Teaching your dog two targets

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December 20th, 2010 by Minette Learning to Target the Hand

I love to teach my dogs to target.  This trick/skill is useful in many facets throughout my dogs lives.  Targeting can also be built upon to teach other skills and more intricate skills, it is a building block to good obedience!

What You Will Need

Getting Started

I like teaching this command with very few distractions so find a secluded areaAt first I like to teach my dog to target gold "touch" my handPut treats in one hand or in a treat bag or your pocketWith the opposite hand, open it wide with your fingers to the side and put it in front of your dogs faceWhen your dog his nose to hand your keys or sniffs at your palm, click and treatContinue opening and closing your hand, click and treat when your dog makes contact with your handKeep doing this until your dog knows what he has to do to get you to click, now you may add the command "touch" next hold your hand higher up, over to the left, the right or behind your backYour dog should follow your palm wherever it is and touch it with his nose on command.If at first he has trouble understanding when you move your hand go back a step and be patient.Once your dogs confidence is built and he understands the command you can have him repeat the behavior a few times before clicking and treating, then you can enter off the clicker. Teaching Your Dog to Target Your Hand Can Help Him Gain Confidence and Approach Things in His Environment

This behavior can be used to help fearful dogs feel more confident in their environment, it also builds a foundation for retrieving for delivering items to a specific area, it can be used for a competition send away, and even in agility.

I have a nervous dog, who is often afraid of things that he does not recognize.  I can use the "touch" command and my hand to get him closer and closer to objects he would not normally approach.  When my hand is on the object it gives him confidence to approach it because he trusts me.  It is also an easy way to get his focus back on me when he is exhibiting apprehension!

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5 Tips To Remember When Teaching The Come Command

1. Use it sparingly. When you overuse “Come”, puppies stop paying attention. When your puppy understands the command, avoid using it all the time. Say it infrequently and make it extremely rewarding.

2. Do not chase your puppy if he does not respond. Practice on-lead for now.

3. Never call for negatives. If you have to groom, bathe, or isolate your puppy, do not use “Come.” Also avoid using it when you are angry. You will only scare your puppy

out.

4. If your puppy runs away from you, do not repeatedly call or correct him.

5. Use a different command to bring your puppy inside. Coming in from outdoors is a big drag, no more fun than being left alone or ignored. Using the “Come” command when you want to bring him in makes it a negative command. Instead, pick a command like “Inside.” Start using it on-lead when bringing your puppy into the house. Quickly offer a treat or ball toss.

gotten from http://information.i-love-dogs.com 

see also Dog Breeds

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Teaching Wolfie the Wrong Stuff

I like to teach Wolfie to do a lot of fun stuff, but sometimes he seems to take advantage of me and do them at the wrong time.  What can I do and what can I tell Wolfie?

We see this a lot as we are out working with out clients.  They teach Wolfie things like "give paw".  This is great when they ask him to do it, but they dont understand that they are conditioning him to do it when he approaches other people or might want attention. 

Just to peak your interest, a few other examples of teaching Wolfie the wrong thing are:

• Jump on me when I come home.
• What do you hear?  What do you hear?  What do you hear?
• Get the squirrel!

We think nothing of this because, as humans, we can understand when an action should take place and when it might be inappropriate to perform an action.  This is based on our ability to "logically think through a situation".

Wolfie learns through pure repetition and consistency.  If I teach him to "paw me", he might paw me even though I might not ask for it.  If I teach him that it is OK to jump on me, he can jump on me and anyone else.  Wolfie doesnt understand "I can do this when...".  He only understands that it is acceptable to perform an action I have taught him.

So, the bottom line is never teach Wolfie inappropriate actions.  Dont teach him to "give paw" because he might go up to a guest with new, white silk pants.  Dont teach him to jump on you because he might go up to a two year old and jump on them.  Dont teach him to go "crazy at the window" because he might do it when you are in the middle of a dinner party.

As a general rule of thumb, teach Wolfie the basic commands and you will be fine.  We like to make sure that all dogs know:

• Come
• Sit
• Stay
• Down
• Walk
• Crate/Bed

These are all simple obedience commands that wont have the possibility of causing inappropriate behavior.  If you have any questions, please contact us at Broward Dog Trainers. 

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What You Need to Know Before Starting to Train Your Dog

I am trying to teach my dog commands and to be a good dog, but nothing seems to be working.  He isn’t staying when I tell him to stay and it will be a cold day in “you know where” when he would ever come to me when I ask.  I am just totally at a standstill!  What is going wrong?

As dog trainers, we have heard this complaint from dog owners time and time again.  It is normally an issue with first time dog owners.  Before you can even get to the point of training your dog, you need to understand a few, basic concepts.

