Dog Training Wiki

A backup and update of the r/dogtraining/wiki on reddit

Introduction

About this wiki #


Since June 2009, there has been a wonderful dog training community on reddit: old.reddit.com/r/dogtraining 

And that community hosts a wiki chock-full of resources, including tutorial articles written by anonymous community members, and links out to useful resources that have been vetted by the moderators to be reflective of modern, up to date best practices.


Unfortunately, in the middle of 2023, the reddit executives announced they would be making drastic changes to the way the site works, on a steady march towards enshittification, which included a gutting of important moderator tools. It became clear to many, the r/dogtraining mods included, that a new platform would eventually need to be found that would have less risk of being yanked away from under our feet. 


Here, therefore, we intend to copy across the existing wiki, and test its feasibility as a new permanent home. Or if we move away from tiddlyhost, the next location will be linked here to allow anyone else to follow the breadcrumb trail.



NB: The editors come from a variety of regions, including American, British and Australian English. Please excuse the resulting mish-mash of style and spelling within the articles.

Miscellaneous /

Recommended Books

These are some of the books we recommend.

General How To and Training Theory #

Puppy Training #

Obedience & General Problems #

Canine Communication and Body Language #

Reactivity and Aggression #

Fearfulness #

Separation Anxiety #

Recall #

Fun Games with your Dog #

For Trainers #

In-Depth Reading #

About Dogs and How They Learn

Pages about general learning theory, basic terminology and who the dog is as a species.

Training techniques

Pages below that have subsections:

Training Basics
  • Rate of Reinforcement
  • Capturing a Behavior
  • Shaping a Behavior
  • Adding or Changing a Cue
  • Proofing for Distractions, adding Duration and Distance
Training Disabled Dogs
  • Training a Deaf Dog
  • Training a Blind Dog

Building Block Behaviors

Pages not yet written in this category:

Focus

Manners and Everyday Life

External resources:

Invisible Barrier Training (Respect for Roads/Doorways) - Part 1 video, Part 2 video

Training Bloopers

Pages in this category:

Prompt Dependence - "he won't do it unless I have a treat"

Poisoned Cues - dog no longer responds to command

Unwanted Behaviors

Common issues that make you want to pull your hair out!

Ongoing Training and Activities

Pages to be written in this category:

Hiking

Travel

Miscellaneous

Pages to be written in this category

Special Concerns when working with a new rescue dog

Miscellaneous /

Recommended Online Resources

General: #


Fear and/or Aggression: #


Choosing a trainer: #

About Dogs and How They Learn /

Canine Communication

Resources #

Online Resources #

  • iSpeakDog, a website about interpreting dog language, created by a group of experts

Books #


Videos #

Relevant threads #

About Dogs and How They Learn /

Important Differences Between Dogs and Humans

All About Dogs : or Ways Your Dog isn't Human (even if he thinks he is) #

This page will cover basics on dog behavior, communication, and things to know when interacting with dogs.

Canines Vs. Primates #

One of the most important things to realize is that you and your dog are very different creatures. As much as your dog may be a fuzzy kid in your mind, you communicate, learn, and interact in very different ways as species.

Face to Face Contact #

While humans crave eye contact and face to face contact, this isn't true of dogs in general. Many dogs are uncomfortable face to face even with humans they are close with, and most dogs are uncomfortable with strange humans and dogs in their face. There are exceptions, but human desire to kiss their dog on the nose is an important cause of bites to the face.

This is also an important point to remember when dogs are greeting. Old friends may greet head on without problem, but between dogs that don't know each other this may increase the likelihood of a fight.

Guilt and Right from Wrong #

Why you may spend time thinking over your behavior and whether or not you did the right thing, your dog will not. In fact, he doesn't know that distinctions between morally "good" and morally "bad" exist. Your dog only understands what is rewarding, what is scary and what is boring.

Most dogs are masters of appeasement behavior. If they anticipate that they are about to be scolded or punished they will make use of calming signals. This can mean crouched posture, looking away, ear posture, submissive grin, soft eyes, lip licks or yawns. Some dogs do learn to associate a mess on the floor + human home with potential punishment and in a few cases you may see appeasement behaviors as well, but that does not mean that they have made the connection. Punishment is an effective way to create more appeasement behaviors, but will not stop the "bad" behavior from occurring in the first place.

An experiment by Alexandra Horowitz showed that dogs express "guilt" (appeasement behavior) based on whether their humans are angry, regardless of whether the dog actually had anything to feel guilty about.

Learning Styles #

Your dog won't learn the same way you do. There are some obvious ways this is true - you can't tell your dog what you want from him in a sentence (unless you've carefully trained that sentence as a cue!) And there are some more subtle ways.

Declarative Vs. Process Learning #

Humans are great at learning names of things, and reasoning about sets of things. This is much harder for a dog. Dogs however are great at process learning. That is, behavior that they've rehearsed will be likely to reoccur.

This is an important reason that setting your dog up to be successful is important. If he makes a mistake - even if that mistake is punished he may be more likely to repeat the mistake. However, if you prevent mistakes and guide your dog to make the right choice from the start you may see that he never makes the mistake in the first place. Emily Larlham talks about why errorless learning is more effective than telling a dog when he has made a mistake.

Which of These Things is not Like The Others? #

Humans are constantly reasoning about the world around us. I fell because I was running on a slippery floor. I hurt my foot because there was a lego on the floor. That stranger hit me because there is something wrong with him.

Dogs lack these reasoning skills but need to process many of the same situations. Instead of logic, they discriminate. Often they get things so uncannily right that we think they understand things the way we do. Sometimes, however, what they learn is perplexing to us. Perhaps a dog slips and falls, rather than reasoning that running on a slippery surface was unwise he might decide that the floor is unsafe in that area. He may become afraid of one piece of the floor as Kiko from Kikopup did (watch Emily Larlham fix this problem), or the entire floor texture. Or, commonly, you might give your dog a leash correction to teach him that pulling on leash is "wrong", but he may instead learn that when strange people or dogs are around on walks bad things happen. This can lead to "leash aggression".

Dogs have also been known to develop stressful associations to a certain color of shoe or hat, certain coats, bags, you name it.

Resources #

About Dogs and How They Learn /

Operant Conditioning 101

Operant Conditioning #

What is Operant Conditioning? #

Invented by B.F. Skinner in 1937, operant conditioning implies the voluntary behavior of the participant. This differ's from Pavlov's dogs drooling at a bell because operant behaviors aren't reflexive, they occur thanks to a cause-effect relationship.

The animal learns that when they do something, it has a consequence in that moment. It is important to note that they only learn direct effects, you can't train a behavior that happened four hours ago or even a minute ago.

What is reinforcement? #

You will see many dog trainers advertise as "Positive reinforcement only!" What does this really mean, though? When using operant conditioning terms, the answers may be different from what you think.

  • Positive=Adding something
  • Negative=Taking something away
  • Reinforcement=Goal of increasing the probability of a behavior occurring again
  • Punishment=Goal of decreasing the probability of a behavior occurring again
Please note that /r/dogtraining does not advocate the use of any aversive methods of training and these definitions are simply part of the original science behind conditioning.

Positive Reinforcement ("R+") #

To INCREASE a behaviour by ADDING something desirable to the situation. For example, positive reinforcement could be giving treats, toys, and praise for a preferred behavior.

Positive reinforcement is an efficient and pleasant way to teach behaviors, so if a problem can be framed as a positive reinforcement problem you are in great shape! (For example - instead of training your dog for jumping, reinforce your dog for all four feet on the floor before he jumps!)

Negative Reinforcement ("R-") #

To INCREASE a behaviour by REMOVING something undesirable from the situation. For a human example of negative reinforcement, when you forget to plug in your seat belt and the car starts beeping until you do so, you are more likely to fasten your seat belt as soon as you get in the car next time to make the beeping stop faster. Remember that buckling your seat belt is generally something you would do anyway so the negative reinforcement does not have to be significant. However, if you are using negative reinforcement to train a dog to stay instead of chase bunnies the unwanted stimulus probably would not be so benign.

Negative reinforcement can have a dark side, for example using a painful stimulus to force an animal to perform a behavior (at which point the behavior is rewarded by removing the pain) is negative reinforcement but has all the same fall out as positive punishment. If you find yourself using R- this way, it's a good idea to brainstorm new approaches to the problem. Often the line between negative reinforcement and positive punishment can be blurry.

Negative reinforcement can be useful in specific circumstances. For dogs who are aggressive to other dogs, for example you can reward them for calm behavior at a distance by removing the other dog from view. One method which takes advantage of this idea, among other things, is BAT, which is a method by Grisha Stewart for training fearful dogs. Of course, there is much discussion of the subtleties of where this method fits on the quadrants - skill and knowledge are required to implement it appropriately.

Despite its uses, negative reinforcement should not usually be your first choice. If you find yourself using negative reinforcement you may want to re-evaluate whether or not there is a more dog-friendly way to frame the problem.

Positive Punishment ("P+") #

To REDUCE behaviour by ADDING something undesirable to the situation. Positive punishment is used in many of the more 'traditional' forms of dog training. Alpha rolling, choke collars, and leash jerking are all examples of adding something to make a behavior less likely to occur again. Over time, these methods have been shown to make animals link people with the unpleasant situation instead of the dog's actions.

If you find yourself using positive punishment, it's a good idea to seek help from a qualified positive-reinforcement-based trainer or behaviorist. Remember, that dogs learn best by practicing so positive punishment sets your dog up to learn the wrong thing and then punish it. Ultimately, dogs do learn to avoid pain and fear, but these methods aren't dog friendly, and can have fallout.

Negative Punishment ("P-") #

To REDUCE behaviour by REMOVING something desirable from the situation. Some classic examples of negative punishment would be a time-out or when a parent takes away a screaming child's toy.

Negative Punishment can be useful, however it's rarely the most efficient way to get the behavior you desire. For example, if your puppy is nipping, walking away would be an example of negative punishment. Walking away may be the right thing to do in the situation, because it prevents your dog from self-reinforcing since biting is fun, however on it's own it's unlikely to stop the behavior. It's best, even in this case, to consider whether there are positive reinforcement methods which might be more efficient. See our puppy biting article for other ideas.

Negative Punishment can also be quite stressful depending on the dog and the desired resource you remove. For instance, if you make a habit of grabbing your dogs toys he may be more likely to develop guarding behavior.

What makes positive reinforcement work better than positive punishment? #

Let's say I hand you a bowl of ice cream. Every time you reach to eat it, I smack your hand. It gets to the point where you either walk away in disgust or want to hit me back. You are now left bored or angry, and with no alternative.

Now let's say every time you look away from the ice cream, I hand you a piece of chocolate. Not only are you happy about the chocolate, you're probably wanting more of it from me. You're also ignoring the ice cream. (See Emily Larlham apply this method to a dog here.) Do you feel better in this situation, or the one before? Do you learn what behaviour is a good one to engage in more effectively?
Most "problem behaviors" in dogs are inherently reinforcing. Peeing in the house gives them relief, digging in the trash is fun and satisfies the Seek and Chew hunting behaviors, and pulling on the leash gets access to delightful smells. Your job as a trainer is to first prevent self-reinforcing behaviors as much as possible by doing things like purchasing locking trash bins and crate training. Secondly, your goal is to provide better reinforcers, more often, for behaviors you prefer.

Reinforcement History #

As creatures learn, they develop a history of what they know works. In operant conditioning, this is called a reinforcement history. Every time something good happens, you are more likely to try it again.

When working with your dog, it is important to keep in mind what sort of reinforcement history he has. What behaviors has he done for weeks or years that are self-reinforcing? What have you purposefully or inadvertently taught him is a good thing to do?

If behaviour A results in pleasant outcomes twice as often as behaviour B, then you can expect behaviour A to happen twice as often too. Are you giving your dog a fair chance to earn good things by doing desired behaviours, so that they can have a much stronger and more frequent reinforcement history than the behaviours you're trying to avoid? (This is called Matching Law )

Reinforcement History Example: House Training #

Take two empty jars, and label one "House" and one "Outside." Every time your dog goes to the bathroom, place a marble in the appropriate jar. We are keeping a tally of where your dog has been reinforced for peeing (since relief is an important reinforcement!) Your goal is to add all the marbles to the "Outside" jar, because for every time that happens, it is more likely to happen again. Every time you reinforce using the bathroom outside with treats and praise (as well as the natural relief from eliminating), your dog is more likely to go outside again.

If you keep this up, you will have a visual understanding of your dogs reinforcement history. If there are few marbles in the "House" jar he is learning that "Outside" is the place to pee.

Extinction #

When a behavior stops getting reinforced, it eventually slows down and ceases. This process is called extinction.

Before extinction occurs, there is usually an extinction burst. This is the release of frustration when something that used to work all the time suddenly doesn't. If you step on an elevator and press the button, but nothing happens, do you get off and take the stairs? Of course not, you probably slam the button more often and harder and utter a few curse words before giving up and taking the stairs.

Extinction Burst Example : Crate Training #

Let's say your dog is used to whining to be let out of his crate in the morning. You usually respond to this whining, but today you decide not to respond to this whining. An extinction burst will occur. Louder whining, barking, clawing at the crate, and generally increased intensity. What happens if you reinforce this increased intensity?

You set a new, higher level of the undesired behavior. (Imagine if you pushed the elevator button harder and that worked. You'd quickly start pushing it hard every time.) This is useful when you want to train more intense behavior (come faster, jump higher, etc).

If instead you wait through it, and reward the dog when he calms down you will have succeeded in rewarding calm behavior. This may be a short and simple or a long stressful process depending on the dog and his reinforcement history. For this reason, pure extinction is rarely the best method - you will often succeed faster by actively teaching an alternative behaviour instead.

Resources #

About Dogs and How They Learn /

Classical Conditioning 101

Classical Conditioning #

This article is a stub for now. Please check the resources linked below, and come back later for more info!

External Resources #

Wiki articles utilising classical conditioning #

About Dogs and How They Learn /

r/dogtraining's stance on using shock/prong/pinch collars

On choke collars, e-collars, shock collars, etc #

Our stance #

/r/dogtraining doesn’t recommend or allow the recommendation of tools which use force, fear, pain or intimidation. Because of the inherent risks of using punishment-based tools and confrontation-based methods, even when applied with experience and skill, the majority of professional behaviourists and ethologists rarely advocate the use of these training tools or methods in behaviour modification training.

We believe that the welfare of dogs is best served when we use the least aversive methods available to us - not ones used to deliver pain, discomfort, or a startle. This may mean taking courses or seminars to increase your own knowledge base and skill level.

If you use prong, choke/slip, or ecollars (also called shock collars), we aren’t out to vilify you. Our intention isn't to oversimplify all training situations and lump their solutions under the positive reinforcement quadrant - training is rarely that straightforward. We do, however, ask that you consider more modern tools in a world that proves positive punishment tools irrelevant and less effective.

Please read on for more information, and follow some of the excellent links provided below.

We exclude these collars from our subreddit #

In /r/dogtraining, we focus on training methods that work well and don't have unwanted side effects. We exclude methods that use force, fear, pain, or intimidation.

This is why the prohibited content part of our sidebar includes, but is not limited to:

Prohibited methods and tools include shock collars, prong/pinch collars, choke collars, leash checks, spray bottles, spray collars, alpha rolls, hitting, and kicking.

Posts and comments that advocate those methods or any other aversives will be removed. Discussing methodologies and how they work is allowed, but suggesting a poster use those tools or methods is not.

Am I bribing my dog by using treats to train? #

No. You train using whatever reinforcements work - toys, attention, and most commonly food. Dogs work for what they like. By offering positive training you’re saying, “Do this and something good will happen (or the likelihood of something good happening is high)”. When you want a dog to repeat a behaviour more frequently, reward that behaviour in a way the dog sees as valuable. The list if valuable items is endless but some examples are meat, your dog's meals, a game of tug, chase (he chases you - never chase a dog), a quick game of fetch, and chest rubs. Food tends to be high value to the majority of dogs, but toys can be equally motivating. Find what your dog will work for.

We can teach you specific techniques that will use this principle to make your training effective.

What about remote interruption for distance, like for SAR dogs or hunting dogs? #

No. Expert Dog Trainer Robert Milner Says Heck No to Shock Collars
Trainer of dogs for hunting, rescue and explosive detection.

Robert Milner of Fetchpup.com, training for SAR and American and British fielding dogs:

When you apply a punishment, be it a jerk on the neck with a choke collar or a jolt of electricity from a shock collar, it decreases the preceding behavior and it increases the following behavior because it’s an escape mechanism for the dog,” he elaborated. “So when you zap a dog on the neck, it makes him want to leave and he will run away from that place. You’ve trained him to run away from you.”

With that in mind, the situation deteriorates for most gun dogs, according to Mr. Milner. “If you shock a dog with a bird in his mouth, his neck and jaw muscles contract, which causes him to clamp down or punch holes in the bird. Then the pain goes away. So chomping down on the bird is an escape response because chomping down on the bird turned off the pain.”

Blazing a New Trail: Training Gun Dogs

Here are some resources for hunting dogs that don't use these collars at all:
https://totallygundogs.com
https://www.forcefreegundog.com/podcast
https://www.gundogtrainersacademy.co.uk

Are P+ collars useful for herding dogs? #

No.

Tully Willams in Working Sheep Dogs: A Practical Guide to Breeding, Training and Handling:

Unfortunately, the use of electric collars seems to have become popular in recent years, with their ready availability. They are used by poor handlers as a substitute for sound training, and I would never rate any handler as a top handler who resorts to their use. As soon as a handler reaches for an electric collar, in my estimation they have failed. Personally, I have never used one and never will. A good handler has no need for one, and a poor handler doesn’t know enough to use one properly.

Are P+ collars useful for service dogs? #

No.

More frequent use of positive punishment was associated with veterans describing their bond with the dog as less close. As well, veterans who used positive punishment more often were more likely to describe the dog as showing signs of fear, making less eye contact, and being less trainable. (https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/fellow-creatures/201905/training-methods-affect-the-service-dog-veteran-relationship)

In some places it is the law that service dogs are trained without aversive methods.

Aren't all military dogs trained with choke and e-collars? #

No.

Before Sept. 11, 2001, Rolfe said Air Force security forces trained about 200 working dogs a year for the Defense Department. That number is up to more than 500, with the vast majority of dogs being trained as sentries and bomb-sniffers.

The 120-day program teaches the dogs basic obedience as well as more advanced skills, such as how to attack and how to sniff for specific substances. Rolfe said the initial training program, conducted by the 341st Training Squadron team, is based on "positive rewards" -- generally a ball or rubber toy rather than food. "We learned long ago that food works only so long. What the dog really wants you to do is play with it."

What about dogs traditionally reared for fighting or guarding like bully breeds or German Shepherds? #

No.

* Pitbulls.org stand on prong collars

Aggressive or so-called "Red zone" dogs? What about dogs with a bite history? #

No. In fact, applying pain, intimidation, or a startle to a dog beyond threshold is the opposite of what should be done. Behavioural science has repeatedly shown that suppressing behaviour, particularly through force, does not calm an aggressive dog. It merely suppresses the behaviour temporarily, out of fear. Startling through a shock or jerk with a collar that tightens suppresses behaviour, it doesn’t train a dog into willingly performing desirable behaviours for benefit.

Aren't e-collars the same thing as TENS units? Those are used on humans all the time with medical benefits #

It's actually a very commonly misleading marketing statement to claim that the collars are humane by comparing them to TENS. Superficially, the quantity of power output possible at the low levels of e-collars matches TENS units. But here are the differences:

  • you have control over the application of the TENS unit on you, even if someone else is holding the remote you expect to be able to provide feedback to stop its use or to inform them when something is going wrong, and they won't be surprising you with when it is triggered
  • you are aware that any pain you may experience will have long-term benefits and so you can choose to consent and brace yourself for the pain
  • the TENS unit must comply with medical device regulations, including having to be manufactured with serious risk assessment planning to prevent malfunction and misuse (ISO14971) and at minimum annual external auditing to ensure it is manufactured in a compliant way (ISO13485, MDR and so on)
  • even when the TENS unit is intended to be used for neck pain, the manuals explicitly warn against placing the electrodes at the front of the throat due to the risk of muscle spasms closing off the airway. By contrast, most e-collar manuals explicitly instruct you to place the electrodes at the front of the dog's neck, either straddling the trachea or directly next to it on one side.
  • if the TENS unit suddenly malfunctions and shocks you, you can rip it off your body to stop it - it's not strapped down and requiring someone else to unbuckle to get away from it
  • we don't use TENS units to train human toddlers, it's not considered humane to apply TENS unit stimulation for the direct purpose of changing their behaviour in that way

My collar doesn’t hurt the dog, it only uses citronella spray/beeping noise/ultrasound/vibration to correct behaviour #

If the dog doesn’t care about what the collar is doing, it will be ineffective. If he does care and tries to avoid it, that means the collar is causing discomfort, pain, fear or startle, just like the shock and choke collars do. Even if you think the discomfort is only mild (and people’s assessments on this can be frequently mistaken), you are still getting lots of bad side-effects.

Any exceptions? #

Yes! Vibrating collars can be great communication tools for deaf dogs if they are paired with other positive training techniques.

Alternatives to aversives #

We strongly recommend marker training combined with appropriate equipment.

Supporting literature #

  • Dog training methods: their use, effectiveness and interaction with behavior and welfare
    Authors: Hiby, E.F.; Rooney, N.J.; Bradshaw, J.W.S. Source: Animal Welfare, Volume 13, Number 1, February 2004 , pp. 63-69(7) Publisher: Universities Federation for Animal Welfare
    Abstract: Historically, pet dogs were trained using mainly negative reinforcement or punishment, but positive reinforcement using rewards has recently become more popular. The methods used may have different impacts on the dogs' welfare. We distributed a questionnaire to 364 dog owners in order to examine the relative effectiveness of different training methods and their effects upon a pet dog's behavior. When asked how they trained their dog on seven basic tasks, 66% reported using vocal punishment, 12% used physical punishment, 60% praise (social reward), 51% food rewards and 11% play. The owner's ratings for their dog's obedience during eight tasks correlated positively with the number of tasks which they trained using rewards (P<0.01), but not using punishment (P=0.5). When asked whether their dog exhibited any of 16 common problematic behaviors, the number of problems reported by the owners correlated with the number of tasks for which their dog was trained using punishment (P<0.001), but not using rewards (P=0.17). Exhibition of problematic behaviors may be indicative of compromised welfare, because such behaviors can be caused by—or result in—a state of anxiety and may lead to a dog being relinquished or abandoned. Because punishment was associated with an increased incidence of problematic behaviors, we conclude that it may represent a welfare concern without concurrent benefits in obedience. We suggest that positive training methods may be more useful to the pet-owning community.
  • From UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine

The Truth about Aggression and Dominance in Dogs - PDF
Avoid punishing unwanted behaviors Punishment-based techniques, such as leash corrections, alpha-rolling, shoulder jabs, verbal disrupters (such as ‘baaaaa’ and ‘tssssh’), and training discs/chains tossed at dogs, do not address the underlying motivation, require constant direction and force, and typically do no result in positive long term benefits. These types of punishments have been shown to actually increase aggressive behavior. Positive reinforcement training and behavior modification methods focus on changing the underlying emotion of the dog’s aggression, while promoting and rewarding desired behaviors

Weigh in from the experts #

AVSAB Position Statement on Training Methods
ESVCE Position statement on electric collars
BSAVA Position statement on aversive training methods
Dr. Patricia McConnell, PhD, CAAB: Simply Wrong

Dr. Karen L. Overall, MA, VMD, PhD, DACVB, CAAB: [Considerations for shock and ‘training’ collars: Concerns from and for the working dog community] (https://positively.com/files/JournalofVeterinaryBehavior2007-2-103-107_Considerations-for-shock-and-%E2%80%98training%E2%80%99-collars.pdf) - PDF

Dr. Sophia Yin, DVM, MS: Are electronic shock collars painful or just annoying to dogs

Pat Miller, CDBC, CPDT, BS: The Canine Shock Collar Debate

Dr. Peter Dobias, DVM: Choke and prong collars can irreversibly damage your dog

Dr. Susan G. Friedman, PH.D: What's Wrong With This Picture? Effectiveness Is Not Enough

Welfare Organisations Join Forces To Highlight Problems With Aversive Dog Training Techniques, UK

Canadian Veterinary Medical Association: Dog Aggression Treatment of aggression: "Avoidance of punishment-based training methods such as shock, prong, and choke collars, which have been shown to increase aggressive and fear-based behaviours over time."

Association of Pet Dog Trainers: Member/Certificant Announcement "These LIMA guidelines do not justify the use of aversive methods and tools including, but not limited to, the use of electronic, choke or prong collars, in lieu of other effective positive reinforcement interventions and strategies."

Association of Pet Dog Trainers Australia, Inc Collars - PDF

Humane Society of the United States: Dog collars: Which type is best for your dog?

Dog Welfare Campaign

The Pet Professional Guild: Open Letter On Why Changes are Needed The Use of Shock in Animal Training The Use of Choke and Prong Collars

Angelica Steinker, M.Ed., PDBC, CDBC, NADOI Endorsed, CAP2: The Problem with Shock

China L, Mills DS and Cooper JJ (2020) Efficacy of Dog Training With and Without Remote Electronic Collars vs. a Focus on Positive Reinforcement. Front. Vet. Sci. 7:508. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00508

About Dogs and How They Learn /

The problems with punishment

Many people come to our subreddit to ask "why is punishment bad?", or, alternately, "surely mild punishments are okay?" We ask that you thoroughly review the below list of problems with positive punishment, so that you understand why we do not recommend such methods and you can avoid creating unintentional problems in your own training.

The Classical Conditioning Problem #

Although most dog training involves the use of operant conditioning to change behaviour, it's important to think of classical conditioning as well.

Briefly: when a dog sees a pattern between -something- and -another thing that happens immediately after-, any subconscious response to the second thing will also be linked to the first thing.

The classic example is Pavlov's dogs (the experiment that started it all!). Dogs (and people) naturally salivate at the thought of food. Pavlov spent a short amount of time ringing a bell immediately before giving dogs their meal, and soon the dogs would salivate if he just rang the bell without showing them food.

The trick to understanding how classical conditioning (CC) happens every day, whether you realise it or not, is to understand that emotions such as fear and joy are also subconscious reactions, which produce a fast response in the brain and flush hormones into the body before the thinking part of the brain, the cortex, can start affecting them. This means that any pattern you set up that relates to the dog's emotions is subject to CC.

Whenever you train with positive reinforcement, you are using CC to link yourself to the joy the reward gives, to ensure that the dog starts to feel joy at your very presence. On the other hand, any time you use positive punishment, the potential pain you are causing, as well as any fear or anxiety, is similarly subject to CC. If you're lucky, and depending on the type of punishment you use, your dog will only feel anxious or worried at the sight of a particular piece of equipment or to a raised hand. Unfortunately, many people use many different kinds of punishment, and the most consistent element is the person's presence.

If I am trying to rehabilitate an anxious dog, I want my presence to be calming and relaxing; making my own presence anxiety-inducing is counterproductive. If I am trying to recall my dog, especially if it has or is about to get something nasty in its mouth, having the dog feel unsure about whether it will be punished tips the scales towards the dog staying away from me; this, too, is counterproductive. If the dog is aggressive, any addition of anxiety or worry about my presence will increase stimulation in the brain and make the dog more likely to react in a bad way; definitely counterproductive. The more you can minimise the CC of punishment, the better.

The Problem of Cue Poisoning #

Another thing that typically gets affected by CC is the cues themselves. Positive reinforcement trainers make use of the fact that, when the dog is succeeding at a behaviour, the cue for the behaviour itself becomes rewarding because of how reliably it predicts a reward. This means that, after a while, you can build very long chains of behaviours with a single external reward at the end. Such a strong chain is possible because you actually are rewarding in the middle without having to do anything - the opportunity to respond to a rewarding cue is the reward in and of itself for the previous cue.

