Tag Archives: positive reinforcement training

Dog training – expectation vs. reality

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Congratulations! You’re a dog trainer!

2-Minute Trainer Book 1 - Clicker & Place

It’s true. The reality is – everyone who owns a dog is a dog trainer. Dog training is all day, every day. Dogs learn from everything we say, do, and are.

The tricky part is being aware of what we’re training!

Our new book, 2-Minute Trainer Book 1 – Clicker & Place, will get you started on the most fun you’ve ever had playing with your dog.

Expectation

People say their dogs “know” when they’ve done something naughty because the dog hides or has a hangdog (sorry, we couldn’t help it) expression.

Reality

The dog knows yelling will happen soon. The dog doesn’t “know” not to do it – the dog knows not to be around when you find it.

To a dog, the answer is not “don’t do it.” It’s “make sure she doesn’t find it.” It’s why they “hide” their accidents. And why, when you’re in the process of housebreaking, you should be hot on the heels of any dog who decides to leave the room!

Expectation

Dog training takes a long time, isn’t much fun, and you need an expert to achieve anything.

Reality

Dog training only takes a couple minutes at a time, is a fun game you play with your dog, and anyone can do it.

It does require patience, but that’s why we do just little bits at a time. The time we spend with our dogs, considering everything else going on in life, can’t be full of tension and stress. Everyone who has a dog should be able to spend just 2 minutes playing a training game.

Double Reality

if you don’t have two minutes to spend with your dog on a regular basis, you probably shouldn’t have a dog.

Expectation

We can’t do this. My dog is an obedience school drop-out.

Reality

Dog training includes tricks.

Teddy practicing tricks

Your dog was probably bored stiff by the glacial pace, boring demeanor, and rote repetition of the exercises in the obedience class.

It’s a fact that most small dogs are descended from animals whose original jobs were getting rid of vermin. That means they were bred to work independently, use their brains, and outsmart the competition. Furthermore, when we say little dogs are smart, we mean it. They don’t have the “obeying” kind of smart, they have the “problem solving, thinking” kind of smart.

Expectation

Dog training isn’t fun.

Reality

If it’s not fun, you’re doing it wrong.

2-minute training is fast-paced. It works best if you go into it with a smile on your face, good “cookies” close at hand, and use that higher-pitched, excited voice you would with a toddler. Moreover,  when you ask “Wanna go train?” your dog should be just as excited as if you asked “Wanna go for a walk?” or if you grabbed your keys and asked “Wanna go for a ride?”

Getting completely real

To summarize, the reality of 2-Minute Training is that you can:
Expect to have fun. Expect to be sorry when time’s up. Expect you and your dog to excel.
Expect to be proud – of yourself and your dog.

French Bulldog Teddy learning "high five"

Dog Tip – Change your life in two minutes with PRT

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I (Hope) was on the phone with a customer this morning and she said something that really surprised me. I don’t remember her exact words, but the gist was her dog couldn’t be trained. And she really believed it!

To back up a couple of steps, we were talking about choosing the best harness for her dog, a young Miniature Pinscher that’s a bit wild, fearful, and uncomfortable around other dogs.

We decided that the best harness would be the Wrap-N-Go – it’s the one we recommend for dogs who try to escape. In addition to other issues, her dog is also an extreme wiggler. Her only hesitation was that her dog is also afraid of the sound hook-and-loop closures (trade name Velcro) make. It’s not an uncommon problem, so I said “well, you can train her to get used to the velcro.”

I was completely taken aback by her “I can’t train her. It wouldn’t work. She’s untrainable.”

We know that no healthy dog is untrainable. And we need a new word for “train.”

Whenever we think about it – the word “training” has some unfortunate baggage attached. When I think about training, I equate it with exercise and working out. Which I loathe.

So do people think of “dog training” the same way? Unpleasant, frustrating, hard work that accomplishes nothing quickly?

If that’s the case – we absolutely, positively, definitely need a new word to use instead of training.

Especially since, when I explained what I meant by “training her dog” to get used to Velcro, she turned right around and said, “Oh, I can do that! That’s easy!”

Dog training is easy. And fun. And doesn’t take long – just a couple minutes at a time. How long results take depend on the dog and how consistent you are – but if it’s not pretty fun, you’re doing it wrong.

To train your dog to get used to Velcro:
Put on your dog’s collar (or harness) and leash
Grab a handful of treats
Sit on the floor with a velcro something – it doesn’t matter what
Give the dog the entire length of the leash – don’t “make” him/her do anything
Start playing with the velcro. Every time it makes a noise, give the dog a cookie.
If the dog isn’t in arm’s reach, toss the treat to him/her
Keep doing it.
If the dog approaches, give even more treats.
When you’re out of treats, the session is over.

Don’t say anything to the dog. Nothing. Not “come here.” Not “it’s okay, sweetie.” Nothing.
Soon your dog will decide that only good things happen when he/she hears Velcro.

It’s almost miraculous how quickly dogs will learn how to get treats. And in the process, you’re both having a little bit of fun (it’s incredibly fun to watch your dog figure things out), you’re spending time with your dog, and your dog is learning to trust you and figuring out how to get what he/she wants.

The same technique can be used to teach your dog just about anything. Give them the opportunity to figure stuff out. Your dog is smart – he/she will get it! And that’s Positive Reinforcement training (PRT)!

Tips on Tuesday – Be ready to reward!

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If you have a dog – you’re a dog trainer. You may not think of yourself as one, but your dog is always looking to you for feedback, always learning, always paying attention to what you say and do.

Training is a life long process for dogs. They’re always up for a game, always ready to play with you, always eager to spend time with you and learn new things.

reward your dogTo make impromptu little games – like “Puppy Push-ups” (see how many times your dog can go from sit to down and back to sit in 30 seconds) possible and fun, we keep little dishes (actually empty containers from butter or yogurt) filled with treats (or pieces of kibble) in just about every room in the house. That way, if the dogs are doing something great, we can reward them.

And if they’re being annoying, we can interrupt the chaos with a mini-training session of hand touches, or push-ups, or spins, without any preparation at all.

We often have people ask “when can we leave out the treats?” The best answer is never. You can certainly randomize rewards for your dog, especially when he’s a fan of your little behavior practices. But eliminate them?

Give the dog a bone

Let’s put it in terms every adult will understand. (Copied and credited to Dee Lulik of All Fours Dog Training) You go to work every day. You love your job. You love the place, the people you work with, the work that you do. Are you still going to go every day if you don’t get paid?

Whether it’s a cookie or a toy play session, it’s your dog’s pay check. Don’t ask her to work all the time just because she loves you. That will pall over time. You don’t have to reward every time, but you do have to let them know they’ve done a good job.