• Dogs need consistency.  They do not understand complicated or logical situations.  Every time they hear a specific sound (like SIT), they will put their rear on the ground.  They know they can never jump on people.  When things begin to get complicated, like you allow them to jump on you but not your guests, they have no idea how to respond.  So make sure that when you give them commands or expect specific behavior, the result will always be the same. 
• You must understand what your dog has the ability to currently learn.  Another way of expressing this is that you need to know your dog’s current skill set.  If you can’t get your dog to consistently sit, you will never get him to stay.  If you are calling your dog to come to you from across the yard and he doesn’t, yelling at him over and over again isn’t going to do any good.  He just doesn’t understand what you want.  With this said, you need to figure out what your dog can do and start there with your teaching program.  Just like a tennis player, you learn and improve by playing with someone just a little better than you. 
• You must be in control when you are teaching your dog.  Remember, you are the teacher and need the focus and respect from your dog in order to teach.  If you give your dog a SIT command and he runs out the door, that really isn’t a good “teaching moment”.  The best way to make sure that you have control is to have your dog leashed when you are training him.  If you tell him to SIT, he can’t run away and you can use the leash as a tool to help and guide him into the SIT.  If you tell your dog to COME and he doesn’t, you can give the leash a little tug to direct him towards you.

These are just three little concepts that you need to keep in mind when teaching your dog.  I know that they sound simple, but dogs crave the simple.  What you have done is to create an environment where they are prepared to learn.  If you ever have any questions, please contact us at The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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Why it is Important to be Calm and Still

When Fluffy is barking, running, and jumping all around me, how can I stay calm and still?

Our first training visit with our clients and their families will normally last three hours or more.  We cover a lot of information and demonstrate a great deal of techniques to get the dog to be a great dog.  I have often thought that if I only had a moment to give a dog owner some useful and productive training advice, what would it be.

I keep coming back to the very simple idea of “Calm & Still".

Eighty percent of the communication between you and your dog is body language.  In my opinion, the most important part of body language is the ability to show a sense of confidence.  Everything is OK, I am in control, I will take care of you...  This is done by remaining calm and still while engaging the situation at hand.

Humans are emotional animals and we get so mad at our dog when he is going nuts.  We raise the level of adrenalin through our screaming and running when we are trying to calm our dog down.  It just doesnt work, and why should it?  Craziness creates more craziness.

By staying calm and still when you are addressing your dog, he will naturally feel your confidence and will have a far better sense that you are the safe keeper, provider, and leader.  Staying calm also allows you to more effectively evaluate the situation and determine the best course of action to get your dog back to being a "good dog".

If you have any additional questions or would like more information on this dog training subject, please contact us at The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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Wolfie is Eating His Doggie Bed

I think that my dog, Wolfie, has probably eaten his weight in doggie beds!  He never does it in front of me, but he just chomps on it at night or when I am away.  I dont want to take his bed away from him.  What would he sleep on?

In my early days of dog training, I wrestled with this question time and time again.  I came up with some interesting answers and scenarios I asked my clients to try.  The results were hit and miss...

Several years ago, I had one of those "Oh my gosh" moments about dogs eating their dog beds when we werent around to let them know it was wrong.  The first thing to remember is that dogs dont need a nice fluffy bed to lie on to fall asleep.  Look outside.  Wolfie is sleeping on the cement patio or on the rocks under the tree.  They love to sleep on the cool tile during the hot days of summer.  So, our first "truism"  is that we dont need to give Wolfie a bed.

Next, we have to understand that dogs build behaviors through repetition and direction.  If we are allowing them do destroy their fluffy beds because we cant catch them, we are instilling the behavior of "lets tear up fluffy things" with our dogs.  The next thing we know, it isnt the $35 dog bed that we find torn up, it is the $400 upholstered and fluffy family room chair that now has stuffing all over the carpet.

So, what do we do?  The answer is really simple.  I know that we "humans" dont like simple answers, but here goes...

Take the dog bed away and let Wolfie sleep on the ground.  We know that he is fine with the ground, so we are not going to give him back aches.  Also, we have removed that repetitive destructive behavior.  This will keep him from escalating that unwanted behavior to destroying more expensive things. Wolfie is still fine and we have saved a ton of money.  Win win for all!  For more information, please contact The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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Teaching Wolfie Fetch

I thought all dogs loved to play fetch.  I throw the ball or a Frisbee for Wolfie and he just looks at me like I have two heads.  I yell "Wolfie fetch!  Wolfie fetch!" and he just lays at my feet.  Do I have a stupid dog?

No, Wolfie isnt stupid.  What you have to understand is that "Fetch" is a learned behavior just like Sit, Stay, Come, etc.  You also must understand that some dogs just might not like to play "Fetch".

