The DogSmith Blog

You Got the Puppy!

But You Don’t Have the Time to Get the Training You Need?

With Your Busy Schedule, Whether Your Pup is 8 months or 8 years –

 Leave the Training to Us!

DogSmith Board & Train Programs

Of course you want to give your pet the basic training it needs to be a happy member of your family.  But with school, work, family, errands, business trips and vacations you don’t always have time to get the training you and your dog need.  So when you are too busy with life, let The DogSmith help out.  We have two incredible and affordable training programs that fit in to your busy schedule, whether you’re home or not.  With our “Board & Train” or “Latch-Key” training programs we train your dog while you’re away.  Your dog will get the devoted individual attention of your DogSmith Dog Trainer in our home or yours.  Our programs are customized for your pooch and we will adjust the pace and focus depending on the needs of you and your puppy.  Your local DogSmith will meet with you and your dog, discuss your concerns and build a training program around your goals. For each behavior you want, we establish a training goal so we can measure how we are doing and how well your pooch is progressing. Your dog will learn faster than group classes and you will receive FREE copies of our DogSmith MTR® training cards.  And best of all you come home to a trained dog!  Two great programs – same unrivaled service.

DogSmith Board & Train Program –

Out of town, on vacation or just too busy at home to give your new puppy the attention it needs? With our “Board & Train” program your dog stays with a DogSmith certified dog trainer receiving loads of attention and training throughout the day, every day for two weeks.  Your dog stays in the home of a DogSmith Certified Dog Trainer and gets a minimum of 2 hours training each day at an appropriate pace. In addition to training sessions, the remainder of your dog’s time will be spent with your DogSmith who will manage your dog’s behaviors through interaction and play, enjoying a structured, safe and educational environment.  Your “Board & Train” program is personalized to meet the needs of you and your pet and is suitable for puppies from 8 weeks of age to senior dogs of any age.

DogSmith Latch Key Training Program –

If it is more convenient for you to keep your dog at home while you’re away for the day, a week or a month our “Latch Key” program is the perfect answer for your training needs.  Your DogSmith certified dog trainer will train your dog in your home on an agreed schedule to achieve your training goals.  With our Latch-Key program your dog is trained in its own environment making it ideal for house-training and any other specific behaviors you want.  Latch Key Training also provides for a great mental and physical workout for your pooch. As with our Board & Train program your Latch Key Training is personalized to meet your particular needs and is suitable for dogs of any age.

Opening a dog training business is easy because the industry is unregulated; becoming a dog training professional is more difficult. A true professional should have integrity, abide by a code of ethics and have an academic background in operant and respondent conditioning to support good dog training mechanical skills if they are to positively impact the lives of people and their dogs. Professional dog trainers must understand how dogs learn, if we understand how dogs learn then we can not only teach then new behaviors, we can also modify unwanted behaviors.

How dogs learn and unlearn behaviors is critical knowledge for today’s dog trainers and behavior analysts. If we are to save canine lives, help families retain their pet dogs and create harmony between canine and human them a strong understanding of how does learn is a must. Pet dog owners with problems need then solved and solved quickly.

How Dogs Learn and Unlearn Behaviors

Natural selection affects innate behaviors such as reflexes, modal action patterns and general behavior traits. The difference between reflexes and modal action patterns is that a reflex (the relationship between a specific event and specific response) only affects individual muscles and glands.  Modal action patterns are an orderly sequence of reflex behaviors which affect the entire being.  Researchers have argued that modal action patterns no longer exist in human beings as there is such variation across the behavior of the species.  The role of genes in human behavior is defined as behavior traits (Chance 2008).

Adaptation

Natural selection helps species adapt to change across generations but does not help living beings cope with fast environmental change. When individuals need to modify their behavior to adapt to new and changing environments they must learn.   Learning indicates a change in behavior and takes place through experience to events, i.e. stimulus.  Learning is essential for survival. Chance (2008 p 24) states “learning takes up where reflexes, modal action patterns and general behavior leave off”.

I believe that   dogs learn in two key ways, task-conscious or acquisition learning.