However, a typical trainer that uses corrections will find it much harder to take advantage of this fact. By correcting a dog when it responds to a cue the wrong way, the cue is no longer a reliable predictor of rewards only. There is uncertainty introduced. You're undoing the CC you spent so long establishing, and you find it much harder to get your dog to do chains of behaviour without internal rewards. The cue is poisoned.

The Problem of Habituation #

Because punishment relies on being something the dog's brain wants to avoid, one of the ways the brain can respond is to actually reduce the amount to which it responds to its own nerve stimuli. This is the training equivalent of when you step into an almost unbearable hot bathtub, and after a few minutes it simply feels pleasantly warm - the water is just as hot, but your brain has had time to get used to the discomfort and has toned down the sensory nerve response. The effect is enhanced when the dog can predict a punishment is about to happen, and can steel itself against the feeling (prediction can happen from as little as a change of voice, change in pace when approaching the dog, a facial expression or an arm movement. We've deliberately bred dogs to be incredibly good at picking up on human body language, and here are the repercussions!). The effect is also enhanced if the dog is being punished to counteract a different, highly desirable behaviour that is never allowed, such as mating when on heat: at some point, frustration can build enough that the dog will choose to suffer the punishment and deal with it because the other behaviour is more important.

Correction trainers can often find that at certain points their standard level of punishment is not working, and need to give an increased level of punishment to elicit the same response (see the popularity of 'bump' controls that give the dog a shock a set number of levels above the current setting on electric shock collars). This means that, over time, punishment becomes less effective.

The Problem of Self-Reinforcement #

Finally, one of the biggest issues with punishment is that it often gives a fast, obvious reaction from the animal, and the satisfaction our brains feel when seeing that is often a highly satisfying reward in and of itself. Of course, the rule of positive reinforcement is that it causes the behaviour to happen more often! Every time you successfully use positive punishment, you are rewarding yourself for using it, and strengthening the neural pathways in your brain that start turning it into a habit. The more punishment you use, the more likely it is that your brain will default to punishment in future situations, even when a reward-based method would obviously be more effective in the long run.

Final Thoughts #

At some point, you may think it unavoidable to use some sort of aversive in your training. This choice, the level of aversive you choose to use, and the ethics behind doing so, are entirely up to you. Hopefully, by reading this article, you are both more informed about the situations you would consider appropriate for punishment, and also more understanding of why we do not allow the blithe recommending of positive punishment to people over the internet without extensive caveats such as these in every post mentioning them.

Resources #

Related Threads #

Training techniques /

Using a Reward Marker or Clicker Training

In order for training to be effective, you need a clear way of communicating to your dog. The use of a reward marker (such as a click the moment a desired behavior occurs) allows the trainer to reinforce a specific behavior the moment it happens, reducing confusion and frustration between the dog and their handler. Using a marker is a simple, yet effective technique to improve your training routine.

What is a Reward Marker? #

A reward marker is a consistent cue that tells the dog the exact moment he has performed a task correctly and has earned a treat. Think of using a marker like a camera; you want to capture the correct behavior so the dog has a clear picture of what is expected. If your mark is delayed and the dog has started to offer incorrect behavior (getting up from a sit, looking away from an attention cue, etc.), the image will be blurry and the behavior may not be consistent. When used correctly, this method builds a clear connection in your dog's mind between the cue, the action, and the reward.

Common reward markers include clicking using a tool (like a box clicker or a pen) or a special word like "Yes!" or "Yay!". Options like a hand signal or (with care) a positively conditioned vibrating collar can also be used as a means of reinforcing behavior in dogs with disabilities.

It is very strongly recommended that you do NOT use a laser or flashlight as a training tool for your dog. They can cause dogs to develop compulsive light/shadow chasing behaviours that are incredibly difficult to resolve. Example example example example

Benefits of Reward Markers #

Why bother with reward markers, when you can simply give your dog a treat for offering a correct behavior?

In, Don't Shoot the Dog, Karen Pryor described how reward markers came into use with dolphins. Dolphins display a wide array of jumps and spins - imagine if you wanted to reward a jump so that the dolphin would offer that behavior more often. So you wait until the dolphin does a jump and then you call him over and give him a fish. From the dolphin's perspective what earned the fish? Probably swimming over to you. So the trainers started using whistles - once the whistle was trained as a marker the trainers could whistle while the dolphin was in the air and the dolphin would understand what earned the treat. The trainers could even begin to pick out pieces of the jump - mark when the dolphin is highest to get higher jumps.

While dogs aren't in the water, the same issues apply. With reward markers you can train your dog to spin, stick out his tongue, blink, prance, target your hand and not have to worry about how you are going to deliver the treat to him while he is in the middle of these behaviors. In fact, reward markers are sometimes called "bridges" because they help dogs understand the connection between their actions and the reward that may come a few seconds later.

Choosing a Reward Marker #

Characteristics of a Good Reward Marker #

Easy to See/Hear/Feel #

If your dog does not receive clear feedback from the marker, it won't provide the necessary information to him. If he is unsure if something is a reward marker or not, he may not be sure how to respond and become distracted or frustrated. Fortunately, most dogs have far better hearing than their human trainers, so anything you can hear should work just fine. For dogs that are hearing or sight impaired, make sure that your marker is easily distinguishable for them (an obvious hand signal, a vibration strong enough to be noticeable, etc.)

Consistent #

The more concentration your dog spends deciphering the marker the less he'll be able to focus on training. Imagine a teacher walking around a classroom, praising the students. "Wonderful, GREAT job! FANTASTIC!!!!" is the praise she offers to each pupil, but when she reaches you, "good" is the only thing she says before moving on. You might get distracted wondering why you didn't get the enthusiastic feedback the rest of the class did. Did you do something wrong? Were you somehow a disappointment?

When your marker is inconsistent, a dog may not recognize it or find it reinforcing. No matter what you choose to use for your marker, make sure it is always the same in tone, volume and emotion.

Right for Your Dog #

Start with a marker that is your dog reacts neutrally towards. Many dogs, especially young puppies, can be afraid of box clickers making training punishing or stressful. Tone of voice and emotion with verbal markers are also an important consideration. Sounding 'stern' or 'forceful' can make your puppy feel like he is doing something wrong and will not be reinforcing.

Clickers with volume control, box clickers muted with your hand, or even the click of a ball point pen can be used as mechanical markers if a normal click is distressing to your dog. Verbal marks should be something you can reproduce consistently but is not negative in tone.

Once your dog has some success with your chosen marker marker, you can use it to condition markers which he was originally scared of.

Easy to Time #

Reward markers should tell the dog exactly when and what he did right; the better your timing with the marker the better and more consistent the dog will preform.

To test how accurate your timing is with your marker, try watching the weather report on your favorite news program. Every time the weather anchor points at the map, you should be able to mark that exact moment with your reward marker. Practice until you have perfect timing. If your marker is too difficult to use consistently with a high level of accuracy, try a new tool.

Distinct from Other Sounds in the Environment #

Your mark should be loud and clear enough that your dog will be able to hear and recognize it in a variety of environments. Make sure your marker can be clearly recognized in busy, loud, quiet, big or small environments. Pen clicks, for example, would not work well outside at a distance; your voice may not stand out in a crowded room; a subtle vibration may be mistaken for something in the environment.

Reserved only for Training #

If you frequently say "OK" or "Yes" in a similar tone in conversation, your dog may wonder why he is hearing his reward marker, but not being rewarded. If you use a vibrating collar outside of a reinforcing application (such as a signal for impending punishment) you could poison your dogs expectation of the cue. You don't want the marker to become background noise - be sure you are using a cue that is unique to your training practice and always means the same thing: a treat is coming because you did something right.

Examples of Reward Markers #

Clicker #

This is the preferred marker for many trainers due to its consistency and precision. Clickers are easily heard by most dogs, the sound is neutral and consistent, precise timing is easy with practice, and it is a recognizable sound unlikely to be confused with background noise.

For some dogs, especially puppies, a clicker can be too loud or scary for them. Muting the click with your hand, hiding it in a sock or your pocket, or getting a special clicker with volume control can help. You can also try a pen that clicks in/out for a quieter version, or making a click sound with your tongue. Be sure to mute the clicker when working in close proximity to your dog as not to hurt their delicate ears. When in large, open spaces (such as outside) you will need to leave the clicker un-muted for the dog to hear it clearly.

There are two main types of clickers: Box Clickers and Button Clickers. Some other variants are also available like ring clickers, clickers built into target sticks and so on.

Voice #

This is good to train even if you primarily use a clicker. It's useful because you will always have your voice with you. It's suggested that you choose a word which you don't often say to your dog so that the marker doesn't turn into background noise.

Your voice is easy to hear, however it may not be consistent or neutral in tone. It's also harder to time well and more likely to be ignored by your dog since you are always talking and rarely does he understand what you say. These are reasons that clickers have been shown to be about 30% faster in teaching behavior than voice. Even so, it's important to have voice in your toolbox, and if you prefer not to use a tool training purely with verbal markers is absolutely fine.

I suggest the word "Yay!" or "Yep!".

Whistle #

Has the benefit that you can hear it under water or over long distances.

Hand signal #

The main drawback of a hand signal such as a thumbs up is that is relies heavily on a dog looking at you while performing the behaviour. However a very subtle hand motion can be a powerful tool for using in the middle of e.g. an obedience competition without an outside observer realising that you have given your dog a marker.

Vibration #

Vibration collars and similar devices are used primarily for deaf dogs. Make sure you properly condition the vibration as a reward marker or the vibration will very likely be startling or aversive to the dog. See our section on training disabled dogs for more information.

NOTE: Using vibration as a marker is not to be confused with using vibration as a correction. Care should also be taken that the vibration is recognized as a positive marker which may require extra time and consideration than a traditional voice/click mark. If a collar is used, it should not have a shock or "electric stimulation" feature, and you may want to consider insulating it if it does to prevent accidental shocks which may be painful and derail training.

Conditioning a Reward Marker #

Dogs have a natural instinct to repeat behaviors or seek stimuli that are rewarding. Leverage that instinct by using your marker (click, voice, vibration, light, etc) and immediately rewarding the dog with treats, toys or attention. Your dog will quickly start to associate your mark with good things and respond appropriately. After proper conditioning, your dog will start to realize that his actions can impact the frequency of the click and will be encouraged to repeat behaviors in order to earn a click (and thus a reward). Eureka, your dog is operant!

The Rules of Reward Markers #

Rule 1: Mark exactly when the desired behavior occurs #

It's good to work on your timing to avoid confusing the animal. Have a friend bounce a ball and practice clicking when it hits the ground, or throw it and click at the high point. The more precise your clicks the quicker your dog will learn and with less frustration.

Rule 2: If you mark, you have to reward. No exceptions. #

Always. You will eventually want to put behaviors on variable rates of reinforcement (not reinforcing every time), but when you don't plan on reinforcing you should not click.

If you accidentally click a mistake, you've already reinforced the behavior by clicking. The dog is more likely to repeat what was clicked. Not feeding will only weaken the click so your dog is less likely to learn from it. That's ok, the weight of your correct clicks should override the accidental clicks. If you have too many misclicks in one session, cut it short and practice walking through your criteria without the dog. The worst that happens in clicker training is that you confuse the dog.

Rule 3: Don't move your feeding hand towards the food reward until after you've marked. #

If you start reaching for the treat before you click the dog will start watching your treat hand which will distract him from learning and listening for the click. Don't let watching the treat pouch provide the dog with any information about when the treat is coming, otherwise that will be his new favorite activity.

Resources #

Training techniques /

Luring

Luring is probably what most people think about when they think about positive reinforcement dog training. It's an intuitive training strategy - simply take something the dog desires, usually food or a toy, and use it as a lure for the dog to follow.

Problems with Luring #

What a bummer, why start with the problems?

Because, though luring is a method that we fully endorse - it's been known to cause frustration. It's important to understand what is causing that frustration.

Dog Doesn't Learn as Quickly #

Luring can cause a lot of frustration. That's because you will be able to get your dog to follow the lure before he has internalized, or possibly even noticed the behavior he is performing. It's like using a GPS navigator to get to a place you've never gone before in a strange town - you'll follow turn by turn, but you may not remember how to repeat those directions again.

Similarly, when a dog follows a lure he is likely to be focused almost completely on the treat, what the motion he is doing to get to the treat may become secondary concerns.

Prompt Dependency #

Even once the dog is able to complete the behavior, the treat will often become part of the cue. To us words have meanings. To dogs, words are only sounds humans make until we teach them otherwise. In fact, dogs learn more quickly with hand signals than with words, because hand signals are clearer to dogs. There is even new research suggesting that scent cues (sit when you smell vanilla, scratch when you find pot) are easier learned still. So remember - when you teach a dog to "sit" for a treat, you may think the most obvious cue is the word sit!, but to your dog, it's the treat. He may fail to notice what you think the cue is (the hand signal, or word) because he is only watching the treat.

You often hear the complaint, "he only does it when I have a treat!" Your dog isn't stubborn, the lure has just become part of the cue. He has no reinforcement history with this behavior when a treat isn't waived in front of his face, so it doesn't occur to him that you might actually want something from him. Consider the following fictionalized dialogue:

Dog: I learned something!!

You: Wonderful, what did you learn?

Dog: When you hold a delicious, tender, stinky, beautiful treat over my nose, I sit and you give it to me!

You: Good boy! And how about when I just say "sit!"

Dog: Huh?

Increased fear #

Never use luring to try to get a dog to approach something it would normally be afraid of or concerned about. This includes NOT handfeeding dogs that are scared of people! You are very likely to make the dog scared of the food, instead of the food decreasing the fear. The dog should always be relaxed about the context that the luring is happening in, throughout the entire planned range of motion, to ensure that the dog is in an optimal frame of mind for learning.

Alternatives to Luring #

Perhaps the simplest solution - instead of luring with food, teach the dog to touch your hand with his nose, or paw and then teach him to follow the target and use that instead of the lure.

This method will have the same benefits as luring, but since your hand or the prop is less intrinsically interesting you should be able to fade your target much faster than you could fade the lure.

When is luring the right thing to do? #

Ok, so I've been a bit down on luring -- luring isn't a bad method!

First, if you understand that you will need to have patience for the time it takes to fade the cue. If you use luring, you should understand that your dog isn't being stubborn, he has associated the food with the behavior rather than your hand movements or the word. That means, it's not fair to punish him for non compliance.

Reasons to consider luring #

  • the desired behaviour is one that involves natural body movement in a way that is easy to obtain while following a lure
  • you don't mind a bit of imprecision in the way that the dog moves towards the lure
  • you want the cue for the behaviour to involve a motion that is very similar to what the lure for the behaviour looks like (for example, a downwards hand motion for "down", and the lure is to move the treat down to the ground in your hand)

Resources #

Training techniques /

Free Shaping

What is Free Shaping? #

This method relies on your dog’s problem solving abilities to eventually form the desired behavior. Instead of using food lures to get your dog into position, you allow your dog to choose how to act or react and reward him for making the correct choices.

This type of training is progressive and will rely on teaching small 'steps' that build up to the end behavior. Only when you have reached the desired end behavior will you start to add verbal cues or gestures.

Benefits of Free Shaping #

Using this method can create a more reliable cue and a deeper understanding of what is expected. If you are always telling your dog the ‘answer’ to the training problem with luring, his understanding is limited to what you have told him to do. If, however, he is making his own choices and discovering on his own terms what will eventually get him a reward, that behavior will generally have that much more staying power.

In order to be successful with free shaping, you and your dog will need to be well versed in using a clicker or other reward marker to properly communicate to the dog what, exactly, he is doing correct, and what behaviors do not pay off. If you already have a well conditioned reward marker and know how to properly time a mark, this method is fantastic for teaching complex tricks or reliable obedience behaviors.

Getting Started and Example Exercises #

Free shaping is a little different than other training methods; the main difference is you do not want to encourage or interact with your dog to get him to start a behavior, instead, he needs to choose to do it on his own. You may praise and reward when he does what you want him to do, but while he is ‘problem solving’, you need to remain neutral.

One other consideration when using this method is your training needs to be progressive. Unlike luring, which gets your dog to the objective immediately, you will likely need to start molding a behavior with baby steps. Envision what you want the end behavior to be, exactly, and have that be your goal. Consider all the steps that will need to happen in order for your dog to reach that goal. Work with your dog by rewarding each progressive baby step until he eventually reaches the desired behavior. Only when your dog reaches the ‘goal’ will you start adding cues.

Example Exercise: Teaching ‘Leave It’ #

For this exercise you will need your clicker, a handful of stinky treats and a bag of your dog's favorite training treats. A leash is recommended for young or easily distracted dogs or for more advanced training where your dog could make a mistake without one.

  1. Start by sitting on the floor in a neutral position with the stinky treats in a closed fist. Rest your hand on your lap and ignore the dog. Your dog will likely mug your hand to get at the smelly treats.
  1. Your dog will likely discover that this is not getting him anywhere and may sit or lay down and look at your hand - click and reward him with a treat from your pouch (NOT your hand).
  1. Open your hand with the smelly treats ever so slightly to entice your puppy to try and get them again. Close your hand when he tries to mug again and wait.
  1. Once he has chosen to sit or down, again, click and reward from your pouch.
  1. Continue this exercise, slowly opening your hand more and more until you can open your hand completely and your dog does not react. Click and treat for each successful step.
  1. Once your dog is reliable as ignoring the treats with your hand completely open, start waiting until he makes eye contact with you before you click and reward.

Congratulations! You have taught a basic ‘leave it’ with free shaping! You can start adding your desired cue at this point. You can continue to build upon this behavior and add complexity by setting the food on the floor, adding distance between you, the dog, and a pile of food on the floor and, eventually, up to dropping food on the floor from standing. This is a valuable skill for your dog to have to prevent accidental ingestion of harmful objects and to have the ability to designate certain objects as off limits.

This KikoPup Video covers a very similar method of teaching ‘leave it’ with free shaping.

Example Exercise: Teaching ‘Go to Bed’ #

For this exercise you will need your clicker, a bag of your dog's favorite training treats, and your dog’s bed or mat. A leash is only necessary for young or easily distracted dogs to help keep them nearby and focused.

  1. Lay your dog's mat or bed in the middle of the floor and stand a few feet away. Your dog will likely run up to investigate what you put on the floor. Click and reward for every basic interaction with the mat such as sniffing or standing on it. If your dog happens to sit or lay down on the mat IMMEDIATELY with no previous training or cues - Jackpot! Give them 3-5 high value treats! Toss the treats on the mat at first to reinforce that this object is pretty cool.
  1. Once your dog has been rewarded 3 - 5 times for simply sniffing on the mat or bed, increase your criteria. Now, only click if your dog has at least one paw on the mat.
  1. Keep increasing your criteria as the dog starts to offer behaviors more reliably. After one foot, require 2, then all 4 feet. Remember not to reward if your dog sniffs the mat while not standing on it or not having the correct amount of feet (or more) on the mat.
  1. Once your dog is standing on the mat reliably, require him to sit on it. Do not cue or hint what he needs to do, just wait. When he sits or lays down for the first time, Jackpot!
  1. Once your dog is sitting or laying down on the mat with regularity, make them come to you to get the treat to reset the behavior. When they choose to go back to the mat to get more treats, that is when you can start adding the cue.

Congratulations! You have taught ‘go to bed’ with free shaping! Once you have the behavior on cue, you can start to add distance and complexity (such as moving the mat to different areas of the house or inside a crate). Using a meal as a reward for ‘go to bed’ will strengthen the cue very quickly and is a good, easy exercise to work into your daily routine. ‘Go to bed’ is valuable for putting your dog in his crate, building a positive association with his space and making bedtime a breeze, not a battle.

Example Exercise: Teaching ‘Heel’ #

For this exercise you will need your clicker and a bag of your dog's favorite training treats. A leash is only needed if you are working in an unsafe environment - ideally, you do not want to work with a leash when starting to teach this behavior.

  1. Start with your dog in a relatively confined low distraction area - you want to be the most interesting thing in this space. Start walking around in a large circle. You may need to wave your arms or make interesting noises, but do not call or command your dog, directly.
  1. Whenever your dog approaches your left side, click and treat at your left ankle. Your dog does not need to be in a prefect 'heel' position at this point, just within 3 or so feet of you and on your left side.
  1. Continue this exercise until your dog is following you, generally, at your left side with no additional encouragement. Click and treat whenever they are in the general position.
  1. Require your dog to be more and more on mark. If your dog is always 3 feet behind you, wait until he is 2 feet behind you. Continue to treat at your ankle (or knee if you have a tall dog) so they learn that treats come when they are in the correct 'position'.
  1. Your dog will pick up on the pattern and start following you in a correct heel position. Offer a Jackpot the first time they do this for the next one or two sessions to strongly reinforce their position. Add the cue at this point.

Congratulations! You have just taught your dog 'heel' with free shaping! At this point you can start to practice on leash, walking in weird patterns, adding starts and stops, and working in higher distraction environments. Be sure to ease your dog into this and lower your criteria when introducing the cue in new environments as your dog may become easily distracted and unfocused. Make sure you are setting him up for success.

Additonal Resources #

VIDEO Teaching ‘Crawl Under’ with Free Shaping
VIDEO Teach Your Dog to Put Their Toys Away
VIDEO Teach Your Dog to Open Their Crate Door

Using Free Shaping to Teach a New Behavior

Training techniques /

Nothing in Life is Free (NILIF)

NILIF #

NILIF stands for "Nothing In Life Is Free".

The purpose of NILIF #

When you live with an animal, there are training opportunities everywhere! And in many cases, you may want to teach your dog manners and how to behave politely without having to carry around a treat pouch 24/7. NILIF is a training strategy where you find things in your daily life that your dog finds reinforcing (attention, access to a new environment, a particular toy etc.), and use them to selectively reinforce particular behaviours that you like. Or, to flip it around, NILIF is when you observe what your dog wants at a given moment, and then make sure that your dog only gets what he wants when he does something you want first to earn it. With good observation skills and timing, NILIF can help you figure out more about your dog's motivators, improve your awareness of what behaviours you are reinforcing and allow you to train behaviours in a broad number of life situations.

You may have had NILIF recommended to you if: #

  • you are struggling to figure out what kinds of things motivate your dog to use in training other than food rewards
  • your dog isn't scared of you, but also doesn't seem to value your presence when you don't have food
  • your previous experience with training pets is primarily punishment-based, and you're looking for a positive reinforcement strategy that doesn't feel permissive and wishy-washy at first glance

Examples of what NILIF looks like #

  • your dog wants to go outside and is standing at the door
  • you notice him spontaneously give you eye contact after a few seconds of pawing at the door
  • you immediately open the door for him after the eye contact, thereby reinforcing the eye contact at the door behaviour instead of the pawing behaviour
  • your dog is pulling to greet a new person
  • you act like a tree (to stop her from progressing while pulling) and ask for a sit
  • when the dog sits you immediately take your dog to the person for a greeting, reinforcing the sit behaviour
  • you are holding a ball and he's excited about chasing it
  • you ask your dog to do a trick like "shake", expecting him to pick up his foot within 2 seconds. He doesn't react fast enough, so you take your hand away after 2 seconds, pause, and then ask again. The second time he does it in 1.6 seconds.
  • you throw the ball as soon as he shakes, to practice making the shake trick faster using a ball reward instead of food reward
  • you've filled your dog's dinner bowl with food
  • you ask your dog to sit and stay
  • as soon as your dog is calm and waiting, you put the bowl on the floor and tell her she can eat to encourage the impulse-control stay behaviour
  • you notice that your dog barked when you reached for the leash to take her on a walk yesterday, and today she barked again just before you reached for the leash
  • your awareness makes you consider that you could be reinforcing the barking behaviour by accident with the leash
  • next time, you keep your arm completely still and wait for the dog to be silent for several seconds before reaching for the leash to reinforce silence instead

Potential pitfalls of NILIF #

Like many things in life, NILIF can be very useful... if practiced in moderation. The biggest risk of NILIF is taking the "nothing" in the name too seriously. Although some structure and routine is beneficial to dogs, it's also important to remember that allowing an animal control over its environment is of key importance in animal welfare. An animal with control over its life will be less stressed, anxious, and frustrated.

If you are going to try NILIF, try to think of it as "my dog can get the good things he wants faster by making the right choices", and avoid tipping it over into "my dog gets nothing good all day unless he behaves exactly the way I have planned at every moment". Extreme NILIF feeds the human ego and can be very enticing to a control freak, and if that is you, you will need to guard against that pitfall.

Sometimes NILIF is claimed to be a way to show dominance over your dog. However dominance doesn't really work that way in dogs, so this supposition isn't supported by science. NILIF is also not a panacea for problem behaviours that have a deeper, emotional root cause, such as reactivity or aggression.

Examples of taking NILIF too far #

What's wrong with this picture? BAD examples of NILIF #

  • your dog is in his crate, and before you open the door to let him out you ask for a lie down. After you are done with the training session, you put him back into his crate, and he has to do another behaviour on cue when you decide to let him out again. In total your dog spends 18-20 hours per day in his crate.
  • You reserve all of your dog's meals as training rewards. She has to do one trick to earn one piece of kibble, for every piece of kibble, every single day. If she's not behaving as well as you like, you reduce her food ration to make her hungrier and keener tomorrow.
  • Your dog approaches you and leans in for a pat or a cuddle. You don't touch your dog until you've asked him to perform a behaviour for you - you never give out pats "for free".
  • Your dog sees something scary up ahead on the road and tries to back away. You tell your dog to sit and focus on you before you allow him to retreat away from the scary thing.
  • Your dog would really prefer to be walking on the grass, because the pavement is a little too hot today for his paws. You keep the leash short and only go to the grass after he has done a solid heel for 10 metres.

One of the biggest risks in taking NILIF too far is accidentally switching from positive reinforcement (adding a new good thing to your dog's environment to promote behaviour, such as adding food, adding toys, adding attention) and instead using negative reinforcement (promoting behaviour by taking away bad things, such as taking away hunger, reducing proximity to a fear trigger, or taking away a painful stimulus). Negative reinforcement isn't as bad as positive punishment, but it too has side-effects that positive reinforcement won't. Remember to analyse your training methods to minimise negative reinforcement as much as possible, as per the LIMA humane hierarchy guidelines.

Try to avoid frustration #

If you are expecting your dog to perform a particular behaviour to gain access to a resource, make sure it is a behaviour the dog already knows well and can perform easily! Both you and the dog will get stuck very fast if you expect him to do a trick that he's only half-learned or hasn't practiced enough to be fluent, or if it's physically difficult for your dog to do that particular behaviour at that moment.
Dogs that are prone to compulsive behaviours and/or hyperarousal can develop compulsive tendencies when NILIF is applied carelessly. An excited dog told to wait at the door before being allowed out to potty instead of rushing may start spinning on the spot or barking at the same time as waiting. Watch out for signs of stress and frustration in your dog and modify your training plain to minimise these occurring in the future.

For a smart, well-trained dog, repeatedly asking for simple behaviours may be so boring that it actually becomes aversive (sort of like asking someone to write their name and profusely praising them for their effort like a child when they already graduated high school!). If you have a clever, obedient dog and they don't seem to be responding as well as they used to, try upping the difficulty level by chaining several behaviours together and see if it makes it more fun and rewarding for them.

Suggestions and Alternatives for training with NILIF #

Contrafreeloading is when an animal is given free choice between easy access food, and food that requires effort to obtain... and willingly chooses the effort food instead of the easy food, because putting some effort in is more enjoyable. Research has shown that, surprisingly, this is a natural thing for animals to do! You can use contrafreeloading to your advantage: have a food bowl available next to you during training sessions, so that you can be sure your dog is working with you for the positive reinforcement and bond with you, instead of the negative reinforcement of fixing desperate hunger.

