Fresh Start Puppy Socialization Classes

Puppy class -Michelle & Ruger, Dominique, Johnathan & Simba

2011-04-14T23:04:00.000-07:00

Tonight Dr. Angela Dattolico talked about the importance of getting puppies accustomed to handling. Leaning over them to pick them up, handling their feet for nail trims, running your hands along their body and having them associate putting a muzzle on with something they LOVE!

Here's Michelle and Ruger with a muzzle.

Handling and naming body parts also helps dogs know what you're doing.

We also covered "Touch' nose target to an empty hand. Dominique's first time at puppy class, and he was a pro! Great job Simba too!

This helps with polite meet and greets and loose leash walking. Michelle and Ruger demo sit, touch, and eye contact. Notice no jumping up when Ruger approaches Michelle :)

We saw some really nice play tonight. I also talked about the importance of stop and start play. Checking in with their playmate to make sure both parties are having fun is a great way to prevent fights. Here's my older beagle Daizy 9 and Keegan who was 2 at the time. You'll notice he respects her initiating the stops and then waits for her signals to begin play once again.

If your puppy's playmate doesn't initiate those check in points, then it's our job to interrupt so their bodies get used to start and stop play. Ramp up and calm down in short increments so they will learn to calm themselves BEFORE things get out of hand. Here's a great article by Dr. Sophia Yin on Dog Parks and how to identify problems before things get out of hand and how to set things up for success and learning to take place http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/dog_park_etiquette

I like to teach a cue which will eventually mean to "calm" themselves. It's in no way shape or form a reprimand or warning. Just interrupting play when you start to see things ramping up ( 20sec - 2min into play) and neither puppy is giving any signals to tone things down, just simply using classical conditioning. This will help the pups learn through repetition that your approach into play, say "Calm" or whatever word you like in a happy, calm voice and pair it with one of their most favourite reinforcers (food for most dogs) then reward reward reward means just to take a breather before continuing to play.

Eventually they will hear the word and notice your approach and will disengage from play on their own. Their reward for disengaging and checking in with you, shaking off the stress, will be play starts back up again so you can fade the use of rewards. You'll know if they're ready for that stage once then automatically disengage when you say your "Calm' cue.

Here's my guys, who were hamming it up during a walk. It was hard to be serious when they're making me laugh...but you can see they understand to take a breather when I say calm. They're happy to break it up, very relaxed.

Lastly we touched on 'Take it" and "Give", the beginning of a retrieve and a sure fire way to prevent resource guarding behaviours when the pup learns that once they release something from their mouth, something better comes along. It's never a competition or adversarial challenge. At first you trade for something of equal value, or something that will trump whatever they have in their mouths. Play this game with socks, shoes, anything and everything so your puppy doesn't think twice of giving something up. **Notice that the game doesn't start until the puppy is in a sit and is calm, not mugging the toys or treats in your hand. This is an important step for the puppy to learn. When they calm themselves, something fun or tasty comes their way.

cheers till next week!

I've got your back

2011-04-03T08:18:00.000-07:00

I'm always on the look out for behaviours which are kind and respectful to reinforce. One important behaviour that I see all too many people overlook is the "look away".

The second I see one, I'm always checking to see what the other dog/person does in response to it. If there's any indication that they're not going to respect it, I intervene and try to time it so that the sender of this "look away" is reinforced for not following through with a more overt display. At the same time, the receiver also is reinforced for not pushing the interaction further.

The "look away" is one of the benevolent, cut off signals that should be respected. It can be as subtle as the eyes flicking away in the opposite direction or as overt as the complete head turning away.

So many dog fights and bites would never happen, if people would just reinforce the "look away" and teach the pushy dog or ask an unaware person to respect it.

Here's my own crew doing a great job....

Keegan my Aussie is so cheeky but from day one, I knew as a puppy that he'd grow to be 4times George's size so I have always been around to reward being respectful and it's paying off. Kee still has some growning up to do but atleast he's on the right track. I think it's sweet to see him give it his best shot...but even sweeter to respect another dog's request for space.

Age doesn't matter

2011-03-05T21:40:00.000-08:00

Age doesn't matter once you get the hang of using clicker, EM training. Freedom to think and NOT be afraid of the consequences I think is the biggest factor that keeps the stream of communication fresh and exciting.

I LOVE the fact that my oldest beagle Daizy who is 9, is still the first one to pick up a new cue or behaviour!

Here we are in a class at Dogsmart.ca recently. I often take my dogs through classes and workshops. No better way to hone your handling skills then to have someone let you know what needs tweaking.

She has the heart, intelligence and enthusiasm of a Border Collie and the impatience of a Terrier. Together that has made life interesting to say the least :P

Please don't ever think that it's too late to learn to communicate with an older dog. Some of my most heart warming stories come from working with adolescent or older dogs.

digg'n it

2011-02-11T21:32:00.000-08:00

I love this video! Sharing is not one of George's strengths, so anytime I can make something fun as a group, when all noses or bodies are snuggled together...I take advantage of it. Behaviour is reinforced by it's consequences.

George having to snuggle in to investigate, without getting snarky, and having fun doing so, will make it more likely to happen again in the future. Finding the right playmates who will teach these benevolent social skills are worth their weight in gold.

SHaping games

2011-02-03T11:19:00.000-08:00

I LOVE shaping games!!!!

It just takes a couple mins of your time and works wonders to build a cooperative relationship with your dog.

Besides building confidence for shy, fearful dogs; it gives "hyper" dogs a challenge to stimulate them mentally and best of all establishes a 'TEAM" effort!

Just think of how calm and exhausted you are after you've worked on a puzzle or how much fun it is to play Pictionary, or Charades with your favourite friends!

It's also great if you need to burn off some of your dog's energy when you're snowed in or on downpour rainy days. Even when you're tired and feeling under the weather, engaging your dog to use his mind is a great way to entertain you and them! Thinking dogs ROCK.

George my little beagle is NOT a natural retriever, AND is very FEARFUL about the world and everything in it in general. Building his confidence by playing games is a win, win situation. There are a lot of dogs who are afraid to investigate and end up figuring that the best defense is a good offense so they'll bark and lunge at the most novel things.

Daizy and Keegan retrieve and put laundry in the basket and last night I taught George to pick it up and flip it out of the basket :)

So when it's safe to interact with something, I make a game out of it. No pressure on George, I just make it hard to resist and reward every brave move to interact with something novel. Stationary or moving, the more practice he gets, the more confident he becomes and the less he needs to "control" his environment.

