F1 W1 MO | Quad Cities Canine

Week 1

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We’ve got to start SOMEWHERE, right? Some of these things might seem like “no brainers”, but they’re still behaviors your puppy/dog needs to learn or things we need to do, so here’s what’s on the agenda this week:

I highly recommend reading ALL the handout(s) this week if possible! If you don’t have the time or patience for that, though, be sure to take a look these:

Words to Know
Training Techniques
5 Primary Rewards
The 3 D’s
3 Reasons Dogs Don’t Do What We Want Them To

If you don’t have it/them already, return to the main course page and scroll down to the downloads.

4:08

4:14

3:30

3:45

4:27

3:58

2:00

26:02

Easy / Gentle
Name Recognition
Concept of Luring
Collar Grab
Watch Me
Nose Touch
PLAY After Training!

Fundamentals 1

1. Easy / Gentle

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Description

Is your puppy/dog too “grabby” when it comes to taking something from your hand? This will help you solve that problem!

Key points / Tips

Start with low value food such as kibble.
Hold the food in the crease of your hand such that if you touch your middle finger with your thumb, the food is somewhat hidden.
Hold onto the treat in your hand so that your puppy/dog can only sniff it or lick it but can’t grab it, and only give him/her the food if he/she is being gentle.
Increase the value of the food gradually.
If you are unable to hold the treat as described above, place the food at the base of your middle fingers where they meet your palm and cover it with your thumb.
Make sure you switch hands so your dog learns he/she has to be gentle with either one.

Problem solving

Practice makes perfect. It will take some time to get used to doing this.
Your food item may be too small or too big. You want it to be just big enough that a little sticks out of that crease in your hand.
If your puppy/dog tries to grab the food, simply move your hand away and present it again.
The food might just be too high of value for your puppy/dog to resist! You might need to take it down a notch or two.

Video

2. Name Recognition

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Description

If your puppy/dog doesn’t respond well to his/her name, here’s what you can do. This will also work for changing a puppy or dog’s name and will even give you the idea of how to teach your puppy/dog names of different objects (leash, toy, bowl, etc.)!

Key points / Tips

If you’ve ever learned how to “charge the clicker”, this is the exact same thing!
Work in a distraction-free environment.
Reward your dog the MOMENT you get the result you’re looking for, whether that’s eye contact, a head turn, an ear twitch, or whatever else you might be wanting!
As your dog gets better, start using different tones of voice when saying his/her name so that he/she will have a positive association with his/her name regardless if your happy, WAY excited, sad or even mad.

Problem solving

Distance and distractions will likely be your main cause of any problems.
You might need to increase the value of the reward. Your puppy/dog might not want to bother with a “response” just for a single piece of kibble!
Did you combine your dog’s name with negative verbiage without even realizing it? Some dogs don’t even like the sound of their own name simply because owners often combine their dog’s name with verbal corrections, such as, “Rover, NO!” “Rover, BAD dog!” Remember to work on teaching your dog a positive association with his/her name.

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3. Concept of Luring

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Description

So many behaviors are easiest to teach if you lure your dog into the position desired. Sit is a perfect example! Some dogs just get the hang of it quicker and better than others. If you need help with it, here you go!

Key points / Tips

Try to start with the lowest value food your dog is willing to pay attention to.
Don’t move too quickly or move the food too far away from his/her nose.
Be sure to give him/her a nibble occasionally – maybe every 3 or 4 times you lure him/her into a desired position or maybe every however many seconds – whatever works best for you and your dog!
Make sure you switch which hand you lure him/her with so he/she learns to follow either one.

Problem solving

If frustration seems to be a factor with your dog, you probably need to slow down or use higher value food. You might even need to move the food closer to his/her nose or reward more frequently.
If your dog is able to grab the treat out of your hand, you need to move your hand a bit further away.
If your dog has no interest in the food at all, he/she probably isn’t hungry! Another issue might be that it’s just not exciting enough to motivate him/her, so you’ll need to turn it into a game by waving it around and maybe even making encouraging noises. If the dog shows even just the slightest interest in it – even just moving his/her head towards it the tiniest bit, praise him/her and give the treat.

Video

4. Collar Grab

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Description

The collar grab is a very important behavior in regard to a dog’s safety. Some of the reasons for needing your dog to be comfortable when you (or someone else) grabs a hold of his/her collar include:

It’ll definitely make him/her easier to catch.
You’ll be able to get a hold of him/her and move him/her without a fight or him/her “putting the brakes on”.
Putting his/her leash on will be easier.
You’ll be able to stop him/her from doing something by grabbing hold of that collar.

