Practice your dog’s behaviors everywhere!
In my obedience program, we usually start by teaching your dog basic manners – eye contact, sit, down and touch. You probably remember me teaching these behaviors in some of our first lessons with your dog. You’ll recall we did these sessions inside. Inside, distractions are lower for your dog. This helps your dog focus during the session and gives them the best opportunity to learn the new behaviors.
Ever heard someone say “but my dog does this so well at home”? As your dog masters new behaviors at home, don’t forget to train them in other places too! This will help your dog understand that these behaviors should be performed everywhere. You can practice in your back yard, while out on your daily walk, at the park, in carpool
(before the bell rings!) and in dog-friendly stores like Lowe’s or Home Depot.
In the picture above, sweet Daisy is working on her down/stay in Lowe’s, which is a part of her training to take the Canine Good Citizen test. Her owner is working hard to help Daisy have excellent manners when out in public. Instead of jumping, we worked on Daisy remaining calm when she meets new people. We also worked on laying quietly while her owner walked 20 feet away and returned to her.
Remember, these behaviors don’t just happen. It’s up to us to show our dogs what behaviors we’d like inside and outside the home, and positively reinforce them for all of their hard work!
Puppy Client of the Month!
Sugar & Honey
Their mom has gotten up extra every day before work to train with these two snuggly pups to hep them reach theri goals and they’re making terrific progress. They love their Mom, Dad, human brothers and laying in the sun!
Positive Pointers:
Training tips for you and your dog!
Markers:
- What is a marker? It is the verbal sound (yes!) or the sound from your clicker that tells the dog she’s done the right behavior you’ve asked for and it also acts as a bridge between the time she does the correct behavior and the time you give reinforcement (usually a treat).
- When do we use it? At the exact moment that you want to mark your dog’s behavior and give her information for learning. For example, if you’re teaching “touch”, the very second that your dog’s nose touches your fingers/hand, you should mark/click.
The Golden Rule: Set your dog up for success
- If you mark/click, even by accident, your dog should receive reinforcement/a treat. One or two mistakes in marking/clicking will not ruin training.
- Set your dog up for SUCCESS! Be sure to work where your dog can understand your cues. Moving too fast with distractions or duration can cause frustration for your dog and you, and slow down learning. Working in small, understandable increments will make sense to your dog and will make her foundation learning stronger. Enjoy the process of learning and achieving together!