Instead of using NILIF, try the Smart x50 program linked in the resources. This involves counting out 50 treats at the start of the day (or 25, or 100, or whatever else you like - this is flexible!) and then your goal is to find enough things that your dog spontaneously does that you like to give her all those treats over the course of the day. It's a method that helps you recognise opportunities to reinforce your animal just as much, but with less risk of applying pressure and coercion than NILIF.

Resources #

Books: #

Web Resources #

Training techniques /

Training Basics

Video Introduction! Full overview of the training process from Training Positive

Capturing a Behavior #

Capturing is a method of training where we reward behavior which is already occurring so that it becomes more frequent or can be put on cue. It's that simple, but can be an effective way to train all sorts of behaviors. Does your dog bow (stretch) every time he gets up? What a cute behavior to capture!

Here is an example of capturing from the training sit page, and also for training "down".

A good way to get started is with Smart x50!

Shaping a Behavior #

Shaping can be used to train behaviors which are not yet occurring. In shaping, we keep the dog engaged in training and strive to use a high rate of reinforcement by taking the best approximations we are getting. As the dog begins to catch on, or experiment with varying his behavior - by rewarding only the best approximations the behavior should get better and better.

The go to bed behavior described in the target article is a good example of shaping. Also see free shaping.

Adding or Changing a Cue #

When to Add a Cue #

Add the cue when the dog is reliably offering the behavior without hesitation it's time to add the cue.

Adding the Cue #

Wait until you are sure the dog is going to perform the behavior, then give the cue as the behavior is beginning. Practice this about 10 times, and then start "backing up" the cue by saying it before the behavior begins. At this point, stop rewarding uncued performances, but give the cue frequently to avoid frustrating the dog. It's a good idea to start marking and rewarding your dog for "stationing" or just standing in front of you at this time. In other words, reward him for waiting for the cue.

Transferring a Cue #

It's useful to have multiple cues for the same behavior. Additionally, if you find your dog isn't listening perfectly to an old cue, one strategy for dealing with that is to change the cue and work on reinforcing the new cue more carefully.

To transfer a cue, give your new cue then immediately follow it with the old cue and reward when the dog performs the behavior. It's important that you give the new cue first because you are teaching the dog that the new cue means he is going to get the old cue. (If you say the old cue first he'll ignore the new one.) After about a minute of training new cue -> old cue -> behavior -> mark and reward, you are ready to move on.

The next step is saying the new cue, then pausing. If the dog even begins the behavior reward! If he doesn't after a few seconds help him out with the old cue. Aim to end on a high note!

Here is an article by Karen London containing a video of Laura M. Torelli demonstrating transferring a cue

Proofing for Distractions, adding Duration and Distance #

As an example, this section will discuss taking a trained "down" behavior and turning it into a solid stay behavior. Many trainers like to have the cue "down" mean for the dog to lie down and stay in that position until further instructions, but if you prefer - you can use another cue like "stay" to tell your dog when you'd like that behavior.

Everyone wants their dogs to pay attention to them, especially at times where distractions run high. It's no good if your dog will come running when called except when there is something more interesting going on. However, many people don't realize that working with distractions is a skill that needs to be trained in itself. What's more, training for distractions is the first step to adding duration to a behavior like "sit" or "stay" and even being able to cue the behavior and walk away.

It's a good idea to make at least a mental list of what things your dog barely notices, what things are low level distractions, medium distractions and what things are really high distractions which will command your dog's complete attention.

Step 1 : Train for baby distractions #

In this step you work on your dog's ability to perform under the tiniest of distractions. In this step we are trying to make it easy for your dog, because he doesn't yet have the concept that he is supposed to hold the behavior. So we are just adding in small movements so that he'll begin to see "ok, stuff is happening, no biggie I'm still following the cue."

In the case of our "down" example, cue the dog to lie down and then move an arm and mark and reward when the arm is moving, but while the dog is still lying down. If the dog gets up, cue the down again and make the distraction even smaller. Then move a leg, then shuffle feet. Basically try a variety of very tiny distractions. Work up to kicking your legs, shifting body weight. As the dog begins to understand you can slowly make the distractions bigger. Try spinning in a circle, or shifting weight backwards. Don't walk away yet, that's much too confusing of a distraction. If your dog isn't successful 70% of the time, make the distractions easier for him. You want him to succeed, because dogs remember what they practice.

Step 2 (where appropriate): Duration Training #

While duration may not be appropriate for all behaviors, it's a great idea to add it to sit, down, go to bed and others.

Now that you've worked on tiny distractions, your dog is beginning to understand that the wanted behavior is to stay put. Try waiting two seconds, if your dog stays down, mark and reward. Start slow to keep your dog successful - but also be unpredictable because you don't want your dog to anticipate when you will mark and reward. So try 1 second, 3 seconds, 1 second, 2 seconds, 1 second, 4 seconds, etc. Work up until your dog will stay for 10 seconds before moving on to adding distance.

Step 3 (where appropriate): Distance #

Now that your dog will stay in place for 10 seconds, it's a good time to start training him to stay even if you walk away. This is a huge distraction for a dog, remember usually when we pay attention to our dogs then walk away we want them to follow, so your dog may be confused at first. That's ok, make it easy. Take one foot and step backwards and mark and reward that immediately. Work up slowly to a full step. Then work up to rotating the other way, then rotating and one step. Go slowly and keep your dog successful. Err on the side of making the task too easy most of the time so that your dog remains engaged and also gets lots of reinforcements.

Step 4 : Ping Pong criteria #

Work on each of these criteria. Remember to give your dog some "easy wins". You would not want to be paid less as you got better at your job.

Step 5 : Climb the distraction ladder #

Start working on slightly larger distractions little by little, being sure to keep your dog successful. Work up to medium, then higher distractions until your dog can perform even with high distractions. The secret to success is not expecting too much too soon, and quitting while your dog is still doing well. When your dog performs at a level higher than he has before, it's time to give him a doggy jackpot and end the session!

Blog post - Distraction Intensity Index - Susan Garrett

Related Threads #

Training techniques /

Training Disabled Dogs

Training a Deaf Dog #

As with humans deaf dogs can communicate through sign language. As dogs react effectively to visual cues rather than verbal cues this is advantageous and helps with your training.

For training a deaf dog you will need some special tools:

  • A long line
  • Knowledge of the signs you intend to use
  • An ID tag with your dogs deaf status on in case something happens
  • A bell around your dog attached to the collar so you can hear him
  • Buckets of patience
  • GPS backups like WhistleGo are highly recommended

General Training Tips for Deaf Dogs #

  • Your dog will learn signs instead of learning verbal commands. Choose the signs you use carefully. Some of the signs used by deaf people are perfectly appropriate, while others may be less than clear for dogs - especially when the dogs are at a distance.
  • You should aim to teach your dog the basics such as sit, down, stay and come to begin with, always ensuring you use precise and exact signs to issue the command. You need lots of practice and self awareness to ensure that you do not deviate from your signs. (Although you can add a second sign for a command later on, if you wish.)
  • Keep your dog on leash when walking. If you start to work on recall using exaggerated hand signaling, recalling into a hand target, foot stamps etc. in your garden and you feel you are progressing then start to adventure outdoors with your dog on a long line. (See training equipment for information on long lines)
  • A frequently-used sign for 'good' is a hand flash, thumbs up or clapping hands. As your dog cannot hear your praise you need to give tasty treats after the hand signal so he knows when he has something right. It is NOT recommended to use a flashlight or a laser - it can cause them to develop compulsive chasing behaviours and deaf dogs can be particularly predisposed to this problem.
  • Training commands is just like training a hearing dog commands - you wouldn't introduce a cue until the behaviour was known anyway. You can lure or shape behaviours, then treat and introduce your hand sign, then remember to clap and treat when your dog has it right.
  • If you want to wake up a deaf dog do this by gently touching him on the shoulders or by wafting a smelly treat around his nose to slowly bring him to focus, do not let children or visitors wake your dog up or touch him while sleeping. Waking a deaf dog up can be very traumatic for them if done inappropriately.

Getting Your Deaf Dog's Attention #

  • If you want your dogs attention in the same room but he is not looking at you, thump or stamp on the floor and see if he is responsive.
  • If stamping does not work try waving or turn lights on and off.
  • To get your dog to turn around and face you when outside try throwing a ball or stone near your dog (not at your dog, though!!) or use a flash light turned on and off within his line of sight.
  • If you want to look into a vibrating collar please see the following website: http://deafdogs.org/training/vibratrain.php

Training a Blind Dog #

  • Obviously with blind dogs the advantages and disadvantages of training methods are entirely the opposite of a deaf dog. Many people find it easier to train a blind dog as the training methods are more 'primate' than canine, by using voice and touch rather than 'hands off' methods.
  • Training a blind dog commands can take longer than a deaf dog, as already mentioned dogs are more attuned to visual cues rather than verbal. You may need to use more luring to make use of their sense of smell in positioning their head/body.
  • Instead of using visual cues you use your voice and your hands to teach commands, such as touching the side of his hip for sit (as well as verbal sit), down is touching your palm on his nose etc.
  • You can use vibrating collars for blind dogs also, and as above please refer to the website for how to use these appropriately.
  • Whistle training and mastering a shepherds whistle can do wonders for when you are out and about, enabling you to give all your commands without using your voice (Please see whistle training under 'recall' in the wiki).

Resources: #

Building Block Behaviors /

Touch/Target

Teaching your dog to "touch" or target #

Targeting is simply the trained behavior of touching a target (a prop, your hand, an object) with a body part (like a nose or paw). It seems silly, but it's without a doubt one of the most useful foundation behaviors you can teach. Benefits of targeting:

  • Targeting can be used to move an animal around without force
  • Targeting can be used to teach an animal that your hands (or an object) is safe and fun, not scary
  • Targeting can allow you to train new behaviors quickly without luring
  • Targeting is valuable for teaching an animal to enjoy cooperating with veterinary visits or grooming

Teaching a Basic Nose Touch #

Place your palm (or the object you would like the dog to touch) a few inches in front of the dog's nose. Most dogs will sniff or touch it, mark and reward the sniff and take the prop (or your hand) away! Show your hand or the prop again to repeat for practice. Once the dog is intentionally touching the target, you can start varying the distance to teach him to follow the target. Now you have a way to call him back to you, to move him around and to teach new behaviors!

Some dogs may shy away from the target at first. If the dog won't touch your hand, or moves away from it then start at a greater distance and wait for him to look at it and mark and reward the look. Once the dog has learned to look at the prop, wait for more intent looks and any movement towards the prop. Continuously reward the best approximations that you are getting. You are shaping the behavior! Soon the dog should learn that the target isn't a threat - in fact, moving towards it means good things! So he'll begin to touch it purposefully.

Target Sticks #

Many trainers use sticks with targets on the end so that they can have the animal target further away than the trainer can reach. If you do not have a target stick, teaching the animal to target the end of an old spatula will do just fine. Target sticks make it easier to use targeting to teach a variety of new behaviors. It's also a good way to help puppies and shy older dogs learn that objects in their environment are fun, not scary.

Targeting objects on the floor #

Place an object on the floor, an old CD, a frisbee or a post-it note will do fine. If you want to get cute, an "easy button" or concierge bell is a fine choice too! Put the object right in front of you.

Start slow, mark and reward your animal for standing near the object - but throw the treat a little to the side. The dog will go retrieve the treat and then naturally walk back towards you and the object. Mark and reward him returning towards the object. You can change up where you place the treat so the dog gets reinforced for returning to the object from different angles, and occasionally feed near to the object so the dog notices it. When the dog steps on the object mark and reward that, but continue to reward any approach towards the object until he is regularly stepping on it. When you know that the dog is about to step on the object you can add a cue like "mark". Build duration and you can use the behavior to get your dog to stand in a specific place even at a distance.

Go To Bed #

It can be really useful to have a way to tell your dog to go lie on his bed. This may come in handy when you are eating, when guests visit or when you just need him out of your way for any reason.

Start training this behavior in much the same way as you would teach your dog to target an object on the floor (above.) Only, don't stop at teaching your dog to place on foot on the bed, reward one foot, then two feet, then four. Then wait slightly longer to reward. Then start waiting for him to offer a sit. Then a down. Increase criteria only gradually so the dog continues to earn treats. You may get to reward a sit and then have to reward standing on the bed a few times before you reward a second sit. Over time, the dog should be offering more sits, and then more downs.

When you have the dog reliably walking over to his bed and sitting it's time to add a cue.

From there work on rewarding him for staying on the bed as you move your hands and feet (only wait about half a second at first.) When the dog will stay for a second while you do the hokey-pokey, start waiting for 2 seconds before marking. Then ping pong. Maybe 1 second, then 3, then 2, then 4, then 1. If the dog gets up, have him go back to the bed and start over. Once you have a few seconds of duration, you can start adding distance a step at a time.

Back Paw Targeting #

Many dogs almost appear to be unaware that they have back feet so for many training them to offer behaviors with their back paws is a challenge. Start by putting a large target (which can be easily felt) behind the dog and click for bumping into it or stepping on it with the hind feet. Gradually shape the dog to stand on the object or to target it with his back paws.

Giving Paw #

One method of teaching a dog to give paw is to pick up his paw and mark and reward the contact. Make sure that the animal is ok with you reaching for his paw repeat about 10 or 20 times. Eventually you should start to see the dog make slight motions with his shoulder. Start to mark and reward those and then shape for larger motions until he is putting his paw in your hand.

Other Body Parts #

Be creative!

  • Teach your dog to target his cheek to a bottle of eye drops
  • Teach him to target his hip to your hand
  • Teach good stance by targeting all four feet to different targets
  • Teach your dog to place his chin on your knee
  • Teach your dog to target with his tail!

Using the Target to Teach other Behaviors #

Using a target is a good alternative to teaching behaviors using a lure and is much easier to fade. Simply use the target to guide the animal through the desired behavior the first few times, then slowly fade the target until it isn't needed.

  • Teach a dog to spin by first teaching him to follow a target stick, then leading him in a circle with it. After several repetitions, gradually move the target stick higher so it's further from the dog, until it's eventually he is not following it anymore. Then you can transfer the behavior to a different cue.
  • Teach a dog to go into a crate (or another new space) by having him follow a target in.
  • Teach a paw target to a post-it, then place the post-it on a light switch so the dog learns to flip the switch. After several repetitions you can get out the scissors and gradually cut away the post-it note so it's smaller and smaller until there is no post-it at all.
  • Here is Emily Larlham using target training to teach a dog to shake his head "No"

Applications to Veterinary Care and Grooming #

Teaching your dog to target a bottle of eye drops or ear cleaning solution before he gets sick is an excellent idea! If your dog is unsure about the nail clippers teach him to paw-target them before you clip. Teaching a dog to hip target may help you get him into position for vaccinations. Consider the following veterinary/grooming applications:

  • Have a mat for your dog to "Go to bed!" where he feels safe during vet visits and trips to strange places
  • Teach your dog to give his paws on cue for trimming, grooming or examining.
  • Teach your dog to target eye or ear drops with the side of his head
  • Teach your dog to offer his bum for vaccinations
  • Use your hand target behavior to move your dog where he needs to go during his appointments
  • Use a combination of targeting behaviors to give your dog an incompatible behavior so he doesn't get into fights at the vets. ("Go to bed" gives him a place to lie, simple target can redirect his focus, floor target can keep him engaged.)

See our wiki article on vet/grooming training for more ideas..

Resources #


* kikopup "touch" tutorial - Emily Larlham
Building Block Behaviors /

Sit

Teaching your dog to sit #

Sitting is an important foundation behavior. It's incompatible with many undesired behaviors (jumping, digging, countersurfing, etc) so you can use "sit!" to keep your dog out of trouble. You can also teach your dog to sit automatically when he wants something, rather than pawing or jumping at you.

First, determine if sitting is comfortable or possible for your dog #

For the majority of dogs sitting is a very natural and relaxed posed, but for some dogs the sit position is uncomfortable or painful. Watch your dog, does he ever sit on his own? If he doesn't, this may mean that you should pick a different behavior to use in place of sit, like lie down or a nose touch. Commonly Greyhounds, especially recently retired racing greyhounds, may feel uncomfortable sitting. Other large breed dogs may need to sit on a thigh for comfort or may sit without touching their rears to the ground.

Teaching a sit on cue #

Method 1: Capturing a sit #

Since sitting is a behavior that most dogs do on their own, one method of teaching sit just requires some patience.

  1. Wait for your dog to sit on his own.
  2. Mark the moment his behind touches the ground
  3. Toss the treat so that he has to get up to get it, then repeat from 1.

Once your dog has figured out that sitting will earn the reward, add the cue "sit" just before he sits.

Method 2: Luring the sit #

You can lure the dog into a sit position by holding a treat in front of his nose and then moving it until it is over his head. Most dogs will sit because it helps them extend their necks towards the treat. You can then mark and reward the dog for sitting. Luring can be a really useful start, but be sure to fade the lure after at most three repetitions or the dog may become "prompt dependent."

Sit as a default behavior #

Sitting on cue is excellent, but sometimes we want our dogs to behave without being cued. You can train your dog to offer a default sit to "ask permission" for things he wants, rather than jumping or other behaviors you might not want.

To do this, hold a treat where your dog can see it and wait for him to sit. It can help to teach this behavior immediately after practicing his sit cue, but don't cue sit during this exercise. When the dog sits, mark it and give him the treat. Once he is sitting, you can also work towards a sit + eye contact. Then work on this behavior with other rewards, like chew toys, balls, frisbees, meeting new people, meeting new dogs, etc.

Adding duration and distractions #

Many people like to add a "stay" cue to tell your dog to hold the sit (or down position), it's also fine to have the cue sit mean "sit until you are released". Either way, you'll want to work on adding duration.

  1. First have your dog sit and add tiny distractions before you mark and treat the behavior. Shift your body weight, move your feet, rock slightly backwards. Mark while the dog's butt remains planted on the ground. If the dog gets up silently wait a few seconds cue the sit again and start over.
  2. Once the dog can deal with tiny distractions, make them bigger. Dance, jump, spin! Work up slowly, and if your dog isn't about 80% successful, make the task easier.
  3. Now start adding duration. Wait a little longer before marking, but be sure to vary the time you wait so the dog doesn't anticipate the end of the behavior.
  4. Work on increasing distractions and duration.
  5. Now work on the biggest distraction yet, adding distance! Walk a step away, then walk back mark and reward. Work up to being able to walk away and have your dog maintain the sit.

Now you have a super sitter!

Potential applications of sit #

Sit is a wonderful behavior because it is incompatible with many unwanted behaviors. Cuing a sit is a great way to tell your dog what you would like him to do and thus prevent him from practicing behaviors which you do not want.

  • Sit while meeting new people (prevents jumping.)
  • Sit while you open the door (prevents rushing outside)
  • Sit while you prepare food (prevents counter surfing)
  • Sit while you lower the food bowl (prevents jumping and teaches impulse control)
  • Sit at the vet keeps the dog still while he is examined
Building Block Behaviors /

Eye Contact and Teaching Fido his Name

The Name Game (or eye contact on cue) #

It's probably obvious that getting your dog's attention is a useful first step in getting him to listen to other cues.

If your dog knows his name and is excited to hear it, he'll be more easy to call back to you. And greeting him with his name will get your reliable eye contact as well as start the dog off with an easy cue that he loves. If you have made a big habit of yelling at your dog using his name "FIDO GET OUT OF THE TRASH!", it may not be an entirely positive cue so you may want to pick a nickname or use "look at me". It's a good idea to teach your dog to respond to all the pet names you call him. It won't confuse him to have several names.

Teaching the Name #

Step 1: Positively Condition the name. #

Say the name then immediately mark and drop a treat. You aren't waiting for any specific behavior from the dog, right now you are just teaching him that his name is special. Do this at least 10 times, maybe 20.

Step 2: Wait for some small response #

By now your dog should have caught on that his name is very special indeed. I bet if you say his name and wait a second you'll see him look up at you, or move his head a little. Mark that!

Step 3: Shape towards eye contact #

Start looking for bigger and more pronounced recognition of the name. At first take any look in your general direction, but as you practice only reward the best 80% of responses. Slowly your dog should look more and more at your face. Note that it helps not to be fidgeting with the treat pouch until after you've marked the behavior that you want.

Step 4: Generalize to more locations #

Practice in increasingly distracting environments until you have a way of getting your dog's attention anywhere. When you move to more exciting places, use higher value treats and expect to have to do a little bit of retraining.

Default Eye Contact #

Eye contact is almost always a desirable behavior - if you make a habit of rewarding eye contact frequently (even when it isn't cued), you may find that you have a dog who frequently checks in with you. This can be really helpful on walks or in new environments.

Uses: #

  • Recall: Say your dog's name and then follow that with a hand touch for an easy recall. Practice with a friend calling your dog back and forth this way. (Remember that it's especially important to practice recalls with high value treats since we want that behavior to be well reinforced when we need it!
  • Get your dog's attention when you aren't sure how he'll respond to something in the environment.
  • Cue attention before you cue anything else - it's easier for your dog to look at you than it is for him to perform other behaviors in distracting environments. Sometimes once he is looking at you, you magically become more important than all the other things going on around. (I said, sometimes!)
Building Block Behaviors /

Down

Teaching your dog to lie down on cue is very useful.

Training a Down Using a Target #

  • Prerequisites: First teach your dog to hand target and also to sit and a reward marker
  • Now that you have those two foundation behaviors, cue your dog to sit and practice some hand targets in the sit position. Make sure the targets are close enough to his nose that he doesn't need to get up. If he does get up, don't mark the target. Just have him sit and start again.
  • Now practice targeting in the sit position, just below his nose. Mark the touch and feed at the level the dog touched.
  • Very gradually, continue to place your hand target lower and lower and wait for the dog to touch it. Again, don't mark when he picks his butt off the ground.
  • Eventually, you should be able to work your way to the down position!
  • Next step is fading the hand target, slowly reduce the number of increments you use to target him down until you only need one. Then work to have the target hand farther away so he follows but doesn't touch it.
  • Over time, you should be able to use a down ward motion from a stand position to cue the down.

Training a Down Using Capturing #

  • Prerequisites: a reward marker
  • Most easily done when you are sitting and relaxing and your dog is well exercised and ready for some down time.
  • Mark the moment your dog lies down and toss the treat so he has to get up to get it.
  • Repeat.
  • When the dog is lying down predictably as often as he can, you are ready to add a cue!

Training a Down Using Luring #

  • Prerequisites: a reward marker is ideal, but not essential. Training sit first is recommended.
  • Have your dog sit, or lure him into a sit position by holding a treat food above his head.
  • Once your dog is sitting, draw his head down and slightly forward with the food lure.
  • When he is in the down position give him the food (marking before feeding will be helpful if you do that.)
  • Try to make the treat less obvious and fade it quickly. Prompt dependency is a real drawback of lure training.

Proofing the Down for Distractions, Duration and Distance #

Once your dog will perform "down" on cue, you will want to work on his ability to do this in different environments, and his ability to stay down even with distractions, increase the duration he'll stay down for and teach him to remain in position even when you walk away unless he is released.

Troubleshooting #

Video - Troubleshooting the Down - Kikopup

Building Block Behaviors /

Recall

Recall: teaching your dog to come when called #

Web resources #

DVD #

Whistle training #

Using a whistle for recall has many advantages:

  • The sound carries longer than your voice
  • The whistle is more consistent than your voice and does not change
  • Your dog is more likely to listen to a startling whistle than your voice which he hears every day

In order to whistle train it is easiest if you already have a recall word that your dog will respond to.

In order to teach anything with a whistle the procedure is thus:

  • Whistle
  • Say command
  • Treat when the dog performs command.
  • Do this a dozen times during a day and your dog should learn to expect the command after that particular whistle tone, you can then drop your command and use the whistle only.

Make sure you think about what you want to do with your whistle before you begin whistle training. If you want to teach multiple commands with different sounds then you need to figure out which sounds go to which commands, ensuring they are not too similar or containing the same sounds.

Before you start using your whistle with your dog around practice in your car so you can perform the same sound each time.

There are many types of whistles on the market:

  • Acme whistles are a particular favourite with many. They are cheap, plastic and have their own sound depending on which frequency you pick. If you have friends who whistle train ask them which they have

(210.5, 211.5 etc) and get a different one to avoid confusing your dog.

  • Silent whistles. While these have the obvious advantage of you not deafening your eardrums, it can be difficult to know if you are replicating the exact same sound each time.
  • Shepherd's/mouth whistle. These can be quite hard to master just like an instrument. If you master this however you can get more sounds from it than a simple whistle.

General recall tips #

  • Try not to go towards your dog when working on recall. If you go in the same direction as your dog this is less likely to make them want to come to you.
  • Try running backwards.
  • Clap your hands while shouting your recall word in an excited, hyperactive voice. (Remember: Dogs respond well to high pitch noise)
  • In the beginning, always treat your dog for coming when called, occasionally if he does a great recall e.g. from a new distance, give him a 'jackpot' treat as a reinforcer
  • Don't call your dog just to end his fun. If you do this it decreases the chance he/she will want to come back to you when called. Instead, recall often and treat without putting on the lead or ending the fun.
  • When recalling your dog, if your dog is toy motivated, have a special toy you only play with when he comes back. If you were recalling to leave a place make sure you play first so he doesn't connect his action of coming back with you ending the fun and leading him away.
  • Start recall training as soon as possible, especially with a puppy, the younger you start the better this behaviour will become. Puppies do not stray too far, and are more receptive to recalling so get this behaviour instilled before adolescence hits.
  • If you have a chance to recall from a 'hidden' spot then take it - this will reinforce in your dog that they need to pay attention to you. If your dog is out of sight hide behind a tree and use your command, they should come running to look for you.
  • Never scold your dog when he comes back to you, this will make it less likely that they will recall in the future.
  • If you're not too confident use a long line (see equipment list on the wiki) or start off in an enclosed space such as a tennis court.
  • Some people find it useful to run away from their dog, many dogs respond to this by giving chase, but this depends on the distractions that are present.
  • It is often helpful to walk with a dog who has great recall, this will help your dog get into the habit of listening and coming back.
  • Always keep a look out for things your dog may run towards and recall before he or she spots them. If your dog is in the habit of running towards other dogs or anything else then the more this behaviour is practiced the harder it will be to break.
  • Be consistent with your recall word, as with any other command, if you start off by saying 'here here here' you may find you cannot just say 'here' to get a response so think about this carefully.
  • If your dog is not in danger and you are in a safe space do not go to collect your dog, carry on walking and with any luck he should notice your absence or lack of attention and want to come back when called. If you get into the habit of collecting your dog many dogs will get into the habit of ignoring you as they know you will come get them eventually.
  • Do not use your recall word over and over if it is being ignored, this teaches your dog to ignore you. Use your word once, and if you do not get a response don't repeat it straight away, walk on a little (if in an appropriate setting) and retry it 10-20 seconds later in a more excited voice. It could be that your dog was busy sniffing something, and not all senses work at the same time. Try not to be annoyed with your dog is he is 'deaf' at that point in time, try again when he is not so distracted and work your way up with distractions as with any other behaviour.
Building Block Behaviors /

Stay and the Release Word

Stay #

This page is a stub for now. Please check the linked resources as a starting point and check back later for more info!

Resources #

Building Block Behaviors /

Leave It

This is an important survival behavior for your dog! The world is full of sharp, poisonous and otherwise dangerous objects that we don't want our dogs to eat. It's also full of food that we'd like to eat ourselves, thanks. Unfortunately, your dog isn't born knowing the difference between what he can eat and what he can't, so it's up to you to teach him to take your word for it.

