Dog Puppy Behavior Training Help

Teach your Dog Inside Voice – Capture Dog’s Natural Behavior and Place it on Cue

One of the neat things about using an instant reward marker is how you can capture a natural behavior and then teach your dog to do it on cue. Here’s a recent email exchange with my client, Elizabeth, who has a 4-5 month old large mix breed dog, Big Mac. BETH’S EMAIL: Well, I taught him….Inside voice….and he acts like he is going to bark but doesn’t make a sound……Now he...

**iPhone 3Gs Video ** Part 2: Teach your Dog to Walk on Human, Motorized Treadmill

Remember Duchess?  that cute dog who was afraid to step onto the treadmill? Follow this link for Part 1, the initial story. Success! Click the links below to watch 2 different videos of Duchess walking on the motorized treadmill. Duchess dog walking on treadmill at You Tube. Duchess dog walking on treadmill. Alan J Turner How’s Bentley Dog Training – Memphis TN Tweet This Post

Puppy Making you Crazy? Tether that Turbo Girl!

Most of us would not walk an untrained puppy, off leash, next to a busy street. We realize the puppy is not trained, and she may wander into the street and get hit by a car.  We use a leash to keep the puppy safe. Inside the house, it’s a little safer. No cars are going to break your puppy’s legs, and your puppy can’t run away from you and get kidnapped or lost. But she can get into trouble...

Troubleshooting: Capture Sit for Folded Arms

Truth is, most dogs default to sit when they reach the impasse, as presented during the ” capture sit for folded arms” exercise. The leash is a tool to reduce your dog’s choices. Ideally, the dog will not feel any pressure from the leash, unless he or she jumps up. The short leash will abruptly stop the dog’s upward progress, and the dog’s attempts to jump up will fail. Most dogs...

Your Choice- Obnoxious Dog or Well Mannered Pet

Every day, I speak with clients about meeting their dogs’ basic needs. Most of us assume our dogs are getting plenty of exercise and stimulation when the dogs are alone (or with other dogs) in a large fenced area. The dog is in the great outdoors, so she must be getting enough exercise, right? Wrong. This is not usually the case, unless you have a turbo Jack Russell Terrier, like the one pictured...

Short Dog Training Sessions Should End With Success

I always ask my clients to practice with their dogs during short sessions throughout the day. For puppies and dogs that are learning look and sit (the first 2 commands), I recommend 5 sessions each day, for 60 seconds per session. As the dog is introduced to more commands, such as here, stay and down, the sessions will be  longer. How you end the longer sessions makes a difference! Cool down before...

Limitations of Rewards Based Dog Training

Animals that already own rewards will not perform behaviors to receive the same rewards they already own. Animals that receive rewards without any behavioral requirements will not examine and modify their own behaviors in order to receive the same rewards they already have. This means dog training success via positive reinforcement depends on your ability to Identify -  Manage –...

Easy & Lazy: Sit in a Chair & Teach Your Dog or Puppy to Lie Down!

Of all the methods to teach a dog to lie down, capturing is the easiest, but it is seldom used because people do not understand or believe it will be effective. Capture is when you set up the environment for the behavior to occur, or just wait for the dog to perform the behavior, then you mark and deliver a treat. You don’t say anything, or offer a food lure, or provide any other input before the...

Teach Your Dog Commands for Moving Through Doorways – Inside / Outside

Inside – Outside Description: The dog moves through an open door on command, on and off leash. Function: Teach the dog to move through doors on command. Prerequisites: Condition a reward marker; “Sit”, “Attention – Without Cue”; Target Here” Time: 4 Days Many of my clients complain that their dogs will not enter and exit their houses on command. The dogs ignore their owners,...

Does Your Dog or Puppy Pull on Walks? Start with the Basics. Capture & Teach Attention!

Dogs and puppies pull during walks because, from their points of view, it works. They get to move forward when they feel the pressure of the collar or harness against their bodies. Every time your dog pulls while walking on lead, he or she is learning to pull. The behavior is being fertilized! It will grow and become strong. Yikes! There are many methods and tools one might use to teach a dog or puppy...

Mini Goldendoodle Puppy Training Plan

Living with an untrained dog can be exhausting, for years . . . and years. We often develop elaborate plans for ourselves and our families that include life stages, education, careers, finances, property, vacations, remodeling, and one-time events. The key to planning any event is to understand your goals and expectations. Raising a mini goldendoodle puppy (or any puppy) is a chore! People who have...

Positive Reinforcement & Dog Training: Identify and Manage the Reinforcers!

Reinforcers include anything your dog currently desires. Food is a primary reinforcer. Attention, touch, toys, opportunities to interact, playtime, training sessions, opportunities to receive adrenaline and many other objects, events or actions can be reinforcers. The bottom line is: if the animal wants it and you can control it, it can be used as a reinforcer. Rewards can be added or subtracted....