Dogs dont get many positive mentions in the Bible. Good people can disagree why. Some think its because prior to the modern age of vaccines and pesticides, dogs carried rabies, fleas, and ticks. Others think its because feral dogs were associated with trash and grave robbing. The real reason, of course, is that Noah got tired of holding the damn umbrella.
The best teachers are those who first figure out what motivates a child, and then help them learn by communicating clearly. Training your dog is basically the same. If you know your dog and understand his point of view, its easier to teach him when you’re both on the same page. The following positive dog training tips can help you be more successful.
Positive Feedback
Reward positive behavior and ignore non-aggressive negative behavior. Dogs are quick to learn what works and what doesnt, and when it comes to getting attention, even negative feedback is acceptable, from a dogs point of view. Yelling at your barking dog might stop him for the moment, but it doesnt change his behavior. If you dont want him jumping up on you, dont reward him with attention – ignore him. Teach him whats acceptable with positive attention, and reinforce his behavior with CANIDAE TidNips™ treats and lots of praise. Dogs learn what you teach them, good and bad.
Positive Reinforcement
Remember the high school teacher who gave you positive reinforcement and helped you work through problem areas until you understood? Staying calm, patient and consistent is the respectful way to teach kids and dogs. Yelling and losing your temper isnt cool and tells your dog you need to work on leadership skills. No one, including dogs, likes to be yelled at.
Association
You have less than 2 seconds for your dog to learn to associate an action with a behavior. When training, treat/praise your dog as soon as he completes a command so he learns to connect his action with your command. With a “sit” command, treat/praise the second his butt hits the floor. Dogs live in the now and you cant punish him for what he did hours or even minutes ago. If you catch him in the act, however, you have a chance to change his behavior with positive reinforcement.
Give a Grand Prize
When I started working with my Border Collie mix to teach her to sit, shed give me a look to see if I really meant what I said. After a few seconds, shed start to sit, hesitate for a second and then put her bottom on the floor. But if she sat immediately, I gave her lots of treats and abundant praise for a job well done. This is a good tactic to use just before you end a training session. Give your dog a command he is sure to obey right away and reward with multiple treats and praise. If your dog loves a game of catch or tug of war, this would also be a grand prize reward for him – something special to celebrate the achievement.
Redirect a Behavior
The sit command is a basic one that comes in handy in many situations. Dogs that jump up on people can be taught to redirect their behavior to a more acceptable one of sitting when they greet someone. A dog that likes to use his paw to get your attention can be taught to give a “high five” on your command instead of pawing at your leg or arm for attention. Redirect negative behavior with a desirable behavior.
Practice Success
When training, give your dog plenty of opportunities to succeed. You arent giving him a quiz to pass or fail. Dont expect him to learn how to sit and stay for 15 seconds right off the bat. You need to start off slow with shorter time periods. Begin with a few seconds and add a couple seconds at a time until he learns to wait for you to release him. Dont be afraid to go back to the beginning and start again, if necessary. Help him be successful one step at a time, and reward each success.
Use Food Rewards
Food is a good motivator that can help your pet learn a behavior, but praise is also a powerful incentive. Always give a treat while your pet is learning, along with lots of praise. Eventually, you want to eliminate treats for the most part, but dont stop completely. Every now and then, give treat rewards to let your dog know hes doing a good job. Besides, even dogs like an occasional surprise.
Keep it Short and Fun
Learning is easier when its short and fun. Sessions should be around 5 minutes, two or three times a day. Work on one behavior at a time. You dont want to confuse your pet by overloading him with multiple behaviors to learn at the same time. Once your dog learns a command or new behavior, practice it daily to reinforce it.
Top photo by Molly Hayden Middle and bottom photos by Andrea Arden
Thank you so much for all the wonderful, kind, and supportive comments on our new addition! Rule, as she has been christened, says thank you.
Today Im participating in the Positive Pet Training Blog Hop, hosted by Rubicon Days, Tenacious Little Terrier, and Cascadian Nomads. Januarys theme is "National Train You Dog Month", and as always, any positive-based training posts are accepted.
I debated on doing a sort of "Plans for 2016" training post, but quickly dropped the idea in favor of something Ive been really enjoying lately, and something that I feel is invaluable to those of us with active dogs, or any dogs, really!
Whats that, you ask? Fitness, and how to keep your dogs body strong and healthy!
2015 was my year of getting fit and healthy. I quit sugar in late December of 2014, and aside from yogurt, peanut butter, and natural sugars like fruit and honey, havent had any since then. Ive kept up with yoga 4-7 days a week. I started running and walking, and have been consistently doing 5 to 10 miles a day. I quit gluten, Im careful with getting enough sleep, and eat incredibly healthy.