Training Leave It! #

Important if your dog is food aggressive when you are holding food, or he may bite you to take food from your hand, remedial training is needed before you attempt this exercise! See guarding instead!
  • Hold a high value treat in your fist and present your fist to the dog and let him sniff and lick it.
  • Wait for the tiniest motion of your dog's head away from your hand and mark and reward it with a different treat. You are not looking for a miracle, you are looking for the closest thing to motion away that is within what the dog is offering. If it's just to catch his breath from licking, take it!
  • As you continue to reward these tiny motions away from the food in your fist, your dog should eventually offer slightly larger motions away, or even not go for your fist at all. Mark and reward!!
  • Once your dog is reliably leaving food in your hand, add the "leave it!" cue by saying "leave it" just before you put out your hand.
  • Now change up the activity, have the food in your open hand, on the floor, etc. If the food is on the floor, you may want to use a leash to prevent your dog from getting the food, but avoid your dog jerking to the end of the leash since that will make the "leave it!" cue less appealing to him. It's best to work on the food on the floor exercise after the dog has already mastered food in your hand.
  • Tip: Make the exercise easy for your dog, especially at first. You want him on a high rate of reinforcement, especially at first so that he is thinking "whoa, leaving food is AWESOME!". Aim for 10 reinforcements a minute or higher at first. Of course, once your dog knows the behavior you will need fewer reinforcements to maintain the behavior.

Resources #

Youtube #

Building Block Behaviors /

Drop it

Sometimes we need to take things away from our dogs. Teaching a strong drop cue can make this safe and easy.

Teaching Drop #

Method 1: Make it easy #

Chirag Patel's method of teaching drop as seen in this highly recommended video is highly effective at teaching a solid drop cue and is easy for both you and your dog!

Outlined here:

Step 1: Start When Your Dog's Mouth is Empty! #

Say "Drop!" and then toss treats on the floor. Focus on saying the cue then reaching for the treats and dropping them. You are building a positive association with the word as well as a reflexive behavior of looking for treats on the floor. Eventually, the dog will spit out whatever is in his mouth in favor of the treats on the floor - but step 1 makes it easy for him, because he has nothing in his mouth.

Remember to sometimes point out the treats to your dog by touching them with your hand. This way he'll be used to your hands being around and they won't be a source of stress when you are taking away an item he might want to guard.

Step 2: Practice Step 1 MORE! #

Try step 1 in many different locations, and when you are doing a variety of activities. You want to see your dog immediately start looking for treats in any situation where you give the cue.

Step 3: Add in a Boring Object #

Place an object on the floor. Give your drop cue the instant your dog looks at the object. This should be an easy transition, because your dog doesn't want to pick up the new object anyway - but it's a step towards more interesting objects.

Step 4: Add in a Medium Value Object #

Choose an object which your dog would like to chew, but which is less valuable than the treats you are using. Give the object to your dog, then give your drop cue and scatter treats on the floor as before (whether or not your dog drops the item.)

If your dog isn't instantly spitting out the item, either make the treats more exciting or move to a lower value object. You may reward with toys instead of treats if your dog is toy motivated.

Most of the time, let your dog go back to the object after the cue. Sometimes pick the object up, ask for a sit and then give it back.

Perfecting the Behavior #

Work slowly towards higher value objects and practice in many different environments.

Method 2: Capture #

Resources #

Manners and Everyday Life /

Puppy Socialization

Socialisation is NOT just "meeting and playing with dogs". "Socialisation" is an entire process and involves a multitude of non-other-dog-related things and activities.

Socializing Your Puppy #

When your puppy is a tiny baby, they open their eyes and start learning about the world around them. Every time they have a NEUTRAL or POSITIVE experience with something new they encounter (scent, sight, touch, smell, etc.), they file it away in their mental library as "Ok, this is a thing." This is how puppies benchmark what "normal life" is.

Starting from 12 weeks of age, puppies rapidly stop adding to this special library of memories, and by 14 weeks it's mostly shut. Instead, when they encounter something new, they will begin to CHECK against their memories to see if they have encountered something similar previously. If they haven't, puppies will assume the new thing/experience is scary by default. (This is called neophobia.)

The process called socialisation is taking advantage of the early 12+ week window to give your puppy as many broad neutral experiences as possible, to fill their mental library and not leave any gaps. This will drastically reduce the chance of your puppy developing fear or reactivity as a teenager or adult, which can be very difficult and lengthy to fix through active counterconditioning.

How not to socialise #

Socialisation experiences must be NEUTRAL or POSITIVE. This means not carrying or pushing or pulling your puppy towards the new, potentially scary thing. Instead, allow them to calmly observe the new thing/situation on their own terms and make their own decision whether they'd like to investigate further. Support your puppy with relaxed praise and treats for having the interaction/observation at whatever distance they are fully comfortable at. Do not set up habits that you won't want in the future (e.g. if you don't want your puppy pulling you to meet and play with every dog in the street for the rest of its life, make sure that during socialisation you spend at least 60% of the time just observing other dogs passing by and rewarding your puppy for being relaxed and staying with you. If you don't want them chasing birds, ensure that their very first encounters with birds are managed so that a chasing game can't start, with leashes or barriers as appropriate.)

What about waiting to finish all the vaccines before going outside? #

Parvovirus has very low prevalence in many developed/urban areas where vaccination rates are high, can be easily prevented by organising playdates with vaccinated dogs and carrying puppy to safe locations instead of taking your young puppy on walks along public footpaths, to dog parks or pet stores, and can often be survived if caught early enough by Tamiflu so is no longer a death sentence. On the other hand, missing out on the critical socialisation window predisposes your dog to developing lifelong reactivity and hence increased risk of surrender and/or euthanasia due to behaviour problems. The most up to date veterinary advice these days is to prioritise socialisation and NOT shut puppies inside until all shots are done. See AVSAB position statement in resources below. Talk to your vet about the actual risk of parvo in your local area, and if they do recommend keeping your puppy off the ground you will need to plan extra effort into conducting the below activities/checklists without delay while working with that restriction.

Resources #

Articles #

Books #

Other #

Manners and Everyday Life /

House Training

Teaching a dog or puppy to urinate and defecate outdoors is a matter of consistently creating and reinforcing good habits, and consistently preventing bad habits from forming. The two main components of a solid house training plan are reinforcement and management.

Health Note #

If a dog who was previously housetrained suddenly starts eliminating inappropriately, or a puppy is harder than expected to train the culprit might be medical. Talk to your vet to rule out UTIs and other problems which may manifest as a sudden, urgent need to eliminate.
We do not recommend withholding water. Although this is a common suggestion online, note that free access to water is a baseline minimum requirement for animal welfare in most countries. Do not withhold water from your puppy for the purposes of training. If you think your puppy is drinking unreasonably large quantities of water, talk to your vet before restricting water.

Reinforcement #

Reinforce the behavior you like. Every time your dog pees or poops in an appropriate spot, respond with gentle praise. If you give a food reward as well, give it when the dog finishes. Giving a food reward when the dog starts to go will likely interrupt him.

This reinforcement is the meat of the housetraining. All other components of housetraining exist to facilitate this reinforcement step, to set up and reinforce success frequently and consistently.

Prevention and Management #


Manage your dog and his environment to prevent accidents. This prevention, in combination with reinforcing him for going outdoors, will build healthy bathroom habits that persist even when you aren't home to supervise.

Schedule #

Take your dog outside on a schedule. Dogs love predictability. Plan bathroom breaks strategically throughout the day. An adult dog will need to go out (at least):
  • First thing in the morning
  • Around mealtimes
  • Last thing before bedtime
  • additional bathroom breaks, depending on your schedule. Plan on taking your dog outside at least every 4 hours during the day.

For a younger puppy, note that puppies have less physical control over their bladders and bowels than adult dogs do. A puppy cannot physically "hold it" for very long. For very young puppies, assume that he can't last about his age in months, plus one, hours between bathroom breaks if you're lucky. So for example, a 2 month old puppy needs to go out at least every three hours.

Confinement #


Dogs naturally do not soil their beds, which makes crate training a valuable housetraining tool. Whenever you cannot supervise your dog, put him in his crate or a small playpen to prevent accidents. A dog should not be left in a crate longer than a few hours at a stretch (less for puppies). Leaving him with something to chew on in his crate will make it a more pleasant experience.
Note that puppies/dogs that already have practised soiling their beds due to past circumstances (puppy mill dogs, petshop puppies, shelter puppies etc.) can no longer be trusted to act on this instinct by default and require far more intensive supervision and more frequent preventative bathroom trips.

Supervision #


Watch your dog like a hawk. Until he consistently pees and poops outdoors, he should be either supervised or in his crate at all times.

If you notice him acting like he needs to go out, take him out immediately to prevent an accident indoors. Keep the leash and shoes handy at the door so you can go out quickly. Possible signs that he needs to go out include:
  • pacing
  • waddling around with his nose to the floor
  • walking back and forth or circling in place
  • whining or sniffing/pawing at the door (not all dogs will do this naturally)

Some people choose to tether their dogs to their belts as a compromise between supervision and confinement, so the dog can be left out of the crate without being able to wander off unsupervised.

Tips #


Give it a verbal cue #


When you see that your dog is about to pee or poop outside, say your verbal cue, like "go potty" or "hurry up". He will start to associate the command with going to the bathroom. If you have a command conditioned like this, you can encourage him to go in the correct areas quickly.

Cleaning up accidents #


Clean up accidents thoroughly. Use an enzymatic cleaner like Nature's Miracle to get all the trace scents out. Soap and water won't cut it - any trace smell of an old accident will draw your dog back to that same spot again. Vinegar or baking soda won't cut it, and mixing the two together makes them useless. Ammonia makes things worse - urine contains ammonia, so if you use ammonia to clean you will make that area smell more like a toilet spot.

Responding to accidents #

If you see him have an accident indoors, immediately take him outside and encourage him to go there, and reward him if he does. Make a note to yourself of what caused the accident, and try to avoid that problem in the future.

If you find an old accident, clean it up well and move on. There's nothing you can do at that point, from a training perspective.

Whether or not you catch him "in the act," avoid scolding or punishing your dog for accidents. He will associate punishment with peeing near the human, not with peeing indoors. If he is punished, he will start to sneak off to pee where you can't see, and he will be less comfortable peeing in your presence outdoors (making things even harder). The last thing you want is a dog that hides behind couches or inside shoes because he's worried you'll get angry if you see it!

Getting your dog to communicate #


Some people like their dogs to bark when they need to go out. Others like their dogs to sit at the door, or ring bells hanging from the doorknob. Whatever it is that you want your dog to do, start teaching him that approximations of that behavior will make you take him outside. For example, every time he walks to the door, take him out. Over time you can ask for more and more obvious signals, but the most important thing is to teach him that he can "make" you take him out if he asks.

Resources #

Manners and Everyday Life /

Crate Training

This article is a stub for now. Please check the resources linked below, and come back later for more info!

Here are some threads from /r/dogtraining about crate training:

Here are some web pages on crate training:

And here's a book on the topic:

Manners and Everyday Life /

Loose Leash Walking

We probably don't have to convince you that this is a desirable behavior. Imagine walking down the street at a comfortable pace, your arm isn't sore from hanging on to your dog. Your dog isn't lunging, he isn't pulling. When he sees something exciting or stressful, he checks in with you for guidance or permission.

Why Are You Having So Much Trouble? #

Dog naturally walk like THIS. The longer your leash, and the more effort you put in to match your dog's pace (with frequent stops, and the walking typically much faster than human walking pace), the easier it will be to keep the leash loose. By contrast, the more you want to keep the leash short and for the dog to walk like a human instead of like a dog, the more this turns into a difficult circus trick that requires extensive training before you can expect consistency.

The golden rule of training new behaviors is that we start easy, in a non-distracting environment and work up to high distractions. Chances are you didn't do that with leash walking. How could you have? Your dog couldn't exactly hold it for a few weeks while you practice walking indoors, and you don't want to deprive your dog of all the smells and sights and activities which come with the great outdoors.

Chances are whatever your dog's individual preferences, the things he finds most exciting, most scary or most delicious are lurking outside. Most likely, your dog has a strong reinforcement history - learning early on that even if pulling is uncomfortable or painful, it results in the huge and immediate reward of forward motion, often supplemented with the huge jackpot reward of reaching your dog's favorite things in life. As pulling on leash becomes a habit, your dog will learn that all good things result from leash tension. (Forward movement, excited greetings, etc.) It's no wonder that many dogs learn to cause themselves pain and injury on walks.

A Note on Extinction #

While you may have heard advice to stand still or punish pulling with penalty yards - this is only one half of the equation. It's likely to result in a lot of frustration -- or often we find the humans give up training before the dog gives up pulling, which effectively teaches the dog that if he is persistent enough pulling will pay off. For some dogs, the frustration caused by these methods - or the stress induced by penalty yards can actually be redirected into other behavioral issues. Very commonly, leash biting.

It's also important to remember that your dog has inherent biological needs for exercise and interacting the environment (mostly sniffing). It will be very hard to teach your dog to stop pulling if you expect your dog to ignore his natural urges completely while walking and have no plan to meet them in another way on a daily basis.

What's more is the level of frustration caused to both human and dogs. Not reinforcing pulling is a great start - but let's add some more rewarding techniques in too!

Stay Positive #

Rewarding the behavior that you want should always be your goal. For loose leash walking, we need to set the dog up so that's possible. There are several excellent techniques you might consider, many described in this piece by Casey Lomonaco.

Methods #

There are so many great tutorials on loose leash walking out there that we'll leave it to the experts. Below are an intimidating number of videos - if you are nerdy like we are, watch them all. Otherwise pick just one or two, you can't go wrong with any of these.

Resources #

Articles (Many have videos embedded) #

Youtube (Many of these are videos which are embedded in the above articles) #

See our page on leash reactivity for help managing and training dogs that bark and lunge while on leash.

APDT webinar #

Manners and Everyday Life /

Impulse Control and Calmness

Calmness and relaxation #

We've all heard the adage that "a tired dog is a good dog". This is only part of the story. It is true that dogs have physical exercise needs, and that they're more likely to get into trouble when those needs are not met. However, physical exhaustion is not the same as calm, polite behavior. Dogs should learn to behave in a polite manner even before they're walked, and running a dog to the point of exhaustion is not a substitute for that training.

So, how do we condition a dog to be more calm and polite? #


1 meet the dog's daily physical exercise needs. Don't overdo it, but he does need to stretch his legs and get some exercise every day. The amount of physical exercise required depends on the individual dog. Here's an article on appropriate exercise guidelines for puppies. 2 meet the dog's daily mental exercise needs. Let him use his brain to solve problems. Nosework, training, puzzles, and positive exposure to novel places/things are all good for mental exercise. 3 Give him independent activities to work on for stress relief and self-soothing. Chewing is a good one for many dogs. Provide a rotating assortment of the chews he prefers, like nylabones, food-stuffed kongs, raw meaty bones, goughnuts, or whatever chews engage him and hold up to his chewing intensity.

4 Impulse control training v=ipT5k1gaXhc&list=PLE4E3514F27696CE2) 5 Set up and reinforce other calm behaviors in situations where you most want them. 6 classical conditioning. Consistently follow a schedule of excitement and calmness based on time of day and context. Every time you take him to a particular field in the afternoon and throw a ball, it's excitement time. Every time you arrive home after fetch, it's relaxation time. Every time I recall the dog and work on training games in the basement it's excitement time. Every time we go in the bedroom at night it's nap time. By being consistent about when and where you encourage excitement or calmness, he will become classically conditioned to feel excited or calm depending on the context and the time.
7 Pay attention to your own body language.
  • When training with food, use calm markers and calm treat deliveries when you want calm behavior.
  • Breathe normally. Take deep breaths and sigh. Do not hold your breath or freeze. Relax any tense muscles. Use slow movements.
  • Use and recognize calming signals.
  • Teach Suzanne Clothier's Really Real Relaxation Protocol (paid webinar

Additional resources: #

Related Threads: #

Manners and Everyday Life /

Dog Walking Etiquette

Many of us know how problematic dog walking can be, what to do about on lead dogs, dogs approaching yours off lead etc. so here is a handy little guide for walking dogs and common sense guidelines:

1. One dog on lead, one dog off

Don’t let your dog approach. Even if both are friendly, it is an unequal meeting and not fair to the on-lead dog. There is usually a reason the dog is on a lead: respect this, give space and move on.

2. Both dogs on lead

Ask permission first and wait for the answer. Even if the owner says it is OK, be careful: being on leads adds extra tension to any meeting. If the answer is no, respect this, give space and move on quickly and quietly. See DINOS manifesto for more details.

3. Both dogs off lead

a. If close enough
Ask permission for your dog to meet the other and then apply same rules as 2.
b. If not close enough
Observe.
Are there any obvious resources (toys, balls) that could cause friction?
Yes? Then avoid potential conflict and move on.

Is the owner training the dog or playing with the dog?
Yes? Then leave them in peace to enjoy their time together.

Is the dog reasonably matched to yours in age, mobility, size?
Yes? Then it might make a suitable play mate – move closer and apply 3a.

Don't forget the yellow dog project which aims to help people identify those whose dogs need space for a variety of reasons: They are fearful, reactive, nervous, need space, are in training or just want to be left alone. If you see a dog with a yellow ribbon on its leash or a yellow collar, try to give them space.

If you couldn’t follow this etiquette because your dog would have already been over to the other dog, then use a lead until you can. And why not use the dog training etiquette to drive your training? Here are some things you could to start work on:

Walk close – stay by your side on or off lead whatever the distractions.
Chase recall – call back your dog even if he has already decided he wants to say hi to the other (also useful when you come across livestock or wildlife).
Emergency down – stop your dog wherever he is when you see another dog coming.
Directional send away – great for teaching “full on” dogs to approach another more politely.
Play bow – teach your dog to invite rather than intrude.
See here for why these guidelines are necessary

A great resource for dog language and walking etiquette is in the Dogwise Manual 'Out And About With Your Dog by Sue Sternberg' which covers all topics of outdoor walking scenarios with your dog and the appropriate action to take. It also includes a comprehensive rundown of play styles and appropriate behaviour within dog park situations.

Manners and Everyday Life /

The rules of tug

Tug is a brilliant way to bond with your dog and stimulate them physically and mentally. It's also a great way to practice many of your basic training exercises and strengthen them.

There are many misconceptions about playing tug with your dog, the main one being that it encourages them to be aggressive. This is untrue, however, at its basic level tug is a bonding exercise for a simple reason - your dog is sharing 'a kill' with you. This is why many dogs are vocal and enjoy the push and pull. Your tug toy is 'the prey' and you are sharing it with them.

Basic training for tug: #

Your dog needs to have a good 'drop it' before you start to play tug exuberantly. You also need to teach 'take it' (you can do this in combination with leave it by then giving permission to take the item) and 'leave it'. You should also have a 'stop' command in order to end the game when you no longer want to play. Your dog should also have good bite inhibition just in case his mouth is badly directed.

The rules! #

  1. The game starts and stops when you say so.
  2. Play ends if your dog connects with anything but their toy.
  3. Play ends if your dog does not drop it when directed.
  4. Play ends if your dog lunges for the toy without permission.

How to play tug safely #

The best way to play tug is to hold out your toy and give a 'leave it' command. When you are ready to commence give the command for 'take it' and let your dog grab the toy, now commence with your tug of war! Winning and losing does not matter, sometimes they win, sometimes you do, it makes no difference, this isn't a battle of wills but a fun game to play together.

Intermittently tell your dog to drop it, when they drop it you can work on your basics in order to reward them with more play time. Get your dog to sit, lie down, twirl, whichever command you fancy, then let them 'take it' once again. All of this improves their impulse control which is a very important skill for your dog to learn for the rest of their life. Building your dog's patience by starting and stopping the game helps them to control their urges to lunge, grab things or otherwise act without being requested to.

Remember: Do not let your dog direct onto anything but the toy.

Immediately end play if your dog breaks a rule. You can give them some time to drop it, but if they refuse then end the game. Look unimpressed and walk away. If your dog accidentally directs their mouth onto your flesh, drop the toy and walk away. Do not play for a few minutes, or longer if your dog needs more time to drop their energy level. Eventually your games will be enjoyable for both of you and you will feel more confident with your dog's abilities to control themselves, their urges and also improve your basic training.

Dog Safety #

Remember that although tug is a great game for most dogs, as humans we can exert a lot of force, in particular due to being taller (leverage), without realising it. Here are some guidelines for keeping your dog in top shape while playing:

  1. Never move the toy up/down, as this can hurt the neck/spine. Side to side movements are best.
  2. Never lift puppies up off the ground with the tug toy, as their bones/tendons are still developing. Keep all four feet on the ground until 1.5-2 years of age.
  3. Check rope toys regularly for damage. If you see any individual threads loosening and coming out as a small loop, snip it with scissors - if a tooth gets caught in the loop, it can be pulled out.
Manners and Everyday Life /

Dog play styles

Dog playing styles and compatability #

Most dogs have a prefered play style, and many are also adaptable and willing to change depending on who their play partner is. Below are some tips on the kind of dogs who may generally be compatable with your dogs play style. For safe and fun playtime you need to understand what is going on, triggers that can escalate play into aggression and you need to know what your dogs preferences and limits are.

General tips on play #

  • In general your dogs should be evenly matched for weight and size (generalisation, we probably all know chi's who love playing with mastiffs etc).
  • Always ensure all dogs are non-possessive of toys if you plan to play group games with toys such as fetch (same applies for food if you plan on giving treats).
  • Try to limit your playing to no more than 4 or 5 dogs, and do not let them fixate or 'pick on' one dog if they seem uncomfortable with this.
  • Be aware that dogs with high prey drive can have 'predatory drift' around smaller dogs (more on this phenomenon later).
  • If you are letting your dog play with others try to do this when they all have pretty good recall just in case you need them back.
  • Seek out dogs of similar size or who have breed traits and playstyles that compliment your own dogs.
  • Break up play often, if both dogs are eager to get back to the fun then you know they're enjoying it. If one is less eager or even reluctant to engage with the other dog you know that he or she is not enjoying it as much as the other.

Chasing #

Chasing dogs, as the title suggests, are dogs who enjoy playing a good game of chase, either as the lead dog or the chasee. Chase should be played in a large area which accomodates the game, not a small enclosed space where it will be inihibited or cause frustration. Chase should not be played in a prolonged manner by more than 4 or 5 dogs as this can arouse the 'pack' and quickly turn into a fight where they all gang up on the lead dog.

Chase should not be played by dogs who do not enjoy being chased or 'stalked' by others. You should also give the 'lead dog' (if there is one) a breather now and again, because leading the pack can be quite draining. It is best if you have a group of dogs where a couple are happy to take the lead and not just one. For dogs who play chase a recall is a must.

Bullies #

A bully is a large, physical dog who likes to play in a rough and tumble way. A bully however can easily dominate play if they are not evenly matched. Bullies like to nip, put paws up (tres rude!) and wrestle, as well as body slam.

A good playmate for a bully is a dog of similar stature and similar charactertistics in play. Be careful and watch for signs that either is getting frustrated by the play and break it up often so they do not get too hyped up during their play sessions. Another good playmate for a bully is one who is agile and enjoys being chased, but who is quick enough to get away so cannot be physically pushed around.

A bad playmate for a bully would be a smaller, timid or less physical dog who can easily be frightened or 'bullied' by your own. This is not a good experience for a less confident or physical dog so try not to allow this pairing to play together in that fashion.

Stalking/Targeting #

Some dogs like to fixate on one 'target' and relentless pursue them first from a distance, but then frequently getting physical with them by prodding them or checking them. This type of play is very 'prey' oriented so should be monitored carefully. If you dog frequently engages in this behaviour you should try to teach him other play styles with tolerant, bigger dogs or just play with him yourself. Stalking can easily lead to aggression if your dog fixates on others, so never allow this behaviour aimed at smaller or less physically able dogs who would be defenseless.

The doggy police #

Some dogs are labelled the 'doggy police' for what will become obvious reasons. They stand back from play and interrupt or try to stop it when it makes them feel uncomfortable. They do not like very arousing or excitable play styles in their vicinity and will try to block the dogs from doing this either physically or verbally by barking constantly. The best thing to do with dogs who do not like others playing is to seek out other dogs who are more relaxed and unplayful.

Dogs who don't like playing #

We probably all know dogs who are uninterested in play. Dogs like this very infrequently enjoy playing in any form and should be left alone to do their thing unless they decide to initiate play, which can be very rare. When a dog does not like to play and is interrupted for his independent duties he can be defensive or grouchy and this can spark aggression, so it is best to leave them to it and find dogs who also enjoy pottering around.

Puppy play #

For good socialisation your puppy should have tons of positive experiences to draw on for later in life. This mean your dog should play with fun, younger dogs and ones who have good manners and will politely tell him off for being OTT (not ones who will pin them down and be aggressive). While your puppy is still exploring play styles you should avoid dogs who physically intimidate them or dogs with little or no manners. You should always try to break up play with your puppy lest they become obsessive about this which can cause lots of training problems down the line.

The persistent player #

If your dog wants other dogs to play constantly then it sounds like you may have a persistent player on your hands. Dogs like this aren't too bothered whether other dogs enjoy it, they just want attention whether it's positive or negative. This type of playing can be problematic because good playmates are ones who give the attention, but allowing your dog to practice this behaviour only teaches them to carry on with it! Therefore you need to weigh up whether you want to encourage your dog to play with others in this way or teach him to be calmer and to get more manners, perhaps by training classes or hanging out with more placid dogs who ignore them completely. You should definitely not let your dog try to instigate play with those who are defensive, aggressive or who are less confident and will not say 'no'.

Humping #

Not all dogs like being humped. In fact many dogs take great offense to this behaviour and think it highly rude (and we humans find it very embarrassing at times!). If your dog is the type to hump you need to find playmates who do not mind being mounted in this style or ones who will politely tell him off and not escalate beyond this. Your dog should not play with dogs who are aggressive, not appreciative of rudeness or who are defensive around such behaviour. This can quickly turn into a fight.

Dogs who other dogs hate! #

Your dog might have a 'hate me' sign around his neck. I can't find out myself why this happens or what it is about certain dogs that means others seek them out and bully them constantly but either way if your dog is like this then avoid strange dogs for your own dogs safety. You should allow your dog to play with only safe, steady dogs he is already acquainted with and who get on well with him.

Predatory drift #

Predatory drift is an often forgotten phenomenon relating to prey drive. If you have a high prey drive dog you most likely know all about this, but some dog fatalities can be attributed to PD without people realising. Here is a great article regarding PD but essentially any dog who has a high prey drive and is a 'finisher' i.e. bred to kill, not to retrieve is at risk of this behaviour. This behaviour can surface within a millisecond, and you never know when it will strike however there are triggers to look out for:

  • A high prey drive dog with a smaller dog who he may mistake for prey
  • Two or more high prey dogs ganging up on another
  • Smaller or more 'prey-like' dogs making 'prey-like' high pitched sounds

Resources #

Unwanted Behaviors /

Introduction: The ABCs of Behavior Modification

The ABCs of Behavior Modification #

So your dog is doing something which you don't like. It's time to think like a trainer and employ behavior modification.

First, some analysis.

The ABCs #

A is for Antecedent #

First, let's look at the opportunities and triggers for the behavior to occur. For example:

  • Antecedents to counter surfing: Dog is free in the house, food is unguarded on the counter.
  • Antecedents to jumping: New people come over.
  • Antecedents to barking: Doorbell Rings, cat walks by, etc.

B is for Behavior #

This one you probably don't need help with. You are very much aware of the unwanted behavior. What you may not have considered is:

C is for Consequence #

What purpose is that behavior fulfilling? What happens after the behavior which makes the animal want to continue it?

  • Dog Barks at the Mailman and the mail man leaves. (Barking was rewarded because the mailman walked away.)
  • Dog barks at the cat, cats runs away. (Barking was rewarded with an exciting game of chase the cat.)
  • Dog jumps on guests, guests either pet or shove the dog. (In either case, the jumping was rewarded with attention.)
  • Dog jumps on the counter, gets food. (Behavior earned a huge reward!)