Key points / Tips

Start slowly and gently!
Don’t reach over the top of the dog’s head.
Make sure you don’t have food in your hand when you go to grab his/her collar!
Be sure to switch hands since you won’t know which one you’ll need when the time comes.

Problem solving

If your dog moves away as you reach toward him/her, don’t proceed any further with your hand yet – just stop wherever your hand is when he/she starts to move away and give the reward. The 3 D’s, right?? Increase the distance gradually (distance being how close your hand gets to his/her collar).
If there’s an issue with the dog slipping out of the collar even though it seems to be plenty tight enough, make sure your hand is underneath the dog’s neck if you try to pull him/her.

Video

5. Watch Me

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Description

Watch me, focus, look, whatever you want to call it, is hands down THE most important thing you can teach your puppy/dog! If you don’t have the dog’s mind, you’re not going to have the dog’s body. Well, you might… but not in any way you’d probably like! This cue will be a huge help when you need to redirect your dog away from distractions. For example, if you need to pass another dog on a walk, asking your dog to watch you will make it so he/she can’t look at the other dog at that moment (incompatible behavior), and it will be much easier to walk by. For a truly great and successful relationship with your dog, you need to be more important than anything else in his/her world, and it all starts with his/her ability to focus on you.

Key points / Tips

Move the food toward your eyes from your dog’s nose slowly.
The 3 D’s are incredibly important when teaching this behavior.
Timing is CRITICAL! Mark and reward him/her the MOMENT he/she makes eye contact.
Make sure you switch hands so your dog learns the cue from either one.

Whenever your dog chooses to look at you instead of something else exciting, make sure you reward him/her! If you don’t have a food reward handy, praise or pet him/her. Showing your dog you’re somebody worth paying attention to is what will build the “auto-focus” and help make it so his/her eyes are always on you.

Problem solving

If the dog made eye contact but then looked away, you’re waiting too long to mark and reward. You really need to take baby steps when training this.
Food might not be what your dog considers to be his/her favorite reward. You may find it easier to use a squeak toy or his/her favorite ball.
If your dog just won’t focus on you when outside due to uncontrolled distractions like people or off leash dogs, you’ll need to find a way to manage your dog like using a long line to prevent access or lack of focus in these places. This will help set your dog up to make the right choice.
If you’re still struggling, you may need to work on creating a better bond with your dog. Check out the handouts Motivation / Engagement and How to Build Respect and Leadership.

Video

6. Nose Touch

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Description

Teaching your dog to touch his/her nose to your hand is not only a great way to teach him/her to target different objects, it’s something you can use in place of “watch me” when you are not able to make eye contact. If you’re out on a walk with your dog and see something you’re not going to be able to take your eyes off of that might be a disturbance to your dog, you can have him/her touch his/her nose to your hand so you know you have his/her attention over the distraction. It’s said that where your dog’s nose goes, his/her head and body follow. That’s what makes touch incredibly helpful for training everything from basic obedience behaviors to tricks. Teaching nose touch can be really helpful for working with a puppy/dog that pulls on the leash! It can even help redirect a dog that becomes anxious or reactive.

Key points / Tips

Start with your hand pretty close to your dog’s nose.
Make sure the dog is leaning toward your hand and that you’re not moving your hand closer to his/her nose.
Make sure you switch hands so your dog learns to touch either one.
Stop giving the dog the treat that's in your hand or between your fingers. Reward him/her from your other hand to make fading out the food reward easier.

Problem solving

The biggest problem is usually that your hand is too far away from the dog’s nose.
Sometimes you might need to wiggle your fingers to help draw your dog’s attention to your hand.
If your dog is struggling, you may need to rub something yummy (like some boiled chicken) onto your palm. That should guarantee they lean in to smell your hand.
To a fearful puppy/dog, an open palm might be overwhelming. If this is the case, just use one or two fingers instead.

Video

7. PLAY After Training!

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Description

You want to make sure your puppy/dog is going to look forward to the next training session, so make sure he/she gets to enjoy something really great each time you’re done training. Post-training play can actually improve a dog’s training success. Studies have shown that it may extend a dog's memory of previously learned behaviors by up to a year! Maybe your dog would prefer some quiet time and just some rubbing behind his/her ears. Whatever it is, take some time to do something you know your dog really likes.

Key points / Tips

DO NOT skip this! It’s REALLY important! Even if it’s just for a minute or two, you MUST do it!

Problem solving

Learning can be exhausting! If you’re dog is too tired to play, find something else he/she enjoys.

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