Acquisition learning is seen as going on all the time. It is ‘concrete’, immediate and confined to a specific activity; it is not concerned with general principles (Rogers 2003: 18). Examples include much of the learning involved in and around the home.  Some have referred to this kind of learning as unconscious or implicit. Rogers (2003: 21), however, suggests that it might be better to speak of it as having a consciousness of the task. In other words the learner may not be conscious of learning; I equate this to respondent conditioning. The second form of learning is learning-conscious or formalized learning such as takes place in the training class environment. Formalized learning arises from the process of facilitating learning. It is ‘educative learning’ rather than the accumulation of experience. To this extent there is a consciousness of learning – subjects are aware that the task they are engaged in entail learning. ‘Learning itself is the task. What formalized learning does is to make learning more conscious in order to enhance it’ (Rogers 2003: 27). It involves guided episodes of learning.  In dog training we consider this to be how we apply the protocols of operant conditioning.

So What is Operant Conditioning

In Operant Conditioning there are four types of operant learning, defined as such because the behavior operates on the environment.  Two of the quadrants of operant conditioning strengthen behaviors, referred to as reinforcements. The other two of the operant conditioning quadrants weaken behavior, referred to as punishments. The quadrants are referred to as a negative reinforcement, positive reinforcement, negative punishment and positive punishment.  The terms positive and negative do not describe the consequence, they indicate whether a stimulus, has been added (positive) or subtracted (negative) to increase or weaken the preceding behavior.

Both positive and negative reinforcement increase the strength of the behavior due to its consequence.  With positive reinforcement the behavior is followed by the appearance of or an increase in the intensity of a stimulus. The stimulus is called a positive reinforcement as it is something the subject seeks out therefore it reinforces the behavior that precedes it.  With negative reinforcement the behavior is strengthened by the subject’s ability to avoid or escape an aversive stimulus, thus negative reinforcement is sometimes referred to as escape-avoidance learning. An experience must have three characteristics to qualify as reinforcement.  The behavior must have a consequence, the behavior must increase in strength and the increase in strength must be a result of the consequence (Chance 2008 p 127).

As behavior is the function of its consequences and whereas reinforcement strengthens the likelihood of a behavior then punishments reduce the strength of the behavior. Punishers are aversives and something a subject works to avoid. When an aversive event is added to a situation then positive punishment has taken place. Negative punishment subtracts something from the situation, like privileges, and is sometimes called penalty training.  Experiences must have three characteristics to qualify as punishment. First, the behavior must have a consequence, second the behavior must decrease in strength and finally the reduction in strength must be a result of the consequence (Chance 2008).

Respondent Conditioning

Within an organism there are two types of reflexes, unconditioned reflexes and conditioned reflexes. An unconditioned reflex (UR) is unlearned and occurs unconditionally, whereas a conditioned reflex (CR) is acquired and considered impermanent.  An unconditioned reflex consists of an unconditioned stimulus (US) and an unconditioned response (UR).  An unconditioned stimulus is something that when presented evokes a natural, unconditioned response,  such as blinking when air is pushed towards the eyelid or sweating when stressed or scared. Unconditioned reflexes are important for an animal’s survival.  Freeze dried liver offered to a dog is an example of a US and the dog drooling is an example of the resulting UR.

A conditioned reflex occurs when a conditioned stimulus (CS) creates a conditioned response (CR).  This is a learned response to a given set of conditions occurring in the environment.  Pavlov recognized that any stimulus could become a conditioned stimulus when paired repeatedly with an unconditioned stimulus.  Respondent conditioning takes place when an unconditioned stimulus that elicits an unconditioned response is repeatedly paired with a neutral stimulus. As a result of conditioning the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus that reliably elicits a conditioned response. Each single pairing is considered a trial. With respondent conditioning the presentation of the two stimuli, neutral and unconditioned, are presented regardless of the behavior the individual is exhibiting. The behavior elicited is a reflex response.

The techniques used for changing behavior are either operant conditioning techniques or respondent conditioning techniques. Respondent conditioning techniques are used for addressing conditioned emotional responses, for example behaviors such as fear, panic or anxiety that are controlled by the autonomic nervous system. Operant conditioning techniques are used for changing operants, which are behaviors that are controlled by their consequences.