Tips for accurately pinpointing the ABCs #

  • Always work in this order: B, then C, then A. If you start trying to figure out the A first you can often make mistakes!
  • Try to describe the B like a scientist - use the most objective set of verbs possible that someone else could CLEARLY understand without mistakes, instead of vague labels. Examples:
  • dog barks <- good
  • dog raises front paw <- good
  • dog lies down <- good
  • dog acts dominant <- way too vague, what is he actually DOING? Is he humping or barking or lunging or growling or standing still???
  • dog looks aggressive <- again, how is he being aggressive? what does this mean in terms of specific verbs?
  • dog doesn't do anything <- lack of response isn't a behaviour, an inanimate plush dog can also "not do anything" so this is very hard to train. You need to rephrase it so that the dog is in fact doing something, such as "dog continues digging" for a dog that doesn't come when called away from a digging spot
  • keep your B descriptions as short as possible, and containing only ONE behaviour! "dog barks then pulls on lead then jumps" isn't a single B, it's actually a chain of multiple ABCs that have been mashed together. Split them into individual slices!
  • it's possible to have several As - try to keep them separate when you are writing down your ABCs, as this will help remind you to look at them separately in the training plan. Example for a dog that jumps on guests:
  • OK: A = visitor comes through door when dog hasn't had a walk yet
  • Better: distant A = no walk yet in the morning, closest A = visitor comes through door

The Plan #

Now that we've laid out the behavior, we can come up with a plan to change the behavior.

Manage antecedents #

Prevent the As that trigger the behaviour from happening as much as possible, so that the dog doesn't feel a need to practice the unwanted behaviour when you're not ready for it and undo all your good training work. Practice makes perfect, after all!
Examples :

  • Is your dog barking at people walking past the window? Shut the blinds.
  • Does your dog eat off the counters? Keep the counters clean or the dog out of the kitchen when you aren't there.
  • Does your dog jump on guests? Keep him behind a baby gate, crated or on leash until he calms down.

Remove the consequences that have been rewarding/maintaining the unwanted behavior #

Examples :

  • If your dog counter surfs, keep your counters clean. If he never finds food, he'll stop checking.
  • If your dog pulls on leash, stop walking. After an extinction burst, he'll probably realize that pulling isn't helping.
  • If your dog barks at the mail man, trap the mailman so he can't leave until your dog is quiet. (Kidding!)

Replacement Behavior Strategy : set your dog up to WIN #

This is where the real training happens. Take a step back and decide how you want to put together your understanding of the behavior into a comprehensive training plan. This should include:

  • A: Manage the Antecedents so that the behavior doesn't occur when you aren't working on changing it
  • B: Train an incompatible behavior which results in :
  • C: Consequences which maintain your new behavior and make the old behavior unnecessary.

Example Behavior Modification: Fear Aggression #

Your dog barks and lunges to get strange people to stay away from her. In order to change this behavior you can:

  • A : Manage her environment so that she doesn't get too close to the scary monsters and go off
  • B : Reward appropriate behavior like standing still, looking at the scary monsters or turning away from the scary monsters with
  • C : Distance and sometimes treats.

This is method is employed with Grisha Stewart's BAT protocol. Note that eventually, the antecedents (scary monsters) and consequence (safety, distance) will be the same - but the dog learns to work for them by staying calm and offering appropriate behaviors instead of lunging.

Other Examples: #

Can you see the ABC analysis pattern in the advice for modifying these other behaviors?

Resources #

Unwanted Behaviors /

Puppy Nipping/Biting

Puppy (and Sometimes Adult) Nipping and Mouthing #

Note: This isn't to be confused with biting out of fear, food guarding or other biting which can be dangerous.

All puppies bite. Dogs use their mouths to explore and interact with their environment. As puppies, they need to mouth and nip to calibrate the strength of their own jaws as they learn bite inhibition and how to socialize. It's our job to teach our dogs bite inhibition and also appropriate social behaviors so that they stop mouthing people before they are adults. If not trained out of the play-mouthing behavior some adult dogs will continue to mouth and nip. It's best to teach manners while your puppy is young, but adults can still learn too.

Teaching A Gentle Cue #

Hold a treat in your fist and hold it out where your dog can see. In the split second before he decides to approach, mark and reward that instant with the treat in your hand. Repeat! After about ten or so repetitions you should be able to spot small movements away from your hand and start capturing those. Your dog may look away, pull his head back or otherwise move away. Once he is offering this behavior reliably, add a cue such as "easy" or "gentle", right before you expect him to offer the behavior. Practice with holding your hand very slightly closer to him so that he learns that he will get the treat delivered right to him as a reward for not grabbing at the hand himself.

Practice this often, and as the behavior becomes more fluent, you'll have a positive way to tell your dog what you want from him.

Teaching Bite Inhibition and Fading the Bite #

As babies, dogs really do need to mouth in order to learn to moderate the strength of their bites. If your puppy is less than 3 or 4 months, let him mouth you, but stop all interactions when his mouthing gets harder than usual. Try to quit while you're ahead, let the puppy mouth for a minute or two while he is being gentle - then reward with a treat or a toy to end mouthing. That way your dog has rehearsed gentle behavior and not painful nipping. If nipping occurs, end all attention.

You should tolerate increasingly less pressure and end mouthing sooner, until you stop rewarding it all together by four months of age. At four months of age. Cue an incompatable behavior, like "gentle" or even "sit" if you sense your dog is going to start biting.

Prevention is Key! #

Puppies can't tell us how they are feeling, but they can bite for many reasons. For instance, depending on the puppy he or she may be more mouthy when:

  • He needs to eliminate
  • He needs exercise
  • He is hungry
  • He is stressed or scared
  • He wants attention
  • He needs a nap
  • It's a certain time of day (often dawn or dusk)
  • A certain place which may be too exciting for him

Learn to anticipate when the biting will occur so you can manage it. For example, if you know that your dog becomes a little nightmare at about 7 pm, make sure that you play with him, let him eliminate, feed him and then put him behind a baby gate with some toys and chewies for a nap just before his witching hour. Also, try to distill what contributes to the nipping behavior and make sure those needs are met.

Providing Plenty of Appropriate Outlets #

Remember that your puppy needs plenty of play, exercise and appropriate items to mouth and chew. Make sure to reward your dog for choosing appropriate chew toys and give lots of attention when your puppy isn't nipping. If nipping is the only way to get your attention, your puppy will nip no matter how punishing.

Resources #

Unwanted Behaviors /

Jumping up on People

Jumping (on you and guests) #

There are all kinds of solutions to jumping on people. Most of the time, it boils down to giving the dog an acceptable option that is rewarding.

Reward for "4 on the floor" #

The simplest solution is to teach your dog how much fun it is to keep all of his paws on the floor.

Before your dog is jumping on the guests, all his feet will be on the floor. Even while running towards the guest, intent on jumping, he is not yet jumping. That's when we start training.

  • As your dog is running towards the guest to jump, mark and reward, place the treat on the floor, preferably a little away from the guest so that the dog won't be right next to the guest and ready to jump immediately.
  • When the dog swallows and circles back to the guest, mark and reward, tossing the treat on the floor at least 5 feet away from the guest.
  • Repeat until the dog starts anticipating the treat on the floor, suddenly the floor is more exciting than jumping on the guest.
  • You may begin reinforcing other good choices your dog makes. Often a dog will choose to sit, reward that choice! Soon you'll have a dog who sits automatically to greet company.
  • When you don't have time to focus on your dog, you can scatter treats on the floor. This keeps him busy so he isn't jumping, and in the future he'll think 'there is a guest --- that means the floor is about to become really reinforcing!' and he will be less likely to jump.

This Emily Larlham video focuses on problem jumping and reinforcing appropriate behaviour. This one, Teaching Sit to Greet by Marge Rogers shapes the behavior into sitting. That's wonderful, a dog who is rewarded for sitting isn't jumping.

Train an alternative behavior #

You can alternatively, pick a behavior and train it really well without distractions, then with tiny distractions (like moving your hands, feet, wiggling), then with increasingly bigger distractions until you can have your dog perform that behavior instead of jumping. Good choices are: sit, lie on mat, lie down, wait behind barrier.

For example, if your dog has a bed, crate, mat or other special spot all her own, you can make that her go to spot when things get heated. If your dog is lying on her mat she isn't jumping on the guests. Start simple and teach her to go to her bed on cue, rewarding as you go. This video from Emily Larlham is on crate training and getting a dog to go to crate (or other place) consistently.

Once you master that step, add the doorbell or a door knock into the mix and practice getting her to her special spot whenever that noise sounds. If your dog is a doorbell alarmist, take some time to desensitize to the doorbell. Dogs learn that a doorbell = someone arriving, but if you practice it repeatedly without having someone enter, you can calm her doorbell excitement.

Behaving so that Your Dog Behaves #

It helps to ignore your dog when she jumps, turning away and certainly don't pet her when she is jumping. If you have guests who won't co-operate with that request, it may help to have your dog on leash with those guests.

Do:

  • Start training before the dog is jumping
  • Reward behaviors you would like, make sure the dog gets a high rate of reinforcement for any behavior which isn't jumping
  • Ignore jumping, or turn away from your dog when she jumps.
  • When people greet your dog, have them place their hands at his level or lower. That way, there is no reason to jump for attention.

Avoid:

  • Shoving, hurting or intimidating your dog.
  • Petting or giving any attention to your dog while he or she is jumping.

Resources #

Videos #

Unwanted Behaviors /

Excessive Barking

BARKING!! #

Your dog has a beautiful voice, and since you find yourself here, he probably likes to use it. Some barking is absolutely normal and healthy for your dog. It's an important doggy communication skill. However, too much barking becomes unbearable for humans and can be a sign of excessive doggy stress.

This article is a stub for now. Please check the resources linked below, and come back later for more info!

Resources #


* Excessive Barking: Why Some Dogs Bark and How to Fix It by Dr. Sophia Yin
Unwanted Behaviors /

Leash Reactivity

Understanding reactivity #

Reactivity is a term trainers and behaviourists give to situations in which your dog becomes overwhelmed with fear, anger, or frustration. This sudden flood of strong emotion leads to barking, lunging, growling, rear foot scuffing, and all sorts of unusual displays.

One situation in which many dogs develop reactivity is while on leash. People and situations which kick off reactivity in dogs are called triggers. Common triggers for leash reactive dogs are other dogs, strangers, people on bicycles, and skateboards. While leashed, a dog may fear an approaching trigger and want to scare it away, they become angered by the trigger, or they want to get closer to interact with the trigger. The latter situation appears in dogs that are commonly referred to as "frustrated greeters".

Regardless of the trigger, reactivity situations can be dangerous for the reactive dog and the trigger, and they can be downright embarrassing for us humans.

Onset #

Is the behaviour new/sudden (that is, your dog didn't use to be reactive in this way, and now suddenly he is)? A vet visit should be the first step.

Management #

When training a leash reactive dog, consider avoiding situations that will allow your dog to rehearse her reactivity. Management is as important as training when trying to modify the behaviour of a leash reactive dog.

Management tips #

  • Train your dog to do emergency about turns or U-turns, so when you spot another dog or a person that may excite your dog, you can quickly turn and go in another direction.
  • If your dog is small enough to pick up and doesn’t mind being handled in this way, remove her from the situation by scooping her up and moving in another direction. Never carry a reactive dog. Your dog may love you, but when over threshold, her actions are not predictable.
  • Walk early in the morning or late at night to minimize encounters with other dogs or people.
  • Use a body harness on your dog to minimize damage she can do to herself. Head harnesses are great training tools, but in highly reactive situations, a head harness can cause a powerful, lunging dog to hurt her neck.

In addition, there are many products to help reduce a dog’s reactivity response, such as calming caps and doggles. These are most effective when used in situations where your dog is still, like in the car. Never walk a sighted dog using products that inhibit her vision.

Training #

Pair your management techniques with training sessions so in time, your dog becomes less stressed or excited by triggers.

Training approaches #

See here for the ABCs of Behavior Modification

Desensitization and Counterconditioning #

Using desensitization and counterconditioning, you associate a subtle amount of something your dog does not enjoy (or in the case of frustrated greeters, something they get too excited over) with something she enjoys very much. Over time, these sessions will allow your dog’s emotional response to a situation to change.

In this example, let’s assume the dog is reactive to other dogs at a distance. Reactivity to people is also common, and the process is the same.

Preparing for training sessions #
Ask friends of family members to lend a hand with their dogs. If your dog is fine with these dogs and will recognize them from afar, it may help to recruit helpers from dog parks or local dog groups.

Arm yourself with treats that your dog finds very valuable. High value treats like cheese or bits of chicken work well. Find what your dog loves and work with it. If your dog is not motivated by food rewards, use a favourite toy.

Determine the distance that your dog notices other dogs but doesn’t become reactive. This is commonly called a dog’s threshold. If it’s 50 feet, ask your assistant to start off 60 or 70 feet away.

Putting the plan into action #

Ask your assistant to bring the helper dog into your dog’s view for a short period of time. A good set-up for this is for the dog to appear from between parked cars or at the intersection of an adjacent road. When the dog comes into view, watch your own dog and as soon as she notices the other dog, start feeding her treats or playing with her favourite toy quickly. Your assistant should move the helper dog out of view after a few seconds. When the dog disappears from your dog’s view, stop rewarding. You want the dog to understand that the appearance of other dogs elicits a reward.

Ask the assistant to bring the helper dog in and out of view repeatedly, with time for your dog to relax and sniff between each appearance. Work for a predetermined amount of time and then start another session later n the day, the following day, or whenever possible. The more repetition in a short period, the faster many dogs make the association.

On the next try, move the helper dog slightly closer to your dog. If this elicits a strong reaction, ask the assistant to move further away again. You risk setbacks in the process every time you push your dog beyond threshold. Alternatively, you can start moving towards the still helper dog and back off if your dog shows signs of becoming reactive.

This process can take few or many sessions, but you’ll recognize progress when your dog sees the other dog appear and looks to you for reward.

Other tips #
  • If your dog is triggered by the sight of other dogs, consider practicing first with dogs your dog is familiar with and likes.
  • Have a solid plan and make sure your assistant knows exactly what you want from the session. Cell phones or walkie-talkies can help, but may distract the dog from her normal reactions. Consider a hand signal to tell your assistant when to start. Talk about time intervals, so the assistant knows when to disappear.
  • Pairing this type of training with building block behaviours can speed up the process by giving the dog something familiar to do rather than bark or lunge.
  • If your dog is reactive to the point of potentially harming another person or animal, consider incorporating muzzle training into her skill set. See the Equipment List page for information on finding, training, and fitting a muzzle properly.

Behavior Adjustment Training/Functional Rewards #

Grisha Stewart has developed a training solution based around offering the dog rewards that are in line with what they really need in a reactive situation - often a change in distance and direction. This approach uses food or toys as optional bonus rewards.

This handout offers the basics of BAT and the book is highly recommended for anyone with a reactive dog. More resources from her web site.

Resources #

Articles #

Books #

Recommended books for reactivity and aggression are found here.

Online Resource List #

Recommended online resources for fear and aggression are found here

Videos #

Unwanted Behaviors /

Counter Surfing

How to Teach Your Dog TO Counter Surf #

Counter surfing is an extremely enriching activity for a dog. It engages their strong scenting and seeking skills, and provides an extremely high value reinforcers at a variable rate. Not to mention it can add variety to a bland doggy diet and excitement as you frantically call the vet to double check the ingredients in what was going to be your romantic dinner for two.

  1. A few times every day, make the counter extremely interesting to the dog. Get out some delicious items, make sure they smell really good.
  1. Ignore your dog while you are doing interesting things on the counter. You don't want anything to distract him from how interesting the counter is. Definitely don't reward him with attention or food while he has all his paws on the ground!
  1. Leave the room briefly with some food that he can smell on the counter, preferably in an easy to reach location. Don't take too long - you don't want him to think he's got all day to get the food! If he misses his opportunity, too bad! He'll have to be faster next time.
  1. Add complexity to this behavior! When your dog is successfully and easily getting food off of the table, make the task harder. Start moving the food farther from the table edge. Place objects in front of the food. Your dog's problem solving abilities will SHOCK you!

How to Teach Your Dog NOT to Counter Surf #

Oops, was that not what you meant to do? Let's try this again.

Step 1: Keep the Counters Clean #

Your dog is a scavenger, he was born to seek food. Don't torture him. If you aren't in the kitchen but the dog is, the counters should be crumb free.

Step 2: Reward an Alternative Behavior - or manage your dog when you are in the kitchen #

Your alternative behavior can just be "all four feet on the floor!" or it can be "go to bed".

Now that the counters are not reinforcing when you aren't there -teach your dog that his bed or the floor is where the magic happens. Your dog should get a chew toy for lying on his mat, or simply toss him a treat for not jumping up while you are in the kitchen. This should be frequent at first - but as he learns that no matter how good the counter smells, he's not going to get anything for jumping you can reward him less frequently.

If rewarding your dog for not jumping isn't something you are willing to do, use baby gates to keep him out of the kitchen or crate him while you are cooking.

If you need to use the bathroom or leave the kitchen, make sure your dog leaves too!

Alternate Step 2: Actively Shape the Behavior of ignoring food on the table. #

Start with your dog on leash so you can prevent him from getting food. Have moderate or low value food clearly visible. Reward (with high value food) any movement away from the food by the dog. Turning away, walking away, eye contact. As the dog learns that the way to earn food is to ignore the food that is out, look for more obvious movement or ignoring the food. Slowly move to more obvious, higher value food and try different locations. See Emily Larlham's video on the subject here.

Resources #

Unwanted Behaviors /

Inappropriate Chewing

Inappropriate Chewing #

Dogs interact with the world through their mouths. Their mouths are not only strong, but are incredibly well controlled and they need to exercise their jaw muscles as well as work on their finer jaw motor skills. In short, dogs, especially young dogs, need to chew. It's up to us to make sure that what they chew is safe for them and not destructive to our homes.

Managing Chewing #

Step 1: Manage the environment #

The goal is generally to have an adult dog who can be in your home and know what objects are for chewing and which are not. However, if you have a puppy or adolescent you have a dog with an increased need to chew but who does not yet know what objects are ok to chew. Similarly, if you have an adult rescue or a dog who hasn't been properly trained your dog also may not know which objects are appropriate to chew. Don't leave it up to the dog to decide.

When you are not watching the dog, you should leave him in a place which is secure where he does not have access to anything inappropriate to chew. This can be a puppy pen, an empty room or a crate.

If you mess up and your dog chooses an inappropriate object to chew, it's helpful to have a "drop!" cue, or a positive interrupter. If you don't, make a note to train one of those things and take the item away trading for a high value treat. (If your dog growls or bites when you take objects away, see guarding. Do not punish your dog if you find him chewing an inappropriate object - this may have unwanted consequences (like your dog hiding or guarding objects) but won't decrease the chewing.

It is a good idea to clean up your house so that the objects your dog is allowed to chew are more prominent than the forbidden objects.

Step 2: Give Your Dog Plenty of Appropriate Things to Chew #

It can help to rotate objects so that your dog doesn't get bored. Always check with your vet about what chews he or she recommends, but some suggestions:

  • Elk or deer antlers
  • Bully Sticks, or pig ears or tails
  • Nylabones
  • Stuffed Kong
  • Himalayan Dog Chews
  • Stuffed Everlasting Fun Ball

Step 3: Supervise when you are there #

It will help to have a "leave it", "drop it" or positive interrupter.

Make the objects your dog can chew fun, play with them together. Spend time around the house, if he shows interest in objects you want him to chew reward that! If he wants to play tug, you can reward that way - otherwise, reward by tossing him a treat for picking the right object! If he starts to make a bad choice, redirect to a better choice. Don't ignore him until he makes a bad choice - until he learns, have the good choices pay off!

Chewing doors/walls/windows when left alone? #

If your dog is chewing up your house when alone, it may be separation anxiety.

Resources #

Socialisation, Fear and Aggression /

Puppy Socialization

Socialisation is NOT just "meeting and playing with dogs". "Socialisation" is an entire process and involves a multitude of non-other-dog-related things and activities.

Socializing Your Puppy #

When your puppy is a tiny baby, they open their eyes and start learning about the world around them. Every time they have a NEUTRAL or POSITIVE experience with something new they encounter (scent, sight, touch, smell, etc.), they file it away in their mental library as "Ok, this is a thing." This is how puppies benchmark what "normal life" is.

Starting from 12 weeks of age, puppies rapidly stop adding to this special library of memories, and by 14 weeks it's mostly shut. Instead, when they encounter something new, they will begin to CHECK against their memories to see if they have encountered something similar previously. If they haven't, puppies will assume the new thing/experience is scary by default. (This is called neophobia.)

The process called socialisation is taking advantage of the early 12+ week window to give your puppy as many broad neutral experiences as possible, to fill their mental library and not leave any gaps. This will drastically reduce the chance of your puppy developing fear or reactivity as a teenager or adult, which can be very difficult and lengthy to fix through active counterconditioning.

How not to socialise #

Socialisation experiences must be NEUTRAL or POSITIVE. This means not carrying or pushing or pulling your puppy towards the new, potentially scary thing. Instead, allow them to calmly observe the new thing/situation on their own terms and make their own decision whether they'd like to investigate further. Support your puppy with relaxed praise and treats for having the interaction/observation at whatever distance they are fully comfortable at. Do not set up habits that you won't want in the future (e.g. if you don't want your puppy pulling you to meet and play with every dog in the street for the rest of its life, make sure that during socialisation you spend at least 60% of the time just observing other dogs passing by and rewarding your puppy for being relaxed and staying with you. If you don't want them chasing birds, ensure that their very first encounters with birds are managed so that a chasing game can't start, with leashes or barriers as appropriate.)

What about waiting to finish all the vaccines before going outside? #

Parvovirus has very low prevalence in many developed/urban areas where vaccination rates are high, can be easily prevented by organising playdates with vaccinated dogs and carrying puppy to safe locations instead of taking your young puppy on walks along public footpaths, to dog parks or pet stores, and can often be survived if caught early enough by Tamiflu so is no longer a death sentence. On the other hand, missing out on the critical socialisation window predisposes your dog to developing lifelong reactivity and hence increased risk of surrender and/or euthanasia due to behaviour problems. The most up to date veterinary advice these days is to prioritise socialisation and NOT shut puppies inside until all shots are done. See AVSAB position statement in resources below. Talk to your vet about the actual risk of parvo in your local area, and if they do recommend keeping your puppy off the ground you will need to plan extra effort into conducting the below activities/checklists without delay while working with that restriction.

Resources #

Articles #

Books #

Other #

Socialisation, Fear and Aggression /

Separation Anxiety

Separation anxiety can vary from light stress to separation panic but at the heart of the matter is distress. The fear in separation anxiety is a phobia - it's an irrational fear resulting in behaviours out of proportion to the situation. In this particular phobia, one or more household members leaving the home induces panic in the dog(s).

Other types of home-alone behaviours are frequently assumed to be or labelled "separation anxiety" when they are actually a different type of issue. You need to determine which one it is to tackle it most effectively.

What's going on? #

Read the example symptoms below to see which one your dog matches most closely. The more from each one match, the more likely it is that category.
If your dog is:

  • over-energetic and playful while you try to leave the house or come back
  • chewing or destroying objects that could be considered fun or play items from the dog perspective (shoes, remotes, couches, pot plants etc.)
  • chewing on bones or eating food
  • when watched through a webcam easily alternates between periods of relaxation and activity
  • barking or howling mostly based on triggers (someone passing by, or his ears perk up because he heard a sound)
  • eliminating indoors at similar rates whether you're home or not
  • is worse on days when he hasn't had a big walk/play beforehand

Your dog might just be bored when home alone.

If your dog is:

  • eliminating indoors (when dog is housetrained and does NOT regularly do this when you're present)
  • destroying items related to confinement/trying to create an escape route - doors, window frames, breaking out of crate
  • drooling (evidenced in wet fur and pooling)
  • panic vocalization - whining, howling, barking (tone tends to be higher, more stressed, persistent)
  • disinterested in favourite foods
  • marking
  • signs of pacing, not really settling (reports from people remaining in the house, dogwalkers, neighbours, or camera footage)
  • showing these signs of distress when a specific person or other dog is gone, even though they still have company

Then your dog is more likely to be experiencing separation anxiety. In this case many of these components like drooling and whining may start as you are preparing to leave (eg putting on shoes, picking up keys) as well.
Often a dog with chronic separation anxiety will self harm, damaging paws, nose, and teeth trying to escape a crate or barred room.

These main components - departure restlessness, ignoring food, destruction, elimination accidents, and escape routines - are the fundamental things that help professionals differentiate between distress and boredom or frustration. Not all dogs with separation anxiety will eliminate indoors, and not all dogs that poop on the dining room floor have separation anxiety.

Is this really separation anxiety? #

Many people think that because they come home to find their favourite shoes converted to wet, chewy morsels that the dog may have separation anxiety. In that case, chances are that he's just understimulated. Bored dogs can chew inappropriate objects, but the items are usually commonplace things like shoes and socks, or they'll get into that blissful container known as the garbage can. If a distressed dog chews, the item isn't usually so predictable and there's an element of panic involved - a doorframe will be splintered to pieces, a crate will have an unhinged door, the blinds may be torn off the windows, or every item in the house has been upended. Often the item is related to confinement (doors, door frames, windows, blinds, curtains, crates).

What else could it be? #

That depends on the symptoms and evidence.
Destruction can be triggered by a lack of stimulation, territorial aggression triggered by passing people or dogs, or just plain play. Unfortunately for us dogs don't always choose activities we want them to when we're not around.

Self mutilation behaviours and salivation can be triggered by allergies or other fears - stemming from things like incomplete crate training - or noise phobias.

Inappropriate elimination can be triggered by incomplete housetraining or illness.

A professional can help you tell if your dog is distressed or just lacking in stimulation.

Could this be spite? #

No. Separation anxiety behaviours are produced by panic. Dogs do not have the capacity for spite.

Are there risk factors for developing separation anxiety? #

All dogs can develop distress from separation at any age. It seems to be most likely to be triggered by a change in the dog's routine, where they can no longer be certain about what to expect regarding your absence. Rescues and young dogs are very likely to have departure panic and those reactions are normal, but it's important to take proactive steps to disallow panic behaviours to take hold.

Here are some common assumptions which actually are NOT strongly linked with separation anxiety when examined in the research:

  • "velcro" dog that follows you around from room to room
  • letting dog sleep on bed
  • feeding from table
  • taking them with you on errands or trips
  • allowing on furniture

My dog is showing distress when I leave. What do I do? #

Seek professional guidance. A qualified behaviour consultant can identify triggers, determine if it is separation anxiety, and offer a sound behaviour adjustment course of action.