I had one small cold in October, but was otherwise 100% healthy. In the years before, Id be sick 5+ times a year. My moods are stable, my skin is clear for the first time in my life, I feel amazing, and I am so happy. I cant imagine its much different for our dogs!
Having a fit and healthy dog has always been a top priority of mine. The vast majority of dachshund owners do not exercise their dogs, leading to overweight dogs and more back problems than you can shake a stick at. I refuse to have that for my Doxie girls, or Pike or Rule. Aside from a good diet, exercise is one of the best tools for a healthy dog. These are some simple, fun training activities you can do with your dog to help increase strength, balance, flexibility, and overall stamina.
Disclaimer: Know thy dog. These exercises are preformed by young, healthy dogs with no medical problems. Be careful!
Parkour
Something Ive become a little obsessed with lately is Parkour for dogs, or "Barkour", as it is sometimes called. Parkour training is a way of using your environment as an obstacle course, involving climbing, jumping, running, vaulting, ect. Its the same thing for dogs!
I like it because you dont need any fancy equipment (Im cheap!), and anywhere you go can offer different challenges for you and your dog. Everything from trees to fences to picnic tables to playgrounds can be used! You can even earn titles in the sport from The International Dog Parkour Training Association. I may try both Nola and Rule for these soon.
I only started the girls on this about a week and a half ago, but already theyre picking it up and loving it. Its Nolas favorite time of day!
Some cues used in the below photos:
Paws Up! (front feet on object)
Up! (jump onto object)
Pretty (sit pretty/beg)
Stand (stand on hind legs)
Climb (self explanatory)
Up on here (walk along an elevated surface)
Working on climbing on cue! #positivedogtraining #dogtraining #smartdog #climb #dailydog #dachshunds #dachshundnola #dachshundsofinstagram #dogstagram #dogsofinstagram #trainyourdog
A video posted by @dachshund_nola on
Climbing over an obstacle
Were working on going under, too!
Climbing up
Climbing down
Up on a bucket
Up on a cinderblock
Increasing difficulty by having her back feet on the bucket, and her front on my leg.
Climbing
Standing up on a cinderblock. Bonus core and rear workout!
Shes such a happy dog!
Balancing on a narrow board
Paws up
Jumping off
Using a tree to show off "paws up!"
Now the other side!
Rear end awareness on a hunk of lumber.
Paws up
Balancing on a narrow walkway
Tandem paws up!
And again!
Stretching
Any athlete, human or canine, needs to have warm ups, cool downs, and stretches. Warming up literally warms and ready the muscles and sinews for activity. Cool downs allow the body to work out lactic acid, prevents stiffness and soreness, and lets the heart and respiratory rate to return to normal. Stretching helps to maintain flexibility and fluidity, allows blood to better circulate, and greatly reduces the risk of injury.
I do all three of these with the girls before a Parkour session, before a run or long walk, before an intense play session (especially tug), and before working on physically demanding tricks.
For cool warm ups and cool downs, Ill have them do a few sit/down/stand/repeat drills, a quick brisk walk and/or backing up or other rear end awareness exercises. It only takes a few minutes, and helps to get the girls into a training mood.
For stretching, I follow the things listed here. Theyre easy to put on cue!
Conditioning: Poses and Equipment
There are a few great poses your dog can learn to help build muscles. Sit pretty (or beg) is fantastic for building core strength. I do this one a lot with Nola; having a strong back and core reduces the risk of back issues. Standing on the hind legs builds both the rear muscles as well as balance. Holding positioning, or changing position, on some kind of balancing equipment not only builds balance, but also overall strength.
Two great resources on Facebook are Canine Conditioning and Body Awareness, and Structure in Motion - Too!
Im a sucker for dog gear of all kinds, and fitness and conditioning gear is no exception. Currently we only have a FitPaws donut, but this month Im planning on ordering several others, including:
Paw Pods
Balance Disc
Peanut
Wobble Board
Since Im cheap, Ill be buying the human version of these (and perhaps having my dad make a wobble board). Half the price and just as sturdy!
Nola and Rule also do 3-5 miles of walking and about a mile of running a day with me, in addition to play, with both me and all the dogs together. Those two are both high energy dogs, while Pike and Olivia lean more towards moderate and low, respectively.
Keeping your dogs in good body conditioning also greatly reduces the risk of injuries. Nola and Rule score as 4s on the Purina body condition chart, where Pike is a 5 and Olivia a 4. Its hard to see on Pike and Liv due to their coats, but you can see it well on the smoothies.
Redirect a Behavior
Use Food Rewards