Respondent conditioning techniques for changing behavior focus on the antecedents in the operant scheme, the stimuli, setting events and motivating operations that contribute to or elicit the problematic conditioned emotional responses and the operants they motivate.  Respondent conditioning techniques and procedures used for changing behavior are a combination of, a) in vivo systematic desensitization where the animal is systematically and gradually exposed to the problem stimulus while maintaining the animal below the conditioned emotional response threshold, b) counter conditioning a type of exposure therapy where the problematic conditioned emotional response is replaced with a more desirable or appropriate response and c) attention exercises that promote relaxation by redirecting the animal’s focus (O’Heare 2009).

In contrast to respondent conditioning, operant conditioning behavior change techniques change the operants by controlling the postcedents and affecting those that have an effect on the behavior, i.e. the consequences. Operant conditioning takes place when a response in a given situation is reliably reinforced; there is a contingency between the response and the reinforcer.  Shaping behaviors and differential reinforcement are operant techniques for changing behavior that focus on developing appropriate target behaviors, referred to as the constructional approach (O’Heare 2009). The application of positive reinforcement, negative punishment, negative reinforcement and positive punishment are all procedures that can be used to affect and change behavior with or without extinction trials. The least aversive and invasive operant conditioning behavior change techniques, shaping and differential reinforcement, also positively affect respondent behaviors (Miltenberger 2004).

Bibliography

Chance, P. (2008) Learning and Behavior, Wadsworth Cengage Learning

O’Heare, J. (2008) Behavior Change Programming and Procedures 2009, CASI,

Miltenberger (2004) Behavior Modification Principles and Procedures Third Edition, Thompson. USA

Rogers (2003)  Freedom to Learn. Sourced www.psychotherapynetworker.org 2009

The world of dog walking and pet sitting is unregulated in most areas so anyone can potentially call themselves a professional Dog Walker or Pet Sitter.

But, much like choosing the best care-givers for your children, it is essential that you make every effort to ensure you find a qualified, trustworthy and professional pet sitter and dog walker. You are entrusting the health and well-being of your pet family members to their care so ask the following 10 questions about Pet Sitting/Dog Walking professionals before you hire them:

1. Can you check their background and do they do background checks on all of their employees? Some Pet Sitters/Dog Walkers may seem great when you meet them and say all of the right things but you are entrusting them with your pets and sometimes access to your home. You should confirm that the Pet Sitting/Dog Walking Company does background checks on their workers and you should look into the background of the company. You can use the internet or get more detailed information by using a background check service. Reputable Pet Sitting/Dog Walking companies will be happy to have you check their background.

Click here to download our free report on the ten thing you must know

We are all accustomed to car safety rules and devices for ourselves and our children.  Seatbelt laws are commonplace and air bags are found in virtually every production vehicle in the US.  Sometimes however, we forget to apply the same principles and safeguards when we are traveling with or transporting our pets.  An unrestrained pet in a moving vehicle can distract you, preventing you from driving safely and greatly increasing the likelihood of an accident.  In an emergency situation an unrestrained pet can not only be seriously injured but can also cause injuries to you and other passengers.  The American Automobile Association estimates that unrestrained pets inside vehicles cause 30,000 car accidents every year.   Even if an accident doesn’t result, many thousands of injuries are suffered by unrestrained pets in vehicles thrown around or from the car in a sudden stop or turn.

More and more states are recognizing the hazards caused by distracted driving and are implementing stricter laws concerning cell phone use and unrestrained pets.  Although there is no perfect system for keeping your pet safe while riding in your vehicle there are many steps you can take to minimize the chance your pet will be injured in an accident or be the cause of one.

