The Power of Positive Dog Training

BY: Pat Miller

Chapter 1

4 principles of positive training:

1. All living things repeat behaviors that are rewarding and avoid behaviors that are not
2. Your dog already knows everything you are going to teach him
3. Use the same cues for each behavior
4. Think about what you want your dog to do, not what you don’t want them to do

General Practices:

⁃ Training sessions should only be 5-10 mins

⁃ If your dog does something you don’t like don’t make eye contact or turn your back to them; or take something away and when they do the right behavior reward them immediately w a treat

⁃ Use your attention — give it for doing good things, take it away for bad things

⁃ Dogs only make a connection to your reaction in a behavior within seconds — you might be punishing for something you think and they think it’s something different

⁃ Must show them what the right behavior is

⁃ Only use one word / one physical motion per command — make it always consistent and choose what you want to do for various commands

⁃ Training should be gentle and firm; reproach given so he knows when mistakes are made however must be fair

⁃ Don’t let them see your frustration they will take delight in it and lose respect

⁃ House rules must be made clear

⁃ Teach them w respect and do not let get away w not following rules otherwise they will not respect you

⁃ Take to many places often so they can become versatile to anywhere

⁃ Don’t like water or rain very much; don’t need baths very often

⁃ Restrict the dogs chewing to only nylon bones

⁃ If chewing on something not supposed to say “NO” and replace w one of chew toys

⁃ Sharing: early on give the dog his food and then take it away “May I see this?” And if they growl or snip say “NO” immediately; if they cooperate for a few seconds say “good dog” and give hugs

⁃ Put the collar on and let get used to collar, then attach the least and pat your leg teaching them to learn following you

⁃ When a dog is approaching speak to it in a positive, greeting manner as if a friend then after a short period say “let’s go Benji” with an uptown attitude

⁃ Use commands / body language consistently which indicate being unhappy w dogs behavior; crossed arms; back to the dog

⁃ Dogs have very short memories; if you are reprimanding your will want to bring back into your affections after only a minute or two they don’t want to be rejected for long

⁃ End each training lesson on a happy note

Potty Training:

⁃ Go to the same spot every morning when they wake up to take them out and praise when they come and after they go; then let them eat and take out again 20 mins after they eat; praise for each good deed

⁃ Puppy must go out after every meal, napping, in the morning and at night

Crating:

⁃ Great teaching aid; provides him a place that is his and he can rest; conditions him if he ever needs to be kenneled

⁃ Feed them in the crate to begin

⁃ Reassure when putting them in: I’ll be back, be a good dog

⁃ Teach the puppy to be crated and don’t leave for more than hour at a time to start; once they’ve rested and quieted down reward them w a treat and love

⁃ Expect some crying and howling in the beginning you have to let them deal

⁃ Make sure have a blanket to stay warm

⁃ “It’s okay, go to sleep”

Feeding:

⁃ 3 times day — 8-16 weeks

⁃ 2 times day — 4mo – 12mo

⁃ 1-2 times day — 12mo+

⁃ Do not leave food out, it should be taken away as soon as they finish eating so they cannot eat whenever they want; they need to be on a regular schedule

⁃ Treats should only be 10% of caloric intake

⁃ Sizes of meals should get bigger as they get older

Training commands:

⁃ Do not say words repetitively; does don’t understand words they understand sounds; say the command one time when teaching

⁃ Sit — use a treat running slowly up past its nose and just out of reach and then back down until it’s bottom touches the ground, as soon his bottom touches the ground give treat and praise, only start to use the word “SIT” once they can reliably perform this exercise; DO NOT PUSH THEM TO THE FLOOR

⁃ Lay — same technique, keep treat from nose down to the floor in front of front legs to the floor so it will lay and after it’s laying praise and give treat then teach “LAY”

⁃ Off

⁃ Settle

⁃ Crate / Rest

⁃ Bed

⁃ Mealtime

⁃ Playtime

⁃ Bells

⁃ Come — use his name with “come” all the time so they can learn this quickly and when they come, praise and give a treat

⁃ Heel

⁃ Stay — open the door after they are in sitting position; put your hand in front of nose and say “STAY” this will teach not to bolt out of doors; continue to repeat until they can stay w you walking out and not moving and praise

⁃ No

Grooming:

⁃ Hold him steady and gently introduce to being brushed even if he doesn’t need it and give “stay” command; if he moves reposition and give command again until he starts to learn

