Archive for April, 2008

Is your dog disobedient?

By: Ty Brown on Apr, 30, 2008 at 5:16 am | Comments (3)

I have been thinking a lot lately about dog training terminology and the words we use to describe our dogs.  Every day I work with several clients to help them fix their dog training problems and also speak with a handful of potential clients.  One thing I often hear is, “My dog is very disobedient,” or, “My dog is naughty,” or “My dog doesn’t listen to me.”

I often respond by saying, “Okay, no problem.  We’ll fix that.”  Lately, though, I’ve been thinking about these characterizations and whether or not they are accurate.  After a lot of thinking I have come to the conclusion that they aren’t.

Think about it, we live in a world of opposites.  We only know what happiness is because we have experienced sadness.  We only know pain because we also know wellness.  You can only know what cold is if you have experienced hot.  Each opposite is a reference point for the other feeling, sensation, state of being, etc.

What that means is that a dog can only willingly be disobedient if he knows what obedience is.  He can’t break a rule if he doesn’t understand a rule.  She can’t be naughty if she hasn’t been trained.

So many owners have a pretty clear picture in their mind of how they want their dog to behave.  Anything that falls outside of those parameters is considered disobedient.  It is my contention that this is erroneous most of the time.  Dogs aren’t spiteful, malicious, or vengeful.  If they really know something is wrong, they don’t do it.  Period.  If they really know something is appropriate, they do it.  End of story.

I get lots of arguments on this.  People will constantly tell me that their dog is disobedient because he knows that he did something wrong.  What I try to educate my clients about is that they need to rethink their lines of communication.  The owner is convinced that he has made it clear to the dog what is appropriate, yet the dog is still acting out.  Nine times out of ten the owner hasn’t made it clear, it’s a case of miscommunication.  The owner then misreads body signals such as a seemingly penitent and guilty looking dog and takes that to mean that the dog is being willfully rebellious.  Not so.  The dog is simply confused and wishes to understand why his owner is angry with him.

If you have a disobedient or naughty dog rethink things.  Chances are you haven’t communicated what it is you want.   

Posted in: Obedience Training | Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Teaching a dog to speak

By: Ty Brown on Apr, 27, 2008 at 5:13 am | Comments (1)

Teaching a dog to bark on command is a fun trick that you can do to stimulate your dog’s mind and have a little fun.

The first thing you need to do when training your dog to speak is to determine what motivates your dog the most.  Is it food?  Is it a toy?  Is it companionship with you?  Whatever it is, that is what you are going to use.

Start out with your dog on a leash or a tie out attached to a fence or a tree or something similar.  Now, simply use whatever it is that your dog loves.  Tease the dog with it.  If it is a ball whip it back and forth.  Toss it on the ground, kick it just out of the reach.  As you do this keep repeating ’speak’, ’speak’.  As your dog makes even the slightest vocalization IMMEDIATELY reward him with the toy.

If you are using food, do the same thing.  Lots of motion as you whip the food back and forth all the while giving him the command to speak.  As he vocalizes, reward.

Some dogs aren’t too driven by food or toys but do crave the companionship of their owner.  Do the same thing as above.  Instead of stimulating the dog with food or a toy, you are the stimulation.  Run back and forth and act the fool as your dog is tied out.  As he makes a vocalization, immediately come to him and praise.

Whatever you are using as your dog’s focus continue doing so and gradually wean him off.  Soon you will simply be able to say ’speak’ and you will get a nice bark.

Posted in: Tricks | Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

What to put in your dog’s crate

By: Ty Brown on Apr, 26, 2008 at 5:02 am | Comments (0)

The title of this post is a little misleading.  This won’t be about what to put in your dog’s crate, but rather what not to put in your dog’s crate.

I often get questions from my puppy owner clients about what should be put in the crate while they are gone at work.  Most of them have read and heard several different crate training techniques that they are at a loss for what to do.  Well, here is my list, and I’m going to give my reasons for each point I make.