In the meantime:

For boredom type behaviours but no separation anxiety behaviours present: #

  • Plan to leave them somewhere they are comfortable. If your dog never normally spends time in the laundry or basement, locking him into the laundry or basement for when he is about to be alone for a while will make the experience more frightening and scary. Find a place that you can set up as the leave-alone area that your dog already regularly plays and naps in instead.
  • Make your departures unremarkable. Make your arrivals boring. Don't make a big deal out of your comings and goings. If your does employ attention-seeking behaviours on your departure or return, combat them (jumping, stealing, and so on) with basic training or behaviour modification.
  • Tucker them out! A brisk walk before work can work wonders. This isn't an exercise problem, but a dog that has had some activity and stimulation is a little less likely to have the energy to rip the curtains off the windows.
  • Get outside help! Hire a dog walker, a pet sitter, or cart him off to daycare or even a friend's house if you know someone who is home more frequently throughout the day. Research the options in your area to see if there are ways of keeping him engaged and active during the day.
  • Train and practice independence. Train a "place" cue that sends the dog to a spot somewhere away from you. You may want to start off with small distances for dogs used to being on your lap and may even find that you have to start with being inches away. Pairing a place cue with a stay (by ensuring you always use a release cue for "place") can tell the dog to go to a spot for something enjoyable - preferably a long-lasting treat he only gets when in his special spot. Using a towel or blanket with the place cue will help the dog understand that no matter where it goes, that's his spot. You can also set up a remote treat dispensing toy like a Manners Minder or PetTutor here.
  • Offer up some attractions. Once you've worked on the behaviours and the dog is calmer in the face of departure cues, a well-stuffed food toy can keep a dog busy and also induce nap time. This should be the last thing you do before leaving so it doesn't become a leaving cue and cause regression.
  • Prevent unwanted distractions from stimulating your dog. Dogs that start barking at things they see through the windows do better with the blinds closed or with fogging film on the glass. Dogs that react to sounds can relax better if you play white noise when you leave to drown them out.

For separation anxiety behaviours: #

  • Remember that separation panic behaviour is very normal in young dogs as it is in young children. They aren't used to being alone, and need to be gently taught that it will be ok, not forcing them to "get over it".
  • The behaviours that arise with separation anxiety can also result from a number of other issues - allergies can cause a dog to self harm, territorial displays can explain the splintered doorframes, that mess on the floor can even be explained by being startled by the sound of the mailbox slamming, or general anxiety. If you suspect your dog has separation anxiety, even a mild case, talk to a qualified behaviour consultant. Some dogs are chronically anxious and an anti-anxiety medication may be warranted. Involve your veterinarian in this decision. Ensure you include medication in your consideration from the start, not as a last resort, as for moderate to severe cases training may be partially or wholly ineffective until medication begins.
  • Tucker them out! A brisk walk before work can work wonders. This isn't an exercise problem, but a dog that has had some activity and stimulation at least isn't going to be unable to settle when you do the separation training correctly.
  • Get outside help! Hire a dog walker, a pet sitter, or cart him off to daycare or even a friend's house if you know someone who is home more frequently throughout the day. Research the options in your area to see if there are ways of keeping him company during the day.
  • Plan to leave them somewhere they are comfortable. If your dog never normally spends time in the laundry or basement, locking him into the laundry or basement for when he is about to be alone for a while will make the experience more frightening and scary. Find a place that you can set up as the leave-alone area that your dog already regularly plays and naps in instead.
  • Identify the triggers. Are they being triggered as soon as the morning alarm goes off? Is it you reaching for the keys? Is it a specific pair of shoes you always wear to work? Is he pacing as soon as he sees your hand reach for the doorknob?
  • Control and manage exposure to the triggers with desensitization. Desensitize to departure cues by exposing the dog to very low levels of the stimulus to change the emotional response from panic to neutral. Do not flood a dog by repeatedly exposing it to high level triggers. Do not leave the house when desensitizing to departure cues. The idea is to make picking up your keys something the dog doesn't notice, because it happens so often and so casually in tiny amounts that it predicts you NOT leaving far more often than it predicts you leaving. Your behaviourist can help develop a desensitization program based on your dog's specific panic cues and coping abilities.
  • Fake 'em out. If it's very mild anxiety, start doing practice departures and get the dog used to longer periods of alone time very gradually. Again, be boring. You want the dog to see that leaving shouldn't be a big deal because you're always coming back. Seconds then minutes then hours - this should be a very gradual process. You can't expect a panicky dog to be able to hold it together for hours. In completely unavoidable cases, brainstorm ways to get the dog company or stimulation throughout the day.
  • Do not leave food or chews for the dog. Unlike boredom cases, for real separation anxiety trying to distract the dog with food puzzles frequently makes things worse, because the dog starts becoming scared of food, thinking that you're about to leave because you're giving it to him. Make sure you have discussed with your behaviourist when it is safe to introduce food toys in the separation anxiety training process.
  • A behaviourist may also suggest an appeasement pheromone or an anti-anxiety wrap in cases where there's no risk of harm to the dog. Early intervention is important.

Additional resources #

Note that some of these articles or books are outdated and include some recommendations for both bored dogs and separation anxiety dogs in the same article under the same heading of "separation anxiety". However more modern reviews have found that many of these tips are actually not helpful or may even be harmful if your dog is really showing separation anxiety instead of boredom (such as leaving a stuffed Kong). We have tried to indicate where this might be the case, as a warning that if your dog is showing distress you really need to be working with a qualified professional that stays up-to-date on separation anxiety training best practices and can help you not accidentally follow the wrong guides.

Articles: #

Books: #

Podcasts: #

  • https://www.trainingwithally.com/the-podcast
  • Be Right Back! - Julie Naismith's podcast

Online DIY courses: #

  • https://courses.malenademartini.com
  • https://www.trainingwithally.com/about-2
  • https://separationanxietydog.thinkific.com/courses/do-it-yourself-separation-anxiety-program
  • https://rescuedbytraining.com/separation-anxiety-course

Other: #

Related threads: #

Find a trainer

Socialisation, Fear and Aggression /

Fear/aggression during grooming or vet care

Husbandry, Grooming and Cooperative Care Skills #

Are any of these scenarios familiar?

Your dog:

  • is stressed going to the vet or the groomer
  • runs and hides when you get the nail clippers
  • threatens to bite you when you need to give him eye or ear drops
  • scratches so much to get a recovery cone (Elizabethan collar) off himself after surgery that he hurts himself
  • eats around pills hidden in his food no matter how much you hide them

It is very common to be in a situation where you feel you need to force medical care or grooming onto your dog in order to get it done. However, it doesn't have to be this way. This page is all about teaching your dog to understand and enjoy these necessary activities, making everyone's life easier and making all these tasks faster. All it takes is a little bit of forward planning. If we can teach wild animals to do it, we can teach dogs!

General #

Handling #

Baths #

Zak George - Teach YOUR Dog to LOVE Getting a Bath!
(also see related threads below)

Taking pills/medicine #

Nail trims #

When you need to get it done soon #

When you have more time in advance #

Also see in related threads below about teaching a dog to do his own nails on a scratchpad, and DIY scratchpad info in the comments.

Ear drops #

Eye drops #

Muzzle training #

Muzzle training article

Cone training (Elizabethan collar) #

Kikopup cone tutorial
Also see Dognostics course in the paid section below

Tooth brushing #

Injections, Surgical and misc #

External resources: #

Books: #

Directories: #

The following pages include both resources for owners/professionals, and also contain directories of trained professionals, including veterinary clinics and groomers, that are trained in these techniques and can help you with your dog.

Other (including paid courses): #

Socialisation, Fear and Aggression /

Muzzle Training

Muzzles #

Muzzles are great training tools when working on behaviour modification with reactive dogs, but they're also required equipment in some dog sports, and they can protect you in emergency veterinary situations. Regardless of your dog's temperament, a muzzle can be an invaluable tool to have on hand. They are designed to restrict mouth movement to a certain degree and do not inflict any sort of pain on the dog.

To pick out a muzzle, consider your dog's needs. If you want to get your dog used to wearing a muzzle in situations where you need to offer food rewards, you'll want one designed to allow eating. Some offer better air flow than others. This article from Nan Arthur explains the benefits of muzzle training and discusses types of muzzles.

If you're thinking about muzzling because your dogs are fighting at home, consult a veterinary behaviourist first. Muzzling aggressive dogs can dramatically increase frustration in some situations, making a stressful home environment worse. Remember - muzzles are not just for aggressive dogs. When you see a dog out and about with a muzzle on this is not an indicator that they are aggressive in any way, many sighthound owners choose to muzzle train to stop their dog catching prey, others use muzzles to stop scavenging behaviour in case their dog eats something toxic while out and about.

How to introduce a dog to wearing a muzzle: #

Resources for fitting, selection and usage:

https://muzzleupproject.com/
Socialisation, Fear and Aggression /

Introducing cats and dogs

Before you take any steps towards introducing cats and dogs, make sure your animals are relatively suited to one another. A rambunctious, barky dog is probably not suited to a shy or elderly cat. A bouncy cat hurdling around corners is probably not suited to a fearful dog.

Talk to the shelter's adoption representatives or a breeder about your home situation and ask for dog-friendly cats or cat-friendly dogs. Once you have the perfect duo, introduce them slowly. Let each animal have rotating freedom over a few days so each can sniff out the other during their time out. If you are crate training, let the cat see the dog in the crate, but don't let the cat remain in the dog's view - you don't want the dog's curiosity to be too amped up when they finally meet. When it's meeting time, it's very important to keep the dog leashed so the cat can get away easily and the dog can't give chase. Give the leash some slack but stay close enough to insert yourself between the animals if needed. Use a barrier such as a baby gate or animal pen if your dog is too unpredictable at first. If the dog is yipping, lunging, or otherwise excited, or the cat is growling or hissing, move some distance away from the cat and click and treat the dog for all calm behaviour. Gradually move the animals closer together and let them sniff each other. Make sure you're reinforcing all calm behaviours with great treats. Many people only reward the dog, but rewarding the cat will build up the cat's positive association with the dog too, so don't neglect the purrsome one. Cats can easily be rewarded with bits of tuna, licks of tuna juice, yogurt, or other quickly ingested foods.

Dogs are most interested in other species when they move quickly, so ensuring he cat feels safe means the cat is less likely to run and the dog is less likely to try to chase. As the animals interact more an more, click and reward the dog for every look at the cat without getting overly excited and chasing. Make sure all interactions are supervised for as long as it takes for both animals to be in each other's company without nervousness or too much excitement.

Don't
  • bring a cat to the shelter to "help" pick out a dog, or vice versa. Shelters can be stressful for your pets.
  • put the cat in a crate and let the dog sniff it all over - there's no need to make the cat feel trapped and afraid
  • let the animals interact unsupervised until they are both calm around each other
Do
  • allow high access points so the cat can escape from the situation at all times
  • reward both animals for interacting nicely
  • watch for signs that you are upsetting the resident pet's routines. Many pets change their eating, drinking, and potty schedules with the arrival of a new pet. Keep an eye that those changes aren't too drastic.

Resources #

Socialisation, Fear and Aggression /

Fearful Dogs

What is fear? #

Fear is a primal emotion, deeply built into dogs (and other animals) by evolution. Its purpose is to keep an animal safe in the face of an immediate threat to the animal's wellbeing, that could potentially lead to injury or death. A dog that experiences fear is one whose body implements immediate subconscious changes to prime for further actions: increased adrenaline and the stress hormone cortisol in the blood, increased heart rate, increased blood flow to skeletal muscle and away from the digestive system, increased likelihood of fight/flight/freeze/fawn reaction and decreased likelihood of complex thought or learned behaviour in response to the external trigger.

What is anxiety? #

Anxiety is a feeling of anticipating fear. There is not a direct threat present, but you are aware that the circumstances are likely to become fearful, and some of the physical preparation for a fear response begins now such as increased heart rate, increased alertness, reduction in ability to learn new/complex things. Anxiety can also occur in anticipation of aversives that are not predictably going to lead to severe bodily harm.

Fear is what you feel when being chased by a tiger. Anxiety is when you haven't seen the tiger yet, but you know they're in the area and you just heard some bushes rustling.

The Four Fs and safety #

When the thinking brain switches off, a fearful animal will resort to one of four common strategies to try to make the fear trigger go away:

  • Fight - behaviours that are intended to create distance through direct threats/confrontation making other things move (such as biting)
  • Flight - behaviours that are intended to create distance by moving one's self (such as running away)
  • Freeze - behaviours that are intended to create distance by deliberately avoiding provoking any further reaction, and getting the self to be ignored (such as standing still and tense, or "playing dead")
  • Fawn - behaviours that are intended to create distance by deliberately trying to provoke a more favourable reaction (such as submissive peeing or other obsequious body language)

If the first chosen strategy doesn't work well enough, the animal may then switch to a different strategy. Therefore, it's vital to remember that there may still be a possibility of being bitten by a fearful dog, even if it looks like the dog has initially chosen flight or freeze. Even if you are not the thing causing the fear, if you simply happen to be nearby the dog may still turn around and bite you (this is redirected aggression). All training related to fear needs to start with mindful planning - "If the dog accidentally gets pushed too far, how can I prevent being badly bitten?" Consider the Hierarchy of Hazard Controls.

Common and recommended prevention strategies include:

  • use of physical barriers between dog's teeth and other dogs/people, such as muzzles, baby gates, crate walls, fences, PPE
  • use of physical space separation so that the dog cannot approach others trying to stay away from it, such as fences and leashes
  • ensuring that the dog is given the opportunity to choose "flight" instead of "fight" as much as possible
-> * avoid or minimise time in narrow corridors, doorways, paths and similar situations where a dog may be forced into close proximity when it would prefer to give a wide berth -> * wherever possible, give the dog freedom to choose to move away by use of a longer leash or a sectioned off room, as opposed to a short tight leash or a crate -> * do not corner a frightened dog or block its escape routes out of a tight space with your body
  • planning training sessions so that the level of the fear trigger cannot get above a known manageable threshold at all
  • planning training sessions so that the dog's body language can be progressively monitored to determine approach of the threshold, and the training happening slowly enough that the warning signs won't be missed before then
  • positioning your body so that your most vulnerable/easily damaged parts (especially face and hands) are significantly further away than less vulnerable targets (such as your thigh)
-> * as a well known example of what NOT to do, there's a viral video involving dogs with fear of nail trims being asked to lick peanut butter on the grooming person's forehead. This simultaneously prevents the groomer from being able to monitor the dog's facial expressions AND places the face directly into the line of fire if something goes wrong.

General guides #

It is not possible to reinforce fear. #

“Reinforce” is a technical term which means “make a behaviour happen more often”. Fear is an emotion, not a behaviour, so the word “reinforce” does not apply to it by definition.

Never feel concerned about comforting your dog, if your dog is already bonded to you and trusts you. Think: if you have a scary experience, and then your mother gives you a hug, you will not become artificially more scared the next time it happens just because you want to have a hug. Fear is inherently designed to be aversive and for the animal to not want to experience it again, and so cannot be made stronger by pleasant experiences.

However, if the dog is scared of you, then trying to comfort it by getting closer, petting it, hand-feeding etc. is NOT a pleasant experience and CAN make the fear stronger. Never hand-feed a dog that would not actively and cheerfully approach you without the food present. Never try to coerce a dog into getting closer to something it's scared of by putting something the dog wants/needs near the scary thing - this association will likely backfire and expand the fear/anxiety to include the food/object you are trying to use as a lure.

Fear and anxiety are about the animal's perception of a threat. They can be completely irrational when looked at logically/from a human perspective. Of course, we know that a car that just backfired nearby isn't intending on coming closer to run the dog over; but the dog has no way of knowing that, the brain is just instinctually responding to the loud, sharp sound just in case because that's what has worked best and become rooted in the genetics via evolution. Accept the fear/anxiety as genuine and work from there - insisting that the dog shouldn't be afraid and getting angry or frustrated at it for its reaction is useless.

Priority #1 is for dog to BE safe #

Do not use aversives at all - don't do things to the dog that are painful, scary, startling or intimidating. If there are such things in the environment, do your utmost to block them from affecting the dog (e.g. play white noise in the house to make sudden external sounds less noticeable, cover windows with blinds and/or fogging film to reduce external visual stimuli).

Priority #2 is for dog to FEEL safe #

Always set up situations to let the dog feel like they can freely make choices - the empowerment of choice is inherently reinforcing, relaxing and builds confidence. Don't push or pull fearful dogs out of their comfort zone to try to make them "face their fears". Don't introduce conflict into a situation by making the dog have to choose whether to risk getting closer to the fearful thing in order to get a treat - instead allow the dog to consider the fearful thing at a comfortable distance and if it does it will ALSO get a treat that is positioned further from the fearful thing. The dog can choose to re-consider and re-approach at its own comfort and will become confident faster.

Monitor your own behaviour to ensure you are not accidentally startling the dog by doing "normal" things. Avoid sudden, sharp movements - get up off the couch slowly and smoothly instead of thrusting your body up into the air, move hands gently and flowingly rather than gesticulating wildly, keep your voice melodic and quiet instead of loud and in outbursts. Be as predictable as you can - if the dog is scared of you, and you say a gentle "bye" to the dog only before leaving the room and every time you leave the room, the dog will soon start relaxing earlier when it hears you say "bye" because that will predict your leaving and the dog can trust that you saying "bye" means you WON'T suddenly approach them.

Medication #

Talk to your vet or, better yet, a qualified veterinary behaviourist whether your dog is a good candidate for anti-anxiety medications. Because fear inhibits learning, and it can take multiple days without stress for stress hormones in the body to go away (often not possible in a household environment if the dog is stressed there on a daily basis), it is often a good and humane idea to try medications early to assist getting over the initial hump of the issue when an animal is exhibiting extreme and/or widespread anxiety. Otherwise, you risk making little headway for months on training alone and being inefficient in the use of your own time and energy in the process.
A general vet check is a good idea, anyway. Sometimes the fear/anxiety is actually a symptom of a different underlying medical condition.

Exercise for shy dogs scared of your presence - book reading #

To get a dog used to your presence, once a day you can sit in a chair on the opposite side of the room the dog is in and quietly read a chapter of a book out loud to the dog.

  • you will have relaxed body language
  • you will be making small movements, like shifting in your seat or turning pages, but they will be calm and not aimed at the dog
  • you will be looking away from the dog and only watching it from your peripheral vision - naturally calming for the dog compared to a direct stare
  • the sound of your voice will be flowing and gently variable, not overly loud or targeted at the dog's actions
  • there will be a set, easy routine that the dog can find very predictable

This exercise will help to desensitise the dog to your presence, and after a while enable the dog to relax enough to participate in games like Treat-Retreat (see links in resources section).

Exercises for dogs that don't like to be touched #

Many dogs like being touched a lot less than we like to touch them, and this goes double for shy or scared dogs. A scared dog may tolerate you touching it once, but be frozen still and waiting for you to stop rather than obviously growling or running away. Instead of assuming that the dog will want you to continue petting it, do a consent test regularly!
Also, check our wiki article on husbandry tutorials to learn about start buttons and how to structure interaction sessions in a way that let the dog say STOP whenever he's feeling too uncomfortable - this will build confidence and trust that you will notice and not push past discomfort that made them scared in the first place.

Resources #

Specific fear subtypes #

Socialisation, Fear and Aggression /

Resource Guarding

Resource guarding is a normal dog behavior which was, even in recent history, a survival behavior. Dogs who could not keep what was theirs might not eat. However, in modern times we give our dogs all that they need and so guarding behavior is both unnecessary and potentially dangerous. Since guarding behavior can arise spontaneously, it's a good idea to work on prevention with your dog and know how to recognize and treat the problem should it become inappropriate.

Guarding comes from a fear of losing an object. Often this fear is more intense than would be expected, given the objects value. Dogs with serious guarding problems may become aggressive over items which don't seem worth fighting for.

Flavors of Guarding #

Anything of value may be guarded. Most often, guarding is seen in dogs who growl when people come near a favorite object or their food. However, guarding may occur over a favorite spot, attention, a toy or anything else the dog values. Note that fear aggression is often mislabelled guarding.

Dogs are also inclined to guard favorite objects from other dogs. The treatment plan in this case may be similar, however it's complicated by the need to manage multiple animals.

Guarding Prevention #

Prevention is always the best treatment, however skip to the treatment section if you already have a guarder!

Start teaching your dog early on that you are good news when he has something valuable!

The Trade-Up Game #

When your dog has something valuable (which he is allowed to have) like a bone, toss treats at him and then walk away as he is enjoying it. About 1 in 10 times, toss a treat then pick up the item, ask for a sit and give the item back. Occasionally, bring your hands close when you give your dog a treat. You are teaching him that you are not a threat to his items, in fact you bring more items!

The tips below, apply to prevention as well. You still want to maintain a positive "trust account", you are just lucky enough to not be starting with a deficit.

Common Mistakes to Avoid #

You may decrease your dog's trust and increase the chance of resource guarding if you:

  • take toys/food/chews from your dog spontaneously (and without trading for something better)
  • put your hands in your dog's food bowl and mess with it
  • pat or touch your dog while he's eating

Some of these things are old wives tales about how to stop resource guarding - but actually, they often increase guarding! Be careful!
Video - Top Three Ways to Create Resource Guarding - Michael Shikashio

Treatment #

For simplicity, most of the descriptions below will apply to food/toy/bone guarding.

Remember, in all aggression cases, working with a skilled professional trainer or behaviorist is highly recommended! Be sure to choose someone who has experience and uses science-based, positive methods.

Management #

The first step in any treatment plan is management.

This is important both for safety reasons and because a dog who is put in situations where he feels he needs to guard is practicing the inappropriate emotions and behaviors. A successful training plan needs to be systematic and slow, and without proper management this won't happen.

For food aggression, a good first step can be feeding the dog in a room by himself, in a crate or behind a baby gate where he won't be accidentally disturbed while eating. If the dog is guarding a spot on the bed or couch, it's wise not to give him access to that spot until you are ready.

Counter Conditioning #

Keep each session short, no more than a few minutes - then leave your dog to eat his bone in peace!

Step 1 : Small Deposits in the "trust account" #

Let your dog have an item which is safe for him to have, and which he can enjoy while you are a few feet away without any concerning behaviors.

Your first step is to teach your dog that when he has this object, your presence means good things. He is learning emotional associations so make this game easy for him. The easier it is, the more positive the association he is learning. Think of each positive interaction he has with you while he's got his bone as putting money in a bank account. Eventually, you will want to spend that account by taking something away from him - but for now you are making deposits.

So when he has the object, walk up close enough that he notices you (but not so close that he reacts) toss a HIGH value treat at him, and then walk away.

Step 2 : Coming Closer Means Good Things #

We are still in the making deposits stage, but we want to make our presence rewarding when the dog has a valued object.

Wait until the dog seems relaxed with step 1, toes aren't curling around the object when you come by, the intensity of chewing isn't increasing when you come by, when you toss the treat away from the bone the dog will drop the bone to get the treat and come back leisurely, not in a mad dash to prevent you from getting the bone first.

When you see that, try coming in a few inches closer to toss your treat. Then walk away as before. Slowly come in closer until the dog is completely comfortable with you coming right next to him while he is chewing. (Please, for your safety, don't rush this!!)

Step 3 : Hands Mean Good Things #

Since hands coming in can be threatening to a resource guarder, it's recommended that you work on this first when the dog doesn't have any object in his mouth. Reach down and place a treat next to your dog while he is sitting on the floor. It's important that your hands swoop in and place the item near him, since we are working on "hands mean good things."

When your dog has the guarded resource, go more slowly. It is vital to take small steps. Start by leaning slightly lower as you toss the treat. If you see the dog go back to curling his toes around the object, growling, or chewing harder slow down. Work up to placing the treat on the floor a few feet from your dog. Work up to being able to walk up to your dog, place a treat next to the guarded item and walk away. Please do not rush this step!

Step 4 : Just Take My Bone! #

When you can reach in with a treat successfully, start tossing the treat to the side. When your dog will casually drop the item and walk away for the treat AND you have worked on hands mean good things, try tossing a treat to the side and picking up the item. Give your dog a treat, ask for a sit and then give the item back.

Maintaining Progress #

Continue to toss treats at your dog when he or she has a guard-able item. Most of the time, just walk away. Remember, it's money in the bank!

A small percentage of the time, you can pick the item up, and show your dog that this too has good outcomes.

Finally, when absolutely necessary (if your dog has something dangerous or valuable) you will need to take the object away without giving it back. Pay your dog for this (with high value treats or a different object) if you can. Of course, sometimes you will need to take an object away from your dog and you won't have a treat on you to pay him with. This is exactly why you have spent so much time adding value to your trust account - if he has had enough good experiences with you "making deposits" it will be alright if once in a while you need to just take something away.

Resources #

Books #

Web Resources #

Ongoing Training and Activities /

Scentwork Training

The basics #

Some of you may be familiar with the fun game of hide and seek. This is the beginnings of scentwork for your dog. For those of you unfamiliar with the game here is a rundown of how it works:

  1. Buy a brand new toy, one which you only use for hide and seek. (If your dog is not motivated to find a toy, you may use small training treats. You can always transition them to find an object once they understand the 'find it' concept and enjoy the actual game itself).
  2. Take your dog into your chosen room and get them in a sit.
  3. While your dog is in a sit, put your toy down with your dog watching.
  4. When you have 'hidden' your toy, give the command 'find it' and release them from the sit.
  5. When your dog retrieves the item or touches it say 'yes' (or click) and treat.
  6. Repeat this step 2 more times. If your dog is successful now put your toy behind an item (chair, table, whatever) and repeat twice more in different places.
  7. You can then take your dog into another room, get them in a sit, show them your toy and go to the other room to hide it. Start with one of your previous obvious places, then tell your dog to come in and 'find it'.
  8. Make the hiding places progressively harder but do not repeat this exercise more than 10 times in a session. Always end your session before your dog gets bored and is still having fun. This will inspire them to start to love the game.
  9. Do not look in the direction of the item, walk towards it or otherwise give an indication that you know where it is. If you do your dog will pick up on this and be disheartened in later searches, then choose to rely on you instead of finding the item of his own volition.

Progressing from basic 'hide and seek' #

Once you have started to successfully play your game in your chosen room repeat the above steps in every other appropriate room in your house.

Before you progress to working in your yard/garden start working with a new toy so they learn not to associate this exercise with just one item. You can later progress to teaching your dog to find lost items, people etc. If your dog will retrieve 'people' items such as a hat, a sock etc. then you can begin to introduce these items into your play, changing it up but not so quickly that your dog gets confused, bored or frustrated. If your dog takes a step back in the game, you need to take a step back also until they are ready.

If you have specific items you want your dog to eventually find, your keys, your phone, your wallet etc then you can start from step 1 but with this item (if your dog will retrieve/point to them). You need to bring in a word for this item, so show it to your dog, place it infront of their nose for them to get the scent, then hide them as in step 1 and say the command 'find keys/money' etc. If your dog is not keen on retrieving items with certain textures (metal) you can either work on this by doing 'hold' work or you can observe your dog during the scentwork: watch your dog when he is looking for his toy, as soon as he gets a definite scent his body language should change and he will go directly to the item, by watching out for the signs that your dog has located the item you can retrieve the item yourself if he does not want to pick it up, but remember to let him find it himself and indicate to you that it has been located, if you step in before this he will believe you found it first and this will bruise his confidence. If however you want your dog to indicate an item is found in a definitive way and not retrieve then we need to work on indication which can be a little tricky sometimes. If you don't want your dog to indicate skip the next section.

Indication #

Indication is the term for your dog finding an item and them lying down, sitting or barking so inform you that it has been located. Your dog should sit down or lie down facing the item. Barking is not always recommended for various reasons so I will skip over this, I always prefer not to encourage my dog to bark anyway as it can be problematic especially if your dog is prone to being vocal.

In order to teach an indication behaviour you need to begin by having your dog on leash in your first room (as in step 1), place the item down in front of them and give your command for lie or sit, your dog should position itself facing the item. Once your dog will do this with your item move it a few feet away and give the down or sit command, your dog should move to the item and sit or lie down. If they do not do this move your item towards them a bit more until they are willing to move to the right location. Having good distance work training is a bonus here, otherwise your dog probably generalises his sit or lie down behaviour to being in your general locale instead of wherever he is sat. If your dog finds this frustrating you can lead your dog to the item and then give your command, eventually working up so they will do it without direction. Indication can be useful for if your dog has a hard mouth, if items are dangerous (as with police dogs) or if you want to move on to finding people as your dog can't pick them up and carry them back!

Once your dog has figured out how to indicate you can try going back to step 1 and doing this again moving on to different items and then different locations as before.

