Dog Puppy Behavior Training Help

Tough Boy Trick- Capture your Dog’s Cute Behaviors – Place on Cue

Imagine a photographer with a camera focused on a bird’s nest – just waiting for the baby birds to pop their heads up. The instant the birds show their heads, the photographer captures the image by releasing the shutter. Imagine a dog owner (me) walking his turbo Australian terrier (Bentley). Imagine Bentley scratching the ground with his feet (like a bull), immediately after he urinates....

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...

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,...

iPhone 3Gs Video ** Ace Doberman Shadow Dance

I visited Ace the AKC registered, Doberman puppy today in Collierville TN.  Ace already knows: “Look”, “Two Finger Target Here”, and “Sit for Folded Arms”. Today we practiced “Leave-It (it’s impossible), and “Stay”. This young rascal is quite the turbo! Click the  link below to see Ace the AKC registered Doberman puppy doing his shadow...

Help! My Dog Races Through Open Doors!

Why wouldn’t a dog bolt through an open door? Because you teach him not to, that’s why! Does your dog race through open doors and gates? Most people either pick up their dogs or hold the dog’s collar to prevent door bolting behaviors. Both of these actions “pay” the dog for trying to run through the door. The ultimate pay is the chase and adventure of escape. Every time your dog...

Want to Teach Your 10 Week Old Puppy to Sit? Forget About it. :) It’s Too late. . .

Did you want to teach your 10 week old puppy to sit? Forget about it. It’s too late. That turbo charged puppy already knows how to perform every basic obedience command! Your dog knows how to sit and lie down. He can stay.  Your pup knows how to walk towards you. Your puppy knows how to run to you. Your puppy dog can walk the same speed as you. That fellow knows how to dig, or “not dig”....

Puppy or Dog Obedience Training First Steps – Condition a Marker, Capture Sit, Teach “Look”

Want to start an obedience program for your puppy or dog? You can start as soon as you bring your dog into your family. The first two commands all dogs should learn are “Look”, and “Sit”. Before you begin teaching, it’s helpful to learn a bit about rewards and reward systems. Please visit the START HERE category of posts before you begin. Conditioning a Reward Marker The...

Does Your White Lab Get Too Excited To Obey When People Visit? Practice With Distractions!

Many of my clients report that their dogs jump up on visitors and pretty much ignore them whenever the dogs are excited. The people often say their dog is stubborn. This is an indication that the people have not practiced basic obedience commands with distractions. Practicing with distractions is called proofing. You should proof your dog with all commands in various locations, with various distractions....

Teach Your Memphis Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Puppy Additional Commands (cue, signal) for the Same Behavior

I always suggest that my clients teach their dogs and puppies two commands for each behavior. Sit is a god example. One command should be audible (word “sit”) and the other can be visual (folding of arms across chest). Once you’ve taught your dog to obey one cue or command for a particular behavior, you can teach another cue for the same behavior in 6 trials – or less than 2...

Teach Your Memphis Labrador Retriever to Respond to Your First Command

Some of my clients repeat a cue or command to their Memphis labrador retriever puppy or dog many times, either in efforts to get the behaviors, or to keep the behaviors. For example, many people repeat the word sit when their dogs don’t sit on the first command. Saying stay…stay…stay… while walking away and extending your hand out like a stop signal is another common example. I have a...

Does Your Dog Get too Excited to Attach a Leash? Teach Leash Time!

The goal of this exercise is to teach a dog to sit patiently while you attach a leash. This is for dogs that like to have the leash attached, but are so excited that it’s difficult to snap on a leash. If your dog is shy or afraid of the leash, visit this page. Most dogs become very excited at the sight of a leash. Dogs bark, jump and wiggle which makes it very difficult for us to attach our...

Dog Training is a Process, Not an Event

Raising a puppy and training a dog is a process, not an event. It’s not much different than raising a child (except in 3 years your puppy will be an adult dog). Suppose you hire me to come to your house and teach your child to be polite. I can tell the kid which words to use ,what they mean, and when to use them. That teaching session is an event. But later, I will not be with your child to...