We work together to change the fear into confidence. When using SHAPING techniques, his job is to initiate behaviours and I'll reward him for those that lead him in the right direction to the final behaviour I wish to teach. Having George put his paws into the basket means he has to learn to balance himself, which develops his body awareness. Ever notice children playing on a jungle gym? Some children are fearless, others just need to learn HOW to move their body before they feel comfortable climbing up, sliding down, hanging on and having fun!

Part 2 of 3: You can play interactive shaping games if you have a multi-dog household! It's also great way to promote sharing!!!!

Part 3 of 3: Helpful around the house, if you're tired or have a bad back..."obedience work" of retrieving things for you ends up with everyone having fun and working as a team...after all that's what training's all about!

Hurry up and WAIT

2011-01-30T17:32:00.000-08:00

Puppy class super stars, we worked on bringing play low to the ground when meeting smaller or shy puppies/dogs. Rewarding the polite play and interruptions to ensure that the puppy underneath does not feel overwhelmed.

And we worked on the very beginning of a default "STAY".

I found training dogs to auto-stay for sit/down/stand until released is super duper helpful.

I use the cue "WAIT" when I've up'd the distraction and to clarify that this is an important request on my part to please stay put.

Retrieves-Give and Take

2011-01-11T19:38:00.000-08:00

No fluffy editing, here are a couple puppy videos where I was coaching people how to use games to teach behaviours. The magic is in watching the process leading up to the lightbulb moments.
"Give" and "Take";
A great way to intro a retrieve!!! Underrated, but so much fun can be had when you take the time to teach it. Retrieve, tugging, picking up your socks and putting them in the laundry basket...MORE IMPORTANTLY...it's a great way to prevent RESOURCE GUARDING too!

Giving something up at first, means something better's coming their way 100% of the time. Either trade for another of the same toy, chew, ball, but always have a treat or something in your back pocket to trump the toys. Once they learn how to retrieve, tug and put your laundry away, that fun interaction with you will become more rewarding then the treats.

In a nutshell that's what a retrieve is. Give the ball to me, and I'll throw it for you, give the tug toy to me and we'll play tug. Give the sock, underwear...that you're running around with to me, and I'll grab a toy so we can play retrieve or better yet, drop it into the laundry basket and I'll give you a treat! Voila, your personal live in 4 legged maid.

Play this game with shoes, leashes, toys, bones, sticks...anything and EVERYTHING...to ensure you build value for the release everywhere you go with everything you can think of! That way when it comes to giving something up, or the approach of someone close to their favourite toys, bones etc is associated with something positive coming their way.

Giving something up has NOTHING to do with "showing them who's boss" or they should give it up "because". It has everything to do with BUILDING VALUE for the RELEASE. Simple.

They just need to have a clear understanding of and to anticipate;

1- "give" means release whatever you have in your mouth asap so the fun can begin
2-"take", what I'm offering you gently and either hold it if it's an object or enjoy it if it's a treat

Whether they need to give something up or you're teaching a retrieve; playing tug, or picking up after you will be easy once you practice, practice, practice!

Retrieve basics;
After they understand how to "give" and "take" something, start to teach the retrieve using a long line dragging, within a confined boring space with nothing else to do but engage with you :)

A close short distance facing a wall will help them understand to bring the ball back to instead of racing away with it, trade for a treat at first, so it's a no brainer!

Advanced fancy stuff courtesy of Keegan-
Jumping up in the air to grab the ball or frisbee looks fancy AND great for dogs who LOVE to jump! Gives them an outlet to be a kangaroo.

Pop is my cue to jump up...which was essential in teaching that fancy jumping and turn retrieve.

Putting a behaviour like JUMP on cue is a great way to add to your list of rewards! Jumping is self reinforcing for most dogs, this way you CHANNEL their desire to jump...in a way which is appropriate :)

REcalls

2011-01-09T23:23:00.000-08:00

There are soooooo many sneaky ways to practice recalls....without having to recall your dog :)

Having Beagles and a free spirit Aussie who LIVES TO HERD, fosters and clients over the years, I've learned to come up with creative ways to recall dogs without wearing out a golden recall.

Believe it or not a recall word can be poisoned if it's associated with ending some fun, using a grouchy voice or if you repeat the cue more than once. "Pollute it and you'll dilute it".

My beagles are super. My Aussie on the other hand is pretty awesome but doesn't have enough life experience and practice as he is only 2yrs old for me to say he's what I consider done with proofing his recall. So we're working on our final stages of a golden recall.

He's recalled off people, bikes, dogs, wildlife in daylight at various distances, in various environments and situations and even a raccoon in the dark just a month ago, but I still have a ways to go. Some dogs naturally stick close by, others just need LOTS of practice. Keegan falls into the LOTS of practice category, then again having two beagles, I'm not sure I'd even know what the "stick to you like crazy glue" category feels like :) When you make recalls FUN and are creative in the ways you come up with recalling your dog, you build a strong DESIRE to check in with you and hang out.

Remember to look at every "mistake" or "wrong decision" as a means to provide you with information. Information that lets you know what's working, what is unclear so you can go back to the drawing board to come up with a new plan to practice.

Insanity is repeating the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. (Einstein) Going back to the drawing board and coming up with a new game plan to practice, practice, practice means you save yourself a lot of grief and stress. When you train using games and rewards...it's also a TON of fun.

Object play and team sports

2011-01-07T22:03:00.000-08:00

So much is learned through play and working together towards a common goal. The Ethical Dog-Marc Bekoff

Whether it's dog training or relationship building; if you can find fun things to do where you have to work as a team, there is a magic that builds over time. Learning eachother signals and limitations and being right there to help the other out is the fun part. Like playing a team sport, everyone has a job to do and you work towards a common goal. Technique, timing, unity, creative thinking and loads of practice make a team look like they are reading eachother's mind and the sport effortless.

Hero's a lucky pup to have Ryan and Louise. They had some fun with the agility equipment. Can you believe it's the first time either have done agility...I loved the way that Ryan and Louise tag team to help Hero through the tunnel :)
Here's Hero learning to work beside Ryan, and follow his lead while having fun at the same time. Gotta love that!

We also talked about toys and enjoyed Hero's puppy antics!

I touched on how to incorporate shaping into training, how it is mentally stimulating and exhausting at the same time. Building value for a behaviour or something, engages the dog to WANT to work with you as well as takes the edge off when they are uncertain of situations or objects.

I just recently, used a clicker, some shaping then luring (creative placement of treats so behaviour is a no brainer), then back to shaping techniques to teach my little beagle who is NOT very big on object play to PLAY soccer :) Daizy and Keegan already know how, so now all three do. I think object play really helps people connect with their dogs. I'm a huge fan of finding games for people to play with their dogs.