⁃ Use this time to check for fleas, cuts, and inside mouth and brushing teeth

⁃ Nails should be cut once per week; trim off the part that comes out from the quick

⁃ Baths needed once every few months at most; use warm water and don’t get soap in ears or eyes

Other Notes:

⁃ Supplicate gestures — BEg humbly or earnestly

⁃ First came to America in 1941 on cargo from Congo — Kindu and Kasenyi

⁃ Zest — great enthusiasm and energy

⁃ Long memory; remember things that are pleasant and unpleasant

⁃ Walk away or look away when your dog runs away not toward

⁃ Training sessions just before they eat; use treats and toys are good motivators to get your dog to perform; subtract treats from what you feed the dog

⁃ Pair the clicker w the treat/when they do what they’re supposed — click, then treat; timing is critical the closer the click to the desired behavior the quicker they will learn

⁃ Crate training 6h48m — introduce the crate by keeping door open and putting treats in for your dog to go in, when he goes, click then treat again and slowly increase the time until you can close the door without him being under stress or crying

⁃ If your dog whines and you let him out, he will assume that whining always gets him out so you should only let out if under serious stress

⁃ The crate should only have enough room for them to stand up, so a full turn and lay down; block a portion of it off in the beginning if you want them to grow into it

⁃ For more complicated moves, use the click as they move in that direction (ie want to teach to spin in a circle, a slight left turn should be clicked then treated until they keep going further and further)

⁃ When you’re not having fun or being positive stop training

⁃ Use the same room and place every time you train and then slowly start to work on doing it in public places and other rooms in the house

Steps to training a behavior:

⁃ 1) Get the behavior

⁃ 2) mark the behavior

⁃ 3) reward the behavior

⁃ 4) repeat until it is captured at least 80% of time

⁃ 5) Add the verbal cue — do it just before they are about to do the desired behavior; make sure attention is focused on you; give a few seconds to respond and if not, use verbal cues or treats to lure then when they do it click and treat (with a treat, going outside, a toy or playtime)

⁃ 6) use the verbal cue to illicit the behavior

⁃ Use “OOPS” when don’t do what you’re asking

⁃ Punishment means the good thing goes away, a few minutes in duration

Core exercises — week 1 — chapter 10:

1. Condition to click marker; every click gets a treat — condition it first
2. Say his name and each time he looks at you click and treat
3. teach to “sit” — just wait till they sit, then click and treat; then move away and see if they follow and if they sit again do again
4. Teach “down” — do the sit exercise but instead of giving click and treat use a treat near his nose and bring to the floor, once he lays give him the treat and use the jackpot phrase once he learns; gradually fade the lure and teach to do on own
5. Puppy push ups — let lay down, slowly rise up into sitting position up and down w clicking and treating — this is from sit, down, and back and forth
6. Stand by me —

Week 2:

⁃ Teach “come” — must always be positive upbeat calling; don’t use the word come when leaving the dog park though because then it has a negative association; do it indoors and turn and run away and when they come after you click and treat and get excited and praise

⁃ Once coming reliably, work on pair it with come AND sit

⁃ Teaching touch or targeting — start by using your hand — offer empty palm fingers down and clicker and treat in other hand and click and treat w each touch of her nose to your hand; on she is doing over and over say “touch” and click and treat

⁃ No jumping zone — 4 different methods

⁃ Teaching to walk on leash — when your dog is pulling and you let it go it will learn that pulling gets it to where it wants to go; leash walks are training game in the early going; use “lets walk” so they know what it’s called and do practice walks in the house and when walking next to you click and treat; if they pull the leash tight stop and wait for them to turn around and come back to you always click and treat

⁃ Teaching to Shake; then left and right; then wave

Chapter 12 – 14 — More complicated training — week 3:

⁃ “Wait”

⁃ “Take it”

⁃ “Leave it”

⁃ Touching specific objects

⁃ “Sit ups”

⁃ “Give”

⁃ “Score!”

⁃ “Swing”

Chapter 15 — week 6:

⁃ “Down” from a distance

⁃ “Excuse me” or “back up”

⁃ “Leave it”

⁃ “Cross paws”

⁃ “Bravo!” (Bow)

Chapter 16 — click and jackpot:

⁃ Remove the lure of the treat so they can do cues without needing a treat