Don’t…

• Don’t’ let your dog hang its head out the car window.
  • Just think of the debris that hits your windshield as you drive down the road.  Dust, bugs, stones, leaves and other objects can make it into your pets’ eyes and cause a major injury. You wouldn’t let your children do this and the same risks exist.
  • If you need to make a defensive maneuver your dog it is more likely to fall or be thrown from the vehicle if it is hanging out the car window.
  • Dogs often jump from vehicles when stopped in traffic creating a potentially deadly situation for you, other drivers and your pet. 
• Don’t let your dog ride unrestrained inside the vehicle
  • This is simple physics.  Objects in motion stay in motion.  If your car is traveling at 55 miles per hour, then your pet is as well.  Should you need to stop suddenly, your pet will continue to stay in motion.  This could result in a 55 mile per hour impact with a window, another passenger or  the driver.
• Don’t let your pet ride in your lap
  • Just as riding with a human child in your lap is unsafe, so is riding with your furry friend in your lap. 
  • Should your pet panic or if you brake suddenly, your pet could be thrown around causing damage to itself or others.
• Don’t leave your pet unattended in your vehicle
  • It is illegal in many cities and states to leave your dog unattended in a vehicle.  This is true even if you left your dog with water and the windows down. 
  • The temperature inside your vehicle can become much hotter than the outside temperature risking your pet’s life.
• Don’t let your pet ride in the back of a pickup truck
  • This is the primary cause of animal deaths in vehicle accidents. It doesn’t matter if they are tethered or loose.
  • A dog tethered in a pickup bed can easily hang itself if it jumps out of the truck. 
  • You could be liable for injury should someone be bitten by your animal while they are in the back of your truck.  This could result in a costly lawsuit that is not covered by your auto insurance.
• Don’t smoke in the car 
  • Smoking inside vehicles can increase feelings of nausea in humans and it does the same for our animals.  Please smoke outside of the vehicle away from your pet.
• Don’t let your pet ride in the front seat
  • Front seats are ok if you can disable the airbags but otherwise airbags are very powerful and can injure or kill even a restrained pet in the front seat.  Just like child car seats, pets should be kept away from airbags.
• Don’t rely on vehicle barrier systems
  • Barrier systems that prevent your dog from moving to the front of the car don’t secure the pet enough to prevent injury in the event of an emergency.  Barriers may keep you safer by preventing your pet from distracting you while driving, but your pet could still be injured from being thrown around behind the barrier in the event of an accident.
• Don’t rely on a tether that clips to a collar
  • A tether secured to a dog’s collar will not prevent your dog from injury and may potentiall break your pet’s neck in a sudden stop.

Do…

• Get a safety harness designed and tested as a restraint for your pet
  • Safety harnesses for your pet should be designed and constructed of the same materials required for human seatbelts. 
  •  Ideally the harness should be certified by a qualified testing facility (at this time we are aware of only one harness that has been thus tested –  http://www.ruffrider.com/).
  • Use your best judgment and select a restraint harness that is well constructed, fits your pet and allows some freedom of movement so your pet can sit up and lie down but not so much freedom of movement that it risks injury.
  • Do not have your pet restrained in the front seat but if you do deactivate the air bag to that seat.
  • A standard harness used for walking your dog is normally not of sufficient strength for use as a restraint harness.
  • Get a crate for your car
    • If you have room you can use a crate to restrain your pet.  Make sure it is of good construction and tied down to your vehicle.  Most pets also feel safer while in a crate because they won’t be sliding around as much.
    • Keep in mind that if you choose to use a crate to restrain your pet that the tie-down method you use may not meet ‘crash’ standards and may not protect your pet in the event of a serious accident or a roll over.
    • Crates may serve to keep your pet confined should emergency personnel need to care for you.  It makes it easier for them to concentrate on caring for you first in the case of injury.
    • Always attach information to your crate with your name, address, phone number, veterinarian’s contact details and your pets’ information.  You should keep a form on file with your vet allowing your pet to receive medical care in the case of emergency when you are unable to release it.

• Keep control of your animal getting into and out of the car
  • Teach your dog to only get into or out of the car when released by you and always on a leash.  Getting into and out of the car is a privilege and should be treated like a life reward.

Please restrain your pet while traveling.  It is safer for humans and for our pets!

Happy training and safe traveling.

Angelica Steinker and Niki Tudge

www.CourteousCanine.com and www.DogSmith.com

Written January 2013 The DogSmith Tampa FL and Oxford MS

Help Us Give You the Best Service Possible…
By Niki Tudge

DogSmith Pet Professionals have committed their professional lives to providing you with the absolute best, most informed, force-free, ‘state of the industry’ pet care and dog training available. Not only is each DogSmith fully insured and bonded but the rigorous training and continuing education each DogSmith accomplishes each year sets the standard in our industry. DogSmiths are fully accredited in pet care and pet first-aid and every DogSmith business owner is a certified dog trainer using only force-free training and pet care techniques.