Here's an example of building value for jumping into the tunnel, Hero was a bit hesitant at first but we were creative in helping him over come the uncertainty!

Body language also came into the conversation when I noticed that Hero was leaning his head away when Ryan went to pat it as a means to reward Hero. So I showed them how to use a Desensitization and Counterconditioning technique to help build a more positive association to a head pat. Dr. Sophia Yin has a great article on body language, hands coming towards a dog...http://drsophiayin.com/blog/how-to-greet-a-dog

Hero was not afraid of Ryan's hands, he just didn't lean into the pat. A lean in would normally indicate that they appreciated the petting as a reward at that time.

Sometimes a switch to pat them on the chest or side of the body, will be more agreeable. Sometimes a pat on the head initiates a game, rather than is calming or comforting. All depends on the dog and the context of the situation. It's just nice to be aware of it. My Daizy beagle is all about work during the day, so head pats and kisses are left to when she's tired and feels like cuddling. Just like me, sometimes I like to be cuddled, sometimes when I'm busy, not so much!

I actually had to put a hand pat to the head on cue for Keegan as we crammed for our Obedience test. We used the same Counter-conditioning and Desensitization technique. Kee would duck away when someone tried to pat his head. Now he LOVES it...but again, all depends on what's going on at the time.

Directional cues!

2010-12-27T22:12:00.000-08:00

Variety is the spice of life!

Today was the first rain free afternoon in 2wks so me and my crew enjoyed the afternoon hiking in the sun, out from under the old growth forest for a change! I felt like a solar panel... Once home, I pulled out a few agility jumps and started polishing up our herding and agility directional cues "Around" and 'Way to me". If we can catch some more nice weather breaks, we'll be ready for fun matches this spring :)

What I love most about RM methods, is when you teach your dog something new, whether it's finding an incompatible cue to counter an annoying behaviour (i.e. teaching quiet, instead of listening to your dog barking) or learning cues for sports like agility, rally-o, herding...the "lightbulb" moment happens within a few seconds to maybe a couple minutes when you understand how to capture, shape, use targeting and or luring to teach the behaviour. Generalizing it is the next fun part, which if done systematically, is quick as well.

"Around" and "Way to me" come in handy in everyday life too. No fretting over wrapping a leash around a telephone pole, or yourself! Or if your dog is in the distance and you need them to go around a person, another dog, cat, biker...being able to let them know from a distance what needs to happen is helpful as well.

Much Love and Laughter to all during this holiday season :)

2010-12-23T19:58:00.000-08:00

x-country pooch trail

2010-12-21T21:35:00.000-08:00

Whistler Olympic Park has a trail you can enjoy with your pooch. My partner took Keegan out for a couple hours while I worked. When you take the time to teach your dog polite social skills, you can take them anywhere.

The more you enjoy doing with your dog, the deeper the bond you build, and the more they're eager to follow your lead...so they don't miss out on the fun. I'm so proud of Keegan, he did a great job meet n greeting other dogs, ignoring some and listening to my partner tell him it's time to get a move on, "Lets go".

Keegan is 2yrs old and still works for off leash privileges. He earns his off leash time, in short stints. I'm always testing his recalls and check in's with new distractions, to ensure we're connected intuitively. There's an art to building a solid recall.

We have fun with recalls and he gets jackpots for checking in with me all on his own. Building a solid foundation of us being aware of eachothers needs, means there's little possibility of him blowing me off.

STOP!

2010-12-19T12:26:00.001-08:00

Distance work pays off out here when we're bombing out around on the trails. Actually, even in the city, when at parks, I've had more than one occasion where I've been relieved to be able to tell my dogs to "STOP" when I see a ball hog dog racing after our ball. Most dogs who hog another's ball in my experience have been possessive of them, and it's not worth it to me to have my dogs injured in a dogfight because another person hasn't trained their dog. Mind you if anyone would like to teach their dog how to share, or "STOP" and recall back to you instead of bugging another dog/person...feel free to give me a shout :P

I've used "STOP" when on trails and we've encounter motorcyles, ATV's, bikes, joggers, other hikers/dogs or even knowing there's cliff up ahead, being able to tell them to put on the brakes for safety reasons gives me a piece of mind.

DISTANCE work...besides STOP, SIT and DOWN have also come in handy. Distance work comes naturally when they understand stay's are part of a cue and you've done a ton of duration and distraction work when close by. Handsignals, more like arm movements, also help them out. Start off close then ping/pong the distance, next start adding distractions. I always reward in position at first so they find value in staying put.

*Remember that dogs don't have the greatest eye sight when it comes to picking something specific out in the distance. They are more perceptive to movement hence using your arm and exaggerated motion.

Insanity

2010-12-12T12:01:00.000-08:00

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Albert Einstein

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Albert Einstein :P

There's lots of times when this quote comes to mind. I can think of dozens of occasions where it even comes up in dog training.

These two scenarios are really tough for me to watch unfold. They are easily avoidable without the drama of you working yourself from frustration to anger to lashing out at your dog.

1-Repeating your cue over and over again, and expecting the dog to sit, come, leave something...whatever..the FIRST time you asked.

If you have to repeat your cue, your puppy/dog:

a/TRULY doesn't have a clear understanding of the cue or what was being asked in the first place.

b/IS emotionally or physically incapable of performing the cue. Fear or anxiety can get the best of us all and debilitate us from doing what may be otherwise a non-issue. On the flipside, if your dog is arthritic, or has another medical ailment, please consider this when asking them to do something for you...ie. a stand stay for an arthritic dog may be more comfortable than a down stay.

c/HAS NOT practiced and generalized the cue in enough new situations and environments, with enough distractions so that the cue has had a long history of being rewarded PROFUSELY the very FIRST time you asked for it. Practice makes perfect!

2-Being dictatorial and expecting your puppy/dog to be obedient just "because" you said so. Not seeing results, but rather just creative thinking on your puppy/dog's part to ramp themselves up and be as unruly UNTIL the warnings turn to punishment.

That's not a fun place to be in, for either party. It's not fun having to be grumpy, and it sure doesn't help enrich your relationship with your dog/pup.

Humans and dogs LEARN so much through play!

Just think about all the social skills you learn playing sports, or joining those of like mind for hobbies. Polite social skills, work as a team, everyone doing their share so things don't fall apart...if you're honest, have a good sense of humour, respectful, benevolent, chances are you'll attract more people in a social situation than someone who is a bully, dictatorial and uses physical means to control your every move.

If you're a bully, eventually you're kicked out or ignored, until you change YOUR behaviour.