Distinguishing items by scent #

Your dogs sense of smell is truly amazing, dogs have over 100times more olfactory cells for which to scent per square cm than humans do. Once you have taught your dog scentwork it's time to move on a more advanced practice by getting them to distinguish between two identical items, one with a scent and one without. For this you will need the following:

  • 2 brand new dishcloths or pieces of fabric. They must be completely new and in the packaging, you must not handle these pieces for now.
  • BBQ tongs or something equivalent for handling your cloth
  • Preferably a second person to help you with this exercise

Now we begin. You should preferably do this exercise inside with limited distractions, and preferably on a very clean floor (wood or laminate) so the scents are not contaminated.

Get your dog on its leash and take out the two cloths with your tongs. Do not touch them at this point in time. Your friend should place one cloth on the floor a few feet away from you both (using the tongs) and the other cloth should be rubbed vigorously between your hands so that it picks up your scent. You then present this cloth with the scent to your dog, your assistant will take the cloth with the tongs and place it a foot or two away from the other on the floor. Then command your dog to 'find it'. By now your dog should know what you asking of him, he may go directly to the cloth as he has seen it put down so works out which one it is that you want. This is completely fine and teaches your dog what you want, when they indicate or retrieve the cloth with your scent praise and treat (or click and treat).

You can then move on to doing this as with step 1 in other rooms and out of sight so your dog does not see which item has been placed last. Build up this exercise by adding more 'scentless' cloths one at a time. Eventually your dog should be able to sniff out your scent among 10 or 20 identical items.

After performing this exercise you need to ensure that your cloths do not become contaminated. It is advisable to wash them (with nothing else in the machine of course) and take them out with your metal tongs and put them in packaging again so they do not pick up scents.

Once you have done this with cloths you can work on other items, or other smells. One recommended scent is that of milk, have a tub of half water/half milk to dip your item in. This can be squares of cardboard or paper card so you don't make a huge mess. Show your dog the item as before and let them take in the scent and repeat. As your dog gets better with milk dilute the solution down so it's 60/40, 70/30 and all the way down to only a drop of milk in the water. After this if you wish you can move on to other scents of your choosing (gravy stock, juice, whatever you want)

Scenting out on the trail #

For scenting trails (as opposed to tracking) you will need the following:

  • Notepad
  • Pencil
  • Ribbons, pegs or other subtle indicators of where your trail is laid
  • Treats or reward toys
  • A long leash or long line (a few metres length to start with)*
  • A good harness. This needs a back clip and needs to be comfortable for your dog when they have their nose to the floor
  • Your chosen item in a ziplock (item should have your scent on - I recommend a pair of gloves that you wear for a day, they both go in your ziplock baggy and one is laid at the end of the trail, one is for your dog to get the scent from).
  • Preferably a second handler or assistant
  • Water (Your dog needs to be hydrated to scent, the wetter the nose the better your dogs sense of smell will be. )
If you are confident that your dog will not be distracted and will not hunt then you can forego the leash.

To begin trail work you need to put in some (wo)man hours first. You need to find a spot preferably where you will not be disturbed, and somewhere you can identify the landmarks in with ease. You should seek out this location without your dog initially to figure out what kind of trail you will be laying out. Your first location should have a few trees or other landmarks so that you can lay one out for about 30-50ft to begin with. When you have chosen your location you need to make notes in your pad about what course you wish to take, for example: '50ft from the oak tree, 10 paces towards it then take a right for 15 paces, then left turn and straight towards the tree'

Your dog needs to be comfortable with scenting items from inside a bag so get him acclimatised to this exercise before you start your outdoor trails, you can do by putting your items you use for hide and seek into a bag and letting him sniff them before a search.

Setting your first trail #

Now you have your location, your items and an idea of what you want to do it's time to lay down your first trail. Go to your chosen location with your dog and all your equipment. Your assistant should have your dog on the leash so he can watch you lay the trail. Have your marking items at the ready and start your trail with your wind to your back. This important so that your dog uses their nose and does not run directly to the item.

Lay down your marking item at the start line, with it indicating the direction you are heading in. Along the way to your location change direction and mark this with your marking item too so you know where you are going. Before you get to your finish line, with your dog watching, pretend to bend down and drop treats or toys. After your dog has seen you do this along the way ask your assistant to get his attention away from you after the specified amount of times. When you get to the end of your trail lay down your item. If you do not have an assistant it is not imperative that your dog looks away from the 'hide'.

When you have gotten to the end of your trail walk back in a very wide arc which ends after your start line so your dog cannot be confused with the scents.

Now get your dog on lead and approach the starting point and get him to sniff the item inside your ziplock bag, while he is sniffing give your find command. Try your best never to repeat your command lest your dog is then sniffing something completely different. Try to keep your dog at an even pace, not too quick so a good 'steady' command is helpful here. As with working in the house try not to help your dog in any way, do not look at your finish line or where you should be headed, keep a mental note of how your dog is doing so you can improve on later trails. You can use words such as 'wheresit??' to keep him encouraged but by no means should you use your 'find' command. If your dog begins to go in circles this is normal, they are trying to pick up the scent again.

When your dog has found the item give heaps of praise, a super tasty 'jackpot' treat or his favourite motivating toy, whatever works for your dog.

If your dog has trouble or cannot find the scent at all you need to step back in your training, practice more in your garden or make a much shorter trail. Your should aim to do your next trail in the same place but turn in different directions.

After your trail keep a note in your pad of what the weather was like, the terrain, the length of your trail and how your dog performed. This will help you figure out what is easy and what is hard when you have more experience. Try not to get your dog generalised in his work so change the location, surroundings and ground.

Just remember to take everything slowly, gradually and patiently. Ideally you should do trailling 2 times a week so your dog doesn't get rusty.

Finding people on trails #

Once your dog is used to trails out and about in the big, wide world you can move on to scenting out people. The strategy is much the same as the above, but for this you will definitely need a helper, preferably somebody your dog knows and trusts. You should find a location with your helper and discuss the trail you wish to take, make sure you both have precise notes of where you are going so that neither of you get lost.

Take your dog and your helper to your chosen location with an item of your own in the ziplock bag (clothing, glove, etc) and leave your dog with your handler and follow your pre-arranged trail route. After the set amount of time your handler should open the ziplock bag with your scent in and give the command as you would and take your dog on the trail. When your dog finds you be sure to have a super tasty treat. You can then do this in reverse where you have your dog and your assistant leaves you a scent of theirs and hides on the trail (with a tasty treat at hand for when the dog finds them of course).

The more experienced you get in laying trails, and the more friends you have that understand the process and 'rules' the better you and your dog will become at this exercise. Eventually you should be able to lay down elaborate trails over many types of terrain with no problem, and your dog should quickly learn to love his work.

That's it, have fun!

Resources #

If you want to do more advanced scentwork or working advanced trails then please see the following resources:

It may also be worthwhile to contact any breed clubs or scentworking clubs in your area, often experts will hold seminars where you can go and be tutored or otherwise learn how to do scentwork in the most effective way.

Ongoing Training and Activities /

Tricks Training

This article is a stub for now. Please check the resources linked below, and come back later for more info!

Why tricks? #

  • Training takes practice. Use tricks you don't care about to practice your training skills so that you can make fewer mistakes later when teaching things that really matter to you
  • Learning from humans takes practice. Use tricks to help your dog figure out your communication strategies and be more a more effective student
  • Increase your reinforcement history with your dog - strengthens your relationship and builds trust, improving your future training
    * Keep your dog's mind engaged so that it's easier for him to settle

Trick Ideas and Instructions #

Resources #

DVDs #

  • Silvia Trkman Tricks DVDs - on the expensive side at ~46e/$63USD, but these are absolutely excellent DVDs and Silvia covers a lot of the basics of tricks training on Tricks for a Better Bond very well. If you are a visual learner and want to see someone else, highly recommended.

Books #

  • 101 Dog Tricks by Kyra Sundance - this is a very visual book that shows you step by step how to teach a number of tricks. All positive motivation. There is also a Kindle edition.

Youtube Channels #

  • NanaBorderCollie useyourclicker.com - Lots of great variety and ideas on this channel. Her cat does tricks too!
  • Pam's Dog Training - Pam LOVES tricks training and it really shows on her Youtube channel. She is regularly posting new tricks and posts very good how-to teach videos.
  • Pawsitive Vybe - want to play Frisbee with your dog? This YouTube channel is for you!
  • Kikopup of course is an excellent youtube resource

Online Classes #

Ongoing Training and Activities / Tricks Training /

Spin Left and Right

Spin #

This trick involves teach your dog to spin in a circle, both left and right, on cue. You can use any cue you wish (I've heard left/right, wrap/loop, etc). It makes for a very cute trick when your dog appears to know "left" and "right" on cue.

How To Teach #

There are a number of ways to teach this trick:

Lure Method #

Using food in your hand, lure the dog in a circle. I found it easiest to use my right hand for left circles, and my left hand for right circles. Do a circle and reward. Repeat this until your dog picks up the idea and starts to anticipate/offer the circle. Then simply start giving less and less of a circle with your hand, until you are just giving a small flick to indicate direction. Be patient! Fading out your hand can take awhile, but you'll get there. To add the cue, start saying the cue right before you give your hand cue. Eventually you can fade the hand cue entirely and rely on your verbal cue.

Video Examples #

Shaped Method #

With the shaped method, you will use your clicker to shape your dog moving in a circle. You'll have to start very small and click for just a head turn away from you and gradually grow this into a full turn. The shaping method takes a lot of patience, but is a great way to practice shaping skills.

Target Method #

First, train your dog to target your hand or a prop.

Now you can use this prop (or your hand) to lead your dog in a wide circle. If your dog won't follow the target in a full circle, do a slight turn, then a quarter turn and work up to leading the dog all the way around.

Once your dog will follow the target in a circle, you can begin to fade the target so the dog never actually touches the target when he moves in a circle. Then move the target gradually higher, so he is following the target less and less. Soon the target will be faded to the point where it's really more of a cue than a guide. From this point, you can transfer the cue if you like, or keep your faded motion as a cue.

Video Examples #

Note #

You will probably find your dog is better at one direction than the other. This is normal! Just practice their weaker direction more often than the stronger one and you will have it down in no time!

If you want your dog to be able to spin in either direction, it's a good idea to train and practice both from day 1.

Other Uses #

Agility #

Many people teach this trick in order to use the left/right as directionals in agility and it's an excellent way to teach your dog directions! This trick also makes for a GREAT warm up trick to use before your run or before you start training.

Ongoing Training and Activities /

Dog Sports

This article is a stub for now. Please check the resources linked below, and come back later for more info!

Cani x #

Canicross is one form of running with your dog and some people use this as a form of competitive sport. For Canicross you will need the following equipment:

  • Walking belt
  • Running harness (not normal harness used for walking)
  • A flexible lead

You can do canicross with any breed of dog so long as they enjoy the exercise! There are many cani x clubs worldwide and you may have one local to you if you want to do races.

Bikejoring #

Bikejoring is where your dog runs ahead of your bike, as opposed to general biking where your dog should be at your side. Any dog can do bikejor but most commonly it is huskys and other hounds who do this sport. As with cani x this can be a competitive sport if you wish to compete in trials. You will need the following equipment:

  • X back harness (like a cani x running harness)
  • Bungee lead line fixed to the front of your bike.
  • Gangline if you have multiple dogs.

As with normal biking it is useful to have some commands at the ready so you don't get pulled the wrong way etc. Common commands are 'left', 'right', 'steady', 'stop' and 'pull' or 'mush' to go faster. Bikejoring is for soft surfaces like forest trails and not pavements. Your dog should have a good level of fitness to do this sport.

Career Paths in Animal Training and Behavior /

How to become a dog trainer

Want to become a dog trainer? We can help to point you in the right direction.

Things to learn #

We suggest that you begin with the resources in this wiki. There you'll find links intended to help people train their dogs. Follow each link, and learn everything you can from the material provided there. Once you've learned from that content, visit our list of recommended books. Reading the books on that list will give you a good foundation.

Advice from our archives #

Here are some posts from /r/dogtraining:

When searching, you can look up all threads that have INDUSTRY flair.

Courses offered by trainers we respect #

Miscellaneous /

Dominance

Why am I here? #

If this article was specifically linked to you, it's probably because you said something similar to:

  • "Alpha"/"beta"/"pack leader"
  • Dogs having rank/hierarchy/pecking order/"top dog" within packs
  • labelled a specific behaviour like humping as "a dominance behaviour" or said that the dog "asserted/showed dominance"
  • suggested that a dog needs to show "respect" or submission to people, or that people need to make the dog respect humans

Your words might be too easily misinterpreted by other people, or accidentally repeating myths that have been debunked by dog scientists without most dog owners knowing about that. Please read on to find out how this terminology works and how to avoid inadvertently breaching Rule 1 of the subreddit.

Dominance - is it a real word? #

Is it the hidden agenda behind your dog's every move? Completely made up nonsense?

It's a little of both. Dominance is a real world phenomenon in dog-dog interactions, with a well defined meaning (probably different from the meaning you've always heard!). However, it generally isn't the driving factor in dog-human relationships. Trainers who claim success through becoming dominant or becoming the alpha are misunderstanding dog behavior and spreading false information about why their strategies work when they work - and potentially misdiagnosing problems when they don't work.
It's important to understand how the definition of dominance is used in dog science, so that you can spot when other people are misinterpreting dog behaviour and providing poor explanations.

What dominance is #

Resources are very important to dogs. Actually, resources are of prime importance to most animals. So it makes sense that dogs (and other animals) have methods to determine who gets which resource. A dominance relationship refers to a relationship between a pair of animals with respect to a specific and generally scarce resource that they both are competing for. The relationship may flip with different animals or a different resource. For example, Fido might always take the bone you dropped before Rex gets a turn. Fido holds the dominant status with bones. It could be that Rex always insists on the couch spot first. Rex is dominant where couches are concerned. Perhaps there is a Spot in the picture, Rex has decided that Spot isn't much of a threat and for some reason isn't worried about the scarcity of couch cushions when Spot is over, there isn't a clear dominance relationship between Rex and Spot.

"Dominance" is just "we did some stats on how often Fido got the resource instead of Spot when we were watching them together".
Of note:

  • This mostly applies to scarce resources.
  • This applies to animals who are in competition for a resource. If you are not competing with your dog for his food, he is unlikely to try to fit you into this structure. (As a side note, the advice to grab your dog's food while he eats to show him that you are boss can backfire here... you are more likely to accidentally convince him that you are actually in competition with him! A better plan would be to leave him be or to add food while he eats to show him you are not a competitor - he will learn to love you near his resources.)
  • The dominance relationship is a useful shorthand to humans - but what the dog thinks is closer to "Well, when Rex is over I can feel free to have bones whenever I want, that's safe, but I should not get between him and his spot on the couch. That is more trouble than it's worth." Dogs don't worship more dominant animals (or humans) for their status. That is a human habit.
  • Dominance is PEACE. Two dogs with an established dominance relationship with respect to a resource aren't going to fight over that resource. The 'submissive' animal doesn't feel lower or dejected or have low self esteem, he has just decided that the object is worth waiting rather than fighting for. There is no problem.
  • Dominance is a label in the context of an event. You watched an interaction, and then afterwards you can describe that interaction to someone else by referring to which animal had the upper hand. However, a dog on its own in a room isn't "dominant", and past interactions are not necessarily predictive of the dominance outcome of future interactions.
  • Different species of animals have different types of dominance relationships within their population. There are some animal species where the biggest/strongest/most aggressive animal will win fights against all the others in the local area and claim all the resources, resulting in a stable hierarchy. It turns out that dogs are NOT one of those species! So it doesn't make much sense to say that one dog will be alpha over others when in reality the relationship between a group of dogs looks more like a fluid, complex multi-directional web.
  • Dominance can change. A dog may stop valuing a resource as highly and allow other dogs to take it when they didn't use to. Or a dog might start valuing a resource more highly. Or a dog might change in its confidence about whether it should be assertive in a situation (e.g. more confident when older/larger, or less confident after a past unpleasant experience). The longer you watch two dogs interact, the more data you collect, and the more variability you will see in their relationship over time as a result.
  • Dominance does not transfer. If Fido is dominant over Spot, and Spot is dominant over Rex, there is NO guarantee that Fido will be dominant over Rex too. Each two-dog pair has a unique relationship with each other and it's important to not make assumptions about it without watching those two specific dogs interacting.

What dominance isn't #

  • A way to earn respect
  • A personality trait
  • Something that governs your every move. Your dog doesn't notice who is walking in front. He isn't keeping tabs on whether you are sitting on the floor. If you aren't eating his food, he isn't picky about when you eat.
  • A valid excuse to use pain or intimidation in training. Pain and intimidation can work, because dogs work to avoid pain, but avoiding these methods doesn't make you any less "in charge".
  • A reason to pin your dog or roll him on his back.
  • "Submissive" body language in dogs can more accurately be labelled appeasement behavior. Rather than being a sign of 'respect', it may be a sign of fear.
  • relevant to cross-species interactions - e.g. it doesn't make sense to say that your dog is trying to show dominance over your cat.
  • Related to forward planning. Just because a dog shows behaviour that is bolder than you'd like or expect doesn't mean he's trying to "take over" or be the "leader" in the family.

How we can (and can't) apply what we know about dominance #

First, when we aren't competing over a resource there is no reason to act like we are. Don't try to take your dog's food, bones, toys etc. away from him unless you are doing well-thought-through training against resource guarding.

When you see one dog taking exclusive possession of a resource from other dogs, such as stealing food, toys or resting locations, remember that trying to forcefully share the resources between the dogs is likely to introduce additional conflict and tension into the situation. Instead, try to set up the environment to allow the other dogs a share of the resources without competition coming into play (additional distance or physical barriers such as baby gates). Similarly, trying to ensure a specific dog always gets resources first isn't meaningfully going to affect their relationship to each other in a "dominance" sense, and can increase frustration depending on how you do it.
Don't assume that if you do one thing (always walking in front of a dog through doorways) that it will magically transfer across to everything else (dog biting you/barking/pulling/ignoring your cues etc.). If you have a problem in a specific situation, you will need to manage and/or train that specific situation. Similarly, don't assume that a dog being dominant in one situation means the dog wants to or is capable of being dominant in all situations, or that this has any bearing on the identity of a "pack leader" or "alpha".

Describing a dog's behaviour with the label "dominance" is a type of mental shortcut that can accidentally blind you to the most effective solutions. Instead, try to describe the behaviour with verbs and then apply an ABC analysis to it.

Examples of things people sometimes try in the name of "dominance" that are useless, harmful, silly, or downright absurd. Avoid these. (Yes, most of these come from real advice comments we've removed in this subreddit!) #

  • eating before your dog
  • pretending to eat dog's food from its bowl
  • spitting in dog's food
  • spitting in dog's mouth
  • walking in front of dog at all times
  • forcing dog into uncomfortable positions and preventing them from getting away
  • growling at your dog
  • biting your dog
  • "correcting" (aka punishing) your dog for aggressive behaviour
  • pressing your forehead against your dog's forehead
  • peeing on your dog's toys/food
  • peeing on top of your dog's pee/on your dog
  • wiping your pee onto your dog with a cloth/paper towel
  • punishing dog for leaning on you or sitting on your feet
  • pushing dog off its resting spot
  • putting hands on dog's things in a possessive way
  • staring contests
  • prevent dog sleeping in your bed/sitting on your furniture (you can do this if you want anyway but it has no dominance impact)
  • prevent dog from sitting/sleeping higher than your head/eyes/heart
  • avoiding letting your dog see you clean up their mess
  • avoiding playing tug
  • trying to always "win" when playing tug

Resources : #

Related threads: #

Miscellaneous /

Medical and Health Concerns

If your dog is ill or injured, please see a vet right away.

If you've got questions about the physical health of your dog, please visit our sister subreddit, /r/dogcare. That subreddit covers topics like dog food, exercise, grooming, and all those other things that help dogs to maintain good health in your canine friend.

Behavior Problems - Could it be Medical? #

The short answer is always yes. Just like with human children medical disorders can manifest as behavior problems. If your dog isn't feeling his best or has a hormonal or a chemical imbalance that may show up as a behavior problem. Remember, your dog can't tell you, "My stomach hurts" so sometimes discomfort shows up as a decreased ability to cope with his environment.

Always, always ask a vet when in doubt, but here are some clues that should always send you to the vet:

Any sudden change #

Behavior changes that occur suddenly without other explanation, especially in adult dogs who have been in a stable environment are always cause for a vet visit.

Aggression #

Not all aggression is medical, but aggression can be caused or exacerbated by underlying medical problems. Even if a medical problem was not the primary cause of the aggression, treating aggression when there is a medical challenge which hasn't been addressed is likely to prove difficult or impossible.

For serious cases, medical assistance might also be considered to jump start a behavior modification plan.

Fear, anxiety or obsessive behaviors #

Similar to aggression, the many flavors of fear and obsessive behaviors can also be caused by a medical problem or might also cause their own medical problems (colitis, ulcers for example.)

Progression of an English Springer Spaniel puppy with genetic predisposition to canine compulsive disorder (canine OCD):

Failure to progress with a behavior modification plan #

While your plan may be to blame - if a dog isn't making progress, it's always good to rule out health issues.

Confused or Senile Behavior #

Your vet can help you determine if there is something you can do.

House-training troubles #

If a dog who was previously housetrained suddenly starts eliminating inappropriately, or a puppy is harder than expected to train the culprit might be medical. Talk to your vet to rule out UTIs and other problems which may manifest as a sudden, urgent need to eliminate.

Changes in Appetite or Eating and Drinking Habits #

Often dietary habits are the first or only warning we have of sicknesses. Appetite changes in either direction should be noted, as should abnormal changes in drinking habits. (If a dog suddenly becomes water-obsessed, it's time to ask a vet.)

Changes in other habits #

If previously fun, reinforcing activities stop being fun for your dog, it might be time to ask a vet!

Miscellaneous /

On Cesar Millan

Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer #

Cesar Millan is perhaps the world's most famous dog trainer. He is a household name and his shows have encouraged millions to work on training their dogs and to address behavior problems that arise. He has an obvious love and devotion to dogs, and even many who disagree with his methods can appreciate that he encourages people to work with their dogs behavior.

We have avoided making a statement on Cesar, because we feel that it's more effective to teach alternative (and incompatible) methods and point to writings by behaviorists so that our readers have a chance to understand the principles of dog behavior and psychology. Arguments on the subject, we find, are often more confusing than enlightening to people who don't already hold strong opinions. However, there comes a point where our silence on the topic becomes notable. So we made this page which we do not intend on making prominent on the wiki.

Our Statement on Cesar #

We do not recommend Cesar's videos and resources. We feel that they spread misinformation about dog psychology and can encourage people to ignore or misinterpret significant signals that their dogs are displaying. Further, Cesar uses and recommends methods which can be painful or intimidating. Those methods are not necessary and often have significant fallout including intensified fear or aggression.

What Cesar Does Right #

Here is a list of some things we agree with Cesar on:

  • Dogs need exercise and many dogs are under exercised (though there is also such a thing as too much exercise!)
  • Dogs need clear communication
  • There is almost always hope, we encourage you not to give up on difficult dogs
  • Your behavior matters if you want your dog to behave
  • Cesar talks about 'psychology' and body language quite a bit. We often think he is getting it wrong - but we agree with him 100% on the importance of these topics.
  • Cesar is generally quite professional and does not put down trainers who use different methods.
  • Cesar has given quite a bit to both dog rehabilitation endeavors and programs for both humans and dogs.

Why We Disagree with Cesar's methods #

Cesar's espouses the philosophy that dog psychology centers around dominance hierarchies. He has diagnosed everything from obsessive compulsive disorders to fear as dominance and recommended punishment based methods to over power the behavior. While dominance is a real thing, we feel that he is misusing the concept to reach sometimes harmful conclusions.

"But you are misinterpreting, that was just a gentle...." #

It's absolutely true that the severity or force behind corrections can't be seen through the TV. What can be seen is the effect that they have on the dog.

It's the physical response that the dog is displaying that behaviorists and trainers are looking at when they analyze Cesar's videos. We highly recommend learning more about dog body language for all people because we feel that nothing improves dog-human relationships more than fluency in dog.

Resources #


AVSAB position statement on dominance (pdf)
AVSAB position statement on punishment (pdf)

Cesar Videos with Commentary #

Myths About Dominance #

Responses to Cesar #

Miscellaneous /

Ideas for training treats

Home made training treats #

Liver cake #

Liver cake is a firm favourite with the show crowd and obedience folk, and my own dogs behaviour is 100% spot on whenever liver cake is in my pocket.

Here is the recipe:

  • 1lb (450g) liver
  • 1lb self raising flour
  • 3 eggs
  • milk or water

How to:

  • Crack the eggs into a jug, add an equal volume of milk or water and whisk.
  • Put the liver into the blender
  • Once blended add the egg mixture and blend more
  • Stir in flour
  • Put in a baking tray and put in the oven at 180C for 40 minutes
  • Once done, let it cool then chop it into squares and divide up into treat bags. You can freeze some bags for later.

Kong recipes #

Frozen yoghurt kong, you will need:

  • A tub of natural, plain yoghurt
  • Tin of tuna
  • Bread

How to:

  • Blend your yoghurt, tuna and a few shreds of bread together
  • Put bread in the bottom of your kong to 'plug the hole'
  • Pour in your mixture and freeze

Other things you can add to a kong to freeze:

  • Peanut butter
  • Goats yoghurt
  • Cheese squares or squeezy cheese
  • Wet dog food
  • Meat mince
  • Banana
  • Honey (only a bit!)
  • Apple slices/chunks
  • Shredded ham
  • Scrambled egg
  • Unsalted mashed potato
  • Cashew nuts (unsalted)
  • Cream cheese
  • Kibble
  • Fish mouse/paste
  • Carrots
  • Anything else can you think of that isn't toxic!

Doggy ices #

Perfect for a cold day:

  • One old yoghurt pot/small plastic tub
  • Yoghurt, gravy stock, a few treats and some chopped liver
  • Mix your 'stuff' together, pour into your tub and freeze
  • Serve either in your tub so your dog can break it apart or push out like an ice pop (preferably on laminate floor or outside because this one is messy!)

Related Threads #

Miscellaneous /

Training and Management Equipment List

Collars and harnesses are used for management while you teach other behaviors. Do not rely on equipment to teach your dog to stop pulling, instead use equipment to allow you to keep your dog safe while you set your dog up to learn that good leash manners pay off.

Collars #

Buckle Collar

A buckle collar is an all-purpose collar, excellent for safely holding id tags and for gentle restraint. It is best for dogs who already walk well on lead and for whom slipping out of collars is not a concern. Both flat and rolled buckle collars are available, with rolled collars usually being used for dogs with longer fur. Buckle collars may not be the right choice for leash walking brachycephalic dogs or dogs who have not learned to walk with a loose leash.

Quick Release Buckle

A quick release buckle collar operates the same as a buckle collar, but uses a plastic snap-in buckle. This buckle allows the size to be set once and the collar to be quickly put on and taken off. Quick release collars are convenient, but somewhat less durable and secure than traditional buckle collars.

Martingale

A martingale collar is similar to a regular nylon collar in appearance but tightens to a limited degree when pressure is put on the leash. They were designed to be for dogs with smaller heads and larger necks (like a greyhound) and work well for dogs that may back out of their collars. Most have two D rings so that you can choose where to attach your leash and whether or not to have it tighten or just act like a normal collar. These are highly recommended for dogs who back out of normal collars, especially dogs with greyhound-like head shapes. When correctly fitted, the tightest the martingale can go is still loose enough to slip two fingers under the collar (non-choking tightness).
Martingales are NOT recommended as a training device for dogs, including for pulling or lunging on leash, and neck pressure is a still a significant concern or for brachycephalic (stub-nosed) dogs who may need a harness to prevent pressure on their tracheas. Martingales should not be left on unattended dogs, because the dog cannot escape if the collar's loop is caught on a stationary object.