As part of our effort to provide you with the “best care anywhere” we ask that you consider the following when requesting any of our services for your furry family member:

1. Make Your Reservation as Early as Possible:

This assures you won’t be left without the services you require and will give your DogSmith plenty of time to prepare for any special requirements. The last thing we want to do is disappoint you when you need pet care services and we take pride in providing you the services you need, when you need them.
Likewise, if you need to cancel your reservations cancel them as soon as you can. This will minimize any cancellation fees (especially around the holidays) and it will give your DogSmith a better chance to fill the time reserved for you with another client.

2. Give Us the Most Accurate Information You Can:

We know this can sometimes be hard. You may not even notice some of your pet’s characteristics anymore or you may be hesitant to mention certain problems or behaviors. This is natural. But for your DogSmith to provide your beloved pet the best care possible we need the most accurate information on your pet’s health, behavior, fears, chronic conditions, past illnesses/injuries, likes, dislikes, phobias and preferences. Your DogSmith also needs accurate information to access your home. This can be especially critical if you are a regular DogSmith client. Some details concerning your home or pet may change between scheduled DogSmith services that you may forget to update with us.
Having complete and accurate information will help your DogSmith identify any changes in behavior or demeanor should they arise while you are away. Remember, DogSmiths are pet care professionals who are trained and experienced in every aspect of pet care so they will either be equipped to respond to any specific issues with your pet or they will be able to suggest suitable alternatives. So always complete our registration forms making sure that the following is provided in detail:

Pet Information -
1. Complete vaccination history
2. Contact details for your vet
3. Contact details for friends or family in case of emergency
4. Complete contact details for you while you are away including phone number, cell phone number, email address etc.
5. Comprehensive description of your pets behavior, fears, chronic conditions
6. Food and feeding schedule.

For In-Home Pet Care -
1. Complete instructions on how your house works
2. Schedules for any in-home services you may have such as; maid/cleaning, pool,
yard, pest control etc.
3. Any scheduled contractor work or service to be done in your absence
4. Information on any potential houseguests
5. Information on any friends or neighbors who may have access to your house.
6. Keys, alarm codes, community gate/access codes, combinations or little tricks for problematic locks.

3. Keep Your DogSmith informed

Always confirm your travel plans before your DogSmith services are scheduled to begin and keep your DogSmith apprised of any changes, especially your return dates. As mentioned above, update any information concerning your pet or your home with your DogSmith. Do you have a new alarm code, changed your pet’s feeding schedule or has anything else changed that your DogSmith should be aware of?

4. Try to be Flexible

DogSmith Pet Professionals do everything they can to completely satisfy every customer’s request but DogSmiths are in such demand that they may have to adjust their schedule slightly too properly meet the needs of their clients. If you have requested a specific service at a specific time the DogSmith Pet Professional will make every effort to accommodate your request exactly but there may be an occasion where the service may be a few minutes earlier or later than that requested due to other commitments.

Your DogSmith will always attempt to accommodate your every need while you are away but please remember that if you ask for extra services it may not be possible for your DogSmith to always perform these if their schedule won’t allow it.

5. Let Us Know
When you return to your home and pets after being away, if there is anything you are concerned about please contact your DogSmith immediately. We will be much more able to address you concerns when your service has been recent.

If you can think of anything else that we can do to provide you and your pets with the best care possible please contact us. The DogSmith is helping pets become family!

Praise must be rewarding to your dog in order for you to use it. To understand what type of praise is valued by your dog experiment with the following:

1. What tone of voice does your dog like? High pitch? Low pitch? Both low and high pitch? When praising your dog, make sure you are smiling. Dogs are truth detectors; your praise must be sincere. Experiment with verbal praise and write below what kind of verbal praise your dog likes:

2. What type of physical touch does your dog like? Does your dog like to be touched softly? Does your dog like it when you rough up its fur? Does your dog like you rough housing with it, or does it prefer gentle physical touch. Write how your dog likes to be physically touched:

3. Now experiment with combining the two types of praise you have listed above. Does the dog like this? Record what you learned below:

4. If your dog did not like any of the forms of verbal and physical praise that you experimented with, you can teach the dog to like praise. Here is how you do it. You praise your dog verbally and physically and then give it a delicious food treat. You do this for a month, praise, ‘click’ and then treat. After a month, your dog will likely become happy when you praise it even if you don’t always give it a treat.