Same applies to dog training and building a relationship with your pooch. If they had a choice...which home do you think they'd be racing towards?

a/DOGS LOVE to play and have fun. Use all of your puppy/dogs FAVOURITE things in life as training opportunities.

b/MANAGING their environment so they can't make a mistake in the first place, redirect them to do something incompatible rather than what is annoying you, and take the time to teach them polite behaviours using handsignal then adding verbal cues once they understand, can predict and commit to performing a behaviour which you find appropriate for the situation.

Take the time to teach your furry pal using what they love most in life as motivators for choosing to work with you to learn polite social skills. I promise it will not only enrich your life, but it will change the way you relate to others.

Help with heel position

2010-11-30T16:24:00.001-08:00

Humans end up doing most of their initial puppy/dog training facing their dog. Delivering rewards so the dog has to position itself in front of you. That's where most dogs believe is the LUCKIEST place to be. In front of their humans makes most of their favourite things happen. Attention, cuddles, treats, on walks pulling ahead, the list is very LONG!

Unfortunately a long history of being rewarded out front of their favourite human makes convincing them to walk in a heel position a little tricky. Motor memory kicks in, just like a habit once formed, sometimes takes a while to break the pattern. Dogs have to learn A NEW position, hanging out BESIDE you, is equally rewarding place to be. It just takes time and practice.

Here are a couple games that help the dog wrap their brains around a heel position. It also helps them straighten out a sit. If they are used to sitting in front of you and not used to sitting beside you, the dog will normally end up sitting perpendicular rather than parallel to you.

Dr. Patricia McConnell's book "The Other End Of The Leash" and Jean Donaldson's book "Culture Clash" are great reads about what we humans do which confuse and most often make things difficult for the dog's to understand what we mean by our actions.

Next progression, take it on the road

This is what you get as an end result... :)

Here's a previous post from Keegan passing his Canine Good Neighbor. Loose leash walking and hanging out beside me was about 3/4 of the 12 tests we needed to pass. All our fun work paid off! NO treats were allowed, just talking to, praise and connecting with your dog. WE DID IT!

Keegan on/off leash video of focused heeling despite distractions.

Puppy class review- Reward Marker, Play, Eye contact, Touch, Leave it, Back up

2010-11-18T22:30:00.000-08:00

Reward Markers: The opposite of saying "NO" :P Concentrate on what you'd like to see happen....and reward it and it will happen more often.

RM=Reward Marker, Event Marker, Bridging Stimulus, Conditioned Reinforcer:
Using something audible, visual, tactile ie...sound from a clicker, whistle, your voice or gesture like a hi-five, peace sign, even a facial expression when you're teaching the dog something new, that is paired up with a primary reinforcer like food, something the dog LOVES without you having to condition them to LOVE it.

We want the dog to identify that SPECIFIC, CONSISTENT signal and pipe up...learn to STOP what they're doing and take note.

They learn to associate that RM, with something they just did, so they can repeat it and once it becomes automatic, you will add a verbal cue so you can ask them to perform that behaviour. Once a verbal cue is assigned, you no longer need to use your RM.

RM - A reward marker, identifies a snap shot in time.

Mechanic's of timing is important:

1- The SECOND you see them COMMIT to a behaviour

2- Say "YES!", click, thumbs up

* important not to add any movement or hint of what they'll be getting as a reward when you say "YES!" that way it will be a surprise. Surprises create anticipation and they'll look forward to engaging with you and repeating the behaviour.

3- WAIT a second THEN deliver the reward

Here's a video of us working on eye contact and duration. I use my RM followed by a treat when my dog is performing the behaviour we are working on making stronger. Eye contact, stay rather than jumping up at my hand which has food in it. It could be an icecream cone, a ball, a piece of pizza...no jumping means that behaviour will be rewarded.

Additional notes:

*Your RM is to be completely separate from praise. Praise would be in the reward category AFTER you've marked the behaviour.

*body language plays a key role in determining whether or not the dog finds your reward, rewarding :) Praise and cuddles are AWESOME rewards but sometimes if you notice the dog backs away from you or tries to avoid your cuddles when they are excited, it may not be as rewarding in that situation. What I like to do is scan the environment, and notice what the dog would LOVE to engage in and use that as a reward.

I'll go into fading the need for a RM after a cue is established in another post.

Heathy Play:
If you praise, cheer on, make a big deal when you notice healthy play body language...you will see more of it!

Healthy, if your puppy offers up:
1-loose body language, wiggly backends
2-side to side jumping, bunny hop style
3-zoomies running back and forth trying to entice another dog to play catch me if you can. Key is respecting if the other dog does not show interest, that's the players cue to move on to the next play pal even if it's a human play pal. It's not nice to harass other dogs who don't want to play.
3-play bows
4-look away then and vocalization to invite to play
5-happy squinty eyes, open mouth, happy smile...you know which one..
6-tap dancing feet
7-lots of stops and starts checking in to make sure eachother is having fun

Here's my 9yr Beagle, Daizy and my 2yr Aussie Keegan, he respects her play style and they check in often.

Taking turns being on top is also important. Here's my 6yr Beagle, George, teaching Keegan who was 16wks old how to play calmly, but still have fun. It's a good thing George taught Kee from the first meeting how important it is to match his play to respect their playmate as Keegan is 4times the size of George now.

Being able to interrupt and ask your dog to adjust their play is IMPORTANT, especially when they meet smaller dogs. Here I ask the Aussie to "down" so he is at the Pug's level

Learn to notice your puppies body language and vocalizations so you can tell when things are ramping up and headed for disaster. On the flipside, you can sometimes help relax a worried pup by initiating play if you yourself act goofy. In class when I noticed stiff posturing, I started to act happy and wiggle. Sometimes that's all it takes to snap the fearful pup, or uncertain pup out of the stiff body posture when you confirm that everyone's just out to have fun. No need to worry.

Once you notice the signs of the potential of things starting to go sideways in either the Confrontational or Benevolent category below, get ready to INTERRUPT, and redirect your puppy in a happy tone of voice. Key is to time it so you give the underdog a split second to tell your pushy pup to back up. At the split second your pushy pup ignores that signal from the underdog...use a HAPPY calm voice..if you have to use treats to distract them away, or hold their backend, please do so. Give the underdog puppy that is NOT having fun a chance to escape. Sometimes the underdog just needs a second to shake off the stress before wanting to go in for another play session. Other times, it's up to us to let them know they need to move on and find something else to do if they can't find a play style which suits both their personalities.

*CAUTION when interrupting. If you grab a collar, it may trigger opposition reflex, where by a grab to the neck area causes them to instinctively chow down on whatever is in front of them.

