (to make up for the punishment) 6. Never punish Mia for coming to you (this includes unintentional punishment: ending a play session, going inside, scolding her for running away in the first place) 7. Install a new sound to recalls, something that surprises her and intrigues her. Give a huge handful of tasty treats when you do this special sound. Weird squealy noises, rolls your lips like a motor car etc. Whatever you like. You will feel funny at first but after 1-2 times of such a huge reward for this noise she will come running. You can practice in the house. Always follow this noise with a huge amount of treats. You can add a command after the noise once she comes running every single time with no hesitation. I hope this helps you a lot and if you need any more help you can PM me no problems. :D Goodluck!!!!!