Knowing what your dog likes is the key to gaining excellent communication with your dog. Know your dog’s joy buttons and you can train it to do whatever it is physically and mentally capable of doing.

by Angelica Steinker. Copyright 2012

Download your personal worksheet and record your findings to the questions above

Teach Your Dog To Enjoy Praise

Clicker Instructions by Angelica Steinker

Clicker training is fun and very empowering for your dog

The ‘click’ signals to your dog that “YES!” that is the behavior you want. Think of the ‘click’ as a marker signal that lets your dog know the behavior you want. If you cue your dog to sit, you will want to ‘click’ the moment you see your dog’s hind end hit the ground. Then you follow the ‘click’ with a reinforcement – a reward your dog likes. Clicker training is the closest thing to talking with your dog and it is a fun training method for both dog and trainer. ‘Click’ your dog when he does what you ask.

‘Click’ your dog for doing what you want. Anything you like your dog doing is a great thing to ‘click’ and reinforce.

‘Click’ and Reinforce. After clicking, you can give your dog a treat. Moist treats are ideal or you can play a game or you can praise your dog. Anything that your dog enjoys can be used as a reinforcer. Vary your reinforcements to keep things fun and interesting.

Do NOT ‘click’ next to your dog’s ear. The click can be very loud and may cause your dog to dislike the clicker. If your dog is noise-sensitive and reacts to the clicker, simply tape several layers of first aid tape across the dimple on the metal part of the clicker. This will dampen the ‘click’. Then, as your dog becomes less reactive, you can pull off one layer of tape at a time.

Make sure the reinforcers you use are something the dog really likes. Do not use boring treats. Use treats that make your dog’s eyes pop out of its head! Play different games, experiment and find what your dog really likes.

Keep training sessions short and fun. Quit the session while your dog still wants more. Leave it hanging and your dog will work harder in the next session.

If your dog does something really great, ‘click’ and ‘jackpot’, then end the session. A ‘jackpot’ is when you give your dog a bunch of treats (6-10) at one time. Give your dog the jackpot all at once. Do not hand it one tiny treat at the time. The idea here is for your dog to feel like he won the lottery!

Small soft and chewy treats are great for clicker training

May the power of the ‘click’ always be with you! Happy training!

You can contact Ange via DogSmith.com or CourteousCanine.com in Lutz, Tampa Florida

‘Coming’ When Called Rules

Rule 1: NEVER call your dog to you and then do something to him that he does not like. For example, do not call your dog to you and give him a bath if he hates having a bath. Avoid calling your dog to you and then clipping his nails. Do not call your dog to you and then take him to the vet. Avoid calling your dog to you and then giving him yucky medication.

Rule 2: Generously ‘click’ and reinforce your dog when he comes to you. Even if it takes your dog an hour to ‘come’ to you, reinforce the ‘come’. Don’t throw him a ‘party’ or give him steak, but reward him in some way.

Rule 3: Do not stare at your dog when you want him to ‘come’ to you. Staring is rude behavior in dog culture and may actually keep your dog from coming to you.

Rule 4: Use your body to help your dog be successful: stand sideways or turn your back toward the dog to invite him to play a game of chasing you.

Attention

Why does it matter if your dog looks at you? Why teach attention? Attention, when your dog is actively looking at you and waiting for a cue, is the single most important behavior to train.

You can’t give your dog a life saving cue if he is not paying attention. You can’t get your dog to sit when the doorbell is ringing if he is not paying attention. Without attention we have no control over our dogs.

Attention Guidelines

Never give your dog a cue until you have its attention. Simply do not say anything to your dog until you first have its attention. This will teach the dog to watch you carefully since he can only get rewards if he looks at you first.

If you lose your dog’s attention, immediately go back to working on attention before training anything else.