***Best way to distract and pull them off each other is by holding their backend and slowly walking back a couple steps, where their legs meet the body. This normally triggers the dog to let go of what they have and turn back to the person holding them. At that time you can let your pup know what you'd prefer it do, rather than chomp down on whatever is in front of them :)

Get ready to interrupt in a happy, relaxed voice when you notice either category of body language:

Confrontational body language
1-a freeze in position, direct stare
2-bulldozer over top of, and if they remain still and do not initiate any wiggly body language. If they stay there not allowing the underdog to break away, you need to interrupt and redirect asap. It's important that the underdog vocalize their disapproval or panic, and equally important for your pushy pup to do something to diffuse the situation and back up away from the underdog. That's fair play.
3-Standing forward and stiff, trying to make themselves appear as big as possible
4-Racing right up to the other dog's face before slamming on the breaks
5-Pestering, jumping on, slamming into when the other dog does not reciprocate the play

Benevolent body language a polite way of telling another dog to back away, they're not interested in interacting. These calming/cutoff/displacement activities and signals also provide the pushy pup with the opportunity to change their approach to a more gentle, relaxed, lazy play, and sometimes it may just change the other dog's mind and initiate play!
1-Look away, yawn, or sniffing the ground should tell another pup to back off, they're not interested in playing. There's no need for things to escalate past this body language.
2-Licking their lips, or looking away, is telling the other dog to chill out, and should be enough of a cue for the other dog to find something else to do or someone else to play with.
3-Sitting down/ lifting a paw
4-Slowing down, Curving arc around other dog, avoiding a head on.

By interrupting the pushy one BEFORE things get ugly, and redirecting your pup, they will learn in time that it's more fun to respect another dog's subtle signs because they can find someone else to play with who likes playing rough or enjoy their favourite human's company.

Turid Rugaas has a terrific article on calming signals, Dr. Sophia Yin also has a great article on dogparks

Interrupting BEFORE things get dramatic also provides the pup that was feeling overwhelmed with the knowledge that they have power in just a freeze and look away, or lick lip, and do not need to escalate their display to an ACADEMY performance.

Reward eye contact:
Reward all the automatic eye contact you get! Make eye contact an essential to the puppy so they learn giving you eye contact before they go for a walk, before playing games, before cuddling, before jumping out of the car...before they get to play or say hello to their favourite furry or human pals...eye contact even if they start to pull ahead on a walk.

Notice how often Daizy my Beagle looks into my eyes to see what's next. I never cued her to do so, but because we have a LONG history of eye contact being REWARDING, I make a big deal about it. She offers it up all the time!

Comes in handy when teaching polite leash skills too!

Touch game:
How to teach using treats at first, nose touch my empty hand and I'll find something tasty to reward you with, something fun to do, or I'll get your leash and we'll go for a walk

Helpful to teach them heel position for walking

Sharing:
I start sharing games with dogs far apart, if dogs have lunged at eachother before. Start on leash at first, so there is no chance of them to make contact. Teach them how to offer up behaviours even as simple as ie.look at but don't disturb, lay down, play bow, play with your own toy close to your brother from a distance and you get a treat, or you get tons of praise or cuddles, or you get to play with me with your toys. Teaching them what TO DO when their older dogs is around means they learn lots of good stuff happens when they're around. If you concentrate on what not to do, when they are harassing the older dog, you're going to spend your time being stressed, lunging forward using a frustrated voice to give warnings to the young pup...which means the dogs will learn that having the young pup around makes you stressed and tense.

Giving something up:
No biggie to give something up means they never have to growl or resort to guarding something. Practice with toys, bones, slippers, socks, sticks, anything and everything!

Leave it, Off or Back it up:

Back it up continued...there's so many games you can come up with to make leaving something fun and a no brainer.
Breakfast, on walks, or dinner time is a great opportunity to make them work for their kibble. Just think one bowl of kibble can equal 50 or so opportunities to practice coming to you, sitting, looking at you...training oppotunities.

Leave it, trading for a treat ALSO helps build a retrieve:
Great way to start a retrieve, getting the dog to give something up from their mouths. Last class Dakota was a bit possessive of balls, so we made trading the ball for a treat fun, and now he not only chases balls, but he brings them back and drops them on cue, to be rewarded by more ball play or a treat.

Redirecting them:
..an alternative to asking them to leave something is redirecting them to do something incompatible. Ie..if they're going to bug your other dog, ask them to "touch" your hand, or "sit" or "come" and lets go get your toys so you can play with me instead of bugging the other dog.
Saying name once, redirecting them to back up, go someplace else instead of bugging another dog, or eating something on the ground or touching something you don't want them to. REwarding backing up, going to mat, or kennel to chill out redirects their focus. Make the incompatible behaviour more rewarding than what you prefer they do not engage in doing. KEY IS TO redirect when you see the idea bubble forming in their heads :)

Step One- Wk 3 summary

2010-11-11T11:55:00.000-08:00

For those who could use a refresher, so you can practice for Sunday's class where we're going to introduce moving distractions.

Back it up- puppy class reminders

2010-10-28T23:04:00.000-07:00

Back it up, I find is a fun way to teach a dog what you mean when you want them to back "off" away from something. It's also helpful when you are teaching your dog to heel and they start to get ahead of you...back it up comes in handy! It starts off as a game so it's FUN, and you are lighthearted so your dog learns to back up to a happy voice, instead of a frustrated voice.

Progression is key! Always start off in the most boring place, without any noise distractions, then slowly add more distractions as your dog has a firm grasp of what "back it up" means and is happy to bounce away from whatever you happen to want them to stay away from. If they don't back up immediately, it means you need to go back to the drawing board to figure out what they didn't understand, or why it wasn't a no brainer to resist whatever it was infront of them.

Here are a couple more video's with different games, just tweaking them so it's fun and helps the dog generalize the behaviour in a number of different positions...

Back it up and incompatible behaviours...mat, kennel;

Here's "back it up" from a down:

Puppy class-Mat and Door work reminders

2010-10-21T16:01:00.000-07:00

Tonight we added using the nose touch to hand game walking backwards then forward a couple steps to start heeling work, then went on to mat stays and door work. Remember to think of a different name for each side ie. Left side= heel, close or Right side= by me, shadow, here...for next week.
Here's my beagle Daizy, and Aussie Keegan from today a quick video on nose touch to hand and how easy it is to get them in heel position. Very informal. A couple steps backwards then a couple steps forwards, add a watch , sit or trick in to make things fun...next thing you know, your puppy knows how to walk beside you! Practice on and off leash in the house and back yard. ON leash in your front yard, and on walks, or on a long line on the trails in low distraction areas this week.
* At first just practice a couple steps in either direction then release them to go have fun. Always ending before your puppy gets bored of the game. We'll add duration next week.