Don’t put toys in a crate:  I don’t recommend you put toys in your dog’s crate while you are gone.  There are a couple reasons for this:

1- If you are gone for hours it is possible that your puppy chews on a toy, breaks off a piece, and chokes on it.  Puppies die all the time from choking on items and it would be a big shame to come home to find that your pal has passed away.

2- People say, “Well, won’t my dog get bored if there are no toys in the crate?”  Dogs have different needs for mental stimulation than do humans.  Yes, they do need to be mentally stimulated.  I like for mental stimulation to be associated with the dog owner, however.  When I am gone I don’t want my dogs to be running around playing with toys.  I want them to just relax and nap until I get home.  By keeping them calm and low key in the crate you will eventually be able to wean them off the crate and have a dog that is calm and low key outside of the crate.

Don’t put water or food in the crate with your puppy:  Again, dogs have different needs than do a human.  Personally, I take a drink of water several times a day.  Dogs are just fine, however, if they go hours without a drink.

When crate training a puppy leave the water and food out of the crate.  Your puppy is learning at this age how to ‘hold it’ for hours at a time.  If you are giving him access to food and water in the crate you are going to make it nearly impossible for your dog to hold his bowels.  You will come home to a soiled crate and it won’t be your dog’s fault.

Again, don’t feel bad.  Your dog has different needs than you and can be just fine without food and water while you are at work.  Just make sure your crate isn’t in direct sunlight and dehydrating your puppy.

Don’t put a dog bed in the crate with your puppy:  Puppies love to pee on absorbent material.  That is why puppies will happily pee on grass, dirt, and YES, your carpet.  Well, a dog bed is an absorbent thing as well.  By putting a bed in with your puppy you may very well be inviting him to pee in his crate.

Can a puppy be comfortable without a bed?  Of course.  Again, your puppy has different needs than you.  Would he be more comfy with a bed?  Perhaps.  But he doesn’t need it and he is more than fine without it.

So what goes in the crate with your puppy?  Simple.  Nothing.  Put the little guy in there and he will learn to be happy and comfy while you are gone and won’t have any danger of choking on toys or chewed up beds.

Posted in: Crate Training | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,

Do people really still rub their dog’s nose in house training mistakes?

By: Ty Brown on Apr, 25, 2008 at 5:04 am | Comments (1)

WARNING:  This post is more of a rant than an educational dog training piece.  Read at your own risk!

In order to get topics for these blog posts I often visit dog training message boards and forums looking for ideas.  I like to see some of the problems that are common amongst pet dogs and write about them in this blog.

There is a technique that I see from time to time recommended by dog owners to other dog owners.  I think you know what method I’m talking about (I’m assuming you read the title to this post).  Someone goes on a message board asking for advice on how to house train their dog.  It is inevitable that I see someone else respond by saying, “Rub your dog’s nose in the accident while telling him ‘no’ in a firm voice.  Then put the dog in his crate or outside.” 

I honestly can’t believe that in the year 2008 that this archaic method is still followed and believed to work.  As a professional dog trainer that has assisted numerous clients in house training numerous dogs let me assure you, THIS METHOD DOES NOT WORK!!!

Many people claim that dog’s can’t remember something after it happens.  That isn’t true.  Dogs do have memory.  What they aren’t capable of, however, is attaching negative or positive reinforcement to a behavior after the fact.  What that means is that if you catch your dog more than a few seconds after a house training accident or any other misbehavior there is nothing you can do.  Don’t even try.  It isn’t that your dog is stupid, it’s just that the canine mind is programmed differently than a human mind.  Different doesn’t mean better or worse, just different.

If you are going to train your dog it is imperative that you know how he understands associations.  So please, understand this one.  If you don’t catch your dog in the act of a misbehavior don’t do anything!  Just learn your lesson and supervise your dog better.

Posted in: House Breaking, Rants | Tagged: , , , , ,