Make attention a game for you and your dog. Who wants to just stare at you if it’s not fun? Look for intensity, tail wagging, and click it!

Attention Games

• First, the dog looks at you, then the games start!
• Handler counts 1-2-3 then calls the dog. The handler should build excitement for the run to the handler and reinforce eye contact.
• Handler counts 1-2-3 and then cues “get it” to play a game of tug.
• Eye contact starts any form of retrieving such as playing fetch.
• Eye contact and then a game of ‘catch me if you can’ where the dog chases you.
• Be creative. Invent as many games as you can!

Name game

You want fast responses when your dog hears her name. Teach your dog to respond to her name by pairing her name with a ‘click’ (or say yes) and a reward, ideally food or a tug toy, so that she moves to you. Say her name with excitement in your voice. As she snaps her head toward you, ‘click’ (or say yes) and reinforce with food or a tug toy. Finally, add distance to the game and ask your dog to run toward you when you say her name.

Hand Targeting

Most dog bites occur on human hands. To help prevent this we want our dogs to understand that hands are good. Human hands should always indicate something pleasurable to your dog. If your dog is fearful of human hands, please tell your instructor so your dog can be evaluated and we can let you know if you might need private instruction to prevent your dog from possibly biting a human hand.

One way for your dog to learn that hands are good is to teach hand targeting. You can prompt hand targeting by hiding your closed hand behind your back and then quickly opening your hand and flashing it in front of your dog’s nose. Most dogs will sniff your hand or move toward your hand. ‘Click’ and reinforce this. Gradually require that your dog touch her nose to your hand. Once you consistently get the dog to touch her nose to your hand, begin presenting your hand from a variety of angles. When your dog is consistently successful from a variety of angles, you can name the behavior “nose.”

If you are not successful with this, speak to your instructor. Your dog may be afraid of hands which is a potentially serious issue.

Mini recalls
Place your dog in a small room or small fenced yard. If your dog is overly distracted by being outside, do not begin working on the mini recall exercise until he notices you and is done exploring. Put a leash on your dog. In an excited happy tone, say your dog’s name and “come”. When your dog responds, ‘click’ and reinforce. Do this three times.

Now wait until your dog is momentarily distracted, like sniffing a blade of grass and then call him to “come” to you. As you call your dog, turn your back to it and run away from your dog, inviting it to chase you. Use high-pitched tones and smile! You are playing a game with your dog. When your dog comes to you, ‘click’, reinforce and tell him he is a genius.

If he does not ‘come’, find a way to set the dog up for success—make it easier. Continue to make it easier until the dog can succeed. Build on success. Add distractions like toys and food in enclosed Tupperware container. Use these to call your dog away from. Start out with very easy distractions, like a rock, and gradually build up to more tempting distractions.

At least 50% of the time, withhold your ‘click’ and reinforcement until you are holding the dog’s collar in your hand. This avoids accidentally training a “drive-by” when your dog comes to you but then zooms past you not allowing you to make contact with his body.

Restrained recall
Person ‘A’ holds the dog back as person ‘B’ runs away from the dog. The dog will strain to get to person ‘B’, as pictured at left, and when the dog is straining, person ‘A’ releases the dog so that it runs full speed to catch up to person ‘B’. When the dog gets to person ‘B’ the partying begins!

Ping pong

Played with two people and one dog. Person A and person B both have treats. Person A and person B stand 50-feet apart. Person A calls the dog, clicks and reinforces, then Person B calls the dog, clicks and reinforces. A variation of this game is when one person starts hiding while the other person is reinforcing the dog. Increase distance and level of difficulty as your dog progresses, building on success. The most important thing is for both you and the dog to have FUN!!!!

Hide and seek

The beginner version is played with two people and your dog. A helper holds on to the dog while you hide. Then after a few seconds your helper releases the dog while telling the dog “find (insert your name)”! When the dog finds you, ‘click’ and reinforce with food or a toy. The advanced version is played with only one person and your dog. Ask your dog to stay. Then you hide. When you are hidden, release the dog with “okay,” and ‘click’ and play when he finds you. It may be necessary to give the dog some help by sporadically calling its name.