Here's a look at how that simple touch game progresses, on and off leash! A video from our Beginner Class.

We also worked on door work. A great way to reinforce relaxing on a mat, stays, work on release cue...all before you even start your walk!

Also for safety, when transitioning from the boring car to the exciting outdoor trails! Making it fun to wait means they're not in a hurry to race out the door or race into traffic when they get out of the car

Giving them a job to do before the exciting door opens up not only teaches them impulse control, but also starts your walk as a team.

Video review thx to Regan and Dakota!

Daizy my beagle showing you how it works at home

Lastly Daizy, when we go out to hike, we play lots of door games in the car too. That way going to the car isn't the end of all the fun!
*NOTE long line...for puppies, I ALWAYS have long line in hand for safety. Until your puppy/dog can focus on you 110% with distractions (life) happening all around you, I am always attached to that long line.

Enjoy the week everyone! We'll work on "back it up" to teach "off", polish up some walking skills and learn some TRICKS for TREATS...after all it'll be Halloween!

Canine Good Neighbor CGN

2010-10-18T16:17:00.000-07:00

My Aussie, Keegan (2yrs old, just growing out of his adolescence) and I trained for the (CGN) Canine Good Neighbor test and passed with 100%. It's a super 12 step test where judges look for the bond between you and your dog, and how you both negotiate challenging social situations and basic obedience commands. NO TREATS allowed :)

Whomever says that you need to use forceful, intimidation, uncomfortable tools or hands on methods to achieve "obedience" titles...please have them chat with me.

Keegan and I work as a team, and through fun and games, we achieved this title. What I LOVED most about the Prep class I took at Dogsmart is that you get to fine tune your handling skills and work on challenges with those around you who cheer you on and set you up for success.

I strive to provide the same support system and fine tune your handling skills in both Puppy and Impulse Control classes. Training should be FUN, and together no matter what you do, being a benevolent leader is rewarded tenfold in the relationship you build with your pup.

On our way back into the crowd of people

The swarm of coughing, tripping, arms flailing people...they had no problem providing a challenging test for me and Kee :)

Meet and Greet w/ stranger and their dog, shake hands and Kee's job was to just chill by my side.

Reward for sticking to me like crazy glue! Kee LOVES to jump into my arms, so that's his "thanks" for a job well done. No treats are allowed, but we're allowed to play and cuddle and praise our dogs for being superstars!

Mr. Keegan, Mikatura's Jokers Wyld, CGN is his title now. I'm sure he was just chuckling to himself that we humans do some funny stuff....

Me and my Boo...Daizy my beagle is up next round in January!!!

Puppy Class - Attention and Recalls at GVH reminders

2010-10-15T12:44:00.000-07:00

A special thanks to Sally and Tina and Dr. Honey and his incredible crew at Garibaldi Veterinary Hospital

It was an hour long action packed class! Week 1 of 4. We covered the benefit of rewarding eye contact, recalling the puppy to you, puppy play, desensitizing puppies to collar grabs, sit/down in front, following you around before releasing to GO PLAY to name a few things...Really when I think of it, we covered a LOT of ground! We ended on tricks :)

Here are the superstars in action!

Below are some trick ideas from my dogs :) incase anyone needs some ideas for next weeks class. Have a super week everyone!

Skateboarding:

Jumping tricks:

More tricks!

Give, Take it and Trade ya

2010-09-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

First things first...I never ever let a puppy (or unknown dog) take something from my hands without playing "trade" you or "give" and "take it" games with them first. I want to make it absolutely clear that giving something up or me being in close proximity of whatever they're enjoying....is NO BIG DEAL or at the very least is A REALLY GOOD THING...

Video to follow on first steps...after work...

That's the first step to preventing "catch me if you can games" and also resource guarding. Also is the first step to teaching a retrieve ;)

With sticks...

With raw bones...which are terrific to give them something for the mouths to keep busy with which helps calm them.

With Kongs...

At first I proof their sharing of food dispensing items around people and other dogs, then I move on to toys. Puppyhood is ideal time to ensure a dog learns that having people or other dogs around when they're enjoying something food related...is NO BIG DEAL and nothing to get all huffy about. I can't tell you how often I witnessed other dogs try to attack mine because they ran too close to "their ball" or "their stick" or a human who happened to have a "treat" in their pocket that the dog WAS NOT going to let any other dogs close to it. I've also had some doosie fosters who didn't know the benefit to sharing and it really was not a safe way to live with a dog. That rehabilitation is most times highly successful IF...the dog has good bite inhibition...IF NOT...it's really not something that one should try to train on their own. ANY type of confrontation is the LAST thing you want the dog to think is happening, as that will just reinforce how "dangerous" it is to have any humans or other animals close by when they are enjoying their 'resource"

ANyone who does not like using food to train...I really hope rethinks that when dealing with resource guarders, or puppies in general. Food is a terrific training tool, not only is it a primary reinforcer but is an easy distraction when you're trying to proof behaviours and also is so very important to ensure that dogs do not become possessive and guard it rather than seeing the value of sharing.

I love being able to chain cues together

2010-09-08T23:37:00.000-07:00

It's not only fun but also helpful when you teach your dog cues which can be used to communicate sequenced events. Here is where "take it" and "back it up" come in handy when learning something new.

It took less than 1 min to teach that behavior. Thinking dogs rock!

PREMACK PRINCIPLE & Globalizing cues

2010-08-23T21:37:00.000-07:00

I lOVE the PREMACK PRinciple!

Leslie McDevitt's, Control Unleashed; "What makes this principle so interesting is that it takes the conflict out of training your dog"

Pamela J. Reid phd "Excel-erated Learning" explains in simple terms it's "Gramma's law" it boils down to "Eat your veggies and you can have dessert..."

Follow a low frequency behaviour (something you'd like the dog to do...lets face it, its normally NOT what they'd think of doing) with a high frequency behaviour (what they would LIKE to be doing).
ie...
*Look at me and sit/stay while I open the car door so I can make sure it's safe to release you from the car.
*Sit and wait until I say it's safe to walk to the other side of the road together and THEN I'll unclip your leash so you can romp free while we hike the trails.

Really there are so many moments within a day that provide you with the opportunity to USE this principle to your advantage!

We use it as a foundation for the majority of all our communications. Especially helpful when we're out on trails for recalls!!! Nature provides an abundance of rewards, you just need to keep an eye out for what YOUR dog LOVES to do when out and about.

Here's George doing some shadow handling with me, and his reward is being released to run into the bushes.

Daisy LOVES retrieving balls. So I make sure I pack them in my walking bag and will reward her with a little ball play for doing something simple for me. Checking in, and doing polite things for me = I will be happy find creative ways to thank her for being so thoughtful. No need for being grumpy to get your dog to "comply".