Lets assume that Wolfie would like to play fetch.  Just like teaching our kids to play baseball or basketball, we have to teach Wolfie how to play "Fetch".  You first have to understand that there are two pieces to "Fetch".  The first piece is for Wolfie to run and pick up an object that you throw and the second piece is for Wolfie to return it to you.  Lets first work on these two actions and see how Wolfie does.

Get the Object:
Take some object or toy that Wolfie likes.  Pick it up and wave it around in front of him.  Say things like "Wheres the toy?  Get it, Get it Get it!!!  Oh boy!  Oh Boy!  Fetch! Fetch!" in a very excited, animated way while you are waving the toy.  Now throw it a few feet away from you and see if he goes after it.  If he does not, go over to the toy in a very animated manner, stoop or lean over the toy, and point to it.  Say things like "Get the toy!  Wheres the toy!" in an excited manner.  

If Wolfie still doesnt run and pick it up.  You should get down on the ground, pick it up and play with it until Wolfie comes over.  Shake it and let Wolfie grab it.  As soon as he grabs it, let go and say "Good boy".

If Wolfie still needs come coaxing, replace the toy with a goodie or chew bone.  After he will run after that, replace it with a toy that you have coated with a slight "goodie smell".  (Rub a little gravy or raw meat on the toy.)  Slowly decrease the amount of the "goodie smell".

After Wolfie is going after the toy, increase the distance until Wolfie is running across the room or yard to get the toy.  Wolfie now can "get the object".  Now it is time to have him bring it to you.

Bring it Back:
Bringing the object back is essentially the come command with something in Wolfies mouth.  For this, you need to attach a training lead to Wolfies collar.  Throw the object and have Wolfie get it.  

Now, give Wolfie a command like "Fetch".  If he doesnt come back to you, give him a little tug on the training lead while you kneel down low.  If he still doesnt come to you, give him another little tug.  He should now come to you.

If Wolfie still doesnt return to you (some doggies are a little suborn), decrease the length you are throwing the toy.  

Repeat the process until Wolfie will return the toy to you without your needing to tug on the training lead.  Detach the training lead and repeat the process, having Wolfie get the toy and bring it back to you.

Wolfie now knows basic "Fetch".  For more information, please contact The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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Teaching My Dog to Come When Called

I am really frustrated with my dog.  Just as soon as I think I have trained him go come to me when I ask, he ignores me completely or I have to say it over and over again.  I must be missing something.  What am I doing wrong?

This is a common complaint that we hear many times when we visit our clients for the first time.  They think that their dog understands “come” if he comes to them a few times.  Now, when the dog is at the dog park or in the back yard, he completely ignores them.  The client normally gets mad and yells at the dog.

It is obvious that this method does not work.  In order to understand what will work, we have to understand how our dogs learn.  Dogs learn through repetition and consistency.  We could compare this to the same way we learned our times tables.  Every time we “flipped the card”, the same answer would be on the other side.  Eventually, we didn’t have to flip the card because we knew what was on the other side. 

To relate this to our dog’s training, we have to make sure that every time we give the command “come”, out dog will go to us.  With that said, let me explain, exactly, what you must do to assure that your dog understands and consistently obeys you when you tell him to “come”:

• Have your dog in the house with a six foot leash.  Make sure that you are in a calm and quiet environment.  Go down low and say “come” in your regular voice.  If your dog doesnt come, give the leash a slight tug.  Once your dog comes to you, praise him in a high voice and stand up.
• Leave the leash on your dog and just walk around the room without paying attention to him.  Next, go to the end of the leash, put your foot on it, stoop down, grab the leash, and tell your dog to “come”.
• Repeat the above process until your dog will always come without the need to give the leash a tug.
• Now, switch the six foot leash with a twenty foot training lead.  Use about ten feet of the lead and have the rest wrapped up.  Go down low and say “come” from ten feet in your regular voice.  If your dog doesnt come, give the lead a slight tug, repeating the tug until he comes to you. 
• Repeat the above step until you no longer have to tug on the lead to have your dog obey you.  Extend the training lead to fifteen feet and repeat the process.
• Extend the training lead to twenty feet and repeat the process.
• Now, take your dog to the back yard.  Repeat everything you have done above with both the six food leash and twenty foot training lead.

Now you have your dog consistently coming to you outside.  Since you arent tugging on the leash to get your dog to obey, it has now become unnecessary.

• Continue telling your dog to come to you, but do not hold the leash anymore. 
• Now, have someone unhook the leash from your dog and tell him to come.  He should come to you without the need of the leash.

What you have done is to program your dog in a consistent and repetitive manner.  You set the scene so that every time your dog heard “come”, he went to you.  You initially used the leash to assure the outcome.  As the programming took hold, the leash became superfluous and could be removed.  If you have any questions, we are always available at The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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