Emergency recall

‘Coming’ when called is potentially life-saving. No cue is more important. It is a great idea to teach an emergency recall. To train an emergency recall, give your emergency cue and give the dog a handful of her favorite treats. Sporadically repeat this throughout the week. Slowly build up to giving the emergency recall cue in more challenging situations, always setting up the dog for success. Training your emergency recall is a life- long commitment. If you want the cue to be effective, you will need to practice it at least once a month for the life of the dog. Some trainers use the word “emergency” as an emergency recall while others use a whistle and still others use a certain tone and volume of their regular ‘come’ cue. We recommend you use a word rather than a whistle.

Retrieving Games

If your dog knows how to retrieve you can use playing ‘fetch’ as a means for practicing your recalls. Toss the toy away from you and when the dog begins to bring the toy back to you, run away from your dog as fast as you can. This will make coming to you fun and encourage the dog to run after you at full speed.

Proofing Games

Proofing is the art of teaching a dog to perform a behavior regardless of what is happening in the environment. Proofing always sets up a dog for success. If the dog fails, you cut what you just attempted in half and try again. Good training avoids failures and sets up the dog for success.

Recall Past a Toy

Ask the dog to ‘sit-stay’ and then walk away from the dog placing a toy far away from the dog. The dog, you and the toy should form a triangle. Call the dog to you, and ‘click’ (or say yes), when the dog passes the toy. When the dog reaches you throw a ‘party’. Gradually build up to more toys and, as the dog is successful; you can start placing the toys in the dog’s path. The toys represent distractions and you are teaching your dog to come to you despite them!

Recall Past a Food Bowl

Same game as ‘Recall Past a Toy’ but instead you’re using food. Place the food in Tupperware containers that have holes in them so the dog can smell the food but not eat it. Alternately, have an assistant hover over the food so a foot can be placed over the food, covering it, preventing the dog from eating it.

Set up your dog for success. If your dog doesn’t care about toys, start with the toy game above and build up to the food game. If your dog is crazed for toys, start with the food games. Throw a party when your dog makes the choice you want!

Handler Body Position Game

Teach your dog to ‘come’ when called regardless of your body position. Start with the easiest body position and build up to the more difficult ones:

• back turned, running away from dog
• back turned, standing still
• side of body facing dog, running away
• side of body facing dog, standing still
• facing dog, running backward
• facing dog, standing still
• sitting in a chair
• laying on the ground

Parallel to Other Dog

Recall your dog to you as another handler with another dog does the same thing. Both dogs are moving in the same direction. Start with more distance between dogs and build up to less.

Opposite Direction as Other Dog

Same game as above, but this time the dogs are moving in opposite directions. To set up for success, start with a lot of distance between the dogs. Gradually build up to closer distances.

Come Over or Through an Agility Obstacle

Dog recalls to handler over a jump or through a tunnel. This is a fun way to practice “coming when called” and to make things look different to the dog.

Recall set ups (Leslie Nelson’s game)

This is an advanced game only for dogs that know how to ‘recall’. Leslie Nelson developed this game. Play this game only if the dogs understand the cue “come”. Dog ‘A’ will be asked to recall and she will be dragging a leash on the ground during this game. Dog ‘B’ is on a leash next to the anticipated area of reinforcement (where the handler will run to or be standing after calling the dog). The handler of dog ‘A’ has highly desirable food treats. Instructor has dry and less desirable food treats. Instructor allows dog ‘A’ to sniff the treats she has and immediately after, handler of dog ‘A’ calls dog to “come”. The moment the dog is called, the instructor breaks eye contact and stops feeding dog ‘A’. Dog ‘A’ now has a choice to recall to her handler or to stay with the instructor. If the dog recalls, ‘click’ (or say yes) and jackpot treat the dog. If the dog does not recall, the instructor steps on leash and the handler of dog ‘A’ goes and feeds the highly desirable treat to dog ‘B’, while lavishly loving on dog ‘B’. If it is possible to see a dog’s jaw drop, this game can prompt that behavior. After one failed recall, some of our clients’ Jack Russell Terriers must have vowed to never let that happen again and their recalls have been perfect since (with proper maintenance training).

Happy Clicker Training From Angelica Steinker.

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