All it takes is a little bit of thought and repetition on your part, and I've yet to meet a puppy or dog who isn't happy to oblige. There is a science behind this that I'd be happy to explain.

Daizy n her ball

Sniff the other dog can even be a reward!

Or for teaching tricks too! Riding a skateboard!

It's also awesome for rewarding attention and for "impulse control" issues, over arousal issues...everyday life...ie.. if you sit/stay at the door, we'll go out for a walk, put your head on my lap and that's an automatic up on the couch for cuddles, four on the floor means I'll throw the ball for you for not jumping up at my hand to grab it :)

Even for LEAVE IT training!

BTW...they did each get a piece of popcorn for resisting that whole bowl :)

In my popcorn bowl on the floor video I LOVED that they mind their own business and didn't get snappy with eachother. Remember to practice your "leave it" training with food around people and other animals, as it is the only way you prevent food guarding issues. Patient and polite when other dogs are close and focus on the human is KEY to avoiding fights. If you don't practice, they'll never know what to do in these situations, and may resort to guarding and being a bully.

Beauty about using the Premack Principle in 'training" is the behaviour you reward doesn't have to be something you asked for, just something polite, then give them access to something they enjoy.

* IMPORTANT to practice GLOBALIZING CUES...SO many people don't realize that in order for a puppy or dog to understand exactly what a sound/cue means (remember English is a dog's second language)...you need to practice and REWARD your cues in MANY different locations and using MANY different body positions ie...you looking at your pup, standing beside, back turned to them, sitting down, laying down, standing on your head :P. If your dog performs the cue the FIRST time you ask...in any body position and any place, NO MATTER how many distractions are going on...THEN you can consider that cue established and understood by the puppy/dog. If you have to repeat a cue...that lets YOU know YOU have more work to do with that cue.

Just like in this video with Keegan the Aussie. I've never put a bowl of popcorn on the ground to practice leave it. Individual kernals yes, but not a whole bowl and you can tell. He did an awesome job stopping himself from helping himself :) but, it shows me that he needs more practice. I find it incredible that I just use a calm happy voice, to redirect him to a cue that asks of him an incompatible behaviour...ie. back up instead of chowing down, or go to your mat, instead of chowing down, and he was able to self handicap and refrain! Even when the bowl was a couple inches away from his mouth!

My job now is to make leaving something alone or BACKING UP more rewarding than helping himself to something left on the floor. I think my next post will be about redirecting a dog to perform an incompatible behaviour. That's one of the non confrontational methods I use to curb their behaviour and get them back on track doing something I'd prefer to see. Equally important is knowing your puppie's/dog's reward hierarchy and using that to reinforce polite behaviour...WITHOUT any need of a correction of ANY KIND :) Thinking dogs ROCK.

GLOBAlizing video:

Here's me and Daisy, testing her knowledge of a few basic cues. Side-left side of me, Close- right side of me, sit, down, wait, under, hup-jump on top of something.

TOP 3- SOCIAL skills TO REINFORCE

2010-08-16T22:57:00.000-07:00

#5 Polite meet n greets and play...

PUPPY polite meet n greets and PLAY, WITH OTHER DOGS. TEACHING your puppy to grow up to be a benevolent dog is KEY, especially so EVERYONE can enjoy SAFE hikes on all our TRAILS!

NICE...Group meet and greets, lots of nice fluid body movements and circles around eachother while sniffing their parts. Teaching a dog to respect anothers space by looking away, arching away and keeping their distance when the other dog does not reciprocate interest in meeting and is KEY to avoiding a noisy confrontation. Teaching your dog cues like; sniffing the ground, lifting a paw, play bow and to look away, even offering their backend, and or if you're lucky enough, rewarding your dog for offering those behaviours up naturally is the respectful thing to do, rather than overwhelm a fearful dog. Yup...you can even put something like "sniff" on cue! The methods I use promote capturing behaviours that dogs offer up naturally...simply by marking the behaviour with a word, and rewarding your dog, then putting them on cue.

Nice fluid, meet and greets, not much eye contact, everyone just takes their turn, and when puppy Hero and adolescent Luna crowds Keegan...he just keeps moving.

Puppy or adult dog play...best when there are lots of starts and stops! If they are not checking in with eachother often enough ensuring both players are having fun, then it's our responsibility to help them out. Relaxed body movements! Here Keegan Aussie and Taiki pug play.

There are numerous ways we can help them out by supervising their play and if need be, teaching them cues to help calm a fearful dog who is approaching. Or bring play down to a smaller dog's level, just like I asked Keegan to down so Taiki can play with less chance of him being injured.

Here's puppy Keegan and George the beagle, George did a great job being the benevolent play pal, and taught Keegan some very valuable social skills.

Mouth fencing...great way to teach puppies how to inhibit their bites, gentle mouths when playing

A year and a bit later...when puppy Keegan is 3 or more times the size of George beagle :) It sure pays off having supervised their play and matched Keegan up with some great play mentors!

#6 - SHARING.....treats, people, toys, spaces....

There's never any need for competing..there's plenty to go around. Patient and polite may just put you to the beginning of the line :P Whether it's TOYS, STICKS, bones, favourite COUCHES or their favourite PEOPLE, resource guarding is easily prevented once dogs see the VALUE in sharing.

#7 - Handling and Relaxing

My preference is starting off with Passive Attention exercises based on Leslie McDevitt and Dr. Karen Overall's Relaxation Protocol. RElaxes your puppy and also sneaks in low stress handling. Remember to touch their paws while you massage, look into their ears, massage their jaw and check out their teeth...mix that in with your relaxing massage so visits to vet's office, groomers and strangers petting your puppy will be welcoming rather than overwhelming. In my puppy class we practice this with strangers as well. As long as the puppy is happy about meeting people, and leans into the petting. I have something different up my sleeve when dealing with fearful pups.

TTouch, massage to relax and desensitize them to handling. When they are not able to relax, you may need to use food to reward any relaxed position at first. Then slowly increase the petting and decrease the treats until they have been conditioned to LOVE touch, and find that reward enough. Sometimes a little Classical conditioning and desensitization is in order and WELL worth the effort, especailly when they look forward to the massages rather than struggling!

You can even make a shaping game of it, to promote calm behaviour when they are ramped up but it's time to start to chill out.

TOP 4 - the basics

2010-08-04T23:08:00.000-07:00

My top 4 cues I start off teaching; EYE contact, TOUCH, SHADOW handling, GIVE. You'll see how teaching them first, will take care of quite a few challenges right off the bat.