Safety break away

A breakaway collar releases when enough pressure is applied. It prevents a dog from strangulating if his collar or tags get caught on his crate, an air vent, fence, branch, or other stationary object. These typically are secure when a leash is attached, but release under pressure with no leash attached.

Head Collars #

Head Collars are the most secure choice for powerful dogs or dogs who may be dangerous. They control the dog's head which means he won't be able to pull with all of his body weight, and in aggression cases controlling the head means you control the "dangerous part" of the animal. Dogs should be taught to readily accept a head collar, here is Jean Donaldson teaching her dog to wear a head collar. Head collars are never for use with long lines or retractable leads, as the dog can injure his neck if great momentum is halted suddenly.

Gentle Leader, Halti, etc. .

Here's the safest way to use a head halter:

  • you have both a head halter AND a well fitted body harness on the dog at the same time
  • you have a double-ended leash (a leash with a clip on both ends) - one end is clipped to the body harness, the other is clipped to the head halter
  • when walking the dog, you hold the leash CLOSER to the harness clip, not directly in the middle - this way, if there is any pulling, it is on the body harness only and the leash attached to the head halter always swings loose with no pressure
  • IF there is a rare emergency situation where you can't fully hold back the dog on the harness side of the leash, you can use your other hand to also hold the leash a little closer to the head halter, and use both together to start turning the dog back around towards you.

Note that nowhere in that description is the head halter used as a training tool. Used properly and non-aversively, a head halter will not fix pulling, as this is done entirely through training with other methods. The head halter is simply your last-ditch backup plan for physically holding onto your dog when you've misjudged the situation and need to get out fast.

Avoid any head halter that claims to actually train a dog to stop pulling, especially if they tighten around the dog's head and/or are designed put pressure on the top of the dog's nose to pull the head down.

Harnesses #

Harnesses come in many types and many designs, there are hundreds currently out on the market. The best designed harnesses are ones which have front clipping attachments and do not restrict movement. They should be comfortable for your dog and not chafe their fur or skin, if you use a new harness always check your dog over to ensure that it is not causing pain or irritation to their fur or armpits.

Many popular harnesses are designed in a 'no pull' fashion, which means that when your dog pulls they aim to constrict your dogs limbs to make this pulling action uncomfortable and hence make pulling less desirable for your dog. Popular examples include the Sense-ible, Sense-ation, Freedom, and EasyWalk. This type of harness is best avoided, both to prevent interference with your dog's ability to use its legs and muscles properly, and to prevent linking the sensation of discomfort to walks themselves, your presence, or the presence of other stimuli that happen coincidentally with pulling. If you want a harness with optimal comfort for your dog check out designs like the TTouch, Mekuti, Haqihana, or any one of the RuffWear harnesses. These are by no means the 'go to' harnesses, but this is the design that is favourite from a comfort perspective for your dog.

The reason it is advisable to get a front clipping harness is because this gives you more control over your dog regardless of weight, if you put your lead to a back attachment you will notice your dog naturally pulls more and can put his or her weight into the action, whereas on the front clip this action is not as easy for a dog to perform, or put their weight behind, and hence it is easier to have a loose leash walk with a well fitted harness. Many good harnesses also have padded handles on the front and back which means it is easy for you to grab your dog if needed, giving you more surface area to reach for to hold your dog than you would have with a collar.

Harnesses are the optimal choice for small breeds, as any small breed pulling on a flat collar is more likely to damage its neck and have injuries than with a harness.

Leashes & Leads #

Flexi-leads

Flexi-leads are lockable flexible leads which allow your dog more freedom than a normal short leash. The sizes can be anywhere from 10ft+ and mean that while your dog cannot run away, they can at least explore their surroundings without as many limitations as a standard leash. If you want to use a flexi-lead be careful to get one that is suitable for your dogs weight, if you don't they can easily snap on you at the worst times which is obviously dangerous. You should also not allow your lead unlocked or locked at a long length alongside roads as so many people do, this is dangerous and can cause traffic accidents, not to mention harm to your dog! One of the biggest downsides of flexi/extendable leads is that dogs must pull on the lead in order to extend it - this means your dog is likely to learn to enjoy pulling, and so use of this type of lead can impede loose leash walking training.

Double ended/Training lead

A double ended training leash is a very long lead with clips on either end and, in the case of the Halti training lead, many D-ring attachments along its length. Double ended leads are fantastic for a variety of reasons: you can walk two dogs on the one leash with a clip attached to each collar, you can adjust the length depending your preference and how much freedom you want your dog to have (by attaching your second clip onto a different d-ring), they're very comfortable and are made of padded fabric so are nice to hold, and if you ever need an extra clip for a stray dog or someone else's then you have one at your disposal.

Slip Leads

A slip lead is a lead that runs through a ring, creating a loop that can be placed over a dog's head for a single collar/lead combo. It is NOT advisable to use a slip lead, as it has unlimited tightening and can hurt your dog, and its asymmetrical nature means that it will not easily release when held in some orientations. The advantages of a slip are that, in an emergency, they are compatible with dogs of any size, stoppers can be applied that will prevent tightening too far, and that any regular leash can be converted into a slip lead by using the handle end as the "ring" to create the loop. It can easily be 'slipped' on your dog if your collar breaks, or if you find a stray dog you don't need the exact collar size in order to lead it around. Knowing how to convert your leash into a slip lead is useful, as long as you are aware of the damage it can cause both to your dog's neck and to the dog's relationship with you if it tightens.

Long Lines

A long line (or lunge line) is the name for a long leash, 20-50ft. It is intended to help with dogs recall if it is not yet perfected and you need to stop your dog from running away. Most long lines have a clip to go to your dogs harness and a loop at the end if you wish to pick it up by the handle. When using a long line you should always try to use gloves so you do not damage your hands. Most people let the long line trail along the floor, and if your dog wants to run off you can stamp on the lead and pick it up, ensuring they cannot get further than the length they have already. You can then rein your dog in and get their attention back on you. Using a long line takes a bit of practice so you don't get tripped up, tangled up or let it slip through your fingers but once you've mastered using one they can be a very handy tool for letting your dog roam free but also be within your control if needed. You should only ever attach a long line to a harness. Hitting the end of a long line at speed can seriously injure your dog's neck if attached to a collar or head halter.

Walking Belts

Walking belts can have some good advantages. If you have multiple dogs it keeps your hands free for a start. If your dogs do not walk in straight lines or tend to zigzag a walking belt is not a good idea as the multiple lines will get caught. Walking belts can help people with bad backs, they can keep you stable and on your feet and if you're hiking or tired it allows your hands to be free, but also your dog to pull you up inclines if needed (and if they're big enough!). If you don't want your dog to pull you on a walking belt simple lean back and they should stop.

Manners Minder #

The Manners Minder (formerly called Treat & Train) is a treat dispensing machine which comes with a target post and a remote control. It can be used on the down/stay setting, in which it dispenses treats at irregular intervals. Or the user can press the remote control to dispense a treat. The Manners Minder is useful for teaching your dog to be calm and to stay on her mat when you ask for that. It was designed to help train good behaviour when people are at the door, or when other distracting things are happening. Some have used it to help with resource guarding and to help during rehabilitation after a dog's surgery. It comes with detailed instructions and lesson plans in an instructional booklet and a DVD.

Here are two posts about the Manners Minder:

Muzzles #

Resources #

Miscellaneous /

How to find a reputable behaviorist or trainer

Dog training is an unregulated industry. Any idiot can call themselves a trainer/behaviourist and start scamming you out of your money tomorrow, and nobody will stop them. You have to ensure you do your research carefully before paying for any training services, to ensure you are being taught by someone with not just experience, but actual understanding that will turn that experience into something valuable. (Remember, if someone has been doing things badly for 20 years, they will likely fuck up your dog quite thoroughly, compared to someone who only started training 5 years ago but has been doing it well the whole time.)
By contrast, a "veterinary behaviourist" is someone who has done a veterinary degree PLUS additional training specifically on complex behaviour problems. A veterinary behaviourist is qualified to diagnose problems and to prescribe medication for it.

How-to guides: #

How to choose:

Credentials #

It's important that you check the credentials of associations and trainers before giving them your trust. Overview of common credentials. Although it is not a guarantee of a quality trainer, it is a good starting point and you can have an additional baseline for assessment (such as whether the trainer's recommendations to you adhere to the Code of Ethics of the organisation they belong to) and gives you an avenue for complaints if anything goes wrong. We recommend the following organizations:

Searchable Directories #

In the USA and Canada #


In the UK #

In Australia #

Somewhere Else? #

Most of the directories above that don't mention a specific country in their name, and some that do, also have international members in other countries. Try the searches and see what comes up!
In addition, many trainers these days are adept at providing help over the internet through the use of video chat and email, and for some kinds of issues like fear, aggression and separation anxiety that can be even better than someone local. Distance does not need to be a barrier to finding assistance.

Ask good questions! #

It is always recommended to speak with a trainer or behaviourist before embarking on any work with them, even if they have a certification. You need to ask pertinent questions regarding their methods, ideology and how they achieve results to ensure that you will be 100% comfortable with the work they undertake with you. If you wish to join a training class, before parting with your cash get in touch with the venue and ask them if it is okay to observe for a session before deciding whether to commit to bringing your dog to their class. Most good trainers are more than happy to let you observe for free or a nominal fee to help you make up your mind.


Red Flags #

Keep an eye out for warnings that a trainer might not be the best choice:

Related Threads: #

Meta

Pages which are necessary to be backed up but may no longer have relevance outside of reddit, depending on if a new community forum is created.

Meta /

/r/dogtraining Posting guidelines

Please read before posting or commenting on /r/dogtraining. Posts or comments that do not follow these guidelines will be removed.

Here's the tl;dr: our rules

Is your post about dog training? #

If it is, you're in the right subreddit!

If your post is about something else (dog rescue, fundraising for dog-related charities, how cute your dog is etc.) then it doesn't belong in /r/dogtraining.

Visit our sister subreddit, /r/DogCare, for content relating to the physical care of dogs. Posts about canine health, diet, etc., are better off there, and will get a better response in that subreddit.
Posts asking for medical advice or help with injuries or illnesses are questions for a vet, not the internet.

If you see an off topic post, or one which goes against our guidelines or rules, please report it to the mods. This helps us find posts which don't follow our rules and slip through the AutoModerator Bot's net.

Before you post: #

  • Search for similar questions before asking yours. Many common questions (e.g. house training, mouthing/nipping, and loose leash walking) have already been answered.
  • Take a look at our wiki. We put a lot of great resources there, just for you!

How to get good responses: #

  • Use an informative title - "My dog kidnapped the cat and is demanding ransom" will be more likely to reach people interested in helping than "HELP! will.
  • Try to avoid putting 600 questions into one post. Can you ask one question this time, or a few related questions?
  • Refrain from calling your dog an idiot or a jerk or an asshole.
  • Format your post into paragraphs - just press the 'enter' key a couple of times now and again. It makes your post so much easier to read.
  • It's nice if you can thank people who respond to you. And please upvote helpful replies! These kindnesses on your part may encourage others to reply, too.
  • What have you already tried? More in depth than "We've tried everything?". We need to know what has/hasn't worked in the past and how long you've tried it for.
  • Try to give all the information that's relevant. Your dog's age, breed, size, how long you've had them, any relevant illnesses or recent surgeries. If you have other animals in the home and how long you've had them. If you've had a major life change or schedule shift. All these things are important to know for you to get good advice.

Appropriate content: #

Please share your:

  • dog training questions
  • updates on your dog's progress
  • dog-friendly and human-friendly training advice in response to other people's questions
  • links to excellent dog training resources (not your own website, thanks).

(Note the 'prohibited content' section below, though.)

Appropriate community behaviour: #

  • Be kind, keep discussions civil, and practice good reddiquette.
  • If somebody is snippy to you, please don't bark back. Show us, by example, how to be polite and kind.
  • Report inappropriate or offensive content for the mods to review. Just click the 'report' link under the post title to do this - that will send an anonymous message to the moderation team. Or, if you'd rather send a note to the /r/dogtraining mods, send them a message.

Prohibited content: #

  • Memes.
  • Photos or videos that lack clear dog training applications.
  • Vents/rants.
    * Breed discrimination. Saying "German Shepherds tend to/can be..." is ok, "All chihuahuas are awful" or "Huskies always kill cats" is not.
  • Recommending dominance as a training solution. Dominance theory has been discounted and should not be used as a basis for making decisions about dog behaviour or training, so forget about being alpha in your pack.
  • Recommending the use of aversives like pain, fear, startle, or intimidation to train dogs. We do not support positive punishment to control or train dogs. Prohibited methods and tools include shock collars, prong/pinch collars, choke/slip collars/leads, leash checks, spray bottles, spray collars, capsaicin, alpha rolls, hitting, kicking, poking, pushing, yelling, shaker cans, "bonkers", and invisible fencing, among other things. Our stance on positive punishment collars can be found here.
  • Recommending programs, publications, trainers or sites that support dominance theory or positive punishment - even if the specific article or video you link doesn't have those methods.
  • Linking to your own blog or website, or asking people to DM you or offering to DM others instead of posting public advice. That includes having a username that obviously references your blog/website/business. If you've come here to contribute to this community, great! If you've come to advertise your site, then you can buy advertising on reddit. If you think your case is a hugely important exception, message the mods about it.
  • Stating that you are a trainer/behaviourist/other training profession. The use of such phrases is restricted to people who have been verified first or "Industry"-flaired threads.
  • Off-topic stuff. Posts need to be about dog training.

The AutoModerator Bot: #

If your post is locked immediately after you post it's likely been removed by our handy (if sometimes overzealous) bot. If your post has a video, picture, or a link to a video or picture, or uses certain key words, it may be temporarily removed by our bot. As in all subs, these posts are then looked at by the next moderator who has a chance and manually checked for content. All you need to do is be patient and wait for one of our team to get through the queue.
Please do not delete and repost, or just delete. Especially if you're asking a question about training - it will most likely be reapproved.

And finally: #

/r/dogtraining mods work hard to ensure that this community is a positive and encouraging place, with good and helpful content. We welcome you, and ask that you help us in this endeavor. Please be your best self for the people who come here seeking help: they are often stressed, troubled, and trying their best in difficult situations. We can afford to be kind and gentle with them and with each other, even if we disagree. If you're too angry to be kind in your reply, please don't reply - go play with your dogs instead. :-)
Moderators reserve the right to delete content that is off-topic, inflammatory, insulting, mean, harmful, needlessly judgemental, or just plain stupid.

Meta /

User Flair application (if you are a behaviour pro and wish to state that publicly)

Welcome dog trainers! Below are instructions to apply for a flair – the colored text you may have seen next to some users' names indicating their specialization. We are now recruiting flaired users!

Requirements for Flair #

A flair in r/DogTraining indicates a professional capacity in the dog training industry, credentials earned from independent certifying bodies that take into account experience, knowledge assessments, and/or peer reviewed case studies and a proven track record of providing helpful advice in the subreddit. In applying for a flair, you are claiming to have:

Expertise in an area of dog training, typically from a high level degree (CAAB, DACVM), a certifying training academy (i.e. KPA), or a certifying organization (i.e. CDBC, CCPDT-KA, PCT-A). These are not limited to the examples provided, so please feel free to ask! However organisations that actively endorse methods against the sub's posting guidelines will not be flaired.

The ability to, upon request, cite from reputable sources and specialist literature to back recommendations made on the subreddit.

The ability to provide high quality answers in the subreddit in accordance with our rules.

How to Apply #

To apply for a flair, simply message the mod team. (Do not contact a single moderator directly). Your message needs to include:

  • Links to 3 of your comments on r/DogTraining which exemplify sound advice and a welcoming attitude.
  • Your credentials and certifications with documented proof. Please provide a photo of your certificate with a sticky of your user name or your directory number. This information is kept confidential within the moderation team.
  • Link or name of the piece of literature you've found most useful in your dog training career.

One of the moderators will then either confirm your flair or, if the application doesn't adequately show you meet the requirements, explain what's missing.

If there's a backlog this may take a few days, but we will try to get around to everyone as quickly as possible.

Expected Behavior #

We invest a large amount of trust in the flaired members of r/dogtraining as they represent the subreddit and the expected ethics of their credentials when answering questions. As such, we do take into account an applicant's user history reddit-wide when reviewing an application and will reject applicants whose post history demonstrates bigotry, racism, sexism, or general mean-spiritedness. Such behavior is not tolerated in r/dogtraining, and we do not tolerate it from our trainers in any capacity. We additionally reserve the right to revoke flairs based on evidence of such behavior after the application process has been completed. r/dogtraining is welcoming to all and those attitudes have no place here.

Meta /

reactive dog support group

Reactive Dog Support Group #

Welcome to /r/dogtraining's weekly Reactive Dog Support Group!

The mission of this group is to provide a constructive place to discuss your dog's progress and setbacks in conquering his/her reactivity. Feel free to post your weekly progress report, as well as any questions or tips you might have! We seek to provide a safe space to vent your frustrations as well, so feel free to express yourself.

We welcome owners of both reactive and ex-reactive dogs!

You can read our previous posts to see the sort of discussions we have. A new discussion thread is posted each Wednesday; please join us in the current thread or wait for the new one on Wednesday.

What is reactivity? #

A reactive dog is one who displays inappropriate responses (most commonly barking and lunging) to dogs, people, or other triggers. The most common form is leash reactivity, where the dog is only reactive while on a leash. Some dogs are more fearful or anxious and display reactive behavior in new circumstances or with unfamiliar people or dogs whether on or off leash.

Does this sound familiar? Lucky for you, this is a pretty common problem that many dog owners struggle with. It can feel isolating and frustrating, but we are here to help!

Resources #

Books #

Online Articles/Blogs #

Videos #

See you on Wednesday? #

If you're working with a reactive dog, please join us. Watch for the new discussion thread that appears here on /r/dogtraining every Wednesday. Introduce your dog if you are new, and for those of you who have previously participated, make sure to tell us how your week has been!

Meta /

Reactive Dog Support Group - past posts

The RDSG is a weekly thread started by /u/apoptoeses and now continued by the bot /u/AutoModerator. If the archives are behind, you can find additional threads by searching.

2013: #

Unwanted Behaviors / Leash Reactivity /

Turning on leash

About turning and U-turning #

About turns and U-turns are useful in all kinds of situations ranging from getting a dog out of a potentially dangerous situation to training good leash walking skills.

About turning #

Start training about turns indoors in a quiet, relaxed environment. The fewer distractions surrounding initial training, the better your dog will be able to focus.

Leash your dog and arm yourself with quality treats. A clicker is optional for marking the behaviour, but can speed up the process.

Note: This process works best with dogs who have a solid loose leash walking behaviour.

In a reasonably spacious room, start walking with your dog. After a few steps, catch your dog’s attention and ask the dog to target and follow your hand, and if your dog doesn’t yet target, lure the dog with a treat held at her nose level as you turn and walk the opposite way so you’re leading the dog with a treat. Your dog should be in a regular loose leash walking position, so if she normally walks on the left, lead her around the left side of your body as you turn. Make sure the dog starts following before the leash becomes taut as you walk in the other direction.

Once the dog follows, mark and reward the behavior. Repeat multiple times in short training sessions.

Start walking at a much more regular pace, without hitches in stride when turning. As you work together, you can add a cue and say it in a way that is upbeat and happy, so that with practice, you sound less stressed in a real-life situation in which you need to turn quickly.

Once your dog is doing great in any particular environment, move to a slightly more distracting one and rehearse the new behavior repeatedly. When the dog becomes proficient at following the treat, you can fade the lure (if you’re not using hand targeting), and rely on a cue.

Over time, gradually increase the level of distraction surrounding your training sessions so that your end result is being able to get your dog to about turn while walking up a busy sidewalk.

Successful about turn training can be incorporated into management of leash reactivity and is a great skill to incorporate into training sessions. As a reactivity trigger approaches, move your own body and ask for an about turn. On each successive approach towards a trigger, close the distance between your dog and the trigger ever so slightly.

U-turning #

The phrases “about turn” and “U-turn” are often used interchangeably. U-turns are very much like about turns, but you move across the dog’s body rather than lead a dog to move along in a normal loose leash position.

As you attempt to walk around the dog, hold a treat lure out in your left hand at your dog’s nose level and then guide your own body around that extended hand. The treat should stop your dog’s momentum and guide her to turn with you on the inside. Be very careful not to make contact with the dog’s feet or let the dog crash into you.

About turns http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/teaching-dogs-to-walk-on-loose-leash-part-2-making-about-turns

U-turns http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/walk-on-loose-leash-part-3-u-turns

Using emergency turns with reactive dogs https://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/dog-dog-reactivity-ii-the-basics
Manners and Everyday Life / Loose Leash Walking /

LooseLeashSupport

Walking Woes? You have found the right thread! #

Join us as we compete with the squirrels, cats, other dogs, fresh urine scents and things that go zoooooooom!

Resources #

Articles (All have videos embedded) #

Youtube (Many of these are videos which are embedded in the above articles) #

See our page on leash reactivity for help managing and training dogs that bark and lunge while on leash.

Vimeo #

  • Shaping Loose Leash Walking With a High Rate of Reinforcement Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 by Helix Fairweather and Lynn Martin. (Read the text below the videos too!)

APDT webinar #

Meta /

flairguide

Your guide to what flair to attach to your posts!

Once your post is submitted, you can add flair - those text/coloured category labels next to every post - that indicate the nature of your post. To do so, click the "flair" link beneath your post after submitting (it's with the links to edit or delete). Choose an appropriate flair category and hit save.

Adding "[Help]" or "[brags]", and so on in the text of your title does not flair the post, so please choose from the flair selector instead!
The flair on text posts defaults to "help" unless you set it to a different flair.
Categories

  • All | Remove filter - Remove the current filtered view and return to all posts
  • Academic - Links to scholarly/scientific articles. Research.
  • Announcement - Mod posts
  • Brags - "Woohoo! Look what we achieved!"
  • Community - Trick of the Month, recurring support group threads and AMAs
  • Constructive Criticism Welcome - "Here's a video/description of what we're working on, how can we make it better?" This is not "please help me" flair.
  • Discussion - Let's talk about x, baby!
  • Equipment - Harnesses, leashes, clickers, toys, weave poles, wobblers, muzzles, puzzles...
  • Help - Requests for help from the community. All your walking, barking, nipping, potty training, and resource guarding posts should have this flair. We recommend checking our wiki first, though, as there are a lot of articles that are might resolve your issue without you needing to post!
  • Industry - Any thread about dog training as an industry or a career. How to be a trainer, opening a facility, CEUs, business resources and so on.
  • Resource - Look at this nifty article/video/book! Or asking for resource reviews/recommendations. Not necessarily academic in nature.
  • Update - Update us on your progress!
Meta /

Index

Dog Training Wiki #

Page Index #

About Dogs and How They Learn #

Training Techniques #

Training Basics #

Training Disabled Dogs #

Building Block Behaviors #

Manners and Everyday Life #

Training Bloopers #

  • Prompt Dependence - "he won't do it unless I have a treat"
  • Poisoned Cues - dog no longer responds to command

Unwanted Behaviors #

Socialization, Fear, and Aggression #

Ongoing Training and Activities #

Career Paths in Animal Training and Behavior #

Miscellaneous #

Book List #

Training techniques / Training Basics /

Rate of Reinforcement

In positive training, we mark and reward desired behavior. Rate of reinforcement is generally defined as the number of reinforcements per unit of time, often minutes.

Skilled trainers will vary their rate of reinforcement depending on the animal and the current task. If your dog is already skilled at sitting on cue, he may not require a reinforcement for every time he sits. However, if he is unclear on what is wanted it is helpful to mark any behavior which moves him towards offering a sit.

As a general rule, when teaching a new behavior you should aim for a rate of at least 10 treats per minute. For some tasks, you may want to go as high as 30!

Reward vs. Information #

We often talk about the marker and treat as a reward. Sometimes that is the case - if your dog already has a "down!" cue, you can mark and reward him for responding to his cue. However, the mark and reward has a more important role when learning new behaviors. When teaching a new behavior, the marker is information.

Imagine learning to tie your shoes. One strategy I might employ is to offer you a large reward for figuring it out yourself. If the reward was large enough to keep you trying, you just might get there. Of course, you'd be frustrated along the way. That's not necessarily bad - learning to deal with frustration and to stay motivated are important life skills (even for dogs!) but they are skills that need to be developed. If you do succeed with this method it might be because I made you motivated to try, but it can't really be said that I taught you.

If instead, I reward small steps along the way. First touching the laces at all, then moving them, then only crossing them, etc. Then I'm teaching you step by step how to get to your goal. You aren't frustrated because you are making progress along the way and you are motivated to keep trying for the same reason.

Training Game #

This game allows the "dog" to talk back. You will learn how frustrating it can be to wait even a few seconds without information (the reinforcement) and helps you understand how salient the absent of click really is to your dog.

Grab a partner and choose a marker (a clicker or the word "yes!" - the treat is not strictly necessary for the human learner) and think of a simple task you want to "train" them to do. It could be a certain position or motion, to stand or sit in a certain place, to turn on or off a light, etc. The rules are simple. The trainer should remain still, no prompting (looking where you want them to go, motioning, leaning, etc.) Using only your marker, "train" your human subject to do your simple task.

To do this, you should mark the closest approximation to the behavior the person is offering. If you want them to sit on a chair to their left, mark any motion left your subject makes. Then as they get the idea, any motion towards the chair, then eventually any interaction with the chair, etc. This is called shaping.

  • When you don't mark what happens?

How quickly does your learner become frustrated? You may find that 5 seconds is actually a long time for your learner to go without any guidance (marks) from you!

When you don't click/mark - how quickly does your learner realize he or she is on the wrong path? Pretty quickly! Lack of reward marker is information too!

Keeping the Animal Engaged #

Just like humans during the training game, your dog doesn't know what it is you want him to do. If you have a low rate of reinforcement he may become confused or bored or frustrated and may begin to wander off and seek other dog hobbies. If you are loosing your learner, try increasing the rate of reinforcement.

Also, remember, when the environment gets more distracting, one way you can keep your dog engaged is by increasing your rate of reinforcement.

Surfing Extinction Bursts #

Extinction bursts often cause an animal to take creative approaches to an old problem. However, the higher rate of reinforcement the dog is expecting for a given behavior the sooner he'll realize his methods aren't working and try something new. If you are only reinforcing on a sparse schedule, or at a variable rate your dog may take a long time to figure out he's not getting it right. That's another reason to keep your rate of reinforcement high when learning new things.

When the behavior is learned and on cue, you can move towards a variable rate - that way the dog will learn to keep responding even when he isn't reinforced.

Warm up for training #

You may find it helps to warm up before training sessions. For at least 10 quick reinforcers, let your dog get some easy mark & rewards for

  • Standing in front of you
  • Eye contact
  • Not jumping up or performing other behaviors which you think he was probably considering

This gets their attention and lets the dog know that training time is on. It builds strong default behaviors and also primes your dog to try to figure out what gets the reward when you slow your rate. You may find that after a few easy rewards your dog is more focused and ready to learn or perform tasks which may be difficult for him.

Is your rate high enough? #

Consider raising your RoR if

  • Your dog isn't focused and excited for training
  • Your dog is wandering away during training sessions (wait until he looks back, then start up with a high RoR as a reward)
  • Your dog is confused or frustrated
  • You are confused or frustrated
  • Your dog isn't actively trying to figure out what gets the reward
  • Your dog isn't performing behaviors you think 'he should know'

Examples #

The following videos all use positive methods to teach behaviors. However, they vary greatly in the rate of reinforcement used.

Two examples of teaching "Leave It" #

Resources #