#1 - EYE contact- essential foundation cue for attention and impulse control, come, leave it...no need for jumping up and grabbing things from you, or BARKING at you to get your attention..eye contact will do the trick ;) and open the gateway to unlimited belly rubs, fun, tasty treats and adventures!

Progression if they're ready for a challenge, Keegan a year and a bit later!

#2 - TOUCH- nose touch to the hand, teaches them how to follow handsignals for positional cues and tricks! Helps with loose leash walking, and if you ask a stranger to hold their hand at the dog's nose level, it will teach the dog that four on the floor means they get to say "hello' to others. Also teaches a puppy that we'd prefer you nose touch our hands rather than shark attack us with your sharp baby teeth.

Positional cues all taught using this targeting game and fun stuff as a reward for practicing cues!

#3 -Me and my SHADOW -great for learning to walk politely BESIDE you whether on or off lead, RUN let's have some FUN part of the game, means they run along side you instead of jumping up and grabbing your clothes. When you're STILL they CHILL part of the shadow game, means they learn to just chill by your feet while you are relaxing. AWESOME for attention work, polite meet and greets with people (not jumping up on them), kids and other dogs, great start to agility work too :)

TRAIL ETTIQUETTE!!! Even works on the trail...only variation is that instead of always being velcro'd to your side, we add WALK n TALK while the dogs get to have some fun racing around :)

Mix it up and have your dog FOLLOW beside you and then RELEASE them to go into the woods as a THANKS for sticking close by:

Loose leash walking bootcamp, courtesy of Keegan...babysteps!

#4 -GIVE and OUT giving up something is NO BIGGIE, plus it's a great start to retrieving games! Give = put it in my hand, great to help out around the house picking up stuff :) or when you have a bad back or knees...playing ball means once retrieved the ball is placed in your hand. OUT = drop that nasty thing OUT of your mouth :) I LOVE teaching cues by playing games at first, it takes the conflict out of "training" and builds a relationship based on FUN and working together. Whether you want action or relaxation ... I've got something up my sleeve for both.

Here's Give and Out...taught by playing ball!

THere are LOTS of ways to teach these cues which reinforce being PATIENT and polite GIVES dogs access to UNlimited number of resources. Using techniques like shaping; capturing, lure, prompting, helps the dog figure things out what you'd like to see more often. I'll elaborate on what seems to be the quickest way for me and create side pages which will have each cue separated and step by step along with troubleshooting ideas...If you get stuck, GIVE ME A CALL, shoot me an EMAIL or PLEASE leave a comment.

Really it's easy to think of ways of PRACTICING your cues...WHEN you find FUN things to do at the same time! The POSSIBILITIES of finding something to say THANKS with are only limited by your imagination.

FRESH

2010-08-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

FRESH START...or rather...WHERE to start!

The goal of this blog is to share what has worked for me. Learning HOW to communicate, build a strong connection with my furry friends Starting from Scratch. Based on all I've learned from Dogsmart and links on the side (to be listed) of all my mentors works, trial and error...along with a special thanks to all the fosters, my dogs, privates, and each dog I've met along the way in classes and online... for helping me sharpen my skills :) I'll have to load up the side panel with my favourite links again...

I just wanted a Start from Scratch blog where people can come for the BASICS. I'll throw in some fancy stuff just incase anyone gets bored on a rainy day. I hope to share LOTS of my troubleshooting ideas...maybe you'll note something different in the way I approach teaching a cue...to give you FOOD FOR THOUGHT to do as you please or even SHARE your stories with me of what works for you! As long as it's positive and no grumpy stuff...I'm all ears :)

WHEN you have the BASICS down pat, and you start in a systematic way...it sure speeds up "training". I'm not sold on that word....it's too one sided and communication is a two way street... in anycase...

Below is what I hope to cover for EACH CUE, there is so much that helps you out that goes beyond the 1 + 1 = dog sit methods...and I think that's what the beauty of all I've learned. Sits, downs, stays are a piece of cake, I can teach any dog either of those within minutes or seconds...and I think that's where people misunderstand what actually needs to take place when you bring a dog home...They need to dig deeper...building a relationship is so much more robust and rich when you tap into it rather than thinking about a dog as a mathematical equation. ie...I taught my dog to sit...so why isn't he sitting and chilling out....HMMMMM....MAYBE because there is a big, fragrant, beautiful, EXCITING, magical WORLD racing around him?

I'll try to organize each CUE and include this information about them:

1-What to teach my dog.....HOW to teach them...where to start...I start with cues that are useful as default behaviours- I'll let you know which ones they are, why teach them and when they come in handy...does each cue need to be a default behaviour...or when is it important to recognize how useful it WOULD be

2-Hand signals and body language -what do I use for each cue to help my guys out....why is it so important to learn them...even facial expressions come in handy!

3-When to add a cue word -figuring out which cues to start off, what to call them and when to incorporate them

4-Rewards (primary and secondary reinforcers) and placement....so important! WHAT would be considered a reward for YOUR dog...and WHERE it is reinforced for a behaviour...MATTERS

5-how to use games, tricks, "obedience" to teach cues and add a whole new dimension to your relationship....I've got quite the library of fun stuff in my tickle trunk which have allowed us to work through so many challenges sans any use of even a "no".

6-teaching dogs and us.... how to CHILL....so many people over look this, and it's so important that a dog knows how to calm themselves down (helps with impulse control issues) along with WHAT CAN WE do to help OURSELVES out when we get FRUSTRATED. It can be as simple as looking away, or turning your back, TAKING A DEEP BREATH..or ..EVEN the cue word you choose...HOW you say it, or your facial expression, body language..all helps!

ie...I remember someone told me to say 'NO' when my puppy was doing something I didn't like...well...puppy Daizy almost 9 yrs ago was crazy...so I spent a whole day saying "NO" and felt really crappy and grouchy...it was that point onward that I've never looked back and have chosen my cue words and praise words, even my redirecting words or chill out words...with careful consideration of how they make ME feel.

SOOOOOO...instead of "NO!" or "HEY!" or whatever grouchy thing someone comes up with....to let them know they're rev'n up and I can see disaster coming...I say "Calm"...and it's said the way you'd say "OM" in meditation. SO....not only does it RELAX them, as the sound of the word is not abrupt...it also relaxes ME :)

To lighten things up...here's where my CALm cue came in handy recently :)

7-notice no punishment section...I don't believe in any of that, I've never had to use intimidation, fear, startle, tools that zap or choke...my specialty is dealing with dogs who have had those techniques used, and thankfully have "failed" to comply and lived..to find their way to me.

I'll start loading up this blog with what works for me, a step by step way I teach puppies and fosters, and private consultations... how to make communicating ...LOOK like magic :)